N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
3
828.255.6700 SouthernRaft.com
O DT U RO P S I
THE O T
W
OM ELC
E
LY. I M FA
ANNUAL
9TH 2017
www.wncffilyfisfihingexpo.com 4
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017 / M O U N TA I N E D I T I O N
November 2017 RISE OF THE PROFESSIONAL HIKER PAGE 43
PRO HIKER ANDREW SKURKA HAS HIKED, SKIED, AND PACKRAFTED MORE THAN 33,000 MILES AROUND THE WORLD.
FEATURES DEPARTMENTS
14 TOP ADVENTURE TOWNS
7 THE DIRT
Moonwalks and other night adventures • Fighting fire with fire after Gatlinburg • Best Thru-Hiker Names
10 QUICK HITS
Philly bikers bare all • Expectant couple learns baby’s gender revealed at marathon finish line • High school mountain biking grows in Virginia
48 TRAIL MIX
Roots run deep—Four regional acts taking old sounds to new places
50 LAST WORD
Wally Smith has downed beers with industry supporters and diehard environmentalists while living in coal country—and is surprised by how much they all agree. COVER PHOTO ( N O RTO N , VA.) —
Thousands of votes poured in to our seventh annual Top Towns contest. 48 towns battled for the crown. Which one topped the podium?
21 CAPITAL CITIES
What are the biking, running, hiking, paddling, and climbing epicenters? Our editors and experts pick the outdoor hubs for every sport.
29 GEAR OF THE YEAR
Check out the best new hardware, apparel, and technology, with a spotlight on gear pioneers headquartered in the Blue Ridge.
Grayson Highlands State Park
43 RISE OF THE PROFESSIONAL HIKER
How do professional backpackers make ends meet and maintain relationships? Follow in the sponsored footsteps of Andrew Skurka, Jennifer Pharr Davis, and ‘Hiking Viking’ Tom Gathman.
800-933-PARK (7275) | www.virginiastateparks.gov
WILL BOUTON / WANDERIN G FU G O@G MAIL.C OM N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M BRO_Nov_2017_00881.indd 1
5
9/26/2017 10:39:08 AM
CONTRIBUTORS
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 JEDD FERRIS
SEN I OR ED ITOR
jedd@blueridgeoutdoors.com TR AVEL ED ITOR
JESS DADDIO
jess@blueridgeoutdoors.com SEN I OR D ESI G N ER
LAUREN WORTH
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
WADE MICKLEY, GRAHAM AVERILL, DANIEL DEWITT, DAVE STALLARD, NATALIE STICKEL, LAURA INGLES C OPY ED ITORS
JULIA GREEN, ROBERT MCGEE Advertising & Business SEN I OR AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE
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 AC C OU N T EXEC UTI VE
KATIE HARTWELL
katie@blueridgeoutdoors.com B U SI N ESS M A N AG ER
MELISSA GESSLER
melissa@blueridgeoutdoors.com CIRCULATION MANAGER / AC C OU NT EXEC UTI VE
HANNAH COOPER
hcooper@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
travishall@blueridgeoutdoors.com SUMMIT
PUBLISHING
116 WEST JEFFERSON STREET CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 22902 56 COLLEGE STREET, SUITE 303 ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28801
BlueRidgeOutdoors.com
©2017 Summit Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
6
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
BlueRidgeOutdoors
11. 17
MOST FRIGHTENING MOMENT IN THE OUTDOORS? EVANS PRATER A bear sniffed my butt while I was sleeping in a hammock on the A.T. // JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS Coming across the victim of a suicide. It made me think long and hard about mental health, helping those who are struggling, and living my life to the fullest. // WALLY SMITH Three words: charging wild boar. // STEVEN MCBRIDE I was behind a large tree on the A.T., holding my breath as a black bear lumbered past the other side of the same tree. // ALISHA EDMISTON Mountain biking over a copperhead, which struck my pedal, but luckily missed my foot. // HANNAH COOPER AND KATIE HARTWELL Every time I have seen a snake. // JOHNNY MOLLOY Each time I was stepped on by a bear, in Virginia and North Carolina respectively. // DAVE STALLARD My son and I were mountain biking recently when a bear crossed the trail. It was uphill and past the bear to get home. // DANIEL DEWITT My 11-year-old son struggling to cross a swimming hole as the current pulled him towards the main channel—and through raging cascades. Thank goodness for the bankside root he was able to grab. It saved his life. // MIKE REARDON Three pitches and three hundred feet up Looking Glass Rock with a tough final pitch, a fierce black cloud rolled over Tennet Mountain. Retreat was not a great option. We raced the thunder and won, barely. // TIM KOERBER Riding in Moab, I somehow managed to get impaled by the lever for the dropper post on my bike. It was in deep right next to an artery in my forearm. I thought I was about to bleed out, but a friend with first aid kits got me sorted out. // JAY CURWEN To save time during an adventure race, we decided to swim 400 meters across a frigid lake in snow flurries. We barely made it to the far shore without losing consciousness. No one else was dumb enough to attempt the swim. // LEAH WOODY Getting lost in Shenandoah National Park for 8 hours. My friend and I finally emerged from the woods, muddy and running at full speed, and found ourselves in the middle of a neighborhood with children jumping on a trampoline. This may have also been their most frightening moment in the outdoors. GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
THE DIRT
11. 17
MOONWALKS
NIGHT HIKES, PADDLES, RIDES, AND RUNS BY NATALIE STICKEL
AFTER THE TEMPERATURE DROPS, HUMIDITY LIFTS, AND CROWDS HAVE GONE HOME, THE WOODS AND WATERS OF THE BLUE RIDGE REVEAL THEIR SECRETS. WE’VE COMPILED A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS AFTER THE GOLDEN HOUR SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE ITS ENIGMATIC MAGIC FOR YOURSELF.
HIKE JOHN ROCK / CEDAR ROCK FALLS LOOP
North Carolina
This hike’s concentrated combination of outstanding views, falls, and campsites is unparalleled. In a mere six miles, you can wind through Pisgah National Forest’s staggering vistas, lush forests, and beautiful, accessible cascades. From the start of the trail, John Rock beckons in the distance. It’s no wonder this trail is a popular destination during the day, but at night, you just might have it to yourself. Parking is available at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. The beginning of the trail winds along the Davidson River and you’re rewarded with stunning views after less than three miles. After some stargazing, you can make this a brief out-and-back, but with campsites dotting the entire loop, you’d be remiss to turn back so soon. Plus, Cedar Rock Falls awaits you near the end. FALL BRANCH FALLS
Georgia
This half-mile stretch of the 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) offers one of the closest waterfalls to Blue Ridge, Georgia, but you’ll feel far away from civilization if you wait out the daytime rush. While mountain laurel and rhododendron cover the creek bank and line this uphill trail’s edge, the true treasure awaits hikers at the end of this short out-and-back. Not one, but two falls stand in perfect view from an observation deck only feet from their base, urging you to get close enough for a refreshing mist. Located a few miles off Old Highway 76 down Aska Road then Stanley Creek Road, the “Fall Branch Falls” trailhead
sign directs you to follow the whitediamond markers of the BMT.
RUN MOORE COVE FALLS TRAIL
North Carolina
A short trip from Asheville, this wellmarked scenic path also leads to falls, but few others treat you with such an upclose and personal view. After a leisurely hike of less than half a mile through verdant, fern-studded hardwood forest, visitors are treated with a misty cascade plunging over ancient rock strata. The trail itself is virtually obstacle-free; a wellmaintained path and numerous bridges make this short out-and-back accessible both as a solo twilight jog or a fun outing with the kids. From the Pisgah National Forest entrance on US 276 W, parking is available just before crossing Looking Glass Creek.
PADDLE LAKE TUGALO
South Carolina
This 600-acre snaking lake is fed by the Tallulah River to the west and Chattooga River to the east and straddles the Georgia-South Carolina border, offering interesting sights on either side. A short distance in either direction of the South Carolina boat ramp, you can enjoy looming cliffs and shady forest
overhangs without worrying about motorists; Lake Tugalo boat traffic is limited by a 25-hp maximum outboard motor restriction. These calm waters make for the perfect relaxing, sunset trip for novice and seasoned paddlers alike. Fishing is allowed, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ “best bets” are largemouth bass, walleye, redbreast sunfish, and bluegill. Check their website for details and regulations. Visitors from the Georgia side can access the lake through Tallulah Gorge State Park while the South Carolina boat ramp is found off Battle Creek Road.
BIKE VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL
Damascus, Virginia
This well-known 34-mile trail attracts both serious and Sunday cyclists for good reason, and its railbed gravel has seen countless tires since the train days. Numerous access points and various amenities have sprouted up over the years, and the scenery ranges from lush mountain gorges, creek crossings, and expansive farmland to historic cabooses and surviving train stations. The 17-mile Whitetop-Damascus section comprises about half the entire trail, is generally wide, and is almost wholly downhill, making segments of it easily navigable, even by sunset pastels or rising moonlight.
DON'T WANT TO GO IT ALONE? Check your favorite destinations and local outfitters for guided hikes, rides, and paddles. For example, Shenandoah National Park offers summer twilight hikes and the Night Sky Festival each year, offering presentations by astronomers and opportunities to stargaze from atop some of the park’s most awe-inspiring overlooks. Great Smoky Mountains National Park also offers the best views of the night sky in the area, and it also has synchronous fireflies in the summer months. The park's vastness, high peaks and numerous scenic vistas offer visitors a unique opportunity to observe the landscape above unencumbered by artificial light.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
7
THE DIRT
11. 17
THE FIRE NEXT TIME
ONE YEAR AFTER GATLINBURG, WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY IN ACREAGE AND COST. OUR BEST NEW STRATEGY: FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. BY RACHEL WOOLWORTH
ravaged Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the neighboring communities of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tenn. The blaze killed 14 people, damaged more than 2,400 structures, and caused more than $500 million in damages. The fire was started by a pair of teenagers, but a combination of extreme drought, high temperatures, wind, and overgrown forests, aligned to create the devastating combustion. Wildfires are starting earlier, lasting longer, and burning hotter and bigger than ever before. In 2015, more acres burned from wildfire than in any year in recorded history. From 2006-2016, the average of acres burned by wildfire nearly doubled to 7.15 million acres. The widening scope and complexity of wildfire is driven by a myriad of factors: a history of misguided fire suppression; climate change; growing development along wildland boundaries; and an increase in fires caused by humans.
WILDFIRE ON A WARMING PLANET
In the early 20th century, the U.S. Forest Service adopted a policy of total fire suppression, or fighting all wildfire as quickly as possible. Soon after, the Forest Service launched the Smokey the Bear campaign to help disseminate the idea that fire was a destructive force to be feared and fought. The logic behind fire suppression ran contrary to centuries of Native American and homesteader land management practices. Now, a century later, total fire suppression is 8
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
LAST NOVEMBER, WILDFIRE
bark beetle to persist through the winter season, adding another fuel type to the fire. In the South, personal property often abuts forest boundaries along the wildlandurban interface. Development along such boundaries makes wildfire and prescribed burning exponentially more complex. Because federal agencies pick up the majority of wildland fire’s costs, few municipalities restrict development along the wildland boundaries. Currently, there are more than 70,000 communities and 46 million homes along the nation’s wildland-urban interface. The elongated fire season and increasing severity of wildfires have led to a ballooning federal fire budget. In 2015, the Forest Service spent more than half its annual budget on fighting wildfire; by 2025, over 67% of the agency’s budget is expected to go toward fire suppression. The allocation of resources towards fighting wildfire means less money for other Forest Service programs, like forest and watershed restoration, prescribed burns, and recreation infrastructure. Since 1998, Forest Service fire staffing has increased by 114% while non-fire staff has decreased by 39%.
viewed as an ecologically backward policy, one that fails to acknowledge the positive presence of fire on different fire-dependent ecosystems. Known as the “Smokey the Bear Effect,” the absence of fire has led to dense forests, excessive underbrush, and a loss of diversity among habitats. In short, fire suppression has made landscapes less resilient to fire, transforming forests into ticking fuel bombs. Climate change is also transforming the frequency, duration, and intensity of wildfire. The globe’s warming temperatures exacerbate many contributors to wildfire: drought, increased lightning strikes, early cold snaps, and diminishing snow pack, to name a few. In the past 30 years, climate change has doubled the expansion of forest fires in the Western United States, according to researchers at the University of Idaho. Though wildfires can happen any time in most of the Southeast’s deciduous forests, fire season historically peaks in spring and fall. These days, wildfires are starting earlier in the spring and lasting later in the fall. As humidity levels fall, leaf canopies dry and fall to the forest floors, and brittle leaves and twigs easily turn into kindling. Warming temperatures have also allowed tree-killing invasive pests like the southern pine beetle and
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE
Fire has positively influenced the Southeast’s landscape for thousands of years. It opens holes in forest canopy for sunlight, thins dominant vegetative species, and makes nutrients available to animals low on the food chain. In the Blue Ridge, oak and pine trees have adapted thick bark and pine cones which open to disperse seeds after fire scorches them. In Florida, the red cockaded woodpecker thrives in the aftermath of fire, nesting in burned out tree cavities. Deer populations across the Southeast thrive after a burn,
feasting on the fresh nutrient-rich vegetation that emerges. Today, federal agencies are harnessing fire as a critical land management tool—a way to restore ecosystem health and to prevent catastrophic wildfire. Prescribed fire, or fire ignited to meet management objectives, is one way to utilize fire for good. In addition to habitat restoration, prescribed burning can reduce hazardous fuel loads so accidentally started fires don’t cause catastrophic damage. In Shenandoah and other national parks, for example, the acreage is divided into different fire management zones. In protection areas, near structures and Park boundaries, wildfire will be immediately suppressed. In fire ecosystem areas in the undeveloped interior of the Park, fire managers have an option to let the fire blaze, utilizing its flames for ecological and preventative management objectives. At Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park, ecosystems need fire every five years to maintain full health. If landscapes don’t burn, vegetation builds up, certain species start to dominate, and the threat of severe wildfire increases. Jordan McKnight, Chief of Fire at Big Cypress, plans prescribed burns on a five- to seven-year rotation. McKnight and his crew are essentially mimicking fire’s natural process under more controlled circumstances. Most of the Preserve’s prescribed burning takes place from January to March when the climate is drier and cooler and burning low to moderate intensity fires is possible. The burn program is currently focusing on revitalizing populations of red-cockaded woodpeckers, sparrows, bats, deer, wild turkeys, and panthers. McKnight estimates that managing an acre of prescribed fire at Big Cypress costs about 10 percent of the expense of fighting wildfire on the same tract of land. In 2017, Big Cypress has prescribe burned more than 100,000 acres. “I love the instant gratification of prescribed burning,” says Sam Ashbaugh, lead firefighter for Big Cypress. “It’s just like mowing your lawn; you’re done and within days you see fresh turkey tracks and flowers.”
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
THE DIRT
11. 17
TRAIL NAMES THE BEST OF 2017 BY CAROLINE LELAND
WHEN YOU’RE ON THE A.T. YOU’RE BESTOWED A TRAIL NAME—A NICKNAME, OF SORTS, THAT BECOMES YOUR PRIMARY IDENTITY. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITES FROM THIS YEAR’S CLASS OF THRU-HIKERS.
Pictured clockwise from top left HONORABLE 1. MOUSE KING 6. SANTA MAX MENTIONS: “My first night on “Some young kid Bahalana the trail, I got to the was here, and he Baloo shelter, and I noticed had Max first. That’s Blitz everybody was in the one I wanted. Boy Wonder their tents. No one And because of the Captain Whiskers was in the shelter beard, he stuck me Legs because there were with Santa Max so Screech so many mice. I was he could keep what Speedo so tired, I didn’t care. he wanted.” I was the only one who slept in the shelter. There 7. HEAT WAVE “I got it on the Pacific Crest were mice everywhere. I would Trail. I had never backpacked turn on my headlight and they’d go away. Then after awhile, they before, and I had no idea what I was doing. I was just stopped going away. So I set up my tent in the shelter and probably carrying about 60 went to sleep. The next morning pounds. I kept pulling up I went to the privy, and there was and cinching my backpack, and when we stopped at a mouse right behind me, just the first break, I unclipped staring at me the whole time.” everything, and I think my squeezed-up insides just 2. CHEESE kind of loosened, and I threw “I was at one of the shelters, up all over the trail. Some and I picked up a block of cheese, and ate it down in under older gentlemen came by and checked that I was a minute, and it was good, so they called me cheese. I tell bad okay and walked on. About 10 days later, or so, I ran jokes, and I’m from Wisconsin, into one of them again. He too, so I’ve got all three things walked right up to me and going on.” was like, “Hey, Heat Wave, how’s it going?” The name 3. ILL “My first night out here, I got sick, stuck.”
and I threw up a couple times.”
8. CINDY LOO HOO “My hair is crazy purple, and I 4. MAGNITO “I make jewelry out of metal wire, put it in a really high top bun things like that. I was crafting on a lot of the times.” the rail a little bit, and someone 9. RED FOX said, ‘Oh you’re Magnito.’ It’s “I move through the woods a super-villain in X-Men who like a fox, and I’ve got red is able to manipulate metal hair and a big red beard.” magnetically. After the A.T., I hope to start making jewelry for 10. BANANA SPLIT a living.” “I split my pants on Day 3, and I wear yellow shorts. I 5. SLICED BEETS “It’s a game I play with my son guess I’m kinda stuck with online.” that the rest of the way.”
QUICK HITS
11.17
Independence Hall. While many bikers decided to bare all, others wore underwear or covered certain parts in body paint. The annual ride takes place to raise awareness for cycling safety and promote positive outlooks on body image. "I just broke up with my boyfriend and wanted to have a sense of freedom," Olivia Neely, a topless rider, told the Associated Press. "I did it for me, not for anyone else."
SHORTS BLUE RIDGE BRIEFS BY JEDD FERRIS
Back in September, Alysha and Brian Flynn of Longswamp Township, Pa., decided to make their finish extra special at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon in Easton. At the time of the race Alysha was five months pregnant and recently had an ultrasound to determine the gender of her baby. Instead of finding out the sex immediately, she had the results written down and put into two envelopes; one went to a race official and the other went to a local Wegmans supermarket, where color-specific balloons (either blue for boy or pink for girl) were ordered to be placed at the finish line. When she and Brian crossed the finished line after three hours and 53 minutes, they saw a bunch of blue balloons and learned that their daughter Riley would be a big sister to a baby boy. "I watched his face light up," Alysha said of her husband seeing the balloons in the Reading Eagle. "We were both crying.” Alysha went on to tell the paper she’s been running since she was seven years old, and she’s careful with her exertion level while running when pregnant. She has plans for another marathon in December, before her son is born in early 2018, and she’s already qualified for the Boston Marathon, which will be her first big post-partum race.
HIGH SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKING EXPANDS IN VIRGINIA
Mountain bike opportunities are growing for high school students in central Virginia. With three new additions at the start of the school year in late August, all of the public high schools in Charlottesville, Va., and surrounding Albemarle County now have club racing teams in the Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League (VICL), which also includes more than a dozen, mostly private, schools in the Commonwealth. 10
illustration by WADE MICKLEY
EXPECTING COUPLE LEARNS BABY’S GENDER AT MARATHON FINISH LINE
Credit goes to members of the Charlottesville mountain bike community for initiating the effort to get more kids on bikes. A few years ago, Peter Hufnagel, a cycling coach at the Miller School of Albemarle, started the VICL as part of the broader National Interscholastic Cycling Association, which now holds 19 leagues across the country. More support in central Virginia came from Shawn Tevendale, owner of the Blue Ridge Cyclery bike shops, who allows teams in the VICL to ride on the private trails at his family’s Tevendale Farm to provide uninterrupted practice opportunities. According to a recent story on the website Charlottesville Tomorrow, more than 50 students will ride competitively in the local area, an impressive boost for a movement still gaining momentum.
KLEAN KANTEEN GOES SOLAR
In late summer Klean Kanteen revealed that it is running on the power of the sun. The popular manufacturer of stainless steel water bottles and other drinkware
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
announced on September 11 that its entire operation, including an in-house print shop, is now running on 216 recently installed, high-efficiency solar panels that will generate 141,323 kW of power. Based in the sunny Northern Sierra Nevada foothills in Chico, California, Klean Kanteen’s headquarters are located in an ideal region to harness the source of renewable energy; its solar array will generate more power than the company needs, resulting in a 107% offset and a contribution of electricity into the energy grid. In a statement the company said: “This move to solar power is our latest effort to step back and look at our footprint as a company and lessen our impact on the world around us.”
PHILLY BIKERS BARE ALL In early September about 3,000 cyclists pedaled the streets of Philadelphia in their birthday suits. As part of the annual Philly Naked Bike Ride, the brave bikers in the buff pedaled 10 miles around the city past many historic sites, including
BIKE SHARE PROGRAM SEES EARLY SUCCESS AT N.C. STATE
Just before students returned to North Carolina State University for the start of the fall semester, 300 lime green bikes were dispersed throughout the school’s campus in Raleigh. The university’s transportation department partnered with California-based LimeBike to implement a new bike-share program, and it didn’t take long for many students to start pedaling.The bright green bikes were ridden 5,000 times within the first week and a half of school starting. A key to the fast success could be the affordable rates being charged to borrow a bike; after an initial free ride, students and faculty are charged just 50 cents per half hour. Those not affiliated with the school can also rent the bikes for one dollar per half hour. The city of Raleigh will start its own bike-share program in the spring, also with 300 bikes.
VIRGINIA MOUNTAIN BIKE HALL OF FAME
Biking legends Rob Issem and Dick Howard are organizing a Hall of Fame in Roanoke, Va., to celebrate NOMINATE A pioneers, MOUNTAIN BIKER athletes, FOR THE HALL OF FAME? advocates, Email nominations to trail builders, dickhoward17@gmail.com businesses, and leaders who have defined the sport in our region, from past to present day.
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
®
WE’RE COMPLETELY COMMITTED
to creating real change with every delicious sip. Our dedication to fair, honest trade and good coffee from crop to cup is what makes Westrock worth drinking and sharing. FIND IT LOCALLY.
WESTROCKCOFFEE.COM N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
11
TOP TOWN WINNER | NORTON, VIRGINIA Proud Home of: FLAG ROCK RECREATION AREA 1,000 pristine acres adjacent to the Jefferson National Forest that include a campground, overlooks, over nine miles of trails to hike, run, and mountain bike, sandstone cliffs and boulders to scale, and a reservoir stocked with trout, bass, and catfish. HIGH KNOB HELLBENDER 10K, USA Track & Field’s (USATF) Virginia Mountain Running Championships THE CLOUDSPLITTER 100, USATF’s Mountain, Ultra Distance and Trail Championships for Virginia FOUR HOTELS AND OVER 25 EATING ESTABLISHMENTS. GATEWAY TO THE HIGH KNOB RECREATION AREA Offering an abundance of outdoor activities framed by an observation tower atop the 4,200-foot High Knob summit. Five miles from downtown Norton, High Knob affords a 360-degree view of distant peaks as far away as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and West Virginia.
ExploreNortonVa.com
ExploreNortonVa
myswva
southwest.virginia
myswva
DoughMakers Pizza
Free Delivery! Our pizza is made with fresh dough and hand tossed for perfection.
109 6th St NW Norton, Va 24273 (276) 679-1099
Fish Tales Family Restaurant A family restaurant offering fresh seafood, famous chicken tenders, pit-cooked barbecue, burgers and homemade potato soup. If you’re planning a picnic outing or family get-together, call us and we’ll help you plan for your needs with our party trays.
276-679-1651
Econolodge Inn and Suites of Norton, Virginia Located in the beautiful mountains of Southwest Virginia, home to Bristol Motor Speedway and University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Your home away from home, this is a full service hotel that offers such amenities as: Hot breakfast, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and a seasonal pool. We are also pet-friendly! (Fees apply).
551 Highway 58E | Norton, VA 24273 276-679-7000 (hotel) | 276-219-5646 (group sales) chester@tristatehotels.com
Home hardware & Furniture Co. Purveyors of Fine Goods and Wares Since 1931
OFFICIAL VENDOR OF WOODBOOGER AND HIGH KNOB MERCHANDISE! 568 Park Ave NW, Norton, Virginia 276.679.2131
If We Ain’t Got It, You Don’t Need It!
TOP TOWN WINNER | NORTON, VIRGINIA
WELCOME TO HOLIDAY INN NORTON!
Wood Booger Bar & Grill There is a legend living in these hills; in a cave near the High Knob area lives a half-man and half-ape creature and his family. This creature is so famous that he has a statue near Flag Rock sculpted after his likeness. We call him the Woodbooger. The only way to a Woodbooger’s heart is with a Super Double Cheeseburger hot off the grill with a huge helping of fries.
Our accommodations in Norton are perfectly suited for families with our ideal location near area attractions like the High Knob, Flag Rock Recreational Area, Lonesome Pine Raceway, Grayson Lake State Park and Mountain Rose Vineyards. Your family can explore Virginia’s history by driving along the Crooked Road, Virginia’s Music Heritage Trail or by visiting the Southwest Virginia Museum, located just 10 miles from our hotel in Norton. While lodging at our hotel, enjoy our amenities like the heated indoor pool, 24-hour fitness center, and free Wi-Fi. Book your hotel reservation today and take advantage of our great Norton hotel’s room deals and rates. Call today at 276-679-6655.
921 Park Ave NW, Norton, VA 24273 Open Seven Days a Week! Happy Hour: Monday - Friday, 4p.m to 9p.m
SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT OUTDOOR GETAWAY? Visit Flag Rock Recreation Area. Located 1,000 feet above downtown Norton, Va., the thousandacre recreation area offers an abundance of outdoor adventures. Establish base camp in its 18-site campground. Enjoy views of downtown Norton from an overlook 3,200 feet above the city. Explore lush hardwood forests while hiking, biking, or running Flag Rock Area Trails. Scale sandstone cliffs spanning the park. You can also fish or kayak its 10-acre reservoir! EXPLORENORTONVA.COM
ESCAPE TO NORTON pathfinders outdoor adventures, llc H IGH KN OB OU T FIT T E RS N ORTON , VIRGIN IA Adventure awaits in Norton! Stay at the Days Inn, the Best Value Under the Sun Free Hot Breakfast—a great way to start your day Free Wifi | Satellite TV | Spacious Rooms & Jacuzzi Suites In Room Refrigerators & Microwaves & Coffee Makers Fitness Center | Elevator
375 Wharton Lane, Norton VA 24273 276-679-5340
ESTABLISHED 2006
retail Training
Tourist info Center
Rentals FIND US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM!
pathfindersoa.com | 276.219.4001/4002
Located off US-23 and US-58, close to recreational and historical attractions. Incredible attractions, superior value, and a convenient location off Route 23 await you at our Super 8 Norton Hotel, within easy reach of famous local attractions like Powell Valley Overlook. Whether you are our guest for just one night or an extended stay, we offer comfortable accommodations at a great price.
425 Wharton Lane Norton, Virginia 24273 (276) 207-8833
Top
ADVENTURE TOWNS in the Blue Ridge THOUSANDS OF VOTES POURED IN TO OUR 7TH ANNUAL TOP TOWNS CONTEST SPONSORED BY BLUE MOUNTAIN BREWERY. THESE THREE MOUNTAIN TOWNS WERE YOUR FAVORITES.
by DANIEL DEWITT
WINNER Norton, VIRGINIA
You’d think it would be hard for locals to miss High Knob, the 4,233foot mountain that looms far above the streets of Norton, Va. Yet for years the small city— actually Virginia’s smallest independent city, as well as its westernmost—was so focused on serving the dominant coal industry that it overlooked the potential of the mountain and its accompanying fishing, hiking, trail running and mountain biking opportunities. These weren’t potential tourist draws, residents thought. Anyone with even a passing interest in national economic news can probably guess what happened next. Big coal became much smaller. And Norton’s business and political leaders, seeking a financial lifeline, finally took notice of High Knob and the surrounding wilderness. “Our economy has been struggling in this region, as you know,” said Norton City Manager Fred Ramey. “It’s caused a lot of us to look at our assets and see what we can capitalize on, and it’s caused us to focus on this beautiful mountain that we have.” 14
“Mountains, lakes, streams and trails—all these things have long existed, but they were local recreational facilities,” said Mark Caruso, owner of an outfitter in Norton, Pathfinders Outdoor Adventures. “We started to see that the assets we liked so much, other people might want to visit, too.” Once this mindset took hold, the people of Norton started to realize just how much they had to work with. The city is at the crossroads of two four-lane national highways, U.S. 23 and U.S. 58, meaning it is both accessible and well stocked with hotel rooms -- 350 of them in four hotels. Built mostly for travelers passing through town, they are increasingly used by people who want to stay. Norton is served by a regional tourist development organization,
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
Heart of Appalachia. “(Nearby) counties are all in the same boat and all pulling together and working together,” Caruso said. But the town of 4,000 also has a distinct identity built partly on the memorably named Woodbooger, a legendary, sasquatch-like creature who supposedly roams the surrounding mountains. “Some people wondered if we wanted to go down that path, but we’ve embraced it,” Caruso said. And it has the most crucial assets of all: natural beauty and range of options to explore it. High Knob, which rises 2,000 feet from downtown Norton, is capped with a recently rebuilt observation deck that offers views of five states. Its flanks are home to the Flag Rock Recreation Area, with an eightmile trail network that has received
rave reviews from mountain bikers and that, with the help of a crew of AmeriCorps workers, will eventually be expanded to 30 miles. “It’s absolutely gorgeous up there,” said Jane Sandt, 58, a lifelong Norton resident, who walks the trails daily with her rescued Labrador retrievers. “A lot of people say, ‘I can’t believe you do this every day,’ but every day it’s a new experience.” The city reservoirs in Flag Rock are not only scenic spots for paddleboarders and kayakers, but offer first-rate bass fishing within PAGE 14, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: NORTON VA— FLAG ROCK RECREATION AREA BOASTS MILES OF SINGLETRACK JUST ABOVE THE TOWN OF NORTON, VA.; MOUNTAIN BIKING AT FLAG ROCK RECREATION AREA; CANOEING AT THE UPPER RESERVOIR; CLIMBING AT HIGH KNOB.
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
1st RUNNER UP CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND
minutes of downtown. Flag Rock’s cliffs are also attracting a growing contingent of rock climbers, one of whom recently told Caruso, “You don’t have just a local or national rock climbing venue here. You have an international rock climbing venue that hasn’t been discovered yet.” On the other side of the mountain is one of Virginia’s most famous swimming holes, a crystalline, waterfall-fed pool called Devil’s Bathtub. Also within an easy drive from the city: kayaking on the Clinch River, mountain biking in the Jefferson National Forest, and hiking and trail running at Breaks Interstate Park. These assets have not yet rescued Norton’s economy. The unemployment rate of surrounding Wise County is still well above the statewide rate, and the average household income far below it. But the vibrancy that outdoor recreation has brought to Norton could clearly be seen on one weekend in October when the city hosted three big outdoor events: 10K race from downtown to the top of High Knob; a celebrated series of trail runs, including a 100-miler; and Norton’s annual Woodbooger Festival.
Even more important is a new, yearround change in the way people look at their town and at High Knob. “There’s just a special excitement in the air,” he said. “People are really thrilled to be welcoming people to our community and sharing the mountain in a way they haven’t shared it before.”
Bill Atkinson still remembers where and when he saw the light about the potential of outdoor tourism: Pennsylvania’s Ohiopyle State Park, 1989. Atkinson had traveled there to attend a conference exploring the feasibility of what then seemed a long-shot project, building a multiuse trail between his hometown, Cumberland, Md., and Pittsburgh, Pa. His inspiration came not in meeting rooms, but in the tiny, vibrant town of Ohiopyle, just outside the park entrance. “It was packed with people biking and walking,” said Atkinson, a regional planner with the state of Maryland. “I thought, ‘Holy Cow! If they can draw this many people to a town of 67, just think what we could do in Cumberland.’ ” The Cumberland-to-Pittsburgh trail, called the Great Allegheny Passage, did, in fact, prove to be feasible. And its completion in 2013 did, ultimately, inspire Cumberland
2017
TOp
ADVTEONWTNUS RE
“I think we’re going through a brand renaissance,” said Ashli Workman, Allegheny County’s tourism director. “We’re a declining industrial town in a lot of ways, but we’re fighting that,” says Doug “Hutch” Hutchins, owner of the Cumberland Trail Connection bike shop and head brewer of the newly formed 1812 Farm Brewery. “We’re trying to educate people about what tourism can do for this city.” Like another Top Town, Norton Va., Cumberland probably could have taken this approach much earlier if it hadn’t been bound to traditional industry. For a town of 20,000, it’s loaded with natural and manmade attractions. Cumberland has long been known as the northern terminus
STAY
At the Holiday Inn. Norton is home to four motels owned by national chains, but only this one is downtown, within walking distance of a planned visitors’ center at Flag Rock Recreation Area. 1051 Park Ave.
REFUEL
At the Wood Booger Bar and Grill. It not only embraces a local legend, but serves a hamburger platter that is a legend in its own right. “It’s huge and it’s just tremendous,” Caruso said. 921 Park Ave.
ABSORB CULTURE
At the Country Cabin, a historic, 80-yearold community center and events venue that showcases Appalachian history, art and music. 6034 Kent Junction Rd.
CUMBERLAND, MD.— THE 185-MILE C&O TOWPATH—A BELOVED BIKING, HIKING, AND RUNNING TRAIL— RUNS THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN.
and surrounding Allegheny County to pursue the economic future Atkinson long envisioned. The city is emerging as a prime destination for specific types of outdoor enthusiasts, ones who like to mix fresh air with culture, history and access to major metropolitan areas.
of the 185-mile towpath of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, which is to bike trails what Fenway Park is to baseball stadiums. Thanks partly to the lobbying of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, the canal was designated as a national historic park in 1971. The completion
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
15
COUNTLESS ADVENTURES ONE GREAT CITY .........................................................................................
adventure.visitknoxville.com 844-786-7701
enriched with egg yolks. At the 99-yearold Curtis’, customers can watch owner Gino Giatis stack his tattooed arms with dogs “and just load them down with Coney sauce and onions,” Workman said. A BIKER ON THE C&O TOWPATH; DELFEST ATTRACTS 40,000 EACH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
of the Allegheny Passage placed Cumberland near the midpoint of the combined trails—a smooth path, free of car traffic, stretching from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh. This may be one of the area’s most famous attractions, but it’s far from the only one, Workman says. Cumberland serves as the gateway to the Allegheny Mountains and 25 percent of its land is publicly owned. Visitors can fly fish on the Potomac River, paddle in 243-acre Lake Habeeb in Rocky Gap State Park, or ride mountain bikes in the 46,000-acre Green Ridge State Forest. The city is so tightly tucked into a corner with West Virginia and Pennsylvania—and all the recreation opportunities they offer—that a well-known road bike ride manages to include three states in a loop covering just 24 miles. “If you’re into outdoor adventure, this is a mecca,” Workman said. But Cumberland is also packed with culture—so packed that even disinterested cyclists or paddlers may accidentally bump into a musical performance, art gallery, or historical site. The annual DelFest, one of the nation’s largest bluegrass events, is held on a cliff high above the Potomac and offers put-in and take-out spots for fans who want to squeeze a river trip in between shows. The towpath trail passes neighborhoods famous for galleries, bars that feature musical acts vying for a DelFest booking, and numerous historical sites, several of which testify to George Washington’s deep and lasting imprint on the Potomac valley. The trail skirts both a historic district of 19th-century homes on a road named, of course, Washington Street, and a cabin that served as
Washington’s headquarters when he was a young colonel fighting in the French and Indian War. His commander at the time, Gen. Edward Braddock, built a road that was the precursor to America’s first federally funded highway, the National Road. It once stretched from Cumberland west, across the Allegheny Mountains; the towpath takes cyclists directly past mile zero. Washington was also the biggest backer of the canal that the towpath follows, though he imagined it continuing west, over the mountains, to the headwaters of the Ohio River—the current site of Pittsburgh. That means the planners who worked so long on the Allegheny Passage and the Cumberland residents starting to benefit from this work are, like Washington, focused on the economic potential of westward expansion. “We like to think we completed Washington’s vision,” Atkinson said. “We just did it in a different transportation mode.”
DON'T MISS
DelFest, which honors the legacy of bluegrass legend Del McCoury and is held annually over Memorial Day weekend. It attracts the best acts in bluegrass and as many as 40,000 fans to a spectacular riverside venue.
2nd RUNNER UP LEWISBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
Lewisburg has banked on ecotourism since the days when taking in a mountain view from a veranda— typically with a soothing beverage in hand—counted as outdoor adventure. The city of 3,800 is just nine miles from the palatial, 710-room Greenbrier Resort, which has been drawing visitors deep into the Allegheny Mountains since 1778. So while some regions are just discovering the advantages of marketing natural beauty, Lewisburg’s corner of West Virginia
2017
TOp
ADVTEONWTNUS RE
practically invented the concept, and the city of 4,000 has benefitted for as long as natives such as Kara Dense can remember. “It’s like a Ford plant for us. It employs 1,600 people and funnels a ton of business through the city. It really is our economic driver,” said Dense, executive director of the Visitors and Convention Bureau of Greenbrier County, home of the city and the resort. Lewisburg still draws fans of the civilized brand of outdoor recreation associated with the resort, tourists who might follow a float on the gentle Greenbrier River with a spree in the town’s boutiques and upscale restaurants. But the city is increasingly courting more adventurous types, including hardcore mountain bikers, and has found that the two populations are not mutually exclusive. Seekers of adrenaline and endorphins, it turns out, often enjoy capping their conquests with good meals, culture, and the aforementioned soothing beverages. “The great thing about Lewisburg is that it’s a nice little town with a lot of stuff going on. There’s some old money here with the resort. And it’s
COZY + VERY OLD
Cumberland is home to several independently owned boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts. One of the most opulent and historic is the Bruce House Inn, formerly a private residence built in 1840. 201 Fayette St.
EAT WITH GINO
Cumberland is home to two landmark restaurants specializing in fare justified only by the most grueling ride or hike: the Queen City Creamery (108 W. Harrison St.) and Curtis’ Coney Island Famous Weiners (35 N. Liberty St.) The aptly named creamery specializes in frozen custard—the richest imaginable ice cream further
LEWISBURG, W.VA..— BIKERS RIDE THE FLAT, SCENIC 78-MILE GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
17
2017
TOp
ADVTEONWTNUS RE
got a nice restaurant scene, with people really firing it up,” said Stu Schwab, owner of the Appalachian Bicycle Company, a bike shop in Lewisburg. But the city is also near the south end of the Monongahela National Forest and accessible to “kayaking, skiing, mountain biking and road cycling,” Schwab said. “To me, Lewisburg has everything. That combination is what makes it so great.” Schwab, who grew up in West Virginia, returned to the state recently after several years in Asheville. The mountain biking in the “Mon,” he said, stacks up to that of Pisgah National Forest, and it occupies a similarly vast portion of its home state. “This side of West Virginia is nothing but national forest from here to Davis,” he said, referring to a mountain biking mecca three hours to the north. But because the town is small and remote, cyclists can feel they have thousands of acres of wilderness all to themselves, which Schwab pretty much did on a recent ride on the Monongahela’s Tea Creek Trail System. This network offers 44 miles of “technical backcountry trails that look like they’re in British Columbia—roots and rocks and super-mossy, super-dense forest,” he said. “When I was up there soloing the other day, I did 17 miles and I ran into one hiker.” Big challenges are available closer to town at Greenbrier State Forest, featuring 3,280-foot 18
Kate’s Mountain, and the acclaimed Snowshoe Bike Park, where the elevation tops out at 4,848 feet. Road cyclists can not only access miles of quiet and spectacular country roads, but 78 miles of traffic-free riding on the Greenbrier River Trail. Snowshoe, as the name suggests, was built as a ski resort, and anchors the region’s many opportunities for downhill and cross-country skiing. But visitors should remember they are not obliged to haul themselves up or to plunge down mountains, Dense said. She mentioned the city’s many outstanding restaurants and shops, but also a Carnegie Hall that was funded by the same Andrew Carnegie who built the famous venue in New York City. It opened in Lewisburg in 1902 and still acts as magnet for big-name performers. For a small town, Lewisburg also has an unusually vibrant drama scene, featuring the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, a statebacked venue for professional actors. “Our city is about all kinds of adventures and experiences,” Dense says.
EATS
The local food scene’s commitment to farm-totable dining is embodied in the Livery Tavern, an interpretation of a 19thcentury tavern situated in a historic building and featuring a menu heavy on chops and steaks. Though you wouldn’t want to show up at the Livery in mud-spattered cycling gear, you’d probably be fine at Thunderbird Taco.
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
It features outstanding renditions of its namesake dish, a design scheme relying on hand-painted skateboards and “really good, strong margaritas,” Schwab said. “It reminds me of what we had in Asheville. Good food, good music and a good collection of mixed drinks.”
CULTURE
Greenbrier Valley Theatre is designated as the State Professional Theatre of West Virginia and provides the region with first-rate drama while also serving as a training ground for upand-coming actors. “They hone their craft here before they go to New York or Los Angeles,” Dense said.
BEST OF THE REST
45 more regional adventure towns and their must-do outdoor activities
ELLIJAY, GA. (Pop. 1,600)
Float the Cartecay River • Hike to the top of Amicalola Falls • Bike Bear Creek Mountain Trail and hug the Gennett Poplar CLAYTON, GA. (Pop. 2,000)
Whitewater raft the Chattooga River • Hike to the valley floor of Tallulah Gorge State Park • Hike the Bartram Trail to Becky Branch Falls FRANKFORT, KY. (Pop. 25,500)
Ride the Capital View Mountain Bike Trail • Go birding at Buckley Wildlife Sanctuary • Bike the Kentucky Bourbon Trail LOUISVILLE, KY. (Pop. 597,300)
Mountain bike at Cherokee Park or Fort Duffield Park • Hit the hiking trails at Jefferson Memorial Forest • Paddle the Ohio River at Charlestown State Park
BRYSON CITY, N.C. (Pop. 1,436)
Mountain bike at Tsali Recreation Area • SUP on the Little Tennessee and Tuckasegee Rivers • Fish at Fontana Lake HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (Pop. 560)
Raft on the French Broad River • Cast for trout in Spring Creek • Hike the Appalachian Trail BOONE, N.C. (Pop. 17,100)
Climb at Ship Rock • Paddle or fish the Watauga River • Mountain bike at Rocky Knob Bike Park BREVARD, N.C. (Pop. 7,600)
Fish on the Davidson River • Mountain bike in Pisgah National Forest • Hike and hunt for swimming holes in DuPont State Forest LAKE LURE, N.C. (Pop. 1,200)
Zip down Canopy Ridge Farm • Hike for views of Lake Lure at Chimney Rock State Park • Mountain bike Buffalo Creek Park WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (Pop. 9,900)
Admire elk in the Cataloochee Valley • Hike the Art Loeb Trail • Road bike the Coleman Mountain Panther Creek Loop SYLVA, N.C. (Pop. 2,500)
Responsibly walk-and-imbibe along the Jackson County Ale Trail • Paddle the Tuckasegee • Hike to Waterrock Knob CHEROKEE, N.C. (Pop. 2,100)
LEWISBURG IS THE SOUTHERN HUB FOR HIKING, BIKING, RUNNING, AND PADDLING IN THE MON— WEST VIRGINIA'S MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST.
MOREHEAD, KY. (Pop. 6,800)
Angle for musky at Cave Run Lake • Hike the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail through Daniel Boone National Forest • Take a climbing day trip to the Red River Gorge HAGERSTOWN, MD. (Pop. 39,700)
CAN'T MISS ROAD RIDE Highland Scenic Highway, about an hour north of Lewisburg, is West Virginia’s version of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just the description of the highway on the Appalachian Bicycle Company is enough to make legs burn: “Topping out at over 4500 feet, it challenges expert road cyclists with its big sustained mountain climbs to long high speed descents.”
Pedal the C&O Canal • Hike the Appalachian Trail through South Mountain State Park • Ski at Whitetail Resort FRIENDSVILLE, MD. (Pop. 490)
Hike or bike the Kendall River Trail • Ski or snowboard at Wisp Resort • Paddle on the class IV-V Upper Youghiogheny River ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Pop. 87,800)
Hike to the summit of Craggy Pinnacle • Trail run or mountain bike at Bent Creek Experimental Forest • Canoe and camp the French Broad River Paddle Trail
BlueRidgeOutdoors
Hike the Mingus Creek Trail • Mountain bike the new 10 mile trail system in town • Fish for trophy trout in the Raven Fork FRANKLIN, N.C. (Pop. 2,100)
Fish and explore the Cullasaja Gorge and its waterfalls • Hike the Bartram Trail • Climb the Wayah Bald Fire Tower via the Appalachian Trail CASHIERS, N.C. (Pop. 167)
Go for a swim at Schoolhouse Falls • Climb or hike to the summit of Whiteside Mountain • Hike or mountain bike Panthertown Valley SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (Pop. 2,100)
Hike the Appalachian Trail through the Roan Highlands • Float and fish the North Toe River • Camp and kayak on site at Springmaid Mountain BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (Pop. 7,800)
Hike Graybeard Trail • Mountain bike the Kitsuma Trail • Trek the Seven Sisters mountain range GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
MORGANTON, N.C. (Pop. 17,000)
Paddleboard at Lake James • Fish the Catawba River • Hike or run the trails at South Mountains State Park CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Pop. 859,500)
Hike through Reedy Creek Nature Preserve • Camp and play at McDowell Nature Preserve • Whitewater raft, climb, or bike at the U.S. National Whitewater Center OHIOPYLE, PA. (Pop. 40)
Raft the Lower Youghiogheny • Hike the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail • Cruise the Great Allegheny Passage STATE COLLEGE, PA. (Pop. 42,000)
Go rock climbing at Panther Rocks • Hike up Mount Nittany • Mountain bike in Rothrock State Forest or Bald Eagle State Park GREENVILLE, S.C. (Pop. 58,400)
Ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail • Trail run or mountain bike at Paris Mountain State Park • Hike to the summit of Table Rock WALHALLA, S.C. (Pop. 4,300)
Explore Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls • SUP Lake Keowee • Hike to the summit at Buzzard Roost Heritage Preserve CHARLESTON, S.C. (Pop. 130,100)
Hike beneath cypress trees at Audubon Swamp Garden • Bike the lowcountry trails at Francis Marion
National Forest • Kayak the Folly River CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (Pop. 167,674)
SUP the Tennessee River • Ride the singletrack at Raccoon Mountain • Learn to hang glide from Lookout Mountain Flight Park JOHNSON CITY, TENN. (Pop. 66,500)
Fish the South Holston River • Ride the Tweetsie Trail • Hike the White Rock Trail in Buffalo Mountain Park KNOXVILLE, TENN. (Pop. 179,000)
Ride the South Loop Trail in Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness • Fish at Seven Islands State Birding Park • Hike House Mountain
MARYVILLE, TENN. (Pop. 27,500)
Hike the Look Rock Tower Trail • Throw discs at the Clayton Disc Golf Course • Fish for smallmouth bass on the Little River CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (Pop. 45,600)
Hike to Ravens Roost • Swim at Blue Hole • Ski or snowboard at Wintergreen Resort ROANOKE, VA. (Pop. 99,400)
Boulder at McAfee Knob • Ride
mountain bikes to Mill Mountain Park • Float the Roanoke River
2017
HARRISONBURG, VA. (Pop. 53,000)
Bike the 4-mile Rocktown Trails system at Hillandale Park • Flyfishing at Lake Shenandoah • Hike to Hone Quarry DAMASCUS, VA. (Pop. 800)
Bike the Virginia Creeper Trail • Fly fish at Whitetop Laurel • Backpack up Virginia’s highest peak, Mount Rogers FRONT ROYAL, VA. (Pop. 14,400)
Go hiking on the Appalachian Trail • Canoe the Shenandoah River • Take a Sunday drive along Skyline Drive RICHMOND, VA. (Pop. 217,900)
Raft down the James River • Bike the Buttermilk Trail • Picnic at Belle Isle
TOp
E R U T N E V D A TOWNS
DAVIS, W.VA. (Pop. 660)
Cross-country ski at White Grass Touring Center • Bike through Blackwater Falls State Park • Hike in Dolly Sods Wilderness Area HARPERS FERRY, W.VA. (Pop. 290)
LEXINGTON, VA. (Pop. 7,300)
Float the Potomac River • Hike the Appalachian Trail • Bike along the C&O Canal
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. (Pop. 29,660)
Hunt, hike, or fish at Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management • Mountain bike at Poor House Town Park • Go fly fishing on Back Creek
Scramble over Devil’s Marbleyard • Hike beneath the Natural Bridge • Search for swimming holes on the Maury River Climb or hike at Cooper’s Rock State Park • Bike along the Monongahela River on the Rail-Trail • Paddle the Cheat or Big Sandy Rivers FAYETTEVILLE, W.VA. (Pop. 2,900)
Paddle the New River Gorge and Gauley River • SUP at Summersville Lake • Bike the Arrowhead Trails
MARTINSBURG, W. VA. (Pop. 17,200)
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. (Pop. 451,000)
Surf at Sandbridge • Charter a deep sea fishing trip • Pedal the Cape Henry Trail through First Landing State Park WOODSTOCK, VA. (Pop. 5,200)
View the “Seven Bends” of the Shenandoah River from Woodstock Observation Tower • Hike Big Schlos
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
19
New tHis FAll oz
15 PACk 12 CAnS
now
available
1020 Rockfish Valley Highway (Rt. 151) Nellysford, VA 22958, (434) 361-1030 | 72 School House Rd, Mills River, NC 28759, (828) 595-9941
Hiking Damascus, Va.
Jeff Patrick has worked at Mt. Rogers Outfitter for nearly three decades. He sums up his hometown’s love for trail succinctly: “Hiking isn’t a sport. It’s a way of life.” That’s apparent every May when Trail Days comes to town. This threeday festival celebrates hiking with workshops, music, arts, and even a parade. As for actually humping a pack, Damascus has immediate access to high-profile trails, like the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Creeper Trail, and nearby Mount Rogers Recreation Area harbors 400 miles of trail. While Damascus is certainly a popular destination, it is not short on authentic Appalachian flair. “The best spots? I wouldn’t tell you!” says Patrick. “I’m not gonna butter your toast. That’s what your momma’s for.”
CAPITAL CITIES
Looking for the best adventure hubs in Appalachia? Memorize your capitals and then listen to a local. They know what makes their towns tick. Here are the capitals of hiking, running, biking, paddling, fly fishing, and climbing towns across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic according to
their most adventurous citizens.
by PHIL MORGAN
HOT SPRINGS, N.C.
Hot Springs is an anticipated stop on an Appalachian thru-hike. It has a quaint downtown, a beautiful river, a few good pubs, and only 645 residents. While small, Hot Springs is colorful. “There are some characters in town,” says Dan Gallagher, partowner of Bluff Mountain Outfitters. From the downtown you can a hike a number loops and side trails, such as Lover’s Leap Ridge. South of town, Max Patch is an iconic bald with stunning 360-degree views. Bluff Mountain, Laurel River Trail, and the Van Loop Trail are less-popular but equally rewarding hikes. “If you come downtown, I’ll give you a free map,” says Gallagher.
DAMASCUS, VA.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
Gear salesman, and trail builder Mike Meintzchel raised two kids in Charlottesville. They spent countless days hiking around the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Everything is within a halfhour reach,” says Meintzschel. “You can get out in the middle of nowhere and have a really productive weekend.” Even when hikers can’t make a 20-minute drive to 500 miles of trail in Shenandoah National Park, they can get their fix downtown. The city has developed urban green space, including the popular Rivanna trails. Great Outdoor Provisions hosts weekly meetups that even include historical hikes. “They’re connecting neighborhoods and making easier access for families,” Meintzschel says.
BIKING DaVIS, W.Va.
“There is such a history here,” says Rob Stull, owner of Blackwater Bikes in Davis. “We just had the Revenge of the Rattlesnake for the 34th year.” Infamous for races, festivals, and rugged riding, the Canaan Valley is steeped in mountain biking lore. “There aren’t many places like it,” says Stull. Riders can access hundreds of miles of singletrack from downtown. The surrounding wilderness includes six different land entities with singletrack. “A lot of it’s backcountry riding,” Stull explains. “Rooty, rocky, and muddy. It’s not something you find just anywhere.” Hellbender Burritos and Sirianni’s dish up tasty post-ride grub, and nearby Thomas has two breweries. While Davis is growing, it’s kept its soul. “We’re still a little rough around the edges,” Stull says, “That’s what I like about it.”
DAVIS, W.VA.
with pros and high-level amateurs. The vibe here is good. I was just driving to the hardware store and saw a couple friends on the bike path. Everybody’s got a bike on their car.”
BREVARD, N.C.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.
Professional downhill racer Neko Mulally chose Brevard, North Carolina as his home four seasons ago. For this world-class athlete it proved to be the perfect training ground. “The trails are so good,” Mullaly says. “They’re natural, raw trails. A lot of places are built for beginners, but [in Brevard] there’s still natural, raw riding, and the weather is great. We have enough altitude, so summer isn’t too hot and winter’s not too cold.” Mulally, who’s sponsored by Brevard-based brewer Oskar Blues, says the culture is as rich as the riding. “We’ve got a couple good bike shops and Carmichael Training Systems out of The Hub. They’re bringing in camps
BREVARD, N.C.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
21
MOAB FST ICE+
BITES INTO ICE DURING WINTER HIKES.
#CREATEYOURTRAIL 22
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
ELLIJAY, GA.
ELLIJAY, GA.
“We’ve got a great variety of trail around here,” says Kate Gates, cofounder of Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway. “It’s flowy singletrack. It’s a really fun style.” Bear Creek, Stanley Gap, Fort Mountain State Park, and the Pinhoti Trail, with its many appendages, round out a lineup of top-notch options. “The Cohutta National Forest is right in our backyard,” explains Gates. “There’s great overlooks, swimming holes, and waterfalls.” Additionally, Ellijay hosts numerous road races and is home to a hip bike shop, Cartecay Bikes, and a handsome, little tavern called River Street.
Asheville runner Joe Quinlan loves running and living in Asheville for a multitude of reasons. First, there’s the people. “It’s a very accepting, open community,” says Quinlan. “There is an overwhelming friendliness, regardless of where you’re at in your talent or experience in running.” Then, of course, there’s the access. “There are so many trails no matter which way you go. It’s very humbling. There are endless trails that are very steep that take you to some remote peaks that give you a sense of how small you are and how big our world is.” Did he mention racing? “What I really enjoy about the racing is how there is a different race for every level. There’s the Rock to Rock, Grand Further 25k, The Quest for the Crest. There is a 100-miler in April, Asheville’s first 100-miler. It’s going to be an incredible race.”
RUNNING CHATTANOOGA, TENN.
“We’ve got trails galore to run on, from easy trails through the parks to more burly technical mountain runs,” says ultra runner Eric Loffland. “We’re surrounded by mountains. With the Chattanooga River dividing the city, the views are awesome.” As a sales rep at Fast Break Athletics, Loffland selflessly directs visitors to his favorite spots: Lookout Mountain, Sunset Rock from the Bluff Trail, Snoopers Rock via the Cumberland Trail, or the Chickamauga National Battlefield. “You’ve got history, a beautiful trail, and great views,” he says. Loffland moved to Chattanooga from Athens, Georgia to take advantage of the city’s thriving ultra-marathon scene. In the last four and a half years, he has seen the city thrive. “Every time I turn around there’s another brewer. Beer seems to bring runners and cyclists together.” His personal favorites: Heaven and Ale and Hutton and Smith.
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
LYNCHBURG, VA.
For Alexis Thomas, a mother of four children, running in Lynchburg has been an inspiration. Despite zero experience in collegiate or even high school racing, she started a running club in 2013, The Blue Ridge Trail Runners. “I don’t have a history in running,” Thomas confesses. “Getting in with the people and the races totally changed my perception. If it was not for the people, I wouldn’t have kept running.” Thomas also loves Lynchburg’s trail networks, especially Candler Mountain, Riverside Park, and Blackwater Creek. Every Monday and Wednesday the Blue Ridge Trail Runners meet at any one of scores of trailheads to pound dirt and build community. Lynchburg also hosts a variety of races, including a gutsy Lynchburg Ultra Series.
PADDLING FRIENDSVILLE, MD.
“What’s great is we are right at the upper Youghiogheny,” says paddler Ian Wingert. “It’s a pretty central location. We are 30 minutes from Ohiopyle and the Lower Yough, 40 minutes from the Blackwater River and Red Creek—class IV and V whitewater. We are also near the Cheat, an ultra classic, big-water run and Big Sandy, a big-time-classic class five.” Friendsville is sleepy, but Wingert and a core group of local paddlers can always hit Ken’s Irish Pub or Water Street Cafe after a run. “People are usually hanging out there,” Wingert says. For outfitting or a raft trip, Wilderness Voyageurs Outfitters has a stellar reputation.
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Chris Mclain is living the dream. He’s a sales rep at High Wire Brewery in downtown Asheville, and he’s paddling the Green River Narrows constantly. “That’s why I’m here,” he declares. Mclain cut his teeth seven years ago paddling the French Broad, the Upper Green, the Nantahala, and the Pigeon. Today he’s after consequential runs, like Raven’s Fork, the Linville River, and of course the Green. “In the Asheville area we have everything from beginner to expert. It doesn’t matter what your skill level is, there is a run for you. We have the full spectrum here. It’s also an outstanding place to develop as a paddler. There’s a lot of resources. There are so many great breweries and bars and outstanding food. For me Asheville has it all.”
JESS DADDIO
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
FAYETTEVILLE, W.VA. N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
23
“There is always something to paddle. If the New River gets too low, the Gauley runs all the time,” explains West Virginia native Shane Groves. “Proximity is the big thing that separates Fayetteville from all other destinations. There are a ton of paddlers here. We have a core group of paddlers, but a lot of young guys are getting into it. Fayetteville’s vibe is down-to-earth, not much pretense to it. Sometimes random groups from Quebec come down. There really isn’t a bad season.” Groves, a local math teacher, likes to hit Pies and Pints (started by a former raft guide) or Secret Sandwich Society after a long day of paddling. “A lot of people are coming to Fayetteville to eat. It’s become a food destination too. West Virginia is such a quirky state and then you have this outdoor mecca in the middle of it. It’s so cool.”
who works at Center 45 climbing gym, frequents Grayson Highlands, Moore’s Wall, The Buckeye Knob, Linville Gorge, Blowing Rock, or Highway 221, a bouldering circuit just south of town. Above all, he loves Boone’s hidden climbing gems. “A lot of places have been developed, but who knows how many places have been overlooked. There’s so much that draws people,” Gilbert says. When he’s not climbing, he is introducing kids to the sport through camps. When he’s thirsty, he’ll swing by Appalachian Mountain Brewery, which supports his kids camp with fundraisers.
FLY FISHING BREVARD, N.C.
Carlton Murrey’s office window overlooks the Davidson River, one of America’s top 100 trout streams. “It gets a lot of attention from visitors as well as locals,” says Murrey, associate director of the Cradle of Forestry. “It’s a very technical trout stream. The fish are smart. Stealth and presentation are important. Local knowledge can be very valuable.” The Davidson’s stocked lower sections are good places to hook your dinner. Near Looking Glass Rock, catch-andrelease anglers can wrestle monster fish that gorge on pellets from the hatchery. Intrepid individuals can push back into side streams where wild rainbows and wild brook trout are more aggressive. Fishing aside, the town is ideal for all stripes of adventurers as well as families. “Brevard is a wonderful place to live. Pisgah Forest, The Parkway, Dupont, Gorges, and Gorges State Park are all incredible. Brevard has a lot of culture in the downtown area, including the Music Center and the many top-notch restaurants.”
CLIMBING Chattanooga’s position on the Cumberland Plateau means an abundance of routes. Local Drexel Bakker says there is a rock for every climber in every discipline. “There’s lots of easy areas, places that are super-accessible. Stone Fort at Mott Lake Golf Course is just about the easiest day of outdoor climbing. There’s also back-in-the-outdoors, adventure-style climbing. The rock quality is phenomenal.” Dayton Pocket is a popular urban bouldering locale. Rock Town and Horse Pens offer remote, world-class bouldering within an hour’s drive. And when summertime temperatures soar, Chattanooga climbers take refuge at one of three downtown climbing gyms. Plus, there are hip amenities, like The Crash Pad, an adventurefocused hostel, and their neighbor The Flying Squirrel Bar. “I’ve been to other places like Boulder and people here are climbing just as hard but there is not as much ego,” Bakker explains.
BOONE, N.C.
Marshall Gilbert came to Boone for school, but rock climbing is what made him stay. “It has the small town feel. There is this really cool, tight-knit community here.” Gilbert, 24
SAM DEAN
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.
beautiful water, and great fish. We’ve got all four species of trout.” The Toccoa River, Rock Creek, Stanley Creek, and Noontootla Creek are all prime public fisheries. There’s also a wealth of private streams that guides can access. As for the town: “It’s really come a long way,” Rutowski says. “It has a lot of good restaurants, a lot of good shops. It’s awesome.”
HARRISONBURG, VA.
“There is so much fishing here it’s kind of crazy.” Bob Cramer has been fishing Western Virginia for over fifty years. Thirty years ago he started Mossy Creek Fly Fishing but sold the business in order to spend more time on the river. The shop still exists and now occupies a 200-year-old colonial house in downtown Harrisonburg. Cramer says the secret of Harrisonburg's success is in its geography. “We have a ton of public land. To the east in the Shenandoah Valley, we have 40 wild trout streams. To the west, George Washington National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres, and that entire forest has stocked trout and wild trout. Western Virginia’s underground caverns supply countless springs with cold, crystal water. “It’s the perfect environment for trout year round,” Cramer explains. “We have so much diversity, and we have a really long season. There is something to fish for year round.”
BOONE, N.C
FAYETTEVILLE, W.VA.
Kenny Parker opened climbing outfitter Water Stone Outdoors in 1994. “The climbing was always here; it was just in the background,” says Parker. “The quality - you hear it again and again. This is the best rock in the world. There’s just miles of it. That’s what distinguishes it. As far as cragging, you are not going to beat this place.” The New River Gorge, The Meadow River Gorge, and Summersville Lake, all within 20 minutes, have superb cliffs. “The beauty of Fayetteville is you can basically go out your back door,” says Parker. “It’s absolutely a welcoming place. The big ego thing doesn’t work here. One of the big selling points is it is still a very affordable place. There was a never a housing bubble.”
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
BRIAN TROW, MOSSY CREEK FLY FISHING
FAYETTEVILLE, W.VA.
BREVARD, N.C.
BLUE RIDGE, GA.
Fannin County is the official fly fishing capital of Georgia. Gene Rutowski says Blue Ridge merits such a distinction. He’s been guiding trips out of Blue Ridge for 14 years through his company Fly Fish Blue Ridge. “It’s paradise,” he says. “People from all over the world love coming here because it’s pristine,
HARRISONBURG, VA.
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
areas, options for recreation grow exponentially. “You can drive 10 miles to House Mountain, the highest point in the county. There’s also Seven Islands State Birding Park and Big South Fork National River. An hour south are the Smokies and TVA lakes. We are surrounded by a lot of state and national parks, which is pretty unique for a city.”
MULTISPORT ROANOKE, VA.
“We are fortunate to be surrounded by mountains on all sides,” says James Revercomb, owner of Roanoke Mountain Adventures. “If you don’t have time to drive 30 minutes for a morning session, there are trail systems within the city limits. You can ride downtown and be on singletrack in 15 minutes. Then there’s the Roanoke River Gorge or Carvin’s Cove. There’s a lot of close access for everyday stuff.” Revercomb lived in Jackson Hole for three years before returning to start Roanoke Mountain Adventures. “It’s certainly changed for the better,” he says of his hometown. “A lot of locals have known about the outdoor scene. We are seeing it do a lot for the city. It’s affordable and it’s livable. I spent a lot of time outdoors growing up, but I never realized how much we have close by. There’s this great variety.”
BRYSON CITY, N.C.
BRYSON CITY, N.C.
Graham County EMT Hamilton Boxberger spent six summers working in Bryson City as a raft guide and wilderness counselor. When he wasn’t paddling down the upper Nantahala, he was bouldering behind the train tracks, swimming in Lake Fontana, or riding singletrack at Tsali State Park. “There’s a ton of stuff to do,” Boxberger says. “It depended on what I was feeling. I really enjoyed the river or being out hiking. Deep Creek is my favorite place to run. Downtown Bryson City is a cool place to hang out. They’ve got quite a lot to offer.” The Road to Nowhere a spooky tunnel northwest of town remains one of Boxberger’s best haunts. “There’s a lot of hiking into the Smokies from there. I don’t think people realize that’s a trailhead. It’s good access.”
KNOXVILLE, TENN.
ROANOKE, VA.
one-trick pony. River trips, swimming holes, jumping rocks, caverns, fishing, waterfalls, and friendly people make Slade a dynamic town. Danielle Braden, who helps run her family’s river guiding outfit Red River Adventure, says Creation Falls is a must see. “It’s absolutely beautiful. A lot of people go there and propose to their girlfriends.” Climbing dirtbags hang at Torrent Falls Outfitters and Miguel's Pizza, where you can order a pie, buy gear, or rent a cabin all at the same site. “It’s grown but it keeps its small-business charm,” says Braden. “It has hidden jewels. It has this rustic charm. It’s really about the people.”
Legacy Parks Director Carol Evans can churn 25 miles on her bike, go for a paddle on the Tennessee River, and still arrive home on time for dinner. “You can do it all from the heart of the city,” says Evans. “It allows you to not reserve your play time to the weekend. You can get out everyday.” As Knoxville’s popularity grows, more urban trail systems are popping up, including purpose-built singletrack with trailside amenities. “We’re seeing the restaurants spring up where the trails are. The city is working on making connections, connecting the urban with the wilderness. Market Square has about 12 restaurants and is pet friendly.” In Knoxville’s surrounding
KNOXVILLE, TENN.
UP-AND-COMING JOHNSON CITY, TENN.
When whitewater boater and fly fisherman Matt Whitson was just 23 years old he opened his own outfitters. After two years of business, he says, “It’s going pretty well. I saw an opportunity here in my hometown. An outdoor shop was something the area needed.” With the Appalachian Trail just 15 minutes away and easy access to the Nolichucky Gorge, Watauga Gorge, the South Holston River, Whitson says Johnson City is fast becoming an adventure hub. “It’s grown quite a bit the past five years. There’s a little bit for everybody down here.” One of the most exciting developments is Tannery Knobs, a state-of-the-art mountain bike park located close to the downtown.
SLADE, KY.
The Red River Gorge and its climbing community are the backbone of Slade’s outdoor scene. That, however, doesn’t mean Slade is a
JOHNSON CITY, TENN.
STATE COLLEGE, PA.
The home of Penn State University is young, vibrant, and increasingly crusty. You can ski, road bike, mountain bike, fish, hike, or boulder, and be back on time for the Nittany Lions’ kickoff on Saturday. Grant Corman, manager at The Bicycle Shop, says he’s been watching State College grow as an outdoor community. “The thing about Pennsylvania is our quality and lengthy seasons. We have Rothrock State Forest four miles away with over 100 miles of singletrack. We’ve got tons of public land that is at our disposal, a few areas with bouldering options, world-class fly fishing, lakes for kayaking. There’s four microbreweries in town and others nearby, and a distiller.” Last year Corman cycled through the winter, and if the snow comes the local ski resort is a good practice slope for Seven Springs or Blue Mountain.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
25
TRAIL TOWNS Dawson Springs munfordville
Olive Hill Morehead
Royalton berea
mckee
livingston london columbia
jamestown
Elkhorn city
Manchester Harlan tri cities
Stearns
your home for hiking, trail running, whitewater,
rockclimbing, horseback riding, y ďŹ shing,
all things adventure. kentuckytourism.com/outdoor-adventure
#adventureky
YOUR STORY BEGINS WITH AN EPIC
HIKE.
#VisitMercerWV
MERCER COUNTY IS LOOKING FOR EXPLORERS. Enhance “your story” on Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook with a visit to Mercer County to truly live your story in the mountains of West Virginia. Home of Pinnacle Rock and Camp Creek State Parks, Mercer County is the perfect outdoor playground to live your story, love your story and then share your story.
VisitMercerCounty.com 800-221-3206
GEAR OF THE YEAR
PATAGONIA MICRO PUFF HOODY $300 Patagonia is calling this the best warmthfor-weight jacket they’ve ever built, and we’d be inclined to agree. The expertly designed Micro Puff Hoody delivers ultralight, water-resistant, down-like warmth. The featherlight garmet even stuffs down into its own pocket and comes complete with a reinforced carabiner clip-in loop.
by TRAVIS HALL
In the Blue Ridge, Ma Nature musters some mean conditions—from scorching summer heat and humidity to biting, icy wind and snow, with plenty of roots and rocks thrown in. That makes it the perfect place to punish outdoor gear. Our experts tested and selected the latest and greatest gear, including brands from right here in our Blue Ridge backyard.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SWEATER By Will Harlan
Before starting his freshman year at the University of Virginia, Kris Cody took a gap year to work and surf through South America. While traveling through the Andes, he bought a beautiful alpaca wool sweater woven by an indigenous woman. “Throughout my first year at UVA, people would ask where the sweater came from, where they could get one, and I realized alpaca wool didn't really exist in the States,” said Cody. So he returned to Peru last summer and coordinated a team of women weavers to begin producing alpaca wool sweaters. He has traveled throughout the Andes mountains to find the best wool mix, speaking with the most established experts on alpaca wool, boating out to Lake Titicaca to learn about what the ancient Inca designs mean, and studying the natural plants used for raw dyes. Already, the neuroscience major has produced alpaca wool sweaters for U.S. National Team Snowboarder Chase Josey, Chance The Rapper, Rory Kramer, The Chainsmokers, and Leah Dawson. His sweaters are now available for consumers at pakaapparel.com.
HOW DO THE PERUVIAN WOMEN WEAVERS FEEL ABOUT THIS PROJECT?
The tradition of weaving has been passed down for thousands of years, back to their Inca ancestors. It carries their entire culture and is something the women are innately proud of. For them to see photos of their sweaters being worn in another hemisphere, in places they've never heard of, it's inspiring. HOW DID YOU GET CHASE JOSEY TO WEAR YOUR SWEATERS?
I wanted to get real athletes wearing the sweaters, people who could give me critiques to make the sweater fit even better. I sent prototypes to famous surfers, skiers, and hikers to test it out. Chase helped to create something that could breathe as a strategic mid-layer. HOW DO THE SWEATERS BENEFIT THE WOMEN WEAVERS AND THEIR ANDEAN COMMUNITY?
HELINOX CHAIR ZERO $120
Put simply, this is the lightest and most compact folding chair available. The Helinox Chair Zero weighs one pound and packs small. With a seat eleven inches off the ground and a frame strong enough to support up to 265 pounds, it will be a welcome addition to any thru-hiker's pack.
THERMACELL BACKPACKER REPELLER $40
Utilizing the same camping gas canisters that backpackers and campers have in their bag already, the compact and lightweight Backpacker Repeller is a nifty little device that keeps bugs at bay even deep into the backcountry. Like other Thermacell products, the Backpacker deters stinging and biting insects by creating a 15 x 15-foot zone of protection, keeping your campsite comfortable for as long as your gas canister is up to the task.
ENO FUSE HAMMOCK DIVIDER $30
Asheville-based ENO was the first to bring hammocks out of the backyard and into the world of outdoor adventure, and they’re still making one of the all-time best packable camping hammocks. Even better, they are constantly innovating, as evidenced by the new Fuse Hammock Divider. The Divider affixes two Hammocks to one set of anchor points, allowing for side-by-side hammocking with a new level of comfort.
1 in 3 Peruvian children have chronic malnutrition. Women in developing countries reinvest 90% of their income back into the family and community. We're multiplying each woman's daily income by eight. It's also preserving their culture—everything from the dyeing process, to the weaving, to their relationship with the alpaca derived from the Andean culture. N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
29
KEEN TERRADORRA WATERPROOF MID $140 OBOZ SCAPEGOAT MID $145
A lightweight hiker with all the toughness and durability of bulkier, heavier mids, the men’s Scapegoat is tailormade for long, hard days on steep, rocky terrain. The durability comes from the sturdy build of the shoe. Features like synthetic leather and reinforced rubber toe and heel guards make it virtually indestructible, but the lightweight feel will keep a spring in your step as you log mile after mile.
Designed specifically with women in mind, this lightweight hiking boot doubles as an around-town trekker. With a glovelike fit and a cushioned ankle panel, it delivers flexible freedom and allday comfort, and its fully waterproof design will keep your feet dry and comfy on even the gnarliest of multiday treks.
YETI PANGA $300
The Panga is YETI’s first foray into the world of waterproof gear storage, and it’s quickly becoming a staple on watercrafts around the country. This fully submersible duffle acts as a gear fortress, allowing absolutely no access points for rogue wetness and a laminated, high-density nylon shell that is virtually impenetrable to nature’s assaults.
PATAGONIA BELGRANO PANTS $99
Built for long days on the trail and extended periods of travel, these lightweight, quick drying pants are made from 95 percent recycled polyester and feature a durable water repellent finish and stretch.
DEUTER AIRLITE 28 $119
OUTDOOR RESEARCH FORAY RAIN JACKET $215
Its superb breathability is enhanced by its Torsoflo design, which allows you to unzip the side of the jacket from the armpit down, providing increased ventilation even while wearing a heavy pack. Throw in GoreTex and you’ve got a top of the line rain shell that should never leave your day pack.
CRAZY CREEK HEX 2.0 $54 The lightest chair from the Montana-based Crazy Creek, the highly-packable Hex 2.0 comes in handy whenever space and weight are a factor, but it’s also perfect for day hikes. The chair doubles as a sleeping pad for ultralight backpacking. 30
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
Built around the comfortable and ventilated Aircomfort back system, the trampoline-style suspension copied by many but invented by Deuter in 1984, the Airlite 28 is a roomy daypack that can handle an overnight trip as well as day-to-day use. The large exterior front pocket accessibly stows bulky items, and extra layers while providing adjustable compression.
FARM TO FEET ELKIN VALLEY LIGHTWEIGHT TECHNICAL CREW $23
Inspired by the Elkin Valley portion of the MST, these lightweight trail socks feature targeted cushioning zones and a seamless toe closure for allday trail comfort. It's quality you've come to expect from the Mount Airy, N.C.-based Farm to Feet.
BELLYAK PLAY 35 $595
The Play 35 from the innovative, Asheville-based Bellyak offers a combination of classic freestyle kayak designs and a patented river interface. Bellyak is the first craft made specifically for whitewater prone paddling, and the Play 35 is the top choice for those looking to surf, spin, splat and reinterpret downriver fun. The lightweight design and bomber construction also make it a great choice for families, groups or smaller paddlers looking for one do-it-all river vessel.
ORION COOLER $479
It's the best high-performance cooler being made in the Blue Ridge today. It comes in a variety of sizes, from the compact 25 L Forest to the ready-foranything 85 L Dorado. Features include six tie-down points, four bottle openers, camping latches, and accessories such as an attachable minibar, cutting board, and bluetooth waterproof speaker. BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
Go Gaston. Get Outside.
For the outdoor enthusiast in all of us, Gaston County offers amazing blueways as well as a wide array of other activities. Let us help you unplug this weekend and connect you with our County’s numerous natural assets. Stop by our Visitors Center or call us today for a FREE Visitor’s Guide. 620 N. Main St., Belmont, NC | 704-825-4044 | #gogaston | gogaston.org
ORVIS HELIOS 3 ROD Starts at $849
PATAGONIA STORMFRONT PACK 30 L $300
This revolutionary new line of rods from Orvis takes casting accuracy to a whole new level. It comes in two lines, the 3D and 3F, both of which come in 9 foot 5 and 8 weight models. The former offers anglers all the power they need to make long distance casts on big water without sacrificing accuracy, while the latter is designed with accuracy and finesse in mind.
ICEMULE BOSS $300
Feel free to trust this 100 percent submersible pack with everything from your car keys to your most expensive camera equipment. The burly nylon used to fashion this pack sports a welded waterproof finish. Inside, there’s enough room for a 15 inch laptop, an SLR camera, and a whole slough of fly boxes.
REDINGTON RISE REELS $190 — $220
Ultimate portability, ultimate ice retention, and ultimate ease of use all characterize the newest product from the Blue Ridge-based Ice Mule Coolers. The premium, multi-day ice retention and a best-in-class suspension system lets you take the Icemule Boss just about anywhere you’d want to get lost in the Great Outdoor, but is particularly at home at a fishing camp or the bottom of a drift boat.
The Rise reel from Redington marries style, elegance, and performance. Fashioned from durable anodized aluminum, the Rise sports a U-shaped, ultra-large arbor design for quick line retrieve. The compact carbon fiber drag system offers smooth fish-stopping power and an oversized drag knob for quick adjustments. With models sized from 3/4 to 9/10, the Rise is suited to perform in a variety of fishing conditions.
REDINGTON SONIC PRO WADERS $300
After extensive field testing and feedback from women anglers, Redington constructed the women’s specific, Sonic Pro Waders with waterproof stretch-fabric side panels and stretch-mesh back for a secure fit while still being comfortably mobile for all body types. The seams are all sonically-welded for uncompromising performance. Other features include a two-sided fleece-lined hand warmer pocket and a large interior stretch mesh pocket.
TOPEAK MOUNTAIN MORPH HAND PUMP $38
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAP, DUPONT STATE FOREST $12
SPECIALIZED EPIC HARDTAIL PRO CARBON WORLD CUP $5,500 It's the lightest frame Specialized has ever designed, and the front end is supported by top of the line Brain Fork technology. With new geometry, the crazy low frame weight, and a build from the racing gods, this bike proves that hardtails are a mainstay in mountain biking.
WATERSHED MCKENZIE BIKEPACKING FRONTLOADER $123
Asheville-based Watershed Drybags is introducing their very first bike specific bag this year: the McKenzie, which uses the same Navy SEAL approved ZipDry technology that’s been employed in other Watershed drybags. The McKenzie also features abrasion-resistant fabric and a 100% submersible closure system that affixes quickly and easily to your handlebars with a secure mounting system.
DuPont State Forest is not only one of the best mountain biking destinations in the East, and National Geographic has all the deets you need about this bonafide mountain biking mecca. This includes all 80 miles of DuPont’s multiuse trails along with difficulty ratings, popular waypoints, and select loops.
YAKIMA HIGH ROAD $230
Yakima’s new premium upright bike mount, the HighRoad is secure, sleek and simple to use. Designed with highend bikes in mind, the adjustment-free hoop with its integrated TorqueRight knob means almost any bike—road or mountain—with tires up to 3.25” can be quickly and easily loaded for safe travel, without stressing the wheel or frame contact.
This compact aluminum hand pump has all the features of your floor pump. The high volume barrel fills mountain tires quickly while a t-handle and a fold out foot pad extend out, and a flexible hose makes inflation efficient. The pump weighs in at 250g and includes a mounting bracket.
INDUSTRY 9 ENDURO S MTB WHEELSET $860
Asheville-based Industry 9 has been the country’s premier manufacturer of hubs and wheelsets for the past decade. Part of I9's premium aluminum spoked Torch Mountain System wheelsets, the new Enduro-S rim is the perfect balance of weight, width, and features.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
33
STIO HOMETOWN HOODED VEST $185
This hooded vest offers streetworthy style that doubles as a great insulator for backcountry adventure even in the dead of winter. Thanks to 800 fill, responsibly sourced water repellent down, the Hometown Hooded Vest shines when the mercury dips to its lowest.
GRIP 6 BELTS CONSERVATION SERIES $50
With a design that conceals the belt flap on the inside, providing a clean and balanced look, Grip 6 has some of the most lightweight, lowest profile belts on the market. Now, they're using their stylish, comfortable belt design to give back. The company is donating 10 percent of every belt sold to conservation nonprofits.
GERBER CENTERDRIVE MULTITOOL $119
The Gerber CenterDrive is among the best multitools out there. It focuses on the three tools you use the most—spring loaded pliers, a knife, and the center-axis driver, which operates just as efficiently as a standard screwdriver. It's also sporting 12 other features, including a pry bar with a nail puller and bottle opener, a serrated blade, and a limited lifetime warranty.
SMITH LOWDOWN FOCUS SUNGLASSES $350
With its new Lowdown Focus sunglasses, Smith is giving the world its first brain sensing eyewear. These shades combine with the Smith Focus app to measure brain activity and provide users with cues to focus breathing, enhance athletic performance, or more calmly navigate the chaos of everyday life.
STIO EDDY SHIRT LS $129
This water- and wind-resistant snap shirt was built with a soft-handed nylonpolyester blend that offers mechanical stretch for mobility and range of motion. Features include pearl snaps, two chest pockets, and easy-roll cuffs.
SUUNTO SPARTAN SPORT WRIST HR $550
VASQUE TRAILBENDER $130
If long distance trail running over steep, rocky terrain is your forte, then the Vasque Trail Bender is the tool you need to get the job done. Designed to conform over invariable terrain, this shoe delivers superior cushioning, stability, and impact reduction thanks to an injection molded midsole.
BRIDGEDALE TRAILHEAD $19
The Bridgedale Trailhead provides targeted cooling ventilation exactly where it’s needed most. The signature T2 anti-compression cushioning at the achilies heel and metatarsal head combine with 30 percent Merino wool to offer crucial longevity on long distance trail jaunts. 34
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
SUPERFEET CARBON $55
The breakthrough design of Superfeet's Carbon insole combines the strength of carbon fiber with ultralight foam to create its most innovative, high performance insole yet. Features like beveled edges, foam perforations, a wider forefront, high density foam, and an odor control coating combine to make this one of the best runningspecific insoles around.
In addition to standard activity tracking data like distance, pace, and heart rate, Suunto delivers functional data like EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) and PTE (Peak Training Effect). Users can also pull training plans onto the watch to guide their daily workouts, get regular checkups on their progress across sports in an easy-toread infographic, and use 24-hour heart rate monitoring. The watch also monitors daily steps and calories burned, and sets targets for each. On-screen navigation using activity-specific heat maps from the Suunto Movescount app aids in route discovery around the world.
BlueRidgeOutdoors
OSPREY DURO 15 $140
The Osprey ENDURO 15 was designed specifically with trail runners in mind, particularly those who are more interested in routes than races. Whether you’re sipping from bottles or drinking from the included 2.5 liter hydration reservoir, this running-specific pack has plenty of room for all day or even multiday treks but is still sleek enough to keep you moving swiftly and unencumbered. GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
The
ELLIJAYS of North Georgia
SMALL TOWN. BIG ADVENTURES.
www.exploretheellijays.com | 706.635.7400
DRIVE IT.
BOAT IT.
THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE ENDLESS
HIKE IT.
BIKE IT.
MountainLakesSC.com N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
35
HYDRATION, TRANSFORMED
The great outdoors just got greater. The Seeker™ is HydraPak’s ultra-light, durable water storage system for camping, backpacking, you name it. It packs down to the size of a fist, attaches to your pack or hangs from a tree. You can freeze it to use as an ice pack or fill it with hot water to keep you warm. Katadyn® BeFree™ filtration compatible.
Find one at a dealer near you hydrapak.com
WALLS 833 ORIGINAL OUTDOOR WORK PANT ($45)
BEST OF THE REST
Built with 11 ounces of durable cotton duck that can handle the toughest adventure, they feature a comfort waistband and feature a relaxed cut that makes them ideal for kicking around camp.
ADIDAS SPRUNG SUNGLASSES ($170)
With a comfortable fit, lightweight frame, and protective lenses, these sunglasses are the perfect choice for any late summer activity you’ll jump into.
ECŌTHS ZANDER LS ($79)
This 100% organic cotton flannel looks and feels good. For every garment Ecōths sells, they donate 3 meals to local food banks throughout the U.S. and Canada.
SHOWERS PASS IMBA JACKET ($199)
The versatile jacket is the perfect mix of protection, comfort, and mobility designed to go from everyday errands to singletrack riding —with a percentage of proceeds going directly to IMBA. GRANITE GEAR TWO HARBORS PACK ($99)
This ergonomic pack keeps the weight closer to the carrier’s back, providing better center of gravity. Abrasion- and water-resistant fabric and zippers shelter your gear from the elements. DIAMOND BRAND GEAR UPCYCLED MESSENGER BAG ($70)
This classic messenger bag comes with a sustainable twist. Constructed in Asheville from leftover Boy Scout tents and repurposed hardware, each bag is durable, unique and features a quickrelease metal front clip, interior pocket, and adjustable shoulder strap.
This Carhartt shirt jacket can fill an outdoorsy dude’s wardrobe for most of the winter, especially if it’s the Rigby. The stretchy, fleece-lined snap-down allows maximum flexibility and durability for winter adventure.
ABUS HYBAN HELMET ($70)
Stylish and safe, the helmet offers 18 huge air vents, an integrated LED light, and magnetic chin strap closures.
EB400 BLUETOOTH EAR BUDS ($100)
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT SUPER COULOIR GLOVE ($135)
This tough, dexterous cold weather climbing glove features a stretch double weave soft shell outer, and a waterproof, windproof and breathable insert. The goatskin leather palm reinforces high abrasion areas.
SIERRA DESIGNS SUMMER MOON 2 TENT ($180)
The lightest fully freestanding dome tent on the market, this two-person tent has a simple two pole design for easy set up. 3lbs 7oz.
CARHARTT RIGBY SHIRT ($70)
No strings attached, these fully waterproof earbuds connect to any device and feature an 8-hour battery and enhanced antenna for anti-skip Bluetooth technology.
MOUNTAINSMITH APPROACH 25 WSD ($35)
FITS PERFORMANCE TRAIL SOCK ($19)
The high cuff is a built-in scree-guard that helps keep out the trail while trail running. Below the cuff is a vented lower that increases breathability.
Mountainsmith’s most versatile backpack designed specifically for women, it’s ideal for day hikes or your daily commute bag.
MERINO NINJA SUIT ($200)
Stay warm on your next winter adventure with this Merino wool blend full-body underwear. It’s stretchy and comfy, yet it stays dry and holds onto body heat during the coldest nights. The front entry chest zip makes it easy to climb in and out. N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
37
GEAR UP THIS Y EAR’ S H OT T E ST P R O DU C TS A R E H E R E —J U ST I N T I M E F O R T H E HOL I DAYS . GET I N GEA R!
ENO SUPERSUB HAMMOCK
MOUNTAIN HOUSE TM
WATERSHED DRYBAGS
Weighing a mere 9.8 ounces, the SuperSub™ Hammock shaves weight without sacrificing comfort. The SuperSub™ has the same spacious dimensions as the top-selling DoubleNest™ Hammock and an impressive 300lb weight rating. Combine with the Helios Suspension System to give you all the ENO creature comforts in a trail ready package.
If you really love breakfast, then the Mountain House Breakfast Bucket is for you! Each bucket contains a whopping 30 servings of our favorite breakfast foods—that’s more than enough to feed the whole family. A bonus? Mountain House’s Breakfast Bucket is compact and stackable, making it easy to store or take with you on the go!
The Animas Pack is a backpack re-imagined. Offering enough room for a couple of day’s worth of gear, removable backpack straps, and a durable top lug handle, the waterproof pack also boasts Watershed’s signature 100% submersible ZipDry closure system. Long story short—the Animas has you covered for any adventure.
ENONATION.COM
MOUNTAINHOUSE.COM
DRYBAGS.COM
GIVE THE B E ST GIFTS THIS YEAR. ICEMULE BOSS™
SPOT PRODUCTS (50% OFF!)
RECOVER HOODY
OSPREY PACKS TRAILKIT
SPOT is here to give you peace of mind when your outdoorsman ventures within or outside of cellular coverage. By providing the latest satellite technology, SPOT allows users to stay connected to family, friends, and emergency responders, as well as protects their toys from theft. Enjoy 50% Off 11/5/17 through 12/31/17.
The Recover Hoody is an essential cool weather item for any adventure goer. Made with 100% recycled materials (blend of recycled plastic and upcycled cotton), the Recover hoody is extremely soft, stylish, and durable. Like all Recover sustainable apparel, it is built to last, and gets more comfortable with every wear.
The TrailKit is perfect for runners, cyclists, anyone who needs organization so they can spend less time digging for lost gear and more time doing what they love. Rugged like a duffel, carries like a backpack and organized to match your lifestyle, they’re grab-and-go base camps for any activity, anywhere.
RECOVERBRANDS.COM
OSPREYPACKS.COM
FINDMESPOT.COM/OUTDOORS
ICEMULE BOSS™
BRIDGEDALE MERINO FUSION TM TREKKER
ICEMULE BOSS™
Bridgedale’s Merino FusionTM Trekker socks withstand the elements for an experience unlike any other. From the Appalachian to the Pacific Crest Trail, go farther with Bridgedale’s hiking and trekking socks that keep your feet dry, warm, and comfortable on and off-trail. Designed for year round use, Bridgedale is the choice for dedicated outdoor enthusiasts.
Ultimate portability. Ultimate ice retention. Ultimate ease of use. No wonder the ICEMULE BOSS™ is the ultimate cooler. You can finally have frosty cold beverages, hour after hour, day after day, mile after mile. Premium, multi-day ice retention paired with a best-in-class suspension system lets you go the distance and rest assured knowing you’ve got the best backpack cooler ever made. Fact.
BRIDGEDALE.COM
ICEMULECOOLERS.COM
PATAGONIA ® BETTER SWEATER AT WALKABOUT OUTFITTER Walkabout Outfitter carries a wide selection of Patagonia® including their Better Sweater for men and women. You’ll look fantastic out on the town or taking a hike in this easy-wearing, bulk-free quarter-zip made of knitted, heathered fleece. It comes in a variety of colors which are dyed with a low-impact process that significantly reduces the use of dyestuffs, energy, and water.
WALKABOUTOUTFITTER.COM
TOP TOWNS FINALIST: ROANOKE, VIRGINIA
2016
Adventure Towns
ater the w r e ov
TOP TOWNS 2015
B E S T S M A L L TOW N
FRANKLIN, N.C.
2016 AND 2015 TOP TOWNS WINNER!
WE PUT THE ALE IN SALEM!
on the w ater Humpback Bridge is one of the most cherished landmarks in Virginia. Enjoy a picnic in the park and find the right angle for a perfect photo. Then, jump in for swimming, paddling, fishing and even camping on the rivers and lakes of the Alleghany Highlands Blueway. visitalleghanyhighlands.com/humpback 540-962-2178 · 888-430-5786
#HumpbackBridge
PARKWAYBREWING.COM 739 KESSLER MILL ROAD EXIT 141 ON I-81, SALEM, VA
TOP TOWNS FINALIST: ROANOKE, VIRGINIA Save $25 Get a discount off 2018 camps when you call by Dec. 31 & mention this magazine!
806 WASENA AVE. ROANOKE, VA 540-525-8295
There’s Something For Everyone At Soaring Ridge!
OUTDOOR GEAR CONSIGNMENT PACKS, CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR, BIKES, CAMPING GEAR, KAYAKS, KIDS GEAR, ACTIVEWEAR, BIKE GEAR & MORE!
SELL YOUR USED GEAR. BUY QUALITY GEAR FOR LESS!
Choose from overnight summer camps for rising grades 3 to 11, with outdoor adventure and off-site trips to destinations throughout the Blue Ridge. Just of I-81, exit 132 - Call (540) 387-6114.
CampRoanoke.com
Open: Wed-Friday 4-9pm, Saturday 2-9pm & Sunday 12-6pm www.soaringridge.com 540 339 9776
GIVE THE GIFT OF THIS YEAR. FIND MEN AND WOMEN’S PULLOVERS AT WALKABOUT OUTFITTER
MOUNTAIN BIKE ROANOKE
OVER 250 MILES OF TRAIL RENTALS, INFO, SHUTTLES, TRIPS ROANOKEMOUNTAINADVENTURES.COM
SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
580 miles of glistening shoreline nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Year-round appeal. History & Wine anytime. Fish. Boat. Golf. Dine. Shop. Stay.
WalkaboutOutfitter.com BLACKSBURG, HARRISONBURG, LEXINGTON, RICHMOND & ROANOKE!
For a FREE Visitor’s Guide: visitsmithmountainlake.com 540.721.1203.
W
hen I phone 34-year-old speed-hiking guru Jennifer Pharr Davis, she is working on a book deadline twoyears-in-the-making and has exactly four days to round out final edits. Meanwhile, she’s supposed to be prepping for her latest thruhike—this time, it’s the Mountains to Sea Trail, a 1,175-mile route that begins at Clingmans Dome in the Smoky Mountains and terminates at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks, and effectively bisects the state of North Carolina. It’s midday and, from the sound of things, it’s lunchtime. There’s the clink of glass bottles, a closing refrigerator, plastic sliding across a countertop, cabinets opening and closing, plates clanking, and, yes, children crying. Apologizing for the commotion and his two screaming kids, her husband Brew sighs: “It’s a busy time for us; to say things are hectic would be a ridiculous understatement.” After six years, two babies, a knee surgery, and six months worth of rehabilitative therapy, this will be the first hike of more than 100 miles Jennifer has taken since her record-breaking thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2011. Slated to drive the MST route with kids in tow, Brew says he’s excited about hitting sections of the trail and checking out nearby breweries and sights, he’s stoked to be supporting his wife. “Momma needs a hike,” Jennifer says with a laugh. “For me, the act of putting one foot in front of the other has changed my values, my outlook, and the very fiber of my being. It’s
The real lives of pro outdoor adventurers by ERIC J. WALLACE always been an affirming source of inspiration and transformation, and I’m presently long overdue.” Along the way, Davis says she’ll be making edits on a book about endurance and hiking records that’s due out next spring, running a business from afar, and advocating for outdoor recreation, conservation and unity. Seeking to raise awareness and funds for the Mountains to Sea Trail, Brew will be coordinating events inviting hikers to join Jennifer on the trail, attend talks, and more. But just now, they’ve got a deadline and nearly 1,200 miles worth of packing to attend to. Such is the life of a professional hiker. In the midst of one adventure, they’re persistently stepping into the next.
Part-Time Hobby to FullTime Occupation
How do pro-hikers turn a beloved hobby into a full-time gig? While routes are about as varied as the trail is long, most agree it takes four things: Passion. Perseverance. Business sense. And hard work. However, unlike most traditional business endeavors, hikers tend to describe the road as a kind of happy
accident that snow-balled. “I started long-distance backpacking in 2002 when I thruhiked the A.T. for the first time,” says pro-hiker Andrew Skurka. “I was in college at the time and an effort on that scale seemed like an experience that was worth having. While I loved the idea, I certainly wasn’t thinking this would become my occupation.” And yet, since then, the 36-yearold has backpacked, skied and pack-rafted more than 33,000 miles—the equivalency of traveling 1.2 times around the equator—and has become one of the world’s quintessential outdoorsmen. Mostly, he’s known for three monstrous hiking feats. In 2005, Skurka was the first to hike the Seato-Sea trail, which begins in Quebec and ends in Washington, and covers 7,778 miles (around 1,800 of which Skurka walked in snowshoes). Two years later, he completed the Great Western Loop, a 6,875-mile footpath that links the Pacific Crest, Pacific Northwest, Continental Divide, Grand Enchantment, and Arizona trails, and includes a wild segment passing through the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. In 2010, Skurka hiked, skied and rafted his way to a 4,679-mile circumnavigation of Alaskan and
Yukon wildernesses. Combined, the efforts netted him huge accolades and, in so far as it’s possible for a hiker, mainstream renown. Beyond being featured in nearly every major news outlet in the country, Backpacker named him their 2005 “Person of the Year,” while National Geographic crowned him the “Adventurer of the Year” for 2007. Be that as it may, Skurka says the success wasn’t premeditated. “Despite having much more to gain from a successful finish, my motivations for taking on those expeditions were very similar to those that drove my first thru-hike,” he says. “Simply put, I believed the experiences were worth the effort.” He’d see amazing landscapes few have laid eyes on. Meet adventurous characters. And challenge himself to conquer ambitious goals day after day, for months on end. “I wanted to push myself far outside my comfort zone, which is when personal growth really starts to happen,” he explains. “None of these trips could have been justified on the premise that they LEFT: A.T. FEMALE SPEED RECORD HOLDER JENNIFER PHARR DAVIS OPERATES A HIKING COMPANY AND IS TACKLING A 1,1,75-MILE MOUNTAINS TO SEA TRAIL THRU-HIKE THIS FALL.
RIGHT: PRO HIKER ANDREW SKURKA TREKS THROUGH CALIFORNIA’S YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK AS PART OF A 6,875-MILE GREAT WESTERN LOOP HIKE.
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
43
44
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017 / M O U N TA I N E D I T I O N
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
would somehow result in fame and fortune.” In other words, it had to be about passion; it had to be about Skurka. “With the Alaska trip, I started out in 25-degree-below-zero weather, skied the first 1,200 miles, and encountered grizzly bears almost daily,” he says. “I was off-trail for 2,100 miles and passed through areas no one has traveled through since the Klondike Goldrush. For me, it’s always been about the experience. That’s what’s driven all of this.”
Making a Living
Despite the notoriety Skurka’s expeditions have won him, he describes his income as meager compared to most ‘grownup’ professions. Early on, the discrepancy was even more pronounced. “While my motivations were true, that wasn’t helping me address the economic realities of my trips,” he says. To enable himself to keep going, Skurka slowly and purposefully developed income streams tied to his adventures. Mostly, these came in the form of lectures, presentations, guided trips, and content, like blogs, books, and magazine articles. “My first professional gig was a keynote address I gave for the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association in 2005, which paid me $200,” he says, chuckling because, while the recognition was mindblowing, the plane ticket he bought to attend the event cost him twice that.
LEFT: ALASTAIR HUMPHRIES, WHO HAS HIKED ACROSS THE WORLD’S LARGEST DESERT AND BIKED AROUND THE WORLD, SAYS THE BEST PART OF BEING A PROFESSIONAL HIKER IS BEING YOUR OWN BOSS.
RIGHT: TOM GATHMAN—‘THE REAL HIKING VIKING’—HAS HIKED 15,000 MILES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS AND ATTRACTED MORE THAN A DOZEN SPONSORS.
Despite the humble beginning, Skurka was soon getting more work. Logging 234 presentations in the next five years—with 60 in 2011 alone—he has since added companies like Google, Microsoft, REI, and Viking Global Investments to his list of more than 280 clients. “At the peak of that 2011 schedule, my life looked like that George Clooney character, Ryan Bingham, from Up in the Air,” he jokes. “Eventually, even my parents stopped trying to remember where I was.” While Pharr Davis has also cultivated speaking opportunities, it was guided hikes that officially put an end to her day job in 2008, when she and Brew (a former history teacher at the Carolina Day School) founded Blue Ridge Hiking Company. Offering monthly group outings that are open to the public, as well as private sessions, the company has grown to include seven guides in addition to Jennifer and Brew. With all of the overnight hikes taking place in the Pisgah National Forest near her home in Asheville, North Carolina, Pharr Davis says the BRHC offers her a source of income that doesn’t require her to
be constantly traveling and/or on the trail. For both Pharr Davis and Skurka, whether in the form of memoir, blogs, and gear and trail guides, writing has played an important role in forging their careers as pro hikers. However, for former Backpacker staffer turned pro-hiker, Michael Lanza, the medium has been everything. Rather than insane physical feats of distance or speed, it’s his pen that’s kept him on the trail. “I served as the northwest editor and primary gear reviewer for Backpacker for 11 years,” explains Lanza. “Then, in 2012, I published a book about my family’s year-long exploration of the changes taking place in the American national parks most endangered by climate change.” Titled Before They’re Gone, the book nabbed an honorable mention for the National Book Award and won the National Outdoor Book Award. Using the success as a springboard, Lanza launched a blog called The Big Outside, which is dedicated to outdoor adventures with his family. “For years I’d made a living identifying, planning, and writing about great trips, and I think that’s what’s made The Big Outside such a uniquely authoritative source,” he says. “[The blog] offers stories, photos, and expert trip-planning advice on America’s and the world’s best outdoor adventures—including many that are great for families—with everything based on my own firsthand knowledge.”
Since its inception, the blog has appeared on numerous top lists, including USA Today’s Readers’ Choice list, The Adventure Junkies Top 25 Hiking Blogs, and Feedspot’s Top 100 Outdoor Blogs. According to Lanza, The Big Outside now provides the bulk of his income.
Breaking In
Tom Gathman, i.e. The Real Hiking Viking, thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail for the third time this year and is shooting a documentary with one of his closest hiking friends. While he is excited for new adventure, he is equally pumped about a Real Hiking Viking line of gear and apparel from Mountainsmith. The development could potentially provide a steady income stream and much-needed funding for an upcoming attempt to break the speed record for thruhiking America’s Triple Crown, as well as a subsequent foot-powered circumnavigation of the northern hemisphere. Similar to Pharr Davis and Skurka, Gathman describes going pro as a necessary move to stay on the trail. Arriving to the sport a bit later than his counterparts—the 33-year-old former Iraq combat veteran and Marine sniper completed his first long-distance thru-hike in 2012— Gathman says social media platforms are what got him into the game. Albeit accidentally. “I was posting on Instagram and Facebook whenever I could, namely just to stay in touch with friends and family and make sure they knew I
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
45
TROT, RUN, WALK Thanksgiving Day
8k Run • 5k Fun Run and Walk • 1/4 Mile Tot Trot
Register today at www.TurkeyDay8k.com Presenting
Platinum Sponsors
p p in g eG t y o u r h o li d a y s h o u la r reg o w t y u B : ly r a e e n do ta p r ic e d s h ir t s a n d g e B
EOUT L U E R D IG
D O O R S .C
OM
ENTER CODE “THANKS” AT CHECKOUT”
46
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017 / M O U N TA I N E D I T I O N
was still alive,” he says. Only then, the pages started picking up followers. “It was strange to see so many people were digging what I was doing, but I found it gave me a kind of confidence, and slowly began to make me want to do a better job of documenting things.” After four years of living basically on-trail and around 15,000 miles of hiking, the habit led to a blog and more than a dozen sponsorships— including the impending deal with Mountain Smith. Gathman says feedback from his 41,500 Instagram and 21,804 Facebook followers helped validate what he was doing and inspire him to keep going. “When most of the world thinks what you’re doing is irresponsible and crazy, it helps to know there are people out there supporting you,” he says. “They see what you’re doing as inspiring and important, and that adds fuel to the fire to figure out how to keep going.”
Realities
It’s true that pro hikers make their living getting outdoors and doing what they love. But there’s a flipside. “What I love about it is being my own boss and taking on the responsibility for the success or failure of doing the stuff that I want to do, the way I want to do it,” says Alastair Humphreys, 40, whose outdoor resume includes, in addition to a fouryear bicycle trip around the world, a hike across India and a foot-powered trek through the Empty Quarter, a desert on the Arabian Peninsula which, at 250,000 square miles, is the largest contiguous desert in the world. “But the problem becomes, because it’s your job, it has to pay for your life. So, when I summit a mountain and there’s this beautiful sunset, rather than enjoying the moment, it’s easy to start thinking: How am I going to turn this into content?” Meanwhile, to afford the freedom necessary to keep
going, Gathman and Skurka limit their possessions to what can fit in a car, endure longdistance romantic relationships, live out of friend’s houses or on the occasional month-to-month lease, and cite frugality as their biggest source of income. “If I lived like your typical 30-someyear-old guy, I’d never be able to afford doing what I do,” says Skurka. However, upon the final analysis, the adventurers are all quick to say the drawbacks are outweighed by the payoff. Bigtime. “I love my life and consider my job the best job in the world,” says Gathman. “If I wanted to make a lot of money and have nice things, I’d be a banker. But that’s not what I value, that’s not the way I want live. What I want is to be in the woods and on the trail, and I’m willing to do what it takes to make that happen.”
MICHAEL LANZA HAS MADE A LIVING WRITING AND BLOGGING ABOUT OUTDOOR ADVENTURES WITH HIS FAMILY.
GEAR UP GEAR GIVEAWAY SIGN UP FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN | BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM MOUNTAIN HOUSE Breakfast Bucket (16 total pouches)
ICE MULE Large Ice Mule PRO
BRIDGEDALE Pair of men’s & women’s Socks (MerinoFusion™ Trekker)
RECOVER Beanie
SPOT Gen3 OSPREY PACKS Transporter 65
WALKABOUT OUTFITTER Camelbak bottle, Walkabout t-shirt, and a $25 Walkabout gift certificate DRYBAGS Chattooga Duffel
ENO LoungerDL Chair
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
47
TRAIL MIX
Roots Run Deep: Four Acts Taking Old Sounds New Places BY JEDD FERRIS
Americana artists on the rise.
four
ROBBY KLEIN
CHECK OUT THESE NEW RELEASES from
BLITZEN TRAPPER
Wild and Reckless
BILLY STRINGS
Turmoil & Tinfoil
Blitzen Trapper plays indie rock covered in cosmic cowboy dust. The band has spent the past decade using experimental grit to push forward a roots-based sound that incorporates psychedelic country-rock grooves and compelling folk storytelling with sweet harmonies. Front man Eric Earley has a captivating voice—a mix between the earthy shake of Neil Young and the relaxed intensity of Jeff Tweedy— that he uses to set scenes with rural imagery, often featuring lost souls searching for answers. Narrative is at the forefront of the band’s ninth studio album, Wild and Reckless, which comes out this month. The new record is based on a musical/ rock opera of the same name that the band produced in its hometown of Portland, Oregon, earlier this year. Much like the stage production, the album chronicles hard-luck characters dealing with drugs and despair in the wild West through a soundtrack of trippy frontier Americana. Earley has stated that he views his band’s latest effort as a companion to the group’s 2008 breakout, Furr.
Flat-picking guitarist Billy Strings is a rising young string slinger in the progressive bluegrass world. Since forming his own band less than two years ago, the Nashville-based guitarist has turned heads at high-profile festivals and shared the stage with genre masters, including David Grisman. Growing up with a dad who played bluegrass, Strings (real name William Apostol) learned traditional songs early in life, but by his teenage years he was playing in a metal band. As a result, he boosts the fundamentals of Bill Monroe’s high lonesome sound with a high-energy rock edge, landing in the realm of jamgrass acts like Greensky Bluegrass and the Infamous Stringdusters. Earlier this fall, Strings released his debut album, Turmoil & Tinfoil, a showcase for his nimble-fingered fret acrobatics. The record mixes honest front-porch tunes, like the reflective “All of Tomorrow,” with psychedelic string workouts, including the dark and stormy title track.
KEY TRACK: “Stolen Hearts” is a freerange folk-rock tune about lost love that takes a turn towards optimism with a galloping rhythm and sunny harmonica accents.
KEY TRACK: “Meet Me at the Creek” is an epic instrumental shredder that nearly hits 10 minutes, showcasing Strings’ precise picking and ability to take acoustic music to the outer limits.
LIVE: The Earl in Atlanta on November 2, the Motorco Music Hall in Durham, N.C., on November 3 and the Broadberry in Richmond, Va., on November 4.
48
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ
Red Arrow DORI FREEMAN
Letters Never Read
Singer-songwriter Dori Freeman hails from the southwest Virginia town of Galax, known for its annual massive Old Fiddler’s Convention. While Appalachian influences certainly color Freeman’s pure country voice, her honest and occasionally disarming lyrics are more in line with the edgier side of modern roots music. In a statement on her October-released sophomore effort Letters Never Read, Freeman said, “I think people have an idea of what this area in the country is like, and what that music sounds like, and it’s not necessarily a really nice picture that’s been painted. I want to break that stereotype down. I’m proud of where I’m from. And I want to bring that kind of music to a new audience in a different way.” KEY TRACK: “If I Could Make You My Own” is a lover’s plea that Freeman has said she attempted to craft as an updated murder ballad. The flowing country song features fluid electric guitar fills from English folk legend Richard Thompson. BlueRidgeOutdoors
Following up his Dave Cobbproduced 2015 breakout, Onward, smooth-voiced Americana upstart Christian Lopez is back with another set of earnest tunes that make him sound much wiser than his 22 years. To make his sophomore effort, the Septemberreleased Red Arrow, the West Virginia-based tunesmith—who channels his dusty soul-felt ruminations through a clear-eyed pop filter—embraced co-writing with some of Nashville’s top song scribes, including Dave Berg and Liz Longley, and had notable collaborators appear on select songs. The lonesome ballad “Caramel” features a vocal assist from Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids, and the playful acoustic tune “Swim the River” is sweetened by the pastoral fiddle of Stuart Duncan. KEY TRACK: While Lopez seems to have his sights set on broader accessibility, he still displays fondness for his Appalachian roots. A best example is “1972,” a soulful highway song about cruising Mountain State backroads in his favorite old truck. LIVE: The Salvage Station in Asheville, N.C., on November 2, and the Groove Music Hall in Woodford, Va., on November 3. GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors
Red Wolf in the Crosshairs Will North Carolina allow the world’s most endangered wolf to go extinct in the wild? by JEFF KINNEY
Red wolves were once an endangered species success story, rebounding from the
brink of extinction to a thriving population of over 200. Today, only 45 red wolves remain in the wild— and many hunters, along with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission would like to eliminate them all. Classified as endangered in 1973 and hunted to the brink of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up about 20 red wolves to be bred in captivity in 1980. They were released in eastern North Carolina and thrived for several decades until hunters, landowners, and the hunting-focused North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission began taking aim at the imperiled species. They have pressured the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—the agency in charge of managing endangered species—to significantly scale back recovery efforts for the red wolf. They have proposed shrinking the animal’s wild territory by nearly 90 percent and sending most of the population to zoos. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that the captive, zoo-based population of red wolves is facing extinction, and thus resources should be focused on captive wolves at the expense of wild ones. But Haley McKey, communications director for Defenders of Wildlife, thinks that’s a false choice, because this doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. And she says it’s special interests, not the health of the red wolf as a species, that’s driving the FWS proposal. “In recent years, the red wolf recovery program has been allowed to implode,” she says. The agency “has been derailed time and time again by a small
but loud contingent of local, antigovernment landowners who link the wolves and nearby wildlife refuges amount to government overreach.” What’s more, McKey says, the wolves have proven that they are able to survive in the wild if the FWS would merely take steps required under the Endangered Species Act to protect them. These include things like checking dens for new litters, fostering pups to add genetic diversity to the wild population, and collaring to provide crucial data on movement. Due to pressure from the state and a few vocal landowners, the agency has been doing none of this. Indeed, the Fish and Wildlife Service itself is “the greatest threat to the red wolf,” says Sierra Weaver, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Even though the agency once successfully brought the species back from the brink of extinction by actively working to build the population, the Fish and Wildlife Service has now walked away from most beneficial conservation measures it was taking for the wolf.” Weaver also says the Fish and Wildlife Service is “misrepresenting the best available
science” to justify its position, in particular a population viability analysis conducted in 2016 that clearly found that the wild red wolf population can be saved. Southern Environmental Law Center is currently representing the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute in a legal challenge of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s attempt to allow “dramatically increased” lethal
OVER 80 PERCENT
OF NORTH CAROLINIANS SUPPORT PROTECTING THE RED WOLF IN THE WILD. and non-lethal removal of wolves from private lands. “The agency is required to implement rules that provide for the conservation and recovery of the species, yet that is not occurring,” she says. “It’s too soon to say whether there will be any future challenges, but the service’s current
proposal to shrink the red wolf recovery area makes that seem likely.” Others take a different view. For example, in comments earlier this year to the FWS, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which essentially lobbied to remove the red wolf from the endangered species list, claims—against the weight of the evidence and suspiciously in line with the interests of anti-government and private property advocates—that the best way to protect the remaining animals is to remove them from the wild and place them in a captive breeding program. For its part, the Fish and Wildlife Service claims it’s committed to “recovering” the red wolf in the wild, but that more animals are needed in the captive population to boost genetic diversity and support the wild population. The agency plans to take several steps this year to accomplish that, including completing a five-year species status review to guide the recovery plan, determining potential new sites for experimental wild populations beyond the existing one in Eastern North Carolina, and increasing the captive population. While all of this might sound good on paper, the FWS clearly isn’t committed to the wild red wolf population in practice and even questions whether it should be listed as an endangered species. That worries wildlife advocates like Red Wolf Coalition Executive Director Kim Wheeler, who urged animal lovers not to give up the fight. “The red wolf needs concerned citizens to let their representatives know that the red wolf is important and that they want to see the program continue with a wild and captive program,” she says, adding that there has been “overwhelming support” for continuing both programs. Over 80 percent of North Carolinians support protecting the red wolf in the wild, according to a statewide poll last year. “It is going to take a lot of hard work. But nothing worth fighting for is ever easy.”
N OV E M B E R 2 017 / B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
49
LAST WORD
11.17
WORLDS APART
LOOKING BEYOND CONFLICT IN COAL COUNTRY BY WALLY SMITH
Rain is falling in sheets along the New River in Radford, Va., where I'm huddled under a tent discussing a float trip with a woman and her daughter. We're here for an outdoor expo, and I'm staffing a tourism display. I'm in the middle of describing the run—a lazy float with just enough whitewater to keep things interesting—when the exchange I'd been waiting for surfaces. "I wonder why I’ve never heard of this place,” the woman says. "Well, it's down in the coalfields," I respond, explaining that the region is just now starting to get on the outdoor radar. She cuts me off before I finish. "Oh, coal," she says. "Nope." She and her daughter walk off into the rain.
By now, I'm used to the response. I moved to the coalfields from the north Georgia mountains six years ago to work as a college professor. Like many in my field, I lean hard to the left on issues related to the outdoors. I sit on the boards of environmental nonprofits and write the occasional, pedantic letter to the editor on controversial policy changes. When I'm in a formal setting, it's pretty clear where I stand. At the outdoor expo, though, I don't look the part. I'm wearing old cargo shorts and a t-shirt, and it's been a while since I last shaved. A career in academia hasn't fully erased my
UNIVERSALLY GOOD. SAFE WATER FOR YOU AND CHILDREN AROUND THE GLOBE.
The best things in life are good for everyone. LifeStraw Universal is an adapter kit that turns your favorite water bottle into a powerful water filter, removing bacteria and protozoa. It’s also a part of our Follow the Liters program, where every LifeStraw product sold provides one child in a developing country with safe water for an entire year. We’ve already reached 633,777 children and we’re striving to reach our 1 millionth child in 2018. Let’s get there together.
Lifestraw.com
50
The NEW LifeStraw Universal provides caps and an interchangeable filter that fits on most water bottle brands.
B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S / N OV E M B E R 2 017
southern twang. I might as well be anyone from a mining town, so I get the unfiltered brunt of everyone's views on the region. Later that afternoon, another visitor responds to a photo of our city park with "do you blow stuff up there, too?" If it's possible to pinpoint the most discouraging part of living in coal country, it wouldn’t be our poverty or even the environmental damage the industry has wrought. Instead, it’s the way coal has been caught up in our national attempt to distill seemingly every issue into neatly-packaged, non-overlapping sides. Think coal still has a role to play in Appalachia? Time to leave the holler and join the 21st century, hillbilly. Want to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels? You hippies should try freezing in the dark. On my drive home from work, I’ll often find myself behind a truck that's further condensed the conflict into a bumper sticker: Save a coal miner. Shoot a treehugger. To be fair, I was once one of those people that might be tempted to smart off about coal to someone at an outdoor expo. I’ve read the scientific articles showing a clear link between fossil fuel extraction and climate change, and I've digested my share of think-pieces on Appalachia. You know the type: a writer reluctantly drives into a rural coal town to interview locals at a barbershop or diner. Talk about depressing economic statistics or the latest industry-endorsed political candidate ensues. But then I moved to that hypothetical town, a small Virginia mining community nestled against the border with Kentucky. Eighty percent of my county voted for Donald Trump, and our local Wal-Mart looks out over an active mountaintop removal site. It’s an easy place to stereotype—until,
that is, you spend some time there. Since my move, I've taken hikes with former miners who can run circles around my doctoral training in identifying local wildlife. On more than one occasion, I've downed beers with industry supporters and diehard environmentalists while discussing the state of the region. I’ve been surprised at how much we agree. That agreement is there because we’re not defined by our political allegiances; we’re neighbors first. We shop at the same stores, drive to the same trailheads after work for an evening run, and bring our families to the same volunteer events to clean up former surface mines. If that sounds like I’m veering too much towards fence-sitting, I’m not—we still have vastly diverging views on how to improve the region, and it’s unlikely that the tension between them can ever be fully reconciled. But what you find living in coal country isn’t just that tension but the constants that exist in spite of it. After all, no one checks to see what bumper stickers you’ve got when you show up to plant trees on an old strip job. The challenge in understanding the coalfields, then—the thing I wish our tourism displays could convey—is the need to face head-on the uncomfortable complexities that make this such a frustratingly wonderful place to live. Not too long ago, I struck up another conversation on the region, this time with a fellow academic at a conference. Our discussion eventually migrated to the coalfields’ dismal economic and health statistics. "I'm so sorry you have to live there," he said, as if I was serving out some kind of sentence instead of moving to the area on purpose. I asked him if he'd ever been to the coalfields, and he said no; he’d only looked at the region at an arm's length. I thought about all the things I could mention to change his mind, the way mountain laurel frosts the hillsides white in late spring or how you can talk with a stranger here for five minutes and feel like you’ve known them for a lifetime. I ended up mentioning neither. “You should visit,” I told him. Some things are better left experienced than said.
BlueRidgeOutdoors
GoOutAndPlay
BlueRidgeOutdoors