Hidden Unseen

Steepest Railways on Earth

Before trains were ever imagined, funicular railways were created to transport people and goods from Point A to Point B. Interestingly, in the funicular design, Point A and Point B are separated by a sharp change in altitude.

Though it would seem that getting a car up a hill is harder than moving it across a flat surface, using a design technology similar to a rope pulley, the funicular railway was possible. Two funicular railway cars are attached to each other via cable, counterbalancing to minimize the energy required to move the ascending car.

The need for uphill railways was strong in the middle ages because the wealthiest people, who could afford to build a new technology, lived snugly and safely at the highest peak in the town.

The first funicular railway appeared in Austria in 1515 to transport goods to the Hohensalzburg Castle at the top of the mountain. Mechanical transportation of crops and goods was more efficient and less labor intensive than horses dragging carriages up an unfairly steep slope. The original funicular railways were operated by animal or man and were constructed of wooden rails and hemp rope. Today, an electric motor has replaced manpower, and the structure and cables are of steel.

Eventually, the thrill of the climbing design of the funicular railway outsold its practical use. Thus, funicular railways began to be built as tourist attractions, providing scenic and exciting rides to access lovely panoramas.

The most famous of these was the Mount Lowe Railway in California, created in 1893. The railway’s entire route traveled 7 miles, with the primary attraction the funicular cable car which brought visitors to the Echo Mountain Promontory along the Great Incline. The funicular ascended 3250 feet with an incline of over 60%. The railway was abandoned by 1938, due to the heavy costs of upkeep.

Funicular railways are currently found around the world. These include Hong Kong’s Peak Tram, built in 1888 and still used to transport people; Malaysia’s Pekang Hill, a very popular tourist attraction; Valparaiso in Chile, which has 15 funiculars dating back to 1883 that have become UNESCO World Heritage sites; and Australia’s Katoomba Scenic World in the Blue Mountains, which is the planet’s steepest funicular railway, with an incline of 128%, or 52 degrees. Private funiculars for home use have become popular as well, transporting homeowners who prefer riding by rail to walking up stairs.

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Top 10 Tallest Trees on the Earth

This is a list of 10 largest trees in the world. The exact locations of 10 tallest trees in the world are secrets, so the pictures available in this post are only illustrations. The trees are not guarded 24/7 and only sealed the information what keep the trees grow higher.

10. Mendocino – 112.20 m (368.1 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Montgomery Woods, California, USA
Diameter: 4,19 m (13,7 ft)
Between December 1996 and August 2000, the tallest tree in Montgomery Woods, named the Mendocino Tree, was the world’s tallest known tree. It was displaced by the discovery of a number of taller trees in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and later Redwood National Park in Humboldt County. The tree is one of dozens of similar height in the grove, and was never specifically marked in order to protect the tree. Earlier well-publicized candidates for the world’s tallest tree suffered damage from stresses resulting from crowds of tourists.grow higher.

9. Paradox – 112.56 m (369.2 ft), USA
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Humboldt, Rockefeller Forest, California, USA
Diameter: 3,90 m (12,8 ft)

8. Rockefeller – 112.60 m (369.3 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Humboldt, Upper Bull Creek Flat, California, USA
Diameter: –

7. Lauralyn – 112.62 m (369.5 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Humboldt, South Fork Eel River, California, USA
Diameter: 4,54 m (14,9 ft)
Discovered by Paul Zinke & Al Stangenburger

6. Orion – 112.63 m (369.5 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Redwood, Redwood Creek Tributary, California, USA
Diameter: 4,33 m (14,2 ft)
Discovered and verified by Lidar.

5. National Geographic Society – 112.71 m (369.9 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens Location: Redwood Creek, California, USA
Diameter: 4,39 m (14,4 ft)
The fifth tallest tree in the world is located in Redwood Creek. From 1994, after it was found, the tree became the tallest tree in the world until 1995.

4. Stratosphere Giant – 113.11 m (371.1 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Humboldt, Rockefeller Forest, California, USA
Diameter: 5,18 m (17 ft)
Stratosphere Giant was once considered the tallest tree in the world. It was discovered in July 2000 in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, measuring 112.34 metres (368.6 ft) tall. The tree has continued to grow and measured 113.11 m (371.1 ft) in 2010. It is a specimen of the species Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood. It is surrounded by a large number of trees of almost equal size. To avoid damage by tourism, the tree’s exact location was not disclosed to the public.

3. Icarus – 113.14 m (371.2 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Redwood, Redwood Creek Tributary, California, USA
Diameter: 3,78 m (12,4 ft)
Discovered July 1st, 2006. Dead spire top. Once taller.

2. Helios – 114.58 m (375.9 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Redwood, Redwood Creek Tributary, California, USA
Diameter: 4,96 m (16,3 ft)
According to report, Helios was the tallest tree in the world from 1 June 2006 until 25 august 2006. The tree lost its title after foresters found Hyperion on the other side of Redwood creek tributary.

1. Hyperion – 115.61 m (379.3 ft)
Species: Sequoia sempervirens
Location: Redwood, Redwood Creek Tributary, California, USA
Diameter: 4,84 m (15,9 ft)
Hyperion is the name of a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in Northern California that was measured at 115.61 metres (379.3 ft), which ranks it as the world’s tallest known living tree. Hyperion was discovered August 25, 2006 by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The tree was verified as standing 115.55 metres (379.1 ft) tall by Stephen Sillett. The tree was found in a remote area of Redwood National and State Parks purchased in 1978. The exact location of the tree has not been revealed to the public for fear that human traffic would upset the ecosystem the tree inhabits. The tree is estimated to contain 502 cubic metres (17,700 cu ft) of wood, and to be roughly 700 – 800 years old.

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Top 10 Most Extreme Weather Conditions

We all know that weather can get pretty wild sometimes and that it is not always in accordance with our wishes. Global warming, pollution, and and similar effects caused by human could increase chance for some extreme weather conditions.

Could you imagine how it would be to live a single minute on a 57,8°C (136 °F) temperature? Could you imagine that there was hailstorm with hailstones as big as 17,8 cm (7.0 in) diameter and 47.6 cm (18.75 in) circumference? Extreme weather can happen almost anywhere and we hope none of us will be there when it happens.

1. Highest Air Temperature Ever Recorded:

It would have been a bad time to be in Al ‘Aziziyah, Libya on September 13, 1922. The temperature high of the day was recorded at 57.8 °C (136 °F), making it the highest air temperature ever recorded. Al ‘Aziziyah is located near the Sahara desert which is one reason it was so hot. Despite this record, there have been claims of higher temperatures in other places during a phenomenon known as a “heat burst” where winds rapidly increase the temperature and lower the moisture in the air. The most extreme of these is the supposed 87 °C (188 °F) during a heat burst in Abadan, Iran during June of 1967. The event has not been confirmed and therefore is not accepted as the world record. As of now Death Valley, California is a close second for hottest recorded temperature with a high of 56.7 °C (134 °F) on July 10, 1913.

2. Fastest Temperature Rise:

At 7:30 a.m. on January 22, 1943, in Spearfish, South Dakota, the temperature was -20°C (-4°F) when a chinook (wind that goes downhill) began to blow very quickly. Within two minutes the temperature had risen to +7°C (+45°F). This 27°C (49°F) rise in temperature is the fastest temperature rise ever recorded. The strange weather patterns continued and an hour and a half later the wind stopped and the temperature dropped from 12°C (54°F) to -20°C (-4°F), a total drop of 32°C (58°F) in only 27 minutes. Sources: Spearfish and RMC.

3. Coldest Temperature on Earth:

The Vostok Station is a Russian research facility located on the southern “pole of cold” in Antarctica. The poles of cold are the points on the earth with the lowest recorded air temperatures, and although there are multiple locations that are considered “poles of cold” in the northern hemisphere, Vostok is undeniably the coldest part of Antarctica. To give you some perspective, the average winter climate is −65 °C (−85 °F) and about −30 °C (−25 °F) in the summer. On July 21, 1983, the temperature at the Vostok Station dropped to −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F), and this is the coldest temperature ever recorded on earth. In addition to the cold, the climate in the area is incredibly unfit for humans for many reasons. There is essentially no moisture in the air, the average wind speed is 11 mph (Up to 60 mph), there is a lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, and the area has a polar night that lasts three months. The facility is used for research such as ice core drilling and the study of magnetic fields.

4. Fastest Temperature Drop:

South Dakota has some strange weather due to the Chinooks, and Rapid City (about 45 min from Spearfish) holds the record for the fastest temperature drop ever recorded. On January 22, 1943, the same day as the strange weather in Spearfish above, the temperature plummeted 27°C (47°F) in 5 minutes from 16°C (60°F) to -11°C (13°F), and this set the record for fastest drop in temperature ever recorded.

5. Largest Snowflake:

On January 28, 1887, a rancher at Fort Keogh, Montana discovered a snowflake that was 38 centimeters (15 in) in diameter, but unfortunately because of the time period there is no picture of the actual flake. Although the circumstances seem fishy, he had witnesses and the flake is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest snowflake ever recorded.

6. Most Rain in 24 Hours:

Between 15 and 16 March 1952, Cilaos at the center of the Island Réunion received 1,869.9 mm (73.6 in) of rainfall, and this is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on earth. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3,929 mm (154.7 in) at Commerson’s Crater in March, 2007.

7. Highest Snowfall in North America:

Between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999, 29.0 meters, (1140 in) of snow fell on Mount Baker which is located in Washington State, United States. When the Mt. Baker Ski Area reported the figure it was investigated by the National Climate Extremes Committee and they voted unanimously to accept the number. The previous record was 1,122 inches on Mt. Rainer (150 miles south of Mt. Baker) in 1971. The Pacific Northwest has large quantities of snowfall in the mountains and that is for a few reasons. Seattle has a well-earned reputation for raining often, and when all of the moisture-filled clouds from the Pacific hit the mountains they begin to dump their precipitation on the slopes. Seattle is at a low elevation so it is frequently too warm for snow, but it is often below freezing at elevations higher than 4,000 feet which leads to the high snowfall in the mountains.

8. Largest Hailstone:

On June 22, 2003 a large thunderstorm moved across south-central Nebraska, and after a hailstorm local residents in Aurora found an extremely large hailstone and quickly put it in a freezer to keep it from melting. It was examined by the National Climate Extremes Committee who measured it as being 17.8 cm (7.0 in) diameter and 47.6 cm (18.75 in) circumference. The previous record was found in Coffeyville, Kansas, on September 3, 1970, and had a diameter of 5.7 (14.5 centimeters) inches as well as a circumference of 17.5 inches (44.5 centimeters). It is not officially the heaviest hailstone ever recorded, but it may have been before it hit a gutter and had time to melt before between the time it fell and was frozen. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) reports that hail can fall as fast as 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour, and more destructive hailstorms cause one billion dollars in damage to property and crops annually. At this time the record-holding hailstone is stored at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

9. Fastest Wind:

On May 3, 1999, tornadoes formed in Oklahoma and began destroying homes across the state. At about 7:00 Pm a DOW (Doppler On Wheels as pictured above) recorded a three second gust of wind that was traveling at 512 km/h (318 mph), and the speed far surpassed the previous record of 460 km/h (286 mph) in a tornado by Red Rock, Oklahoma, on April 26, 1991. In 1971 Ted Fujita of the University of Chicago introduced a method of categorizing tornadoes called the Fujita Scale. In the rating system he set out parameters to classify tornadoes F0 through F5, but in his notes he also described a theoretical F6 tornado which would have a higher wind-speed than a F5 tornado and he was almost certain could not exist. The highest windspeed for a F5 is 318 mph, so if the winds had been 1 mph faster it would have been the first tornado ever to be classified as an F6.

10. Largest and Most Severe Tornado Outbreak:

From April 3 to April 4, 1974, in a period of 18 hours, 148 tornadoes occurred across the 13 central US states and Ontario, Canada. The event came to be known as the “Super Outbreak” and it had devastating effects. 24 of the tornadoes were classified on the Fujita Scale as F4’s, and six were F5’s, more F5’s than have been reported in any other year. There were also more significant tornadoes during that 24 hours than any other entire week on record. It extensively damaged approximately 900 square miles (1,440 square kilometers) along a total combined path length of 2,600 miles (4,160 km). The outbreak of tornadoes was caused by an extreme low-pressure system that moved across the US, and it created $3.5 billion in damages. More than three hundred people were killed during the 18 hours, and 5,484 people were injured

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Strangest Animals in the World

Recently on the Into the Wild blog, we took a dive into the world of the weird and the wonderful, searching out some of Earth’s strangest animals and showcasing their odd looks, bizarre adaptations and gruesome survival techniques.

First we entered the mysterious depths of the world’s oceans, where scientists still don’t know for sure what could be lurking down there in the dark. To give you your first taste of the bizarre, let’s take a look at the Dumbo octopus. With an uncanny similarity to the cartoon character, the so-called Dumbo octopus can be found living at extreme depths of 9,800 to 1,300, where it stalks its prey, engulfing it whole before gliding off into the murky depths.

Next is a creature that looks more like a prop from a low-budget '70s sci-fi movie than an actual animal: we present to you the fangtooth. As one of the deepest dwelling fish in our oceans, the fangtooth has possibly the most menacing set of nashers out there. Large teeth are a common feature of many deep sea species, and scientists think that this may be an adaptation that enables them to prey on any animal that may come along, even larger fish.

Finally in our submarine roll-call, possibly the strangest the ocean has to offer: the sea pig. This creature behaves like a terrestrial slug but is in fact a sea cucumber – and actually doesn’t look like a pig at all, apart from the fact that it’s pink. This one’s truly a curious character.

With more people having walked on the surface of the moon than on the bottom of the Mariana trench, these watery depths remain some of the least explored areas on our planet. New species are turning up all the time as scientists push the boundaries of exploration, so we’re sure that the oceans will provide us with yet more new and peculiar species to gawk at very soon.

Next into the spotlight: the 'mad mammals'. With heaps of peculiar adaptations, spectacularly strange faces and funny habits, the mammals are certainly up there in the strange animal stakes. There’s definitely plenty out there to choose from, but these are some of our favorites.

Starting off proceedings is the star-nosed mole of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States (above). This little creature has a circle of 22 mobile, fleshy tentacles at the end of its nose, which it uses to locate food as it scuttles around underground.

Up next is the pink fairy armadillo. Armadillos are weird creatures at the best times but this species is a particularly peculiar combination of fluff and scales. Also known as pichiciego, this critter calls central Argentina home. It is now endangered – so if you come across this little fellow be sure to take care of it.

Without a doubt the prize for the cutest weirdo out there goes to the jerboa. Strangely, jerboa do not drink water; instead they extract moisture from their food. Astonishingly, one experiment claimed that jerboa have lived for up to three years on dry seeds alone. The jerboa has tiny forearms, an extremely long tail, long hind legs and what can only be described as clown’s feet. The latter come in handy for its hopping locomotion, enabling it to move at high speeds with minimal energy exertion. The quirky long-eared jerboa of Mongolia and north-western China has exceptionally long ears which it uses to locate its insect prey.

With so many offbeat individuals out there, Into the Wild simply couldn’t leave these guys off our list; so here’s our best of the rest. This one's a real gem: the beautiful and delicate Malaysian orchid praying mantis. A master of camouflage, each of its legs looks incredibly similar to an orchid petal, and its hunting abilities aren't to be sniffed at either. The orchid praying mantis ambushes its prey and catches it with astonishing speed, generally using its spiked forelegs before devouring it with its pincer-like mouth.

Also making 'best of the rest' is the giant Chinese salamander. Growing up to an incredible 6 feet long, it's the largest salamander on the planet. This strange looking freshwater monster is found in the mountain streams and lakes in China. Considered a delicacy by the Chinese, it is also critically endangered.

To finish our week of oddity, Into the Wild took a divergence from the world of reality and wholeheartedly stepped into the world of myth and superstition. These are the elusive creatures that have never been proven to exist, but might just be out there somewhere. From the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas to the Mongolian death worm, we checked out the evidence, the myths and the hoaxes to find out how these mythical creatures have become cultural icons, legends of the big screen, and the cornerstones of folklore.

We hope you’ve enjoyed Into the Wild’s little snapshot of the weird and wonderful world of animals.

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Top 15 Bizarre Nature Places in America

1. Library of Ages at Central California.
The fog settled in after another nice sunset along the central California coast. The rock layers which record the geologic history of Montana De Oro State Park just south of Big Sur, can be read like books in an ancient library. A long exposure isolated the rock by smoothing the large surf. Indeed, the photos is very naturally magnificent.

2. Big Sur, Portal of the Sun.
This photo is a winner in the 2009 Nature’s Best Ocean Views competition. A print will hang in the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC for a year! This sea arch opening in a cliff face at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur allows large waves to come through at high tide before a big storm. The waves often fill the entire portal to the top, and the portal becomes a giant water shotgun! The Tufoni formations in the rock are incredible and should be seen in person.

3. Maelstorm Kauai at Hawaii.
The lava-ledge is 20 feet above the sea, and the incoming wave is twice that height. This is not the Sprouting Horn near Poipu and it is not Queen’s bath! It is called the Mokolea Lava Pools and this is indeed a near-death experience for the photographer. Solute!

4. Shores of Eternity at Big Sur, California.
This timeless place was begging for the long exposure treatment. This little cove is one of many dozens of lesser-known and hard to reach places along the Bug Sur coast. It is heavily guarded by steep cliffs, and lots of poison oak, which produces a bad skin rash to those that are allergic to the oils in the leaves and stems. This wallpaper is very well-done.

5. Bird Rock at Point Lobos California.
Being close to the “Library of the Ages”, the Bird Rock is just another stunning nature attraction for the tourists and also photographers.

6. Trade Winds at Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
On this stretch of coastline on Isla Mujeres, the trade winds blow constantly, sending clouds and storms from Africa and keeping temperatures moderate. These rocks were under the sand until hurricane Wilma scored a direct hit on this area with wind gusts exceeding 200 mph. Aww scary.

7. La Jolla – Sandstone and Sky.
The sun rises over La Jolla California. The symmetery of the stones is adding harmony to the wallpaper. I love this wallpaper.

8. Pigeon Point Evening Lighthouse.
Evening comes to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, on the San Mateo count coast near San Francisco. Pigeon Point is home to large numbers of pelicans year round. It really should be called Pelican Point.

9. Needles and a Haystack at Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Canon Beach in Northern Oregon is an exceptionally wide, long and flat beach with a number of large rock islands and sea stacks offshore. Low tide is often the best time to see it because you can get closer to the rocks and the sand is glossy and smooth both for walking and for photography. For two short minutes, the sun illuminated this scene against a dark sky. This is indeed a very rare moment for photographers.

10. Trinidad Surf at Humboldt Country California.
When the wave hits the rock, the whole beach echoed with the sound of monsterous entity. I really wished that the photo will come together with the sound.

11. Ray of Light at Mount Diablo California.
A final ray of light burst through the clouds on Mt. Diablo, 20 miles inland from San Francisco. A mid-winter storm provided some much needed rain and some much needed atmosphere too!

12. Yosemite National Park.
It is amazing how this scene is just handed to you on a silver platter. The green is so significant that the photographer can’t avoid to take a shot on the landscape.

13. Maui Red.
The red sand beach is just outside of Hana and is rather difficult to get to at high tide, especially in the dark before sunrise. The old path was washed away by a landslide and the waves at high tide make it difficult to run across the beaches between waves.

14. Point Lobos, Pinnacle Rock.
Point Lobos, at the north end of Big Sur just south of Carmel, California could keep a photographer busy for months or even years. The sun peeks under the fog deck at sunset to illuminate the sea. It is a peninsula that has been sculptured by large Pacific waves over millions of years and the results are stunning. This is one of the western-most points of rock and is probably 50 feet tall at high tide. Sometimes waves wash over the entire rock.

15. Big Sur, Garrapata Surf.
Large waves were rolling the cobblestones on the shoreline of Garrapata State Park, Big Sur, California. Too bad photographs cannot capture sound as an extra element. The cobblestones made quite an impressive sound as they rolled around in the large surf.

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