Outdoor Adventure Blog

"Holy Smokies...Tennessee is Rad" by Andy 12/27/2011 05:16:58 P.M.

That’s the message I sent to some friends upon my family’s arrival to the Volunteer State. I already have an affinity for the mountains that was birthed in me when I grew up in Oregon, and as November began, with the leaves turned a beautiful golden yellow color, the air carried a crisp - almost cedar tasting - feel to it – and I was loving life. Add to that, the fact that it was my 31^st birthday and we were in town for a wedding – and it’s clear to me that the galaxy had offered me a most radical weekend adventure.

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Transcendent Warmth by Richard 12/05/2011 02:54:41 P.M.

Last winter, I picked up an Outdoor Research Transcendent Sweater for the cold season.

Unfortunately, I also inherited the most thorough sickness I’d had in the last ten years. The doctor said it was flu and that I must simply wait it out, however long that may take. Begrudgingly, I saddled my car and headed back home to patiently wait for the illness to relinquish its grip on my preferences and time.

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An Exposition on the Gregory Z55 Backpack by Dirk 11/30/2011 10:16:13 A.M.

Explaining the functionality of my internal framed Gregory Z-Series (Jade Series for the ladies) backpack is like trying to explain the resourcefulness of a pocketknife on the trail - it's essential. The versatility is broad, no matter where you find your destination.

My experience with the Gregory Z 55 has resulted in me falling in love with it…as well as a professional butt kicking to my ego because my backpack has proven to be more rugged and resilient than me! Now I know you could be thinking “there’s no way that an inanimate object can possibly throw punches…” but I kid you not, it very well might be able to do so with all its advantageous features. (It’s these) that help make it the ultimate companion on any domestic or international adventure!

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BIC ACS Stand Up Paddle Board by Andy 11/25/2011 02:37:00 P.M.

The Bic ACS 11’4” is a polyethylene stand up paddle board that is both, easy to ride and tough as coffin nails.  Drop it, run it into the ground, hit it with the paddle, it really doesn't matter; this board takes the beating and keeps asking for more.  This is why I've become BIC SUP's newest fan.

I rode the ACS for the better part of an afternoon and that was all it took to win me over.  It was extremely sturdy, good weight disbursement, and easy to paddle.  I almost have a hard time saying this because I come from a surfing background and Bic surfboards are not something you want to be seen riding. Im not saying Bic makes a bad board just that they don’t receive the respect I (now)think they deserve.  

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Go Pro Hero Trial by Richard 10/24/2011 04:49:53 P.M.

As we flew over the Virginia mountains, I fiddled with my new GoPro Hero camera. I wanted to make sure it was prepped and ready to document my return to the Old Dominion State - where I attended college. The passing scenery reminded me how much affection I still have for the beauty of the state: the mountains, rolling grassy hills, beach, and an abundance of rivers – the Hero, I was confident, would be superb at capturing that appreciation.

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Base Camp Travel by Richard 08/09/2011 06:12:52 A.M.

I enjoy not checking bags with airlines when I travel: I adore the ease of walking straight out of the airport, and I appreciate knowing that my bag – and everything in it – should be intact upon the airplane arriving on location. The major downfall of this is that there is limited space in the small-sized luggage that usually fits as a carry-on or personal item. Generally, I think simplifying is a good thing – but it can be problematic as well.

That is why I – currently – take two pieces of luggage on most every trip. The first piece varies depending on trip; backpack, lumbar pack, side-briefcase, etc. The second, is constant…

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Merrell Barefoot Shoes by Andy 07/17/2011 09:25:30 P.M.

Over the past few years an evolution has occurred in shoes, a more minimalist design in an attempt to make the wearers  movements more natural.  Vibram five fingers and Vivo barefoot pushed this trend forward but now most shoe companies have minimalist designs, most recently Merrell added their own line.

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Five must-read websites for Southeast hikers by Tom 07/14/2011 09:30:00 A.M.

As the keeper of a North Carolina-based hiking blog I'm always keeping an eye on what the competition's up to. And I'm happy to report that on any given day (most, in fact) these sites based in the U.S. Southeast put mine to shame.

FloridaHikes.com
Sandra Friend's Florida Hikes site is one of the comprehensive state- focused hiking blogs in the U.S. Though a lot of goodies are behind a paywall ($27 a year), there's still oodles of free stuff. Pretty impressive when you consider Florida's conspicuous lack of mountain vistas.

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Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody by Richard 06/13/2011 10:37:37 A.M.

When the Olympics of Vancouver fell upon North America like a light snow – I was looking for a gold medal-type, light jacket that could buffet the last of the cold weather in Florida. The Arcyterx Squamish Hoody  became that jacket – and I donned it proudly as I cheered on the Olympiad.

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Kevin Reviews the Arc'Teryx a300a Climbing Harness by Kevin 05/31/2011 09:15:04 A.M.

Note: Kevin talks about the Arc'Teryx a300a harness that he bought a year ago.  ArcTeryx has since updated their line and most of their harness models inculde the features that was in the a300a.  This inclues the R320a Harness for men, the R300 Harness for women, and a lot of other great harness found in the Arcteryx Harness category.

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