“Um, looks like you zip-tied some trash to your bike.” - My Fiance
Exactly! That’s called recycling. I’d been sitting patiently by the window for a week or so, waiting for the UPS guy to bring me some more Weird Gear to test. With all that window time, It’s impossible not to notice how nice the afternoons have been. Too bad the MTB trails are snowed in, and the roads are covered in gravel, mag-chloride, ice patches, run-off, and mud. I started looking into some fender options for my cross bike and came away pretty unsatisfied with what I could get for my money.
That is when “genius” struck. Check out the photos if you too want awesome fenders for $0.99. I won’t bore you with step by steps as I think you can figure out, “Oh, here is where he puts the trash on the bike.” My first attempt at a rear was a little too short, but otherwise worked suprisingly well. I was sure it would wind up tangled in my spokes within minutes. For success, you need to go back further than you would think to catch all the spray. I’m looking into extending, widening, and stiffening in new variations. The front one works great. Please send along any ideas, or DIY gear tips of your own. I still have some soup cans, an old boot, and a broken watch in my trash can.
And the best part, while I was out test riding my DIY gear, UPS made a delivery! Weird Gear 3, superlight skateboard, coming soon.
I have just recently been trained to teach level one yoga classes through Yogafit, so when I saw Andria Baldovin’s DVD and reference book collections, I jumped at the chance to explore them! She and her husband run the Yoga Ventures website and among other things, produce DVD’s and literature through their publishing company, Brushy Mountain Publishing, Inc. based out of North Carolina.
Baldovin has combined her love of yoga and the outdoors to create, Yoga for Hikers, Yoga for Cyclists and Yoga for Climbers. Each DVD has two 28 minute yoga sessions and comes with a metal spiral bound reference book for use while in the outdoors.
I plan on reviewing each DVD, starting with Yoga for Hikers.
Yoga for Hikers
Baldovin wanted Yoga for Hikers to be approachable by a wide audience, so I started with this DVD. From the main menu, I could pick and choose workouts according how much time I had. Here is a brief review of each option.
The Intro
I found the Introduction very informative with lots of details for every pose. Baldovin explained that this DVD was more instructional based and not a replacement for a face-to-face yoga class nor was it designed as a typical workout session. These 28 minute segments were to be practiced and then taken out to the trail to be enjoyed outside.
Meditation Segment // Pranayama or Deep Breathing Segment
Baldovin’s meditation offers tips on how to calm mind chatter and stay in the present during a hike. She also teaches how to increase lung expansion through deep breathing exercises.
Session I
The first session is designed to warm up the body before starting on a hike. I thought it did a great job of stretching the calves and upper legs plus it really opened up the hips. My body was warm and ready to hit the trail.
Session II
The second session is designed for training before a long extended hike. If a hiker was preparing for the Appalachian trail or the Pacific coast trail (or any extended hiking trip) these yoga poses would help protect against injury by building strength and flexibility.
Overall Thoughts
Because of the detail and pace of the DVD, I found myself settling into each pose for a deeper, more intense and enjoyable stretch than I typically receive from my face-to-face classes. My only concern when comparing the DVD with a typical class was the time alloted to warming up before jumping into difficult poses. My personal preference would be to add several warm up poses like moonflowers or sunflowers before moving on.
Baldovin does a fantastic job of connecting each pose with a specific hiking need or issue, so I always understood the pose’s relevance and I think any avid hiker will appreciate that feature. The scenery included waterfalls, beautiful trails, and scenic bridges.
The reference book is meant to accompany a hiker on the trail and I think it is a wonderful idea. I know I couldn’t remember each pose without some help, and I love that the book is portable and convenient.
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get out of the office for a day and travel to Charlotte, NC to finish up a project. I had been to Charlotte before to kicking off the project, but didn’t have time to run around and explore. When I travel to different cities, I try to find the local fly shops and see what they have to offer.
While in Charlotte, I found an outdoor store called Jesse Brown’s Outdoors that specializes in variety of sports from fly fishing, paddling, climbing, backpacking, and camping. Lucky for me, Jesse Brown’s was actually less than a mile from where I was working. There is a laid back kind of feel to the store. I was greeted by a staff member upon walking into the store, but I was not followed or pressured by any of the staff. I could walk and look around at leisure.
The fly shop carries Sage, G. Loomis, Scott, ST. Croix, Tibor, Abel, Lamson, Simms, Cloudveil, Fishpond, North Face, Patagonia, Ex Officio, Scientific Angler, C&F Design, Dr. Slick, and Renzetti. The fly shop also has a wide range of fly tying materials and various fly fishing tools and gadgets. While I was there, I picked up a new C&F Large Streamer fly box and a pair of 4” black scissor clamp hemostats.
From looking around on the Jesse Brown’s website, there is a link to Angler Services, a guide service company, which Don also owns. The two owners of Jesse Brown’s also host Carolina Outdoors, a talk show on WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina on 1110 AM or 99.3 FM from 5:00AM to 6:00AM every Saturday.
Jesse Brown’s Outdoors is located at 4732 Sharon Rd, Suite 2M, Charlotte, NC 28210. They are located on the 2nd floor of plaza retail center. You can reach them at (704) 556-0020. When I called for directions, I spoke with Don Yager, Co-owner, and he showed me a great new book on Western North Carolina Fly Fishing, but I passed on this one, since I don’t fish that area much. However, if you are in the Charlotte area, be sure to stop by and check out the fly shop and other outdoor gear.
You may have seen the wingsuit video over on Epic Weather. But if you don’t subscribe to Outside Magazine you may not have seen that a wingsuit pilot is prepping for possibly the craziest stunt ever performed.
Jeb Corliss (Former “Stunt Junkies” host at Discovery) is going to attempt to jump from a helicopter 2,000 feet up, glide with a wingsuit at over 100 mph, and land in a tube. You can read more about the story over at the Outside site. The diagram below shows the plan.
This stunt is sure to end in instant fame or instant death. I’ll be wearing my adult diaper while watching this one.
What are you superstitious about? I think many people are superstitious about their sport. You hear about it all the time. Some athletes like to wear the same socks, shorts, or shirts of every game. The mental game of a sport is just as important as the physical being of an athlete. Have it you ever watched an adventure race and see someone break down in the middle of a race? I have and I can completely understand. I think I was near that point on a trip to Colorado with a couple of Outdoorzy members many years ago when we hiked the trail to Long’s Peak. But that was in my backpacking days and now I am a fly fisher.
As for personal superstitions, I don’t shave my face before or during any fly fishing trip whether a single day or multi day trip. By the time I get home, I have the beginnings of a good mountain man look; scruffy beard, crazy hair, and sometimes a nice outdoor funk. Of course, my fiancé disagrees with the funk, but when you play hard in the outdoors, there are some things to be expected.
Another one of my superstitions is when I am wading on a fishing trip, I never ever bring a net with me. I have one; it’s nice. It is currently hanging in my closet at home and that is where is going to stay. I have needed one from time to time while wading, but I always seem to make due without one. However, when I am floating in my kayak on a fishing trip, I always bring a net. You never know when you are going to hook into that 20 incher. Personally, I don’t want to fall into the water from my kayak and the extra length of a long handled net is useful for netting a fish from the kayak. For those who aren’t familiar with fly fishing nets, smaller fly fishing nets are smaller and hangs from a D-ring on a fishing vest or lumbar pack. A boat net is much larger with a longer handle and wide net opening.
What is your voodoo or superstition? What ritual do you do for every backpacking, day hike, or canoe trip? What do you take with you? Do you have a luck rock, piece of gear, shirt, hat or piece of clothing? Lets hear it.
This is Steve (On the Right) and I (On the Left) on the White River in Arkansas. As you can see, I have been fishing for several days and have not shaved. Then there is Steve, I don’t think he has stopped fishing and may still be on the river.
I got the opportunity to spend some time trekking and exploring Peru last year. But I have to say the southern tip is my next stop in South America.
ArgentinasTravel.com is a great resource for finding out more about a trip to Argentina. They update their content often and have quite a bit of detail on specific locations. Just don’t forget that the seasons are flipped in the southern hemi. Right now it’s Summer, and our Summer is their Winter. Don’t worry though if you want to take a Summer vacation, there are plenty of climates to choose from.
Well it is when you go trekking in Nepal. This kingdom in the clouds has been on my adventure travel list for quite some time now. I have literally had vivid dreams about trekking through the monstrous peaks of the Himalayan highlands.
One decision that people are often faced with when booking a trip is whether or not to stay in teahouses along their trek or to lean more toward the old-faithful tent. The advantages of the teahouse trek are many. One important difference is the opportunities for cultural interaction. Teahouse trekkers can get to know the daily lives of the Nepalese villagers.
Another advantage to teahouse treks is the comfort factor. Teahouses have been notorious with bug-ridden mattresses and showerless mornings. But these rough spots are increasingly a thing of the past. Many trekking companies offer fluffy mattresses, big meals, and even hot showers. The Everest region is best for the comfort factor, but can be more crowded.
If this might be your dream destination then the flight will be the killer. Pushing the $2,000 neighborhood can really hit the pocketbook hard. But once there, things can be cheap. Especially if you are willing to travel independently and research all the pricing options.
Okay, tell me this New Zealand Trip isn’t the coolest adventure ever.
There aren’t many of us out there who can’t say that a trip to New Zealand is not on our life list. I have to say, it’s definitely in my top 5 places I have to go before I croak. Why? Well, white sandy beaches, black sandy beaches, rugged mountains, glaciers, wineries, epic trekking, and people who say FEED EEKS when they want to send something Fed Ex. What more do you want in a vacation?
If you want to win the Kelty Tahoma daypack and a Lonely Planet Travel Book, just tell us what you’d do if you could spend a week in New Zealand. If we pick your story, you get the prizes… it’s that simple.
So head on over to the Forum to enter yourself in the contest and let us know what you’d do if you had a week in NZ?
Check out NewZealand.com to get some ideas… and trust me there are plenty.
The guys from AEG media are back and this time they travel to the South Island of New Zealand for a four month expedition to fish for monster brown trout in the backcountry. The movie is 75 minutes in length and will have you hooked after “God Save The Queen”. If you enjoyed the action, scenery, and story of Trout Bum Diaries I: Patagonia, then this movie is for you too. Simply put, the quality of the footage is stunning. The only draw back to the movie is the length of the movie. I was spoiled by the two plus hour movie from TBD 1.
The film shows the trial and tribulations of fishing in a different country and hooking large trout. The guys encounter sheep-induced traffic jams, kayak along the coast, and survive an all-pasta diet-in search of big rainbows and browns, with all the problems, weather, and challenges any angler encounters. If you like dry fly fishing for large trout, you’re going to be jealous with what you see onscreen.
A couple of weekends ago, my fiancé and I were watching MTV. They had a “True Life” marathon on and I will admit; I am a fan of the 60 minute documentary. When we turned on the TV we had about 10 minutes left of the current show and the Tivo guide showed us the next program, “A Map For Saturday”. Thinking it might be a True Life that involves the outdoors, I was ready to watch it.
As the show starts, the narrator goes into his story and about the show. The guy, Brook Silva-Braga, leaves a nice job with a TV network to travel the world with clothes in his backpacks and several pounds of video equipment. He sets out to see the world for a year by himself and along the way he meets many new people or as one guy puts it, “friends for a day”.
“It makes me laugh when people say I could never do what you’re doing. All our friends gave us six weeks and then we’d be home and it now been 14 months.”
Karen: 21, England
“In fifty or sixth years I’m dead. I want to say, ‘I had a good life’.”
Jens: 27 Germany
“I’d like to travel 364 days and go back for Christmas.”
Bill: 27 Northern Ireland
The people he meets along the way are also solo travelers, some are just starting out, others are in the middle of their adventure, and some are heading home. The solo travelers he meets and travels with from one location to another help tell the story of why and how they are traveling as well as share some personal accounts of their own travels.
At times lonely and difficult; more often joyous, and always adventurous. In the end, Brook travels for 12 month, and travels by plane, train, automobile and by foot to 26 countries on four continents.
next stop in South America.
