Great Outdoor Blog

On August 12th, 2009 the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company in Kirkuk City lost 25% its members to a vehicle borne IED (Improvised Explosive Device aka-Roadside bomb).  That was a Wednesday.  WUNC’s NPR News mentioned the casualties as we returned from a trail run at Umstead State Park where the worst injury suffered that day was a twisted ankle.  Difficult to comprehend the courage and devotion of EOD members who perform EOD duties.

We wanted to honor the men and women who serve our country in this manner and afford us the freedom for adventure.  This fall we were given that chance.  An officer from Seymour Johnson told us about the 506 EOD Memorial Run to be held in Iraq.  We were able to provide CoolMax T-Shirts for the runners.  Below is are pictures as well as comments from one of our heros

Here is a picture of some of the guys.  Some of the shirts have been pushed out to the rest of our unit at forward operating bases near here so that’s why we don’t have everyone in the picture.  We here greatly appreciate how thoughtful and how amazing that your company is.  Some people continue to workout in the t shirts.  We thank you for all you do and just wanted to let you know that we raised nearly $2,000 for the mural and the rest of the money is being donated to the Iraqi EOD techs families.  Also attached is a picture of me and another EOD tech running the 5k in the Bomb Suit to commemorate the Fallen EOD warriors.  From all of us here at 506 EOD, Iraq we are wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Thank You for your support.

by Christopher McDougall

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

$24.95

Great Outdoor Provision Co. welcomes Shiloh Mielke and Team Vasque as they arrive in town for this year’s Triple Lakes Trail Marathon to be held October 3 in Greensboro, NC. Vasque is the title sponsor of this year’s event which kicks off the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Month. Come meet Shiloh at the packet pickup on Friday, October 2nd. We look forward to a great weekend of trail running and thank Vasque for their support.

Shiloh Mielke, Weaverville, CO – Team Vasque

Shiloh honed his speed and form while on the cross country and track teams at Northern Arizona University. He set his personal bests of a 14:35 5K and 29:48K, before focusing his efforts and agility on trail running. Since taking up the sport, he’s been a two-time member of the World Mountain Running team, 2008 winner of the La Sportiva Cup and a bronze and silver medalist at the 2008 NCAC Mountain Running Championships held in Mexico. Shiloh’s favorite accomplishment is being a four time winner and the course record holder at the Shut In Ridge Trail Run, held near Asheville, NC. He will be on hand for the 27th running of the race this November, to defend his title and break his record. Otherwise, Shiloh likes to focus on one race at a time and be in the moment.

Issue: Parking at Old Reedy Creek Rd. MAP IT

There are a lot of people currently parking on Old Reedy Creek Rd. to access Rocky Rd. , Umstead Park , the Black Creek Greenway and Lake Crabtree . The NCDOT plans to pave that road at some point in the future of which the plans are to prohibit parking along the side of the road once it is paved like they have done at Reedy Creek Rd. on the other side of Umstead State Park heading towards the NC Museum of Art. There is a solution. There is some land next to lake Crabtree that is owned by the Town of Cary that would be perfect for a parking lot. Wake County and the manager of Lake Crabtree have expressed an interest in partnering and helping manage the facility once open and NCDOT has agreed to use their equipment to grade and pave the parking area when they are paving Old Reedy Creek Rd. The issue before us is getting all the agreements in place for the area to be turned into a parking lot during the paving process and it will take some capital from the Town of Cary even though it’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things.

The problem is that money is tight and there are a lot of competing interests for funds and if we don’t speak up and let elected officials of Cary know that this parking lot is important, we could find ourselves with no place to park once Old Reedy Creek Rd. is paved. For this reason, it is important if you live in Cary to contact your candidates and elected officials by conversation or by mail and let them know that you use the area and would like them to consider paving the lot next to Lake Crabtree when NCDOT paves Old Reedy Creek Rd. That’s it. Attending a “meet and greet” event or donating a small amount to campaigns are always good and between now and the election, they are all very interested in getting to know their citizens and learning what they want. In fact, there is a Cary Candidate Forum next Wednesday, Sept. 23rd sponsored by WakeUp Wake County for the Cary races at 7:00 at the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, 200 High meadow Dr. Cary, NC.  Be courteous, respectful and always appreciate them for their service or for running for office, but the secret to politics is being in the right place at the right time saying the right thing to the right person. Miss one of those, and you can be out of luck and now is the time as candidates are listening. Here is a list of the Cary Candidates and any google can find their websites.
http://msweb03.co.wake.nc.us/bordelec/downloads/0MainPage/20091006Candidates.pdf

More information about voting in general can be found at the Board of Elections website:
http://www.wakegov.com/elections/default.htm

Now’s the time for action. Let’s step up and make it happen for better access to Umstead as well as the surrounding recreational facilities now that the time is right.

Respectfully Submitted:

Sig Hutchinson

Beautiful nature photos from North Carolina have inspired generations of people to be better stewards of our precious natural resources. Excellent wildlife photography taken in state parks and other conservation lands across the Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain has been the cornerstone of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine and of exhibits at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences for many decades

The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition aims to encourage people to participate in nature photography, thereby fostering greater understanding and appreciation of North Carolina’s wildlife and wild places. Winning photographs will be published in the January 2010 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina. Thanks to our exhibition sponsor, JW Photo Labs of Raleigh, the winners will also be exhibited at the Museum of Natural Sciences and at other science museums and wildlife education centers across the state in 2010.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. on June 1, 2009. Entries must be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.

Great Outdoor Provision Co. is proud to be the corporate sponsor of the competition.

Photos will be judged in 10 categories:

• Birds
• Mammals
• Reptiles and Amphibians
• Invertebrates
• Peaks, Valleys and Plains: Our landscape category.
• Wild Plants: Wild-growing plants only, including their flowers, leaves, fruits and other parts. Absolutely no cultivated plants will be accepted. Mushrooms and other fungi should be entered in this category.
• Outdoor Recreation: Show how people interact with North Carolina’s natural world through activities that are inextricably linked to nature, such as hunting, fishing, hiking, rock climbing or canoeing.
• Animal Behavior: Anything animals do, from everyday activities to interactions with other animals to unusual behavior.
• Youth Photographer, 13–17: Any of the above subjects, shot by photographers under 18.
• Youth Photographer, 12 and under: Any of the above subjects, shot by children 12 and younger.

By Bill Mauney

Spring is a wonderful time of the year.  The plants and trees renew their beauty, the days get longer and the winter cold becomes a memory.  Beautiful days woo us to go outside and get active.  As spring evolves into summer the mercury begins to climb.  Pursuing active adventure in the outdoors in hot weather brings some new challenges to prevent heat and sun related problems.

Here are some tips to Beat the Heat:

Stay hydrated – Drink often, whether you feel thirsty or not.  Avoid caffeinated drinks, such as colas, tea or coffee as they are diuretics, causing you to urinate more often, thus dehydrating you.  Water is best, supplemented with electrolyte replacement drinks if you are involved in heavy exertion activities.  Old timers used to say, “Pee clear!”  This means that you are staying properly hydrated.  Water bottles are great and easy to carry.  Hydration systems, such as Camelbak are wonderful for drinking while hiking, biking or paddling.  Studies have shown that people drink more often and thus stay more hydrated when using such systems.  Cool drinks are received by your body faster and are certainly more refreshing.  Insulated water bottles or insulated hydration systems are great for day trips when you can ice down your liquids.  Of course, out in the wild you will need to treat water from natural sources to prevent illness.  Great Outdoor Provision Co. has an incredible selection of water bottles, hydration systems, filters, purifiers and storage systems.  Come checkout the options at our shops.

Protect your eyes – Use sunglasses that protect against harmful UVA and UVB rays.  Polarized glasses are great if you are on the water as they protect against the glare of reflective sun rays off of the water.  You can also spot objects just beneath the surface of the water better.  This is great if you are fishing.  Don’t forget some sort of eyewear retention strap so you won’t lose them.  Some of these retention straps will float your glasses.  Checkout our awesome selection of fine sunglasses.

Protect your skin – Many of the shorts, pants, convertible pants and shirts we carry have UPF ratings indicating the degree of sun protection offered.  These garments typically have lots of useful pockets, are made of a quick-dry material and the shirts are well ventilated.  Some pants and shorts have built in liners, so they double as a bathing suit.  Light colors don’t absorb heat like dark colors do.  All of these clothes keep you very comfortable on those hot, sticky days.  You will also need waterproof and sweatproof sunscreen for skin exposed to the sun’s rays!

Don’t forget your head – We have a number of hats to choose from that will protect your face, neck and ears from those burning rays.  Tilley hats have a 50+UPF rating.

Tips for cooling off:

• Wet the inside of your wrists, inside the elbows, head and back of the neck
• Wet your hat
• Rotary cooling – practice that kayak roll!
• Water fights – bilge pumps and water bazookas are perfect for such use.  We’ve got ‘em!
• Go for a swim – immersed you will cool off fast!
• Catch the breeze – Face the wind or fan yourself.  If your head, back of the neck, inside of your wrists, inside of your elbows or other exposed skin are wet, you add evaporative heat loss to the convective heat loss, thus cooling off even faster.
• Travel during the cooler morning hours while the sun is low
• Find shade and rest during the hottest part of the day

Seek shade and rest if you experience weakness, dizziness, headaches, nausea, muscle cramps, loss of appetite or faintness.  Rehydrate using water and electrolyte replacement drinks.Come by our shop and let us gear you up for adventure this summer!

Get out there and run! It’s all about that first step! Running is an incredibly healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. Whether it’s five minutes, 15 minutes, or 45 minutes, every little bit of time spent running makes a difference in the goal to live healthy, happy, and heart strong.

Join us for National Running Day on Wednesday, June 3, as we come together as a nation to take strides toward leading healthier, fitter lives.

Find a Running Day event near you! Click here. Stop by the shop and try on a pair of Brooks Trail Running Shoes!

by Andrea Talley

On Saturday, March 28, the City of Wilmington’s Adventure Pathways program held the 7th Annual Greenfield Adventure Sprint.  The Adventure Sprint challenges racers to over 22 miles of canoeing or kayaking, mountain biking, and running.  Between each leg, “mystery events” challenge the racers both mentally and physically.

Historically, this race has been offered to two-person teams only.  This year, for the first time, individual men’s and individual women’s divisions were also offered.  Fifty racers total participated in four divisions.  This year’s mystery events involved solving a challenging riddle (and running almost 2 miles to get the clues), a visual puzzle, and building a rubber-band sling-shot to launch Easter eggs into loops.  Mystery events are intended to make the racers slow down and use their mental and fine-motor skills, to mix up the race order, and to add a bit of fun and silliness to the event.  This year’s mystery events did all three, along with frustrating the racers—as usual!

Shawn Spencer, in the individual men’s division, came in first place with a time of 2:18:47.  Don and Lisa Hanna won the coed team division with a time of 2:28:02.  Sean Lucas and Brian Matzke won the men’s team division with a time of 2:31:52, and Diane Hastell won the individual women’s division with a time of 2:48:40.  The rest of the results can be found at www.adventurepathways.com.

The Greenfield Adventure Sprint was sponsored by Bike Cycles of Mayfaire, Great Outdoor Provision Co., Hook, Line, & Paddle, Cape Fear River Watch, Papa John’s Pizza, and Bagel Basket.  Adventure Pathways thanks all our sponsors for their annual support of this event.

Brooks has introduced the first-ever biodegradable running shoe midsole: BioMoGo. Yes, they’ve taken the long-lasting cushioning of the original MoGo midsole and made it more environmentally friendly.

How, you ask? they’ve added a non-toxic, natural additive to the MoGo compound that encourages anaerobic microbes to munch away once it hits the landfill. Traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™ (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in a landfill. BioMoGo’s microbial munch rate is a staggering 50 times faster, biodegrading nutrients into reusable byproducts within 20 years! That means that within 20 years time, Brooks alone will save 29.9 million pounds of landfill waste. For you pigskin fans out there, that equals 1,277 football fields covered one shoe deep!

BioMoGo is currently available in the M’s & W’s Cascadia 4. What about the rest of their performance running shoes? All Brooks performance running shoes with MoGo midsoles will feature groundbreaking BioMoGo by the end of 2009. And because they believe in being agents of positive change, they willl release this technology to all other footwear brands. And so on we move—all of us—to greener pastures.

• Read more about BioMoGo
• Watch the BioMoGo video
• Check out our BioMoGo FAQs
• View images of biodegrading MoGo and BioMoGo
• Consider The Life Cycle of a Running Shoe

Carolina Godiva Track Club and Great Outdoor Provision Co. welcome Brooks Running to the 6th Annual Umstead Trail Marathon.   All 26.2 miles of the marathon will be run within the borders of William B. Umstead State Park on Saturday, March 7th.   We have 5 staff that will be running those miles in the Brooks Cascadia or Adrenaline ASR and SmartWool socks. Chuck Millsaps has considered one on each foot as he loves the performance of both shoes. “It’s a tough choice between the two.  During my training I have used 2 pair of Cascadia and 1 pair of the ASR.  I am currently running in the ASR but will it will be game day decision.”

Both the Brooks Cascadia (l) and Brooks Adrenaline ASR (r) are ideal for the terrain of the Umstead Trail Marathon.  The course consists of some technical single track covering portions of Company Mill and Sycamore Trails.   But most is on the park’s bridle trails which are the width of a single lane road and covered with fine gravel.  It’s a challenging course with many hills and the sections of single track include features such as “The Devil’s Spine” and “Shut In Simulator” that exact a toll on the runners.

A couple of trivia points if you are curious.

• The cut off time for the course is six hours.
• The course record was set in 2007 in a blistering time of 2:40:35 by Paul DeWitt.
• Previous course record set in 2005 by Mike Aldrink in a time of 2:50:59.  (Fun side note about Mike – he placed 3rd in the 2007 Krispy Kreme Challenge with a time of 28:14 after running 2 miles, eating 12 doughnuts and running  2 mile to finish.)
• This year’s Umstead race capped out with a field of 200 runners who will start at 9:00am on Saturday, March 7th.  Spectators are welcome and  may park at any of the Umstead paved parking lots and run, walk, or ride in the park to see the marathon.   Remember there are no bikes allowed on the hiking trails.  The Graylyn aid station is a good vantage point as you see both mile 6.5 and mile 14.8.  A course map is available at www.umsteadmarathon.com/umstead2006map.jpg