I had a chance to work with Kari Byron from Mythbusters a few months ago. She was here shooting a special for Discovery in the Smokey Mountains National Park, which is about 3 1/2 hrs away from Chattanooga. It was just a one-day, one-time gig, but it was fun to work with someone who was famous… at least at our house. We started watching Mythbusters not long after it started in 2003, since Kyle would have been 13 at the time- the perfect thing to get a young boy interested in science, or at least in blowing stuff up.
Kari Byron with park ranger Becky Nichols
The show is about the sychronous fireflies in the area. It only happens in a few places during a short period of the year. They aren’t sure exactly why they do it, but all the fireflies in a given area will light up in waves. VERY cool to see.
The downside was the weather, and right about dusk the sky opened up. I have raingear which protected the gear pretty well, but it was sweaty, wet-footed, unpleasant work. But Kari was a real pro, without the slightest bit of complaint or cross word when she HAD to be feeling about as miserable as the rest of the crew. It was a real pleasure to work with her.
Brian Gilbert with Kari Byron, before all the rain started.
