Re-Joyce in Kilmer Wilderness Solitude
Afraid of crowds at Joyce Kilmer Forest? Fear not. Most of Kilmer is remote, remarkable, and relatively unused. ...
August 2004
Conquering Fear of Open Water Swims
The open water swim—we’ve all been afraid of it at some point. You worry about what’s in the brown murky water. You’re spooked about completing the distance without a wall to hang on. You also imagine folks kicking or hitting you... Here are five helpful hints to help you face your fears and improve your open water swimming: ...
Zen
Zen delivers folkie jam rock from the West Virginia Mountains. The groove-based sound holds a reverence to the best of various acoustic Americana traditions while fusing in elements of modern electric psychedelia....
Peak Baggers Cheat Sheet
Alan Kent Wilson remembers the toughest mountain he’s ever climbed in the South. “It was Reinhardt Knob. We didn’t have a good map, we started at the wrong place, it’s in a wilderness area so the routes aren’t marked, and it’s one of the most difficult bushwhacks around. There just isn’t a good way up that mountain.”...
Chatham County Line: Speed of the Whippoorwill
In a countryside crowded by young bluegrass bands with impressive chops, Chatham County Line, a quartet from Raleigh, N.C., is poised to become the standard bearer. ...
MacGyver Moves
If you could hike with one person, living or dead, fictional or real, who would it be? ... there’s only one right answer to that question: MacGyver...Unfortunately, there’s not much chance of MacGyver showing up at your weekly club hike. So we’ve dug up five backcountry moves that even the most resourceful secret agent would be envious of....
Movie Stars Turned Musicians Gotta Go
The other day I was trolling the Web looking for new music, when I stumbled across one of Nashville’s latest offerings—a new country disc by John Corbett....
Painful Plants: Ivy, Sumac, and Nettles-Oh My!
You just finished a 30-minute oatmeal bath and now you’re caked in Calamine lotion. The rashes are spreading and you’re skin feels cursed by the fiery depths of hell. A day hike isn't supposed to hurt this much...Learn to identify poisonous and stinging plants....
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Despite its proximity to Virginia Beach, Back Bay is tucked in a primitive cove that feels far removed from civilization. ...
Shorts
Hugh of Blue - Lost and Found - Globe Forest - Georgia Wilderness Bill Proposed...
Life Lists: Ten Things To Do Before You Die
There are six billion people in the world, and based on my own personal research and anecdotal evidence, all six billion of them want to climb Mount Everest. Not only do they want to climb Mount Everest, but the adventure makes it onto their “Ten Things To Do Before I Die” list....
Purcellville, VA
Despite a location just 45 miles northwest of the nation’s capital, Purcellville feels personably removed from D.C.’s urban sprawl. It’s got an old soul—quaint and historical in appearance with a colorfully diverse populace of around 6,000....
Why is the Blue Ridge Blue?
The famous blue haze suffusing the Blue Ridge Mountains is not an actual mist but rather a combination of physics, chemistry, and biology. ...