Blue Ridge Outdoors November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

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TRIPLE CROWN: WHICH THREE REIGN SUPREME? PEAK GEAR AWARDS | ROAD-KILL COOKOFF | LESSONS BEFORE DYING

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November 2015 CONTENTS

FEATURES

Love, Virginia

20 THE STARS ABOVE A parent rediscovers child-like wonder on a night hike in the mountains.

22 TOP TOWNS 2016 Over 100,000 votes poured in for 48 favorite adventure hubs—mountain biking meccas, whitewater oases, climbing paradises, and hiking nirvanas with vibrant outdoor communities. Which three towns took the crown?

34 PEAK GEAR AWARDS

8 EDITOR’S NOTE ALS is taking Royce Cowan’s body but not his adventurous spirit.

15 QUICK HITS 11-year-old completes running streak for friend with cancer • Cyclist sues runner • 220-mile art expedition down the Hooch

16 THE DIRT

41 BASED IN THE BLUE RIDGE Go local with your gear dollars.

BRO editors select their favorite products from top regional outdoor companies.

45 TRAIL MAGIC

Green River Games • Road-kill cookoff

Three couples find lasting relationships while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

50 TRAIL MIX

48 POWER OF THE PEAK

New releases from former collaborators Ryan Adams and David Rawlings

Brad Stulberg searches science and spirit to uncover why mountains move us.

COVER I L L U ST R AT I O N BY

Photo courtesy of Bill Crabtree Jr., Virginia Tourism Corp.

DEPARTMENTS

We asked the region’s top experts and outdoor adventurers—including a few of our very own BRO athletes—to select the gear they simply can’t live without.

800-933-PARK (7275) | www.virginiastateparks.gov

KEVIN HOWDESHELL / K E V INCR ED IBLE.COM N OV E M B E R 2 015 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M BRO_November_2015.indd 1

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CONTRIBUTORS

CHATTER

11.15

WORST GEAR MALFUNCTION?

NC TAKES AIM AT RED WOLVES PR ESI D EN T

BLAKE DEMASO

ED ITOR I N C H I EF

WILL HARLAN

will@blueridgeoutdoors.com PU B LI SH ER

LEAH WOODY

leah@blueridgeoutdoors.com A RT D I R EC TOR

MEGAN JORDAN

megan@blueridgeoutdoors.com

Editorial & Production SEN I OR ED ITOR JEDD FERRIS

BETTINA FREESE We brought the EZ-up since we didn’t want all five of us holed up in the tent due to rain. The relentless deluge created a hanging swimming pool that had to be periodically dumped.

My 11-year-old and I were brushing our teeth when the EZ-up became an EZ-down, the cheap aluminum frame creaking and cracking before quickly collapsing and dumping 50 gallons of water onto our heads as we struggled to prevent it from flowing into the front door of the tent.

JESS DADDIO As a lady kayaker, once you’re geared up to paddle in the winter, you usually don’t gear down unless you’re off the river, which makes pee breaks particularly cumbersome. Tired of wrestling layers of neoprene for the sake of sparing my bladder, I invested in a Go Girl. You can imagine what happened the first time I used it.

jedd@blueridgeoutdoors.com

TR AVEL ED ITOR

JESS DADDIO

jess@blueridgeoutdoors.com SEN I OR D ESI G N ER

LAUREN WALKER

lauren@blueridgeoutdoors.com G R A PH I C D ESI G N ER

PAIGELEE CHANCELLOR

paigelee@blueridgeoutdoors.com C ON TR I B UTORS

WILEY CASH, KY DELANEY, GRAHAM AVERILL, JEFF KINNEY, DAVE STALLARD LUCIE HANES, ROBERT MCGEE

C OPY ED ITORS

Advertising & Business

Asheville, N.C. Office (828) 225-0868

JOHNNY MOLLOY

EVANS PRATER My Gregory pack’s shoulder strap disconnected from the main pack 1600 miles into my A.T. thru-hike in the middle of nowhere in Vermont. Thank God for p-cord and Eastern Mountain Sports being understanding enough to trade out the pack.

We flew up to Maine and rented camping gear and canoes from an outfitter while paddling the Allagash Waterway. The supplied tarp was full of holes and we got dumped on by rain for 5 of the 7 days of the trip!

MARTHA EVANS

martha@blueridgeoutdoors.com AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE / D I G ITA L PU B LISHER

DUSTY ALLISON

dusty@blueridgeoutdoors.com

Charlottesville, Va. Office (434) 817-2755

KATIE HARTWELL

katie@blueridgeoutdoors.com

AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE / M A R KETI N G & PR

—Emily Halloran BACK FROM THE BRINK The U.S. Fish & Wildlife has brought red wolves back from the brink over the past three decades. Now a state agency in North Carolina wants them to abandon their efforts and relegate red wolves to extinction. Red wolves are a distinct species that can drive coyotes from their territory and thrive in North Carolina—if they can only avoid being shot.

—Ryan Wylie NOT IN MY BACKYARD I do not want red wolves or their mixed-blood coyote offspring on my farm in estern North Carolina.

The feds have squandered millions on a program that should be quickly ended.

—Fred Bonner, Sr.

NICK NOE

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND Rather than privatize national parks and other public lands, let’s fully fund our national park system and ensure public lands managers have fully funded budgets. Let’s not sell out our publicly owned forests and parks. Instead, let’s demand that our leaders allocate more of our tax dollars toward the lands that we love.

—Gene Nicholson

nick@blueridgeoutdoors.com B U SI N ESS M A N AG ER

Jumping into a lake with GoreTex boots is like trying to swim with ankle weights.

Just saying. Also, drying my wet shoes by the campfire once resulted in hiking 100+ miles on a half-melted sole.

MELISSA GESSLER

melissa@blueridgeoutdoors.com C I RC U LATI ON M A N AG ER

AVERY SHOOK

avery@blueridgeoutdoors.com

Digital Media CRAIG SNODGRASS

ON LI N E D I R EC TOR

webdir@blueridgeoutdoors.com D I G ITA L M ED I A SPEC I A LI ST

TRAVIS HALL

travis@blueridgeoutdoors.com

MATT KIRK

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I am disheartened to learn the state of North Carolina wants to yank protections for red wolves and doom them to extinction. Shame on them for putting hunting interests ahead of the last wild red wolves in the world.

SEN I OR AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE

AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE

JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS

My shoes take a beating. Most go out with more a whimper than a bang. But every so often, a shoe will implode spectacularly on the trail. One such memory lingers on a trot to Hot Springs, N.C. with a couple friends. My toe caught a root and the next thing I knew, I was wearing a shandal with many floppy miles ahead.

11. 15

SUMMIT

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WILL HARLAN My biking shorts ripped straight down my crack during a century ride. My cheeks were flapping for about 50 miles.

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steve_yocom: Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; Working hard for something we love is called passion. #MyBlueRidge

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EDITOR’S LETTER

11.15

LESSONS BEFORE DYING

ALS IS TAKING ROYCE COWAN’S BODY, BUT NOT HIS ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT.

by WILL HARLAN

R

oyce will be dead soon. It might be a few years or a few months, but ALS will kill him.

No one knows what causes ALS—Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

There is no cure.

This story could easily have been mine or yours.

JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, Royce Cowan was at the top of his game.

The 27-year-old was a supreme outdoor adventurer, mountain biker, and elite whitewater paddler who had tackled the Upper West Prong of the Little Pigeon River and contributed photos to a new kayaking guidebook called Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians. On the Tuckasegee River, he had met Natalie Matthews, a kindred adventurous spirit who had just finished nursing school. They dated for a while and eventually got engaged in 2010.

To select a best man, Royce turned an annual summer event into a friendly competition: the first of his friends to float down Nantahala Falls on an inflatable animal and catch Micro Eddy would become best man. His longtime buddy Charles Schmidt, who clung to the neck of a giant inflatable sea dragon through the class III-IV rapid, won the honor.

Three months after marrying Natalie, Royce was diagnosed with ALS. “It was crushing,” said Natalie. “I was depressed and angry. I thought there was no way he would have ALS at the age of 27. The average patient with ALS is 50 years old. I was angry at the word ‘average.’ I went through a lot of anger and sadness in the beginning, but I didn’t really have time to wallow. There was too much 8

“From Royce I realized the true impact nature can have on one’s soul. To this day, I imagine the energy and courage that Royce still draws from his love of the outdoors.”

—Kathie C. Garbe, professor, UNC-Asheville

to do.”

First up: get pregnant.

90 percent of ALS is not genetically inherited. Still, there is a risk—a risk they both felt was worth taking.

“I want to keep a part of Royce alive and with me after he is gone,” Natalie said.

Lily is now three years old. Her dad is in a wheelchair, but she still sits on his lap and can understand his slurred speech. She does not know her dad is dying.

Royce has not resigned himself to an early, inevitable death. Instead, he has challenged himself to continue exploring the outdoors for as long as

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WATCH ROYCE ride his recumbent trike, take the ALS ice bucket challenge, and swim with his wife and daughter at BlueRidgeOutdoors.com

he can. He paddled for a few months after his diagnosis until he could no longer roll.

Then he switched to hiking. He and Natalie trekked nearly 400 miles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hiking in a snowstorm near Mount Cammerer, Royce’s legs failed him, and they had to camp for the night in the middle of a snow-covered trail with only a tarp-tent.

Soon after, Royce turned to recumbent triking. He completed the 52-mile Carolina Ride to Defeat ALS in April and is tackling a 218-mile virtual ride to raise ALS awareness.

He also has been coaching Natalie since 2014, helping her to a second

place finish in her age group in the North Carolina Triathlon Series.

“Royce pushes himself and those around him to reach for their very best,” says Siara Blackwood, Royce’s sister. “He does not accept what ALS forces on him without doing everything he can to prevent or delay each bit of diminishing ability.”

ALS patients gradually lose the ability to move their muscles, then their speech fails, followed by difficulty breathing and swallowing.

The average life expectancy after diagnosis is two to five years.

Five years since his diagnosis, Royce is still alive. He can barely move or speak, but Natalie can

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EDITOR’S LETTER

11.15

“Royce always felt the need to turn it up a notch. One day, Royce suggested that we sled off the roof of his house. Amazingly only minor injuries were sustained. Another boring day, he suggested that we dig a mud pit in the backyard, fill it with water, and have a mud wrestling match. Over 100 people showed up—including the cops.

No one will ever be able to say that Royce was struck down in his prime—because he has not allowed ALS to do that to him.

Royce has sized up what life has offered and filled it with adventure.

Royce’s honesty about his disease, his struggles, and his achievements have been an inspiration to thousands. He is a shining example that tells us to stop pitying the disabled and start lifting them up and learning from them.”

—Beth Chriscoe, friend

understand his slurred utterances.

She feeds Royce, bathes him, and lifts him into bed—while also raising Lily and working full-time.

Natalie and Royce are still venturing outdoors together. Royce was able to buy a recumbent electric trike, thanks to donations from friends and from New Orleans Saints football player Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011.

Accompanied by Natalie, Royce cruises the Blue Ridge Parkway and rural roads near Waynesville on his electric trike.

Royce also has created a foundation to create interest in active ALS events, called Active Reconnect, and he has been blogging about his athletic and everyday experiences with ALS at Journey On with Royce.

Below are a few selections from his blog, along with Royce’s responses to four of the hardest questions I’ve ever 10

had to ask. *** What does it feel like on the inside?

Do you feel trapped in your body?

My spirit doesn’t feel trapped within my physical body. It rather feels as if it has somehow evolved into a different body altogether—foreign, and yet so vaguely similar.

Imagine being able to feel but incapable of making an appropriate controlled response. An insect lands on your forehead. Typically your brain would receive the information and send a message through your nervous system, activating a group of muscles to bat the bug off with your hand. In my case, the same series of events occurs, except my hand doesn’t move. I’m left to my own devices; I can call for help or bang my head on something. People with ALS never

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lose any sensation over the duration of the disease process. I have all of my senses and everything that comes with them.

In fact, most times I feel quite normal. When I’m cruising down the parkway on my recumbent electric trike, I’m nearly in a blissful state of my formal self. When I pedal or turn the throttle, I move forward. When I turn left, I move left. When I brake, I slow down. My actions create an actual response. And that, to me, is freedom.

How do you stay positive?

Staying positive is a huge challenge for me. Every single person I know realizes my fate. As the disease progresses, people come by to see me less and less. Perhaps it’s too painful for them to see me in my condition, or maybe they just start to find me

boring. Once I started to noticeably change, people became scarce.

With the exception of a few really amazing folks, most don’t make the effort. That is something that can tear you up inside. You simply can’t dwell on it though or that feeling of abandonment will drag you down and push you to the grave more quickly.

To truly stay positive you need purpose in your life. Everyone seems to think getting into a fancy power chair and going on little outings will fill that empty void in your life, but it won’t; at least not for me. I need to strive for a higher purpose— something bigger than myself or even my family. There are millions of lives affected by ALS and millions more to come. I suffer on a daily basis for them. But I am staying positive until the bitter end because it is my belief that is my earthly duty to do so.

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HOW YOU CAN HELP For anyone out there who has been diagnosed with ALS, my advice is this: give your life purpose in any way you see fit. Be sure to let your story be known. Share it with others any way that you can. The more the world is aware of ALS, the more attention it will get.

If you want tips on how to survive a little while longer, visit the Journey On with Royce blog (JourneyOnWithRoyce. blogspot.com) or download the ALS Survivor Guide at ActiveReconnect.com “When Royce was learning to roll a kayak as a teenager, he would sometimes flip over and not get his roll. But he was so flexible that he could stretch his head up to the water’s surface and breathe while still in his kayak. It was hilarious— and amazing.” —Melissa Smith, Royce’s half-sister photos by ROYCE COWAN

What do you want Lily to remember about you?

A year or so after my diagnosis, my closest friends held a weekend gathering for me. During this time, I mainly sat and listened to classic stories from our adventurous days, including a trip to Cozumel, Mexico, where I challenged a 220-pound Native American to a tequila contest.

The result: an inglorious draw.

As I sat and listened, I realized in the way they were telling the highlights that I was already dead to them. I was attending my own memorial. And the most interesting aspect of it all was that they were right. The man I once was would be ever lost to this disease. My daughter would never know the full-throttle version of me—the young guy who couldn’t sit still, who thought nothing of waking up at 4:30 a.m. to get three

separate solo creeking runs in during January, just because the water was up in the Smokies.

To survive, a rebirth needed to take place. The man I want Lily to remember is one that didn’t hold her back out of selfishness, but rather one that strived to provide her with an opportunity to grow and experience life to its full potential.

SELECTIONS FROM Journey on with Royce

H

ow do you fight back against one of the most deadly neurological diseases in the world? There are no cures, no real treatments, no guidebooks to advise you what to do once you realize just how utterly screwed you are. Being diagnosed with ALS is a terrifying experience. All your doctor says are

three simple letters. Unfortunately those letters translate into: “I’m going to die.” How the hell did this happen?

Yesterday my knee was annoying me; today I’m going to die? Being given this news is like getting your foot stuck in a railroad track and someone saying, “See that train down there?

It’s coming and there’s nothing you can do about it. Care for a chair?”

When I was first diagnosed, I wanted to wriggle my foot out of that track more than anything. Turns out it’s stuck pretty good, though. Once you develop ALS, it’s there to stay.

So what can I do? I’m trying to slow down that death train. I give my body exercise, energy, and rest. I get outdoors. I am fighting back by being as healthy as I possibly can.

It seems to be working. Since being diagnosed, I’ve become a father, hiked half of the trails in the Great Smokies, rode 1,000 miles on my

Donate at Active Reconnect.

All donations are tax-deductible and go directly to helping ALS patients live life to the fullest.

Participate in an event. Believe it or not, they are quite fun, even if you don’t know anyone with ALS. The Carolina Ride to Defeat ALS and Jerry’s Baddle are two of my favorites here in the South.

Become an ALS advocate.

ALS advocates are people who are willing to step outside of their comfort zone to effect real change in the way our government responds to the needs of the ALS community.

Even if you aren’t a friend relative, supporter, or business associate of a legislator, you can open doors through your outreach.

—Royce Cowan

HELP ROYCE KEEP ROLLING

Royce and his family are hoping to purchase a wheelchairaccessible vehicle to transport both Royce and their super active daughter. Contribute to their GoFundMe campaign at GoFundMe.com/rollingforroyce

N OV E M B E R 2 015 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

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EDITOR’S LETTER

11.15

“I want our daughter to know what an amazing photographer and artist Royce is. Even now, he sees beauty in things that I would never notice. His photography is beautiful.

I hope that she also has his love of nature and the outdoors.”

—Natalie Cowan, Royce’s wife

recumbent trike, created a garden and hand-dug a koi pond, and best of all, I haven’t died yet, five years in. I’ve already beaten the odds. *** When we decided that we would try to have a baby despite my condition, we didn’t take the decision lightly. We knew that it would mean that our lives would get more complicated, but we also knew our lives would become more meaningful as well.

Before our daughter was born, I would practice changing diapers on an old stuffed teddy bear. I wanted to be able to help out as much as I could with our new baby. Since our daughter was born, I have changed zero diapers. It’s not that I don’t want to; it’s just that I can’t. I can’t do a lot of things with my daughter. I can’t give her baths, change her clothes, pick her up when she falls. I can’t carry her around the house or push her stroller around the block.

But I don’t wish for pointless wishes. When someone picks up our daughter and spins her around a room, making her laugh, I don’t spend any of my time wishing I could do the same. I’m just happy for her. *** A typical day for me goes a little something like this: I wake up and call the nurse into my room by making a yelling noise or by

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using a walkie-talkie. The nurse has to help move my legs off the bed and help sit me up. Once I’m sitting up, I have my morning pills with apple juice. Then we transfer to the shower chair and I roll into the bathroom.

During my shower I brush my teeth and pee. After I’m through doing this, I call the nurse by tapping my wedding ring on the handrail. At that point the nurse will come in to wash my face, hair, and body. After my nurse dries me off, she puts on my deodorant, shirt, and glasses and transfers me to the wheelchair.

I eat breakfast, which typically is an egg sandwich in a pita. I work on the computer using a special screen for typing. In the afternoon, I watch a show or sleep. If Lily is at home, sometimes she will lie with me and I will pick a movie for her.

When Natalie comes home, we have dinner and maybe watch a show.

I head to the bedroom around 8:30, just after Lily goes to bed for the night. *** When our daughter Lily was born, I could still walk and talk. Time moves forward though, and so does ALS. Lily knows that I am different from other people, but it is just normal for her. Every once in a while, she will do something that makes you realize she’s not fully aware of my disability. For instance, she often pounces on me in bed, which is fine, but sometimes she tries to do the same when I’m sitting up. This just knocks me over. She also has asked me to do things I can’t do, like throw a ball. For the most part, she is aware of what I can and cannot do.

It would be so easy to cry about the things or times that could have been. I would have loved to teach my daughter how to swim, play softball, soccer, climb, kayak, ski. I won’t even be able to teach her how to talk. But that doesn’t matter really.

Our daughter is still going to have an amazing life, and I plan on being a big part of it any way I can, for as long as I can.

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QUICK HITS

11.15

BEYOND THE BLUE RIDGE

SHORTS

BLUE RIDGE BRIEFS

C A NC ER S URV IVOR C OM PLETES U.S. PER IM ETER R UN

by JEDD FERRIS

illustration by WADE MICKLEY BOY, 11, C O M P L E T E S R U NNING STR EAK F O R F R I E N D W I TH CANCE R

LANGHORNE, PA. When Ryan Tarapchak found out his friend’s six-year-old little sister had cancer, he wanted to do something to help defray the enormous treatment costs. That something became a 30-day running streak that lasted from August 8 through September 8. Tarapchak raised more than $13,000—beating an initial $10,000 goal—for Isabella O’Brien, who is being treated for a rare form of cancer in her connective tissue. Despite the stifling summer heat, Tarapchak ran every day for a month, completing a 10K as his longest distance in the selfless endeavor.

UN C LE SA M S AYS C L E A N YOUR P LATE

WASHINGTON, D.C. The federal government is calling for a big reduction in food waste.

Earlier this fall Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg announced the United States’ first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50-percent reduction by 2030. A

release said the government plans to partner with the private sector, charitable organizations, faithbased organizations, and state and local governments to tackle waste reduction, which has become a huge problem in the United States. “An average family of four leaves more than two million calories, worth nearly $1500, uneaten each year,” said Vilsack. The U.S. wastes nearly a third of the country’s overall food supply, quite significant considering nearly 50 million people live in insecure food households. Wasting food also has a big environmental impact, as landfills are the nation’s third largest source of methane.

ART E XP E DIT ION

SEALE, ALA. In September, Alabama folk artist Butch Anthony led a journey that was part river trip, part mobile art gallery. Anthony gathered a group of Dutch artist friends and left his Seale gallery called the Museum of Wonder in an 18-foot pontoon boat that was decorated with salvaged materials. The group, accompanied by support in additional boats and kayaks, traveled on the

Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers down to the Gulf of Mexico, creating different works of art throughout the 220-mile trip and exhibiting along the way. The voyage also had a recycling element. “We make stuff out of trash,” Anthony told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer just before departure, “so we’ll pick up stuff along the river. There’s so much junk floating in the river and on the edges.”

CYC LIST WINS CIV IL SUIT AGA INST RUNNER

ROANOKE, VA. In late summer, a cyclist was awarded $300,000 in a civil suit for injuries sustained during a collision with a runner on the Roanoke River Greenway. Back in 2012, Ann Shepherd was biking on the greenway during her lunch hour when she hit runner William Bundy.

Shepherd alleged Bundy turned around suddenly without warning and caused the accident that sent her to the hospital with a significant brain injury. A jury agreed that Bundy was negligent but awarded Shepherd less than the $750,000 she was initially seeking.

In mid-September, Helene Neville finished a 3,680-mile run across the top of the United States. The epic journey took Neville four months and 12 days, as she ran from New Brunswick, Canada, to Ocean Shores, Washington. While amazing on its own, this effort actually completed a multi-year effort to run the country’s entire perimeter. Neville, 55, started working on the 9,715-mile slog back in 2010, finishing in segmented sections over a total of 330 days. Even more inspiring, Neville is a cancer survivor who’s battled the disease multiple times since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the early 90s. During her long running journeys, Neville stopped at schools, hospitals, and cancer centers to share her story and offer inspiration to others struggling with the disease. She told Runner’s World she also received plenty of help from strangers along the way: “So many people helped me and housed me and rooted for me. When I looked deeper into our country and its people, there was more right than I ever imagined.”

TA RGET WA NTS EM PLOY EES TO GET FIT

In a move to help employees become healthier and to help cut company healthcare costs, Target is offering 335,000 workers free Fitbit activity trackers. The giant retailer will give employees the basic Fitbit Zip and create competitions to keep employees moving. Employees are assigned to teams, and the winning team gives a $1 million donation to a charity of its choice.

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THE DIRT

11. 15

SILVERBACK

WHAT BEASTS REIGN SUPREME AT THE GREEN RIVER GAMES?

by JESS DADDIO

C

louds lingered low in the trees from the previous night’s storm, casting a gray, almost ominous hue on the thick forest enveloping Wilderness Cove Tubing and Campground, the staging area for the third annual Green River Games.

Piles of boats lay scattered beside the shuttle bus. Bikes were arranged side by side, their handlebars touching, food and water and shoes shoved underneath the pedals. Racers taped ankles, forced breakfast, stretched.

“For the most part, I try not to think about how much I have ahead of me,” said Erin Savage, three-time women’s Silverback Champion.

“What I always tell myself is: the faster I get done, the sooner I can have a beer.”

The Silverback is the apex of adventure in western North Carolina.

Competitors kayak 8.2 miles of class III-V whitewater, mountain bike 8.3 miles of rugged singletrack, and then run those same 8.3 miles of trail.

Jack Ditty, two-time men’s Silverback Champion, was first out of the water. Flushed in the face from paddling non-stop for eight miles, Ditty handed off his boat and jogged to where the bikes stood waiting, shedding wet gear as he went. No sooner had he landed, he was off again, seated high in the saddle of his Specialized bike, determination in his eyes, an 8.3-mile loop of rugged singletrack ahead of him.

“If J Ditty stays on it, he’ll break four hours,” said race director John Grace, glancing at his watch.

At 3:59:36, Ditty crossed the finish line. His already-slight frame seemed slighter, beat down from continuous hours of physical exertion.

He pumped his fist once, but didn’t stop to soak in his success. He kept walking, past the bikes now sprawled

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across the grounds, past rows of Green Boats and Stingers sunning on the bank, until he reached the river, and submerged himself. It was as if he had completed the cycle, from river to trail back to river again, and as he sat in the Green River’s muddied waters, he seemed not proud or pompous, but peaceful.

“I’ve never really figured out what motivates me to race,” Ditty said later of the Silverback. “I wish I did.” ***

HOW IT ALL STARTED

“In 2009 I was running, literally, my shuttle and decided to veer off the main path and explore some of the other unmarked intersections.

The trails were a mess, deadfall everywhere. I got lost for three hours, ran out of water, and was eaten by bugs. While I didn’t really think about organizing an event that day, I did realize there was a great recreational resource that, with a little love, could be great. A year later the idea of the Silverback was hatched.”

—John Grace, race director ***

Q+A WITH THE 2015 SILVERBACK WINNERS

T

his year’s Silverback race was one for the books. Both Jack Ditty and Erin Savage, three-time Silverbackers, not only took the gorilla home but also walked away with new course records under their belts (Ditty: 3:59:36 / Savage: 4:37:02). Here’s what they have to say on what it takes to secure the glory of the Green.

How did you prepare to tackle the

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WINNERS’ SPLITS JACK DITTY: KAYAK—1:19:40 // BIKE—1:08:57 // RUN—1:27:28 ERIN SAVAGE: KAYAK—1:29:08 // BIKE—1:30:20 // RUN—1:31:56

photos by JESS DADDIO BlueRidgeOutdoors

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Silverback?

JD: The preparation occurs every day.

Every time I’m out for a run, or on my bike, or out paddling, I’m training for this race.

ES: I just try to get out as much as I can. I don’t have a really strict training schedule.

Any apprehensions on race morning?

JD: Always when paddling through the Narrows, there’s some degree of unpredictability to that. You just want to get that behind you.

ES: The kayaking always makes me a little bit nervous not because it’s actually all that hard, but if something unexpected happens in the kayak, it’s a little harder to recover.

If you fall off of your mountain bike, you just stand back up and keep going. But if you pin your boat or swim or break your paddle, what do you do then?

SILVERBACK

STATS

1,500 FEET of elevation change during the trail running and mountain biking portions

spent improving the trail system on the Green River Game Lands

500 MAN-HOURS

the max gradient drop in the Green River Narrows

342 FEET PER MILE:

31

Silverback contenders in 2015

of class III-V whitewater paddling, mountain biking, and trail running

24.8 MILES

2

DNFs

sustained during the mountain biking portion

1 BROKEN COLLARBONE

What was your game plan for the race?

JD: You have to be the fastest person on the slowest sections of the course, meaning, you have to be able to bike uphill quickly, paddle flatwater quickly, and keep a good pace when everyone is at their slowest point.

ES: Just concentrate on keeping the rhythm going, keeping the momentum going.

Any problems?

JD: Definitely during the run, especially late into it when you get to a few steep sections, it’s hard to continue to push up those hills.

When you get to that point and you’re just exhausted and you’re going uphill trying to keep your breathing under control and your heart rate under control, if you get outside a comfortable zone, you end up having trouble recovering from that.

ES: It was a little tough getting out of your kayak and onto your bike. I get muscle cramps in my arms because you go from paddling somewhat hard to just holding your handlebars. That transition is a little rough for me for the first couple of miles.

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THE DIRT

11. 15

GAME ON

A ROADKILL COOK-OFF IN THE RURAL MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA POKES GOOD-NATURED FUN AT THE STATE’S HILLBILLY REPUTATION AND INTRODUCES THE PUBLIC TO WILD GAME

by DANIELLE TAYLOR

T

he sophisticated Manhattan interviewer from Zagat looked a little unsure of herself as she peered into the spattering pan of browning bear meat. Holding back her chic scarf from the fragrant steam, she timidly asked, “Is this… healthy?”

The cook snorted. “Lord, no!” he boomed, laughing. “Look at the grease!”

“Is any of this healthy?” she inquired, taken aback.

He considered this for a moment, then explained, “That’s not exactly the point.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at this as I savored my calorie-dense sample of gravy-laden pheasant, chukar, and chicken served over waffles. Instead, “delicious” is the name of the game at Marlinton, West Virginia’s annual Roadkill Cook-Off, held since 1993 during the town’s Autumn Harvest Festival. Actually, the name of the game is possum, groundhog, squirrel, deer, bear, snake, turtle, raccoon or any other animal “commonly found dead along the side of the road,” according to the event’s official rules.

However, the animals used in the contest aren’t actually allowed to come from such an authentic fate.

As the morning kicked off, the announcer jokingly assured us that folks from the chamber of commerce would inspect all meat to make sure it didn’t contain “excessive” gravel. “You kill it, we’ll grill it!” he proclaimed to the laughing crowd. “You fender it, we’ll render it!”

The event’s organizers definitely run their quirky contest with a strong 18

dose of humor, and many of the contestants get into the backwoods spirit of the event by creatively titling their dishes things like Drunken Deer Chili with Ramped-Up Rice and Busted Tailgate Barbecue Mac and Cheese. However, the contest also helps introduce the broader public to the wide range of tastes and possibilities offered by wild game.

Last year, team Mama Mia took home third place for their elegant Braised Venison with Portobello Mushrooms, Celery Root, and Toasted Pecans.

I chatted with other attendees as we waited in line to eat, and it genuinely surprised me to learn how many people there had never tried wild meat before. In addition to a lot of locals, many of this year’s estimated 10,000 attendees had come from places like Atlanta, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh to try a few shotglasssized portions of dead animals from the woods.

Once the tastings started, we tried Kountry Kookin’ Hillbilly Chili.

We sampled Rockabilly Bear Butt Savory Stew. We even risked tasting a mysterious, somewhat unnerving dish known only as Wilderness Surprise that actually tasted pretty good and didn’t send me running for the portapotties as I feared it might. All of the Miss WV Roadkill pageant winners mingled with the crowd, their crowns and sashes sparkling as they ate.

My portion of a chicken noodle soup-like dish called Get Yer-Self a Huzband Hillbilly Burgoo had some sort of whisker or bristle in it, but hey, maybe the potential husbands the lady chefs wanted to attract appreciate

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that kind of authenticity. It worked on the judges, at least—they awarded the burgoo top honors, and the local high school’s venison chili won the People’s Choice award.

As the tasting period drew to a close, I pulled out my camera to get a few shots of team Lucky Ducks’ offering of duck meatballs and vegetarian chili. A suspicious kid behind the table slanted me a sideways look. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just taking pictures,” I replied.

With one eyebrow still raised, he clearly wasn’t convinced. “You’re not trying to steal our recipe, are you?”

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N OV E M B E R 2 015 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

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THE

STARS ABOVE A PARENT REDISCOVERS CHILD-LIKE WONDER ON A NIGHT HIKE IN THE MOUNTAINS

by LEIGH ANN HENION

I

’m guiding a handful of preschoolers, including my fiveyear-old son, across the Blue Ridge Parkway. At night. Without a flashlight. If you think this sounds odd, wait till I tell you this: The trek was partially inspired by butterflies.

Years before I became a mother, a magazine sent me to central Mexico to write a story about the monarch butterfly migration. There, nearly the entire North American population gathers in a very small space.

Witnessing this moved me in ways I could not articulate, and I started keeping a list of must-see natural phenomena: volcanoes, animal migrations, on and on.

Then, I got married. My husband and I built our own house, with our own hands, not far from Boone, North Carolina. Years passed. We welcomed a son.

Did I have postpartum depression in the months that followed? I don’t know. But I didn’t recognize myself,

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and I was fairly certain that my lifelong passions of writing and traveling were not going to be resuscitated.

It took some time to realize that I’d already concocted a pilgrimage that might help me reconcile the person I’d been with the parent I was becoming.

You know how you hand a child a leaf, a rock, a twig, and they think it’s amazing? I started to wonder: What might happen if an adult were to experience that list of dazzling phenomena, making the world similarly new again, reawakening wonder? After a series of events that can, in hindsight, only be described as miraculous, that person was me.

I had no money to travel. I had no childcare; friends and family stepped in. Some people talk about seeing the world anew through their children’s eyes. But I started to see the world as my child was seeing it—full of marvels and possibility. My exploration spanned continents, but I BlueRidgeOutdoors

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was never gone for long. And, when I came home, I brought my newfound sense of wonder to bear on my own backyard—which I consider to be all of the Blue Ridge.

Would I have gone out onto my porch to watch tonight’s meteor shower if I hadn’t chased eclipses, migrations, and other phenomena around the globe? Maybe.

Would I be jumping a split-rail fence to watch tonight’s meteor shower in an unfamiliar cow paddock tonight if I hadn’t chased phenomena around the globe? Probably not.

It seems that, for parents, solo adventures—even when they’re work related—are often harshly judged.

But I will continue to seek them out when they feel right. Because, for me, they are more than an avenue of personal growth. They show my son that there are many ways to live a good life. And, in a very tangible way, those experiences embolden me to help him move further outdoors, into the realm of beauty.

Bridgedale Halp Pg H November BRO I traveled through Mammoth

Cave, Kentucky, with a citizen scientist and mother of multiples.

After we shimmed through a particularly harrowing passage, she told me: Becoming a parent can make you shirk from life, or it can make you braver. It’s a decision you make.

I’d like to think that, more often than not, I choose the latter. Sometimes, that means heading out, alone, for the Arctic or Australia. And, sometimes, it means abandoning a warm house to tumble over a fence with a gaggle of kids who can’t decide whether or not they’re afraid of the dark.

A hiking trail is visible in the blue glow of someone’s cell phone.

My friends and I are outside of our comfort zones. We’re showing our kids that moving forward without knowing exactly where we’re going isn’t just okay, it’s an experience worth seeking out. To allow some discomfort, in a world bent on convenience, is how we expand what we know of the world.

Admittedly, my son and his Issue Final.pdf 1 15-09-29 12:20 PM friends aren’t all that interested in

the sky. They keep watch for a few minutes before building a pretend campfire. They are, as they are prone to do, marveling over leaves, rocks, and twigs. But we, their parents, are having a parallel wonder experience.

We’re knitting constellations together with stories we’ve heard throughout our lives. Our eyes are turned upward, waiting for a glimpse of something extraordinary, born of the seven sisters.

We have not traveled many miles from our houses, but our attention has been redirected, so our perspective has shifted. We sit on near-frozen ground. In time, all the kids join us. The wind picks up.

But no one complains. Not even the youngest among us, a toddler who’s lost a mitten.

Children pile onto their parents to keep warm. Together, we marvel over the fact that we’re on a planet, spinning through space. At this very minute.

We were also on a planet, spinning through space, back when

we were rushing out of our houses to gather here, escaping sinks of dirty dishes. The adults among us knew this, of course, but we needed to be reminded. We needed to go somewhere we could see and believe it. Wonder is, at its best, often described as child-like; I suggest we encourage each other to grow our senses of wonder until they’re adultsize.

The group waits. The sky is still.

Then: A streak of light! Squeals!

Screams of delight! It’s the tail of the meteor that really thrills—the afterglow of its journey across the sky. Our all-ages group bundles a little tighter, giggles a little louder. It feels like we’re in an amusement park gravitron, held to earth by centrifugal force, dizzy from the sheer joy of being alive.

Leigh Ann Henion is the author of Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World.

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2015 TOP SMALL TOWN

FRANKLIN

NORTH CAROLINA Population: 3,883

“I 2015

READERS SELECT THE THREE BEST OUTDOOR HUBS IN THE SOUTH

T

he Blue Ridge boasts dozens of towns with vibrant outdoor scenes and access to world-class adventure. This fall, over 100,000 readers voted for their 48 favorites.

They are mountain biking meccas, whitewater oases, climbing paradises, and hiking nirvanas.

BRO visited the top three winning towns to uncover outdoor secrets and insider insights from leading locals.

We also highlight the best places to eat, play, and stay for all 48 towns in our contest.

by JESS DADDIO

had the opportunity to move away into other markets and invest in other communities, but I wanted to come back to the town I grew up in,” says Franklin native and Outdoor 76 co-founder Cory McCall.

In 2010, McCall and Florida transplant Rob Gasbarro started an outfitter that catered to the plethora of recreational opportunities around them. “A lot of people were not optimistic about our future,” Gasbarro says. “It was 2010, and main streets were dying all over the United States. Everyone was telling us, ‘You guys are nuts.’”

Even Gasbarro and McCall had their doubts. But just five years after opening its doors, Outdoor 76 has now become one of many new businesses that occupy Main Street. Visitors to Franklin can walk downtown past storefronts of all varieties, from antique shops to gourmet restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops. The town even boasts its own yoga studio (Beyond Bending Yoga) and brewery (Lazy Hiker Brewery Company).

“We’ve believed all along that Franklin has always been a top outdoor town,” says Gasbarro.

Yet for the longest time, Franklin earned its revenue not by promoting the 500,000 acres of national forest that comprise Macon County (that’s 50 percent of the county), but by advertising the region’s gem mining. Though the town has since made waves in embracing outdoor recreation as both an identity and economic driver, even the town’s newly designed logo, which features a hiker posing beside the Appalachian

Mc AFEE KNOB, IN ROANOKE, VIRGINIA. photo by SAM DEAN

Trail’s white blaze, hints at Franklin’s past as the Gem Capital of the World (look closely at the dotted ‘i’ in ‘Franklin’).

“Being so close to all of the outdoor wonderment was definitely important to us,” says Lazy Hiker Brewing Company’s headbrewer Noah McIntee. “It’s nice to be in an area where everywhere you go just to run your basic errands, you have this sweeping panoramic view of the mountains.”

McIntee, who grew up in the Southeast, says he knew that western North Carolina had mountains, but he was surprised by the stunning scenery that surrounded this relatively unknown town. Situated close to the southern border of North Carolina, Franklin is just a two-hour drive from a number of southern hotbeds like Atlanta, Greenville, and Knoxville, making it an ideal basecamp for adventure in southern Appalachia.

What’s more, Macon County is home to 19 peaks over 5,000 feet in elevation and two long-distance trails, the Appalachian Trail and Bartram Trail, the latter of which passes right through town.

Though Franklin sits just 111 miles north of Springer Mountain, making it an ideal place to resupply before the Nantahala Outdoor Center, its designation as an Appalachian Trail Community in 2008 increased thru-hiker traffic exponentially. Given hikers have to catch an 11-mile hitch into town, that should say something about the community’s hiker-friendly vibe.

Free WiFi, hiker maps, laundry services. Hikers suffering from feet woes can even get a shoe fitting and a beer at McCall and Gasbarro’s outfitter-taproom. As far as southern hospitality goes, it doesn’t get more welcoming than that.

“Being able to have those relationships, Franklin runs on that,” Gasbarro says.

“It’s cliché to say ‘the sky’s the limit,’” McCall adds, “but literally, right now, the sky is the limit. The town is coming into its own and it’s

going to be neat to see where it goes with a modern day frontier.”

WHEN TO GO

Though Macon County has one of the highest rainfall zones in the eastern United States, the county’s four distinct seasons are typically mild, and even in the wintertime, the lower elevations receive very little snow, making outdoor recreation enjoyable year round. We recommend spring and fall.

STAY

INNS & LODGES: Oak Hill Country

Inn (oakhillcountryinn.com; rooms from $100/night), Snow Hill Inn (snowhillfranklinnc.com; rooms from $149/night), Cat Creek Lodge (catcreeklodge.com; rooms from $149/ night) CAMPGROUNDS & CABINS: Mi Mountain Campground (mimountaincampground.com; sites from $20/night), Pines RV Park & Cabins (gocampin.net/pinesrvpark; sites from $28/night), Cartoogechaye Creek Campground ( franklinchamber.com/cartoogechaye; sites from $20/night)

EAT

COFFEE & SWEETS: The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub BREAKFAST: Stamey’s Café Lunch: The Fork in the Road food truck DINNER: The Bowery BREWS: Lazy Hiker Brewing Company APRÈS ADVENTURE: Music and beer at Rock House Lodge (located inside Outdoor 76)

PLAY

Park across the road from the Winding Stair Gap access point to the Appalachian Trail and hike 4.2 moderately strenuous miles along the white blaze to the summit of Siler Bald. For an easy overnighter, set up camp at the shelter just before the summit. The bald is the perfect place to catch near-360-degree views of the HIKE:

ABOVE: ROB GASBARRO RIDES THE LITTLE TENNESSEE RIVER GREENWAY IN FRANKLIN, N.C. RIGHT: MATT BATEMAN HIKES A SECTION OF THE NEARBY BARTRAM TRAIL. photos by JESS DADDIO

surrounding Nantahala Mountains.

FISH: Cross the Little Tennessee River by way of the Iotla Bridge. Take the immediate right onto Sanderstown Road and park in the gravel pull-off on the right. The Little Tennessee is home to some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the world. Rent a canoe from Outdoor 76 and float the river or wade in from the shore.

BIKE: Rent a bike from Smoky Mountain Bicycles ($7.50/hour, $36/ day) and cruise the Little Tennessee River Greenway. The country roads surrounding Franklin also make for some of the best rural road riding in the region. The bike shop can provide a map with over a dozen routes ranging from 15 miles to 100 miles of smooth, low-traffic, country roads that never leave Macon County.

In town on a Wednesday during the summer? Join the shop’s weekly group ride to get the ultimate tour de Franklin.

EVENTS

Winter Wonderland: November 28th & December 5th April Fool’s Trail Days: March thru April 2016 The Naturalist Trail Race 25K & 50K: October 2016 2015 TOP MID-SIZED TOWN

ROANOKE

V IRGINI A Population: 98,465

S

et against a backdrop of rolling countryside and idyllic ridgelines, the city of Roanoke is perfectly poised to offer visitors and

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residents alike a balanced blend of scenic beauty in a diverse and thriving urban environment. Situated at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the heart of the valley, alongside a river, wrapped in the arms of national forest, you’d think outdoor recreation would have always been an integral part of the city’s identity.

Yet it wasn’t until the early 2000s that Roanoke began to step away from its storied past as an industrial hub and promote the great outdoors outside, and within, city limits. As plans for greenways and urban parks took shape, so too did a community that supported an active lifestyle. By 2013, there was no question as to the direction Roanoke was going— with the formation of the Roanoke Outside Foundation (a non-profit created by the Roanoke Regional Partnership) came events, initiatives, and even businesses, that not only encouraged people to get outside, but also helped them get there.

“We kinda feel like it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” says Roanoke Mountain Adventures co-owner James Revercomb.

Revercomb is part of that new wave of outdoor-minded businesses.

Born and raised in Roanoke, Revercomb never envisioned returning to his hometown. In fact, he spent the better part of eight years far from the Star City as a snowmobile and fly-fish guide in and around Jackson Hole, Wyo. Despite the western town’s reputation as a mecca for outdoor tourism though, Revercomb and his wife eventually came to the conclusion that there’s no place like home.

“We figured that if we weren’t in Roanoke, we’d be wishing we were,” he says. “The cost of living is fairly high [in Jackson Hole]. We were enjoying what we were doing, but we were thinking longer term. We knew we wanted to be in the mountains in a place where we could still recreate and have that quality of life as well as career opportunities.”

In early April of 2015, Revercomb and his father opened up Roanoke 24

Mountain Adventures as a gear rental and guiding service for the greater Roanoke area. Though starting any business can be a daunting task, the Revercombs have seen nothing but support from the local community.

Blaine Lewis shares that sentiment. “We knew Roanoke was an area that would support the type of business we were going to bring here,” says Lewis, owner of Fleet Feet Sports.

Lewis, whose wife is originally from Roanoke, also relocated to the city in 2003 after leaving a 16-year career stint as an adult probation and parole supervisor to open up a franchise of Fleet Feet Sports (headquartered out of Carrboro, N.C.). As a runner and triathlete, Lewis says Roanoke’s access to the outdoors combined with a low cost of living made moving to the city a no-brainer.

“Roanoke has grown and changed a lot in the past 12 years,” Lewis says. “From an outdoor perspective, Roanoke was just starting to find its roots there. From a business standpoint, it’s great because we’ve been able to help contribute to the active lifestyle growth here as well.”

As the momentum behind the city’s outdoor recreation scene continues to grow, Roanoke, once ranked as one of the “best places to retire” by Money Magazine, is also attracting a much younger, more active generation.

WHEN TO GO

With the Blue Ridge Parkway located just a 15-minute drive from town, Roanoke tends to see the most traffic during the spring and autumn months. We can’t blame them, as the budding trees and fall foliage make for spectacular sights. But with cool summers and mild winters, is there really a bad time to visit town?

STAY

INNS & LODGES: Black Lantern Inn

(blacklanterninn.com; rooms from $130/night), The Inn on Campbell

B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 01 5

(theinnoncampbell.com; rooms from $200/night), Rose Hill Bed & Breakfast (bandbrosehill.com; rooms from $100/night), Shenandoah Gateway Farm Bed & Breakfast (shenandoahgatewayfarmbnb.com; rooms from $150/night) CAMPGROUNDS & CABINS: Dixie Caverns Campground (dixiecaverns.com/ camping)

EAT

Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea BREAKFAST: The Roanoker Restaurant LUNCH: Local Roots DINNER: The River and Rail BREWS: Soaring Ridge Craft Brewery SWEETS: Pop’s Ice Cream & Soda Bar APRÈS ADVENTURE: Cocktails at Lucky

EVENTS

Star City Half Marathon & 10K: November 21, 2015 D Cup Enduro Downhill Race Series: Spring 2016 Blue Ridge Marathon: April 16, 2016 Roanoke GoOutside Festival: October 2016 Fleet Feet Sports Pub Run: every Tuesday at 6pm

COFFEE:

PLAY

RUN: Park at the Chestnut Ridge Overlook parking lot off of Mill Mountain Spur Road. Run, walk, or meander your way through the 5.4-mile figure-eight loop. The trail is wide and well-graded, bordered by thickets of mountain laurel and rhododendron. Just a 10-minute drive from downtown Roanoke, this trail is a popular after-work destination for many locals.

BIKE: From town, take the Mill Mountain Greenway to Monument Trail. Climb for a half hour up to the Roanoke Star, an icon of the city that overlooks the valley. From there, hop on Wood Thrush trail for a ripping descent back to the greenway. Want more? Head 30 minutes outside of town to Carvins Cove, the second largest municipal park in the country.

Whatever your route, make sure to include a cruise on Lakeside and a descent down the Gauntlet, both classics in the Carvins Cove area.

PADDLE: Rent a SUP from Roanoke Mountain Adventures ($55/day) or have Mr. Revercomb himself guide you down the waters of the Roanoke ($75/person). Beginners will learn the basics of paddleboarding in a safe environment while enjoying the scenery that surrounds them.

2015 TOP BIG CIT Y

KNOXVILLE

TENNESSEE Population: 179,973

T

here’s more to Knoxville than college football. Nestled in the foothills of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the city itself is often overlooked as an adventure destination, lost in the limelight of America’s most visited national park. But you might be surprised by what this Southern metropolis has to offer in the way of outdoor adventure.

In the heart of East Knoxville lie the headwaters of the Tennessee River, a 652-mile waterway (the largest tributary of the Ohio River) born from the confluence of the French Broad and Holston Rivers.

Along the riverfront and tucked into the folds of the city are 99 city and county parks, 25 trail systems, and more than 50 miles of greenways. Just over an hour’s drive from the city are some of east Tennessee’s most prized natural areas like the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area, and Obed Wild and Scenic River.

But perhaps even more unique than the city’s close proximity to recreational resources is the vibe of present-day Knoxville, a feeling of progression and unity that can most aptly be described with one word: collaboration.

“It’s not just bikers,” says

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Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (AMBC) president Matthew Kellogg, “it’s runners, walkers, folks out with their dogs and kids. That’s the great thing about what we do. We support an infrastructure that is greater than just bicycles and that’s why we have community buy-in.”

Kellogg is a mover-shaker.

After coming to Knoxville in 2002, Kellogg realized the city had all of the necessary ingredients to become an outdoor destination but lacked the connectivity. Parks were already in place, trails had already been built, but the resources, and the community that used them, were disjointed at best. Then, in late 2006, Knoxville mountain bike enthusiast Randy Conner re-formed the AMBC, which had dissolved nearly a decade prior, and helped spur a new wave of energy in trail advocacy.

“Our main goal was to expand trail efforts and trail access to everybody,” says Brian Hann, AMBC’s second president and another key player in Knoxville’s trail movement.

In the decade since AMBC’s rebirth, the club has certainly made good on their mission. In 2012, the city of Knoxville opened the Urban Wilderness, a 1,000-acre swath of land that houses over 40 miles of multi-use trail. Its boundary is defined by the South Loop, a 12.5mile trail (designed and built by the AMBC) that connects Ijams Nature Center, Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area, Anderson School Trails, William Hastie Natural Area, Marie Myers Park, and private land.

Hann himself has an easement on his 116-acre property, which allows public access to the trails (and pump track) in his backyard.

“Now it’s not just going to the [Great Smoky Mountains National] Park once a month to recreate outdoors,” Hann says. “You can do it every day after work. There’s no traveling, there’s no driving. You’re rolling out your front door.”

Though the Urban Wilderness seems like the pinnacle of success for

MATTHEW KELLOGG ENJOYS A RIDE IN KNOXVILLE’S URBAN WILDERNESS.

a volunteer-run, grassroots club of 250-some members, the AMBC is just getting started. The club recently received a $100,000 Bell Built grant to construct a high-caliber bike park (check out the #DowntownDownhill feed) on 100 acres of land donated to the Legacy Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that heads most of the outdoor initiatives in Knoxville including, but not limited to, Outdoor Knoxville (outdoorknoxville.com), Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness, and Outdoor KnoxFest.

“The city right now is poised to make some huge strides,” says

photo by JESS DADDIO

Hann, which is thanks in part to a cooperative local government that values the voice of the Legacy Parks Foundation and the blood, sweat, and cases of beer AMBC has put into constructing the city’s trail system.

“We are the Volunteer State,” adds Kellogg. “It’s all of that sweat equity from our members that really push us as leaders of the club to keep going after grants.”

By the beginning of 2016, AMBC expects to have an additional six to eight miles of trail open, which includes the Bell Built bike park. The park will feature everything from

beginner-friendly cross-country trails to double black diamond gravity trails.

WHEN TO VISIT

Though high-elevation mountains surround the city of Knoxville, summertime can be especially humid and hot. Even a short walk in the park will leave you soaked and sweaty. Unless you intend to plan your vacation around Knoxville’s watersport activities, come in the winter when the days are warm (around 50 degrees) and the nights

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Then, jump in for swimming, paddling, fishing and even camping on the rivers and lakes of the Alleghany Highlands Blueway.

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are cool and everywhere else in the Southeast is unbearably cold. It’s like Florida, without the palm trees.

STAY

INNS & LODGES: Maple Grove Inn

(maplegroveinn.com; rooms from $150/ night), Maple Hurst Inn Bed & Breakfast (maplehurstinn.com) CAMPGROUNDS & CABINS: Southlake RV Park (southlakervpark.com; sites from $24/night), The Lily Pad Campground (check out their Facebook page; sites from $5/night)

EAT

Old City Java BREAKFAST: Oli Bea LUNCH: The Tomato Head DINNER: Knox Mason BREWS: Saw Works Brewery SWEETS: Cupcakery APRÈS ADVENTURE: Central Flats and Taps COFFEE:

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PLAY

The Ijams Crag is a recently developed climbing area located in the heart of the Ijams Nature Center. There are currently over 10 established sport routes on the rock, and with moderate grades, quality rock, and easy access, this is a mustdo if you’re in the city.

BIKE: Rent a bike from Tennessee Valley Bikes ($40/day) and cruise the South Loop, a 12.5-mile trail that traverses the periphery of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness. You’ll get the ultimate trail experience here—flowy and smooth to technical and tight. If it rains and you still want to get out and ride, the trails at Sharps Ridge Memorial Park are better when they’re wet and afford great views of Knoxville’s skyline and surrounding mountains.

PADDLE: Whether you’re a beginner looking to hop on the flat waters of Mead’s Quarry or a more experienced paddler seeking adventure on the Tennessee River, there’s a SUP CLIMB:

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rental place for you. River Sports Outfitters runs a rental kiosk ($11/ hour) out of the Mead’s Quarry parking lot. If you’re downtown, head over to Billy Lush Board Shop and grab a board ($60/day). There’s a putin to the river just a quick walk from their main location in the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center, home to the Legacy Parks Foundation and a great starting point for all of your Knoxville recreation needs.

EVENTS

Outdoor KnoxFest: April 2015 Rhythm N Blooms: April 8-10, 2016 *** EXPLORE MORE GREAT

TOP TOWNS

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA: EAT: Grab

a milkshake at the Ice Cream Stop PLAY: Send classic sport routes at Hidden Valley STAY: Post up in a cottage with Creeper’s End

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Brunch big at Sunny Point Café PLAY: SUP the French Broad River STAY: Bunk, camp, or reserve a room at Bon Paul & Sharkey’s Hostel ATLANTA, GEORGIA: EAT: Eat

simple, sustainable, and southern at Miller Union PLAY: Kayak the Chattahoochee River STAY: Pitch a tent at Stone Mountain Park Campground Find fresh-off-the-farm plates from Woodberry Kitchen PLAY: Tube the Gunpowder River STAY: Camp in the capitol, as in Capitol KOA BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: EAT:

Order the best burger in the South at Saw’s BBQ PLAY: Cruise the Double Oak Trail at Oak Mountain State Park STAY: Car camp at Cherokee Campground BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: EAT:

BLAIRSVILLE, GEORGIA: EAT:

Pick up a Cuban from Dan’s Grill Inc., the sandwich, not the owner PLAY: Summit Blood Mountain STAY: Bunk with thru-hikers at Mountain

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Crossings BLOWING ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA:

EAT: Make your day with Appalachian Peach Marmalade from Foggy Rock Eatery & Pub PLAY: Sunday drive the Blue Ridge Parkway STAY: Cozy up at the Village Inn of Blowing Rock

BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Fill up on a proper southern meal from Proper PLAY: Zigzag the switchbacks up Elk Knob’s Summit Trail STAY: Soak in the stars from Grandfather Mountain Campground BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY: EAT:

Chow down with home cooked plates from Cambridge Market & Cafe PLAY: Ride Low Hollow Trail, the first mountain bike trail built in Warren County STAY: Get the lowdown on regional cycling during your stay at Spongie Acres Bed & Breakfast Eat your weight in burrito goodness from Pescados PLAY: Pedal from waterfall to waterfall at DuPont State Forest STAY: Glamp and ride at The Bike Farm BREVARD, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Get a taste of the Lowcountry at FIG PLAY: SUP the salty marshes of the Folly River STAY: Rough it in a tent or reserve a cottage at James Island County Park & Campground CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA: EAT:

Grab a pint of local brew and catch some tunes during “Tappy Hour” at Bluegrass Kitchen PLAY: Pedal the tour de Kanawha State Forest’s 13 miles of singletrack STAY: Listen to the roar of Kanawha Falls as you drift to sleep at New River Campground Inc. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Expect food with a local flavor and a global twist at Heirloom Restaurant PLAY: Bike, boat, climb, or zip your day away at the U.S. Whitewater Center STAY: Escape the city bustle at McDowell Nature Preserve Get the flavor of Charlottesville, from food to atmosphere, at The Local PLAY: Think fast and flowy at Walnut Creek Park’s 35 miles of singletrack STAY: CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA: EAT:

Stay in Charlottesville like a local with Stay Charlottesville

stay with Northwest River Park & Campground

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE: EAT:

CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND: EAT:

Don’t miss Whiskey Wednesdays and Beermosa-brunch Sundays at The Flying Squirrel Bar PLAY: Test your trad climbing on the Tennessee Wall STAY: Save some green, in your pocket and the planet, at the LEEDplatinum certified hostel The Crash Pad CHEROKEE, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Satisfy your sweet tooth at Sassy Sunflowers Bakery & Cafe PLAY: Take on the bermy turns and gradual climbs of the Tanasi Trail System and you’ll be rewarded with ripping downhills and a flowy ride STAY: Fish and camp on the Raven Fork River at River Valley Campground Customize your breakfast at The Egg Bistro PLAY: Paddle to Lake Drummond in the heart of Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge STAY: Tour the night sky by telescope during your CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA: EAT:

Caffeinate your morning with Café Mark PLAY: Cycle the Great Allegheny Passage north toward Pittsburgh, or east toward Washington, D.C. STAY: Pedal right to your door at the trailside Trail Inn B&B DAVIS, WEST VIRGINIA: EAT: Stuff your face with gourmet pizza from Sirianni’s Pizza Cafe PLAY: Learn to cross-country ski while drinking moonshine at White Grass Touring Center STAY: Dance the night away at The Purple Fiddle DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA: EAT: Wine and dine at Montaluce Winery & Restaurant PLAY: Hike the Approach Trail in Amicalola Falls State Park to the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus STAY: Hike in, literally, to the Hike Inn, a taste of home in a rustic setting DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT: For the “mo’ distinguished” of southern

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breakfast experiences, head to Dame’s Chicken & Waffles PLAY: Cast your luck catching bass, bluegill, catfish, and crappie on Falls Lake STAY: At Rollingview Campground, you can park the rig year round The Garbage Plate from Red River Grill sounds bad but tastes delicious PLAY: Rent a canoe and fish the Dan River STAY: Family-friendly, pet-friendly Dan River Campground is the best place to base EDEN, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Don’t leave town without one of Cantaberry Restaurant’s tasty pies PLAY: Ride or run the Pinhoti Trail STAY: At Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway, all you need is a bike and an appetite, for food and adventure ELLIJAY, GEORGIA: EAT:

FAYETTEVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA: EAT:

From bacon jam to fried eggplant, Secret Sandwich Society has something for every palette PLAY: Marathon paddle all 23 miles of the Gauley River in a day STAY: Join your fellow dirtbags around the campfire at the American Alpine Club Campground GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Listen to the live tunes across the river from your balcony dinner at The Lazy Goat PLAY: Ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail to nearby Travelers Rest STAY: Rent a room, and a bike, from Swamp Rabbit Inn HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA: EAT: Locally sourced, ethically minded, vegetarian and vegan friendly meals are the staple at The Little Grill Collective PLAY: Rent a bike, or a guide, or both, for a day of singletrack at Massanutten Resort’s 15-mile trail system STAY: The Side of the Road Inn & Cottages offers visitors a luxurious stay and gourmet breakfast just two miles from the ‘Burg HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA:

Pig out on pulled pork from Flat Rock Wood Room PLAY: Run or ride the rugged trails of the Green River Game Lands STAY: Shack up trailside and riverside at Wilderness Cove Campground EAT:

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JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE: EAT: Savor the heat of East Tennessee hickory smoked meats at The Firehouse Restaurant PLAY: Paddle or raft the Nolichucky Gorge STAY: Try farm life without the commitment at Storybrook Farm B&B LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA: EAT: Indulge in farm to table dishes inspired by the Shenandoah Valley at The Red Hen PLAY: Explore the Natural Bridge Caverns STAY: Trek through the woods with a llama in tow at Applewood Inn

Cajun and creole meets the bourbon belt at Bourbon n’ Toulouse PLAY: Seek the elusive smallmouth fishing holes on the North Fork of Elkhorn Creek STAY: Camp on the banks of the Kentucky River at Fort Boonsborough LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY: EAT:

Fine southern meals coupled with contemporary art make for a unique dining experience at Proof on Main PLAY: Stay cool no matter the season as you rip the features at Louisville Mega Cavern & Underground Bike Park STAY: Settle back in time at the historic Central Park B&B LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: EAT:

Ask for the Luray Spelunker at The Purple Door Cafe & Konditorei PLAY: Section-cycle the scenic 105-mile Skyline Drive STAY: Fish for smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah River right from your campsite at Outlanders River Camp LURAY, VIRGINIA: EAT:

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA: EAT: Meatless never tasted so good, thanks to Good Natured Market & Vegetarian Cafe PLAY: Hike Shockeys Knob Loop in the Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area STAY: Find any amenity you need at Falling Waters Campsite

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA: EAT: Can’t decide between Italian, American, Spanish, or French? Rania’s Restaurant Bar & Grill has it all PLAY: Paddle the Smith River STAY: Camp lakeside on Philpott Lake at Goose Point Campground

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MCHENRY, MARYLAND: EAT:

MoonShadow Café, where farm fresh food, craft brews, live tunes, and local art unite PLAY: Bring your A-game to Big Bear Lake’s glorious, techy singletrack STAY: Whether you want a room or a studio, the Inn at Deep Creek has it all MORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT: At root & vine, you can order gourmet comfort food and a bottle of wine to go or dine among a sophisticated atmosphere PLAY: Soak in the sights of the Blue Ridge from the Fox Trail in South Mountains State Park STAY: The clear mountain waters of Camp Lake James are the perfect backdrop to your campsite or cabin stay

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA: EAT:

Satisfy your post-adventure appetite with a Cold Trail Ale and a Fire on the Mountain flatbread from Mountain State Brewing Co. PLAY: Tackle the Cheat River Canyon by raft, kayak, or canoe STAY: Sing camp songs around the fire by night, boulder by day at Coopers Rock State Forest Spoil your biscuit standards at Loveless Motel and Café PLAY: Hamilton Creek Park is the only mountain biking within Nashville proper, and its techy climbs and challenging descents aren’t to be taken lightly STAY: Affordable lodging located on the Cumberland Riverfront, Nashville Downtown Hostel makes even onetime visitors feel like family NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: EAT:

OHIOPYLE, PENNSYLVANIA: EAT: Falls City Restaurant & Pub, where only the bar dancing rivals the food PLAY: Paddle the loop on the Lower Youghiogheny River, then cycle or run your shuttle for a multisport day STAY: Trails connecting to Kentuck Campground offer hiking enthusiasts plenty to explore during the day

Try the best pit BBQ in Kentucky at the Pig in a Poke PLAY: The Russell Fork River offers paddlers everything from class II boogy water to classic class

PIKEVILLE, KENTUCKY: EAT:

V creekboating STAY: Clean facilities, easy access to the Russell Fork, and scenic trails make Breaks Interstate Park a must-visit Pasture may specialize in small plates and a minimal setting, but the flavor of the food is anything but PLAY: Cycle, paddle, run, or multisport it up at the James River Park System STAY: Make new friends at the centrally located Hostelling International USA RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: EAT:

SYLVA, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT: Hippies unite at Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro, where veggie burgers have their own category PLAY: Dawn patrol a hike out to Clingmans Dome and you’ll be rewarded with near-360degree views of the Smokies STAY: Get back to nature at Moonshine Creek Campground VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: EAT: Start the day off right with a $2.50 Bloody Mary and The Ray Ray from Doc Taylor’s Restaurant PLAY: Post up in the evening for a night surf fishing session at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge STAY: Camp in the sand or upgrade to a cabin with First Landing State Park Campground WASHINGTON, D.C.: EAT: Big Bear Café, likely the only place you can grab a cup of coffee in the morning and a five-course meal that same night PLAY: Hike alongside the impressive Great Falls Park or step up your paddling game and navigate the high volume falls on the Maryland side by boat STAY: Conveniently located to museums, subways, and more, Downtown D.C. Hostel makes your city stay a little less stressful WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: EAT:

Bogart’s Restaurant & Tavern serves comfort food in a cozy barn setting PLAY: See where Charles Frazier got his inspiration and hike the 10-mile trail to the summit of Cold Mountain STAY: Just two miles off of the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, Grandview Lodge couldn’t make accessing the park any easier

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SHAMROCK SUperstar KENNY R.

King Neptune Challenge Finisher

ACE R E E FR OR ALL SF PHOTO CIPANTS! PARTI

• ShamRocked first full marathon in 2014.

• Favorite part of Shamrock is post-race beers with friends • Friends call him the “Challenge Accepted” Man • Hopes to make the King Neptune Challenge an annual tradition

VISIT SHAMROCKMARATHON.COM FOR DETAILS MARCH 18-20, 2016 | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA

Yuengling Marathon • Anthem 1/2 Marathon • TowneBank 8K • Operation Smile Final Mile

FIRST TURNS IN TUCKER COUNTY

GIVEAWAY E NT E R TO WI N AT BL U E RI D G E O U T D O O RS. C OM

TRUE THRILL RIDE With three great resorts, thrilling snow sports, and two quaint small towns, there’s only one Tucker.

And that’s the Tucker Truth.

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R O DO

WE ASKED THE REGION’S TOP EXPERTS AND OUTDOOR ADVENTURERS—INCLUDING A FEW OF OUR VERY OWN BRO ATHLETES—TO SELECT THE GEAR THEY SIMPLY WON’T VENTURE OUTSIDE WITHOUT. HERE ARE THEIR SELECTIONS.

by TRAVIS HALL NO. 1 ADIDAS TERREX SWIFT R GTX

TRAIL SHOE This ultra sturdy waterproof trail runner is just as at home on the ultra course as it is on a light day hike. The thick rubber soles and toe guards provide added protection while the Gore-Tex liner keeps feet dry all day long. $140

“These shoes have stood up to every trail I’ve taken them on. They are lightweight enough to keep me moving quickly, and the tread gives me the perfect amount of traction when I’m off trail scrambling.

They’ve kept me dry in some extreme conditions and remain durable and sturdy after tackling some of the roughest terrain the Linville Gorge has to offer.” —Justin Costner, hiker, climber, and adventure photographer

NO.2 GAIA GPS APP

This universal GPS app has become one of the best and most widely trusted maps for 34

S

OUT

iOS. These days it is compatible with all iOS devices from the iPhone and iPad to the iPod and the Apple Watch. $20

“I still take map and compass on remote thru-hikes but pinpointing my location using the Gaia GPS App is like receiving a reassuring pat on the back deep in the wilderness. (Or if I’m lost, it provides a kick in the butt back towards the trail.)” —Jennifer Pharr

1

Davis, professional hiker, A.T. recordsetter

NO. 3 COLDPRUF QUEST PERFORMANCE BASE LAYER The Quest Performance base layer is basically a high performance set of long underwear capable of keeping you warm in extreme conditions while wicking moisture and inhibiting odor-causing bacterial growth on the fabric. Shirt $40 Pant $32

“ColdPruf base layers are perfect for those humid, bone-chilling days we often get in the Mid-Atlantic region.

They keep me warm, but I never get sweaty as I’ve experienced with other base layers.” —Hillary Bond, USASA

4

National Champion 2011-2014, Alpine Snowboard Slalom and Giant Slalom

NO. 4 ASTRAL RASSLER WATER SHOE This mid-cut water shoe offers premium ankle support, drain holes for fast drying, toe protection, and super grip soles that stand up to even the most slippery of river rocks. $119.95

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“When I head out to go kayaking, I need a shoe that can handle the hike to the put-in, the slick rocks on the portages, and fit comfortably inside my boat. I love my Astral Rasslers because they can do all that, with the added bonus of being both durable and fashionable too.”

—Laura Ferrell, avid paddler and BRO Athlete

NO. 5 PETZEL GRIGRI 2 Designed to facilitate belay maneuvers, the Grigri 2 works equally well for lead climbing and top roping. The compact and lightweight design allows for maximum durability and excellent descent control. $99.95

“It is the most versatile piece of gear a climber can have. It is a belay device, a soloing device, an ascender, a wall hauler; I’ve even used it to flip fully loaded rafts back over on the Grand Canyon.

Its big strength is that it locks up when the belayer takes their hand off the rope—a literal life saver if the belayer gets knocked out by a rock or something like that.” —Paul

Nelson, avid climber and BRO Athlete NO. 6 FITBIT SURGE This fitness super watch does more than count your steps. It can do everything from monitor your resting, active, and even sleeping heart rate to GPS track your hikes, trail runs, and mountain bike rides. When you’re done, just sync it up with your smartphone using the easy interface Fitbit app and break down the data in real time. $250

“From what I eat to how well I rest and compete, I’m measuring, experimenting, learning, and getting stronger. This type of rigorous monitoring would be thousands of dollars with a trainer, and is only a few hundred with fitbit.” —R. B. Martin, surfer, biker,

and adventurer

NO. 7 MAXXIS ARDENT 29 INCH MOUNTAIN BIKING TIRE The Maxxis Ardent is designed for aggressive trails and gives the rider

maximum traction and cornering control.

The sharp tread and high volume casing on these bad boys is designed to take a licking and keep on ticking, meaning your Ardents will stand up to the harshest, rockiest terrain without wearing down like lower quality tires have a tendency to do. $57

5

“It’s one of the best mountain biking tires on the market. The aggressive, high-grip tread pattern becomes especially helpful in the fall when the leaves begin to coat the singletrack and maximum grip is a must.” —Matt Fusco, Asheville-

6

area mountain biker

NO.8 SAWYER MINI BACKCOUNTRY

8

WATER FILTER The Sawyer Mini water filtration system is capable of filtering up to 100,000 gallons from clean water sources. As the name indicates, it is extremely lightweight and takes up minimal space in a pack. It can either be used as a filtration straw, screwed directly onto a water bottle, or hooked up inline on your hydration bladder. $25

“The Sawyer Mini has been a great addition to my pack. It’s so tiny and for only $25 you really can’t beat it.

I carry the Sawyer Mini and two big empty water bottles with me on the trail at all times. Usually I just bottle the water, slap that thing on, and drink as I go!” —Steve Yocom,

9 7

Blue Ridge explorer and adventure photographer

NO. 9 AVEX HIGHLAND BOTTLE Ideal for long days on the trail, the Avex Highland with autoseal technology can keep your hot drink hot for up to seven hours and your cold drinks cold for as long as twenty. $30

“It keeps my coffee at the perfect temperature all day long. I can walk to classes or along the nearest trail while enjoying my coffee. I also don’t have to worry about it getting knocked over and spilling, because it is totally leak-proof. It is the perfect product for on-the-go coffee lovers.” —Jane Anne R, student, Auburn, Ala.

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NO. 10 OZ TENT MALAMOO

NO. 13 MPOWERD LUCI SOLAR

This pop-up tent erects in a matter of three seconds and features a breathable inner layer and a completely waterproof outer layer. If you’re in the market for a smaller car camping tent, the Malamoo is for you.

LIGHTS This ultra lightweight, super portable solar light straps to your pack during the day, then inflates into a lantern at night, providing up to 12 hours of illumination. $20

$249.99

“There is nothing easier or faster to set up and take down. The quality is great and the design is simple. It’s perfect for setting up in harsh, rainy conditions, and the fabric breathes much better than I expected.” —Chris Hess,

Highland Hiker in Highlands, North Carolina NO. 11 BIG AGNES LOST RANGER

15 SLEEPING BAG The Lost Ranger 15 offers warmth, compressibility, and Big Agnes’ patented sleep system, allowing the user to slide a sleeping pad into a sleeve on the back of the bag, so no more rolling off your pad in the middle of the night. The Downtek insulation that the Lost Ranger is known for will keep you toasty at temps as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and its lightweight design is perfect for long treks deep into the backcountry.

Also notable is the roominess of this bag and the ergonomically designed sleeping hood which allows for a full range of motion throughout the night.

Don’t head out for a cold weather backpacking trip without it! $275 NO. 12 ULTIMATE DIRECTION AK RACE VEST 2.0 This running vest is minimalism at its best. It gives you everything you’ll need on a long trail run and nothing more. It comes in at only 7 ounces but somehow provides liters of storage.

$100

“This is my go-to pack! The water bottles are held in the front, which allows easy access (and eliminates that terrible plastic taste you get with bladders), and has just enough room to carry all my food and my jacket during long runs. I don’t go deep into the woods without it.” —Brandon Thrower, race director, trail runner, BRO Athlete

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“I have backpacked with my Outdoor Luci several times and it generates plenty of light for any nighttime activity. I’m really impressed by its light output, and the Aura is just flat out fun with the seven colors.” —Suz

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Mayerchak, Walkabout Outfitters, Roanoke Va.

“For me, you can’t beat the warmth and comfort of the Big Agnes Lost Ranger 15 degree bag. The down insulation is critical in keeping me warm and comfy on cold nights in the Western North Carolina backcountry, and the Big Agnes sleep system allows me to attach my sleeping pad to the bottom of the bag, keeping me from rolling onto the ground in the middle of the night. All these features provide a better night of sleep and more energy for daytime exploration.” —Justin

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Costner, hiking guide and adventure photographer NO. 14 TITAN ROD VAULT The disassembly that most fly rods require in order to fit into your vehicle can be extremely time consuming.

The Titan Rod Vault is here to save the day. Just slide your fully assembled rod into the Titan Rod Vault, which easily mounts to the top of your vehicle’s roof rack, and head off in search of the next honey hole. $400

“You never have to worry about breaking your rods down, putting them back together, rigging them up or having flies stuck to your seats. It’s a simple yet genius design that keeps enthusiasts doing what they love the most, being on the water and fly fishing.” —Abbi Bagwell, avid fly

fisher

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GEAR GIVEAWAY!

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Drive hydrated with the first car cup holder adapter designed specifically for your Nalgene, Hydro Flask, or other large water bottle. Adjustable base to fit a wide range of vehicles. List of compatible bottles and vehicles available on the website. Reached #1 in Amazon’s cup holder category just 40 days.

WoolFusion® Trekker delivers a high performance, comfortable, hardwearing sock with excellent thermal and moisture control properties. Bridgedale’s Woolfusion® technology brings Enduro Wool together with technical fibres to provide balanced insulation, moisture wicking and durability. Designed for year round use, the Woolfusion® Trekker is the choice for regular and dedicated outdoor enthusiasts.

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German-engineered comfort for passenger and parent alike, the Kid Comfort 3 helps you introduce your little one to the trails. Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association-certified and designed with numerous child safety solutions ensure a safe, comfortable ride. VariFit back system enables easy fitting so both parents can comfortably use the pack.

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The warm and affordable Spark Top Quilt is the perfect cool weather hammocking accessory. A velcro controlled convertible footbox makes for quick setup, while the nylon taffeta lining is soft against the skin, and the quilt’s DWR finish repels moisture. There are no more excuses when it comes to sparking your fall adventures.

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GRAMICCI ORIGINAL G PANT They like us – they really like us! Don’t take our word for it – ask Outside Magazine: Original G Pants are one of the most influential pieces of gear of all time. All time… so that includes caveman pelts and shining armor. Since 1988, it’s the pant that launched a zillion adventures – with the iconic gusseted crotch, adjustable waistband, easy lock & release nylon belt,

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GREATLAND LASER Rescue Laser Flares® are the ultimate survival signaling device. Signal for rescue up to 20 miles.

Compact, waterproof, and safe. Easy to signal with the expanding fan of laser light. Locate reflective trail markers or signal companions. It’s the perfect gift for the outdoor adventurer in your life!

GREEN GURU HAULER BIKE PACK The Hauler Bike Pack/Messenger bag carries your personal gear for your commuting/touring/ packing needs. It’s lightweight and versatile for each rider. When you’re not riding, leave it mounted to your saddle or turn into a messenger bag. Built in Colorado with repurposed materials.

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ICEMULE PRO XL The IceMule Pro XL is a serious cooler designed for extreme adventure. Or....just for when you have a lot of stuff to keep cold! With a 1000 denier exterior fabric, seams rated to 65 pounds, and a padded, ventilated backpack strap system, this is absolutely the world’s most portable high-capacity cooler. And, now it’s available in limited-edition Olive, just in time for fall.

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OSPREY PACKS

FRONT RANGE™ HARNESS

BACKCOUNTRY

The New 2016 Men’s Volt and Women’s Viva Series are our most versatile packs designed to carry any load in all conditions with complete confi dence.

At such a great value this pack series is the ideal purchase for those who need to invest in lots of other new gear for their trip.

Ruffwear’s Front Range™ Harness is easy to fit, put on, and comfortable for dogs to wear. It features two leash attachment points: an aluminum V-ring centered on the dog’s back for everyday walks, and reinforced webbing at the dog’s chest for training or additional control. ID pocket keeps dog tags quiet.

Backcountry is a board game on a map! It’s the perfect stocking stuffer for outdoor enthusiasts. The 7 oz zip pouch holds a waterproof, tear-resistant game map, 5 pawns, 2 dice, game rules and 252 cards.

Choose from the Appalachian Trail or The Great Smoky Mountains Editions. Order for the holidays!

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EXPLORE THE ELLIJAYS OF NORTH GEORGIA

Come play where the mountains meet main street.

Just an hour north of Atlanta, come explore north Georgia’s best hiking, biking, romantic cabin rentals, shopping and more. Beautiful rivers, lakes and majestic mountains are just a few of the reasons we say: “Gilmer’s Got It!”

Small Town. Big Views.

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696 First Avenue East Ellijay, GA 30540 706-635-7400

/ TheEllijays BlueRidgeOutdoors

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BUY LOCAL! OUR EDITORS SELECT THEIR FAVORITE GEAR FROM TOP REGIONAL OUTDOOR COMPANIES 2

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by TRAVIS HALL NO. 1 MERRIMACK OSPREY CANOE $2,900 BASE CAMP: Travelers Rest, South Carolina

When Merrimack owner Andy O’Mara first arrived in Travelers Rest, he had intended to focus solely on his growing canoe company, but when he moved the company to a larger production facility, he opened what has become a widely popular pizza joint on Main Street in the space that used to house his canoe manufacturing business.

Now Andy splits his duties between Merrimack Canoes and Sidewall Pizza,

where he still stores and displays some of his handmade, artisan canoes. The Osprey is the original Merrimack Canoe and has been enjoyed by canoeing enthusiasts for over 50 years. A 39-inch center beam gives this 13-foot wooden canoe a remarkable amount of stability, making it ideal for fly fishermen, photographers, waterfowl hunters, and families.

NO. 2 JACKSON KAYAK ORION COOLER $499 BASE CAMP: Sparta, Tennessee

Eric Jackson of Jackson Kayaks founded his company in 2003 as a way to help kids experience the world of kayaking, something that had been previously inaccessible for most youth. Today his local kayak company, based out of the small town of Sparta, Tennessee, has morphed into one of the most recognizable names in paddlesports and has even branched out into the highly competitive world of high performance coolers. The Orion line of coolers offer more features and better performance than any other cooler on the market today. Features include six tie-down

points, four bottle openers, low profile camping latches, a variety of different color options, and a highly functional tray system.

NO. 3 ENO HAMMOCK $155 BASE CAMP:

Asheville, North Carolina

ENO is one of the longest standing and most reputable outdoor gear builders in Western North Carolina. Founded by brothers and adventure partners Peter and Paul Pinholster in the summer of 1999, ENO has grown from its original incarnation as a small mobile company

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Trails to Blaze!

Hikers will fall in love with Coopers Rock State Park, more than 50 miles of hiking trails from easy leg stretchers to long day hikes. The reward is a breathtaking 1,200-ft. overlook into the mile-wide gorge.

Bring your wheels and discover some of the best dirt bike trails that come with a 30-ft. canopy of leaves for cool summer riding!

Best Kept Secret: Raven’s Rock Trail - the view is worth the hike!

Hiking

Biking

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popping up sporadically along the East Coast to sell handmade hammocks to music festival attendees, into the nation’s most recognizable hammock brand. And ENO hasn’t stopped at hammocks.

They also make a high quality line of various bags, accessories, and lifestyle gear like the Method Guitar Case, which allows you to create your own soundtrack for everyday outdoor adventures.

Based out of Asheville, North Carolina, Watershed has long been making dry bags that are recognized as some of the best in the world by people who recreate and make their living in a marine environment.

The Aleutian Deck Bag’s ZipDry technology is guaranteed to keep all of your most important items bone dry, while the spacious 800-cubicinch, 13-liter interior offers space for just about everything you could possibly need while out on the water.

NO. 4 EQUINOX GEAR PARULA

ULTRALITE DAY PACK $65 Pennsylvania

NO. 7 TSUGA TS 8.0 CANOPY $225

BASE CAMP: Williamsport,

BASE CAMP:

Situated on the banks of the Susquehanna River, at the foot of the Allegheny Plateau, Equinox gear operates out of an old pajama factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The company has been designing and crafting quality outdoor equipment for “earth travelers” of all stripes for over 20 years. One of our particular favorites is the ARAS Eagle Pack.

The Eagle Pack features a dual hydration sleeve, an adjustable quick release suspension system, three strategically placed drain holes, and bottle loops on the shoulder pads. It weighs just over 20 ounces and has a capacity of 3,200 cubic inches.

When Jimi Combs began sewing and manufacturing his first handmade canopies in the late 1980s, his primary goal was to build a shelter that was both lightweight and weatherproof. Today his Boonebased company is one of the foremost producers of high quality canopy shelters in the Southeast and is also making top of the line water filtration systems along with messenger bags and utility buckets.

Tsuga’s TS 8.0 Canopy is made from extremely durable, fade-resistant WeatherMax skins, and it works just as well as a sun-beating beach shelter as is does when rigged to the back of a pickup truck in the woods.

NO. 5 MONOLITH STUDIO HANDMADE KNIVES (Prices vary) BASE CAMP: Charlottesville, Virginia

Zack Worrell is a self-taught artist and designer who comes from a long line of Appalachian adventurers and craftspeople. In 2012, Worrell began to take up to the age-old art of knife making. Today, this Virginia knifemaker’s portfolio is full of impressive works of art that include large butcher knives and other types of hand forged kitchen knives to smaller, sheathed knives ideal for camping and other types of outdoor pursuits. Simply put, Worrell makes functional art and tools for living with an emphasis on design without compromising functionality, reliability, or longevity.

NO.6 WATERSHED ALEUTIAN DECK BAG $135 BASE CAMP: Asheville, North Carolina

Boone, North Carolina

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NO. 8 GOOSEFEET GEAR DOWN SOCKS $65 BASE CAMP: Milledgeville, Georgia

In 2010, Ben Smith of Milledgeville, Georgia, was just an ordinary 20-year-old college student who liked to backpack on the weekends. Today he is the owner of a burgeoning outdoor company that specializes in handmade down socks, waterproof overbooties, down pillows, down pants, jackets, and more. Ben began fashioning his own down booties out of necessity because he couldn’t seem to keep his feet warm during cold overnights in the north Georgia mountains. Pretty soon, he began making and selling the same type of down booties he had originally used for his personal backpacking excursions, and GooseFeet Gear was born. Ben makes all of his high

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quality products to order.

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the authentic outdoor sports voice of america

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Outdoor Adventure Media is a network of regional outdoor sports, adventure lifestyle magazines. Each OAM publication is the definitive guide to outdoor recreation, travel and gear in its region.

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TRAIL MAGIC THREE COUPLES FIND LASTING RELATIONSHIPS WHILE THRU-HIKING THE A.T.

Drew & Meredith

by JESSICA PORTER

O

n April 5, 2014, I stood on top of Springer Mountain, Ga., ready to begin hiking north on the Appalachian Trail. I knew I would be changed by the hike. What I didn’t know was that the trail would turn my entire world upside down and that

by January 2015, I would have fallen in love, completed the 2,185.3-mile trail with a man I met on the trail and moved to his small town in upstate New York.

Jeff Vincent and I met almost right away, but we didn’t think much of each other at first. After all, I didn’t

decide to hike up the East Coast to meet boys. But that all changed during my sixth day on the trail when we ended up staying at the same shelter. The next morning we realized we were the last out of camp, so we decided to hike together.

By the end the day I realized that Jeff knew me better than most people in my life whom I had known for years. We talked about everything from our families and friends to our favorite food and movies. We barely noticed the mountains we were climbing.

We continued to hike together every day after that. Though I

couldn’t help wanting to spend every day with him, I was secretly panicking. I didn’t want to be “that girl” who allowed a crush to interfere with her hiking plans. But then I realized something: The relationship Jeff and I were forming was quite possibly the healthiest relationship I had ever been in.

Isaac and Dani

I soon learned I wasn’t alone. The trail is notorious for hikers coupling up. Sometimes it’s just sex and other times it’s a serious relationship. Dani Hoskins and Isaac Fussner also met each other on the trail early on, and

were just as surprised to find love.

“Dani was definitely the last thing I expected from the trail,” Isaac says. “I set out on the journey to be alone with nature and to meditate on my future. Meeting Dani didn’t change those goals. She was my sweet surprise who deepened my experience.”

Getting to know someone on the trail consists of hiking for miles and conversation that lasts all day. There’s no Facebook, text messages or emails to interrupt getting to know each other.

“The trail makes every experience authentic. You see people clearly for

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who they are right in front of you.

They don’t have nice clothes, makeup or general hygiene; they’re just raw, just real,” Dani says. “I don’t think there are many other opportunities these days where we’re afforded such an unadulterated lens for first impressions.”

Drew and Meredith

And then there are couples, like Meredith Chedsey and Drew Schreiner, who start the trail together—a risky move knowing that means spending about six months by each other’s side. Meredith planned on hiking the trail solo long before Drew came along. Once Drew learned of her plans, he made it clear he was interested in hiking too. So she took him on a few backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountains to

we could help with and we basically became each other’s support group,” Meredith says.

Secrets of Success

When hiking solo, you can start and stop when you want, go into the towns you choose and hike whatever mileage you want. By hiking together, couples must compromise on all of these things.

Drew says that he and Meredith also used a “get out of hiking free card,” where either of them could make it a zero day with no argument from the other.

Couples who hike together learn a lot about each other in a short period of time—largely because they deal with incredible amounts of stress together. There’s the typical stress of dealing with hiking 15 or more miles

Jess & Je

ff

Couples who hike together learn a lot about each other in a short period of time— largely because they deal with incredible amounts of stress together. make sure he could cut it on the Appalachian Trail.

“Though she never said anything, I saw these trips as a sort of test for me. It was a chance to show that I could handle the not-so-great aspects of backpacking and that I would not annoy the crap out of her,” Drew says.

“Evidently I passed, as shortly after these trips she agreed that I could join her on the Appalachian Trail.”

Six months later, Meredith and Drew summited Katahdin together.

During that time, they overcame challenges in their relationship that are unique to long-distance hiking, like constantly being around each other, which ended up working in their favor.

“Because there was no running away from each other, our relationship grew much stronger. We learned to read each other’s emotions easily, we learned what weakness

a day, injuries, and bad weather. But then there’s the stress many people don’t talk about. Like when I cried through most of Pennsylvania.

The exhaustion of hiking every day for more than three months had caught up to me, and hiking in Pennsylvania means hiking over very pointy rocks and climbing through boulder fields all day, every day. I lost all coping skills, became very homesick and cried constantly. Jeff was my support system. I can’t count the number of times I came around a turn crying and he was there to make me feel better. Without him, I may not have made it. When it got really bad, the only reason I didn’t get off the trail was so I wouldn’t leave him alone and jeopardize the success of his hike. We learned a lot about each other and a lot about momentarily sacrificing our own happiness to support each other.

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POWER

OF THE

WHY MOUNTAINS MOVE US

by BRAD STULBERG

I

spent last week trekking across big, beautiful mountains, and their pull on me was powerful as ever. It prompted me to wonder: Why do we seek out mountains and, in some cases, challenge ourselves against them?

I was hoping to find answers in science. Biologist E.O. Wilson argues that we’re hardwired to feel a special connection with natural systems, something he calls “biophilia.”

Because of how we evolved, he says, certain natural settings can be inviting at a deep, biological level. These settings embody the “connections we subconsciously seek with the rest of life,” connections Wilson believes are literally rooted in our blood. For example, Wilson suggests that we are drawn to the African savannah because our species originated there. But this certainly doesn’t explain why mountains— which can be dangerous and forbidding, and often lack life—wield such a visceral effect on us.

Next, I turned to the intersection of natural science and math, where there is longstanding evidence that humans are attracted to symmetry.

This can be traced back to ancient Greek times when Plato wrote 48

of golden ratios and shapes like rectangles were held in the highest regard. The Greeks believed in three prongs to beauty: symmetry, proportion, and harmony.

Modern experiments confirm the Greeks were on to something.

Numerous psychology studies show that babies are more attracted to symmetrical shapes than nonsymmetrical ones, and that we rate people’s beauty based on the symmetry of their faces. Scientists hypothesize this strong preference for balance is borne out of the fact that symmetry may represent superior genetic quality and also symbolize a lack of stress during development.

Mountains, however, are anything but symmetrical. If anything, their inherent asymmetry—jagged edges, undulating ridgelines, and steep pitches—is the very result of continuous stress throughout their development, including earthquakes, monsoons, and other natural disasters. If mountains were humans, they’d be disfigured and malformed, the oldest, most battered of us all.

Physics was easy to cross off the list. Its fundamental force, gravity, says that what goes up must come down. Yet mountains tend to have the opposite effect, bringing what is down up, elevating the spirit and soul of those who stand below.

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PEAK

A neuroscientist might argue that the sensation mountains elicit is related to a lack of oxygen in highaltitude air. While altitude definitely has real and formidable effects—I can attest to these effects personally— feeling drunk is different than feeling moved. Mountains continue to take our breath away long after science says it should have returned.

Although science may not directly answer the question of why we are drawn to mountains, it is beginning to uncover the benefits of such a draw.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that awe may be related to good health.

Experiencing awe is associated with lower levels of interleukin-6, which is a molecule that encourages inflammation. In other words, more awe is likely associated with less inflammation. Dacher Keltner, senior author on the study, told the New York Times that although awe can be hard to define, one of the emotion’s primary qualities is that it “passes the goosebumps test.”

Perhaps we are drawn to mountains because they elicit awe, and awe makes us feel good. But this still does not explain why mountains inspire awe in the first place.

Could it be that mountains affect us so powerfully because they are big and remind us that we are

small? Especially in today’s tumult of Facebook and Twitter and customized newsfeeds and on-demand everything, it is very easy to get lost in our own little worlds—little worlds in which it is easy to feel pretty big.

While there is a power to feeling big, there is an equal and perhaps even greater power to feeling small.

Dasher Keltner seems to agree.

He wrote that “vastness” and “self-diminishment” are typical characteristics of awe. He even called out mountains as emblematic of an “awe inspiring entity.”

George Mallory, a British Mountaineer who partook in the first three expeditions on Everest (and ultimately lost his life trying to summit), famously said of why he climbed Everest, “Because it is there… Its existence is a challenge.

The answer is instinctive, a part of man’s desire to conquer the universe.”

But perhaps Mallory wasn’t completely correct. Yes, we want to conquer mountains, but maybe not because we long to “conquer the universe.” Rather, it could be that the act of climbing a mountain tends to have the opposite effect— not conquering the universe but connecting us to it, reminding us how vast the universe is and how small a part of it we are.

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SWIFT REINVENTION AND SOUNDS OBSOLETE NEW ALBUMS FROM FORMER COLLABORATORS RYAN ADAMS AND DAVID RAWLINGS

by JEDD FERRIS

F

ifteen years ago Ryan Adams released his debut solo album, Heartbreaker. The record’s first track, “(Argument with David Rawlings Concerning Morrisey),” features the collaborators having a humorous debate about which Morrisey album contains the song “Suedehead.” It’s off-the-cuff studio banter that segues right into the album’s first tune, the freewheeling country-rock foot-stomper “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High),” a song co-penned by Adams and Rawlings.

In the decade and a half since that memorable kick-off to an altcountry landmark recording, Adams and Rawlings have taken different paths, but both have continued to make some of the most enduring music in the current Americana landscape. They also both put out very interesting new releases this fall.

Ever since he left the influential North Carolina outfit Whiskeytown to mount his solo career, Adams has been an extremely prolific

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songwriter and at times a restless musical wanderer. While most of his 15-album output has reveled in dusty rock revivalism, he has also veered toward his inner Deadhead with efforts like 2005’s Cold Roses and embraced 80s pop-rock sheen on 2004’s Love is Hell and even last year’s Ryan Adams. He also indulged his often-professed love of heavy metal with 2010’s Orion. In September, though, he offered his biggest surprise to date, when he released his own track-by-track interpretation of Taylor Swift’s multi-platinum hit album 1989.

Adams had been teasing the project with Instagram clips since the summer, and he received Swift’s excited endorsement on Twitter. It was first inspired back in December during some post-divorce Christmas season loneliness. Adams initially planned to remake 1989 by himself in the stark acoustic vein of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, but some early recordings on an old four-track were damaged beyond repair. Upon

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revisiting with some support, Adams has called the final output a cross between the Boss’s fuller classic Darkness on the Edge of Town and The Smith’s Meat is Murder.

Adams has always been pretty clear about his influences and with 1989, he seems genuine with his respect for the source material. The album was Swift’s dramatic pivot from country star to full-fledged pop dominator, and as a result contains plenty of present-day overblown electro production. Yet Swift remains a skilled songwriter, and that is what Adams attempts to extract from the sonic glitter in his own way. The results are hit and miss.

When Adams turns the empowering theme of room shaker “Blank Page” into a wistful folk ballad, it sounds fresh and endearing, and “Bad Blood” works well when delivered through Smiths-style jangly guitar pop.

But the mumble-mouth heartland rock take on mega-hit “Shake It Off” could pass for a Jimmy Fallon sketch—particularly due to the undeniable cheese of the repeated “haters gonna hate” chorus. With rushed, uneven production, the songs start to blur together as the album moves along and amount to an average Adams record that’s definitely enjoyable in spots. Adams seems sincere when he conveyed this wasn’t a publicity stunt, but he knows how to get attention and this effort is undoubtedly turning people on to the cult hero’s broader discography. That’s a good thing.

U

nlike Adams, Rawlings spends most of his time in supporting roles and behind the scenes. He’s best known as the steadfast sideman to his longtime partner Gillian Welch. He’s appeared

on albums by Ani DiFranco and Bright Eyes and produced efforts for Old Crow Medicine Show and Dawes, including the group’s recent effort: All Your Favorite Bands. In 2009 he came out with a debut album, A Friend of a Friend, under the name Dave Rawlings Machine, which gave Rawlings a chance to put out his own version of “To Be Young.” The group features Rawlings and Welch in reversed roles with support from a rotating group of top-notch string pickers.

In September the Machine returned with a sophomore followup, Nashville Obsolete, an album that is short on tracks (seven) but long on emotional depth. Rawlings and Welch stick to the powerful front-porch minimalism that they standardized on the latter’s records two decades ago.

It leaves room to accentuate the duo’s soaring harmonies and Rawlings’ fluid, mesmerizing guitar work on his vintage archtop. Together Rawlings and Welch create incomparable antique tones that can’t be duplicated, uniquely original even as they transport to a bygone era.

On the new album that aesthetic is used for gothic tales, like the slow ballad “Short Haired Woman Blues.”

Rawlings also gets introspective on the meandering 11-minute centerpiece “The Trip,” which features vintage Dylan-esque talk-singing before the thought-provoking chorus: “Take a trip wherever your conscience has to roam. It’s much too hard to try to live a lie at home.”

The mood lightens on the cheeky, quick-fingered old-time ditty “Candy,” which offers a snapshot of the Machine’s more upbeat moments in the live setting. Rawlings and Welch will spend much of the late fall touring in support of the new record with backing help from former Old Crow Medicine Show member Willie Watson and bassist Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers. This month the group will play North Carolina dates in Durham and Asheville, as well as Virginia shows in Charlottesville and Richmond.

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