There are times when I miss living in the Colorado Rockies, especially in winter. I long for deep powder snow, wide open mountain bowls, and bluebird skies. Drab, grey winters punctuated by rain showers are often the norm nowadays. Fortunately, I have a nearby solution if I’m looking for a snowy, alpine fix: Roan Mountain....
My friend Zack got into rock climbing earlier this fall. I love teaching people to climb, so Zack and I spent several days at smaller crags learning the ropes (I know, terrible pun). Our plan was to climb the mega-classic, “The Daddy,” in the heart of the Linville Gorge before the colors gave way to...
Today was Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. Did you celebrate? Clement and his buddies got out and had a blast at Rocky Knob Bike Park. After getting outfitted with free shirts and socks, the kids honed their dirt riding skills under the tutelage of Kristian Jackson and company. Besides being good, healthy fun, the...
Perched on a mountainside at 5506 feet in elevation, Beech Mountain lays claim to being the highest incorporated town in the eastern US. That’s small potatoes compared to western US counterparts, but sometimes the numbers don’t tell you everything. For the past two years, Beech has hosted the 2012 Gravity National Championships. It’s the big...
Two trails, two dear people, two journeys through a misty wood. I love what trails represent: a passage to a hidden world. I believe Wendell Berry got it right when he said, “To live on this earth necessarily means that we break the body of this creation and shed it’s blood in order to live....
If you like bikes, the NC High Country was the place to be this past weekend. On Saturday morning, I broke the cardinal rule of weekend parenting and woke my boys up early. We had a mission: play paparazzi to the 14th annual Blood Sweat and Gears Bike Ride. Armed with a bag full...
I’ve been buried with life and slow to take out my camera over the past few weeks. A morning ride at Rocky Knob helped me come to my senses. Two years ago, Boone had no legal mountain biking terrain. Thanks to a few persistent visionaries, our community now has one of the most innovative trail...
The sweetest race you’ll ever run: Grace Academy’s 2nd annual Sticky Bun Run. Run four miles, woof down four Sticky Buns somewhere in the middle, and try to finish with a smile. Major props to all the runners, especially the young ones, who did it in style. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this...
Every spring some of my cousins get together for a weekend of camping and outdoor adventure. This year we chose the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, WV. Spanning the gorge almost 900ft over the New River, the bridge is a worthy attraction in it’s own right. Once a year, the bridge is legally open to...
