Editors share insights, humor, and experiences from the regional outdoor scene.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

How much do you love the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Do you love the park enough to click a button? Coca-Cola is giving a $100,000 grant to the single national or state park that wins their online voting pool. You can go to Live Positively and cast your vote for any state or national [...]

A 14-year old girl from the Netherlands, named Laura Dekker, recently set sail on the first leg of a global circumnavigation attempt, most of which she’ll attempt to sail solo. This concerns me on a number of different levels. First, she’s making the rest of us look bad. The greatest ambition I had as a [...]

You think you’ve got mad skills on a bike? Watch this video of five-year old Jackson Goldstone riding his bike to kindergarten. The little dude hucks boulders, rides singletrack, and hits the skate park with style.

Want to save a couple bucks on your next visit to Shenandoah or the Smokies? The National Park Service just announced all park entrance fees will be waived on August 14-15. The free weekend pass is being given as an incentive to encourage more Americans to visit national parks. “This fee-free weekend provides an opportunity [...]

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded a contract to conduct the study of Interstate 3 (I-3) planning, cost estimate and routing. If built, the interstate, which was proposed in 2005 by a Georgia Congressman, will travel from Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, Tenn. through some of the most environmentally sensitive stretches of the Southern Appalachians. [...]

The Obama Administration is holding public listening sessions for their Great Outdoors Initiative where the public gets to tell top administration officials their ideas and priorities regarding conservation and recreation issues. A session is scheduled for Asheville, N.C. on July 15, from 1 to 4pm. Previous listening sessions have taken place in L.A., Grand Island, [...]

Here’s the problem: You play in the forest. You live in the city. So you have to drive to the forest, right? Maybe not. “The Union Express” is a new film by documentary filmmaker and surfer Josh Landan that follows surfers as they ride trains to travel to California’s best surf breaks. Even if you [...]

While doing research for an upcoming destination piece on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, I came across this story in the Lexington Herald-Leader on what is reported to be the first ever bear attack in the state. Fifty-six-year-old hiker Tim Scott gives the paper a detailed account of his Sunday afternoon black bear run-in on the [...]

North Carolina is in the process of creating a master plan for Chimney Rock State Park in the Hickory Nut Gorge. The 4,300-acre park includes the rocky outcroppings of Chimney Rock as well Rumbling Bald, a popular climbing area.  Through the process, park planners will create a 100-year vision, 25-year master plan, and five-year action [...]

I signed up for my first 50K trail race (Chattanooga’s Stump Jump) and after a few sporadic training runs, it’s become painfully obvious that I have a lot of work to do between now and race day. Originally, I had planned to take a very zen-like approach to training: run only when I felt like [...]

The Raven Fork is an insanely technical class V creek in Western North CArolina that serves as a benchmark run for the country’s best creek boaters. “Raven Fork,” a new movie by southern boater and filmmaker Thomas Oliver,  explores the relationship between two boaters as they attempt to run this ambitious body of water. Check [...]