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Orvis Moment of Chill
There are times when world news or just the rigors of everyday life can seem extraordinarily stressful. At Orvis, we believe in the power of nature to replenish our spirit and restore balance to our lives. So, we urge you to take a little time right now to step away from the stress and … Chill.
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Moment of Chill Anthem
So often, life’s best moments are the ones that just happen naturally. Our Moment of Chill series showcases some of Mother Nature’s most captivating scenes—images that, if not caught on camera, would simply pass us by.
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Fall Small-Stream Magic
Autumn is a great time to fish mountain streams in the Appalachians, as cooler temperatures make the fish more active, and many of the larger fish that live lower in the watershed begin to move upstream to spawn. This stream, in the Green Mountains of southwestern Vermont, flows into a river that holds wild brown trout, which will also move into the smaller streams late in the season.
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Field of Dreams
While it has been well established that everyone benefits from regular exercise, for dogs it’s particularly so. Most dogs were originally bred to perform some kind of physical work which means the need for exercise is in their genes. Regular exercise can take different forms: a daily walk (or three), a spirited game of Frisbee in the backyard, or a visit to the dog park. Whatever the exercise, ideally it involves you too, as studies have shown that people who exercise with their dogs live longer.
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Sunrise Solitude
For many outdoors lovers, solitude provides more meaningful interaction with nature. Of course, sharing the outdoors with others can also be joyful, but it's a different experience. Greeting the sunrise while the rest of humanity sleeps—like this angler in Antigua—is one of the best ways to have a one-on-one moment with nature. It doesn't hurt that dawn is often the best time to catch fish as well.
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Mountain Puppies
Puppies need exercise, but not too much. A good rule of thumb is five minutes of exercise for each month of age. So a five-month-old puppy wouldn't exercise for more than 25 minutes at a time.
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Little Drummer Boy
Male ruffed grouse “drum” in springtime as a way to establish territory and to attract females. Although it looks as if the sound is caused by the bird’s wings hitting its chest, the sound actually comes from small sonic booms. The wings beat up to five times per second, causing the sound waves to stack up until they create a penetrating shock wave that creates the boom. Male grouse usually perform on a “drumming log,” which might help project the low-frequency sound. Drumming exerts a remarkable amount of energy, and a male might lose 10 percent of its body mass during mating season.
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Far from the Madding Crowd
The Labrador taiga is among the largest contiguous swaths of pristine wilderness left in North America. Labrador is one of the last places where these native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have remained unchanged since distinguishing themselves on the evolutionary ladder 10,000 years ago.
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First Snow
Bernese mountain dogs are named for the Swiss canton of Berne, where the breed was first popularized, although the breed has its origins in the Molosser dogs of the Romans. These were large, mastiff-like dogs that drove and guarded the cattle herds of the invading armies. In Switzerland, Bernese mountain dogs served as general farm dogs, cattle drovers, and sometimes pulled carts. Even in a working capacity, they were known as valued companion dogs, and the breed’s great temperament makes it a wonderful family dog to this day. Berners, as they are often called, love to be outside. These puppies are ecstatic to have discovered snow, which seems to be their natural element.
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O Holy Night
Medicine Bow Peak is the highest peak in the Snowy Range, a part of the Medicine Bow Mountains, west of Laramie, Wyoming. Far away from the background light of cities, you get a spectacular view of the night sky, including the Milky Way.