Great Outdoor Blog

Beautiful images of the natural wonders of North Carolina have inspired generations of people to be better stewards of our precious natural resources. The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition aims to encourage today’s wildlife photographers and to foster greater appreciation of North Carolina’s wildlife and natural resources.

Excellent wildlife photography has been the cornerstone of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine and of exhibits at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences for many decades. Winning photographs will be published in the January 2008 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina and will be exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and at other science museums and wildlife centers across the state in 2008.

Entries must be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007.

I have been hiking since my family’s trips out west when I was still counting my age on two hands and I started backpacking about as soon as I was big enough to carry all the gear for a night out. Being a particularly observant outdoorsman (when it comes to gear), I quickly came to associate trekking poles with older hikers. Mind you, the word “older” here is used in the loosest sense of the term since pretty much everyone looks old to a particularly scrawny 12 year old. I took my share of tumbles, but continued to rock hop across streams, bomb downhills, and sprint uphills. All of this energetic frolicking, of course, had no aching repercussions the next day.

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Saturday, September 15, 2007 9am- Noon
Lake Moultrie – www.scseagrant.org
19 years of Making a Difference!

Volunteers are needed to help cleanup the beaches and islands located on Lake Moultrie in Berkeley County. We are looking for team leaders for each identified cleanup site, volunteers with boats, kayaks, and canoes. We will be providing a limited number of canoes and kayaks for volunteers without boats.

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As patrons of the great outdoors, we’re very fortunate to live in the beautiful state of North Carolina. Unfortunately, we’re not alone. No matter how secluded an overlook, how secret a fishing spot, or how off-the-trail a campsite, we’re constantly being watched. And buzzed. And bitten. Mosquitoes, the bane of any outdoor experience, can make even the most seasoned hiker, boater, or fisherman cringe. Luckily, Great Outdoor Provision Co. stocks a full range of Sawyer insect repellent products. With a solution for bug problems in any application, Sawyer’s offerings are as diverse as the habitats of our state.

Permethrin Insect Repellent – This clothing application is actually a contact insecticide, killing mosquitoes and ticks on contact. Best of all, there’s no need to reapply. Simply treat your clothing then let it dry for two hours. Your clothing is transformed into a mosquito fortress that lasts through up to 6 washings! Great for applying before travel. Want even more protection? Combine the Permethrin clothing application with a topical repellent for ultimate bite prevention. $11.95

Broad Spectrum Insect Repellent Spray – Unfortunately, mosquitoes and ticks aren’t the only flying pests one runs into in the outdoors. This convenient pump spray combines the proven effectiveness of DEET to protect against mosquitoes and ticks with Sawyer’s R-326 formula to keep biting flies and gnats at bay. They also kept their Broad Spectrum repellent alcohol free in order to prevent fast absorption into the skin. $7.95

Topical Control Release Insect Repellent – Sawyer’s Control Release repellent is perfect for those not interested in frequent re-applications. Sawyer pioneered a chemical process that traps DEET capsules on the skin. Since the evaporation of the DEET chemicals is the process that deters the insects, this encapsulation process extends the life of your application by slowing the rate of evaporation. $7.50

MAXI-DEET Insect Repellent Spray – Sawyer is still the only company to offer a full 2oz. bottle of 100% DEET. They also offer the only low-odor formula available because they use the highest quality, purest DEET available. Maxi-DEET is designed for areas with dense mosquito and tick populations. Its 100% concentration is perfect for extreme conditions. $7.50

Daniel Grillo, Marketing Intern

New ReSource Series Bags are in our shops!

What is recycled PET fabric?

It’s what the ReSource series packs are made from!! Recycled Pet is made from ground up water and soda bottles – the same ones we drink from everyday. PET is the acronym for Polyethylene Terephthalate, a thermoplastic polyester resin.

Now, the introduction of recycled Pet as a pack fabric provides a key component of the ReSource Series

• 70% total recycled materials by content
• 100% Recycled mesh pockets
• 60% recycled content spacer mesh
• 55% recycled stretch woven pockets
• 100% recycled binding tape
• 100% recycled webbing Recycled buckles – reground from buckle scrap
• 100% recycled fabric zipper pulls

Circuit Bookbag $99

• Redwood, Rainforest and Panda colors
• 1900 ci
• Dedicated laptop sleeve & organizer
• Internal music pouch with ports

Cypher Bookbag $84

• Panda, Glacier and Rainforest colors
• 1600 ci
• Dedicated laptop sleeve & organizer
• Internal music pouch with ports

Astro Courier bag $84

• In Redwood, Panda and Rainforest colors
• 1100 ci
• Padded laptop sleeve
• safety light clip-ins
• Padded, snap-on cell phone pouch

By Tim Glover, Wilmington Shop Manager

So…can you catch flounder on a fly rod? This question came up recently with a customer getting started in saltwater fly fishing. This gentleman had a hard time picturing a bottom-dwelling fish chasing after a fly, and he thought of fly fishing as taking place in the top of the water column. These are fairly common (and perfectly understandable) assumptions about fly fishing…but, yes, you can catch flounder on a fly rod.

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July 20th & 21st – ICF WILDWATER JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

US NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTER
820 Hawfield Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214 / 704-391-3900
>> MORE INFO

Disclaimer: I have deliberately avoided the use of certain nautical terminology and opted when appropriate to use laymen’s terms. The purpose of this article is to provide easy to follow information that may be of use to the novice in choosing between a rudder and skeg. The use of nautical terminology has its place in sea kayaking but would only hinder the novices for this particular discussion.

Most anyone in the market for a Touring Kayak (a.k.a. Sea Kayak) will inevitably be faced with an important choice: Rudder or Skeg? These days just about every touring kayak or sea kayak comes with either a rudder or a skeg. Why do some sea kayaks (touring kayaks) come with rudders and others come with skegs? What is the difference, in terms of distinguishing characteristics and overall functionality between a rudder and a skeg? What is the purpose of a rudder or a skeg in a touring kayak? If we compare and contrast rudders with skegs, does one choice have any advantages or disadvantages over the other with regard to sea kayaks or touring kayaks? In this article, I will attempt to address these questions so that the reader is better able to make an informed choice regarding the rudder vs. skeg option.

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