What I hope you've seen lately

I haven't blogged in a bit, but I've been bookmarking things I've meant to blog about. That counts all the same right?

First, from the great folks at Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, an article on a bike school where you'll learn to take care of your bicycle. I should probably invest in this course before investing in a new bike.

From getoutdoors.com

I like to think that because I don't wreck my bike, I don't need to fix it. Maybe that's the general theory since bike accidents have decreased 56% over the last 14 years. Or maybe, it's because the technology has improved (although I ride on a 14 year old bike so that's not my case). Or maybe, bikers aren't taking the same risks because they've gone soft. Or maybe, they're more skilled. Get outside, get on your bike, and ponder it.

When you're so excited to be riding your newly tuned super bike you don't realize how wet it is outside, you'll wanna be wearing one of these fabrics that're taking aim at Gore-Tex. Competition is good, especially when it forces prices down (fingers crossed).

Where competition went awry: the oil spill. Rowan Jacobsen investigates, for Outside Magazine, what the feds haven't told us about it.

There may be things we don't know about the oil spill, but why do I feel like no one is talking about the 1,000 blackbirds in Arkansas or the 100,000 dead fish along the Arkansas River? Seriously. This seems like huge news to me. Outrageous stuff that should concern people. Well, I guess not while Lindsay Lohan is in court. Any road trip I'm planning now has specific plans on avoiding Arkansas.

You can follow the mass animal deaths, dubbed Aflockalypse, on Google. Thanks Google, you never let me down. Spoiler alert: most of these aflockalyptic zones are on the East Coast. Oh, joy!

You better hope your rope works if you take a spill off this, the world's tallest climbing wall...so sick.

From the tallest wall, to the "Best Ride in America." Cycle Oregon has been dubbed so. Upon arrival in Idaho, I found out they got their potatoes from Oregon and I thought, "man this state sucks." Keep up the good work Oregon. Article from Wend Magazine, while you're on their site make sure to sign up for the emails so you'll get the Friday photo.

You can take your camera out on this three piece kayak. When disassembled it will fit on top of a Mini Cooper. I've always thought an extreme adventure needs a pack raft, but this guy may have changed the game. Now, when you see a bunch of Mini Coopers parked by the river's edge you'll know what the deal is.

Then again, any old vehicle will do for this foldable kayak that Chuck Corwin spent 10 years designing with Alpine backpackers in mind. He'll sell you the plans for $100 and says it'll cost about $850 to get the raw materials to build it. Chuck, just build the thing and give it to me already.


Officials at Yosemite National Park will now only issue 400 permits a day for dayhikes up Half Dome. Permits will now be required every day. Four hundred!? Anyone who's been to Yosemite in the summer knows that's a terribly small fraction of the crowd. Maybe that'll deter the tourists that feed the animals, I wish they'd stay at home and look at pictures of the park on the internet.

Here's a video, from the Adventure Journal, to get you accustomed to the sublime. It's of the Redwoods, which is a place I recommend everyone see. Unless you're the type that feeds animals or litters, please don't ruin this beautiful place. 


This one is really late but deserves recognition nonetheless: For every new "like" The North Face received on Facebook through December, TNF Canada donated $1 to environmental conservationist group the David Suzuki Foundation. The limit was $20,000. I hope they received the max. From TNF's aptly named blog, neverstopexploring.com

Another retailer, Outdoor Research, has unveiled Lab Rat 2.0. It's a combination of reviews and employee support so you can get your product questions answered while shopping on the internet. Ladies love shopping, and I love outdoor gear. I think this may be going somewhere...

Here's a retailer I support: Chaco. They come with a lifetime guarantee. And, not that bullshit here's a guarantee but you better not try to use it. Like my car warranty. I digress. Anyhow, Chaco resoled 20,000 sandals in 7 months. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and support great businesses. (Note: this also reduces the need to shop, which I don't enjoy)

A 30-year-old from New Zealand, William Trubridge, dove 100 meters on one breath. While this is remarkable, why would someone from such a beautiful place want to spend so much time underwater, I bet he can't even see the mountains from that low.

Ever thought about thru hiking a long trail? The problem is which one and where is the time. Well 25-year-old Samuel Gardner has your answer: do them all in a year. He's attempting the 12,500 mile trek, he's named the All-In Trek, this year. He's combined North Country Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, The Continental Divide Trail, and The Appalachian Trail. Put your calculator away, he'll need to average over 34 miles a day. He's doing this unassisted. I hope he has comfortable shoes.


I bet he's making more money than an Aspen ski instructor. Or at least an entry grade instructor. Unless things have changed in the last month when an instructor was suspended for placing fliers around that said, "Greed? Private Lesson: $625. Labor payment to least paid instructors: $69. Fair?" The instructor was receiving a hirer wage but saw this as a matter of social injustice. Since the instructor has some time off, maybe he can do some research about the animals dying in Arkansas.

Gardner could spend this whole year in the backcountry for the All-In Trek and still be able to keep his social networks updated thanks to a new technology that uses satellites to connect SPOT with smart phones. I had to force myself to see the good in being "connected" in the backcountry, but here it is: now sponsored treks will be able to keep updates frequent. It's called the SPOT Connect. 


Who needs a connect? In a pinch, I'd much rather have a cold one. The Coldpole is a ski pole with flask handles. I don't ski, but I'm thinking they'll work fine as trekking poles, if not, someone get on this idea. Please.

Gardner's goals seem reasonable when you compare him to this Florida man who is spending a month in a lion enclosure, with two lions, in an attempt to raise money. The money seems to be going to a good cause: helping support his lion captivating problem. I think that is what they call an enabler.  


Then there's these two women, Kate Harris and Melissa Yule, who are riding the length of the Silk Road on bicycles. Epic! Over 10,000 miles of epic! They're doing it to raise awareness of the need for cross-border conservation. Good luck ladies. Check out their site Cycling Silk.

Gardner, Harris, and Yule all have the  right idea. It's the U. N.'s International Year of Forests and I hope we can all enjoy them before they're covered in dead birds and fish, covered by spilled oil, or the mountaintops are blow off by miners.