Alison Pidgeon helps film a segment of Compass Points TV. (Compass Points Media / flickr)
Compass Points Media released Friday on its Backcountry Radio feed the latest episode of Compass Points TV, a segment about the Cedar Run-Whiteoak Canyon loop in Shenandoah National Park, Va. The release represented two new shifts in our popular hiking video programming.
The first shift could be immediately noticeable. The format is new as we attempt to make Compass Points TV more personable. The previous format had a narrator explain how to see specific trails, parks, mountains and other locations, but now, I want you to feel as if you’re on the hike with Compass Points TV while also bringing you the information you need to see the hike on your own.
The second shift has to do with broadcasting. The original seven episodes appeared every Thursday night during the spring, but now, Compass Points Media will publish Compass Points TV as the videos are published. Honestly, while I enjoyed producing the first seven episodes, the practice of hauling a camera on every hike sapped some of the joy out of hiking.
When you’re concentrating on video composition, you tend to miss the wilderness experience, know what I mean?
After I finished the first seven episodes, I determined to get back to what made hiking enjoyable in the first place — experiencing the fresh air of the woods, chasing vistas, searching for wildlife and so on. Having a video camera on every hike takes that away. I found that I love the mapping, photography and (naturally) the writing parts of this job more, which is what I always loved.
Compass Points TV will still be a strong part of the Compass Points Media programming, but production will be more periodic, once a month or so. And you will be able to download each episode on the Backcountry Radio feed.
One thing that won’t change — Compass Points TV will continue to help you “find your direction.”
