As the heatwave continues to cripple the South, this weekend certainly doesn't seem like it will be ideal for a triathlon. But might you be willing to competitively run, bike, and swim this Saturday, if you can do it in your birthday suit?
If your answer is yes, consider signing up for the Bare Hare Sprint Triathlon. The event taking place on August 11 at the Bar-S-Ranch Nudist Resort in Reidsville, N.C., near Greensboro, is claiming to be the country's first clothing optional triathlon. The sprint distance race will feature a 500M lake swim, a 20K mountain bike ride (talk about saddle sore!), and a 5K trail run. The race is open to anyone over the age of 18. Sorry curious high-schoolers.
I for one like the idea of a race where you can really let it all hang out. But for crying out loud, go with SPF 30+ on the places where the sun doesn't usually shine!
For more information visit www.bar-s-ranch.com.
-J.F.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Good Move Bishop
We already know Jeremiah Bishop is a winner. The elite world class cross country mountain biker from Harrisonburg, Virginia, a former Pan American Games Gold Medalist and last year's NORBA National champ, has been racking up podium placements for the last seven years.
But recently he used one of his victories to help a worthy cause. Last weekend Bishop won North Carolina's Showdown at Sugar Mountain National Mountain Bike Series event. Instead of throwing himself a party he donated his prize money to World Bicycle Relief, an organization dedicated to helping others find independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles. Bishop's donation will go toward the organization's latest project, which involves providing 26,000 bicycles to trained HIV/AIDS healthcare workers and educators in Zambia, Africa. The objective is to bring healthcare to patients, patients to clinics, and preventative care education to communities. This project will require two-years and $2,969,000.
“Donating my prize money is a way I can share the benefits that I’ve enjoyed from a lifetime of riding bicycles,” Bishop said. “I believe the bicycle is a practical answer to many of our world’s problems, and this is demonstrated by the success of World Bicycle Relief projects.”
Bishop also threw out a challenge to the rest of us. To the first person to match his donation of $380 (Man, mountain bikers make a killing don't they?), he will give his number plate and an autographed jersey.
To join Bishop in support of World Bicycle Relief, visit www.worldbicyclerelief.org.
-J.F.
But recently he used one of his victories to help a worthy cause. Last weekend Bishop won North Carolina's Showdown at Sugar Mountain National Mountain Bike Series event. Instead of throwing himself a party he donated his prize money to World Bicycle Relief, an organization dedicated to helping others find independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles. Bishop's donation will go toward the organization's latest project, which involves providing 26,000 bicycles to trained HIV/AIDS healthcare workers and educators in Zambia, Africa. The objective is to bring healthcare to patients, patients to clinics, and preventative care education to communities. This project will require two-years and $2,969,000.
“Donating my prize money is a way I can share the benefits that I’ve enjoyed from a lifetime of riding bicycles,” Bishop said. “I believe the bicycle is a practical answer to many of our world’s problems, and this is demonstrated by the success of World Bicycle Relief projects.”
Bishop also threw out a challenge to the rest of us. To the first person to match his donation of $380 (Man, mountain bikers make a killing don't they?), he will give his number plate and an autographed jersey.
To join Bishop in support of World Bicycle Relief, visit www.worldbicyclerelief.org.
-J.F.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hike Shenandoah with the NPCA
Shenandoah National Park is a treasure that all Blue Ridge outdoor enthusiasts value. Unfortunately it is also one of the most endangered national parks in the country, hosting a range of problems from ozone pollution that limits its beloved scenic vistas to invasive species that are wiping out its massive hemlock trees. Starting at the beginning of August the National Parks Conservation Association, the top watchdog of the National Park System since 1919, is offering a series of weekend hikes in Shenandoah with the intention of not only opening people's eyes to the park's beauty but also educating them on the things that need to change for the park to survive.
Read the NPCA's description of the hikes below. If any of them interest you, contact Erin St. John at estjohn@npca.org to reserve your spot.
August 4 at 11 a.m.-Wilderness Buck Ridge Trail Loop
This moderately strenuous 5.6-mile hike will provide the perfect setting to discuss wilderness and backcountry issues that relate to national parks. Meet at the south end of Meadow Springs parking area, Mile Marker 35.5.
August 18 at 2 p.m.-Mercury at South River Falls
Spend the afternoon on this 4.4-mile moderate trail to South River Falls, the park's third largest waterfall. Hikers can learn more about how mercury is polluting our parks and how NPCA is working to reduce this toxic pollutant. Meet at the South River Picnic Area, Mile Marker 62.8.
September 2 at 2 p.m.-Tree Identification on the Sugarloaf-Keyser Run Fire Road-Hogback Mountain Trail
Bring your tree guidebooks and explore Shenandoah's forests on this 5.9-mile easy loop. Meet south of the Hogback Overlook (park in lot on west side of the drive), Mile Marker 21.
September 16 at 9 a.m.-"Leave No Trace" in White Oak Canyon
This strenuous but rewarding 8.2-mile hike will take hikers into the deepest ravines and views of waterfalls and high cliffs. Guides will discuss the "Leave No Trace" principles on how to enjoy the parks with the least amount of impact. Meet at Hawksbill Parking Area, just south of Mile Marker 45.
September 29 at 9 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.-Help Our Parks on National Public Lands Day!
Volunteers will be removing invasive species from the meadow that threaten the rare plant community. Dress in field clothes, including full-length pants and shoes. Meet in the Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge at 9 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
October 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.-Journaling on Corbin Hollow Trail
Bob Trope from Nature's Best Photography magazine and Amy Marquis from National Parks magazine will lead writing and sketching exercises during this moderate 4.3-mile hike. This hike is most appropriate for participants 16 and over; space is limited to the first 12 participants. Meet in the parking area on west side of the road at Mile Marker 37.9.
October 27 at 2 p.m.-Climate Change on Hawksbill Summit
Join NPCA's Director of Clean Air Program Mark Wenzler for a 2.8-mile moderate hike to the summit of the parks highest mountain. Learn about how climate change is affecting our national parks and how you can help. Meet at Hawksbill Gap parking area, Mile Marker 45.6.
-J.F.
Read the NPCA's description of the hikes below. If any of them interest you, contact Erin St. John at estjohn@npca.org to reserve your spot.
August 4 at 11 a.m.-Wilderness Buck Ridge Trail Loop
This moderately strenuous 5.6-mile hike will provide the perfect setting to discuss wilderness and backcountry issues that relate to national parks. Meet at the south end of Meadow Springs parking area, Mile Marker 35.5.
August 18 at 2 p.m.-Mercury at South River Falls
Spend the afternoon on this 4.4-mile moderate trail to South River Falls, the park's third largest waterfall. Hikers can learn more about how mercury is polluting our parks and how NPCA is working to reduce this toxic pollutant. Meet at the South River Picnic Area, Mile Marker 62.8.
September 2 at 2 p.m.-Tree Identification on the Sugarloaf-Keyser Run Fire Road-Hogback Mountain Trail
Bring your tree guidebooks and explore Shenandoah's forests on this 5.9-mile easy loop. Meet south of the Hogback Overlook (park in lot on west side of the drive), Mile Marker 21.
September 16 at 9 a.m.-"Leave No Trace" in White Oak Canyon
This strenuous but rewarding 8.2-mile hike will take hikers into the deepest ravines and views of waterfalls and high cliffs. Guides will discuss the "Leave No Trace" principles on how to enjoy the parks with the least amount of impact. Meet at Hawksbill Parking Area, just south of Mile Marker 45.
September 29 at 9 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.-Help Our Parks on National Public Lands Day!
Volunteers will be removing invasive species from the meadow that threaten the rare plant community. Dress in field clothes, including full-length pants and shoes. Meet in the Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge at 9 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
October 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.-Journaling on Corbin Hollow Trail
Bob Trope from Nature's Best Photography magazine and Amy Marquis from National Parks magazine will lead writing and sketching exercises during this moderate 4.3-mile hike. This hike is most appropriate for participants 16 and over; space is limited to the first 12 participants. Meet in the parking area on west side of the road at Mile Marker 37.9.
October 27 at 2 p.m.-Climate Change on Hawksbill Summit
Join NPCA's Director of Clean Air Program Mark Wenzler for a 2.8-mile moderate hike to the summit of the parks highest mountain. Learn about how climate change is affecting our national parks and how you can help. Meet at Hawksbill Gap parking area, Mile Marker 45.6.
-J.F.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Trail Magic
Good news for Blue Ridge hikers on the lookout for new trails. The Maryland-based American Hiking Society recently awarded nearly $50,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit, trail-focused organizations across the country.
One of the AHS's biggest gifts went to the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. The South Carolina organization received $5,000 to help with the ongoing construction of the lengthy Palmetto Trail, a proposed 425-mile trail extending across the state.
Other Southern trail groups that grabbed a little cash include the North Carolina-based Nantahala Hiking Club and Tennessee's Cumberland Trail Conference, which is continuing to work on the Cumberland Trail, which will eventually stretch for over 300 miles from Kentucky's Cumberland Gap National Park south to Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area just outside Chattanooga.
Since creating its National Trails Fund in 1997, American Hiking Society has awarded nearly $340,000 in grants to 89 different trail projects across the country.
-Jedd Ferris
One of the AHS's biggest gifts went to the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. The South Carolina organization received $5,000 to help with the ongoing construction of the lengthy Palmetto Trail, a proposed 425-mile trail extending across the state.
Other Southern trail groups that grabbed a little cash include the North Carolina-based Nantahala Hiking Club and Tennessee's Cumberland Trail Conference, which is continuing to work on the Cumberland Trail, which will eventually stretch for over 300 miles from Kentucky's Cumberland Gap National Park south to Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area just outside Chattanooga.
Since creating its National Trails Fund in 1997, American Hiking Society has awarded nearly $340,000 in grants to 89 different trail projects across the country.
-Jedd Ferris
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Spotted Owl of the South
In the 1990s, the spotted owl helped protect ancient redwood forests from destruction in the Pacific Northwest. What species best speaks for the South—now the most heavily logged region of the country?
I nominate the brookie.
True, a slimy brown fish may not be as sexy as a broad-winged owl gliding through the forest, but it's no less important for the long-term health of our forests and communities. The brook trout has long symbolized the natural beauty and abundant outdoors recreation opportunities in the Southern Appalachians. The native species, which survives only in the cleanest, coldest water, is also a symbol of water quality in our mountains.
Protecting native trout--and the mountain streams they inhabit--is a priority for outdoor enthusiasts in the Southeast. Logging creates sedimentation and higher water temperatures, degrading the long-term health of our water resources.
While brookie populations have declined dramatically, some of the last, best habitat is found on our public lands, including the Nantahala National Forest in southwestern North Carolina.Here, it's not logging, but illegal Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) use, that is destroying brook trout habitat on the Tellico.
Fortunately, the Southern Environmental Law Center has joined forces with conservation groups to ensure the Forest Service, which manages these lands, takes the necessary action to protect brook trout habitat. In particular, the agency has failed to enforce limits on off-road vehicle (ORV) riding in the upper Tellico River watershed, one of the largest and most heavily used ORV areas in the South.
Years of intensive use have severely eroded the trails, some to a depth of six and seven feet. There are twice as many Forest Service-designated trails as allowed by law, not counting innumerable illegal trails. Further, many trails are within 100 feet of trout streams, in violation of state and federal law.
With ORV use growing rapidly in our region, Southern Environmental Law Center is making sure the Forest Service knows that the law is unambiguous - water quality and mountain trout come first.
For more information about the legal action recently taken to protect the brook trout and the clear, cool mountrain streams of the Southeast, visit www.southernenvironment.org.
-Will Harlan
I nominate the brookie.
True, a slimy brown fish may not be as sexy as a broad-winged owl gliding through the forest, but it's no less important for the long-term health of our forests and communities. The brook trout has long symbolized the natural beauty and abundant outdoors recreation opportunities in the Southern Appalachians. The native species, which survives only in the cleanest, coldest water, is also a symbol of water quality in our mountains.
Protecting native trout--and the mountain streams they inhabit--is a priority for outdoor enthusiasts in the Southeast. Logging creates sedimentation and higher water temperatures, degrading the long-term health of our water resources.
While brookie populations have declined dramatically, some of the last, best habitat is found on our public lands, including the Nantahala National Forest in southwestern North Carolina.Here, it's not logging, but illegal Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) use, that is destroying brook trout habitat on the Tellico.
Fortunately, the Southern Environmental Law Center has joined forces with conservation groups to ensure the Forest Service, which manages these lands, takes the necessary action to protect brook trout habitat. In particular, the agency has failed to enforce limits on off-road vehicle (ORV) riding in the upper Tellico River watershed, one of the largest and most heavily used ORV areas in the South.
Years of intensive use have severely eroded the trails, some to a depth of six and seven feet. There are twice as many Forest Service-designated trails as allowed by law, not counting innumerable illegal trails. Further, many trails are within 100 feet of trout streams, in violation of state and federal law.
With ORV use growing rapidly in our region, Southern Environmental Law Center is making sure the Forest Service knows that the law is unambiguous - water quality and mountain trout come first.
For more information about the legal action recently taken to protect the brook trout and the clear, cool mountrain streams of the Southeast, visit www.southernenvironment.org.
-Will Harlan
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Don't Jump...at Summersville Lake
In our current June issue we told you about the cornucopia of cliff jumping options at West Virginia's Summersville Lake. The scenic craggy cliffs around the stunning lake have long been used for diving and deep water solo climbing by regional recreationists. Well, it turns out it has recently become illegal to take any sort of plunge into the lake. On May 25, after we had already gone to press, the Huntington West Virginia District of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers sent out a press release banning cliff jumping/diving on all district managed recreational property. Unfortunately Summersville falls into the district.
Citing 69 water-related deaths in the Huntington District since 1993 and seven in 2006 the release said, "Cliff jumping/diving is a reckless and potentially very dangerous activity that has always been strongly discouraged on USACE recreational projects. Recent water-related accidents and fatalities have prompted Huntington District to take the lead in prohibiting this activity."
Failure to obey these warnings could result in a penalty of up to $5,000 or even federal imprisonment.
Blue Ridge Outdoors will explore this issue more in a future issue, as Summersville access is sure to become a hot topic of interest.
Thanks to reader Spencer Ingram for the tip.
-J.F.
Citing 69 water-related deaths in the Huntington District since 1993 and seven in 2006 the release said, "Cliff jumping/diving is a reckless and potentially very dangerous activity that has always been strongly discouraged on USACE recreational projects. Recent water-related accidents and fatalities have prompted Huntington District to take the lead in prohibiting this activity."
Failure to obey these warnings could result in a penalty of up to $5,000 or even federal imprisonment.
Blue Ridge Outdoors will explore this issue more in a future issue, as Summersville access is sure to become a hot topic of interest.
Thanks to reader Spencer Ingram for the tip.
-J.F.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Saving Mills River
Yet another chunk of Western North Carolina wildlands is being threatened by developers, this time from a Hummer-driving "outdoorsman” who wants to turn wild rivers and 84 acres of forest land in the Mills River Recreation Area into housing with a fly fishing lodge.
The Hendersonville County Commission didn’t go for it, causing developer Kent Smith to withdraw his plans, but he will soon be back with a new proposal. Smith is chief executive officer and director of Global Development Resources Inc. His company has also developed Somersby Park in Laurel Park.
Smith obtained the land for about $2.1 million at a bankruptcy auction. One group has appraised the area at $4.6 million, but Smith says it’s worth even more than that because he can squeeze 86 houses on to it and because it’s nestled into the Pisgah National Forest. What he is not taking into consideration is the damage that would cause the rivers, the trout, and the forest. These world-renowned wild fly-fishing waters would no longer be wild. The attraction would be gone. So would the trout. So would the serenity.
“There is benefit to us in not developing it, and it would be a good thing to not develop it,” he says out of the side of his mouth. “I would still like to work something out, but it has got to be reasonably close to what we would make.”
What he WOULD make. It seems to me that he took a gamble on this property, assuming he could develop it into a housing community. What if I bought it, assuming that I would develop it into an amusement park with shopping mall? Wouldn’t that make even more money? I guess that means I could sell it for $20 million. A housing development is not feasible, therefore he cannot sell the land as if it could ever be a housing development. He made a mistake. That’s what he needs to tell his stockholders. Instead, he is asking conservation groups to pay the cost of his mistake.
Groups like the Mills River Partnership and Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy say they have made an offer based on an independent appraisal commissioned by both the developer and conservationists. However, Smith is not interested in what they have to offer.
“The people who wanted it to remain natural did not outbid me at the auction,” he told the Hendersonville Times-News. “I would say to some of the people that are going to show up at planning and zoning in opposition, they should make a contribution to the acquisition of it.”
In other words, he cares about money. He won’t even consider what is best for the land unless he is paid to do so, and he doesn’t want to hear what anyone has to say unless they have money.
There is undoubtedly a large population who would buy or rent houses in such an area and pay for fly-fishing tours. Those people would not know the difference between a wild river and one that has pollution leached into it from a septic system and housing development. They would stand in the stream with their fly rods, not catching the trout that are no longer there, quietly assuming that their guide sucked.
The outdoor community must remain vigilant, informed, and involved if we want to keep the Mills River Recreation Area and Pisgah National Forest the beautiful, fun and serene place that it is.
—Bettina Freese, Blue Ridge Outdoors contributing editor
The Hendersonville County Commission didn’t go for it, causing developer Kent Smith to withdraw his plans, but he will soon be back with a new proposal. Smith is chief executive officer and director of Global Development Resources Inc. His company has also developed Somersby Park in Laurel Park.
Smith obtained the land for about $2.1 million at a bankruptcy auction. One group has appraised the area at $4.6 million, but Smith says it’s worth even more than that because he can squeeze 86 houses on to it and because it’s nestled into the Pisgah National Forest. What he is not taking into consideration is the damage that would cause the rivers, the trout, and the forest. These world-renowned wild fly-fishing waters would no longer be wild. The attraction would be gone. So would the trout. So would the serenity.
“There is benefit to us in not developing it, and it would be a good thing to not develop it,” he says out of the side of his mouth. “I would still like to work something out, but it has got to be reasonably close to what we would make.”
What he WOULD make. It seems to me that he took a gamble on this property, assuming he could develop it into a housing community. What if I bought it, assuming that I would develop it into an amusement park with shopping mall? Wouldn’t that make even more money? I guess that means I could sell it for $20 million. A housing development is not feasible, therefore he cannot sell the land as if it could ever be a housing development. He made a mistake. That’s what he needs to tell his stockholders. Instead, he is asking conservation groups to pay the cost of his mistake.
Groups like the Mills River Partnership and Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy say they have made an offer based on an independent appraisal commissioned by both the developer and conservationists. However, Smith is not interested in what they have to offer.
“The people who wanted it to remain natural did not outbid me at the auction,” he told the Hendersonville Times-News. “I would say to some of the people that are going to show up at planning and zoning in opposition, they should make a contribution to the acquisition of it.”
In other words, he cares about money. He won’t even consider what is best for the land unless he is paid to do so, and he doesn’t want to hear what anyone has to say unless they have money.
There is undoubtedly a large population who would buy or rent houses in such an area and pay for fly-fishing tours. Those people would not know the difference between a wild river and one that has pollution leached into it from a septic system and housing development. They would stand in the stream with their fly rods, not catching the trout that are no longer there, quietly assuming that their guide sucked.
The outdoor community must remain vigilant, informed, and involved if we want to keep the Mills River Recreation Area and Pisgah National Forest the beautiful, fun and serene place that it is.
—Bettina Freese, Blue Ridge Outdoors contributing editor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
