Blue Ridge Outdoors February 2018 by Summit Publishing

MEMORIES

Take a snapshot atop West Virginia’s top ski resorts. It’s a view — and a trip — you’ll never forget. Find the perfect getaway at GoToWV.com.

GoToWV.com

#AlmostHeaven

You First.

HALF MARATHON | 5K | KIDS CUB RUN

APRIL 14, 2018 CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA

DISMALSWAMPSTOMP.COM

AND Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x203A;s Fun Run!

SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 | NORFOLK, VA

HEARTOFGHENT10K.COM 4

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / R I C H M O N D - V I R G I N I A B E AC H E D I T I O N

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8

Ready for an adventure?

A state-wide series of triathlons and races with prizes determined by participation, not finishing time.

F E AT U R E S

February 18

Monster Cross/Dash, Pocahontas State Park

9 THE HONEST TRUTH

L A U R A FA R R E L L S T O M P I N G T H E M I D - AT L A N T I C C L A S S I C G R E AT F A L L S .

E R I N S AVA G E

D E PA R T M E N T S 8 BACKTALK

Readers respond to the Dark Lord, Cumberland Island developers, and the death of outdoor writing.

1O QUICK HITS

Hate crimes don’t stop the community from rallying behind Black Star Line Brewery.

12 FLASHPOINT

Gents: it’s time to shup up and listen to outdoor women.

48 THE GOODS

Triple Crown Bouldering champ Kerry Scott’s go-to gear.

50 TRAIL MIX

Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins is part of the all-female folk super trio I'm With Her.

Jennifer Pharr Davis shares the emotionally hard lessons learned from the trail.

March 3

Tenderfoot Adventure Race and 5/10k, Sky Meadows State Park

March 24 & 25

18 OUTDOOR PERSONALITY QUIZ

Tour De Pocahontas MTB Races, Pocahontas State Park

April 4, 14 & 15

Dirtbag or drifter? Yogi or survivalist? This 17-question test will reveal your true outdoor identity.

Shenandoah Aquablaze and Tenderfoot Adventure Race Andy Guest Shenandoah State Park

21 THE BOAT ROCKERS

James River Adventure Triathlon, James River State Park

April 21

Adventure couple share their secrets on navigating the sometimes-turbulent waters of married life.

May 5

Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Triathlon, Smith Mountain Lake State Park

May 12

Mountain Do Triathlon, Hungry Mother State Park

25 WOMEN WARRIORS

These seven pioneers in adventure and conservation are redefining what it means to do anything “like a girl.”

July 22

High Bridge Roubaix Time Trial, High Bridge State Park

September 8

Claytor Lake Sprint Triathlon, Claytor Lake State Park

40 THE FEARSOME FIVE

Follow in the frozen footsteps of five ultrarunners attempting their 15th consecutive Hellgate 100K, organized by the legendary masochist David Horton.

September 15

New River Trail Challenge, New River Trail State Park

October 13

Pocadventure Adventure Triathlon, Pocahontas State Park

45 PRICE OF PARADISE

Asheville, Charlottesville, and Chattanooga may be some of the region’s hottest adventure hubs, but some of its residents are left out in the cold.

C OVER PHOTO : CATHY A NDERSON / CATHYANDER SONPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

For the most current series information visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/adventure-series

800-933-PARK (7275) | www.virginiastateparks.gov F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

BRO_Feb_2018.indd 1

12/21/2017 1:14:01 PM

PRESIDENT

BLAKE DEMASO

E D I TO R I N C H I E F W I L L H A R L A N will@blueridgeoutdoors.com P U B L I S H E R L E A H W O O DY leah@blueridgeoutdoors.com

A NOTE FROM US ABOUT BRO'S FIRST-EVER WOMEN'S ISSUE

A R T D I R E C TO R M E G A N J O R DA N megan@blueridgeoutdoors.com E D I TO R I A L & P R O D U C T I O N S E N I O R E D I TO R J E D D F E R R I S jedd@blueridgeoutdoors.com T R AV E L E D I TO R J E S S DA D D I O jess@blueridgeoutdoors.com S E N I O R D E S I G N E R L AU R E N W O R T H lauren@blueridgeoutdoors.com C O N T R I B U TO R S E M I LY S H E A M A S O N A DA M S WA L LY S M I T H G R A H A M AV E R I L L CRAIG SNODGRASS DA N I E L D E W I T T DAV E S TA L L A R D KIM DINAN N ATA L I E S T I C K E L WA D E M I C K L E Y

North Carolina Appalachian Trail

License Plate Application The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) now has a specialty license tag in the state of North Carolina. By getting your tag today, you’ll help the ATC protect and maintain America’s Facts Favorite Long Distance Trail! The ATC will receive $20 annually for each AT plate purchased or renewed. How Much Does It Cost?  $30 Regular Appalachian Trail plate*  $60 Personalized Appalachian Trail plate* You are allowed four (4) spaces for a personalized message. __ __ __ __ 2nd Choice __ __ __ __ 3rd Choice __ __ __ __ 1st Choice Name (as shown on certificate of title): FIRST

MIDDLE

LAST

ADDRESS CITY

STATE

ZIP CODE

HOME PHONE

OFFICE PHONE

Current North Carolina Vehicle _______________________ ____________________________________ PLATE NUMBER

VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

______________________ ____________________________________ DRIVER’S LICENSE #

YEAR

MODEL

MAKE

 You must already have the vehicle registered in North Carolina.  You receive a FREE ATC Membership with the purchase of your NC AT Tag.  *The $30 or $60 annual fee is in addition to regular annual license fees you have already paid.  Personalized tags may be relinquished to someone else, but once a numerical tag expires without renewal, that number can never again be reissued.  If you change your mind, you can go back to a regular license plate at any time. There will not be a refund of unused portion of special fees.  Additional applications can be found online at

BODY STYLE

www.appalachiantrail.org

Owner’s Certification of Liability Insurance I certify for the motor vehicle described above that I have financial responsibility as required by law. FULL NAME OF INSURANCE COMPANY AUTHORIZED IN NC – NOT AGENCY OR GROUP POLICY NUMBER – IF POLICY NOT ISSUED, NAME OF AGENCY BINDING COVERAGE

______________________________________ _________________________________________ SIGNATURE OF OWNER

DATE OF CERTIFICATION

Mail your check or money order made out to NC DMV and application to: NC Division of Motor Vehicles, Specialty Plate Division 3155 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-3155

Thanks for your generous support of the Appalachian Trail! Questions about the NC AT License Tag can be directed to Leanna Joyner 828-254-3708.

www.appalachiantrail.org

C O P Y E D I TO R S JULIA GREEN ROBERT MCGEE A DV E R T I S I N G & B U S I N E S S S E N I O R AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E

M A R T H A E VA N S

martha@blueridgeoutdoors.com AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E / D I G I TA L P U B L I S H E R

DUSTY ALLISON

dusty@blueridgeoutdoors.com AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E K AT I E H A R T W E L L katie@blueridgeoutdoors.com B U S I N E S S M A N AG E R M E L I S S A G E S S L E R melissa@blueridgeoutdoors.com C I R C U L AT I O N M A N AG E R / AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E

HANNAH COOPER

hcooper@blueridgeoutdoors.com D I G I TA L M E D I A O N L I N E D I R E C TO R C R A I G S N O D G R A S S webdir@blueridgeoutdoors.com D I G I TA L M E D I A S P E C I A L I S T T R AV I S H A L L travishall@blueridgeoutdoors.com

SUMMIT

PUBLISHING

116 WEST JEFFERSON STREET C H A R LOT T E S V I L L E , V I R G I N I A 2 2 9 0 2 5 6 C O L L E G E S T R E E T, S U I T E 3 0 3 ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28801

Head Women’s Ski Camp

FEBRUARY 9 – 11

The best way to Mountain is together. Join pro coaches and new friends for a weekend long, all female, snow experience of a lifetime. All ability levels welcome! 877.441.4386 | snowshoemtn.com JA N UA R Y 2 0 1 8

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8

LONG BEFORE TIME MADE THE #METOO MOVEMENT its Person of the Year, our team here at BRO made the conscious decision to highlight more women in our stories and on our covers. In the fall of 2015, we profiled leading ladies who were both pioneers in adventure and up-and-coming talent. Last spring, our fly fishing cover story featured top female anglers and guides. Still, there’s room for improvement. I remember writing a story about regional trail runners. Our editor in chief encouraged me to include women in the story, but I didn’t. I had already interviewed other women for a different article in the same issue, I reasoned. I had my bases covered. But when the issue hit stands, and our readers rightfully complained about the absence of female runners, I felt so ashamed. I will never make that mistake again. To be clear, this issue is not about omitting men. Many of the women featured in the following pages, such as class V kayaker Laura Farrell in “Women Warriors,” yogi Rebecca Herod in “Don’t Rock the Boat,” and climber Kerry Scott in “Bouldering Badass,” have felt empowered and supported by men. Many women, myself included, learned to kayak and climb from men. Instead, this issue is about celebrating women—their journeys and dreams, their struggles and unbelievable grace—alongside their male colleagues. The numbers still might show that men dominate the outdoor industry, but we believe the tide is changing. To quote Oprah, "...a new day is on the horizon. And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women...and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again.” —Jess Daddio, BRO Travel Editor

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BACKTALK O R AT B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

H AV E S O M E T H I N G TO S AY ? S H O U T B AC K AT U S AT

THE DARK LORD RISES

Blankenship is very much despised in West Virginia after his denial of any responsibility in the #upperbigbranchcoalmine disaster. —Karen McComb, Belle, W.Va.

We live in an age of freak shows running for office. I've known about Blankenship from my days in coal business. Huge egos and selfimportance is in these days. —Allen Ray Watts, Loveland, Ohio

RIDING THE IDITAROD

John Logar has a full-time job as a doc. His family is extremely supportive and loving. And he just so happens to live in one of the best Alaskan training grounds in the lower 48. We’ll be cheering him on again this year as he heads for Nome on his Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti. Get after it, Logar! —Blackwater Bikes, Davis

This was a great interview of an inspirational Southeastern athlete

tackling one of the biggest challenges in sporting outdoors.

themselves. Several of these Cumberland Island family members are being greedy."

—Jon Harding, Charlotte, N.C.

—Carolyn Rader, Atlanta, Ga.

DIRTBAGS VS TENT CAMPERS

Those of us who live on Saint Simons Island, Jekyll, and Saint Mary's know the story well. You must have infrastructure to support a subdivision. It's expensive and will harm the ecosystem and coastal environment. Leave it as the natural treasure it is. Build your vacation homes somewhere else. —Susanne Hunkele

Guess Mr. Olson is a qualified expert to call van campers dirtbags since he spent a summer living one level below. That’s called tenting. —Cal Bridgers

CUMBERLAND IN CRISIS

Sam Candler Jr. and his family want to subdivide 88 acres inside of a national park. He is acting selfishly. Part of the subdivision zoning he wants is to get more value for a sale or trade. The Reynolds family who lived on and protected Sapelo, sold it to the state of Georgia to protect it. They didn't try to come back in and purchase more land for

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The Candlers and the Fergusons don't care about the island. They care about profiting from the Island. —K.C. Farmer

My husband and I have done a lot of traveling in our lifetime, and Cumberland Island is still a powerful highlight in my life. Having lived in Florida for over 50 years, I’ve been to the

beach a million times, but had experienced nothing like the pristine and serene Cumberland Island. It makes me sick to think that there might be new construction on the island. Thank you for bringing this matter to the public’s attention. —Gail Abney

IS OUTDOOR WRITING DEAD?

In modern America, with its constant data streams, social media, computers, email, smartphones, and collective attention spans of 10 seconds or less, it’s going to be the very rare writer who writes like Edward Abbey or John Muir. Those days simply do not exist anymore. There are seemingly no new unexplored adventures in nature to discover. The internet has exposed all things. That’s the downside to this information age. And I say all of this as I sit in front

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of computer at work. The only way to truly escape modern life is to walk out into the woods and never return. —Nathan

Muir himself did not write to be a writer; he wrote to share that which he loved. If stories come from the heart, and not for the pocketbook, I believe that they find a more willing audience. —Patrick Brown

"Outdoor writing seems to be more focused on craft beer, jam band festivals, and camping hammocks." Don’t forget the all-important male, female, supported, unsupported trail records. No one celebrates those more than BRO. I liked the comment that reader left a couple after the (illegal) celebration of a speed record on Katahdin: "what’s next? An article about roller skating through the Louvre?" —Morgan Bearden

G O O U TA N D P L AY

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PRESENTING SPONSOR

MORE MAGIC BY NIGHT

MORE ART BY DAY

RETURNS MARCH 2018

Experience the magic as the Garden transforms with colossal works of art.

LANTERNASIA.ORG

QUICK HITS BY JEDD FERRIS + EMILY SHEA

BREWERY MAKES “ALGAE BEER” TO SPOTLIGHT WATER POLLUTION

Water is the main ingredient in beer, so Ohio’s Maumee Bay Brewing Company recently decided to bring attention to the troubled waters of Lake Erie by a brewing “AleGae,” a green-colored beer given its hue to spotlight toxic algae blooms in the Great Lake. The beer, a sour double IPA, gets its color from green tea powder and unique flavor from the addition of kiwi. Industrial and agricultural pollution regularly causes algae blooms in Lake Erie, especially in the summer.

SNOOZING AT SCHOOL

With a growing number of studies revealing the significant health benefits of sleep, officials at Virginia Tech are making it easier for students to catch some shuteye. Last year, the school installed three sleep pods around campus in Blacksburg, with the goal of making students more productive by offering opportunities for an impromptu snooze. The pods consist of a recliner inside a domelike capsule outfitted with soft music and special lighting to help students relax. After 20 minutes of shuteye, students are woken up with flickering lights, gentle vibrations, and a steady increase in the music volume. The pods can then be cleaned with nearby disinfectant wipes for the next user. Cathy Kropff, Tech’s director of Hokie Wellness, said sleeping areas were requested by students, and although the pods cost more than $8,000 a piece, she believes the price is worth it for improved health on campus.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE PARK TO BE EXPANDED

North Carolina announced plans to expand Hammocks Beach State Park, a gem in the eastern part of the state anchored by the undeveloped threemile Bear Island. The park’s new 289 acres on the mainland will be used for more campgrounds, hiking trails, and put-ins. 10

IT'S TIME TO PLAY... NAME THAT WATERFALL

RAID FEDERAL LANDS, WALK FREE

Nevada native Cliven Bundy was released from federal custody after a judge ruled his case a mistrial with prejudice. Also acquitted of all charges were Bundy’s two sons, Ammon and Ryan, and militia member Ryan Payne. U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro proclaimed that federal prosecutors acted recklessly by withholding evidence and violating the defendants’ rights to a fair and speedy trial. Two years ago, the Bundy family raided and took over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and engaged in an armed standoff. The Bundy Standoff was a result of over 20 years of disputes between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management. In 1993, Bundy refused to renew his permit for cattle grazing on BLM public land as an act of protest over changes made to grazing rules. Over the years, the situation worsened, and in 2013, a federal judge ordered Bundy to refrain from trespassing on the public land as he had yet to pay any grazing fees. In April 2014, Bundy and other protestors led the armed standoff against the BLM when they tried to remove cattle from the land. The standoff ended with BLM director, Neil Kornze, releasing the cattle to Bundy in order to de-escalate the situation. As of 2015, Bundy continued to graze his cattle on federal land without paying any grazing fees. As a result of the case being declared a mistrial with prejudice, Bundy cannot be retried for any charges related to the 2014 standoff. Many consider Bundy’s disrespect for public land egregious and worry that his actions will inspire others to threaten public land managers.

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WEST VIRGINIA SANDWICH SHOP PUTS AXE THROWING ON THE MENU

This frozen flow is a classic cascade in a celebrated gorge, and these ice climbers are some of the first to ascend it in years. These falls were once used by Native Americans to execute prisoners; today, they are some of the most photographed waters in Western North Carolina.

A deli in Charleston, W.Va., recently opened the Mountain State’s first indoor axe-throwing range. Customers at the Lucky Dill Deli can now rent one of five axe courts at the sandwich shop’s new addition, Axes and Ales. As that name suggests, the business will also serve beer and wine at the new space. That might sound a little sketchy, but owner Chadrick Harper told WSAZ, "We're here to have fun, but we're also here to be safe." Precautions include required safety trainings before reserving an axe court, which costs $40 per hour.

HALLEY BURLESON / A P PA L A C H I A N E X P O S U R E S

PLAY ALONG WITH US! Each month, BRO will highlight a mystery location in Appalachia. The first to send us a correct answer will win some sweet swag and a shout-out in the magazine. B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M submit@blueridgeoutdoors.com

SUPER STARS

WA D E MICKLEY

In December, the world's leading astronomers officially recognized 86 previously unnamed stars. Most of the new names honor indigenous cultures around the world instead of the traditional Greek monikers. One of these recently named stars, Chalawan, named after a crocodile king from a Thai folktale, can be seen in Ursa Major near the Big Dipper.

OBED WILD & SCENIC RIVER GROWS

A donation is expanding the federally managed Obed Wild & Scenic River by 161 acres, including two miles of river frontage along some of its most epic rapids, including Widowmaker and Keep Right. Mary Ann Gibbons, whose family acquired the land more than a half-century ago, donated the land with the goal of protecting its “spectacular scenery and biodiversity." B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

G O O U TA N D P L AY

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

QUICK HITS

MUST READ The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a LifeChanging Journey Around the World by Kim Dinan If you've ever thought about giving it all up—the house, the car, the daily routine, the job—in exchange for a world of adventure, this travel memoir is for you. From Ecuador to Nepal, follow Kim and her husband as they travel around the world and share an unexpected gift that comes inside a yellow envelope.

OILY BEACHES In early January, the Trump administration announced it would open all of the U.S. coast (except Florida) to oil drilling.

10,000

Approximate number of bikes given to kids for free in Minneapolis in December via Free Bikes 4 Kidz, a nonprofit that collects and refurbishes donated bikes. Free Bikes 4 Kidz also has a smaller program in Atlanta and is expanding to more cities. Learn more at fb4k.org.

RISING STAR

COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND THE FIRST BLACK-OWNED, WOMAN-OWNED BREWERY BY KY DELANEY

BLACK STAR LINE BREWERY, THE FIRST AFRICANAmerican-owned and woman-owned brewery in the South, celebrated its grand opening in Hendersonville, N.C., last fall. A week after the opening, the brewery received emails using the alias “Ni**er killer” that threatened the personal safety of employees. A day later, someone tampered with the electrical side of the brewery’s operations, jeopardizing beer production. L.A. McCrae, the owner and founder, has not let the hate crimes stop her. And the regional craft beer community has rallied to support her. Sierra Nevada and Sanctuary Brewing stepped in to help repair her equipment, and dozens of craft brewers across the South have stood in solidarity with her. McRae is setting out to transform a community, one beer at a time. And despite the recent attacks, Black Star Line has cultivated a vibrant community space where everyone belongs. “It’s an unusual day that I’m here by myself,” explains McRae as she flips the stools on the bar to get ready for the day. “A group of us live together and spend all the time as a community: we cook, eat, and work together.” McRae has introduced African techniques to beer making, which favor sweet flavors over hops and bitters. Hops are a relatively recent addition to the brewing tradition. Earlier fermenters relied on combinations of herbs and spices, resulting in pints that are sweeter than typical craft beer.

“As a person with direct African lineage, my ancestors brewed outdoors,” she explains. “The women in the Mesopotamia River Valley community trekked to the river to collect, bringing water back to villages where they combined herbs and spices and stewed it in a kettle, making the first meads, wine, and beer.” McRae named the brewery Black Star Line after the steamship corporation established in 1919 by Marcus Garvey to further black economic independence. Some of the brews are named for activists like Stokely Carmichael and Audre Lorde, with the hope that they will generate interesting conversations and a deeper understanding of civil rights history. McRae grew up outside of Baltimore, Md., with a strong involvement in churches. “Church folks are amazing. They create a resilient community that non-churchgoers don’t have. My passion is community, and at my core, I’m a pastor.” While living in Knoxville, McRae frequented breweries and taprooms, and she quickly realized that none of the establishments were owned by women or black people. That’s when she began incubating the idea of making great beer with a mission inspired by social justice. During that time, her aunt and grandma told her stories of brewing dandelion beer out in the country. Her family used their limited resources to cultivate community around brewing. Soon after, she moved to Lake Lure,

N.C. where she lived on sixteen acres. Not knowing anything about grains or hops, she went outside and prayed, asking her ancestors for recipes. In the wilderness, ingredients and ways of combining them came to her and she wrote them down. McRae brewed a few batches of beer, the first batch taking nineteen hours. “We had no clue what we were doing, but we were being in community and grounded by nature,” she says. Now, whenever the Black Star Line staff go into a brewing cycle, they play Gospel music, and many of their conversations focus on spirit and energy. Black Star Line will be developing and refining their line of botanical beers in the coming year, which will lean heavily on African tradition of using herbs and traditional grains like millet and maize for medicinal purposes. In addition, Black Star also plans on making other non-alcoholic beverages in the African style, including ginger beer and kombucha. In light of the hate crimes, McRae has become even more committed to the vision that all people are welcome. And she is especially appreciative of all the outdoor enthusiasts who have come to the brewery to drink beer and offer words of support. Says Black Star Line’s operations manager Javier Naranjo, “Black Star provides a place for collective healing, where people can transcend painful narratives and move past trauma by connecting over a pint.”

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

FLASHPOINT LISTEN UP We asked some of the top women in whitewater kayaking for their take on gender inequality within the sport. Join the conversation online at BlueRidgeOutdoors.com or on Twitter @GoOutAndPlay

Make sure you are supporting companies that empower women and don’t degrade them. Connect yourself with a company or brand that doesn’t use women in bikinis in their ads to create marketing schemes. Whitewater kayaks sell just fine without having to make an advert or post a photo of a scantily clad woman. Women who whitewater kayak don’t get into it because it is sexy. We get into it because we love the outdoors and want to see nature in a completely different way. —Adriene Levknecht, Greenville, S.C.

GENTS: IT’S TIME TO LISTEN BY ANDREW HOLCOMBE Editor's Note: A paddler's recent Facebook post of a bikini-clad woman next to a waterfall led to a vigorous discussion on social media among the whitewater paddling community. This essay responds in part to that discussion.

ONE SUBJECT THAT IS VERY PRESENT FOR ME RIGHT now is sexism and objectification of women in outdoor sports. Yep, it’s real, and I care about this because I’m a husband, son, brother, uncle, educator, outdoor enthusiast, and a male. It’s time for men to stop ignoring these issues and engage with women in a healthy way. That includes in-person interactions, posting or commenting on social media, or talking among friends when the ladies aren’t around. If you don’t believe the urgency of this conversation, then I challenge you to go and spend some time in a school and talk with young people. Young women are being bombarded with media images and cultural messages that dictate how they should act and define what is considered beautiful, and boys are being taught that this messaging is okay. Gentlemen, it’s time to engage and build a culture within which “beautiful” is a term that can mean something different to each individual, and can be freely expressed. Many of you men out there are exceptional leaders and capable of extraordinary feats in 12

your chosen discipline. This is a time to pause and notice what you are communicating to people, especially those who are younger, about what is cool and what is beautiful. I challenge you to work to post and talk about the things that really draw you to your sport. Tell your story of why you do what you do—and challenge those around you to do the same. The world needs real right now instead of sexed up imagery and “likes.” Furthermore, we need to drop the idea that taking a stand means we are “soft.” There is no “soft.” There is only standing up for what you believe in and value. Let’s talk about ideas on how to move this forward. First, assume less and ask more. It’s not valid to assume that a woman wants her picture displayed either in social media or elsewhere in a sexualized way. Furthermore, it’s vital that women have a say in what is sexualized and what is not. The current system is not set up to allow a female to choose to be a model free and clear, so let's stop using the excuse that if she poses for oversexualized photos that means that she is stoked about it. The truth is that we don’t know her and don’t know the circumstances surrounding the imagery. Even more importantly, we need to stop assuming that because a woman is posing in a sexual way that

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she is inviting us to disrespect her or her body. Talk to the women in your life about how it makes them feel when they see oversexualized images of women. If you know a woman who poses for such images, ask her why she does it and how she feels when she receives comments that disrespect her. If you do find someone attractive, talk about them like they’re a person and not about what you’d do to them. If I or anyone posts something or says I find a certain body type attractive and you don’t happen to agree, back off. It’s my idea of attractive, not yours. We’ve all been told for way too long by the media and cultural norms about what and who we should be attracted to. Let’s start to talk about attributes we truly find attractive and support some independent thought in this area. This discussion will be uncomfortable, and it's gonna get real. Gentlemen, we’re going to be challenged to change the way we think, speak and act. That’s okay. It needs to happen if we want to encourage and empower more women in the outdoors. Right now it's time for us to do some listening. Men have had control of the narrative forever. It's time to pause and really listen to the wonderful women of the outdoors. —Andrew Holcombe is a whitewater paddler and teacher in Asheville, N.C. B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

Sometimes I think when men are trying to be helpful and are always "taking a girl down" the river or always telling her to "just follow me," they may not realize that this can detrimental to her progress and confidence as a woman in kayaking. I personally remember a time when I felt like I wasn't good enough to do certain things without a man along with me. While this made me safer and more confident in the moment, ultimately it was holding me back from realizing my true potential. It took me a while to recognize that I was capable of running the river because of my own skills, not someone else's. —Laura Farrell, Bryson City, N.C.

I've received a handful of derogatory comments over the years, but I've received far more and far worse derogatory comments outside the paddling community than within. The paddling community as a whole maintains decorum and respect amongst the sexes. When the expectation falls short, the issue is reflective of societal norms and specific to an individual, and isn't reflective of the paddling community as a whole. I also let the individual know a line was crossed. —Katie Dean, Swannanoa, N.C.

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.com TEL. 866-620-5752

WINTER ESCAPE SKI. R ID E . TUB E . STARTING AT

FLASHPOINT I have always felt 100% welcome and equal within the sport from a young girl just learning the basics to right now at the top of the sport. There are obviously a few exceptions, but true kayakers don't mind who you are or where you are from. They welcome, support, and look after everyone, and they treat everyone with respect. If you are good enough to be out there or sometimes just keen enough to learn, then you’re in.

in a way I don’t see happen with male rescuers of same or even lesser ability. However, we need to be very careful not to create an issue in places that there isn’t. So much of our experiences as human beings are about our perception. The presumptions and stereotypes we hold lead us to frame situations in a particular way because that is how we expect it to be. —Lowri Davies, North Whales, UK

—Claire O’Hara, Sydney, Australia

Largely, paddling is a very positive environment, but the way in which women are treated within the community does vary a lot—even just within the UK. I work with a lot of paddlers of both genders as a coach. There’s definitely still a lot of ladies who feel belittled or simply unable to be a useful part of the team on the river because any leadership or rescue is taken over by male paddlers who presume they just need their help. I’ve watched complete strangers barge in and take over perfectly able, confident female paddlers’ rescues

During my time traveling and competing in freestyle and extreme racing full time between 1999 and 2004, I felt very encouraged by men in the freestyle scene and less so in the class V paddling scene (although I did have a few awesome allies). I was told that I should never slow the guys down and that if I decided to not run a rapid then I needed to be at the bottom of the rapid ready to go by the time they were at the bottom having run the rapid. I understand that class V is serious stuff and that it's important to be efficient and keep moving. Having said that, it occurred

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for me as added pressure that was never specifically said to the guys —only to me. After moving to the Northeast, I was befriended by two brothers with a very solid female influence in their mother. They taught me a lot and largely shielded me from unwanted attention or judgment. Thankfully the same trend continued when I moved to the Southeast and solidly anchored myself with my now husband, Toby and his friends (both male and female). The trend here is that I was able to find a good crew, which spared me from exposing myself to situations where I might come across judgment. That said, just this year, a stranger in California told me to put in on the class III section when I asked him where the trailhead was from the parking lot of the class V section. This stuff happens all the time—but it has taken me a while to really realize it.

When I first started filming back in the days, I got some recognition I probably did not deserve at the time. It made Norway’s most respected kayaker back then pissed off, and he was soon quoted in one of the biggest international kayaking magazines, naming me with full name, as the one kayaker he could think of with the most amount of luck and the least amount of skills. Would he have done that if I was a guy? No, because he very clearly stated at various occasions that I only got attention because I was a female with a pretty face. I once sat in the put-in eddy of Bear Creek in Alabama with a friend. A friend of his, who I had never met, paddled over, looked me up and down, and commented to my friend, ‘Who is going to babysit this girl down the river?’ Then he simply turned around and paddled off without even saying hi to me. I remember I blushed and wanted to get out, but my friend just smiled and told me we would go in the back of the group - plus he knew he did not have to babysit me. At the take-out I got an apology from the guy and we ended up becoming good friends that season. He simply thought because I was a woman I could not handle class 5, he told me.

—Erin Savage, Mills River, N.C.

—Mariann Sæther, Voss, Norway

—Anna Levesque, Asheville, N.C.

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B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

THE HONEST TRUTH HARD LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE TRAIL

B Y J E N N I F E R P H A R R D AV I S

WHEN YOU REACH THE FINISH LINE, SIGN ONTO social media, or visit the local hangout in an outdoor town, adventure jargon tends to be the same. You hear repetitive phrases about epic pursuits: “ah man, you should have been there,” “we slayed that course,” “it was insane...” “off the hook...” or as the uber cool kids say—“it was dank.” But there’s one thing missing from modern outdoor adventure: honest reflection. As outdoor athletes and recreationalists we love to push boundaries, but when we discover those limits and need to take a step back it can be difficult to process, let alone discuss. This past fall I hiked across the state of North Carolina on the 1,175 mile Mountains-Sea-Trail. But I wouldn’t do it again—at least not in the same manner. To be clear, I loved the actual trail and the hiking experience. My hesitation going into it was that I would not enjoy or appreciate a route that was actively being built and is connected by 500 miles of road. I was wrong. It was incredible to be one of the first 100 hikers to complete the full length of the MST. Like holding a newborn baby during the first few months of life, there’s something intimate and exceptionally sweet about being one of the first thru-hikers to finish a particular long trail. Speaking of children, this was a family affair and I was also anxious about how my kids would fare. That’s one reason why my husband Brew and I decided we would only hike as a family when and where it was appropriate. Our plan was to spend the early mornings and evenings together, but during the day I would walk alone. When we began our three-month migration across North Carolina, my

daughter Charley was four years old and my son Gus was just shy of a year. I wanted nothing more than for my children to enjoy the experience of being a family of nomads: spending time every day in nature, building memories together, and learning important life lessons from the people and the land of their home state. And in that sense, our journey exceeded my expectations. Charley learned about Cherokee culture near Great Smoky Mountains National Park; she rode shotgun in a tractor turning up sweet potatoes in Sampson County; and she voluntarily picked up trash on North Carolina beaches in an effort to protect the sea turtles. She gained an education that won’t be offered in kindergarten. Gus, on the other hand, was held or chased down by a myriad of friends and strangers. He was loved by people—and he gave love to people— from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and beliefs. He’s more joyful and trusting than he would be if he hadn’t spent a fourth of his life in the arms and homes of people he’d never met. When we were packing up our camping gear, toys, and bags of clothes for the start of the adventure, I wasn’t worried about my husband or my marriage. But the second day of our hike we rushed Brew to the Emergency Room in Cherokee with pain in his chest. He had a condition called pericarditis. It can be really serious but it’s also easily treated with

medication and, thankfully, has no lasting side effects. So, hours after the diagnosis I was back on the trail. Brew wanted me to hike. In fact, he insisted that I continue. But I regret walking away from my husband. I should have stayed put that day, perhaps for several days or even weeks, to make sure he healed up well. But at the time, Brew and I both felt like I needed to keep hiking. The culture of adventure is to push through pain, not stop for it. There is also a pressure that comes with adventure. It’s both internal and social, and it tells us that quitting in the middle of the woods—where no one is present and no one is watching—will look horrible. As difficult as the beginning of the hike was for Brew in a physical sense, the greater challenge came from the emotional strain of handling logistics, caring for our young brood, and watching me leave each morning to live out my dream—and his. He would love to hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail someday. I took it for granted that the man who helped me set a Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail, the hands-on father who loved spending time with his kids, would have no trouble supporting me and our

offspring on this adventure. But it was too much. Over the course of three months, I saw my husband bottle up stress and unleash it. We spent evenings crying together and other nights far apart. I’ve seen adventures, mountains, trails, and rivers tragically claim lives, but I have also observed them end marriages and separate families. I love adventure, but my outdoor identity and status does not mean as much to me as Brew, Charley, and Gus do. We will not undertake another journey similar to the Mountainsto-Sea Trail. It’s not healthy for our family. We found our limits and it’s time to take a step back. There are amazing individuals scaling mountains and completing long trails with young—sometimes very young— children. But all families are different, all individuals are different, and it’s important to remember that we can draw inspiration from other people without comparing ourselves to them. Everyone has their own sweet spot for adventure and it shifts over time. My plan is to take on some more ‘rad,’ ‘ripe,’ ‘lit’ long trails in a decade or two—with my husband.

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BY PHIL MORGAN

T H E PA P O O S E R S

IZ THE QU SCORE IN G LY L A T BY ' NSWERS YO U R A IT IE S IN L A PERSON HESES. PA R E N T

1. IT’S SATURDAY AND YOU’RE HEADED OUT TO...

A. Hike (THE NATURAL) B. Mountain bike (THE DUDE) C. Trail run (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) D. Kayak (THE RIVER SPIRIT) E. Do it all. Everyday is Saturday! (THE DIRTBAG)

2. YOUR FAVORITE APPALACHIAN TOWN IS...

A. Asheville, N.C. (THE URBANITE) B. Charlottesville, Va. (THE GREEK GONE WILD)

C. Saluda, N.C. (THE RIVER SPIRIT) D. Dollywood, Tenn. (THE PAPOOSER) E. Fayetteville, W.Va. (THE DIRTBAG) 3. YOUR DREAM TRIP INCLUDES...

A. Yoga in Bali (THE YOGI) B. Leaf peeping in Vermont (THE NATURAL) C. Climbing in Yosemite (THE DIRTBAG) D. Odd behavior at Burning Man (THE FESTY)

E. Hiking in Israel (THE DRIFTER) 4. THE CLOCK STRIKES BEER:30. YOU REACH FOR A...

A. Dale’s Pale Ale (THE DUDE) B. Funnel and hose (THE GREEK GONE WILD) C. Kombucha (THE YOGI) D. White Lightning (THE DRIFTER) E. Michelob Ultra (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) 5. YOU’LL DRIVE THREE HOURS TO SEE...

A. Tool (THE SURVIVALIST) B. Bon Iver (THE URBANITE) 18

THE YOGI

THE DIRTBAG

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y CRAIG SNODGRASS @SNODGRASSART

THE URBANITE

C. Kanye West (THE GREEK GONE WILD) D. Steep Canyon Rangers with Steve Martin (THE NATURAL) E. random jug band (THE DRIFTER)

D. Dodge children flinging flaming marshmallows (THE PAPOOSER) E. Chug beer. Sing Soundgarden.

6. ________________ SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD READ.

10. “ I’M STILL INSPIRED BY__________________!”

(THE DUDE)

13. MY ESSENTIAL GEAR INCLUDES ____________.

A. Nalgene and my smartphone (THE GREEK GONE WILD)

B. A walking stick, binoculars (THE NATURAL)

A. Walden (THE NATURAL) B. Into Thin Air (THE SURVIVALIST) C. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

C. Chacos, PFD. playboat, paddle (THE RIVER SPIRIT)

D. Last Child in the Woods (THE PAPOOSER) E. The River of Doubt (THE RIVER SPIRIT)

A. Lance Armstrong (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) B. Laird Hamilton (THE DUDE) C. Sting (THE YOGI) D. Michelle Obama (THE URBANITE) E. Bear Grylls (THE SURVIVALIST)

D. Mountain bike, creek boat, climbing rope (THE DIRTBAG) E. Fold up chairs, suspicious gummy bears (THE FESTY)

7. _________________ IS YOUR GO-TO OUTFITTER.

11. GUILTY PLEASURES INCLUDE...

A. A sorority/fraternity

(THE FESTY)

A. REI (THE URBANITE) B. Main Street. Shop local! (THE NATURAL) C. Army Surplus (THE SURVIVALIST) D. The next closest resupply town (THE DRIFTER)

E. Lululemon (THE YOGI) 8. WE’RE GOING CAMPING. LOAD UP THE...

A. Subaru (THE URBANITE) B. Truck (THE SURVIVALIST) C. VW van (THE FESTY) D. Minivan (THE PAPOOSER) E. Whoever picks me up (THE DRIFTER) 9. AROUND THE CAMPFIRE YOU...

A. Take selfies and check Facebook (THE GREEK GONE WILD)

B. Stretch, carbo load, call it an early night (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) C. Lotus (THE YOGI)

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A. Hula hooping and...what’s guilt again? (THE FESTY) B. Long periods of flexing in the mirror (THE SURVIVALIST)

C. Eating canned Spaghetti O’s cold (THE DIRTBAG)

D. Squeezing out chamois and measuring the run-off (THE ENDURANCE GEEK)

E. Bacon (THE YOGI) 12. ______________ IS THE GREATEST ADVENTURE FILM EVER MADE.

A. 180 Degrees South (THE DIRTBAG) B. Riding Giants (THE DUDE) C. Homeward Bound (THE PAPOOSER) D. Deliverance (THE SURVIVALIST ) E. Congo: The Grand Inga Project (THE RIVER SPIRIT)

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14. SURVIVAL SITUATIONS REQUIRE ___________. (THE GREEK GONE WILD)

B. Extra diapers (THE PAPOOSER) C. A plan! (THE SURVIVALIST) D. Tibetan prayer flags and a yoga mat (THE YOGI)

E. Gurgle gurgle “a PFD!”, gurgle gurgle (THE RIVER SPIRIT) 15. THE BEST APPALACHIAN FESTIVAL IS_______.

A. Floydfest (THE FESTY) B. Bonnaroo (THE GREEK GONE WILD) C. Fish and Pick Bluegrass Festival (THE NATURAL)

D. Pisgah Mountain Bike Festival (THE DUDE)

E. Trail Days Damascus (THE DRIFTER) 16. MY DAILY LEXICON INCLUDES_____________. A. Boof stroke (THE RIVER SPIRIT) B. Brunch (THE URBANITE) G O O U TA N D P L AY

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THE DRIFTER

T H E N AT U R A L

C. Bonk (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) D. Banana Blaze (THE DRIFTER) E. Belay on! (THE DIRTBAG) 17. A GOOD DAY ENDS WITH___________________.

A. Drool, IV drips, hallucinations, and a trophy (THE ENDURANCE GEEK) B. High-fives, beers, and sitting on tailgates (THE DUDE) C. A fort made of sheets in your living room (THE PAPOOSER) D. Solitude and stars (THE NATURAL) E. Vague recollection of pixies and a bongo drum (THE FESTY)

The Papoosers

For you, waking up the troops every morning is an extreme sport. You’re the fit and reliable moms and dads who jog with a stroller, pack organic snacks, and herd an army of pets and babies into the van before most people have their first sip of coffee. Daily life is like an A.T. hike, as you ruck your papoose through the store and the park. Despite so little sleep, you beast on the stationary bike, swapping turns with your significant other like a Jamaican relay team. You can handle a mini-van on rugged forest service roads like a boss and have tolerance for the kind of doo-doo that would make Bear Grylls nauseous.

The Dirtbag

People criticize the fact that your bike and kayak easily cost twice as much as that cobbled-up Datsun, but pay no mind, you’ve got your priorities firmly in check. Last year you notched 366 days of good rock, chunderous trail, and class V runs. College can wait; for now the “pre-application stage” for college and jobs is enough to keep parents at bay. For you, there’s nothing wrong with eating canned-food cold and sleeping in a truck bed, if it means an epic descent or some top-notch bouldering awaits.

The Urbanite

You drive a hybrid. You buy the best gear. You’re getting a big dividend from REI this year and all the boys down at corporate know it. You’ve bought a hip townhouse in the hippest city. All you have to do is give Alexa a quick shout down and she’s pushing play on the Michael Bublé while you pour choice Cabernet from a recent trip to Chile. Southern hemisphere glamping is first-rate. You’re a touch excited for that fly-fishing trip you booked in New Zealand. The haters may scoff at you, but they’re probably just jealous.

THE RIVER SPIRIT

The Yogi

You sprinkle flax seeds on your tofu falafel. You rock manbuns and Hindu tattoos with a confidence that makes the Dalai Lama seem like a squirmy teen. You’ve downward dogged at 6,000 feet and sun saluted in sweaty rooms all over the world. You think globally to the sound of Ibiza Chill Music. You're fit, lean, and flexible, although a little fragile. A good hike and some rock stacking is a hearty day in the wild.

The Drifter

You’re a quasi-spiritual shooting meteor. Here and then gone in a flash. Your trail bud Pine nicknamed you Banjo and you’ve gone by that moniker ever since. You’ll go anywhere and do anything, as long as you’ve got space to spread out and can bring your dog Star. You’re always planning your next thru-hike: The AT? PCT? Why not? You’ve got an abundance of time, energy, and a lot of underrated skills. Sewing, chili, philosophizing, and a mini guitar are mighty useful when you spend the entire year sleeping in a tent.

THE DUDE

The Natural

You conjure images of a young Robert Redford or Jane Goodall: thoughtful and responsible. You wake early and take long hikes in which you identify flora and fauna. You read literature, paddle a canoe, and wear L.L. Bean. You’re timeless and anything but square because underneath your serene facade is a burning wildness and a Peter, Paul, and Mary sing-along.

The River Spirit

Whether rafting, creeking, playboating, or tubing, you’re always going with the the flow. Every summer you lay claim to same little plot at that same river outpost. Guiding, boating, cash tips, and old friends—the quintessence of life. Your whip smells like river funk. You dig class IV runs, reggae, and Rafa Ortiz.

The Dude/Dudette

Back in the 90s, you hung with guys named Buzzy and Moon Dog, charged hard in neon, and chugged brewskis while Eddie Vedder bellowed “Even Flow." These days you’re doing upside down push-ups in the family rec room and making business calls on the stationary bike. You’re the cool dad who says things like “dawn patrol” and

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

TAKE THE QUIZ AT BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM AND SHARE YOUR RESULTS WITH FRIENDS!

THE ENDURANCE GEEK

T H E S U R V I VA L I S T

THE FESTY

THE GREEK GONE WILD

“shred." Sure, times have changed, but you’re still a complete fun hog.

The Survivalist

You’re the guy or gal that saves our bottoms. EMT, Volunteer Fireman, Swiftwater Rescue—your skills are many. Through countless hours in the gym you’ve developed bulging biceps capable of pulling whole families to safety. You’re a stoic motivated by what you perceive to be a harsh, indifferent cosmos. With your F350, you’ve made in-roads with the hookand-bullet outdoor community. There is nothing you cannot do!

The Endurance Geek

You’ve been counting calories since you joined the middle school cross country team. There’s a stockpile of gross gels and gooey bars in your 20

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pantry, you can’t find sufficiently masochistic running or riding partners, and your significant other sometimes feels widowed. But it’s all worth it because, come race day, you’re kicking everybody else’s ass. Post-race when you’re writhing on the ground, screaming off a bad cramp, in skin-tight lycra and a visor, it’s that gold medal that everyone notices.

The Greek Gone Wild

Your Instagram is exploding with strange hand symbols and gorgeous mountain sunsets. You’ve made Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard a billionaire, because his fleeces really do look like nice with leggings, tan boots, and tan ball caps. You’re always ready for an adventure, although you throw the word adventure around very loosely. B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

On hiking trips your survival skill is numbers. A brigade of bleach-blonde sisters and overstimulated, shirtless bros, would gladly throw themselves in front of a rabid bear before they’d let a fellow Greek perish. Kanye West at Bonnaroo was exciting for you. That’s okay. The mountains were calling—you had to go.

The FESTY

You’re a connoisseur of tie-dye. A man for all seasons surrounded by hand-holding bears. You won the frisbee-golf league championship, have encyclopedic knowledge of craft beer, and can grow exotic gardens in the humblest apartments. You’re well-traveled and connected, making annual pilgrimages to bacchanalian festivals, where celebrants beckon you adamantly to their campfires. G O O U TA N D P L AY

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

THE MARRIAGE BOAT ON RECONCILING LOVE AND ADVENTURE

If you’ve ever paddled in a tandem canoe with your significant other, you know why it’s called the “divorce boat.” Adventures of any kind in the outdoors can either make or break a relationship, so we sat down with three active couples to learn how they navigate the turbulent waters of married life.

There’s no better analogy for marriage than sailing the open sea. To quote the 1973 classic hit “Rock the Boat” by Hues Corporation, “Our love is like a ship on the ocean. We've been sailing with a cargo full of love and devotion.” But sometimes, the sea, like life, can be a capricious thing, and no matter the amount of love and devotion in the hold of that ship, a little adversity can be all it takes to rock the boat. Early on in their relationship, Harrisonburg, Va., locals Anna and David Landis, were exposed to many a stormy sea. Just a few months after the two started dating, they packed their bags and moved to the Middle East, where they spent nearly a decade living as expats in Israel and Palestine. “When you’re living abroad for that long, your friends cycle in and out, and it can be really refreshing and helpful

BY JESS DADDIO

ABOVE: JOHN + REBECCA HEROD

to have a partner there with you, but that also makes it harder when you have a conflict,” says Anna Landis, “because then, you’re each other’s only steady companion.” Still, living thousands of miles and seven time zones away from family didn’t keep the Landis' from pushing their limits, both individually and as a couple. In 2009, they each hiked the Camino de Santiago separately, and later returned to hike it together in 2011 and the Camino del Norte route in 2012. They’ve since hiked the Annapurna Circuit, toured cross-country by bike, road tripped throughout Europe and Alaska, and self-published two guidebooks on the Jesus Trail and the Camino de Santiago under their publishing company Village to Village Press. Landis has done more than 20,000 miles of bike touring and

has developed a number of longdistance hiking trails in the Middle East, including the Jesus Trail and the Jordan Trail. While they each have fond memories of these adventures together, there was no doubt there were trying times. On that crosscountry bike tour, for example, which the couple took just a week after being married and with David’s two sisters and their husbands in tow, Landis remembers feeling self-conscious about her pace. “We were loaded down and averaging 80 miles a day for seven weeks and I was just exhausted,” she says. “This was my first huge tour, and a lot of the times, I would be straggling in after everyone else. I was always the slowest one. It’s already kinda stressful to do those big long days, but to feel

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LYDIA + CHRIS WING

BRIAN MILLER / FIXED LINE MEDIA

like you’re letting people down, that was tough sometimes.” Lydia Wing of Saluda, N.C., remembers that feeling of insecurity, which is why she didn’t paddle with her then-boyfriend Chris, an experienced kayaking instructor and Wave Sport sponsored freestyle competitor, when she was first learning to kayak. She paddled with her parents instead. “The beginner progression can be challenging and frustrating and sometimes you feel embarrassed holding the group back,” she says. “I tended to funnel those frustrations into anger, so I started paddling with my parents a lot because my mom couldn’t break up with me if I got mad at her while we were kayaking.” Once Lydia felt confident on the water, she and Chris started paddling harder whitewater together, but even then, the two encountered a different set of challenges, namely, how to continue giving Lydia the room to develop herself as a competent paddler. “Whether it’s in the eddy above the rapid or picking up the pieces at the bottom, being able to sort through what you’re feeling and have your counterpart listen and not just tell you what you want to hear but empower you and validate how you’re feeling, that’s really important,” says Lydia. “We weren’t good at that for a long time and there were times on the river that were 22

stressful and heated.” “There is no hiding your emotions while kayaking,” says Chris. “All of your insecurities and fears surface, no matter what, and it comes out in different ways. Sometimes I’m too empathetic because I coach and teach so much. I have to be able to turn off that coach and be a husband as well, and that’s my biggest challenge.” In 2012, Chris and Lydia started H2o Dreams, a kayak instruction school offering everything from beginner roll clinics to international paddling trips. All of a sudden, the couple wasn’t just living and playing together—they were now working together, too. Not long after the two embarked on this entrepreneurial enterprise, Lydia started having doubts. “A lot of people will laugh when I say this but I really experienced a quarterlife crisis,” Lydia says. “I freaked out because I went to college and then I met this guy and this job working with him totally fell into my lap. I started to wonder what I would do if it weren’t for Chris, like who would I be and what would I be doing?”

The All-or-Nothing Marriage

What Lydia experienced is something an increasing number of modern day couples are having to confront, and

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that is the question of whether or not your significant other should help you achieve self-actualization. Last year, Northwestern University social psychologist Eli Finkle published a book called The All-or-Nothing Marriage. In it, Finkle compares the history of marriage to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Up until 1850, a successful marriage was defined by the meeting of basic needs such as “food production, shelter and protection from violence,” writes Finkle in a 2014 New York Times op-ed. From 1850 until 1965, “marriage increasingly centered around intimate needs such as to love, to be loved and to experience a fulfilling sex life.” But from 1965 until today, Americans, who more or less had those fundamental needs met, looked to marriage for self-discovery, the pinnacle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. That, according to Finkle, is leading to either record-high levels of marital quality, or marriages that fall drastically short of a partner’s expectations. Lydia, recognizing that Chris couldn’t possibly answer those questions for her, made a leap. She started working for a non-profit, and although she didn’t work there long, it returned that sense of sovereignty over her life that had been missing. Rebecca Herod of Morgantown, W.Va., had a harder time making that dive. She and her husband John had, by all appearances, a successful life. She was the Director of Marketing and Communications at West Virginia University. John had his own lucrative contracting business. The two owned a house and doted on their two dogs. Despite the unquestionable love they had for each other, John had another love, too—mountain biking. The sport was part of John’s very essence, an activity he’d been doing since he was just a child. He’d been a competitive downhill racer for years, traveling almost every weekend during the season, but even now as co-founder of the West Virginia Enduro Series, he was out of town a lot. “Early on in the relationship he was out having a good time [mountain biking] and I was working all of the time and not having fun,” says Rebecca. “That wasn’t his problem though. That was my problem. His happiness didn’t need to get smaller. Mine needed to get bigger.” When the stress of her work started to negatively impact her physical and mental well-being, B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

Rebecca turned to yoga. At first, yoga was purely a personal pursuit, but she felt such fulfillment from her practice that she decided to quit her job and begin teaching yoga. “I left a very lucrative position at the university to be a yoga teacher which, contrary to popular belief, is not a money-making venture,” she says. “I was worried when I did that because we had a certain lifestyle and that was going to change. I was afraid that would put strain on our marriage and our finances.” As a self-employed entrepreneur and downhill mountain biker, John was no stranger to risk. He understood Rebecca’s fear of the unknown and her simultaneous need to confront that uncertainty head-on. Much like mountain biking served as an outlet for stress relief and purpose in his life, he recognized that yoga played a similar role in Rebecca’s. “Although we don’t do those two things together, it works for us,” he says. “Everyone needs mind-cleansing activities. You can’t always rely on your partner to make your world perfect.”

Shifting the Paradigm

Whether you’re in a relationship like John and Rebecca, who maintain separate passions, or like Chris and Lydia, who live, work, and play together, time spent outdoors shouldn’t cause stress on the relationship. If it does, the first thing you should do is set a regular date night. According to a 2012 study released by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project, date nights can improve the overall quality and stability of relationships and marriages. Spouses who spent deliberate “time alone, talking, or sharing an activity” at least once a week “were approximately 3.5 times more likely to report being ‘very happy’ in their marriages, compared to those who enjoyed less quality time with their spouse.” Life for Anna and David has changed dramatically in recent years. For starters, the couple now has two kids under the age of three, which make scheduling date nights seemingly impossible. And while David decided all of those years ago during his first thruhike of the Camino de Santiago that he preferred to adventure with his wife by his side, he’s had to adapt the activities that give him such fulfillment to be more inclusive for his family. This past summer, the four-person tribe headed West so that David could bike the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in the G O O U TA N D P L AY

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company of Anna and their two kids, who met up with him along the way. “I like going hard and going fast, there’s no doubt,” he says, “but I think the greater value is being outside and being together.” John and Rebecca make a point of designating Thursday nights as date night. The evening’s activities must be “neutral ground,” which means no yoga and no mountain biking. The two typically go out to dinner, see a concert, or simply stay at home and binge watch Stranger Things and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Chris and Lydia admit that date nights are few and far between. “We’re married and we kayak together and we started our own business together. There are a lot of blurred lines,” says Lydia. But when they first started dating, and before Lydia began kayaking, the couple went on really cool dates and shared new experiences, which they say they’d like to return to. “It’s systemic in our culture that that sacred time is one of the first things that falls to the wayside,” says Chris. “We’re so motivated and so driven and so career-oriented that we forget about the things that bring real joy in our lives.” Additionally, social psychologist

Eli Finkle argues that it’s perfectly acceptable for couples to look to each other for support in achieving selfactualization, if those expectations are clearly communicated and the couples are willing to put in the hard work (read “more date nights”) to make that happen. But, says Finkle, “if couples lack the time and energy, they might consider adjusting their expectations, perhaps by focusing on cultivating an affectionate bond without trying to facilitate each other’s self-actualization.” “I recognized pretty early on that John couldn’t be my everything, which is probably why I’ve survived being a weekend bike widow for so long,” says Rebecca. “Before, because I was so profoundly unhappy in my career choices, I was resentful of this great joy that John had. But if you stop thinking about the things that take your partner away from you and start thinking about the space that that gives you to find your passions, you’ll come much closer together. You don’t have to share the same love affair with biking, but you do have to recognize how that love affair enhances the soul. You want to be with somebody who’s got a soulful love. It just makes us whole people.”

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BY JESS DADDIO S T U D I O P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C AT H Y A N D E R S O N L A U R A F.

LAURA FARRELL

Program Manager, National Geographic Founder, Green River Takeover B R Y S O N C I T Y, N . C .

Were you to meet 34-year-old Laura Farrell at the local brewpub or on the trails near her home in Bryson City, N.C., you might never suspect that she is an absolute crusher on the water. Down-to-earth and overstatedly modest about her nearly two decades’ worth of paddling experience, Farrell has kayaked all over the planet (17 countries to be exact) and consistently placed in the top three at some of the toughest whitewater races in the world. As a member of Team Dagger, Farrell won regional class V staples like the Green Race (2009, where she tied for first) and the Lord of the Fork (2010). Beyond the Blue Ridge, Farrell has placed first at the prestigious Cherry Creek Race (2010) in California and the Valsesia River Festival (2014) in Italy. She’s plunged over 70-foot waterfalls in Chile and executed numerous self-supported kayaking trips from California’s South Merced (2010) to Siberia’s Biluti River (2017).

K AT H Y Z .

Pretty impressive for a Tampa-born mechanical engineering major. “While I never made mechanical engineering my profession, it definitely helped advance my kayaking. When I was in between my junior and senior year of college, I did an engineering internship at BMW in Greer, S.C. At that time the Green River was running till 5p.m. consistently, so I was pretty much able to kayak every day after the internship. In three months I went from being just a class IV-ish paddler to racing the Green. That was a huge progression for me.” At the time, says Farrell, the majority of Green River Narrows paddlers were male. She knew of a handful of women who were paddling hard whitewater, but there weren’t many, and it was a rarity to actually see them on the water. But about five years ago, Farrell began to realize that the number of female paddlers was changing. “My original idea was just to invite all of my female friends and go kayaking together on the Narrows, but then I thought, while it would be really cool to have all of my friends out there,

it would be even cooler to make it a community event and open it up to more women by including the Upper Green as well.” The result was the Green River Takeover (greenrivertakeover.com). The inaugural event took place in October 2014 and brought out 52 ladies who all paddled the class III+ Upper Green. Nearly half of the turnout continued downstream to paddle the class V Narrows. Since then, attendance at the Takeover has continued to rise. Last year, 87 women kayaked the Upper and 43 of those additionally paddled the Narrows. “I love listening to those women talk about how they met on a previous Takeover and are now a solid paddling crew,” says Farrell. “It really becomes more than just a one-day event. The goal for me is to have a little spirit of the Takeover every single time any one of us puts on the river.” About the same time Farrell began the Green River Takeover, she started a new career at National Geographic, which turned her into a weekend warrior. While she’s still kayaking the Green and going on paddling

expeditions abroad (she just returned last month from a playboating trip to the White Nile in Uganda), she says there’s no doubt her relationship with kayaking is evolving. “A big challenge for me in the last five years has actually been that I am now on the downward slope of my progression,” says Farrell. “I started to prioritize other things in life and wasn’t running as hard of whitewater which can be a difficult thing to go through. But it’s taught me a lot of awareness about who I am and what I want out of life and why I go out on the river. I want to make sure that every day I put on the river, I’m there because I love it.”

KATHY ZERKLE

River Ranger, National Park Service FAY E T T E V I L L E , W.VA .

Kathy Zerkle has come a long way since she quit her job as a dental hygienist in Buffalo, N.Y., and moved to the rim of the Grand Canyon with lofty aspirations of being a raft guide. “I had gone rafting in Ohiopyle and was psyched about that, so I figured, I had moved to Arizona, maybe it

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D E E T.

KIM J.

was time to spread my wings to see if I could become a raft guide. I must have sent letters to almost every river company in the country practically,” she says. “The only one that responded was North American River Runners (NARR),” located in Fayetteville, W.Va. This was the mid 1980s, before the days of the Internet, so through snail mail and some level of assumption on the part of NARR, Zerkle was offered a spot on the company’s raft guide training program largely because NARR thought Zerkle was already a Grand Canyon raft guide. “The first day of training, I fell out at Upper Railroad and got pinned and swam and it was April and cold and the trainers didn’t talk to me again all year. I was the worst trainee. I was not overly athletic to begin with. I didn’t have a background in the outdoors. My dad thinks camping is staying at the Holiday Inn without room service. Needless to say, I didn’t unpack my car for a month.” But Zerkle was determined to be a raft guide, come hell or high water. She stuck it out, and eventually checked out to be a commercial guide on the New and Gauley Rivers. She went on to 26

become NARR’s river manager for five years, which provided her with yearround work and benefits, a huge step up for any raft guide. That’s not to say that being a raft guide or river manager got easier over time. “It’s a difficult place to be as a woman,” says Zerkle. “I always had to do twice as much twice as well to get the respect for what I was doing. I always took the heaviest cooler, the weakest crew, and I did it on purpose to show that I had skills. Is that fair? No. But unfortunately that’s our society. Now, more and more at least in the river industry, we’re seeing more respect toward women.” Zerkle eventually decided to go back to school and became a nurse, which didn’t suit her altogether. “I don’t want to be a nurse full-time. I get grumpy, like, this-is-crushing-my-soul grumpy,” she says. So for years she worked part-time as a nurse and raft guide during the summers and as a ski lift mechanic in Telluride, Colo., during the winters. In 2008, when Zerkle received the chance to serve the rivers she loved so dearly as a National Park River

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Ranger, her answer was a no-brainer. During the season she’s on the water three or four days a week, assisting in evacuations or helping pick up trash. When she’s not monitoring the New or Gauley Rivers, she’s training other river rangers and paddlers in swiftwater rescue. You’ll know Zerkle when you see her—always smiling, brimming over with a contagious zeal for life, she’s the only female river ranger out of the New and Gauley’s four rangers, and she’s always in a cataraft that says “PARK RANGER” down the side. In lieu of customers, Zerkle now rafts with trash. Imagine navigating the Upper Gauley with a boatful of tires as your crew. “Working on the river has made me realize I’m way stronger than I ever thought I was, and you can take that anywhere in life,” she says. “Everybody has had a horrible day when you want to quit, but the river teaches you it’s okay and you’re not a failure because you swam three times in one day. The river has taught me patience, and that you just gotta keep going.” B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

DEE THOMAS

Adjunct Professor, Lees-McRae College Regional Director, Catalyst Sports Boone Chapter LINVILLE, N.C.

Age is just a number to 66-year-old Diane “Dee” Thomas. For over 40 years, Thomas has been rock climbing and skiing all over the world, sharing her passions along the way as an outdoor educator, a career that all began back in 1979 at North Carolina Outward Bound. “Mike Fischesser was the director at the time, and he hired me even though I didn’t have any rock climbing experience!” she says. “Some of the first climbs I ever did were up near Table Rock in the Linville Gorge.” Thomas worked off and on for 10 years as both an instructor and course director for Outward Bound, expanding her climbing repertoire well beyond the Linville Gorge. Her more-than-60 climbing expeditions include summits of Mexico’s Popo and Izty volcanoes, Mount Pisco in Peru, and Mount Kennedy in Canada. But for all of her worldly travels, G O O U TA N D P L AY

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the most beautiful places in the world, and how beautiful is that to be able to share that adventure with others, regardless of their ability.”

KIM JOCHL

Vice President, Sugar Mountain Resort President, North Carolina Ski Areas Association S U G A R M O U N TA I N , N . C .

LAURA B.

the thing Thomas is most respected for is her instrumental role in the advancement of adaptive adventure sports. In 1996, Thomas began working for Alpine Towers to provide workshops on high ropes programming for people with disabilities. Her experiences inspired her to develop four adaptive climbing harnesses (the first of their kind) with the help of Misty Mountain Threadworks and create Beech Mountain’s Adaptive Snowsports Center in 2001, which she directed until 2007. “The most rewarding part of it all is getting to know the participants not as clients but as friends and partners and volunteers who later go on to help create adaptive adventure recreation not only for themselves but other people they may know,” says Thomas. “I’ve been down the Grand Canyon on adaptive river trips and meeting those guys has really prompted me to create as many opportunities as I can for people with disabilities to live their life to the fullest.” During her tenure at Beech Mountain, Thomas was able to do just that for professional rock climber

Timmy O’Neill’s paraplegic brother Sean. In 2005, 2006, and 2007, Thomas traveled to Yosemite National Park and served as ground and summit logistics crew for the O’Neill brothers on their adaptive big wall summits of El Capitan. Those trips left such an impression on her that when she heard about the Atlanta-based adaptive sports organization Catalyst Sports, directed by Eric Gray and inspired by the Colorado-based Paradox Sports (which Timmy O’Neill co-founded), Thomas immediately enlisted her help. She’s now the Regional Director for the Boone chapter of Catalyst Sports, and says that she is excited for the future of adaptive adventure sports. “One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in the industry is the advancement of prostheses that now allow someone with two abovethe-knee amputations to run and to walk and to go hike. There’s more acceptance and better equipment, which is allowing more participation for people with disabilities. Whether it’s rock climbing or paddling or skiing, these adventures take you to some of

Kim Jochl and Fear have a love-hate relationship. Jochl is very much aware of Fear’s presence, but instead of letting it hinder her from trying new things, Jochl takes Fear by the horns and grapples it to the ground. It’s that unwillingness to bow down to Fear that landed Jochl on the United States Alpine Ski Team from 1986 until 1997, pushed her to earn her pilot’s license (despite being afraid of flying), and thrust her into the literary world as an author of two books. “One baby step at a time. That’s what I learned through flying,” says Jochl. “When you look down the road and into the future and you see what it will take to accomplish certain things, it is incredibly overwhelming. If I had had any idea what it took to get here, I would have never started.” After being forced to retire from ski racing due to a number of injuries, Jochl moved to western North Carolina in 1993 to work for Sugar Mountain Resort as the resort’s Special Events Director. For the Massachusetts-born daughter of an Austrian ski coach, the move to North Carolina was one she never anticipated. “When I found out there was skiing in the South, it was kind of a big surprise,” she says. “One of my injuries prevented me from skiing for the whole year, so I went to school at Appalachian State and became familiar with the High Country. I absolutely loved it. The terrain was a lot like western Massachusetts and New England, but I was pleasantly surprised that the mountains were steeper and a little more dramatic and absolutely beautiful.” Jochl eventually married Sugar Mountain Resort owner Gunther Jochl, and together, the power couple now manages the booming resort. Gunther has been a pilot since the early 1980s, and though Jochl had flown multiple times domestically and internationally for ski competitions, she found herself increasingly fearful of flying. “I don’t know why, but my thought was that the only way to manage my fear was to either quit flying altogether or to earn a pilot’s license.”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Jochl went with the latter, and in 2013, she received her pilot’s license. While she was learning to fly, Jochl took pages upon pages of notes, laying out the specifics of her training and debriefing her lessons. “It was basically therapy,” she says. “I had to find some way to let out my fear and face the fact that I just flew an airplane and would have to go back and do it again.” Her scribbled notes eventually led to two books. Her first is a memoir titled Fly Baby: The Story of an American Girl, and her second, released just last year, is an autobiographical account of learning to fly called The Aviatrix: Fly Like a Girl. Jochl never dreamed of publishing any writing, short of the press releases and marketing material she creates for Sugar Mountain. But she says that once she acknowledged her fear of failure, she was able to open up and truly enjoy the writing process. “I had a lot of self doubt, but I tried to move beyond that and just try it,” she says. “My mother was the one who really instilled the thought that it was okay to fail. You’ve gotta try. Sometimes with ski racing, I wish I had accomplished more. When you’re an elite athlete, you want to be an Olympic gold medalist, you want to win world cup races and world championships, but you fail a lot. Being okay with the idea that you might fail can get you pretty far.”

LAURA BOGGESS

Professor, Mars Hill University Board of Directors, Carolina Climbers Coalition MARS HILL, N.C.

Long before Laura Boggess ever tied a figure eight, she was a conservationist. Born and raised in Burnsville, N.C., Boggess is a western North Carolina girl, through and through. From the time the now 34-year-old was just a child exploring her parents’ farm, she knew she wanted to be outside protecting the natural world. So when she stumbled upon a graduate program in cliff ecology at Appalachian State University, she found very much like she had discovered her calling. “I was dumbfounded that someone would pay me money to rappel and check out these cool areas,” she says. “That’s how I got into climbing, and there were definitely times in graduate school where I was doing more climbing than studying.”

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But really, climbing and studying were one and the same. In 2013, Boggess married her two passions for conservation and climbing as a member of the Carolina Climbers Coalition Board of Directors. She’s since helped incorporate conservation practices and policies into climbing management plans for areas like Hidden Valley and the Rumbling Bald boulderfield. As climbing gyms continue to rise in popularity, Boggess says it’s important to her to be involved with educating how climbers can also be good stewards, too. “I’m glad that I started climbing with the awareness of how cool the habitats were where I was climbing,” she says. “I think the biggest reason I love to climb is because it’s such a holistic experience. I know that makes me sound like a hippy, but you’re using your whole body and mind. Everything has to be on the same page. You really feel how connected everything is, and that’s the best vision of conservation.” Just two years ago, Boggess’ world came screeching to a halt when friend and fellow climberconservationist Kayah Gaydish died from a 50-foot fall. Boggess and Gaydish were climbing with friends at Hidden Valley when the accident happened. Boggess say she’s met many inspiring people in her life, but none who quite compared to Gaydish. “I think about her so much in the work that I do,” she says. “Of all of the friends and mentors I’ve had, she really stands out as someone who was really special. She was such a role model to me as a conservationist, as someone who loves the outdoors and brings that ethic of stewardship and community togetherness. Kayah was it for me.” Boggess is now working on a number of climbing and non-climbing related conservation projects, including the Bailey Mountain Conservation Project, a 212-acre tract of land Mars Hill University will purchase next month and preserve for conservation and recreation use. Boggess is also working with the Forest Service in its Pisgah-Nantahala Management Plan to ensure that climbers continue to be a part of the conversation, both as user groups but also as stewards of the rock faces so few people ever see. When Boggess isn’t in the woods, she’s teaching yoga at Mars Hill University’s Breathing Room, where students and staff can learn the basics of meditation and yoga. 28

KATHLEEN CUSICK

Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County B A LT I M O R E , M D.

Kathleen Cusick’s near-20-year relationship with running began in 1999. At the time, she was 23 years old, and nearing the anniversary of her sister’s death, whom she lost to cancer when Cusick was just 14 years old. “I wanted to do something to help fight cancer,” says Cusick. “Her birthday and the day she died are very close together in March, and that week was always so tough for me.” She joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma's Team In Training and signed up for her first marathon. Cusick was living in Florida at the time, and that marathon was up in Toronto. Despite it being bitterly cold, she felt strong and empowered. That same year, back in Florida, she saw an advertisement for a 50K trail race. “I remember reading it out loud and my boyfriend at the time saying ‘You can’t do a 50K.’ That was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.” The following year, Cusick ran that 50K, and soon, she was signing up for 50Ks and 50-milers like it was her job. Then, just a few years after her very first running race and in the midst of earning her PhD in microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Cusick

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the same time, I just kept trying to learn from it. I kept running even though it wasn’t always pretty. The last six hours of the Vermont 100 were just really, really painful, and not like ow-myquads-hurt but like deep, internal fatigue where you’re like, how am I going to be able to take another step?” Still, she managed to eke out a few more wins that year at the Twisted Branch 100K in New York and the Grindstone 100 Miler in Virginia. But by the beginning of 2017, Cusick still wasn’t feeling 100%. At the HURT 100 in Honolulu, she could hardly breathe on her final lap. K AT H L E E N C . “I was wheezing and could hear the anemia taking its toll. For several days afterwards my body found her true passion: 100-milers. was white. It’s like my blood wasn’t “I realized when I was getting my circulating properly. I mean, I was PhD that with 50Ks and 50-milers, I’d cold and we were in Hawaii.” get up early in the morning, go run Still, she kept running, placing the race, and then try to get back in first at Double Top 100 in Georgia, the lab. It’s like the whole time I was the Massanutten 100-Miler, Eastern out there I was just thinking about States 100, Grindstone 100-Miler, and doing this-this-and-this, where with the Vermont 100-Miler, where she 100-milers, you know you’re going to ran her second-best time at 17 hours, be out there all day and all night. That’s 39 minutes. Her secret to success all you’re going to be doing for the is startling in its simplicity: keeping next 24 hours, so it’s more relaxing in health challenges in perspective a sense.” between what can be controlled and She enjoyed those long distances what can’t, some old-fashioned grit, so much so that in 2015 she ran 10 and a few well-timed mid-race bags 100-milers in a single calendar year. of Tom Sturgis pretzels or Saucony And she didn’t just run them: she Creek Brewing Company beers destroyed them. She placed first at Fort (carbs are good, especially if they’re Clinch 100 in Florida, the Massanutten Pennsylvania carbs). 100-Miler and Old Dominion 100-Miler These days, Cusick’s health finally in Virginia, the Eastern States 100 and seems to be on the upswing. And Pine Creek Challenge in Pennsylvania, perhaps more than the trail-aged and the Cloudsplitter 100 in Virginia. perspective and pretzels, she says She also placed second at a number it’s the ultra community that has of other 100-milers and 100Ks like the supported her and kept her going, Vermont and Pinhoti 100-Milers and race after race after race. Hellgate 100K. By all appearances, “I’ve lived so many different Cusick was in the prime of her running places and I’ve really gotten to know career, but in 2016, she was diagnosed a lot of the different trail running folks. with both Lyme’s disease and anemia, I love ‘em. It’s just a wonderful group which slowed her down sometimes to of people, and running these races, a literal crawl. returning to these trails, is like you’re “I wouldn’t say I got frustrated, but it could be a little disheartening during visiting family. And how fortunate are a race when I couldn’t breathe or I we that we get to go out in the woods was feeling weak,” she says. “But at and eat?” B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

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A HIKING + BACKPACKING CONFERENCE FOR WOMEN

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traildames.com 30

League Director, West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League M O R G A N TO W N , W.VA .

When Cassie Smith first bought a bike to commute to her classes at West Virginia University, little did she know that she would continue to ride and compete for 23 years. “The guys at the shop sold me a men’s large. It was huge. I just rode it anyway, and when I met my husband Jeff who’s a local and who rode in the woods, I started mountain biking. I raced the first year I started riding and I was really green. It was super hard. I struggled big time. I was not super athletic.” Smith, now 47, hardly let that deter her. She kept at it, competing regularly in the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) series and enlisting the guidance of top riders like Sue Haywood. “Every year I just wanted to keep getting faster, and my goal was when I hit 40, I wanted to be in the best shape of my life.” After long days working for FedEx, Smith would crank out 15 hours on the saddle every week and work out in the gym. And though all of that discipline paid off with podium results, the final race of the 2013 WVMBA series gave her a change of heart about competition. “All I had to do was finish the race in order to win overall, but halfway through I got stung by this bee. I’m not

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even allergic to bees but it stung me right on my neck and it took me down. I started having a reaction and about five or six girls took care of me. They gave me Benadryl and made sure I was okay, and they wouldn’t finish in front of me. It was just amazing that they respected the camaraderie here in West Virginia. Those girls could have easily just passed me, and that was a pretty humbling moment for me.” Smith is still racing. Just last year she won the cat 1 master’s women division at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. But now, more than anything, she is pouring her energy into inspiring the next generation of riders, which includes her 14-year-old son Levi. Last year, Smith played a pivotal role in creating a West Virginia youth cycling league under the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. She says she’s looking forward to expanding cycling opportunities for her son and other West Virginia youth. “This year might be the year where I won’t be able to keep up at all,” she says of Levi, who won last year’s WVMBA enduro series in the junior division. “He smokes me on the downhill. I can gain a little bit on the climbs, but I’m losing ground fast. He’s my training buddy, and he’s worked so hard for everything he’s gotten, and I hope I can get other families to see that this is such a great, healthy way to raise kids.” B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE SUBJECTS TO SHOOT? CA: Favorite: extreme athletes. It pushes me to achieve more than what I thought I could, try new things, and to create portraits in environments where portraits with flash are hard or almost impossible to obtain. Least favorite: Babies. I honestly just don't have the patience. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON ASSIGNMENT, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? CA: For right now (because it always changes!), I would say either Norway or Greenland. I've dreamed of photographing the Northern Lights for quite some time now. IF YOU COULD PICK ONE ALBUM TO BE THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? CA: Dave Matthews Band, Busted Stuff.

AT B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

Watch behind-the-scenes footage of Cathy and the rest of the ladies. G O O U TA N D P L AY

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER FEBRUARY 2018

RACES & EVENTS PLANNER

Blue Ridge Outdoors is proud to present the top races and events from the Blue Ridge and beyond. Festivals, marathons, mud runs, expos, concerts, and more! Mark your calendars now!

Association for Experiential Education 2018 Southeast Regional Conference: Reaching Back To Our Roots To Shape Our Future February 23-25, 2018 YMCA Camp Greenville, Cleveland, SC Teachers, students, therapists, leaders, and facilitators who believe that learning through experience positively transforms people and our world: YOU are invited to AEE-SE 2018! Enjoy engaging workshops, a keynote by Trey Fouche of Charlotte Latin School, live music, and fellow professionals who strive for excellence. aee.org/southeast AVL Beer Expo February 24, 2018 Asheville Masonic Temple, Asheville, NC 30+ breweries, 30+ craft beers, educational panels, and meet the brewers! Limited tickets for the carefully curated industry event that lets craft beer geeks peek behind the curtain of #avlbeer. $30 GA/$60 VIP. avlbeerexpo.com

MARCH 2018 LanternAsia March 9-13, 2018 | Norfolk, VA LanternAsia returns to Norfolk Botanical Garden March 9 through May 13!

Experience the magic as the garden is transformed with colossal works of art— MORE Art by Day, MORE Magic by Night! For tickets and information call (757) 441-5830 or visit our websites. lanternasia.org | norfolkbotanicalgarden.org United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington D.C. Marathon & ½ Marathon March 10, 2018 | Washington, D.C. The United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington D.C. Marathon and 1/2 Marathon returns March 10, 2018 and you’re invited to ROCK the biggest running festival to hit the capital city! More than just a political capital, D.C. is a cultural capital with an endless list of things to do and experience during the race weekend. runrocknroll.com/dc Transylvania Adventure Games (TAG) March 17, 2018 Brevard Music Center, Brevard, NC Family fun adventure run complete with two courses, an untimed 5k for ages 8 and up, and a mini course for ages 3-12 and under. Both courses are full of memory tests, rope webs, rock walls, and more. The race will be followed by a festival with live music, local vendors, and food trucks! This is a fundraiser event for Mountain Sun Community School! mountainsunschool.org/events/transylvaniaadventure-games/

EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC

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Returns March 2018

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER Campapalooza 2018 March 31, 2018 Diamond Brand Outdoors Asheville, NC Spring camping season gets an early start with a preview of 2018’s best reviewed gear from international innovators as well as local favorites. Free hourly workshops on topics from festival camping to choosing the right backpack for a thru hike are joined by special buys, giveaways, and the presentation of grants to local environmental nonprofits. diamondbrandoutdoors.com/event/ campapalooza-2018

APRIL 2018 The Cooper River Bridge Run April 7, 2018 | Charleston, SC The Cooper River Bridge Run, located in beautiful Charleston, is the 3rd largest 10K in the U.S., averaging 40,000 participants with world-class competition. The main goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle. Take part in our Health & Wellness EXPO on April 7 and 8. bridgerun.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Half Marathon presented by WRAL April 7-8, 2018 Raleigh, NC Join us in April for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh

The Runners Marathon of Reston April 8, 2018 Reston, VA Located just 20 miles from D.C. in Reston, Virginia, the Runners Marathon of Reston includes a mix of beautiful wooded, paved trails and roads. Runners and volunteers enjoy a free pre-race pasta party, an indoor venue, a post-race feast, and great giveaways. Choose between the marathon, the half marathon, or the relay! runnersmarathon.com Tom Tom Founders Festival April 9-15, 2018 Charlottesville, VA Tom Tom is a celebration of founding—what happens when people envision something cool and make it happen. A week of Summits, keynotes, concerts, competitions, installations, and workshops are designed to make the connections that start great things. Come for the party, leave inspired. tomtomfest.com

Tom Tom Fest Community Bike RIde April 14, 2018 Charlottesville, VA Please join Blue Ridge Outdoors, Tom Tom and Blue Ridge Cyclery for a community bike ride at Darden Towe Park in Charlottesville. All ages and skill levels welcome. tomtomfest.com Devils Backbone Mountain Cross and Blue Ridge Metric April 14-15, 2018 Nelson County, VA Two amazing rides in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! On Saturday, a mixture of paved and unpaved roads and on Sunday, an all paved ride. Choose between 65-mile or 45mile options. All riders receive a $15 gift card to the Brewery. Registration online. bikereg.com/devils-backbonemountain-cross James River Adventure Triathlon April 21, 2018 James River State Park, Gladstone, VA The fifth race of the Virginia State Park Adventure Series features a beautiful course with a 7-mile kayak run, an 8-mile Mountain Bike leg and a 3.1-mile trail run. Racers can compete solo or in teams. All abilities are welcome. Bring the family and enjoy camping on the river during your stay. Proceeds will

FOUND YOURSELF APRIL 9—15 | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

TO FO M FE U ST N TO IV D M A ER L S

Tom Tom is a celebration of founding - what happens when people envision something cool and make it happen. A week of Summits, keynotes, concerts, competitions, installations, and workshops are designed to make the connections that start great things. Come for the party, leave inspired.

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Half Marathon presented by WRAL—the best year yet with more music for your miles! Meet us in the sophisticated and charming capital city of North Carolina to discover the hidden gem of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series! runrocknroll.com/raleigh

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER

Cumberland River Challenge SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 T H O M P S O N R V PA R K BARBOURVILLE, KY

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MUDDER’S DAY

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Entry Fees Individuals $20 per person Te a m s : $ 4 0 p e r t e a m Students: $10 per student

harmony family center’s

6th Annual Mud Run at Montvale

SATURDAY. MAY 12, 2018. 10 AM A fun, intense, off-road course for individuals ages 8 and up.

Post-race activities for the whole family and awesome awards!

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER benefit the Gladstone Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. trireg.com/adventures-on-the-james-4 dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/adventure-series The 2018 Redbud Ride April 21, 2018 | London, KY The Redbud Ride is one of the most beautiful and challenging bike rides you’ll ever experience! The ride starts in beautiful downtown London, Kentucky, one of the top 10 redbud sight-seeing routes in the state! Register online today! redbudride.com St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon April 26-29, 2018 | Nashville, TN Join one of the best spectator-supported and most music-filled courses in the Series! This challenging yet beautiful route takes you past the iconic Honky Tonks and through some of Nashville’s hippest neighborhoods. runrocknroll.com/nashville Virginia Creeper Fest April 28, 2018 | Abingdon, VA Come join us at the trail head of the Creeper Trail in Abingdon, Virginia as we celebrate outdoor recreation in Southwest Virginia. Get hands-on at this event with activities like a 10K race, Yoga in the Park, Rock Climbing, Trail Excursions, Sunset Bike Rides and more, friendly to all ages! Full schedule and information on our website. vacreeperfest.com

41st annual

COOPER RIVER

BRIDGE RUN A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 8 | C H A R L E S T O N , S C

FINISHER MEDALS WILL BE AWARDED!

MAY 2018 Spring Shakori hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance May 3-6, 2018 | Pittsboro, NC The 16th annual spring festival features 40+ bands on four stages. Located on 72 beautiful farmland acres in central North Carolina, just down the road from Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Greensboro. Local crafts, delicious food, kids’ activities, healing arts, music and dance workshops, environmental sustainability forums, camping and much more, all in a family friendly setting. shakorihillsgrassroots.org French Broad River Festival May 4-6, 2018 | Hot Springs, NC Celebrate spring in the mountains at the 21st French Broad River Festival in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Part outdoor adventure, part music festival with whitewater, mountain biking, hiking, kid’s village, and music including The Travelin’ McCourys, The Jeff Austin Band, Billy Strings, Jon Stickley Trio and more! frenchbroadriverfestival.com Frederick Running Festival May 5-6, 2018 | Frederick, MD The Frederick Running Festival, now in its 15th year, is one of the hidden gems of the running community. With four race distance options, each participant receives a race premium and a Maryland themed medal and crosses the finish line at the Frederick Fairgrounds. frederickrunfest.com Mudder’s Day Madness 5k May 12, 2018 | Maryville, TN Mudder’s Day Madness 5k is a mud run that consists of obstacles and, of course, plenty of mud! Everyone eight years of age and up are welcome! This is a fun, family friendly, fundraising event benefiting

CALL (843) 856-1949 REGISTER ONLINE

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER Experience America’s Friendliest Marathon! NOVEMBER 10 Featuring Richmond’s historic architecture, river views, iconic street art, a downhill finish, and riverfront party!

RICHMONDMARATHON.ORG

Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, and its service area is all of Virginia except for the City of Fairfax, the Town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Athletes and spectators alike love these annual competitions in the Alleghany Highlands. Pristine lakes and rivers and courses with stunning mountain views make these scenic races Uniquely Alleghany.

Don’t let the peaceful mountain views fool you. This summer, it’s Game On!

May 19, 2018

Alleghany Highlands Triathlon

June 23, 2018

The Jackson River Scenic Trail Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k, 5k and 1 Mile Run

July 21, 2018

The Alleghany Gran Fondo Cycling Event

August 4, 2018

Lake Moomaw One Mile Open Water Swim

visitalleghanyhighlands.com/featured-events 540-962-2178 · 888-430-5786 Like us on

SPE CI AL ADVE RT I SI N G SE CT I ON

2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER Harmony Family Center’s Montvale camp. It will be held Saturday, May 12, 2018 (the day before Mother’s Day) at 10:00AM on Montvale’s beautiful grounds at the foot of Chilhowee Mountain. harmonyfamilycenter.org AVL Beer Week May 25-June 3 2018 | Asheville, NC 76+ events around Asheville and WNC. 8th Annual smorgasbord of beer-centric events, from beer dinners, to beer releases, Angry Yoga, education, music events, and more! Location and event entry varies. avlbeerweek.com

SUMMER 2018 Alleghany Highlands Summer Events Summer 2018 | Alleghany Highlands, VA This summer, it’s GAME ON. We are home to four of the most action-packed outdoor events in the Mid-Atlantic. Whether you run, bike, swim, all of the above, or simply enjoy great competition, don’t miss out on the fun. It’s uniquely Alleghany. visitalleghanyhighlands.com/ featured-events 2018 Bryce Bike Park Summer Series Summer 2018 | Bryce Resort, Basye, VA Join us from May to October for a six-

race mountain bike series for new and experienced racers alike. The series features simplicity and fun with your fellow riders minus the high cost and stress associated with big series events. Visit our website for more info! bryceresort.com

JUNE 2018 Baltimore 10-Miler June 2, 2018 Baltimore, MD 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the Baltimore Ten Miler, which starts and finishes at the scenic Druid Hill Park, home of the Maryland Zoo. Runners are treated to a post-race party and race premium, which Runners World awarded “Best Swag Item” in 2009! baltimoretenmiler.com Beer City Festival June 2, 2018 Roger McGuire Green, Pack Square Park, Downtown Asheville, NC Enjoy 35+ breweries with rotating small batch offerings, guest breweries, and live local music. For $45 get unlimited samples / $25 entry with tokens. Designated Driver tickets are also available. beercityfestival.com

Bath County Triathlon June 23, 2018 Marina at Lake Moomaw Warm Springs, VA Nestled in the Virginia’s Western Highlands, Bath County is one of the hidden gems of TriAdventure. The Bath County Triathlon includes a 750 meter open water swim, 20k bike loop and a 5k run on closed roads. Awards and post race meal will be provided. triadventure.com Hops in the Hills June 23, 2018 Maryville, TN Join us for the 4th Annual Hops in the Hills Craft Beer Festival… A Celebration of Fermentation. Enjoy some of the most unique and tasty craft beer with the Great Smoky Mountains as the backdrop. Beer…Food… Music… and Beauty. Come experience us. hopsinthehills.com

JULY 2018 The Summit—A Hiking and Backpacking Conference for Women July 13-15, 2018 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC The Summit is a weekend of classes that range from making your own gear and

Two Great Bike Rides in Beautiful Nelson County, VA APRIL 14 AND

APRIL 15

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2018 RACES & EVENTS PLANNER map reading, to outdoor writing and photography, all of which are designed to enhance your outdoor experience. Come join us for inspiration, camaraderie and friendship. traildamessummit.com

can compete solo or in teams. Competitors range from world class athletes to costumed teams and “bucket listers.” Everyone is welcome. dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/adventure-series dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/nrt-challenge

SEPTEMBER 2018

Cumberland River Challenge September 22, 2018 Barbourville, KY The Canoe and Kayak Race is an annual event, hosted by Union College, U Canoe and Barbourville Tourism. The race consists of 15 miles of river, ranging from calm water to beginner-level rapids. It starts on the Knox County line bordering Bell County and finishes in Knox County at the Thompson R.V. Park. barbourvilletourism.com/adventure/ canoe-kayak-race

Breaks 40 Miler September 8, 2018 Breaks Interstate Park Breaks, VA The latest race adventure is coming to the Breaks Interstate Park! The park is partnering with Next Opportunity Events to challenge those brave enough to conquer two states, 40 miles of trail, and 24,000 feet of elevation change! nextopportunityevents.com New River Trail Challenge September 15, 2018 New River Trail State Park Max Meadows, VA The penultimate race of the Virginia State Parks Adventure series, the “Challenge,” is one of the oldest, largest, and toughest Adventure Triathlons in Virginia. Started in 2000, the race features a 40-mile bike ride, 12.1-mile kayak and half marathon along the scenic New River. All ages and skill levels

A C E L E B R AT I O N O F F E R M E N TAT I O N

OCTOBER 2018 Pocadventure Adventure Triathlon October 13, 2018 Pocahontas State Park Chesterfield, VA Just a short drive from downtown Richmond, the final race of the Virginia State Park Adventure Series highlights a 4-mile lake paddle, 12-mile Mountain Bike leg, and a 5-mile trail run. Points will be tallied for the Adventure Series and an awards ceremony

will be held shortly after the race. All proceeds go to expanding and maintaining the 80+ miles of trail in the park. dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/adventure-series fopsp.org/pocadventure.html Baltimore Running Festival October 20, 2018 Batltimore, MD Come out and see why runners are calling the Baltimore Running Festival one of the best races of the east coast. With five distances to choose from, an Under Armour race premium, and finishing at the Inner Harbor, what’s not to love?! thebaltimoremarathon.com

NOVEMBER 2018 Richmond Marathon November 10, 2018 Richmond, VA Haven’t #RunRichmond yet? What are you waiting for?! Each of our scenic courses showcases some of our RVA’s favorite attributes. With thousands of volunteers and spectators encouraging you, and more race perks than you can count, you’ll see why we’ve earned our rep as “America’s Friendliest Marathon”! richmondmarathon.org

E N J O Y T H E G R E AT S M O K Y M O U N TA I N S WITH THE AREAS FINEST BREWS

PUB CRAWL 6.22.18 HOPS IN THE HILLS 6.23.18

HOPSINTHEHILLS.COM @HOPSINTHEHILLS SPE CI AL ADVE RT I SI N G SE CT I ON

THE FEARSOME FIVE

FOLLOW IN THE FROZEN FOOTSTEPS OF FIVE ULTRARUNNERS ATTEMPTING HORTON'S HELLGATE 100K FOR THE 15TH TIME. BY JESS DADDIO

DAVID HORTON IS BEGRUDGINGLY BELOVED. HE wouldn’t have it any other way. The 67-year-old ultrarunner-turnedrace-director is the mad scientist behind some of the ultrarunning community’s most reputable races, the Mountain Masochist 50 Miler (which he no longer directs), Holiday Lake 50K, Promise Land 50K, and Hellgate 100K. Over the course of his three-decade-plus ultrarunning career, Horton has logged a dizzying number of achievements—over 160 ultras, speed records on the Appalachian Trail (1991) and the Pacific Crest Trail (2005), and the third-fastest time of the TransAmerica Footrace (1995), just to name a few. By all appearances, Horton is a glutton for punishment. Even open heart surgery and a total knee replacement hardly slowed him down. Runners aren’t sure whether to admire the man or fear him. Or both. It’s no wonder then, that adversity is part and parcel of his ultras. Impeccably organized yet relentlessly brutal, Horton’s races are relics of a bygone era, a time when race applications arrived by post and grit, not glory, made a runner great. There is still no online registration for Hellgate 100K, and should a runner 40

DNF or fail to run her best, she should expect shame, not sympathy, from David Horton. IT’S NEARING 9P.M. ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2017. Nearly 200 runners, crew members, and volunteers are crowded into a room at Camp Bethel in Fincastle, Va. In just two hours, the entire room will caravan to the start line of the 15th annual Hellgate 100K. Horton is midway through his pre-race briefing when someone asks about the course records. He turns to Sarah Schubert, the 2016 women’s winner. “Prove me wrong. I don’t think you’ll beat the record. Even if someone beats you, I don’t think they’ll beat the record. Amy Sproston is a better runner than you.” There’s a split second of uncomfortable silence. I’m tucked in a corner behind Horton with some of his students from Liberty University. Stunned, I wait for the “just kidding” or the punch line that will break the ice. But it doesn’t come. “He likes to be inflammatory,” Schubert tells me a week later. “If people want to do well in Horton’s races, it takes a different type of person. You certainly don’t want to come to his races expecting to be

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8

THE FEARSOME FIVE POSE AT T H E S TA R T I N G L I N E W I T H D AV I D H O R T O N ( T H I R D F R O M RIGHT) / KEITH KNIPLING

coddled, either by him or the course.” Horton continues to dole out tongue-in-cheek jabs that teeter between playful and crass. No one is spared. The assistant to medical director Dr. George Wortley is “a good woman, but a little strange.” George Plomarity, the Patagonia representative, “weenied out, wussed out,” and DNFed at his first Hellgate. Even I find myself at the root of some ridicule. “Daddio? That’s a terrible last name. Are you married yet? Well good, that means you can still change it.” When it comes to Hellgate though, Horton’s ruthless candor is the least of the runners’ problems. There’s plenty to dread about this one-of-akind point-to-point ultra: the 12:01a.m. start at an unpredictable time of year, leaf-covered technical trail, the real threat of frozen cornea (dubbed “Hellgate Eyes”) and sleep-deprived hallucinations, 12,000 feet of climbing, and those nasty “Horton miles” that turn this 100K into a befitting 66.6 miles instead of the standard 62. Just crossing the finish line at Hellgate is a commendable feat. Many runners race Hellgate once and never return. But sitting in that room at Camp Bethel are five runners who have shown up every year since 2003, in respect of but not B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

unfazed by Horton or Hellgate. They are the Fearsome Five. Actually, it’s just the Fearsome Four at the moment. Ryan Henry from Carlisle, Penn., “is a dear friend of mine,” says Horton, “but he’s late for everything.” The others are folded into the crowd of runners, and he calls each one out in classic Horton fashion. Jerry Turk from Guilford, Conn., but originally the south of England, is “the Yankee.” Darin Dunham of Huntsville, Ala., will be “the first of the Five to drop out” from the streak. Aaron Schwartzbard from Washington, D.C., “runs either here or here,” says Horton, holding one hand high above his head and the other stretched low toward his feet—Schwartzbard won Hellgate back in 2007 with a time of 11:28:13, but he’s also had years when the course took him well over 15 hours. “Maybe it’s those sideburns.” “That’s not usually the kinda thing that comes up in most pre-race briefings,” Schwartzbard tells me later. “There are people who are highly turned off by the David Horton Show, because he does tend to say things that are not necessarily polite. With anything he says, it’s not entirely serious, but it’s not entirely joking either, and there’s something to be G O O U TA N D P L AY

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

HORTON GIVES HIS PRE-RACE B R I E F I N G AT C A M P B E T H E L ; R U N N E R S S TA R T H E L L G AT E AT 1 2 : 0 1 A . M . , W I T H M A N Y S TA R T I N G A N D F I N I S H I N G A T N I G H T. / K E I T H K N I P L I N G

said for that level of honesty. We live in this Instagram Facebook culture where everyone’s like, ‘Go get ‘em! You’re great!’ and Horton’s not afraid to call it like it is.” The final of the Five, Jeff Garstecki from Columbia, Md., somehow eludes Horton’s banter. He and his wife Tammie are lingering near the back of the room when Horton dismisses the runners. It’s Tammie’s first Hellgate, and I can almost feel the anxious excitement emanating from her. “We’re going to try to squeeze in a nap, but I don’t know how much sleep I’ll actually get,” she says. Jeff, on the other hand, exudes a levelheaded ease about him, which surprises me when I learn of his injury. “I have three degenerative discs in my back,” he says. “If the race had been last weekend, I wouldn’t have been able to run. I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom at Thanksgiving.” After 14 years of running Hellgate, Garstecki and the other Fearsome Five know better than anyone how different the race can feel from one year to the next. Out there, everyone faces his own demons, be they changes in physical fitness, recent injuries and illnesses, or life stressors. But it’s that, combined with unpredictable weather, which can

really make or break the race. In 2013, it snowed, then rained, and never got above 40 degrees. Two years later was the hottest Hellgate to date with a high near 80 degrees. And in 2016, temperatures reached a record low for the race at eight degrees. Runners couldn’t drink their water fast enough and ran for miles between aid stations with useless, frozen hydration packs. “If the weather is particularly challenging, it levels the playing field quite a bit,” says Jerry Turk. “It doesn’t matter if you are a racing snake in your mid twenties, if you have to deal with bitterly cold, freezing conditions and that’s something new to you, then in my mind, I’ve got a little bit of an edge because I’ve seen it before.” That first year in 2003, runners ran on two feet of snow under a perfectly full moon. The visibility was so clear, most of the racers went without headlamps. Two years later, in 2005, the ice was so bad runners could hardly find traction on the parking lot, let alone the trails. Garstecki, who fell more times than he could count, bonked, became hypothermic, and nearly dropped at Bearwallow Gap over two-thirds of the way through the course. “I remember it was freezing out,

right, but I felt so hot, so I was taking off my clothes. My plan was that I was going to lay down in the snow until the next runner came behind me. I didn’t lay down, I kept walking, waiting for that next runner, but nobody reached me before I got to the next aid station. I spent 45 minutes to an hour just getting warm by the fire. My legs were so bloody from the ice scratching my legs. I managed to finish, and I got the best blood award that year.” More than the elements and the strenuous physical output, Hellgate has been a mental game for Schwartzbard. He nearly won the race in 2003, back when nobody knew the course and certainly nobody knew him. A marathoner at heart, Schwartzbard was surprised to find himself alone and in the lead for 45 miles. He nearly started congratulating himself on his performance when another runner sailed past and pushed him into second. “I really had it in my mind that I just might make it. I had my eyes on the winner’s jacket, and then at the end to be passed like that, even now when I get to where I was passed that first year, I have this dark feeling like there’s some sort of haunting there. It was such a deflating moment that hung

over me for awhile.” In 2004, Schwartzbard again placed second. A year later, he slid to eighth. By then, he had given up hope of ever winning Hellgate. In 2006, he ran his slowest time to date at 16:10:51. But in 2007, when he showed up to register the Friday night before his fifth running of Hellgate, he was surprised to see Horton had seeded him number one. “That was a little bit awkward. The guy who had won Hellgate the year before was number two, and usually you always seed the previous winner as number one. Horton is not hung up on etiquette, though. That fall I was in really great marathon shape, but that’s very different from being in trail shape. Still, he realized I had more fitness than I recognized in myself.” Sure enough, like some selffulfilling prophecy, Schwartzbard won that year, thereby lifting the heavy cloud that had been hanging over him since 2003. IT’S 10P.M. NOW, AND THOUGH A FEW OF THE runners are sitting around the room making small talk with their crews, most are trying to catch some shut-eye. Outside, rows of red taillights idle in the night. Exhaust clouds the parking

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

H E L L G AT E 2 0 1 6 W I N N E R S A R A H S C H U B E R T B AT T L E S T H E W I N D A N D SNOW ON THE FINAL MILES OF THE "DEVIL TRAIL." / JESS DADDIO; (RIGHT) WITH TEMPS BELOW FREEZING A N D S N O W I N T H E F O R E C A S T, C R E W AND VOLUNTEER MUST ADAPT TO THE CLOSING OF THE BLUE RIDGE PA R K WAY. / K E I T H K N I P L I N G

lot as runners crank the heat and stuff themselves under steering wheels for a few fitful minutes of sleep. It’s a crisp 22 degrees and snow is in the forecast. The park service has closed access to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Crews and volunteers are scrambling to adjust the affected aid stations and support. David Horton is sitting by the fireplace, figuring out the final details of drop bag and firewood deliveries. Despite the last-minute change in plans, Horton is practically spilling over with excitement, his mouth twitching with a mischievous glee. “It’s like Christmas, this race to me,” he says. “The build up, the build up, then the weekend and YES IT’S UNREAL. But then boom. It’s over. It’s depressing after it’s over. It’s depressing after Christmas is over.” It’s obvious Hellgate is Horton’s favorite child. He flat out tells me so, but I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice, the way he dotes on his dedicated volunteers, the runners who pour heart and soul into the race, even the Camp Bethel setting which makes the whole event feel like part summer camp, part family reunion. Horton is first and foremost a champion of hard work. He knows the fulfillment of giving something your all and succeeding. He also understands 42

the complexities that emerge when you give 100% to any endeavor and still fall short. In 2008, Horton had to abandon his speed record attempt on the Continental Divide Trail after a brutal first day. A year later, on day six of his supported speed record attempt of the Colorado Trail, Horton ran four miles off course and started to experience severe swelling of his appendages. He knew he had to call it quits. Though he’s since had to switch from running to cycling due to residual knee problems, Horton still regards races, and more generally life-inmotion, not as yardsticks for any sort of physical prowess but as reminders in our ability to persevere in life, no matter the physical, mental, or spiritual obstacles that may befall us. “This is our race. We’re in this together. I ran my first marathon three weeks before I got my doctorate. Which do you think mattered more?” AT 10:50P.M. ON THE DOT, A TRAIN OF VEHICLES pulls out of the parking lot at Camp Bethel. When the entourage arrives 45 minutes later at the Hellgate Trailhead, the northern terminus of the Glenwood Horse Trail, there’s a flurry of activity as racers make last-minute adjustments to their packs and shed their warm

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jackets once and for all. As the clock ticks ever closer to 12:01a.m., they reluctantly leave the warm cars behind and head to the starting line. The air quivers with adrenaline. After the singing of the National Anthem, Horton begins the countdown. “Five minutes until 12:01!” he hollers through his megaphone. “One minute… and five…four…three…two…one…go!” Headlamps stream through the blackness beyond. The racers howl into the night, like wolves on a hunt. Soon, the only sounds are that of Hokas and Altras and Salomons shuffling through the leaves. “It’s game time,” says Horton. “Let’s roll.” Horton climbs into the passenger seat of a beige FJ Cruiser, which promptly takes off down the road. I follow behind, occasionally catching glimpses of the runners’ headlights bouncing through the trees. Throughout the night, we drive up steep and narrow gravel roads from aid station to aid station, stopping for just a few minutes to check in and cheer on the head of the pack. Around 2a.m., it starts to flurry. Driving in the dark with the wind whipping snow, I lose all sense of direction. My eyes struggle to focus. B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

Up until the start, I had been riding on the runners’ high, but the sleepless night starts to wear on me. I try to shake it off. I’m not running 66.6 miles, after all. It’s still dark out when we pull into aid station five, Jennings Creek, the breakfast aid station. The location is just a few miles short of the halfway point on the course and marks a milestone for most runners as the beginning of daylight. It’s only 4:30 in the morning now, but the place is alive with life. Christmas music blasts from a speaker. Someone dressed in a reindeer suit tends to a roaring fire. Decorative lights line the final runway into the aid station, beckoning runners from the depth of night. Before long, the first runners stumble in looking a little shellshocked, a little tired, but no worse for the wear. They dig through their drop bags, refuel, and are back on the trail in a matter of minutes. And so are we. By 5a.m., the snow is falling in heavy, fat flakes and accumulating fast. Horton adds some streamers at a road crossing where the snow has covered the trail and we zip up to one last aid station before heading to Bearwallow Gap. Dawn is just beginning to break when we arrive at the parking lot. Horton quickly lays out the drop bags G O O U TA N D P L AY

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I N 1 5 Y E A R S O F R U N N I N G H E L L G AT E , A A R O N S C H WA R T Z B A R D H A S B O T H W O N T H E R A C E A N D TA K E N O V E R 1 6 HOURS TO FINISH. / KEITH KNIPLING ( R I G H T ) C R O Z E T R U N N I N G ' S M AT T T H O M P S O N N O T O N L Y W O N H E L L G AT E 2017 OVERALL, HE ALSO WON THE " B E S T B L O O D AWA R D . " / J E S S D A D D I O

and helps assemble the aid station. Just after 7:30a.m, we see the first runner emerge from the woods. It’s Matt Thompson, a runner with Crozet Running. Horton hustles over to him and hands him a Coke. Thompson takes a couple of sips and starts to close the bottle, but Horton interjects. “Drink the whole thing. You need it.” There’s frozen blood smeared under Thompson’s left eye, but he hardly seems to notice. He doesn’t linger long, and soon, he’s climbing up past the aid station, head down, pushing into the wind and snow. Over the next four hours, we continue to greet and cheer and feed runners as they wearily materialize from the notoriously treacherous section Sophie Speidel, a 10-time Hellgate finisher herself, christened “The Devil Trail.” “It’s almost like Russian roulette out there,” Jerry Turk told me before the race. “You have no idea what’s beneath those leaves because the layer of leaves is quite thick. You’re just running along hoping and praying you’ll be able to react quick enough and not fall flat on your face.” Aaron Schwartzbard is the first of the Fearsome Five to reach the aid station. He’s in a surprisingly cheery mood given the current course

conditions. It’s no longer snowing, but the wet snow is deceptive and makes the leaves slicker instead of adding traction. “Well look who it is!” says Horton upon seeing Schwartzbard. “You’re doing alright. It must be those sideburns!” “You wanna stroke them for good luck?” says Schwartzbard. Schwartzbard takes his time socializing, filling his hydration pack, and crushing a few pierogies. The cold eventually starts to take its toll, and he grabs a pierogi for the trail and hikes it out of the gap. We stick around long enough to see Sarah Schubert come into the aid station. She’s still in the top five women and moving strong, but the leader Hannah Bright is a good 20 minutes ahead. “This year was hard for me,” she tells me after the race. “I had just run a 100-miler a month before and Horton knew that. My legs and body weren’t quite ready and he recognized that, but he wasn’t demeaning about it. He was like, ‘You found your limit. You can run this race, sure, but if you want to race and do as well as you know you can do, that’s too short of a turnaround.’”

CAMP BETHEL IS QUIET WHEN WE RETURN. IT’S close to 11a.m., and Matt Thompson is expected any minute. His family waits in the room where, just 14 hours earlier, the entire starting field of 140 runners had been seated at the pre-race briefing. In the back of the room, volunteers organize a spread of snacks and beverages. Multiple pots of coffee are at the ready. Another volunteer is seated at a table with a radio in hand, coordinating pick-ups for runners who dropped out or didn’t make the time cutoffs. Horton bursts into the room, still brimming with enthusiasm despite going full-steam for over 24 hours without any sleep (or coffee, for that matter). He’s just been to where the trail pops out onto the road, the final stretch, and says Thompson is 10 minutes away. There won’t be any records broken on this 15th running of Hellgate 100K, but when Thompson, accompanied by his sons, finally drags himself across the finish line with a time of 11:22:09, Horton is beaming with pride. He wraps Thompson in a warm embrace, the kind of hug that a father might give one of his own on graduation or wedding day. “Everyone knows they’ve done something when they finish this race, every finisher, every year,” says Horton. “They can’t take it for granted that

they’re going to finish. You have to earn it every time.” For the next seven hours, Horton greets every single runner at the finish line. After nearly 17 hours of running through the night and day, and into the night again, Darin Dunham is the final of the Fearsome Five to arrive at Camp Bethel. It’s his fastest time in seven years he tells me, and at just under 17 hours, his time qualifies for the Western States lottery. Like Darin, Aaron, Jerry, and Ryan all have relatively uneventful runs for their 15th Hellgate. But Jeff Garstecki felt every mile at the end. “Personally, I think it was one of the harder years, definitely in the top three or four as far as toughest conditions go,” Garstecki tells me a week later. “The Forever Section was when I started feeling bad and I just never came out of it. We’ve all had that. But as bad as I felt throughout this race, there was no thought of stopping or quitting. The streak keeps me going.” And so, the streak lives on, even if “it’s really just an accident that I keep signing up,” according to Ryan Henry. How long will it last? “25 sounds like a nice number,” says Dunham. “And if there are five of us in 10 years, that’ll be awesome, but at the same time, if one of us doesn’t finish, I won’t shed a tear.”

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 / B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

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THE PRICE OF PARADISE

asheville

BY PHIL MORGAN

Asheville is one of Appalachia’s most celebrated outdoor towns. More than nine million people visit the city annually. For some residents, however, the hype is altering one of America's hippest mountain hubs beyond recognition. “We were downtown for such a long time,” says Frank Mandaro, manager of Beer City Bicycles. “The rent kept increasing...everything goes up. We understand that you can’t expect things to stay the same. You can go out of business or make the adjustments. We decided to leave downtown.” Beer City Bicycles moved north of town, near the banks of the French Broad River. Mandaro, yearning for the day when shop rats were versatile handymen, often called upon to fix a neighbor’s busted appliance, hopes the move will mean less froth and more handiwork. Most storefronts downtown, he says, are forced to bartend to browsing tourists. “We’re drowning in our own beer production,” says Mandaro. Those who live in Asheville value its outdoor vibe and gorgeous mountain landscape, but they also endure exorbitant rent prices, low service-industry wages, gentrification, and displacement. It’s now the most expensive city in North Carolina, with the median two-bedroom apartment

ASHEVILLE, CHATTANOOGA, AND CHARLOTTESVILLE MAY BE SOME OF THE REGION’S HOTTEST ADVENTURE HUBS, BUT SOME OF ITS RESIDENTS ARE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD.

running $1,180 a month. The average property value jumped 9% in the past year, while homelessness increased 10 percent, according to city data. Bowen National Research, a realestate marketing firm, found a mere 1% vacancy rate in Asheville housing units in 2015, and Nationwide declared Asheville the sixth unhealthiest housing market in the country. While the city’s population has grown dramatically, the African American population has actually shrunk. In 2010 African Americans represented 17% of the population. Today that figure is just 6%. “I never thought in my early 50s, I would be looking for help,” says Asheville resident Barbara Little. Escaping an abusive relationship, Little made her way to a downtown women's shelter. She had no house and no family in Western North Carolina, only the clothes on her back. Through Goodwill Industries, Little began working arranging flowers for a grocery store. She also sought a home. One morning, while sitting at the bus stop, she noticed Mountain Housing

Opportunities' attractive facade. She applied and qualified for an affordable apartment. “Boy, that makes the biggest deal in the world,” says Little of her securing an apartment. “Plenty of time to study, to get rest. I can get up when I want, make a cup of coffee, go home and take a shower. It makes all the difference in the world. You have a choice.” In the summer of 1988, Scott Dedman teamed with six other volunteers and repaired seven homes for the elderly and disabled in the Asheville area. Within the year, they started Mountain Housing Opportunities. Focusing on emergency home repair and affordable homeownership development, the group has fixed up over 4,000 homes and built and financed another 1,200 houses and apartments in its 18-year history. Repairs and construction are financed through private investment and a low-income housing tax credit. As Dedman sees it, Asheville’s housing crisis is simply a matter of low supply and high demand. When Mountain Housing Opportunities constructed 62 new units in 2016, they received over 600 applications. Stringent building and zoning restrictions, Dedman says, impose limits on the number of new houses constructed.

The majority of Mountain Housing Opportunities applicants are working, single parents. To qualify for one of their apartments, an Asheville resident must make less than 60% of the area median income. In Mountain Housing Opportunities’ newly renovated Depot Street apartments, the average income is $18,000, which is also the median salary for most of the city’s serviceindustry jobs, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. More than four walls and a roof, Mountain Housing Opportunities builds attractive houses in safe communities. They promote ownership, pride, and environmental consciousness. They've had kids paint bus stops, organized creek clean-ups, and planted hundreds of trees. Contractors install state-of theart recycling chutes, solar panels, and excellent insulation for lower energy bills. Most importantly, they’re bringing workers closer to their jobs. In the Asheville area, there are more jobs than homes, which means more commuters and more fuel emissions. Dedman estimates that their new Depot Street apartments will save more than 60,000 miles of commuting and thousands of dollars. “The cost of commuting is 50 cents a mile,” says Dedman. “If you drive 10 miles to work and back everyday, that’s $200 a month. We’re going to save money and the environment if we can

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chattanooga

charlottesville

add housing supply near jobs. If you work in Asheville, you should be able to live in Asheville.” Dedman maintains that housing is fundamentally a moral issue. “I’m glad that people want to live here. I’m glad people want to visit here, that it’s a desirable place to live, but along with that comes a responsibility to be inclusive and to include people of modest means.” Income inequality and a housing crisis are not problems unique to Asheville. These are national trends that are especially pronounced in desirable towns. On the other side of the Smoky Mountains, Chattanooga, Tenn., possesses many of the same gifts as Asheville: rich natural resources, a thriving downtown, and an energetic populace. And like Asheville, rising prices, a lack of housing, and a stratified society are growing concerns. Martina Guilfoil, CEO of the Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, traveled to Asheville with a team of 25 planners hoping the Beer City held some answers for Chattanooga. “What struck me about Asheville is outdoorsy folks and artists work hard and make it cool, and then they get priced out,” Guilfoil said. “After our trip, I said, ‘If we don’t get ahead of this, it could happen to Chattanooga.’” Some argue that it already has.

“We have to be honest that there are people left out of the growing prosperity,” Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke told an audience at a downtown forum. “Yes, even in the best town ever.” Research by The Business Journals found Chattanooga to have one of the 10 highest income inequalities in America. For every household earning over $200,000, there are 21 low-income households. A study by the Thomas Fordham Institute's Michael Petrilli showed one particular Chattanooga neighborhood to be the second-most rapidly gentrifying zip code in the country. (Roanoke, Va. had the 4th.) “A lot of effort has been put into making Chattanooga a destination. The criticism is that it’s the tale of two economies,” says Guilfoil. “There’s the tech companies and the innovation and a mile away it hasn’t reached into the neighborhoods. The school system is still problematic. Who wins and who doesn’t? How do you bridge these gaps?” As Chattanooga grapples with the widening fissure between rich and poor, the city government and philanthropies are proactively increasing their affordable housing supply through tax incentives, inclusionary zoning, subsidies, and

regulations. “I don’t think there is one tool,” Guilfoil says. “We need a lot of tools in the tool box.” Despite growing inequality, Chattanooga’s hard-won revitalization should not be overlooked. “Nobody was interested in doing development in those early days,” says Amy Donahue of the nonprofit River City Company. “We held properties for development projects for a long time. Sometimes, we even gave it away.” The city's renaissance was born largely out of an effort to restore and conserve its natural resources, particularly the Tennessee River. “Our name comes from our original task: to reconnect the river and the city,” explains Donahue. “Our river was a wonderful asset, but you couldn’t access it from downtown. So we put in a 13-mile stretch of Riverwalk. The idea was to create a path for folks to use to create access to the river. We are all about maximizing our natural assets and what makes us special: the outdoors and our river.” For Dr. Scot French, a historian who spent years studying race and place in Central Virginia, the lessons of history and current issues are intimately linked. French spent ten years studying neighborhoods in Charlottesville, one of Virginia’s most popular and

expensive towns. In 2009, he began work on the documentary The World is Gone: Race and Displacement in a Southern Town. The film tells the story of Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood, a mixed-income, walking neighborhood that was demolished in the 1960s in the name of urban renewal. “The people living there just didn’t count,” French explains. “The destruction of this community wasn’t viewed as a loss. It was sold as reform, a progressive reform.” As cities confront their celebrity, French hopes past mistakes will be a guiding star and they will not take their poorest citizens for granted. “I think the lesson Charlottesville learned was to engage the community in the process,” French said. “Public housing units are getting old. The city has to decide. This time around, they have committed to working with the community and engaging them in the process.” For Appalachia’s most popular cities, the challenges are great, and the solutions are as unique as the individual communities. However, in each place, there’s a need to increase housing supply, raise wages, address the root causes of poverty, conserve resources, and engage the local community.

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THE GOODS LUCY “GET GOING CARGO PANTS” $89

BOULDERING BASASS TRIPLE CROWN CHAMP

I get so many compliments on these pants, and they are super comfortable to climb in. They’re also pretty loose, so I layer up underneath them when it gets cold.

KERRY SCOTT’S GO-TO GEAR BY GRAHAM AVERILL

Kerry Scott fell in love with climbing when she was just three years old. Her dad let her climb a wall inside a Dick’s Sporting Goods, and she was hooked. She joined a climbing club at Earth Treks, in Maryland, and started competing in youth competitions when she was 10 years old, eventually making the US National Youth Team for bouldering. Now, the 21-year-old college student competes as a pro, and just won the Triple Crown Bouldering Series, one of the most celebrated bouldering competitions in the country. “I love the feeling of working towards larger goals, and seeing my training pay off,” says Scott, who’s just as strong at sport and traditional climbing as she is at bouldering. “I love being outside, testing my limits on climbs, and doing really cool movements.” When she’s not kicking ass in bouldering comps, she’s working as a coach for the next generation of great climbers at the Triangle Rock Club, or knocking out steep 5.14s at the New River Gorge. We asked Scott to tell us about her favorite pieces of climbing gear. Here are her picks, in her own words. 48

MORE GEAR SIERRA DESIGNS PFC-FREE BACKCOUNTRY BED $290

The comfy, 20-degree bag is made with PFC-free DriDown insulation and fabrics, a standard feature in all 2018 sleeping bags. Sierra Designs has made sleeping under the stars both cozy and safe. Concerned about the serious health and environmental effects of PFC-based water repellents, Sierra Designs has developed a safe alternative with nearly identical performance.

PETZL ANGE QUICKDRAWS $11 These quickdraws are so lightweight, which makes it easier to hang draws on my projects.

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TENSION CLIMBING FLASH BOARD $75

It’s a portable hang board that I can easily take with me to the crag to help warm up my fingers.

BUTORA NASHA $179

I like the way Butora handles women’s and men’s gear. They have a narrow fit and a wide fit for all of their shoes. That way, you don’t have to associate gender to the fit of a shoe, and everyone can feel comfortable climbing in whichever version is best for them. I wear the narrow fit, and the sharp edge is perfect for rock.

8BPLUS FELIX CHALK BAG $32

This is the Felix bag, but I renamed him Maggie C, for Magnesium Carbonate. Get it?

B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

NATIVE EYEWEAR WELLS SUNGLASSES $99

Perfect for reducing snow glare or summer sun, these shades’ polarized lenses don’t wash out colors like other shades, and the lightweight polycarbonate resists shattering and can withstand getting crunched inside a pack.

BUFFALO WOOL COMPANY TECHNICAL BOOT SOCK $38

Made from bison down and silk, these socks are the warmest winter socks we have tested. The ultra- soft bison wool kept our feet comfy and toasty dry even in deep snow. Socks are knit in the U.S.

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WHERE CHILDREN OF WINTER NEVER GROW OLD.

Trying to reach active outdoor enthusiasts, adventure seekers, and gear junkies? For more information on advertising in BRO or on blueridgeoutdoors.com:

www.bryceresort.com | 540-856-2121

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LEAH WOODY, PUBLISHER LEAH@BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM

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TRAIL MIX THE RETURN OF TOUBAB KREWE

I'M WITH HER AMERICANA SUPER GROUP SET TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM BY JEDD FERRIS

SHERVIN LAINEZ

I’M WITH HER—THE FOLK SUPER GROUP FEATURING Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan—started by request. Back in 2014, members of string virtuosos the Punch Brothers needed an opening act for a high-profile late-night gig at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, so they asked O’Donovan to put something together. She enlisted Watkins and Jarosz, both already in Colorado to play the festival, and after just a few hours of rehearsal, the impromptu trio was born. To steadfast fans of acoustic music, it wasn’t surprising that the musicians had immediate chemistry. All three have deep resumes and thriving individual careers: Watkins, a deft fiddle player, is likely the best known, as a longtime member of popular pop-grass group Nickel Creek; O’Donovan has recently been emerging as a solo artist after years fronting progressive string outfit Crooked Still; and Jarosz, once a teenage mandolin prodigy, picked up two Grammy Awards last year for work on her latest album. After their initial performance, though, it was clear to the three friends that they needed to make time to further explore 50

I’m With Her. That time has finally come. Following a big-venue stint last summer on the American Acoustic tour with the Punch Brothers, the group will release its debut full-length album on February 16. See You Around was co-produced by the trio and Ethan Johns, who’s helped craft studio works by Paul McCartney and Ryan Adams, and recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England. Besides one cover, a reading of Gillian Welch’s “A Hundred Miles,” the record features 11 original tunes that the band members have been gradually writing together since 2015. The album is a potent acoustic statement that blends refined string arrangements with the forceful emotional impact of three angelic voices often singing in unison. The title track laments a breakup, but the lyrics are delivered through a sunny front-porch mountain song. “Game to Lose” showcases more of the group’s collective talents, starting with delicately chilling three-part

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harmonies that lead into a chamberminded newgrass passage. Already on the road supporting the album with an international tour that extends into the summer, the trio appears to be making this special collaboration more than just a side project. I’m With Her will play a handful of dates in the Southeast this spring, starting with two nights at intimate Station Inn in Nashville, Tenn. (March 8-9). Additional stops include the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Ga. (March 10), the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, Tenn. (March 12), and the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., (March 13). B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S

One of western North Carolina’s most popular bands from the past decade is resurfacing after a brief hiatus with new music and plans to hit the road. Toubab Krewe emerged from Asheville in 2005 and earned a fast following for a sound that fused edgy groove rock with music styles from the West African country of Mali. Propelled by heavily rhythmic drums and percussion, the band’s eclectic instrumentals were largely driven by the intertwining string work of Drew Heller on electric guitar and Justin Perkins on an array of traditional instruments, including the kora and kamelengoni. The band toured relentlessly from coast to coast and made appearances at major festivals, including Bonnaroo, but slowed down after some line-up changes and eventually took a break. Now, after a two-year hiatus, the quintet is set to drop its first new album since 2010; Stylo (pronounced Stee-lo) will be released on March 2. The upcoming effort’s eight new tracks expand the band’s signature sound, adding elements of Afrobeat and New Orleans funk with electronic touches. Lead single “That Damn Squash” is a hazy, atmospheric dance tune that draws influence from Pakistani film scores. The album is now available for pre-order via PledgeMusic and a portion of proceeds from sales of the record and accompanying merchandise will benefit Seed Programs International, a nonprofit fighting hunger and malnutrition by sending vegetable seed packets to impoverished communities. The band will support the new effort with a slate of tour dates that stretch into June. Regional stops include the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, N.C. (April 12), the Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, N.C. (April 13), the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, N.C. (April 14), Terminal West in Atlanta, Ga. (April 19), and two nights in Asheville, N.C. at Ellington Underground (April 20 and 21).

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B LU E R I D G E O U T D O O R S