Apparently now was not the time for Nau. The company recently announced that they could not secure the funding to continue their operation. They left a statement on their homepage explaining their saddness at the closing and a few hints at why they feel they didn’t make it.
They are offering 50% off their entire line while going out of business.
For those of you not familiar with Nau, they were an active lifestyle clothing company that used sustainable business practices. It’s too bad that Nau didn’t make it, but in a market where so many other outdoor clothing companies like Patagonia already have a hold on the market and are already using sustainable practices, its’ a tough race. I’m sure the staff over at Nau will easily find employment somewhere in the outdoor industry. What a great experience to be part of a cutting edge company.
In an earlier post about national fly fishing communities, I mentioned FFF, other organization is Trout Unlimited. Trout Unlimited’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. To date, TU has more than 150,000 members in about 400 chapters from Maine to Montana to Alaska.
In July 2009, TU will celebrate the anniversary of TU’s founding from the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling, Michigan. From the beginning, TU was guided by the principle that if we “take care of the fish, then the fishing will take care of itself.” And that principle was grounded in science.
The Nashville local chapter of TU, Cumberland Chapter, has monthly meetings with guest speakers covering different topics on fly fishing and/or conservation of trout fisheries. As a member, you receive a monthly newsletter from the local chapter and four times a year, the national organization sends out a magazine called Trout. Trout provides information on conservation of fishery habitats and general information on fly fishing.
“From its hundreds of local stream restoration projects, to helping lead the way to remove the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine, to compelling Congress to strengthen the Clean Water Act, TU has a strong 50 year track record of conservation achievements. Perhaps TU’s greatest strength is that it works at multiple levels of society and government to achieve its mission. From the landowner on the stream bank, to the state fisheries agency, to the Halls of Congress, TU is working to achieve its vision.”
Whereas Outdoorzy is a social network for people who love the outdoors, Greenopolis is a social network for people who are trying to be more green. The site is sponsored by a number of organizations, including Seventh Generation and Waste Management.
It looks like a fun way to network and find new ways to make environmentally positive changes in your daily lifestyle. I think this could be a great tool for classroom use in schools. The generation coming up now are the ones who can make eco-living a reality.
Check the site out and maybe you’ll find a few tips you can put to use.
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.
The trail system at Mammoth Cave National Park will be changing. Trails will be re-routed, and mountain bikers may lose out in the deal. UNLESS people vote. I’ll be directing you to the voting at the end of this post, once I explain the voting options. You must vote by March 24th.
Mammoth Cave has traditionally been a hotbed of contention between hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The trails in the park are all open to hikers. Equestrians have access to all the other trails except one loop. It is the only dirt trail open to mountain bikers. There is a gravel trail now open to mountain bikers and hikers which runs from the park headquarters to Park City, Ky. Any trails open to horses normally have holes and ruts that can restrict hikers.
The trail proposal has five alternatives. I’ve been studying each one and I feel like option 4 is the best for all parties. In the end it’s very friendly to equestrians once again, and allows for a new mountain biking trail. Hikers would continue to have full access.
My comments in Italics.
Alternative #1: this is the No Action Alternative. It is required by National Environmental Policy Act to serve as a baseline for comparing other alternatives. In some cases the best solution to a problem is in taking no action, leaving a situation at the status quo. However, in this trail plan, the No Action Alternative is not acceptable.
Alternative #2: this alternative would allow bicyclists to use Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. All northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This restricts hikers and bikers further. Not acceptable.
Alternative #3: this alternative would permit horse use on Sal Hollow from June through October (during the driest months of the year); except for this restriction, horses would be allowed on all other northside trails. Hikers are allowed on all trails. Bicyclists would be allowed on Sal Hollow, Buffalo, and a portion of Turnhole Bend (north) trails all year. This options allows horses on the only trail that mountain bikers and hikers own. This is not acceptable in my view.
Alternative #4: this alternative proposes a new six-mile, single-track loop trail which would be constructed east of the Green River Ferry Road-North for bicycle and hiker use only. All other northside trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option is acceptable. The mountain bikers would loose 2 miles of trail, but they would gain a trail designed for them. The only problem with this is that it doesn’t account for the transition. If you vote for this option please note that you want Sal Hollow restricted from horses while the new trail is being built.
Alternative #5, Preferred alternative of the NPS. This alternative would establish First Creek Trail for bicyclist and hiker use only. All other north side trails would be designated for hikers and horse users. This option could be an acceptable plan B in my opinion. It provides about the same amount of non-horse trail as Alternative #4, but the trail is not optimal for mountain bikes. The trailhead is more remote than the Alternative #4 also.
I strongly encourage anyone who has time, to drop by the Mammoth Cave site and vote (cough, cough… alternative 4). You’ll be helping keep the balance as fair as it can be for now, on these multi-use trails.
No, The Hulk is not running for Prez in ‘08. For if he were, I wouldn’t be conflicted on who I stand behind.
Being “Green” is what all the cool kids are doing these days. And that’s great for the cause and great for our future here on planet Earth. But how green are they? There are way more things on peoples minds than the environment these days. But it may help to see where your candidate stands on the main environmental issues before voting in November.
Check out this site for a good overview that gives the basics on each candidates stance on environmental issues.
Would I be caught dead in this… probably not. Would I secretly want one in the same way that I secretly wanted a Pound Puppy when I was a kid… yeah sure.
But don’t fret friends, this ride is made by Tesla Motors, and they don’t just make Jetson cars. Now their roadster would fulfill my Pound Puppyesque lust for an electric car while keeping my manhood in tact. Check it.
Unlike most electrics this one actually has some range. You can go up to 245 miles on a charge. And it costs 2 cents a mile. Of course you’re going to pay for looking cool and saving the world… $100 grand. Woowie Wow Wow!
Flea even has one. And like I always say, “If Flea likes it, I like it.”
I had the honor of interviewing Andrew Skurka this week. For those of you unfamiliar with Andrew; he is a long distance backpacker who has some amazing records under his belt. His most recent feat was to complete the Great Western Loop, a 6,875-mile footpath that consists of a network of five existing long-distance hiking trails. Yeah, almost 7,000 miles! It was also announced this past week that Andrew will be recognized as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. I’ve caught up with him a little over a week after he got off the trail from this 7 month journey, and here’s what he had to say.
Wade: With so many challenges and such an amazingly long trip, what was the lowest point for you on this trek? Andrew: There were a handful of lows, all mental, not physical, though sometimes
the physical part exacerbated the situation. The first low was in
late-May/early-June in California, from around Donner Pass to Castle Crags
State Park — I had just had one of the most amazing backcountry experiences
in my life (through the High Sierra in mid-May, 5.5 days without seeing
anyone and 400 miles of this outdoor crown jewel all to myself) and then
walked into the logged-over and scenically inferior stretches of northern
California. Another low was near Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness — it
was the end of a 5-week 900-mile stretch in which I’d walked on snow and had
been tortured by mosquitoes every day while maintaining a 37.5-mile pace,
and I was completely mentally drained. The last low was after the Weminuche
Wilderness in southwestern Colorado, which represented the last major
challenge of the hike — once I entered New Mexico I knew I was going to
make it (because I was no longer at risk of getting caught by the winter
weather) and the terrain really mellowed out.
Wade: You’re known for going ultralight. What was the one item you wish you could
have had room for in your pack? Andrew: While I’m ultralight I’m not a masochist. If I really wanted an item I
would have just carried it. So, to answer the question, nothing; I had
everything I needed and wanted. Gear is just a means, tools, to enjoying
the outdoor experience more — I don’t go light for the sake of going light.
Wade: What is the one piece of advice you would give to a would-be long distance
trekker? Andrew: Long-distance hiking is incredibly romantic — the idea of spending weeks
or months at a time in some of the most beautiful backcountry areas in the
world is almost universally appealing, especially when contrasted to the
fluorescent lights, traffic jams, and overwhelming email inboxes of modern
life. But long-distance newbies need to realize that the reality of
long-distance hiking is not always pleasant: you can’t just “float” by like
you can in “the real world” — there are always miles to be walked, stormy
weather to fend off, fatigue and soreness to treat, discomforts to cope
with, etc. You have to earn the “Wahoo! moments” — the sunsets, wildlife
encounters, 12,000-foot ridgewalks, and trail magic from generous locals.
If you understand the work-to-reward ratio of long-distance hiking, and if
you’re okay with it, you’ll have much more success and you’ll enjoy yourself
much more.
I also strongly recommend to newbies that they get a step-up on the
learning curve before they begin their hike by: (1) reading backpacking
books and online content (start with the “How to GoLite” section on GoLite.com and “Lightweight Backpacking & Camping,” edited by Ryan
Jordan); (2) following the experiences of others on your trail of choice
(like through trailjournals.com); and (3) most important, GET OUTSIDE in
order to develop skills, become more familiar with your gear and
maps/guidebook, and understand better the terrain and weather. Ideally go
with a more experienced backpacker who can transfer knowledge they have
learned from others and from their trials and errors.
Wade:What’s next? Andrew: I just finished 1.5 weeks ago and I don’t have anything concretely planned
at the moment. I envision some “small” hikes this summer that share a
similar environmental message with the Great Western Loop and/or that I will
equally enjoy and learn from. The next opportunity to do a BIG hike will be
in 2009 because of the time it takes to develop the idea and to do all of
the planning. I’d have to imagine that this hike will be in Alaska or
overseas.
Monday thousands of bloggers wrote about global warming to inform their readers of this important issue. Now, today I’m blogging on a different topic the same day as thousands of other bloggers. This time the issue is poverty. CARE, an organization dedicated to wiping out poverty, has asked bloggers to write on this subject today.
Click here to learn more about what CARE volunteers are doing around the country today, maybe in your neighborhood. You can also go to CARE’s “Get Involved” page to learn how you can volunteer or donate.
Whereas 
