Great Outdoor Blog

TWO MORE HIKERS CROSS THE FINISH LINE
On Saturday May 2, Frank Potter and Jim Walters of Charlotte became the 14th and 15th hikers to complete the MST.  Read about their adventures in their trail journal and in the Charlotte Observer.

HELP DIG TRAIL ON NATIONAL TRAILS DAY IN JUNE
We’ve organized eight workdays for National Trails Day – June 6.  Check out the calendar and find an event that works for you. Workdays will be held near Asheville, Boone, Wilkesboro, Sparta, Winston-Salem, Durham, Raleigh, and New Bern throughout June.

Also, add the ”Big Dig” to your calendar.  On Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26 we’ll be helping the South Ashe Task Force extend the trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Free camping for trail volunteers at Doughton Park. Contact Jim Hallsey to register.

MST TO RECEIVE FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS
The NC Department of Transportation has allocated $3.25 million from the federal economic stimulus package to help Raleigh build eight miles of the MST along the Neuse River from the Falls Lake dam to the WRAL soccer fields downstream. This new trail will connect to the 43 miles of trail already constructed by FMST volunteers around Falls Lake. It is also the first stage of Raleigh and Wake County’s efforts to complete the 26 miles of trail from the dam to the Johnston County line by 2012.

FMST and a coalition of other trail organizations asked NCDOT to include funding for North Carolina’s long-distance trails as part of the stimulus package. Raleigh’s portion of the MST is one of five projects they have funded to date. The News & Observer wrote about our request to DOT and then covered the great news about Raleigh’s funding.

Kate Dixon
Executive Director
Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Paddling a sea kayak around all seven continents prepares you for just about anything.  Including an auditorium full of middle schoolers. Jon Bowermaster, a six time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council, shared stories of his adventures in Antarctica when a 6th grade boy raised his hand with a question. Film-maker and author, Bowermaster, braced for the question. “How did you use the bathroom in Antarctica?” asked the curious student.  Bowermaster responded, without hesitation, “Quickly!”

Jon speaking at GOPC Charlotte

Bowermaster is traveling through North Carolina visiting Great Outdoor Provision Co., a local retailer offering outdoor clothing and equipage for adventure. Great Outdoor Provision Co. is committed to protecting endangered areas and supports Bowermaster’s mission. “Everywhere we go, we see evidence of three things,” says Jon Bowermaster, who has paddled the world, “climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution.” His message today was well received by the student body at Martin Middle School.  Martin, a Magnet School program familiar with adventure, recently supported climber Chip Popoviciu in his successful summit of Mount Everest where he placed the school’s flag. Popoviciu worked with Magnet Program Coordinator Lisa Thompson to develop a curriculum that took the school to the top of Everest. Today, Jon Bowermaster may have just found a crew for his next adventure on the high seas…as long as he can provide a suitable bathroom.

Learn more about adventure – both global and local at greatoutdoorprovision.com. Jon’s stories, pictures and video can be found at jonbowermaster.com. Thanks to Mountain Hardwear for sponsoring the visit.

Kayak Fishing Seminar – May 30
Kure Beach Community Center – 10am

Ashley Williams will be presenting all that you need to know about this new and upcoming sport. The emphasis will be on the balancing act between fishing and kayaking. Ashley will make the process easy and very do-able for the beginners. Those folks with some experience will learn some techniques that should make the experience easier. Cost $20

Kayak Fishing “Meet and Greet” – June 27
Fort Fisher Input

A FREE, special day for you to try out what you have learned about the sport. Ashley Williams will be on hand to give pointers and help you get started. It’s a good chance to meet your fellow fisher-people and share experiences. You will need to bring a kayak and your fishing equipment. The day starts at 8:00 a.m. with a break for lunch at 12:00 noon. Lunch costs $3.00 and includes hot dogs, sodas and chips. Ashley will be
helping up until 5:00 p.m.

INFO: 910-200-6025

Meat the GOPC Kayak Fishing Team

Exclusive presentations presented by Mountain Hardwear:

Mon, May 4 – Charlotte Shop @ 7pm
Tues, May 5 – Wilmington Shop @ 7pm

Read more about Jon HERE

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