Shining Mountains - Episode 1 of 4 - Ancient Ones

• Report rights infringement
• published: 09 May 2013
• views: 54254

Shining Mountains a 4 part documentary series Majestic and inspiring, the Rocky Mountains rise dramatically to divide the continent and define the past, present and future of North America. The Shining Mountains is a documentary series of four one-hour films, shot over four seasons, being produced for History Television and National Geographic. The series journeys through time, in a quest to understand and celebrate the unique ecological mosaic of the Rockies, giving the audience a sense of wonder and stewardship in its future. The approach is not linear. Weaving back and forth, from present to the past, Shining Mountains explores the natural wonders, cultural heritage and future of the Rockies in a well-paced and sometimes controversial composite of visions. Today's foremost thinkers and elders speak to their care and concerns for this extraordinary environment. Shining Mountains draws on narrative from eminent scientists, adventurers, aboriginal elders, resource managers, conservationists and developers, all of whom are under the spell of the Great Divide. Episode 1 - Ancient Ones Description Guy Clarkson takes off in his bush plane, a Piper Super Cub on a four-hour filmic journey along the great Divide. The Blackfoot Indians call it "Mistakis", the "Backbone of the World". Clarkson feels expecially responsible for two thousand kilometres of the Rocky Mountains, from Yellowstone National Park in the south to the Yukon in the north. For over twenty-five years he's lived and worked here as a mountain guide, pilot and cinematographer. Always curious and ever respectful of the forces of nature we do not always understand, Clarkson is determined to come to grips with what makes his mountains work--and why he fears they might one day soon go on strike. He first examines The Ancient Ones, the rock and ice and flora and fauna that, over eons, have adjusted without complaint to every fluctuation in the natural order of things. Then came the first human inhabitants to the mountains, bands of nomads who survived by adapting to every change. Ice Ages and volcanic eruptions challenged but did not destroy them. But since the arrival of Europeans, the damage to ecosystems and tribes alike has approached a point of no return. From the glaciers of the Columbia Ice Fields, to the wolf packs of Yellowstone National Park, to the sacred hunting grounds of the Blackfoot nations, Clarkson finds perspective in the wisdom of the experts and elders who know this region best. Duration: 1:34:03