Great Outdoor Blog

Joe Miller describes how he packed a week’s worth of adventure — rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, greenway riding and very nearly skateboarding — into just one day!

» READ MORE on his News & Observer Blog

A few updates just in from Wilmington artist & customer James Davis. Follow his adventures at myxolydian.com

July 9, 2008

Left 501 Shelter early, it was another hard day of hiking in the rain. The rocks are so slippery, really have to take your time. My feet are paying the price for these slippery rocks. I made it to Eagle’s Nest Shelter just before 5 pm. I am really wiped out today; spiders and mosquitoes were bad today – there has been so much wet weather. Mileage today was only 15.5.

July 10, 2008

Slid down the mountain today – like snow skiing. It was so steep, a mile straight down. Got in Port Clinton Hotel about 1 p.m. Nero day. Today, I did 9 miles – broke 1,200 miles!!! Leaping Turtle called me today because he read about me in the newspaper; he is at Delaware Water Gap. My shins are still hurting.

The Port Clinton Hotel is much nicer than the Doyle. The Port Clinton Hotel, served as a stagecoach stop between Sunbury and Philadelphia in the early 1800’s. Stagecoaches stopped at the Port Clinton Hotel, which was a great social center where news from other states and even foreign countries was exchanged. In fact, it became customary when signing the hotel register to add any news that they thought might be of common interest. The hotelkeeper and his family cared for the driver and passengers stabled the horses and entertained with a fiddler and dances.
The hotel’s birth name was the “Gately Hotel” and is now named the “Port Clinton Hotel”. Situated in southern Schuylkill County, the unique little town clings on the hillside and embraces the peninsula between the Little Schuylkill and the main river. Port Clinton takes its name from De-Witt Clinton on the Erie Canal, and was laid out in 1829. A thriving community for many years for large shipments of coal which was brought to Port Clinton by the primitive railroads and was loaded on canal boats for shipment.

Our friend, Spencer Cooke, took an incredible surf kayaking adventure to Morocco on Africa’s Northwestern coast in January.  A video + video podcast & photos are available on Spencer’s new web site Rapid Transit:
http://www.rapidtransitvideo.com/blog/?p=53

Check out Spencer’s hand written trip journal here:
http://effort.tv/2008/pix/moroccoslideshow/

Local artist & Wilmington customer, James Davis, is sill going strong after seven weeks on the Appalachian Trail. He’s north of Hot Springs and his “hi-ly-larus” adventure (with pics) can be followed at his web site myxolydian.com

Scott & Sara took a break from the Great Outdoor Provision Co. Main Offices to fly fish for stripers. They fished the Roanoke River near Weldon, NC last week.

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.
(more…)

Another report from Vic (GOPC staff) & crew. They are traveling from California to Patagonia, Chile. Read more on their BLOG: http://southbound-horizons.blogspot.com

Peeking through the surrounding clouds within the sheltered pine forest, San Cristobal de las Casas welcomed us with a misty drizzle. We stayed at a lovely hostel and ventured into the colonial town of Chiapas to explore among the patter of the rain. The cool mountain air and small droplets gave us new energy on a trip full of sun and heat. Dancing among the puddles we wondered around amazing markets, met friendly artisans, sipped warm hot chocolate and ate tasty pastries. The nights gave way to new friends made in the comfortable hostel where pasta dinners, fresh juices, posh and tasty salads were split among new amigos from six different countries. Day trips to San Juan Chamula allowed us to take a look into an exclusively Mayan village, where animal sacrifices and old healing methods still take place within the church and colorful markets clutter the plaza square. Picture taking is forbidden for it steals the soul of the subject. Many hugs and emails were exchanged as we departed San Cristobal de las Casas and all the friendly travelers we met.

On the way to visit the jungle ruins of Palenque and Calakmul a long Zapatista road block stalled our progress along the mountain roads. A night in the jungle had us awakening to the calls of howler monkeys and an early entrance into the famous ruins of Palenque. Tall Mayan pyramids shadowed the jungle below as cool water creeks weaved in and out of the lofty structures. Walking among the tourists we headed out of the park, overwhelmed and looked forward to the less visited ruins of Calakmul. After a long drive through the canopy covered highway to the ranger station of Calakmul we made friends with the forest rangers and set up camp. With some enthusiastic natural history lessons and solid advice on a sunrise start to the ruins, we slept among wild mountain turkeys dreaming of exploring the 100 sq/km with 6500 structures, hidden like gems in the dense overgrowth. An alpine start had us on top of one of the pyramids for the sunrise over the rainforest where monkeys jumped through trees, howlers awoke the jungle, colorful birds flew toward the sun, and ones eyes lost focus as the jungle stretched beyond view in all directions. Playing explorer we had the ruins to ourselves to discover as we climbed tropical trees, uncovered hidden pottery, slept in Mayan mansions, yelled over the canopy, chassed wild turkeys and wandered the miles of overgrown trails. We finished a 12 hour day of running around the ruins with an amazing sunset as we sat atop of the jungle canopy looking towards Guatemala and reflecting upon our solitude within the ancient capitol city of the kingdom of the Serpents Head.

Leaving the Mayan ruins and thick jungle we departed Mexico after two months of travel through such an amazing country. A hint of remorse arose, yet was soon healed by the ocean breeze, crystal blue-green water and unique Caribbean vibes of Belize. With only a little trouble and many hoops to jump through at the border we were soon cruising down the Hummingbird highway, through fields of sugar cane and rows of citrus trees, with our passports stamped.

Students at Martin Middle School are headed for the top of the world. With the help of interactive technology from MCNC, Cisco, and Arch Rock Corp, Martin Middle School students will stay connected to mountaineer and local Cisco engineer Ciprian “Chip” Popoviciu as he attempts to climb Everest this spring. The students here at Raleigh’s local middle school met Chip and his support team at an assembly this morning, March 10th. Chip will be supported by his Cisco associate, Tim Woods, who will coordinate base camp communications. Chip will also be monitored by Dr. Jay Stevens, M.D. Dr. Stevens is the President and Chief Medical Officer of the American Institute of Healthcare and Fitness. In the photo we see Chip and Dr. Stevens sharing with students about the equipment that is necessary to keep a climb safe in such extreme Alpine conditions. Stay connected with the expedition by visiting Martin Middle School link at http://martinms.wcpss.net/everest.html

» Click here to listen to WCPSS PodCast: Climbing Everest

Reports are in for several MULEteam members setting out to hike the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail.

Gary Shell (aka Crabby Appleton), just retired as Wilmington’s Director of Parks and Rec.

» Crabby Appleton’s Trail Journal

James Davis is an artist in Wilmington

» JAMES’ BLOG

Reports just in from Vic (GOPC staff) & crew. They are traveling from S. California to Patagonia, Chile. Read more on their BLOG: http://southbound-horizons.blogspot.com

» MORE PICS

1.19.08 - Chuck, Hola and greetings from Baja. Andrew, Anthony and I are down in Todos Santos… about 50 miles or so from Cabo San Lucas. We have spent the last 12 days or so bouldering, surfing and slowly making our way south through the Baja peninsula. We are planning on taking the ferry mainland in the next few days. - Adios, Vic

2.4.08 - Sunsets, sunburns, fish tacos, agavé fields, granite boulders, surf wax, fresh tortillas, papya and unexplored canyon walls… from hidden beaches to booming cities, we have made our way south through the rolling green hills of northern Baja into the sun-baked, boulder-strewn desert of central Baja, with its massive Cordón cactus, dusty roads and shells of trucks rusting into their final resting places. Here many days were spent with chalked hands, sore finger tips and wounds patched with climbing tape as the crew discovered untapped problems, hidden in the maze of the Cataviña boulder fields. Then it was off to the Sea of Cortez with its rocky peninsulas, beachside palapas and gorgeous islands within paddling distance. The wind blew strong, but our Black Diamond Megamid (thanks GOPC!) stood fast, sheltering us from dusty gusts. Moving south, the sun got hotter, the surf got better and we soon found ourselves on a ferry to mainland Mexico, with backpacks full of clothes washed in the ocean and cans of black beans, to visit with friends and family, explore the rivers and rope up on Mexican rock. With over 2,000 miles on the odometer, we rolled into the surf town of Sayulita, on the Pacific coast where towering palms, beautiful waves and friendly people were there to greet us. Here in Sayulita fate was on our side in meeting a traveling artisan, selling jewelry on the beach. He invited us to his home in Guadalajara where his crew of friends, putting up hard 5.13’s in the deserted climbing areas outside of the city, gave us a one week tour of the rock around Guadalajara which would put any guide book to shame. The experiences with the people here in Mexico have truly shaped our journey as we venture towards Central America and the vast unknown of overgrown rainforests, rutted roads and stretches of untouched landscape. - Vic