Summer on the Water · 8 days ago by Kurt Peterson
With the onset of summer’s heat and humidity, now is a great time to get out and find some relief on the water. Whether it’s on the river or the lake, I’ve always found the best summer relief with a paddle in my hand and my bow knifing through the water.
And now that we have our (nearly) complete lineup of kayaks and canoes listed online (though not available for purchasing online), you can learn all the features each boat offers and compare models. And we’ve recently made PFD’s, paddles, and paddling accessories available for purchase online.
If any of those boats catch your eye, try before you buy and learn all the subtle differences between each and every model we carry at our area boat demos.
Or if you want to try out a boat on your own schedule, contact your local store to set up an appointment.
If you’ve got the boat and looking to hone those skills, two Blue Ridge stores have certified ACA instructors on staff to teach all the necessary skills of paddling a kayak whether you’re a beginner or veteran. Contact your local store to sign up.
Go on . . . hit the H2O!
Calling all Virginia Drivers! · 12 days ago by Kurt Peterson
Update: Good news! As of today, the ATC received the minimum 350 Virginia Appalachian Trail license plate applications, making it official that VDOT will move forward with creating the plates. Thanks go to Jack Noll and everyone at the ATC that helped make this happen.
If you would still like to apply for an AT plate, stop by any Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain Sports to pick up an application.
The votes have been tallied, and the new Virginia Appalachian Trail license plate design has been selected! But . . . there’s a catch.
The Virginia DOT needs to receive 350 plate applications before mid-July or it will not approve the new AT plate. To date, there have been only 110 applications submitted. And with less than 6 weeks left, that leaves 240 applications yet to be submitted before this be can become a reality.
So if you’re a Virginia citizen and enjoy the proud fact that 550 miles of the Appalachian Trail wanders through the Blue Ridge of Virginia, and far more miles than any other state, then download and send in your application soon! If you have questions, visit the ATC’s FAQ page.
Proceeds of the plate fee go directly to trail maintenance in Virginia. What better reason could you have???
The Heart of Adventure · 13 days ago by Kurt Peterson
Adventure racing is a sport unlike any other. Challenging, mysterious, technical, and logistically unique, it hasn’t seen much mainstream exposure outside of the old Eco-Challenges several years ago, yet still occupies the hearts and minds of die-hard adventure racing aficionados throughout the US and the world.
While the sport hasn’t exploded in popularity, those that participate, myself included, understand the unique challenges and raw energy it requires to compete in such races. The Untamed Virginia race is no exception. Branching from the Hampton Roads Adventure race organization in central and eastern Virginia, Untamed Adventure is a growing race organization with events in New England and Virginia.
On September 13-14 somewhere in the wilds near Richmond, the 2nd Annual Untamed Virginia race will kick off with both the professional 30-hour course and a more moderate 4-hour sprint course for those who want to try adventure racing on for size.
Leading up to the race, Blue Ridge is hosting two incredible slideshows:
Racers with Virginia’s Untamed Adventure team will share photographs and their experiences racing in the 10 day non-stop adventure race “At the End of the Earth” in the Tierra del Fuego region of Patagonia, Chile. They will also discuss the upcoming Untamed Virginia adventure race (30-hour and 4-hour courses) and what lessons from Patagonia can be applied to racing right here in Virginia.
If curiosity has gotten the better of you, however, go ahead and register for the 2008 Untamed Virginia adventure race!
Vote the Environment · 19 days ago by Kurt Peterson
Here’s a little something our dear friends over at Patagonia created to remind us of the importance of voting the environment.
Un-hinging your Brain · 22 days ago by Kurt Peterson
I’m finally back from several days visiting family and friends in and around Seattle, Washington where temperatures never crested 75 and every day was glorious. We were able to leave Virginia, our house, our yard work, our dogs (though missed), and most importantly, our work behind for a much needed and much appreciated vacation.
Getting back to a mountain of emails and voice messages proved a lot easier than even I expected and reminded me of the importance of getting the occasional change of scenery. Like the oil in my Civic, a freshly lubed engine runs much smoother after a change. And taking time to enjoy family on the other end of a continent that I rarely see was the polish on the hood.
So where do you plan to let yourself unwind this summer?
Closing the doors in Greensboro . . . for now · 35 days ago by Kurt Peterson
It was with a heavy heart that I was both witness and participant in shutting down our Greensboro location these past few days. It never quite felt real until I began to tape kraft paper up in the windows, effectively sealing myself and about five others inside to do the dirty job of breaking down the store and moving on.
After almost 30 years of business in Greensboro, it was especially difficult for me as both a Greensboro native and an ex-staff member of the store. I spent 3.5 years working the floor, guiding trips, and building relationships with hundreds of people who thought they were just coming into buy stuff. But more than just that, the store was a place where myself and the rest of the staff made new friends, laughed, ran and biked the local trails, and helped & encouraged many, many in the Greensboro area to get out, get active, and where the best places were to go.
But yesterday one of our favorite customers said it best:
To us [Blue Ridge] is much more than a store, it is an experience and an adventure. I hope others will have the same opportunity to experience the outdoors as we did. Your staff and store has had a big impact on our lives.
The one piece of good news: we’ll be back.
For our Greensboro fans & customers who still have gift cards, call 866-905-2767 if you wish to place a phone order. And there’s always shopping at www.brms.com.
Spot on in the land of ultralighters . . . · 47 days ago by Kurt Peterson
A combination of good fortunes befell me this past weekend—a good friend was up for a visit, we made it out for a night on the Trail, rhododendron was in full bloom, and my first true ultralight backpacking experience was a success.
After teaching the “Packing Smarter & Lighter” class, the third in the Backpacking 201 series, I decided to walk a little of my own talk by applying some of the elements I teach into personal practice. Having already been a lightweigter with a total pack weight usually in the 25 lb range, I wanted to try delving deeper down and reaching the sub-15 lb realm. After some initial clothing-shedding decisions, I reached for a pack in my gear closet that weighed in at a paltry 14 ounces—although a great many of you might refer to it as compression sack rather than pack.
Tossing my beloved therm-a-rest aside in favor of a Ridgerest that could double as internal pack support shaved even more weight. Losing all warm clothing but a windshell and a fleece vest dropped it even further, and opting for AquaMira over my filter got me even closer to my goal. Thought I know I could have gotten even closer to the ever-elusive sub-5 lb base pack weight (without food & water), there was another reason for making it out into the woods for the weekend—gear testing.
Plopping another 7.37 ounces of additional weight may seem counter-intuitive to my original goal, I was nonetheless very excited to try a new piece of gadgetry that our hardgoods buyer has been all ga-ga over—a Spot Personal Locator Beacon.
Along with this, my Nikon D70s in a chest harness bag, a two-person shelter, my Western Mountaineering bag, first aid kit, headlamp, rain gear, food & water, and other odds and ends, I came in at a fairly impressive 14 lbs. 9 oz.
My buddy and I headed for a nearby loop hike connecting the AT and the Mau-Har trail into a nice little 13 mile loop that takes you down past waterfalls and up up and over 3 Ridges, an easily identified mountain in the area just shy of 4,000 feet.
Well trod by thru-hikers this time of year, we were honestly a little surprised we didn’t encounter more than we did. But for a lack of northbounders, we were certainly greeted by a fair share of snakes including this not-so-playful trail-side timber rattler.
Color-drenched rhododendron and a handful of rose azalea at the 3 Ridges summit greeted us on our hike. After the final 2200 foot slog up to the summit and our campsite, we settled in for dinner, relaxing, and some tinkering with the new-fangled Spot.
It’s remarkably simple with just four buttons but plenty of useful ways to offer your friends and family a little peace of mind while you’re out in the backcountry. 3 Ridges isn’t exactly the middle of nowhere, but it was still a good testing ground to explore some its features. At the push of a button, it transmits a signal (3 at a time and over the course of 20 minutes for redundancy) to the Spot GPS satellite network. From there it plots your location, and then depending on which button pushed, sends an immediate message to up to 10 different email addresses or cell phone numbers. One button turns it on and off, one tells people you’re OK, another lets your peeps know you need help, but it’s not an emergency (like locking your keys in your car at the trailhead), and the last is, “911,” which transmits your coordinates every 5 minutes to emergency services in the area for up to 7 days with a full battery charge.
Additionally, you can set it up to track your progress so it sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps™. Though all I got to try was the on/off and the OK buttons, I was impressed when I got home to see the email it sent to my fiancee simply indicating I was OK and providing a Google Map link to where I was. Simple, easy, and far more reliable than hauling around a cell phone which probably won’t work anyway. Though you have to purchase an annual subscription, this will be a purchase I’ll be making on my next big trip. If you don’t want to take my word for it, listen to Survivor Man’s endorsement.
As for the rest of the hike, we slept in late, and I enjoyed some morning shots of the summit top Rose Azalea.
Then enjoyed a morning saunter back down to our car enjoying a remarkably light pack. Perhaps next time I’ll explore the realm of the “fanatically lightweight.” Until then, feel free to email me or comment on your ultralight tips, tricks, and methods.
Discovering your Backyard · 58 days ago by Kurt Peterson
With most of us watching the price at the pump with a wary eye, I think I can speak for many of us out there when I say that now is a great time to explore what’s in your own backyard, city, or state.
I woke Sunday after a friend’s wedding in Greensboro, NC with the overwhelming desire to go stomping out on some of the great trails in my old stomping grounds. Grabbing my lady, my dogs, and my pack, we all set out for an early morning hike on the Owl’s Roost Trail in Greensboro.
Known as one of the best urban mountain bike trails in the country, I’ve run, biked, and hiked the trail over 100 times, but after moving to Charlottesville, VA I began to miss this fantastic trail that used to be just a few miles from my front door. And getting out there again on that beautiful bluebird Sunday was just as much fun as it always has been.
If you’ve got a favorite local trail, let us know, we’re eager to hear of our reader’s favorites. We might just make it worth your while . . .
Hiking to Help Women Build · 71 days ago by Kurt Peterson
The break in the weather between major thunderstorms here in the Charlottesville area proved timely this past Saturday. With a few volunteers from the local Blue Ridge staff and many volunteers from Women Build of Habitat for Humanity, we were able to assist the Charlottesville area Women Build with a sponsored hike and fundraiser.
My group was blessed with a break in the clouds and some good sunshine for most of our hike, a big change from the past week of rain and thunderstorms.
Tracy and myself from here at the Blue Ridge office, hung back and let Candace, a staffer from our Charlottesville store blaze the way for a fantastic hike to the top of Humpback Rocks off the Blue Ridge Parkway with a beautiful vista here in the heart of the Virginia Blue Ridge.
Run Like a Girl 8k · 78 days ago by Kurt Peterson
Just two words can describe Sunday’s Run Like a Girl 8k Women’s only trail race—”smashing success.”
Combine 400 female runners, a wonderful beneficiary like the HERA Foundation that raises money for ovarian cancer research, surprisingly good weather, and a well organized trail race, and you have one first class event that Blue Ridge will be proud to support in the years to come. Through race registration and additional race shirt sales donated, the Richmond race raised $3,948 to date for the HERA Foundation.
If you would still like to purchase a technical race tank from the race, they are available at the Richmond store for $10 while supplies last! 100% of these sales goes to the HERA Foundation.
Be sure to check out the race results. We’re extra proud of all the Blue Ridge staff that ran in the event, and a special shout out to Tracy Schrage, the overall winner and a member of the Richmond store staff!
A special thanks goes to Paul Curran and everyone at Montrail, Mark Junkerman, the race organizer, Susanne and Tracy that led all the training runs leading up to the race, and all the volunteers that made this such a seamless event.