+ THE COMFORT OF AN OLD TENT + MOUNTAIN BIKING AND MARRIAGE + REVISITING DELIVERANCE : 50 YEARS LATER BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM SEPTEMBER 2022 FREE! RIDING THE COASTAL PLAIN Best Trails by the Beach BEST BIKING GEAR AUTUMN ADVENTURES CLIMB, HIKE, AND FISH UNDER CHANGING LEAVES andSingletrackSuds SHRED-READY TRAILS, POST-RIDE BREWS WELCOME SIGNS: ACCESSIBLEDESTINATIONSTRAVEL
Charlotte. Imaginative brew masters are lighting a fire in the Queen City’s craft beer scene, meaning you’re never far from a well-crafted pint perfectly suited to your taste buds. Made for hop cravers, flavor followers and friend gatherers, these watering holes boast a spectrum of malty, crisp, fruity, sour and every brew in between. Plan your trip at charlottesgotalot.com.
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SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 5 DIGITAL MEDIA ONLINE DIRECTOR CRAIG SNODGRASS webdir@blueridgeoutdoors.comCREATIVECONTENTMANAGER SHANNON MCGOWAN shannon@blueridgeoutdoors.com CIRCULATION INQUIRIES circulation@blueridgeoutdoors.comPRESIDENT BLAKE DEMASO EDITORblake@blueridgeoutdoors.comINCHIEF JEDD FERRIS PUBLISHERjedd@blueridgeoutdoors.com LEAH WOODY ASSOCIATEleah@blueridgeoutdoors.comPUBLISHER KATIE HARTWELL CREATIVEkatie@blueridgeoutdoors.comDIRECTOR MELISSA KENNELLY m.kennelly@blueridgeoutdoors.com ADVERTISING & BUSINESS ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE TAYLOR LEAL ACCOUNTtaylor@blueridgeoutdoors.comEXECUTIVE HANNAH COOPER BUSINESShannah@blueridgeoutdoors.comMANAGER MELISSA GESSLER melissa@blueridgeoutdoors.com EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION SENIOR EDITOR WILL HARLAN will@blueridgeoutdoors.com GEAR EDITOR DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN DESIGNER/ARTdoug@elevationoutdoors.comMANAGER REBECCA CENCEWIZKI EDITORIALart@blueridgeoutdoors.comINTERN JENNY HELLWIG intern@blueridgeoutdoors.com CONTRIBUTORSCOPYEDITORS JULIA GREEN, ROBERT MCGEE DAVE ELLENGRAHAMSTALLARDAVERILLKANZINGER LAUREN STEPP MARY BETH SKYLIS MIKE BEZEMEK GOT A STORY IDEA OR COMMENT? submit@blueridgeoutdoors.com BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM SUMMIT PUBLISHING 977 SEMINOLE TR PMB294 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 22901 ASHEVILLE, NORTH BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COMCAROLINA ©2022 Summit Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ON THE COVER FEATURES 15 | SINGLETRACK AND SUDS Four great mountain biking trails with postride craft brews nearby. 22 | APPALACHIAN AUTUMN Five fall getaways for climbing, hiking, fishing, and relaxing. 31 | RIDING THE COASTAL PLAIN Where to shred singletrack near the sand. 55 | REVISITING DELIVERANCE A whitewater paddler remembers his time as a stuntman on the legendary film. September 2022CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 9 | THE STUDIO An artist carves depictions of rivers from wood. 7 | FIELD NOTES Two lodges in West Virginia are making travel more accessible. 61 | THE OUT AND BACK The comfort of keeping an old tent. 62 | THE GOODS Best biking gear for the fall season. STEPPLAURENBYPHOTO BIKERS RIDE THE GLENWOOD HORSE TRAIL IN THE GEORGE WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON NATIONAL FOREST. PHOTO BY SAM DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY –VISIT VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE 31 39 | DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY A former Olympic paddler leads unique worship services in North Carolina. 66 | TRAIL MIX New music from G. Love, Dawes, and Joe Pug. 13 BRINSONBRENDABYPHOTO 13 | THE ESSAY Mountain biking and marriage.
nd your IN Virginia. WanderLove is about reconnecting with what you love most: crisp mountain air, breathtaking views, and the winding trails in between. Is your WanderLove calling? Plan your road trip now at virginia.org/wanderlove
A Thoughtful Redesign
In the last decade, many towns and counties in Appalachia have turned to tourism and outdoor recreation to stimulate economic growth. After a devastating flood in 2016, White Sulphur Springs was one of those places. The Schoolhouse Hotel combines that economic investment with DOF’s focus on innovative projects for people with disabilities and their families. Accessibility is at the forefront of the remodel, with special attention paid to lighting and sound features, counter height, and automated services.
THE ACORN, A CABIN AT LOST RIVER
“We were able to truly unplug from the outside world and tune in to each other on an amazing level.” technology and other design elements to accommodate guests who are neurodivergent, mobility-challenged, blind, and deaf. Interior colors fall in the cool range and light fixtures limit the views of illuminated bulbs for guests with light sensitivities while all rooms are accessible via a key fob or phone app. With just 30 rooms on site, each features an expansive layout for guests in a wheelchair or scooter. Inside the bathrooms, guests will find low-counter sinks, touchpad-controlled toilets, and roll-inAlthoughshowers.the Americans with Disabilities Act “prohibits places of public accommodation from discriminating against individuals with disabilities,” that level of accessibility doesn’t look the same across the board. Stairs, the width of doorways, furniture in rooms, and other obstacles can limit who feels welcome and can even get into a space. But many in the tourism industry are now focusing on welcoming travelers of all abilities to hotels, restaurants, trails, and river access points.
“We hope this becomes a blueprint for the hospitality industry. The differences between a standard hotel and one that is fully accessible aren’t difficult—this is how a hotel should be built.”
“Having a comfortable stay and positive travel experience is not out of reach for people of varying abilities,” Hammerman said.
For Jonas, Harrington, and St. Cyr, it was important to show deaf children, their parents, and the hearing community that it’s possible to be productive and successful while embracing one’s identity. “Deaf people and deaf businesses have been marginalized for a long time,” Harrington said. “If you take a deaf business and a hearing business, people typically choose the hearing business.”
A Forested Retreat
FROM THE OUTSIDE, THE BUILDING that was formerly a school still looks like it did after construction in 1912, with a brick facade and large classroom windows. But looking a little closer, updated details—like the synthetic grass for guide animals and sliding doors at its entrance—become apparent. Today, the former White Sulphur High School has been transformed into the appropriately named Schoolhouse Hotel. But this isn’t your average boutique hotel. Located in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., rooms at the Schoolhouse Hotel were designed to be accessible for guests with disabilities. “One in five Americans lives with a disability, yet the needs of this market are largely underserved and ignored by the travel and hospitality industries,” said Charles Hammerman, president and CEO of the Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF). The Schoolhouse Hotel and another West Virginia destination, Lost River Vacations, are part of a growing movement in the travel industry to seamlessly integrate access needs.
The Schoolhouse Hotel incorporates How Two New West Virginia Destinations Are Making Travel More Accessible BY ELLEN KANZINGER SIGNSWELCOME
To reciprocate community support, the Lost River Vacations owners recently collaborated with the West Virginia School for the Deaf, hosting the first annual Deaf Art Seekers retreat earlier this spring. “By investing in our community and in each other, we all rise,” JonasTiffanysaid.Saccente, a D.C. photographer and one of the Deaf Art Seekers retreat hosts, said they chose Lost River Vacations to host the retreat for the owners’ longstanding advocacy and support of creatives and business owners. Deaf artists from a variety of mediums came together for a weekend of workshops and networking, and a variety of Deaf businesses sponsored the retreat to make it affordable for attendees.“Wewere able to truly unplug from the outside world and tune in to each other on an amazing level,” Saccente said. “The end result was a collaborative experience unlike anything we’ve had in the area before.”
It started as a conversation over beers between three friends reminiscing about childhood memories filled with outdoor adventures. Jane Jonas, Shawn Harrington, and Andrew St. Cyr met during their time at Gallaudet University, an institution dedicated to the education of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Soon the discussion turned to the lack of Deaf-owned getaways in the area, and on that night in the winter of 2017, the idea for Lost River Vacations wasSinceborn.launching a Kickstarter in 2018, the team has built two small cabins—the Acorn and Black Oak—on their secluded property in Mathias, W.Va., with plans to add a third in the coming months. Guests can play the disc golf course on site, plus easily reach outdoor spots like hiking at Lost River State Park and swimming in George Washington National Forest’s TroutThePond.entire process has been a community effort, as the Lost River team hired deaf entrepreneurs across all phases of the project, from the actual construction of the cabins to signage, logos, custom furniture, trail planning, and artwork. For Jonas, this is just one part of her years-long dedication to supporting and mentoring deaf business owners. “Historically, there has been very little information out there in American Sign Language, and not much support to intentionally grow deaf entrepreneurship,” she said.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 7 FIELD NOTES TRAVEL
VACATIONS. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOST RIVER VACATIONS
“Instead of fitting a few specially designed rooms for those with special needs into a property, we designed and constructed the property to cater to all needs,” Hammerman said.
8 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS 800-933-PARK (7275) | www.virginiastateparks.gov | Know Before You Go — Recreate Responsibly SHENANDOAH RIVER STATE PARK Your Parks Your adventures
RIVERS CONSTANTLY CHANGE, THEIR ebbing and flowing slowly yet steadily transforming the landscapes over time. Artist Chris Haggerty tries to capture that complexity in stagnant pieces that hang on the walls.
“It doesn’t matter what gets in the river’s way; it doesn’t stop just because there are obstacles.”
An artist’s naturalinterpretationsuniqueoflandscape
After his stint in the Navy, Haggerty settled on Long Island near the rest of his family. It didn’t take long for him to realize the high-powered job with a great salary he’d landed was completely consuming his life. Working 12-hour shifts five to seven days a week left him with little time to spend with his family. Plus, pressure caused by the high cost of living in New York, Haggerty says, forced him into a dark place mentally. While scrolling through Instagram, he started to see more people in his feed working with wood. Needing something to do with his hands, Haggerty made his first beach scene using wood,
Creating river art was not where Haggerty originally saw himself headed in life. Other than doodling stick figures on random things, playing guitar, and writing some music, art was never something he was interested in pursuing. “I kind of fell into art,” he said. “I didn’t study art. I couldn’t tell you about any other artists. I just know that what I create I’m in love with doing.”
Sifting through wooden slabs once destined for landfills, Haggerty can see the outline of a river beginning to take shape. Using the natural edges of trees, he combines the wood pieces with sand and rocks for texture and resin to create a sense of movement for the water.
Because Haggerty uses so many natural elements in his art, no two pieces turn out the Haggertysame.has always thought of himself as an outdoorsy guy. But his love for rivers solidified during his time in the Navy. On the rare occasion he had a few days off, Haggerty and his wife would drive to the mountains near Lexington, Va., to visit the Maury River. No matter how many times he visited Goshen Pass, a 3.7mile gorge on the river, it never got old. A river can symbolize something different for anyone—life and death, power and safety, relaxation, and even boundaries. For Haggerty, a river is a reminder that life goes on. “It doesn’t matter what gets in the river’s way; it doesn’t stop just because there are obstacles,” he said. “It finds a way around and keeps going.”
Ahead of making commissioned pieces, Haggerty enjoys talking with clients about their own vision of a river. Details like the size and color scheme of a room are carefully considered as he draws up his plans. His goal is to create statement pieces, wall hangings that a room can be built around. Haggerty’s proud that the biggest complaint he’s received so far about his work is that a client wishes she’d gone with the bigger option.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 9 THE STUDIO NATURALLY INSPIRED
BY ELLEN KANZINGER
Healing Properties
WOODRIVERSCARVINGFROM
ARTIST CHRIS HAGGERTY, WITH ONE OF HIS CARVED CREATIONS. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAGGERTY
Eventually, Haggerty quit his fulltime job and, after a series of chance encounters, decided to resettle with his family just outside of Greenville, S.C. In his new hometown he has been able to fill his days by spending time with his kids and visiting many of the South’s diverse rivers. And he’s found a balance in his life with an outlet for his creative energy.Inhis workshop, Haggerty finds the peacefulness and inspiration he feels when visiting a river is present as he works on a piece. Laying down the riverbed is an intuitive practice. Sometimes everything fits together quickly; other times making sure it
“I didn’t know how to make this work, but I knew that this is what I needed to do.”
While he’s created everything from business signs to furniture, Haggerty gets the most enjoyment out of creating the hanging wall art depicting a river scene. A large 30-inch by 60-inch piece he recently completed now hangs on the wall of his workshop as a reminder of what this work means to him. “Everybody gets imposter syndrome, and it happens to me too,” Haggerty said. “No matter how busy or slow work is, that can creep in. But ever since I’ve had that big piece hanging on the wall, it’s like no, I can do that.” You can find more of Haggerty’s work at ChrisHaggertyArt.com or on Instagram @chrishaggertyart.
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looks natural can be the longest part of the process. “It’s this cathartic thing,” Haggerty said. “It tells me where to put the stuff as I’m doing it.”
HAGGERTY COMBINES WOOD PIECES WITH SAND AND ROCKS TO CREATE TEXTURES THAT LOOK LIKE A RIVER'S MOVEMENT. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAGGERTY resin, and a few found shells. He then realized creating art was what he’d been missing in his life. “That dark space I was in disappeared while I was doing it,” Haggerty said. “I didn’t know how to make this work, but I knew that this is what I needed to do.”
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SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 11 ReinholdSteven© Solutions start in the South.
12 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS Pretty. Thrilling.
Mountain biking in Tallahassee? You bet your hardtail! From rugged and rooty to smooth and scenic, hundreds of miles of trails are just waiting to be bombed, roosted, and shredded. Afterward, cool down and rest up for round two at our biker-friendly hotels, breweries and restaurants in Florida’s Capital City. VisitTallahassee.com
WHEN I HEARD GUTTURAL, ANIMALISTIC screams, I knew I had messed up. It was a humid summer afternoon and the sky over Pisgah National Forest was bruised purple-pink with glints of honey-yellow lightning. Mighty oaks swayed, flashing the whites of their leaves like gleaming teeth. A storm was coming. Which is why I had decided to cut short the mountain biking adventure my wife and I were on. Rather than finish the nine-mile loop we had intended, I juked left at a fork and took us down a black diamond. The shortcut, I figured, would shave two or more miles off the day. Selfishly, I also wanted a taste of gnar—even if my wife, Ashley, wasn’t quite ready for it. About a year prior, I had introduced my then-girlfriend to the bloody, sweatsoaked world of mountain biking. After a quick lesson, Ashley hopped on an old bike of mine and, slowly, ever so cautiously, pedaled down a loamy trail, scrupulously averting every single pebble, twig, and rut in sight. I was impressed by her selfpreservation. To me, mountain biking was a form of masochism—the more cuts and scrapes I accrued, the more badass I felt. That being said, I quickly grew bored of our very careful, painstakingly slow rides. I lusted for adrenaline—the dizzying blur of waxy green rhododendrons and paprikatintedSure,clay.Icould’ve left my dearest at home. Or snuck in a ride or two when she was at work. But, as is typical in most budding relationships, I wanted to share everything with her—hobbies, tattered socks, and even that very last artisanal donut with the lemon-herb filling. (Upon second thought, maybe being single is better?) So, I reined in my rides. On our days off, we stuck to gentle singletrack and gravel forest service roads. All the while, I taught her the basics: body positioning, braking, shifting, trail etiquette, and how to pick How Teaching My Wife to Mountain Bike Changed Our Marriage BY LAUREN STEPP UNTIL SINGLETRACK DO US PART a line. After a month or two, Ashley came to love the sport. But since she was still hesitant, we decisionacracked,andthunderinthattrails.downwhite-knucklednevermenacingButthencamefatefuldayPisgah.AsrolledlightningImadesplit-secondandveered toward the quicker, more pucker-worthy route. “Is this trail hard?” My wife shouted from behind, her voice wavering. “Nah,” I offered sheepishly, squaring my shoulders and preparing for kneedeep ruts and roots the size of my thighs. “It’s not too bad.” At this point in the story, you’re probably judging me. And that’s OK. Go ahead and call me an asshole—because I am. I knew I was the Pied Piper of a soon-to-be wrathful lesbian. But I just couldn't keep denying myself adventure. So, rather than ride my brakes, constantly twisting my head backward to make sure my wife hadn’t impaled herself on a spruce snag, I let loose and allowed my bike to careen down the blushingly steep incline. As the tires kicked up dirt and fist-sized rocks, I giggled maniacally. This is the stuff of life, I thought. This is what my soul needs. My joy was short-lived though. As I navigated a tight turn, the forest let loose a beastly bellow—something akin to a dying cat or shanked boar. Instantly, I skidded to a halt, blood thumping loud in my ears.Iwaited, thinking maybe the cry was a manifestation of my subconscious. But when I heard another howl, I tossed my bike into the laurels and started sprinting as fast as I could. About half a mile up the trail, my wife lay in a pile of bramble, nursing a bloodied shin. Between expletives, Ashley explained how she had lost control and went over the bars. Luckily, she wasn’t seriously hurt. Minus a gashed leg and some bruises, she escaped unscathed. As for her trust in me? That had taken a decent blow. “Lauren,” she shouted, sweat dripping off her forehead, “what were you thinking? Were you trying to kill me?” Stewing in guilt, all I could croak out was a barely audible “I’m sorry.” I knew the gravity of my blunder. Overcome by a selfish desire to shred, I had forced my wife to tackle something she wasn’t ready for. And, in doing so, I had put her in harm's way. But as we walked our bikes back to the car in silence, I realized I had made another mistake months back: I had lost myself. Compromise is normal in a relationship, necessary even. Yet there’s a fine line between giving too much and giving too little, and I had crossed that line. In the starry-eyed zeal of the honeymoon stage, I had stopped riding how I loved to ride. I had dropped my pace, started picking more palatable trails, and even eschewed my almost daily post-work adventure for nights in. Now, let it be known that my wife is a very understanding and supportive person. She would never ask me to change any aspect of myself. But when you enter a marriage, it’s very easy to get caught up in the “we” and forget the “I.” Your independence gets overshadowed by partnership. Over time, that can cause you to make some dumb decisions, like taking your spouse down a lifethreatening stretch of singletrack. Luckily, we made amends. In the months after that mountain biking incident, Ashley and I made a pact to do more stuff by ourselves. Now, I’ll go for a ride or hike while she reads or watches a movie. We’ve learned an important lesson: Aloneness can bring two people closerAftertogether.theincident, Ashley and I made another pact too: Whenever we do go mountain biking as a couple, we always stick to the pre-planned route. No shortcuts, ever. This is the stuff of life, I thought. This is what my soul needs. Luckily, she wasn’t seriously hurt. Minus a gashed leg and some bruises, she escaped unscathed. As for her trust in me? That had taken a decent blow.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 13 ESSAY EXPLORING COMPROMISE
AFTER SAYING “I DO,” THE AUTHOR LEARNS THE IMPORTANCE OF SOLO RIDES. PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR
14 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS REACTIVE LIGHTING in our performance headlamps. HYBRID CONCEPT in most of our headlamps. AIRFIT headband of the IKO. FULL-TILT lamp bodies on all of our headlamps. 50:50 BURN-TIME-TO-BRIGHTNESS performance in all of our headlamps. THESE ARE THE PETZL DIFFERENCES WORTH JUSTIFYING. © 2021 - Petzl Distribution In Cherokee, acts of bravery and extraordinary adventures become legends. Add yours across Fire Mountain’s 11+ miles of jumps, berms, tables, and drops. For more: VisitCherokeeNC.com VisitCherokeeNC.com VisitCherokeeNC.com
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE AN ICE-COLD BREWSKI after a killer day of shredding trails. Below, we share a four-pack of rides that highlight some of the Blue Ridge region’s best singletrack, located near great craft breweries for a post-ride thirst quencher.
THE ECUSTA BREWING COMPANY TAPROOM IN PISGAH FOREST, N.C. PHOTO BY CALEB KNIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Davis, West Virginia The Ride: Little Canaan Wildlife Management Area Mountain biking has helped fuel an economic renaissance for the tiny, 700-person town of Davis— and earned it a shooting star reputation among East CoastTheenthusiasts.MTBmecca is surrounded by 4,000-foot Alleghany Mountain peaks, nestled in a county that holds about 315 square miles of state parks and national forest lands. Together, Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley Resort state parks offer visitors more than 50 miles of trails featuring a nice mix of old-school, cross-country gnar and electrifying park-grade flow. The trailhead for 14.7-mile Hellbender Cirque is less than a mile from town. The route is a hard-rocking showcase of the 3,168-acre Little Canaan Wildlife Management Area. Along the way you’ll use wood bridges to traverse wetlands and bogs, navigate rockfaces and tricky rock gardens, catch 3,500-plus-foot views of Davis, the Blackwater River, and Canaan Valley, and surf more than 1,200 vertical feet of thrillingly technical descents.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 15
BY ERIC J. WALLACE
SingletrackandSuds
Four great mountain biking trails with post-ride craft brews nearby
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Cherokee, North Carolina
More than two decades of passion, lobbying, and good old-fashioned elbow grease have transformed this 12,700-acre municipal park into an MTB paradise. The Cove boasts about 80 miles of purpose-built trails centered around 2,500-foot Brushy Mountain that are sure to inspire greenhorns and experts alike. Better still, they’re located just 10 miles from downtown and minutes from Interstate 81. The area holds a cornucopia of fantastic rides, but four in particular steal the show. String them together for 7.5 miles of gravity-blasting fun, with a couple miles of thigh-melting climbing thrown in for good measure. Start at the Timberview Parking area and use
Roanoke, Virginia
TAKE TUCKERIN
The Ride: Carvins Cove Natural Area
The Beer: Stumptown Ales Enjoy a rotating menu of at least eight house brews on tap, and a small selection of regional wines at this brewery in the heart of downtown Davis. The renovated historic building looks out on the Blackwater River, where the company is in the process of building a seating area. Expect a welcoming, hipster-meets-rugged-and-outdoorsy indoor ambience that should make post-ride visitors feel at home. Routinely touted as West Virginia’s best brewery, Stumptown has a seasonal menu of fruited sours that’s the stuff of local legend.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 56,000acre Qualla Boundary is home to one of the Southeast’s coolest bike parks—and it’s free and open to the public. Fire Mountain is as convenient as it is scenically dazzling, sitting about a mile from both downtown Cherokee and the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The resort-style system has about 14 miles of professionally built flow trails, with a healthy distribution of family-friendly greens and blues, as well as ripper-ready blacks. Routes wind through rhododendron forests characterized by towering Over one hundred miles of world-class singletrack and family-friendly rail trails await you in Tucker County. Find access to over half of these routes, along with a full-service bike shop in Davis, the county’s mountain biking mecca.
The Ride: Fire Mountain Bike Park
trailhead, which brings 1.2 miles of furious downhills and nearly 1,000 feet of vertical drop peppered with berms, jumps, and technical sections. Repeat the Trough/Brushy climb, then check out 2.1-mile, flow-heavy Gauntlet. Veer onto OG Line for .6 miles of jump-fueled adrenaline.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 17
The Beer: Parkway Brewing Parkway sits on the Roanoke Valley Greenway a few miles from the Cove, and has an outdoor beer garden that feels like a small public park. In the evenings, expect live music, food trucks, and about 20 house-made beers on tap. Take your tastebuds on an adventure with experimental pilot system brews like French toast porters, fruited kettle sours, and double dry-hopped IPAs.
To start planning your trip, visit canaanvalley.org
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Solid pub fare is available as well, including seasonal, locally sourced trout dishes. Enjoy outdoor seating in a covered patio area or grassy beer garden.
The Ride: Pisgah National Forest
The natural beauty alone is worth a visit.
This kind of post-ride amenity is rare: The brewery’s outdoor seating area is located at the entrance to the national forest less than a block from a greenway connector trail. A spacious, warehousestyle taproom offers an indoor respite, while a picnic area on the Davidson River keeps your outdoor vibe intact. About 14 house and seasonal brews can be found on tap daily. They’re supplemented by a hardy menu of pub fare, wines, and ciders.
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
Adorned in hues of amber and gold, Marion County’s rolling hills and dense forests set the tone for an epic autumn adventure. Immerse yourself in the season’s best as you chase waterfalls, bike along a rail trail or simply stroll through small towns. Explore more WVtourism.com/MarionCountyat Fall here is a shade more interesting.
It’s rare to encounter a serious U.S. downhiller that doesn’t have Pisgah on their bucket list. With nearly 2,000 miles of trails, the national forest offers some of the most diverse—and intense—riding in the country. Access to one of its crown jewels awaits just five miles north of Brevard.
The 13.6-mile Black Mountain Loop carries riders on an early climb to the 4,100-foot peak of Rich Mountain, then follows with a cascade of white-knuckle descents totaling more than 2,700 feet of drop. Upper portions feature lots of rocky, technical riding and some challenging erosion trenches. From there, the terrain smooths out progressively, eventually transforming into a posterchild for modern flow. World-class downhills await in the trail’s middle and lower sections, including a new 1.5-mile machine-groomed reroute that opened in 2021.
The Beer: Native Brews Tap & Grill
Valley Falls State Park
The first craft spirits operation to open in the Qualla Boundary, Native Brews offers five house beers, two hard sodas, and a hard lemonade. They also make distilled spirits, including a vodka, gin, and whiskey. Of these, we love the Woven Walnut Stout, a delectable dessert beer that blends earthy undertones of roasted walnut with decadent semisweet chocolate.
The Beer: Ecusta Brewing Company
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 19
Two-mile-long, one-way doubletrack rollercoaster Kessel Run is the headliner. This perma-grin inducing beast brings 2,000 feet of vertical descent packed with dozens of tabletops, wood features, high berms, and rhythm sections. Feature-heavy .5-mile progression trail Skilly is also not to be missed. Look for a ton of jumps, ladder bridges, wall rides, rock gardens, and a lily pad gap.
oaks and mossy, boulder-strewn streams. Views of nearby 4,000-foot peaks and the Great Smoky Mountains abound.
Cardinal’s Ride Center Opens in Roanoke’s Grandin Village
-Partner
“I had a vision of creating a destination where cyclists of everylevel and background could come and feel at home,” saidcurrent owner and CEO, Whit Ellerman. “A place that wouldfoster the development of a community of cyclists that supporteach other both on and off the bike, and propel the community forward through moving experiences.”
Cardinal has weekly rides nearly every day of the week to cater to beginners, mountain bikers, gravel riders, and road cyclists. The goal being to provide riders the outlet and encouragement needed to participate in the sport they love so much and the chance to find their tribe.
In September 2021, Roanoke’s oldest local bike shop opened an 11,000 square-foot ride center.
The one-of-a-kind shop is housed in the former Mick-or-Mack grocery store and underwent a stunning transformation from a 1960s-era grocery store to a state-of-the-art bike shop. The shop features a huge service center (including eBike repair), showers, lockers, café, bar, Retul fitting studio, and the largest bike inventory in Southwest Virginia.
ContentBook a Stay and Test Drive Your B&B Dream! $950,000/turnkey • "Lock and Leave" size, ideal for traveling owner • No staff needed to operate impeccably • Minutes from Blue Ridge Parkway • Perfect for solo owner or couple • Positive year round revenue • Steps from hello@roanokeboutiquehotel.comroanokeboutiquehotel.comDowntown|539DayAve.Roanoke,VA24016|540.420.4455 London Downtown Experience the Cycling Capital of Kentucky! London-LaureL County LOCAL SHOPS & RESTAURANTS HIKING • KAYAKING • CYCLING MOUNTAIN BIKING • ATV PARK & MUCH MORE! RegisteR foR the inauguRal honeybun Ride! HONEYBUNRIDE.COM www.visitlondonky.com1-800-348-0095 satuRday, octobeR 8, 2022 london, KentucKy ®
Whatever your discipline, you’re going to want to follow their progress as Cardinal Bicycle continues to develop new classes, skill clinics, training programs, and events for regional cycling enthusiasts. Learn more at cardinalbicycle.com.
Ellerman also wanted to cater to the ever-growing population of competitive athletes and trail-chasers that have arrived to the valley since the region’s transformation into a top east-coast cycling destination. The shop is a testament the success the region has had in terms of bike-related infrastructure and trail development.
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PHOTO BY SEAN BUSHER
For the Hiker: Mount Mitchell Eco Retreat Burnsville, N.C. Nestled in Pisgah National Forest, Mount Mitchell Eco Retreat combines a relaxing autumn retreat with access to adventure. Stay in one of 16 cozy retreat rooms and enjoy the hammocks, firepits, and ping pong tables as you hang outside and spend some time near freshwater with two creeks, a spring, and a pond all on the property.
BY JENNY HELLWIG MOUNT MITCHELL ECO RETREAT.
There’s no better time to visit than fall, where, from late September to mid-November, 500,000 acres of forest come alive with hues of yellow and orange. Hike the Mount Mitchell Trail, which climbs a staggering 3,600 feet in just six miles to a spectacular view from the summit of the tallest mountain in eastern America. Or you can drive a quarter mile from the top of the mountain and enjoy the view from the observation tower. There is no shortage of trails in Pisgah—beginners will enjoy
Appalachia in Autumn Five Fall Getaways in the Blue Ridge
AS THE BLUR OF THE HOT SUMMER MONTHS fades away, the start of fall welcomes crisp cool breezes and new opportunities for adventure. Autumn in Appalachia is the perfect time to hike, paddle, and bike in cooler temperatures that provide a relief from the sweat and stickiness of the summer. Plus, the foliage highlights the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge. Enjoy the fall colors at these unique getaways that provide access to adventure right out their doorsteps.
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kentuckytourism.com WHO SAYS HORSEPLAY IS ONLY FOR HORSES? Autumn. That time to get outside, run, jump and explore Kentucky’s outdoors! No matter if you have two legs or four.
24 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS BAKERS MOUNTAIN PARK MOUNTAIN CREEK PARK RIVERBEND PARK ST. STEPHENS PARK MAKING. LIVING. BETTER. MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO OUTSIDE AND GET SOME AIR. CATAWBACOUNTYPARKS.ORGMOUNTAIN CREEK PARK Pick up the pace and explore Frederick County on two wheels. Glide along country roads through picturesque covered bridges or hit the mountain bike trails in State and local parks. Cool off with a craft beverage at dozens of breweries. Our terrain offers routes and trails for every rider. visitfrederick.org • 800–999–3613 scenic route TAKE THE
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(TOP LEFT/RIGHT) SANTEE STATE PARK CABINS. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DISCOVER SOUTH CAROLINA (BOTTOM THREE) SCENES FROM MOUNT MITCHELL ECO RETREAT. PHOTOS BY SEAN BUSHER a Riverfront concert series Charlottesville, VA river by day, music by
For the Climber: Dream Rock Silo Independence, Va. Switch things up from the typical hotel room and stay at a fully furnished, picturesque red silo in Independence, Va. Booking a night here ensures access to two floors, where you can take in the 360-degree view from the living room and bedroom with windows all around. But the quirks go beyond staying inside a silo—during your stay, you can follow clues to take home a prize located within a secret compartment.Thisgemis only a car ride away from Grayson Highlands State Park and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, home to the highest peak in Virginia. The park has over 1,000 bouldering routes, providing variety for crag lovers. Crunch some leaves under those climbing shoes as you traverse the first official bouldering trail in the state. Bouldering among rolling meadows, extravagant mountain peaks, and roaming wild ponies will make for a memorable experience in these autumn months.
For the Angler: Elk River Inn Slaty Fork, W.Va. Located right alongside the Elk River in the Monongahela National Forest, the Elk River Inn is a top regional destination for fly fishing. The inn is a fully licensed fly fishing outfitter that offers a variety of guided trips. Try a six-hour wade and fish trip, level up your skills at the two-day fly fishing school, or challenge yourself during a more difficult wild brook trout trip.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 25 the Max Patch and Roaring Fork Falls trails, while more advanced hikers can take on the Daniel Boone Scout Trail to Calloway Peak.
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For the Yogi: The Atlanta Alpaca Treehouse Atlanta, Ga. Have you ever hung out with llamas and alpacas while staying in a treehouse located inside a bamboo forest? If the answer is no, plan for an unforgettable stay at the Alpaca Treehouse in Atlanta this fall. The main feature is the vintage treehouse, built entirely out of reclaimed materials and raised 15 feet above the ground. Though still in the city, you’ll feel removed from Atlanta as you watch the animals roam around the forest from your spot on a swinging outdoor bed. Find meditative bliss during a llama yoga class in the Bamboo Barn, in which the llamas—Figgy, Llyra, and Queen Dali—will keep you company as you find your flow. The animals on the farm, from llamas to roosters, are all rescues, and the farm also breeds critically endangered species to prevent their extinction. What started as just a backyard treehouse and a place to hang out has turned into a Southern getaway with the opportunity to make some new furry friends.
Snag big air and even bigger discounts when you visit mid-week. Chill out amidst over 100,000 acres of public lands and one of the coolest small towns in America. explorebrevard.com | 800.648.4523 DEERWOODE RESERVE Enjoy a mountain getaway on 175 acres of peaceful wildlife preserve, minutes to downtown. Rustic cabins Hiking trails | Fish, Swim & Kayak Firepits | Dog-friendly Great for families & groups! DEERWOODE.COM(828)201-2615 THE SUNSET MOTEL Seekers, Wanderers, Lovers Your oasis awaits… At the Sunset Motel. A modern motor court with retro style. Brevard’s iconic roadside restwith a twist. THESUNSETMOTEL.COM(828)884-9106 DD BULLWINKEL’S D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors & Moose Tracks Footwear is your local go to for gear, apparel & footwear. Serving as WNC’s destination for the outdoors for 28 years. DDBULLWINKELS.COM(828)862-4700
If you’re looking to fish on your own, the inn offers daily equipment rental services. If you prefer to pedal, the inn provides guided mountain biking tours, shuttle services, and bike rentals. After a long day of exploring, enjoy a comfortable stay in one of eight guest rooms or four cabins on the property.
For the Paddler: Santee State Park Cabins Santee, S.C Picture this: you feel the wind blow gently across your kayak as you dip your paddle in the lake, the water reflecting the multicolored foliage of the trees around you. Capture this peaceful autumn scene at your stay in one of Santee State Park’s 10 pier cabins or 20 cabins on the shore of Lake Marion, South Carolina’s largest lake. Each fully furnished cabin sleeps up to six people. For a day out on the water, you can rent paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes directly from the park. Fishing is also big at Santee, where you can catch largemouth bass, striped bass, bream, crappie, and catfish (with a valid South Carolina fishing license). Finish a day with a walk on one of the three short nature trails located around the park, or go for a bike ride on the park’s seven-mile multi-use trail.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 27 (TOP) MOUNT MITCHELL ECO RETREAT. PHOTO BY SEAN BUSHER (BOTTOM) SCENES FROM DREAM ROCK SILO. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DREAM ROCK SILO
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BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS Get outside. And feel it inside. When autumn graces Southern West Virginia, it bestows a surreal beauty on the New River Gorge National Park. Here, days spent exploring mean moments savored and memories made. Crisp nights are paired with loved ones gathered around a toasty fire. A fall getaway like no other is just at your fingertips. Explore more at WVtourism.com/VisitSouthernWV
New River Gorge National Park
30 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS Adventure Adventure Fall in Dawsonville, FGeorgia all in Dawsonville, Georgia Create your Cown reate your own Get your FREE visitors guide at DestinationDawsonville com or call 1 877 302 9271 #Dawsonville Burt's Pumpkin Farm | Fausett Farms Sunflowers | Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch
Despite moving to a leisurely South Carolina beach town, I didn’t want to give my legs a break. I needed miles—and fast. Before I’d fully recovered, I drove with my bike over to Carolina Forest to check out the trail. On the way, it was housing developments, golf courses, and outlet malls as far as the eye could see, so my expectations were low. But pulling into the parking lot, my optimism rose when I saw riders with quality bikes zipping past on a trail through forested hills.
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Looking to shred singletrack near the sand, a mountain biker is pleasantly surprised
BY MIKE BEZEMEK WHEN I FIRST HEARD THERE WAS A SEVEN-MILE mountain bike trail in Myrtle Beach, I didn’t expect much. My wife had recently moved to teach in a nearby college town, and I followed a few months later after my final semester teaching in St. Louis. On the drive south, I detoured with a buddy for an impromptu bikepacking trip to the remote Big South Fork National Recreation Area on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. Several days later, I drove toward Myrtle Beach in prime riding condition with the goal to make things work—both as a freelancer and a mountain biker.
That first ride was a whirlwind of hairpin turns, carpet-covered berms, and flying jumps. The sandy singletrack included plenty of short but steep climbs and fast flowy descents. Officially called the Horry County Bike and Run Park , the trail is nicknamed The Hulk after its most challenging section: A plunging descent leading to a sharp jump, a sweeping berm, and an equally steep climb back up to the ridge. After my first lap, I was so impressed, I happily continued for a second lap. This time, I paid attention to the source
CoastalRidingthePlain THE AUTHOR SITS AT AWENDAW PASSAGE. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
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BROWNS CREEK BIKE PARK. PHOTO BY BRENDA BRINSON of this surprising topography on the Coastal Plain, an area known for sandy flats and blackwater swamps, not mountain biking. The Hulk is a series of stacked loops built into 72 acres of vegetation-stabilized dunes and dredged sands left over from the construction of the Intracoastal Waterway, which borders the southeastern edge of the park. While the Hulk quickly became my go-to ride, it didn’t offer as much mileage as I wanted. I was lucky to travel out West each year for work, so I wanted to maintain my legs for mountainous trails and multiday bikepacking trips. Most days at the Hulk, I’d had enough after three or four laps, partly due to fatigue and partly from the repetition. So, I started exploring outward from the Hulk. At first, I rode one of the area’s few paved cycling paths over the waterway and east through a construction zone—one of the many new housing developments being cut into cleared forest. At Pirates Voyage, I turned south. For many visitors, this dinner show is as adventurous as it gets, with scantily clad theater graduates swinging around on ropes while patrons eat exactly one half of a chicken. Yeah, we went. From there, I rode surface streets and sidewalks to the beach. When the surface was packed by recent tides, I could ride it with my 2.2-inch tires. But when the sand was loose, I stuck to North Ocean Blvd, where people would scratch their heads at the lost mountain biker riding through a canyon of hotels. After turning north through neighborhoods, and making a harrowing sprint across Highway 17, I returned to the Hulk having logged either 31 or 38 miles. This was short of the 40- to 50-mile rides I wanted, but it would have to do. During my second year in Myrtle Beach, there were several developments in my mountain biking adventures on the Coastal Plain. By now, I’d recognized the limitations of my narrow-tire cross-country bike. I’d also discovered how difficult it is to stay motivated with only one 7-mile trail and a tourist district to ride. When in town, I mostly just worked, exercised, and planned our next trips to the mountains. Living in a sandy region, I realized a bike with wider tires would open up new possibilities closer to home—plus, I could use it for rides in western deserts. So, I picked
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 33 Fall is a beautiful season in Chesapeake, Virginia. With miles of colorful fall foliage along our trails and waterways, you can bike, hike, paddle, or stroll through the season. Have fun on our farms and explore pumpkin patches, corn mazes, homemade pies, and jams. Revel in one of our many fall events ranging from oysterfests to wine festivals. Make Chesapeake your fall getaway. VisitChesapeake.com/fall 888-889-5551 BRO ad septƒ.indd 1 8/12/22 6:50 PM
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Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve is barely noticeable on most maps, but this state refuge offers over 10,000 acres of forest, shrubby pocosins, and wildlife. There are maybe 20 miles of sand roads for biking, walking, or driving. It was a great ride through scenic longleaf pine savannas, and I tried but failed to spot some of the 23 Carolina bays found within the preserve.Upand down the Coastal Plain, there are thousands of Carolina bays, most of them elliptically shaped and pointing the same direction, which are much easier to see in satellite imagery. Many have dried up and filled with vegetation while others are seasonal swamps or year-round lakes. The mystery surrounding their origin eventually led me to Bladen County, N.C., where I explored some of the most intact bays by foot and boat. At Jones Lake State Park, a local hiker told me about a new mountain bike trail nearby, so I soon returned with my bike.
After these last few years, it’s time for you, and your stress, to take it outside. Norfolk, Virginia has entered the chat — delivering miles of beautiful waterfront trails that in true Norfolk fashion, offer plenty of rest stops at great local breweries, eateries, museums and of course, a Battleship (not a typo). So use those vacation days for a change and get outdoors in Norfolk.
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BIKERS CAN RIDE THROUGH THE LONGLEAF PINES AT LEWIS OCEAN BAY HERITAGE PRESERVE. PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR up a lightweight fat bike with 3.8-inch tires and started looking for new riding opportunities. I’d heard there was a nature preserve just north of the Hulk. Channeling past bike-packing adventures, I decided to ride there. After briefly studying a map, I pedaled east on a dirt road and around a back gate into a country club community. Curious residents waved at the fully kitted-out fat biker casually riding past their million-dollar homes. Next came a short but nervewracking ride on the shoulder of a rural highway that led me to a sandy back road.
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Browns Creek Bike Park is definitely the best trail I’ve ridden on the Coastal Plain. Currently, it offers 13 miles of surprisingly varied terrain, with lungbursting climbs leading to flowing descents, sweeping curves, wooden berms, and plenty of rowdy jumps. Located in Elizabethtown, N.C., it’s about 35 miles southeast of the fall line, where the sands give way to the foothills of the Piedmont. The secret to Browns Creek’s success is that it’s built into rising hills just south of the upper Cape Fear River. Every lap involves over 500 feet of climbing and an equal amount of descent. Honestly, the trail feels like it was plucked out of the Appalachians and dropped onto the Coastal Plain. As I continued looking, I found more worthy trails as well. I rode the easternmost sections of the Palmetto Trail, including the Awendaw Passage along a pleasant tidal creek, and the beefy 47-mile Swamp Fox Passage through the remote Francis Marion National Forest. Though my wife and I had visited Wilmington, N.C., several times to hike through Carolina Beach State Park, I’d never taken my bike. So not long ago, I made a day trip to check out two trail systems. The older trails are at Brunswick Nature Park , with about seven miles of singletrack loops winding around bluffs above Town Creek. Options range from easy warm-ups to advanced grinds over roots and rocks. Plus, there’s a skills park with elevated bridges, logs, and jumps. The real gem in Wilmington is Blue Clay Bike Park , with seven miles of flowy singletrack, including beginner and intermediate loops. With elevation so hard to come by, the Cape Fear SORBA trail builders used what was available—an old landfill. Don’t let that dissuade you from riding this excellent trail, with a mix of steady climbs, flowing drops, sweeping turns, and some jumps to keep it sporty. The trail is easy on the joints, and on my first visit I rode it three times and soon returned with my wife. More trails are out there, and I still haven’t made it to those around Charleston or a newer one in Florence, S.C. While the area may never be a riding destination like Pisgah or Moab, with trails like the Hulk, Browns Creek, and Blue Clay, it’s an exciting time for mountain biking on the Coastal Plain.
At Blue Ridge School, we are experts in how boys learn best. The result is a college prep program that guides boys to reach their full potential in the classroom and beyond. Our 750-acre campus at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains is home to a renowned Outdoor Program that fosters a respect for nature and leadership skills that last a lifetime.
36 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS Explore Explore Grayson Grayson From epic mountain biking routes to easy going rail trails, there's a perfect ride waiting for everyone in Grayson County, Virginia. . Plan your adventure today. www graysoncountyva com ALL BOYS. ALL BOARDING. ALL COLLEGE BOUND. BLUERIDGESCHOOL.COM OUTDOOR ELECTIVES
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The beginning of endless discovery. Days spent exploring the great outdoors and nights cozied up in a cabin, legendary history and rich Appalachian arts and culture - it’s all awaiting you in Stonewall Country. It’s time to make up for lost time in Almost Heaven. Explore more at WVtourism.com/StonewallCountry
Stonewall Resort State Park
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Dickert is an elder statesman in the Blue Ridge river community. He has been connected to the NOC in varying capacities for over 40 of the organization’s 50 years. He has seen nearly everything the sport of whitewater paddling has to offer as a teacher, ambassador, and competitor. He qualified for and competed in the 1996 Olympic Games, earning a 9th place finish on the Ocoee River course.
Dickert started River of Life in an effort to combine his passions for ministry and the water. He is also the pastor at Bryson City United Methodist Church, so he departs River of Life every Sunday to return to his home assembly for his second sermon of the day. Every Sunday, that is, except for the final of the month, on which the River of Life congregation shuttles up to the Nantahala put-in and enjoys a trip down the river together. Now in its sixteenth summer, River of Life prides itself on being a sanctuary. It is nonDown to the River to Pray
A former Olympic paddler leads waterfront worship services in North Carolina
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MEMBERS OF WAYNE DICKERT’S RIVER OF LIFE CONGREGATION. PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE
INSTEAD OF DRESS SHOES, THERE WERE Chacos. Instead of organ music, the sound of rushing water. This June, for the first time in many years, I found myself at a Sunday morning church service. It looked nothing like any congregation I’d seen, and that is the point of Wayne Dickert’s River of Life congregation, a non-denominational fellowship built around a shared love of the river. Held every Sunday from Memorial Day until September at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the mountains of western North Carolina, a River of Life service feels more like a campfire circle than a shared worship. Attendees were greeted by acoustic music in the picnic area beneath the NOC ropes course, mere feet away from the facility’s eponymous river. Terry Cotton, the designated one-woman welcome party, wrapped each of us in a spirited bear hug. When Pastor Wayne took the microphone, everyone took their seats and the service began.
BY JARRETT VAN METER
40 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS CONGREGANTS MEET AT THE NANTAHALA OUTDOOR CENTER IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE denominational, with a desire for positive impact and water as the primary unifiers. “We’re water people,” Dickert explained to me after the service. “Most of us are here because of the water. We’ve been drawn here because of the river. Some are just more outdoorsy people who aren’t river people but just love the setting. We could hold River of Life in other settings, but I don’t think it would hold the same significance in other places. Being by the Nantahala River, being by a river, is Wearingimportant.”sandals, sunglasses, and a Pyranha Kayaks t-shirt reading Drop Waterfalls, Not Bombs, Dickert greeted the 16 in-person attendees and additional live streamers with his signature warmth and gregariousness. He delivered an update on ROL’s initiative to build wells in Haiti, which now has a tally of Following137. his opening address, Dickert opened the floor for attendees to share “God sightings,” moments of perceived grace or beauty from the previous week. A woman named Joan rose from her seat and made her way to her car, returning a minute later lugging an orange Wave Sport Diesel 60 kayak, as well as a spray skirt and paddle.
“Hey Daingr, come here, I don’t know if I can fit in this,” Dickert said to a young boy in attendance as he examined the boat. After the boy, wearing jeans and sneakers, climbed inside, Dickert told him to pick up the paddle.“You know what my God sighting is?” Dickert asked the boy. “That’s your boat and paddle and sprayTheskirt!”circle burst into applause, the boy’s face unfolding into a massive grin. Dickert then turned the microphone over to his summer intern, Parker Hughes, to deliver the day’s sermon. Hughes, a graduate student at the Duke University Divinity School, spoke of a recent paddle he enjoyed with Dickert on Lake Fontana. He recounted the beauty of the water and the accompanying sadness he felt in observing the amount of trash littered on its banks.“We have a special role that God has given us to take care of creation,” Hughes told us. “We share in God’s glory, and one of the ways we share in His glory is by being good stewards of our land.”
Every service concludes with a moment of solitude, when congregants disperse from the circle to find a place along the river’s edge for quiet reflection. Separated by pulled-to-shore slalom gates, we stared into the rustling Nantahala. On the other side of the river the road was beginning to come alive with traffic. The sun was up, awake, but had yet to melt away the fresh morning chill. We returned to the circle to sing “Amazing Grace,” then, after a few final words from Dickert, the service ended.“For Bryson City, the river is one of the things that puts this place on the map,” Hughes told
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SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 41 Explore our trails twisting through miles of forests, and alongside rivers, making for a great weekend getaway. GoGastonNC.org/getaways THE TRAILS ARE WAITING
“It’s remarkable.” WAYNE DICKERT COMPETED IN THE 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES. PHOTO BY MIKE DUBOSE
“I think it’s a really cool way of envisioning what church can look like, what a community of faith can look like, kind of centered around an outdoor activity, around the river,” he said. “Being out here and getting to share everybody’s appreciation for the peace and quiet, and the community that had been built up around this place is prettyDickertincredible.”stuckaround after the dismissal to break down the speakers and load them into his nearby Subaru, on top of which was strapped a blue Pyranha kayak. A few cars over, Daingr’s parents were strapping his new boat to their car, which put a smile on Dickert’s face. He has watched both this congregation and the NOC grow up through the years, and while kayaks are not given away every week, each Sunday on the Nantahala feels like a gift to him.
42 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS me. “It’s both an economic hub and is really tied to the spiritual life of the place too. It really is a part of the service. You can hear it at all times. To just have that flow in it is Hughes,beautiful.”aCalifornia native, does not consider himself a paddler, but, as evinced in his sermon, has embraced the River of Life’s fluid philosophy.
“It’s pretty cool that from pretty humble beginnings and just having people come together and support each other, push each other, challenge each other in supportive ways, what can come out of it,” he told me.
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Powell River
Wise County, Virginia offers visitors and residents alike year round natural beauty, endless outdoor recreation opportunities and music and cultural arts festivals in friendly mountain communities. With an unmatched quality of life, affordable real estate, broadband availability and low cost of living, it’s also a true remote work paradise.
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In eastern Virginia, the trails at York River State Park allow you to explore a variety of coastal habitats by bike. More than 18 miles of trail, ranging from easy to difficult, snake through this rare estuarine environment where freshwater and saltwater meet. The mountain bike-only trails allow you to push yourself as you ride through marshes and forests with views from the riverbank.
Biking the Southeast
An additional ten miles of multi-use trails weave through the forest of Fairy Stone State Park. Bike along the lake shore, view spectacular wildflowers and a waterfall, and climb up to stunning overlooks. While exploring, keep an out for the legendary fairy stones, a naturally occurring stone formation, that can be found throughout this landscape.With41 state parks dotting the Virginia landscape from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains, you’re sure to find one that fits your sense of adventure. Pump up your tires, grab your helmet, and head out to a Virginia State Park today.
Fall is almost here, and you know what that means folks? It’s time to pump up your tires and dust off your helmet as you head out on a bike ride. Our region has it all, from challenging singletrack and scenic greenways to heart-racing downhill and rolling countryside roads. No matter your style of riding, discover a new destination to explore in this guide to biking the Blue Ridge and beyond.
Top Virginia State Parks for Bikers of All Ages
High Bridge State Park
StatePocahontasPark
VirginiaStateParks.gov
When it comes to planning your next biking adventure, look no further than the hundreds of miles of trails snaking through the Virginia State Parks. Home to some of the best views and waterways in Virginia, there’s no better way to take it all in than a day spent in your saddle. Want to try an all-day or multi-day excursion? New River Trail State Park is a 57-mile linear park in southwest Virginia running from Galax to Pulaski. Between the rail trail’s gentle slope and the beautiful views of the New River, this is a great option for riders of all abilities. With three primitive campsites, plus several parking lots, picnic shelters, and restrooms, along the way, you can design your trip to fit your style. If you’re in the mood for a shorter day trip, traverse 31 miles on High Bridge Trail State Park. Take in the views from High Bridge, a historic landmark, as you bike 2,400 feet across the Appomattox River flowing 125 feet below. Looking to ride some sweet singletrack and scenic routes? Pocahontas State Park has more than 70 miles of directional mountain bike and multi-use trails. This park has all the flow and obstacles you could want out of a challenging course, including hand cycle-friendly trails. Be sure to check out the newest trails at the Swift Creek Trail System in the park.
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Welcome to a world of trails, wildlife, and beautiful scenery on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Strap on your helmet and explore the best the area has to offer on two Forwheels.afun and beautiful ride, visit the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge to hop on the Southern Tip Bike and Hike Trail. This five-mile paved trail runs parallel to Route 13 and leads directly to the refuge’s educational visitor center. For a full day, follow the Butterfly Trail to a World War II cannon and marsh overlook. At Kiptopeke State Park, spend the day exploring the well-known concrete ships, a gorgeous beach, a playground, a fishing pier, observational points, and eight scenic trails. Named after various birds, the trails signify the many species that fly through the area. Although the majority of these trails are not paved, there are many areas to safely bike throughout the park. Walk through maritime forests and listen to the Chesapeake Bay lap the shorelines just below. As you head back to your campsite, stop at the Butterfly Garden to see the monarchs during their biannual migration or explore the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory’s Hawk Watch Platform.
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Plan your visit around one of the Shore’s major biking events. Le Tour de Shore, put on in June, features a variety of distances through picturesque towns and along the water. Whether you’re up for 25 kilometers or 100 miles, you’ll find a bike is the best way to see all the area has to offer. In October, the CBES Between the Waters Bike Tour takes you along the longest stretch of natural coastline left on the East Coast. Celebrate the event’s completion with a classic oyster roast and live music.
Photo courtesy of Artisans Guild of the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a true gem in the area. If you enter by bike, it is free to access with plenty of scenic areas to experience on two wheels. The Wildlife Loop is a paved 3.25-mile loop around a marshy area called Snow Goose Pool and is perfect for biking, photography, and bird watching. Many trails break off of the loop, including Swan Cove Trail, which will take you to Assateague Island’s beach, and Marsh Trail, which leads to a scenic overlook of the marsh. Pedal through the island’s pine forest to Assateague Point on the Woodland Trail. Keep an eye out for woodpeckers among the trees and a view of the wild Chincoteague Ponies.
The Top Biking Trails on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
More to Explore There’s so much to explore beyond the trails and rolling backroads. The Eastern Shore is a birdwatcher’s paradise. The peninsula acts as a funnel, pushing birds through the area as they navigate the Avian Flyway during fall migration. Visit one of 22 stops on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail for sights of diverse wildlife or book a guided excursion to one of the wildlife refuges and barrier islands to see these creatures take to the skies. Then it’s time to check out the wide range of artisans who call the Eastern Shore home. You’ll find painters, sculptors, glassblowers, woodcarvers, and everyone in between finding inspiration from this coastal haven. The Artisans Guild of the Eastern Shore is hosting their 20th annual studio tour at the end of November, providing a unique opportunity to see all of the artists at work and enjoy a taste of local wines. Discover what the coast is all about when you visit Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
VisitESVA.com Chincoteague Island
VisitFranklinCountyVA.com
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Waid Park Pedego Electric Bike Tour, courtesy of Visit Frederick Gambrill Overlook, courtesy of Visit Frederick
Franklin Freewheelers
Adventure Around Every Turnin Franklin County, Va.
No matter your style of riding, Frederick County has a route for you. From scenic rides through the city and countryside to a taste of mountain biking and multi-day trips, you can’t go wrong in this slice of Maryland. Road cyclists will love the North County Bridge Sampler, a 40-mile excursion through the county as you cross three covered bridges, and the Frederick History Bicycle Loop, a tour of the area’s vibrant history that cuts through Frederick’s historic district, a Bicycle Friendly City. When you’re done in the saddle, Downtown Frederick is full of restaurants and shops to try. Start your morning off at Gravel & Grind with a menu full of artisanal coffees. Kick back with a cold beer and sandwich from Brewer’s Alley Restaurant & Brewery or go for an upscale cocktail and dinner from Hootch & Banter. North Market Pop Shop is the place to stop for all kinds of treats, including over 400 varieties of glass bottle soda pop while Retro Metro is a one-stop shop for quirky gift items. Running along the county’s southern border, the C&O Canal Towpath offers endless opportunities for day trippers, bikepackers, and families along a flat stretch of gravel riding with a shaded tree canopy. Stop into Brunswick, a Canal Town, to rest your legs and grab a bite to eat. Beans in the Belfry, a delightful cafe housed in an old church, features a menu filled with comfort foods like breakfast sandwiches served on flaky croissants and an assortment of desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. Holiday Inn & Suites is a bicycle-friendly hotel for thru bikers. Need something while you’re in town? River & Trail Outfitters can hook you up with gear rentals and shuttles, plus guided tours along the canal. For all of your tune-up and spare parts needs while on the road, Wheel Base has you covered. Reserve a road, adventure, or mountain bike and learn about the best places to ride through Bicycle Escape. Stop by Pedego Frederick for electric bike rentals and tours of the town. Plan your trip for the end of October when Frederick County will host the 2022 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships. With events taking place at Gambrill State Park and the Frederick City Watershed, you can see some of the best riders in action while enjoying two world-class mountain biking locations. Book a room at one of the hotels in Frederick to stay close to the action. VisitFrederick.org
Bike Hip and HistoricFrederick County, Md.
Calling all trail riders, road cyclists, and adventure seekers to Franklin County, Va. Explore an area rich in beautiful scenery and culture in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Get your adventure started at Waid Park, a 500-acre park featuring over 15 miles of trails. You’ll ride sections of technical singletrack, river crossings, wooden ramps, and rock gardens, plus you can test your abilities on a jump line, riding skills loop, and more. Along the way, you’ll encounter active farms and the Pigg River Blueway flowing through the park. You can even hop on a section of the Historic Old Carolina Road Trail, a roadway settlers used in the 1700s. Then head out to Jamison Mill Park for an additional 300 acres and six miles of interconnected loop trails. Located on the sprawling Philpott Lake, you’ll have views for days, plus easy access to a quick cool down in the water. You can even stay at the campground, open from April through October, for easy access to the trails. If you’re looking for a quick jaunt, the Maurice Turner Trail in the charming town of Boones Mill is the perfect escape into nature. This 1.5-mile path cut through the forest provides easy access to the amenities of town, including Holly Jo’s Creekside Grill for a sizzling burger or Hammer & Forge Brewing Company for a post-adventure drink. Or, if road cycling is more your jam, the Franklin County Freewheelers Bicycle Club can help you find the best back roads around for picturesque views and challenging climbs, including weekly Thursday night rides. After a day in the saddle, make your way into Rocky Mount for a stop at one of the many dining, drinking, and lodging options with smiling faces ready to greet you at the door. You can’t go wrong with a stop at Rocky Mount Burger Company or Country Barn Restaurant for some much-needed home cooking. Quench your thirst with local spirits from Twin Creeks Distillery, featuring weekly old-time jams. Plan your visit for the second Saturday of the month when the Historic Depot highlights local talent in its Homegrown Music Series. With so much excitement packed into one day, a cozy room at the Early Inn at the Grove is an ideal place to rest and recharge. Adventure is waiting for you in Franklin County, Va.
Not all of Florida is flat. Marked by rolling hills and red clay soils, Tallahassee boasts over 700 miles of trails that wind in and around this friendly city in the state’s panhandle. When you’re ready to get off the trails, you can traverse a town rich with history, culture, cuisine, and a vibrant art scene beneath a canopy of live oaks. Munson Hills is the perfect beginner’s spot. Located in the Apalachicola National Forest, it offers a semi-challenging, five-mile ride with fantastic views. An additional 16 miles of connected trails crisscross each other within the forest.
Tallahassee’s Red Bug and Cadillac trails serve up swerving singletrack rides through the legendary Red Hills of the area, testing the mettle of even the most skilled riders. But don’t worry—there are bypasses should you find any of the technical portions out of your skill level.
Nearby, the Historic St. Marks Railroad Trail offers an easy, paved course from south Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks on the Gulf of Mexico. The journey of 20.5 miles is flat and easy-going, with plenty of places to stop and rest along the way. At the end, you’ll even discover several waterfront restaurants where you can enjoy delicious, local cuisine before journeying back.
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It’s all waiting for you in Tallahassee, Fla.
On the southeast side of town, Tom Brown Park provides extensive options for mountain bikers of all abilities. Magnolia is a singletrack trail with narrow chutes that wind their way up, down, and around pitched hillsides. There’s a good pit stop on the east end which includes a bike station with water, a shower, and bathrooms. From there, jump on Kudzilla for a fun ride featuring berms for cornering and big jumps. For an off-the-trail biking activity, the park’s Velosolutions Pump Track® offers a challenging array of jumps, twists, and turns to give any rider a great feeling of excitement.
Tallahassee is Florida’s Mountain Biking Paradise
VisitTallahassee.com/Trailahassee
Stay Awhile There’s so much more to explore off the trail. Visit the Tree to Tree Adventures at the Tallahassee Museum, a must-do for any adventurous person looking for a thrill with zip lines that take you over the wildlife below. Dive into the cool waters of Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park where you can swim in the world’s largest and deepest freshwater spring, take a boat tour along the Wakulla River, and hike the trails through Wakulla State Forest. Take a tour of Tallahassee’s culinary delights that will entertain any palate. Start the day with a hearty meal from Canopy Road Café or refuel for an afternoon ride at Grove Market. Check out unique eateries like Jeri’s Midtown Café and enjoy some laid-back fun at Madison Social. You can even check out Tallahassee’s growing craft beer scene with several award-winning breweries, including Brewing, DEEP, Ology, Oyster City, and Lake Tribe.
Lafayette Heritage Trail offers a moderately difficult trek through pine forests, across a wide-open greenway, over a covered bridge, and around Lake Lafayette. There are ample opportunities to spot egrets in flight, see alligators peacefully swimming, or even observe deer jaunting through the woods. Restroom facilities, water fountains, and picnic tables are available near the Piney Z side of the trail.
Four bike shops—Epic Bikes, The Great Bicycle Shop, Joe’s Bike Shop, and Trek Bicycle Tallahassee—offer a huge range of rentals, apparel, bike accessories, and services for bikers of any level. Stop into one of the shops for the local lowdown or visit MBTallahassee.com for an all-in-one guide to the trails of Tallahassee and upcoming rides.
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Beyond the resort’s boundaries, discover miles of gravel, road, and singletrack to ride in George Washington National Forest and the surrounding area, all of which are accessible right out of the Bryce parking lot. Want to work on your skills and tighten up your technique? Bryce partners with TakeAim Cycling to provide professional learning experiences on the mountain. With private and group lessons, skills clinics, and gravity camps taught by PMBIA-certified instructors, there’s never been a better time to learn from some of the best. This is a destination you’ll want to visit again and again as the park is always expanding and changing. Set in the beautiful mountains of the northern Shenandoah Valley, Bryce Resort is the place to be for all things mountain biking this fall. BryceResort.com
Epic Riding Through
Virginia’s Blue Ridge
VisitShenandoahCounty.com Mill Mountain Overlook
BikeVBR.com
Shenandoah County features the perfect blend of rolling countryside hills and rocky singletrack. Situated between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains where the North Fork of the Shenandoah River runs through the valley, it’s hard to beat the views from yourFindbike.your groove at Seven Bends State Park where you’ll have access to two easy, two moderate, and four difficult trails. When you’re ready to take on the big stuff, head into George Washington National Forest for a sweet stretch of singletrack or Bryce Resort for epic downhill. If road riding is more your style, check out one of the bike loops along scenic byways for a variety of route lengths and difficulties to fit your day. For a more laid-back excursion, book a ride with Burg E-Bike Tours and hop on an electric bike as you travel the back roads to three local wineries. At the end of a long day, Hopewell House Bed and Bike is the ultimate lodging destination for cyclists visiting the area. They serve a nutritious, locally-sourced breakfast every morning and provide access to an on-site shop for minor repairs. Find your way back to the open roads and trails of Shenandoah County.
PhotographyLeaganRandybyPhotos Roanoke County’s Explore Park
Whether you’re new to mountain biking or have been shredding the trails for years, Bryce Resort’s Bike Park features 13 lift-accessed trails—covering everything from flowy beginner singletrack to an advanced double-black jump line—to satisfy every kind of rider. With one of the longest bike park seasons in the country, running from May to November, there’s still plenty of time to get in a visit this year.
Start your trip out at Roanoke County’s Explore Park. Home to the Blue Ridge Bike Center, a progressive mountain biking skills park, you can access a network of 14 miles of multi-use trails and miles of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Additional on-site amenities include ziplining at Treetop Quest, fishing on the Roanoke River Blueway, and drinks at Twin Creeks Brewpub, as well as campsites, RV sites, and cabins for a cozy overnight. Head into the nearby town of Vinton for a delicious meal at FarmBurguesa, RND Coffee, or New York Pizza. Head out to Botetourt County for miles of winding roads and unspoiled beauty. Ride some of the best backcountry trails through George Washington and Jefferson National Forest on the Glenwood Horse Trail. Road cyclists can take the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail through the towns of Daleville, Troutville, and Buchanan along winding country roads. When you’re done exploring, check out Foot of the Mountain Cafe, 1772 Rooftop on Main, Town Center Tap House, or Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque for a hearty refueling. Within Roanoke city limits, Mill Mountain Park features ten miles of trails, plus connects to the extensive Roanoke Valley Greenway network. Don’t miss the ride to the iconic Roanoke Star with stunning views of the valley. Enjoy a post-adventure treat from Blue Cow Ice Cream, Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage, or Crystal Spring Grocery Co. Several local outfitters, including Cardinal Bicycle, Roanoke Mountain Adventures, Downshift Cycling, and East Coasters, provide gear rentals and biking essentials, as well as regularly host group rides and other fun events. Plan your visit around one of the area’s upcoming events. On October 9, road riders will take to the streets of Historic Fincastle for Virginia’s Blue Ridge Gran Fondo Families and adventurers of all ages can try a variety of activities, listen to live music, and interact with their favorite brands at Roanoke GO Outside Festival from October 14 to 16.
Trails for Every Rider at Bryce Resort, Va.
Fun for All in Shenandoah County, Va
Welcome to Virginia’s Blue Ridge, America’s East Coast Mountain Biking Capital and an IMBA Silver-Level Ride Center. Encompassing the cities of Roanoke and Salem, as well as the surrounding counties of Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke, there are over 400 miles of trails, 1,110 miles of gravel, and 2,000 miles of road routes for cyclists of all kinds within a one-hour radius.
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While there are hundreds of miles worth exploring, Mountain Maryland has worked with its local trail groups to develop eight distinct road routes. The routes range in distance from 15 miles to an 80-mile ride that will take you from downtown Cumberland to the Flight 93 Memorial in nearby Shanksville, Pa. If you are looking to rent a bike or need a quick tune-up, Allegany County is home to multiple outfitters, including its newest business, Wheelzup Adventures Wheelzup started as a shuttle-service business that provided passenger and bike transportation to and from trail towns along the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage. Now that business has expanded to a retail storefront in downtown Cumberland. The store offers trail, road, and kid bike rentals, apparel and gear retail, and the outfitting connection for a variety of tours and guided experiences. When you are done on your bike, check out some of the other trails in the area for a refreshing taste of the mountains. The Donut and Go, a donut and coffee trail, features 11 stops that are here to provide you with the perfect combo of sugar rush and sustained buzz as you venture out to explore the mountainside.
Drive the Mountain Maryland Tap and Pour Craft Beverage Tour for a roundup of the area’s best wineries, breweries, and distilleries. After a long day outside, grab a glass of your favorite drink while you enjoy the mountains of Maryland.
A quarter of Allegany County is preserved as public land, giving riders plenty of options to choose from. Bike the trails around Lake Habeeb, known for some of the bluest water in the state, at Rocky Gap State Park. Hang out on the park’s beaches or take a boat out on the water for a change of scenery. Green Ridge State Forest offers more than 80 miles of trail for hikers and bikers to discover.
Traffic is light, which makes travel faster and safer. The region is geographically central to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and neighboring Maryland counties, which means more routes for you and more scenic beauty, which isn’t too shabby either!
Get away and ride all day in Allegany County, the ‘Mountain Side of Maryland.’
MDMountainSide.com 1812 Brewery C&O
More experienced riders will enjoy the Green Ridge Mountain Biking Trail, a 12.5mile circuit made up of mostly singletrack. Additionally, two internationally recognized trail systems meet in Allegany County to give you countless riding options. Head north from Cumberland, Md., on the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile rail trail that finishes in Pittsburgh, Pa., or take the C&O Canal Towpath 184.5 miles south to Washington, D.C., on one of the most visited national parks in the country. With so many miles available on these off-road gravel paths, it’s easy to go for a day ride or string together a multi-day bikepacking trip. Road cyclists will love the routes available in Allegany County, especially in the fall season when the mountainside is bursting with hues of red, orange and yellow.
Bike the Mountains of Allegany County, Md. Canal
Situated among the Appalachian Plateau and Allegheny Mountains and bordered by the Potomac River, Allegany County is a scenic biking destination in the ‘Mountain Side of Maryland.’ A convenient drive from major regional cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, you will find plenty to do in your saddle and off.
Rocky and Rooty Rockingham County, Va., is Built for Bikes
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Find Your Ride in Salem, Va.
George Washington National Forest is the crown jewel of the region with several hundred miles of backcountry trails and trail projects that have been built and optimized for mountain biking, including Narrowback Mountain, Lookout Mountain, and Wolf Ridge. Some of the best backcountry riding can be found on the TransVirginia Bike Route, 550 miles on a new gravel bikepacking and touring route focused on rideable, non-technical, unpaved terrain. A biking trip to the area wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Massanutten Resort. As one of only two lift-accessible mountain bike parks in the state, the lower and upper lifts take riders up the mountain so they can enjoy the rocky terrain on the way down. The Western Slope Trails offer an additional 30 miles that make up an ever-growing network of trails. Be sure to keep an eye on the calendar throughout the year for a variety of events and races. Several bike shops and outfitters in the area offer a variety of services while you’re in town. Swing by Mole Hill Bikes in Dayton for all of your gear and repair needs. If you’re looking to improve your skills out on the road or on the trail, the fine folks at East Coast Bicycle Academy and TakeAim Cycling can help make biking a more enjoyable and safe experience for everyone. Want to ride like a local? Book a tour of the area, including George Washington National Forest, with Bluestone Bike & Run and Shenandoah Mountain Touring. With all of this concentrated local knowledge, plus weekly group rides and events throughout the year, it’s easy to see why cyclists of all types are attracted to theAsarea.you’re exploring the county’s trails and country roads, make time to stop at one of the area’s fine breweries or wineries. Soak up the mountain views, stroll through fields of lavender, and jam along to live music as you sip on homegrown craft beverages. Plus, with dozens of restaurants, three farmers markets, and a creamery, you’re sure to find a treat to satisfy your cravings.
Known as the “Disneyland for Bikes,” Carvins Cove is a must-see while in town. Over 60 miles of multi-use trails cut through the forest and around the reservoir. The upper section consists of advanced, technical trails that will challenge any experienced rider, while the lower section offers a great test for beginner and casual riders. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to ride exciting jumps, flowy singletrack, and downhill. There’s also plenty of space for hiking, horseback riding, and water activities. Stop in to see the smiling faces at Just the Right Gear for all your biking gear and apparel needs while in town, conveniently located on the way out to the cove.
Head deep into George Washington and Jefferson National Forest to the Dragon’s Back. Located in the North Mountain Trail System, the area’s name comes from the mountain’s unique ridgeline and shape from afar. This area features some of the most challenging mountain biking in the Roanoke Valley and, according to professional mountain biker Brice Shirbach, “some of the Southeast’s most revered backcountry.”
When you’re done visiting the sights, check out Salem’s delicious post-adventure food and drink options. The Dilly Dally, a historic general store, is the perfect spot for a quick snack, refreshing ice cream cone, or homemade cupcake. Fill up on authentic Mexican dishes from the family-owned Muchacho Alegre or order a huge calzone from Mac and Bob’s Restaurant. Cap off your trip by raising a glass to a day of adventure at Olde Salem Brewing Company or Parkway Brewing Company. By the time you leave, you’ll already be planning your next visit to the area’s trails. Discover the best of Salem, Va., today.
VisitSalemVA.com | BikeVBR.com
Having hosted over 90 NCAA Championships, Virginia’s Championship City is no stranger to visitors. Soon the area will have its own competitive force as Roanoke College launches a competitive cycling program this fall. The men’s and women’s teams will eventually become part of the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference, helping shape the next generation of elite cyclists.
Surrounded by the George Washington National Forest and Shenandoah National Park, Rockingham County, Va., is known for its diverse mix of biking options. From peaceful county trails and bike-friendly streets to winding singletrack and challenging mountain bike courses, there’s something for all types and levels of cyclists.
Fulks Run, photo by Scott Brown Resort,Massanuttenphoto by Cheryl Woods
North ParkwayMountainBrewing Co.
VisitRockingham.com
With easy access to some of Virginia’s finest outdoor offerings, including the Appalachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Roanoke River Blueway, it’s no wonder cyclists are flocking to Salem for a taste of adventure. Mountain bikers will especially love the variety in terrain and elevation that the area offers.
Looking to extend your trip with a more thorough exploration of the Roanoke Valley? RMA also offers a variety of bike rentals and guided outings, whether you’re planning to ride the full 270 miles or just want to go for a jaunt around town. Take a mountain bike out to the gnarly terrain of Carvins Cove or rent a cruiser bike to meander along the Roanoke River Greenway. You might even try one of the Rad electric bikes to get you around town. For a true taste of the area, book the Views and Brews guided e-bike tour for sweeping mountain vistas and tastings at three local breweries. You’ll cover paved pathways and gravel trails, see iconic Roanoke landmarks, and experience the beautiful river flowing through town. Or, reach out to the outfitter about creating your own custom tour of the area. With hundreds of miles of trails in RMA’s backyard, ranging from beginner to expert terrain, they can help you book the perfect outing to test your skills. After a few long days of cycling, you might be looking for a change of scenery. Luckily, RMA also rents out kayaks, tubes, and standup paddleboards for adventurers looking to get on the Roanoke River. They’ll shuttle you out to the put-in so you can float back to the outfitter, conveniently located on the river and across from the greenway.Roanoke Mountain Adventures is your gateway to the RockStar Route and outdoor outings of all types in the Star City. Let RMA and its knowledgeable guides take care of all the logistics, so you can enjoy the ride.
Ride the RockStar Route with Roanoke Mountain Adventures RoanokeMountainAdventures.com
RMA can also recommend bike-friendly lodging for your trip. Then book a shuttle ride to Black Sheep Coffee, the starting point in Harrisonburg. When you finish at the Texas Tavern in Roanoke a few days later, it’s a quick ride back to RMA where your car will be waiting to take you back home. Call the outfitter at (540) 525-8295 or send an email to info@ roanokemountainadventures.com to schedule your custom outing or shuttle.
RockStar Trail RockStar Trail Mill Mountani
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From Rocktown to Star City, discover a multi-day bikepacking challenge that will blow your mind with beautiful views and work your legs all day long. The RockStar Trail connects Harrisonburg and Roanoke, Va., along a 270-mile route through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Three route options are optimized to fit your riding style. Over 70 percent of the TRAIL route features top-notch singletrack as riders climb and descend nearly 60,000 feet in elevation through George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. Gravel grinders can ride the same terrain corridor along dirt, gravel, and forest service roads with the GRAVEL route. If you prefer taking the backroads, the PAVE route covers ground on mostly country roads through the rolling hills of the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valley. All three routes pass by plenty of restaurants, craft breweries, historic landmarks, and lodging options for when you need a break from the saddle. Make your way to the Star City where Roanoke Mountain Adventures can provide all the services you need for your ride. Before you head out on your epic adventure, let the RMA staff look over your bike for a tune-up so everything is in peak working condition. You can also stock up on a variety of bike parts and accessories, including a spare set of tubes, frame bags, and tools, or an ever-changing assortment of consignment items.
Lost River Barn (aka Raw Talent Ranch) has undergone renovations and is maintaining the legacy of the esteemed cycling center. Contact them for lodging and for information about cycling routes. Hardy County offers a range of accommodations including vacation cabins, inns, hotel/motels, and campgrounds along with restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores in close proximity to most routes. So, come for the day but plan to stay the night! There’s always another ride for the next day.
Cycle the Country Roadsof Hardy County, W.Va.
VisitHardyWV.com
LexingtonVirginia.com
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Get an early start on two wheels as you breeze past pastoral landscapes, quaint villages and towns, and historic, natural, and cultural resources with a Rockbridge County cycling route.Road cyclists have endless options along the region’s low-traffic backroads and scenic loops. A ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a bucket list activity for cyclists from around the world, offering miles of breathtaking views and some challenging rides. When you’re done admiring the vistas from the scenic overlooks, grab some scrumptious barbecue or wood-fired pizza at JJ’s Meat Shak in Buena Vista.
Take the Scenic Route ThroughLexington, Buena Vista,and Rockbridge County, Va.
Photo by Shannon McGowan Chessie Trail, photo by Steve Shires
Gravel racers should save the date for GraVista 2023. Sip a craft brew, grab a bite from the kitchen or food truck, and enjoy some live music at breweries along the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail Lexington is the perfect hub for your cycling adventure. Book a stay at one of the downtown hotels or B&Bs within walking distance to shops and eateries. Those looking for a more rural setting will find many cabin and vacation home rentals specializing in outdoor recreation such as Sugar Tree Inn, Fox Hill B&B, Steeles Manor Tavern B&B/Cabins and Hummingbird Inn. And for the most down to earth lodging options, eight campgrounds offer primitive tent sites, full RV hookups, and everything in between. | RockbridgeOutdoors.com
The area’s greenways, paths, and trails allow for a different perspective. The Chessie Nature Trail is a seven-mile rail trail between Lexington and Buena Vista, meandering alongside the Maury River. Its level path, shady stretches, and lovely scenery make the Chessie an ideal outing for families, birders, geologists, and wildflower lovers. Other mountain bike trails can be enjoyed at Glen Maury Park and Lake Robertson. For those into unrelenting climbs, endless mountain views, and gravel, the Little North Mountain Loop is 27 miles of nearly all-gravel roads with views of Lake Merriweather.
The Lee Ranger District of George Washington National Forest is crisscrossed by hiking and cycling trails with rustic camping sites along many routes. Maps for hiking, cycling, and camping are on their website.
Those looking for an epic cross county experience can cycle a segment of the TransAmerica Bike Trail as it swoops across the parkway on Scenic Byway 56, then takes a tire-burning plunge into the town of Vesuvius and pushes through Lexington. The four-mile climb, reaching a grade of 24 percent, is not for the timid and is considered the toughest leg of the trail. Refuel and restock at Gertie’s Country Store in Vesuvius with downhome cooking like fried bologna sandwiches and scratch-made desserts.
Wind through the mountains and river valleys, explore gravel routes and backcountry trails, and experience cycling on country roads! World-class cyclists and less skilled riders explore Hardy County’s roads to “test their limits and fine-tune their skills.”
Join Lost River Trails Coalition for their Trail Days in Lost River State Park. They are repairing existing mountain bike and hiking trails and developing a universally designed mountain bike trail system in the park. For dates and information see their Facebook page.
Fifty years ago, a film appeared on the big screen which caused audiences to squirm with angst, due to a terrifying sequence of terrifying events in the backwoods of the Southern Appalachians. During production of Deliverance, three Georgia whitewater paddlers happened to be in the right place at the right time, becoming stuntmen and technical advisors for the film. Doug Woodward recounts what it was like to be part of that experience.
A QUESTION I’M OFTEN ASKED, WHEN THE conversation turns to the movie Deliverance, is “How real is that story? Did it arise from James Dickey’s imagination, or did it have its origins in real life?” Yes, there was indeed a canoe trip into wild country that author Dickey and two friends took as young men. A journey with sinister undercurrents that could easily have taken the trio into a darker scenario. I met Dickey only once. It was on an intimate fall evening in Atlanta, at Lewis King’s Buckhead home. Dickey’s friend since their early twenties, King was, in many ways, the real-life model for Lewis Medlock (played by Burt Reynolds) of Deliverance. As a canoeist, archer, and athlete of note, he had already lived the Thererole.were six of us at the table that night: King and his wife Joan, James Dickey, Payson Kennedy, Claude Terry, and myself. Payson, Claude, and I had been running whitewater rivers together for years, but it was Claude’s friendship with King that had brought us there. Around the King dinner table, with rising excitement, we discussed logistics, equipment, and sets as if we were the filmmakers ourselves. The Chattooga was the river we all knew best: the rapids, the obscure access points, where to find the required scene. In the end, Warner Brothers chose both the Chattooga and Tallulah, each becoming a portion of Dickey’s fictitious Cahulawassee River. Dickey was an imposing figure of a man, and his presence filled the room. But it was much more than physical. There was a mystique about him—of things hidden, perhaps ominous—that he enjoyed perpetuating. There were references to the canoe trip BY DOUG WOODWARD
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“How real is that story? Did it arise from James Dickey’s imagination, or did it have its origins in real life?”
Revisiting Deliverance And the Real-life Canoe Trip that Spawned the Famous Story
THE DELIVERANCE FILM CREW GETS READY TO CAPTURE STUNT WORK ON FIVE FALLS, A RAPID ON THE CHATTOOGA RIVER. PHOTO BY DOUG WOODWARD
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57 which he and King had taken years before with another close friend, Al Braselton. The trip that gave rise to the imaginings which would eventually become Deliverance. Dickey would not describe details of that canoe trip. With a knowing smile, he would simply say, “There’s a lot more truth in the story [Deliverance] than you might think.”King was more candid. We knew that they had canoed the Coosawattee River in northwest Georgia. Truth now eerily imitating fiction, the Coosawattee, at the time of the Deliverance filming, was in the process of being dammed and the valley behind it would slowly fill over the next two years, drowning all traces of those whose lives were once intertwined with the river.
King later supplied what we came to regard as the facts of that river trip, now long faded into the mists of time. First, he had emphasized, “You may think of the southern Appalachians as being wilderness now, but in the thirties and forties that country was really wild. A man that was perceived as a threat to the mountain folk might just disappear—permanently. Murder was always a viable option, because few outsiders were going to go snooping around those forests looking for the missing man.” It seemed that the canoeing that day was actually done by Dickey and Braselton, while King went looking for a place downstream where he could meet the pair. Finding no road to the river, he parked and started down a path leading through the woods. Like yellow jacket sentries guarding their nest against danger, two armed men suddenly appeared and demanded to know his business. King’s tale of a (UPPER LEFT) THE AUTHOR GETS MAKEUP APPLIED THAT LOOKS LIKE CUTS AND BRUISES. PHOTO BY PAYSON KENNEDY (BELOW) NED BEATTY AND BURT REYNOLDS WITH THE FILM CREW. BY DOUG WOODWARD
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SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 59 canoe on its way through the rapids of this river seemed absurd to the mountain men, and they thought it was far more likely that he was a revenue officer looking for their moonshine still. The older of the pair told the younger to take King to the river and “stay with him, son,” words—along with their sinister undertone and unspoken meaning—that King never forgot. Unsure of his armed companion’s patience, and almost overwhelmed by the thought that Dickey and Braselton might already have passed that point, King waited and sweated and prayed. The canoeists had run into serious difficulties themselves in the rapids upstream, but finally hove into sight as daylight was beginning to dim. At that point, the demeanor of the mountain men changed completely. Shotguns disappeared, and there were smiles and kind words as they helped carry the canoe and gear up the hill to the truck. We left the King home in high spirits, hoping against hope that we could become part of the adventure to come—the actual filming of Deliverance. Waiting through spring and early summer was agonizing, but at last the Warner Brothers call came and we immediately put our Atlanta jobs on hold. For two weeks, we were made up as doubles, including “cuts and bruises,” Claude as Jon Voight, Payson and I as Ned Beatty. Our canoeing was done primarily in the Five Falls section of the Chattooga, where the bruises we acquired were quite genuine. But instead of an injured Burt Reynolds lying in our canoe, we paddled with his dummy, affectionately known as “No Balls” for the void in his hinged crotch area. We were also consulted for certain scenes, such as Voight clawing for a finger hold on what would be named “Deliverance Rock.”
Our screen time could be measured in seconds, but the effect that the film had on our lives was far-reaching. That same summer, Claude and I started Southeastern Expeditions, running folks by raft down the Chattooga while still hanging onto our jobs in Atlanta. Payson and his family took an even bigger leap, as they broke all Atlanta ties and threw themselves into transforming the old Tote-N-Tarry Motel in Wesser, N.C. into one of the premier whitewater outfitters in the world, the Nantahala Outdoor Center.
A WARNER BROTHERS CREW READIES CANOES AND EQUIPMENT. PHOTO
Fifty years have passed since Boorman and his crew brought Dickey’s novel to life on the screen. For me, the old intensity is gone and now it’s just fun to get into it once in a while when someone happens to mention Deliverance. But sometimes I look back over all those years—how the three of us became linked to the legends of the film and the river, the whitewater rafting business that Claude and I founded, the evenings spent behind the projector as folks clamored for candid glimpses of Reynolds and Voight—and think to myself, if not for James Dickey... BY DOUG WOODWARD
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SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 61
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
The comfort of keeping an old tent BY AVERILL
GRAHAM
It's possible that I’m not rational. It probably all started with the tent I took camping during high school. It wasn’t even my own tent—it was my best friend John’s tent, a spacious and heavy canvas thing that seemed like it slept 18 and looked like the tents Hawkeye lived in on M.A.S.H. In my mind, my friend’s dad smuggled the tent home from Vietnam. It’s not true—he probably bought it at the Army Surplus store—but that’s the story I told myself. I’ll never forget the smell of mildew and cigarettes, but the thing I remember most about this tent was how hard it was to pitch. It took several of us working in unison with my buddy John orchestrating the thing like a conductor. One of the tent poles was broken and held together with duct tape. It was seven feet long and couldn’t be folded, so we drove to the campsite with it sticking out the car window. One time, I borrowed the tent and went camping without John, but we couldn’t figure out how to pitch the damn thing without his orchestrating, so we just slept on top of it. I was reminiscing about that beater of a tent recently while car camping with my own family on the edge of Lake Hiawassee, where Georgia and North Carolina share a watery border. It was the sort of trip where nothing went right. We got a late start because my kids had baseball or volleyball or soccer or some other team sport that takes up 99% of our free time, so we pulled into camp with just enough daylight to pitch the tent before the sun set. Or if you’re a
THE OUT AND BACK GEAR SENTIMENTAL REST IN PEACE
“half-empty” kind of person, we got there just in time to experience the rain storm that would settle in for the next several hours. The campsite saw biblical levels of flooding and I cooked bratwurst in the rain while everyone else huddled in our tent, a four-person model from The North Face that we’ve had for almost 20 years. The crazy thing about this tent is that it’s been shrinking steadily over those two decades. At least, that’s what it feels like; every time we go camping, our kids are a little bigger and take up a little more space. This last time, in the rain at Lake Hiawassee, my family was busting at the seams of this four-person tent, which might explain why it started to fall apart on us.First, the Velcro straps that hold the rain fly to the tent poles delaminated. Just pulled right off the inside of the fly. Then, one of the door zippers started peeling off. We’ve patched a few holes over the years, but apparently holes are contagious 'cause there are new ones. And if I’m being honest, the tent doesn’t necessarily keep the rain out anymore, as much as suggest strongly that the rain stay out. I don’t blame The North Face. The tent was a quality item, but it’s lived its entire lifespan in the Southern Appalachians, which is essentially a large humidor, so of course the tent is suffering from jungle rot. And I don’t begrudge the tent for finally failing. We all get old, our edges delaminating, our zippers peeling off. We collect holes. It’s the cycle of life. But because of my emotional attachment, I can’t just get rid of this tent. There’s too much history here. We took our kids on their first camping trip in this tent. This is the tent we retreated to when our three-year-old son grabbed the wrong end of the fire poker stick. This is the tent my wife and kids sheltered in during a hailstorm in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Three different family dogs have slept and shaken off lake water in this tent. Ideally, I’d have a personal museum where retired pieces of gear would go on display so I could reminisce about all of our good times together. “Kids, look, this is the original hardtail mountain bike with the ancient geometry that I was riding when I dislocated my shoulder for the third time!” I’m not suggesting the museum would be anything ostentatious—two or three floors with tastefully lit displays and informative plaques. I could hold open houses and give tours to the general public once or twice a week. Or better yet, I can give this tent a Viking funeral, setting it adrift on a wooden boat in the middle of the lake and setting fire to it with flaming arrows. The family could take turns sharing their favorite memories of the tent, letting go of our shelter in a dignified blaze of tears, whiskey, and fire. But my wife had a better idea. We’re going to save The North Face tent, stashing it away until our kids are in high school and start venturing out on their own camping trips with their friends. They’ll learn the nuances of setting it up—how the rain fly just sits precariously on top of the poles because the Velcro doesn’t work anymore. They’ll use duct tape in strategic places to hold it together, just like we used duct tape to hold John’s tent together. And maybe it will be so frustrating that they won’t even bother pitching it some nights. They’ll just sleep on top of it, just like we did back in the day. And they’ll get emotionally attached to it the same way I grew emotionally attached to John’s tent, and everything will come back full circle. And when my kids have kids, they’ll recant stories about their dad’s crappy family tent, the one they used when they were teenagers, the one that smelled like wet dog and let in at least half of every rainstorm.
AS A GENERAL RULE, I DON’T THINK IT’S healthy to get emotionally attached to anything that doesn’t have a soul, or at the very least, can’t wag its tail at you when you walk through the door. I’m talking about stuff. Inert, lifeless stuff like backpacks and bicycles. And yet I have a track record of falling in love with certain pieces of gear, to the point where I’m blind to their obvious faults and actually offended when someone suggests I upgrade. Why would I get a new puffy jacket? Just because all of the down has fallen out of this one and it has so many patches I look like a NASCAR driver? But I was wearing this jacket the first time I got frostbite! I can’t just get rid of it. We’ve seen things together!
But because of my emotional attachment, I can’t just get rid of this tent.
62 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS THE GOODS RIDE TIME BY DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
The first thing we loved about this slick-looking commuter bike is how easy the brand makes it for you to build it straight out of the box. It even includes a nifty stand that’s part of the packing cardboard that helps you assemble your new ride. Beyond that, the bike is designed to be comfortable and reliable when it comes to getting you around town without gas power—but with the ability to go longer distances with less effort. A step-through frame and back cargo platform make it ideal for rides to work or the farmers’ market. $1,799; chargebikes. com Leon Cycle NCM C7
Pivot Shuttle SL Moving on to the singletrack, Pivot has crafted the best electric mountain bike to date, balancing the power delivery of an e-bike with the fun handling of a traditional ride. Weighing in at just over 36 pounds with 132mm of rear travel (via Pivot’s outstanding DW-Link system, the best we have used for uphill grinding) it can handle serious technical terrain and the 60 N.m of torque and 450 watts of power juice you through ugly climbs. The price tag is insane, but Pivot and dealers will work with you for the perfect build on this carbon frame 29er— and it’s money well spent for a machine that can bring mountain biking to those who are challenged by a standard ride or those who simply want to be able to access more terrain on epic adventures.
$11,999 (full build); pivotcycles.com
E-BIKES AND BEYOND
QuietKat Jeep Rubicon Automaker Jeep and electric bike brand QuietKat collaborated on this fat-tire full-suspension goliath that can handle gnarly roads, sand, and slickrock with aplomb. The big monster delivers 105mm of suspension and 1,000 watts of power and, most importantly, it gives you a comfortable 32–63 miles of range on a full charge, depending on how hard you run the motor. It may be heavy, but it eats up hills and technical stuff with ease. $7,499; quietkat.com
Sweet Protection Outrider MIPS
This light lid is ideal for arduous gravel benders, but it’s also a fine choice for big road rides. The MIPS construction offers better protection against the brain slosh of a concussion, distributing impact across the helmet, and comfort pads help you customize a fit you can dial in with the Occigrip system. Best of all, the helmet also provides plenty of ventilation for those long, hot days. $150; sweetprotection.com
LEON CYCLECHARGE COMFORT 1 ALCHEMY PIVOT QUIETKAT SWEET PROTECTION
Fall is here and we have a full roundup of field-tested electric bikes. Plus, we’ve reviewed some fresh cycling accessories that will get riders of all interests out enjoying the trails, roads, and paths this season.
Charge Comfort 1
Alchemy eRonin Welcome to the big evolution in e-bikes. This carbon-frame gravel machine weighs in at an impressive 30 pounds and gives you the power to huff though epic rides on backroads and beyond, thanks to a Fazua Evation mid-mounted drive system that keeps the weight down while still giving the thing plenty of guts on the dirt. Credit that power to 60 N.m of torque and a 250 watt-hour battery. No, it’s not cheap but we posit that it’s better than a motorcycle for accessing backcountry terrain and far easier than struggling on a traditional pedal bike. Colorado-based Alchemy only sells direct to consumers and gives you a money-back guarantee on the bike. $10,999; alchemybikes.com
This trusted German bike brand now available in the U.S. wowed us with a machine that’s perfect for the bike paths and city streets. The eight-speed NCM C7 weighs in at 50 pounds and features three power options fueled by a 350W Das Kit rear drive motor with Intelligent Torque Sensor technology that responds by giving you just the power you need as you pedal—especially up long climbs. The result is a ride that can really move. Bonus: what we love most about this bike is that it’s still quite easy to ride even if your battery dies (unlike many heavier e-bikes that leave you out of luck and far from home). $1,399; leoncycle.com
SEPTEMBER 2022 | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM 63 Inc.Outfitters,NestEagles2022© Go Farther and Relax Easier Whether on a multi-day trip, or cruising around town, the TechNest Hammock provides the perfect space to rest and recover. It’s low profile and lightweight design make this feature-packed hammock your go-to pedaling companion. enonation.com DEUTER IS FOR FINDING YOURSELF #deuterforever AIRCONTACT ULTRA 45+5 deuter.com
64 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS THE GOODS RIDE TIME NIRVANAKOKOPELLISELF-BAILING X PURTREK
$140; camelbak.com
Tsuga
Zeal Optics
Primo Maternity Chamois Shorts Kaden Apparel has made the first padded cycling shorts designed specifically for pregnant cyclists, featuring a tall belly band and articulated curve under the tummy, making them a godsend for both pregnant and postpartum cyclists who just want to feel comfy on their rides. $108; kadenapparel.com SKRATCHOPTICSLABS
KÜAT PISTON PRO X
Burley Bark Ranger No, it’s not for your kid… it’s for that fur baby. This dog stroller (for pets up to 75 pounds) and bike trailer combo offers a roomy interior, exterior pockets to store leashes and treats, mesh windows for breezy ventilation, and a large rear tailgate with low clearance for easy loading and unloading. At the end of the day, remove the trailer floor for easy clean up, or fold it down for compact storage. $600; burley.com
TSUGA CAMELBAK ZEAL
Red Cliff These polarized sports shades will keep your eyes safe on rides but still look top notch when you hang out on the brew pub deck afterwards. Plus, you can feel good about the plastic on your face: The Z-Resin frames, which offer stable fit even on rocky rides, are made with a plant-based material derived from the castor plant. $159; zealoptics.com
Best of all, the metal is impervious to the abuse of road salt. $1,389; kuat.com
Evo 12
RECOVER BRANDS
Recover Brands
For those who want a traditional pack, the reliable M.U.L.E. series (we have been using these since the 1990s!) offers up plenty of space and nice balance, staying close to the torso while carrying three liters of water in the bladder. Best of all, it’s been updated with welded seams and weather-resistant fabric to keep essentials dry when you get clobbered by a sudden storm. Weighing just over one pound, the pack features an airy back panel that provides plenty of ventilation.
Küat Piston Pro X
Skratch Labs Energy Chews
BURLEY KADEN APPAREL
$160; tsuga.us Camelbak M.U.L.E.
Sport Tee Built from plastic bottles, this performance tee does not feel like something you’d toss into the recycle bin. It’s soft to the touch, wicks sweat and stink, and regulates temperature, whether you are working up a sweat or facing a chill breeze. All that adds up to the perfect mountain bike shirt that can pull double duty if you are hiking or running, too. $25; recoverbrands.com
The hip pack is hot—it doesn’t sweat out your back or mess with your rhythm on the bike, and it’s easy to access water and gear without taking it on and off. Tsuga took that performance up a level here with a modular pouch system that lets you change the size of the pack (with three different options), according to your needs on a ride. Two water bottles are conveniently placed so you can grab them and put them back on the go, and the fit of the whole thing is designed to never pinch or get in the way of your riding.
Küat’s latest rack is a triumph of innovation. The brand took all it learned from building racks and perfected this pneumatic rack, which can be operated with one tap without making contact with the bike frame to hold it secure. It’s adaptable for a wide range of bike sizes, and Küat specifically worked to keep it wobble-free.
Sport Fuel Blueberry
Kaden Apparel
Boosted with caffeine, these tasty chews provide carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar and performance during long rides. They use two types of simple carbohydrates to speed the absorption of energy and have no waxes, oils, preservatives, artificial colors, or flavoring agents common to other chews that can wreak havoc on the gut. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and available in 50g singles and 10pack caddies. $2; skratchlabs.com
El Dorado H2O Hip Pack
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– D.S. JOE PUG “Hymn #35 (Revisited)” Joe Pug’s 2007 EP “Nation of Heat” was a landmark release in the modern Americana movement. This summer Pug released a reimagined version of the stark acoustic record featuring reworked full-band electric arrangements that includes help from members of My Morning Jacket and Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit. “Hymn #35 (Revisited)” reboots the intimate acoustic original song with bombastic drums and colorful keyboards, brightening the literary confessions of Pug’s lyrics. – J.F. G. LOVE “Mississippi” G. Love takes a trip down to the Delta in this guest-heavy track that combines his patented mix of fluid 90s hip-hop and traditional blues, with help from Speech of Arrested Development, R.L. Boyce, and Alvin Youngblood Hart. “Mississippi” is a dance-ready banger that updates a hypnotic juke joint groove with free-flowing rhymes and heavy guitar work. It comes from Love’s new album, “Philadelphia Mississippi,” which bridges the sounds of the South with those from the singer-songwriter’s home city in Pennsylvania. – J.F.
EVERY MONTH OUR EDITORS CURATE a playlist of new music, mainly focusing on independent artists from the South. In September we’re highlighting new tunes from Dawes, G. Love, and a new indie rock project from Sarah Shook.
SUNNY SWEENY “Easy As Hello” If you lament where country music has wandered these last many years, yet you still seek a masterful country song, simply turn to Sunny Sweeny. “Easy As Hello” is a rowdy rocker that chronicles the doubt and pain that manifest after a relationship ends and the stark difference between the ease with which love starts and the hardship of its finality. Sweeny certainly spun the pain of her own recent divorce into this one, proving yet again that beautiful art is often the result of dark times.
DAWES “Ghost in the Machine” The members of folk-rock mainstays Dawes expand their sonic palette with this rumbling blues jammer from the new album “Misadventures of Doomscroller.”
66 BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS TRAIL MIX FRESH TRACKS
MARTHA SPENCER “Enchantress” Martha Spencer’s musical roots are seemingly as old as the Appalachian Mountains themselves. Spencer, who hails from the mountains of southwest Virginia, grew up performing old time music with the Whitetop Mountain String Band, a family collective that dates back some 80 years. “Enchantress,” inspired by Spencer’s love of all things spooky and macabre, features her playful vocals set over a droning banjo and spirited fiddle runs. The contrast between Spencer’s alluring voice and the delicately ominous banjo is captivating. – D.S. MIGHTMARE “Saturn Turns” North Carolina’s Sarah Shook is best known for playing gritty country-punk songs with their band the Disarmers, but during pandemic isolation they leaned into a new indie-rock solo project, Mightmare. The first single from the upcoming album, “Cruel Liars” is a slice of murky and mysterious 90s alt-rock built around a pulsing beat and buzzy synth work. “Speed into the curve ‘cuz I’m looking for any old road I ain’t been down before,” Shook sings, with a chilly edge, emphasizing their sound’s refreshing unpredictability. – J.F.
REBECKAH TODD “Realign” By any measure, Rebeckah Todd’s cup of woe had filled to overflowing. The loss of her parents, a divorce, a health crisis, and the pandemic saw Todd take a three-year break from her music. “Realign,” the title track from her new album, signals her return, both to music and to the person she is supposed to be. Todd emerges like a phoenix in this anthem, triumphantly rising from the ashes of a life burned to the ground, and shaped, but not defined, by her struggles. – D.S. DAVID BECK Miner’s Song With a lyric like, “If I ain’t got the diamond, give me the coal,” it’s easy to figure out songwriter David Beck’s take on perseverance. Imbued with a blue collar, hardscrabble perspective, “Miner’s Song” deftly combines Beck’s sonic vision, one where Texas troubadours and indie rock coalesce. Imagine a jam session with Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Thom Yorke, and Jim James riffing on each other’s songs. Beck personifies the spirit of the tenacious protagonist in “Miner’s Song” with his willingness to boldly crash sonic worlds together. – D.S. To hear these songs and more, follow the Blue Ridge Outdoors’ Trail Mix playlist on Spotify.
BY JEDD FERRIS AND DAVE STALLARD
TOP TUNES IN SEPTEMBER
Our Favorite New Music from the Blue Ridge and Beyond BY JILLIAN CLARK
SARAH SHOOK RECENTLY FORMED THE NEW BAND MIGHTMARE. PHOTO
Clocking in at just over six minutes, “Ghost in the Machine” features hardcharging guitar riffs and an extended percussion break, reminiscent of the early 70s psychedelic explorations of the Allman Brothers Band. It matches the energy of a Dawes live show, which always features dynamic rock improvisation. – J.F.
The Pisgah Conservancy is a nonand betterment of the Pisgah Ranger District. Pisgah National Forest is one most the Millions of folks visit every year and 73% activities such riding. While the forest is well-loved in terms in terms of funding. There simply isn’t enough federal funding to maintain the vast high quality standards. And that’s where The Pisgah Conservancy comes in‚ to grow this treasure for future generations. Your attendance donations enables them us to help this
This event benefits The Pisgah Conservancy is a nonprofit dedicated to the well-being and betterment of the Pisgah Ranger District. Pisgah National Forest is one of the most visited forests in the nation. Millions of folks visit every year and 73% of them participate in activities such as hiking, biking or horseback riding. While the forest is well-loved in terms of participation, it has long fallen short in terms of funding. There simply isn’t enough federal funding to maintain the vast network of trails and amenities to high quality standards. And that’s where The Pisgah Conservancy comes in‚ to maintain and grow the richness of this treasure for future generations. Your attendance donations enables them us to help them accomplish this mission.
(828) 883-4663 www.LookingGlassRealty.com www.LookingGlassRealty.com
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