1.5 million miles. That’s the estimated cumulative amount of long-distance hiking experience of the expected attendees of the 29th Annual Gathering of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association at Concord College in Athens, W.Va., on October 15-17. ALDHA’s founder (and Blue Ridge Outdoors’ Outdoor Person of the year), Warren Doyle, who has hiked the A.T. [...]

Wildlife biologists at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have recently reassessed the elk population within the park and deemed the experiment a success. Fifty-two elk were released into the park in 2001 and 2002. That herd has grown to 125 over the years and expanded beyond the original “drop zone” of Cataloochee Valley. The [...]

Pat Keller, 24, boldly made the first descent of Linville Falls last Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The triple-tiered waterfall has been eyed by many experienced kayakers over the years, but the intimidating upper drop had been, until now, thought to be un-runnable. During Keller’s descent the upper waterfall (partially obscured in photo) proved to be [...]

Michael Mooney won’t be trying to break any world records this weekend at the Lexington Avenue Arts Festival (LAAF), but he will definitely be hosting some bicycle jousting and big wheel races. This is the 9th year for the LAAF, and it’s by far the most fun downtown festival that Asheville offers. It’s when the [...]

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be asked to travel to West Virginia to paddle the New River Gorge and shoot some video for a short whitewater video for Blue Ridge Outdoors. I called up a couple of friends who are always up for an adventure, borrowed a raft from Grant [...]

I was raised Catholic. Ironically, I have very little guilt left in me about skipping church these days. I guess my parents did a poor job of raising me in their chosen religion. However, they did instill in me a fantastic amount of faith, which I find far more important, and for that, I thank [...]

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve been hearing about the great gas mileage for Volkswagens that use diesel fuel. But is it better for the environment to use diesel or unleaded gasoline? – K. Cronk, Bay City, MI In the past, diesel fuel was always considered dirtier than gasoline. But newer standards regulating sulfur content and improved technology in [...]

A friend of mine and her three children write a list of things they want to do each summer. The list is usually 100 activities, celebrations, meals, or events they want to enjoy during their summer break. I love this idea, and I love their list (enjoy it yourself here). Watermelon appreciation day. No electricity [...]

Highland Brewing Company, one of Asheville’s oldest and most widely distributed micro-brewery, has begun leading hikes to famous peaks in Western North Carolina. Each of Highland’s seasonal brews are named after local peaks and the hikes are designed to introduce the brewery’s loyal fans to the mountains that inspired the beer. Highland already led a [...]

Back in 1988 two mountain bikers from Roanoke, Va., decided their home state needed a race. Inspired by burgeoning scene just across the state line in West Virginia, Scott Freday and Paul Economy started the Great Escape—a rugged point-to-point race on Potts Mountain. The small race eventually gained momentum in the mid ’90s, when it [...]

The thing I love about riding and running, is that it forces me to slow down. I’m such a fricking spaz that no matter what I’m doing, I’m doing it at 90 miles an hour. People recognize my walk before they can get close enough to see my face. I can only guess it’s because [...]

I was checking my email the other day and saw some of the headlines posted under my web browser’s “Hot Topics List.”  More often than not I glance at these for two seconds (as I do not care about Justin Beiber or most of what counts as a hot topic), but I do like to [...]

Dear EarthTalk: What is happening with various programs initiated over the years in the U.S. to return to the wild certain animal species that had been endangered or threatened? And do environmentalists tend to be for or against such efforts? — Susan Adams, Owl’s Head, ME From the standpoint of species and ecosystem health, limited [...]

For anyone who was at the Charlottesville Pavilion last night, the words “If I had a boat,” probably make you think of ponies…or tall men with black pants. But for those of you who may not be Lyle Lovett fans (and we will speak more about Lyle later), when you hear those words, you may actually think of [...]

Think commuting to work is too much of a hassle? How about moving houses via pedal power. Five bikers in Chattanooga moved one of their friends entire house of furniture by bike recently, strapping couches, chests, even a washer to their backs, bikes, and trailers. The move was only 1.5 miles, but mileage is subjective [...]