Articles from the most recent issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors!

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Why does the South Beyond 6,000 Challenge exclude dozens of qualified peaks? South Beyond 6,000 (SB6K) is a unique peakbagging quest that, upon completion, offers a certificate of recognition and a nice little patch.  Sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC), the challenge involves climbing 40 peaks in the Southern Appalachians that exceed 6,000 feet [...]

Bike Commuter Gear Commuting by bike isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. And these products will make that bike commute a little more comfortable and a lot safer. Light and Motion Vis 360: What’s the number one way to prevent a collision with a car while commuting by bike? Visibility. The Vis 360 addresses this [...]

The Gorge’s high sandstone cliffs have made the stunning eastern canyon a world-renowned climbing mecca. The unique geological area, which lies mostly within the massive Daniel Boone National Forest, has over 1,400 routes with enough variety to satisfy the tastes of any climber. But the area isn’t just about the epic crags. “The Red” holds [...]

You may not have the opportunity to see all of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World for yourself. A trip to see the Aurora Borealis with your own eyes may be out of your price range, and visiting Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls in person might take longer than your one-week allotted vacation. Luckily, the South [...]

Foraging the Forests for Fungi Most of us buy our food from the grocery store. Alan Muskat gathers his food from the forest. He collects dandelion greens and nettles for salads, and he harvests an assortment of wild berries, but it’s his talent for tracking down tasty toadstools that’s earned him the nickname “Mushroom Man.” [...]

The Search for One Square Inch of Silence Man-made noise is everywhere. Close your eyes and listen right now: cars, airplanes, lawn mowers, computers. We buy earplugs and noise-canceling headphones. But what about finding places where there is no human noise—where the sound of silence is wind, coyotes, the drip-drip of melting snow? Sound ecologist [...]

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Will millions in new funds make trails more sustainable—or more sanitized? Southern Appalachian trails are getting a much-needed facelift. Almost $9 million will be spent by the U.S. Forest over the next several months to clear brush, remove blowdowns, restore tread, decommission unsustainable trails, and in some cases, build brand new trail systems. It’s the [...]

The Surprising Rise of Downhill Mountain Biking in the South Ever wonder what those first mountain bikers were thinking? We’re talking about a small group of road bikers in the mid-1970s, who, for whatever reason, decided to ditch the pavement and push their beefy cruiser bikes up Mount Tamalpais in Northern California. From the top [...]

Paddling by moonlight turns a quiet river into a wild adventure. I had paddled the Three Rivers Area many times, but paddling at night transformed it into an entirely new experience. Every paddle stroke was an adrenaline rush. The howl of a distant coyote charged the night air.  And the sudden splashes of beavers and [...]

Are you an athlete if you don’t compete? YES: 89% Yoda said, “An athlete you are not if compete you must. An athlete you are if in yourself you trust.” However, on a personal note, I think I can take Yoda in a traditional 5K with illegal use of the force prohibited. —Ingles Alexander, Independence, [...]

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A ballsy tick goes boldly where no man has gone before. I pulled eight ticks off my legs during a recent hike in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest. Every half hour, I’d look down and find one or two of the little black beasts on my shins and thighs. And every single one of them was [...]

Boone climbers saved Grandmother Mountain from development—and opened their secret crags to the masses. Grandmother Mountain has no guidebook. It appears on only a few maps. Yet it is one of the premier bouldering destinations in the country. First discovered in the mid-1990s near Boone, N.C., the area now hosts more than 400 problems and [...]