Your outdoor news bulletin for June 3, the day astronaut Edward White became the first American to walk in space:
More Climbing in the Red River Gorge
Climbing in and around Kentucky’s Red River Gorge continues to expand due to the tireless efforts of climbing advocates in the area. Today, the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition and the Access Fund announced the acquisition of 309 acres in Beattyville, Kentucky. Seven miles from one of their greatest land grabs, the Pendergrass-Murray Recreation Preserve, the new Miller Fork Recreation Preserve includes several miles of cliff, some with routes, but mostly unexplored, with the potential for hundreds of routes. The owner of the land actually approached the purchasing parties about selling to them due to their hard word, involvement in the community meetings, and the economic impact of climbers on the region. This purchase is another triumph for the RRGCC, the Access Fund, and climbers everywhere, as not only will this open up a new area of climbing, it will continue to alleviate stress on the other crags in the Gorge.
Read more about the purchase here.
A Walk in the Park
Well, that’s a slight misnomer. This is not so much a news item as inspiration. The Charlottesville Area Trail Runners, affectionately known as CAT, had a few members take off on a run this past weekend. They were not in a race, they were not going for a record, they were not sponsored, they simply wanted to run…the length of Shenandoah National Park…along the Appalachian Trail…in three days. The Appalachian Trail has 110 miles of trail that runs through the park, so this was no easy feat, obviously. On the CAT blog, Marc Griffin describes the run in sparing detail, but the most interesting part is how he joined the group, none of which he knew, on a whim through a friend’s email. That’s the life we should all be living.
Free Fishing in Virginia
If you want to go fishing this weekend, but don’t have a license, head for Virginia, where you can fish for free, with no license of any kind in fresh or salt water on June 7, 8, and 9. Designated Free Fishing Days by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the three days of fee free fishing are a way to attract interested non-anglers to the sport without making them pony up for a multi-day license. This is the perfect opportunity to get out and wet a line, or even better, take someone fishing who has never gone or who may not have access to equipment or locations. One more person fishing is one more person enjoying nature and reconnecting with the outdoors, and that is something we can all get behind.
Read more about Va. Free Fishing Days here.
