Great Outdoor Blog

April 19. 8-9:00 a.m. registration, 9:30am

3- & 7- mile bike tours, 9:45am 4-mile Walk/Run. Music on Park trails and stage. On-site parking. Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh. Suggested donation $25 adults ($35 after 4/12), kids under $15 (free for spectators). Part of Earth Day Raleigh 2008.

Details, register, or volunteer, http://umsteadcoalition.org. 852-2268.

Note: This is an annual event that highlights and supports William B. Umstead State Park. This event is part of Earth Day Raleigh 2008
http://www.visitraleigh.com/visitors/outdoor_recreation/Earth_Day

Thanks for supporting William B. Umstead State Park!

Paria Canyon with Mike from Hillsborough,NC….12K feet over Louisburg, NC with Karen…Gimmelwald with Chad & Jason….Everest with Eric….Pico de Orizaba with Justin….Machu Picchu with Jenny…. GSMNP with fire-poker Chris and stunning backyard adventure shots with Alexander.

Wow! Y’all have taken us on quite an adventure this week and we have only just begun. This week’s winner is titled “Laying it all on the line” taken by r. Hanes Hoffman, Jr. who lives in Wilmington, NC. Hanes captured superdog “Star” as he launched out over Fawn Lake in Dupont Forest just outside of Brevard, NC. Hanes will receive a prize pack from MSR & Thermarest and promised to share a portion of the proceeds with his subject.

»Send us your adventure photos.

Seaside Scramble - UNCW Climbing Competition - Sat, Mar 29

Hosted by the Discover Outdoor Center at UNCW’s indoor climbing wall located in the Student Recreation Center. This competition includes five competition levels with great prizes from our sponsors.
» MORE INFO

Here are some pics from last years scramble:

In 1935 Paul Sperry invented the world’s first and most enduring boat shoe. Where all other footwear brand have laid claim to every inch of terra firma, from the highest snowcapped peaks to the lowest desert valley, from baseball diamonds to basketball courts, Sperry Top-Sider has flourished by helping all who love the water master the world’s final frontier… the oceans, lakes and streams of Planet Earth.

Surprisingly, the Sperry Top-Sider story begins with a cocker spaniel named Prince. On a raw winter day in New England when avid sailor and hobbyist inventor Paul Sperry let out his dog for its daily exercise he noticed that Prince was remarkably stable, even at a full run on the snow covered, icy crust.

Paul raced back to his laboratory to begin working. Soon, with pieces of rubber, a razor blade and an ordinary sneaker, Paul had pieced together the prototype of the world’s first boat shoe. Subsequent designs yielded the original Sperry Top-Sider now known as the Authentic Original.

Be sure and check out the latest Men’s and Women’s Sperry Styles at your local Great Outdoor Provision Co!  **Some styles not available in all stores.

The NC-ROCK Community Organizes the Trad-athlon 2008 Fund-raiser for the Access Fund

A fund-raising benefit for The Access Fund, Trad-athlon 2008, will be hosted by the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville, NC, on March 29, 2008.

Two-person teams will compete against the clock in four individual and team events . These events will address the essential traditional (trad) climbing skills of rappel setting and descent, ascending ropes using friction knots, escaping a belay, and trad lead protection setting and rope management. Competition sponsors of the Trad-athlon 2008 are Great Outdoor Provision Co., Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School, REI, and SMC. Additional support has been provided by Townsend Bertram & Co. and Integrated Massage Solutions.

Other fun activities will include slack lining, Tyrolean traverse, silent auction of climbing gear and apparel, and door prizes. The Rail Readers, a hard driving blue grass band out of Carrboro, will be performing live throughout the evening.

While the competition will be challenging the evening’s emphasis will be on fun for all, competitors and spectators alike. Join in as a competitor, have a ball, and win some prizes. If you’re not competing there’s still plenty of fun in store for all - cheer on the competitors, try a Tyrolean traverse, slackline, win a door prize or two, take home terrific booty from the silent auction and enjoy great blue grass music.

There will be no admission charge for spectators.

Directions to the Triangle Rock Club are available at www.trianglerockclub.com

Entry Fee:
Team (includes all four events for both team members) - $40.00

Event Rules:
Email dthoenen@nc.rr.com for official Trad-atholon Event Descriptions

Competitor check-in is open from 2:00PM until 3:30PM. Competitor briefing will be held at 3:30PM. Competition starts at 4:00PM

W’s Fire Road $90

M’s Fire Road $90

A common question I get about trail running shoes is, “Can I run on the road in these?” and my answer is usually, “You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” Not any more.

I recently received a pair of the New ’08 Fire Roads from the North Face and have been wearing them about a month now. It is definitely one of the cushiest trail shoes I have ever run in. I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this trail shoe on the road. On the trail, it is almost too soft for my taste. However, I think many people who have complained over the years about trail shoes being, “Too Stiff” or “Not enough cushion” will find this shoe a dream come true.

Overall, I think The North Face has hit a home run with this trail shoe. Good fit, great looks, and most importantly, performs well.

Features

• Abrasion-resistant, synthetic leather with highly breathable open mesh
• Structured TPU welds for lightweight support
• Northotic™ ergonomically-designed footbed with Poron® forefoot and heel inserts
• Ultra lightweight, compression-molded EVA midsole
• X-2™ polymer rearfoot crash pad provides cushioning and reduces overpronation at heel-strike
• Semi-straight lasted, with a flat waist and midfoot medial post to provide an extremely stable and consistent footprint on uneven terrain.
• Innovative ESS forefoot Snake Plate™ gives ultimate protection from stone bruising without sacrificing flexibility
• UltrATAC™ outsole, incorporating firmer density lugs under the ball and waist, provides responsive ride through toe-off

Chad Baird, Footwear Product Manager

If you are a kayaker and you have the ability to grow a mustache then you can win some unbelievable prizes in IR’s “The Mustache King.”

Go to themustacheking.com

There are a few spots left in the competition and it is free to enter. Contest starts April 1st, 2008. Get ready for amusement.

This report just in from Dave Dirito (former GOPC Staff). » RACE INFO

Short version:
Time – 5 hours and 18 minutes; elevation gain just over 6000 ft; place overall 5th; place men 4th; place age group 1st; pace 10:00 min/mile; pace corrected for getting off trail 9:50 min/mile.

Long version:
This is very detailed. If you don’t want the details … read the short version.

This has been the most difficult race of the season. Despite being the longest race to date the terrain was also the most strenuous. The weekend revealed many lessons learned as well as much to be proud of. BM 50k is held in Sherando Park south of Charlottesville, Virginia near the Blue Ridge Parkway. I traveled to the area with a couple of Trailhead friends and stayed with one of their sisters in Charlottesville. This brings me to the first lesson learned. His sister was 45 minutes from the race site and the race start was 6:30 sharp. The combination of not getting up early enough and getting on the road a few minutes late translated into arriving at the starting line 7 minutes before the beginning of the race. On the ride over I was sensing that there would be little time to waste so I readied myself to essentially open the van door and start racing.

Once we arrived, at 6:23am, I leaped from the van with my two drop bags in hand and rushed up to the race check in to drop my bags off. This is where the race director informed me that the truck for the first drop bags (aide station 2, Camp Marty) had already left. He mentioned he would try to get it up there for me with the caveat that I might make it there before my bag. I handed him my bag and figured that that was the best I could do at this point and made my way to the starting line at the top of a huge earthen dam. No time for the typical prerace bathroom break as the race was about to begin.
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Pictures from the March 15 Falls Lake Workday. Volunteers are needed for the next workday, Sat, April 12

» MORE INFO

WINSTON ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF SECOND FILM FESTIVAL

Winston has announced the winners of its second FlyFishingMovies.com Film Festival. Over 50 films were submitted for the current festival.

Josh Eddings (Wilmington Shop Staff), Luke Pearson (videographer) & Capt. Seth Vernon recently took Third Place (Bronze Trout) honors for saltwater in the Winston Rods contest with their video trailer for “Redfish Can’t Jump”.

How to enter a flyfishing movie: simply logon to flyfishingmovies.com and follow the instructions.