SAVE UP TO $1,363!

Trips valid for the 35% off discount (all beginning on June 20th, 2010):

7 Day Outdoor Discovery Program for Ages 11-13–save $313

14 Day Outdoor Discovery Program for Ages 10-12–save $663

14 Day Classic Adventure Program for Ages 11-13–save $663

14 Day Classic Adventure Program for Ages 14-17–save $663

14 Day Go With the Flow Program for Ages 14-17–save $663

28 Day Wilderness Leadership Course for Ages 15-17–SAVE $1,363

This discount offer lasts right until the day the trips go out!  Take advantage of the fact that we need to fill last minute spaces any way we can.  To register for these trips click here. If you prefer to register over the phone feel free to call our toll free number at 800-782-0779.

If you have any questions about the discounts or our summer program in general then you may also call our toll free number or email us.

What are your kids doing this summer?!?!?!

Children today spend an average of 6 hours each day in front of the computer and TV but less than 4 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play.(CBF)

The effects of videophilia are substantial and include obesity, attention disorders, lack of socialization and poor academic performance. (P&G)

“At no time in human history have children spent less time outdoors.  Attention deficit disorders, obesity and a variety of other physical and emotional ailments can be attributed to a decline in exposure to the out of doors and the natural environment.”
-Craig Whipple, Director of Vermont State Parks

“Obesity in kids is now epidemic in the U.S.  The number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last two to three decades.  Currently one child in five is overweight”. (Word on Health,  “Childhood Obesity on the Rise”:  Torgan, Carol, June 2002)

Studies have shown that people deprived of contact with nature were at greater risk of depression and anxiety.  They also never develop a relationship with the natural environment and they are unable to use it to cope with stress.(C&NN: Derbyshire, David)

Click Here to Read More Shocking Statistics

   Parents don’t let your children fall victim to the couch this summer!  Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing (WAEL) is an all-outdoor adventure program that builds character, confidence, self-esteem and leadership through the experience of living in the wilderness and partaking in a variety of outdoor activities: camping, backpacking, teambuilding, high ropes, climbing, canoeing, caving, mountain biking, environmental education and more!  We follow our founder, retired Marine Colonel Gene Nervo’s formula for success, by instilling respect, work ethic, communication and positive attitude into each one of our participants.  To read the amazing things both parents and participants have said about the benefits of our program go to our testimonials page.  If you sign up before May 15th you will recieve 15% off of this popular program.  Click here to see our full list of dates and tuition.

If you have any questions feel free to call toll free at 800-782-0779 or email us anytime!  We hope to see you this summer!

(If the deadline of May 15th has passed and you read this message, please call us to find out current discounts.)

If I asked you if your employer would make it onto a list of the best places to work, would you say yes? If I asked you to describe what makes it so great what would you say? “We get 10% off all merchandise, staff happiness days and 2 weeks paid vacation!”  Now I am not trying to brag or boast (well maybe a little bit), but I DO work for a company that would make it onto that list.  Wilderness Adventure was chosen this year for Outside Magazine’s Top 50 Places to Work, which is a nationwide competition.
When I first saw the contest for the best places to work for 2010, I knew I had to nominate Wilderness Adventure.  In the last 3 years I have been lucky enough to be a year round member of this organization.  I have worked my way up from a group leader, to a director.  In that time I have been able to accomplish many dreams, and do things that I never thought I would be able to do.  As I started the application process all kinds of memories flashed through my mind.  Things I had done and things I wanted to let Outside Magazine know about this place, and why I love it so much.  I thought to all the mountain bike rides, staff happiness days doing the broathalon or at the safari park.  So, I wrote a list and prepared my thoughts. I selected the proper check boxes and finished the online application.  To my surprise there was no section for me to complete personally. When I selected submit I got another message that said the staff would be notified with an email and a pass code to access the online survey. What? Everyone had to take a survey? Well this was not part of the plan at all! Not that I thought that they would not give this place the highest marks they could. But this place had given me so much, would they look at Wilderness as just another job?

Flash forward…after 4 tense weeks of waiting and corresponding with the Outside Magazine rep Megan.  I stopped at my Mailbox like everyday to pick up my “Bills”.   Inside the box was the usual, Bills, more bills, and then letters telling me how if I sign up for the Visa/amex mega gold platinum super card , the world would be mine with just a swipe. Under all that in an unassuming white envelope was a letter from outside Magazine and the Best Company’s Group. I rip the letter open and wow…….we made it!  We’re above well known companies like NOLS, Patagonia, KEEN, Timberland and about 21 others.  Now I know how the rest of the Wilderness Adventure staff feels about where they work. Thinking back there should not have been any doubt in my mind. This place we call work and home does way more than offer me a place to go get a paycheck.  It offers me a place to be me, and a place to hang out with all of my friends who just so happen to work for the same great place I do!  It’s more than just a job, it is a decision I, and many others like me made a long time ago. We would not settle for less.  I am proud to be a director, employee, friend, alumni and whatever else you want to call me, for Wilderness Adventure.  It looks like the rest of the employees feel the same way.

My name is Dan, I work for Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing, and I work for one of the best places in the world.

Check out some of the local coverage we have had about this by going to the Roanoke Outside Website, or click here to become our fan on facebook.

About four years ago Marc Dufour went looking for the perfect location for his Centrifuge road cycling training camp, and he found us.  None of our staff at the time were road cyclists, so we were totally unaware that our facility was smack dab in the middle of the perfect training ground.  The challenging terrain, beautiful scenery, well maintained roads, and an early spring has made our facility an oasis for Canadian cyclists.  They can come to us and ride when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.  Did I mention that we are really fun to hang out with too?

Throughout their time here, the Canadians have attracted a lot of attention from both motorists and the media.  The Roanoke Times did a piece on the cyclists a couple years back and made this video:  Wheeling in Virginia. The second voice you hear is the head of Centrifuge, Marc Dufour, explaining why cycling is better in  large doses.  Most of the shots you see were filmed at our facility, either on the Main Lodge porch or in front of our Sneaky Cabin.   Click here to view their photo albums of the good times here at Wilderness Adventure that the cyclists have recorded and posted on their site.  If this looks like an amazing experience to you, don’t just dream, you could join them next year and represent Virginia as one of the first bike camp participants.   If you would like to contact Groupe Centrifuge about joining them in the future or just to get more information about what they do click here.

For questions about Wilderness Adventure and our year round programs email us or call toll free 800-782-0779.

Keeping you Posted!

Julia Bradford, Director of Programs

An aspect of the summer youth program that people might not fully appreciate is the beating our gear takes and care we give it to keep it in tip-top shape…. especially our Mountain Bikes. Every time a bike goes out  and comes back it gets a complete tune up to make sure its next user is able to shred the gnar and teach the trail a lesson.

But we here at WA love to have the newest gear and rides possible, so we will be retiring some of our favorites from last season and replacing them with Brand New 2010 Specialized Hardrocks! These shiny, red monsters are smooth as butter and amped to get out on the trail. We kindly thank our friends over at Tangent Outfitters in West Virginia for hooking us up with these sweet rides and we know you guys are going to love them.

And while we are sad to see our faithful old fleet go, we are happy to let you know that they need good homes. All of these bikes are tuned and ready to hit the trails with you!… plus they come with sweet nick-names. So check out our used gear page or give us a call and come pick out your favorite. We’ll even size it up, double check the tuning and let you in on some sweet places to ride. And if you absolutely must have one of our shiny new red ones, we can work that out too….

Your friendly bike barn manager,

Chris(Topher)

SPRING BREAK 2010 DATES:

Ages 10-12:  March 21st-27th; March 28th-April 3rd; April 4th-10th

Ages 13+: March 21st-27th; March 28th-April 3rd; April 4th-10th

7 DAY TUITION:  $650

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Our one week spring break trips run very similarly to our Classic Adventure and Outdoor Discovery summer programs.  The only thing that is really different is the price.  While our one week summer programs are going for $895 at full price in 2010, our spring break trips are only $650.  That is a savings of $245 for the exact same program.

Don’t just waste your spring break by sitting around and watching TV all day, come have an adventure with us.  As with all of our programs you will get to camp out for the whole week, learn some back country cooking, and make a bunch of new friends.  We will hike in the George Washington and Jefferson National forest, do our 50′ Climbing Wall and Rappel Tower, our High Ropes Adventure Trail, and finish off the week on our 900′ zip line.  Other possible activities will be rock climbing on real rock, mountain biking, canoeing on the mighty Craig, fire by friction, shelter building, and other outdoor living skills.  These activities are based on your age, weather, and staffing availability.

Make 2010 spring break the best one  yet and come play outside with us!  If you have any questions feel free to call us at 800-782-0779 or email us anytime.

]]> http://www.wilderness-adventure.com/2010/spring-break-spring-break-spring-break/feed/ 0 http://www.wilderness-adventure.com/2010/new-trip-dates-for-summer-2010/ http://www.wilderness-adventure.com/2010/new-trip-dates-for-summer-2010/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:25:12 +0000 Julia Bradford http://www.wilderness-adventure.com/?p=1149 Due to the crazy winter, and end of the school year dates being extended, we are aware that many parents are struggling to book their summer trips and vacations.  Wilderness Adventure strives to accommodate requests and needs of our clients, and have added 8 new dates to our summer adventure trips.  We will also take additional trip date suggestions.  Please feel free to email us.

Here are the trips added:

One Week, Outdoor Discovery (Ages 8-10):  June 20th-26th; July 4th-10th

One Week, Classic Adventure (Ages 11-13):  June 20th-26th; July 4th-10th

Two Week, Classic Adventure (Ages 11-13):  August 1st-14th

Two Week, Classic Adventure (Ages 14-17):  August 1st-14th

Never before have we had so much response to need an additional Wilderness Leadership Course!  So we are excited to offer the second set of dates for the WLC to be held from July 4th-31st.

As with all of our trips we require a minimum of 6 participants for the trip to run.  If that trip does not fill, and we cannot find other dates that work for your child, then we will offer a FULL REFUND!  Also don’t forget that if you Register Online, or by calling our toll free number 800-782-0779, before April 1st then you receive 10% off any trip.  That is between $90-$390 worth of savings, depending on which trip you choose.

Also for every friend that refers you, or additional sibling that signs up you get $100 off.  That means (with the 10% discount)  you would only need to sign up 7 friends for your one week trip would be totally FREE!

As always feel free to call us here at the base camp anytime with questions about program details, pricing, or dates.  Or if you prefer just shoot us a quick email.  We hope to see you all this summer and happy camping!

• One Week Programs:  Savings of $90, bring tuition to $805.
• Two Week Programs:  Savings of $190, brings tuition to $1705.
• Month Long Program:  Savings of $390, brings tuition to $3,505.

Don’t forget our refer-a-friend program either.  Some of our participants have come to camp for free and even had up to $200 of spending money in our camp store by referring their friends.  After you are sold on our program, sell your friends and we will give you $100/friend. This offer is unlimited!

Maybe your not sold on us yet.  Check out what other people have to say about us on our testimonials page. Also feel free to contact us to speak with one of our trip leaders or to request a full reference list.  You can call former participants and there parents from all over the country and here their Wilderness Adventure story.

Also stay posted because we are going to be adding trips throughout the summer to accomodate everyone’s available summer dates.  If you have any date suggestions that you would be interested we would love to hear your suggestions.  Email us and we will give it our best shot to open a trip for your child.

I know that many people going into interviews these days are probably a little worried about finding jobs in such a tight market.  It might be helpful to know what we are looking for in an employee and how you can present yourself as a useful member of any customer service related company.

Tip #1: If you are interested in any sort of seasonal employment I recommend you start applying early and looking early, at least 6 months early, chances are employers have already started hiring.

Tip #2: Experience working with people; when I am interviewing a candidate I rarely focus on their technical skills.  First and foremost from an employer in the outdoor industry’s perspective is; “Do you like working with people?” I can teach you all of the hard skills for the job; and many times it is actually easier to teach people that have never done this type of work before because they don’t think they know it all.  If you have great people & communication skills then often times you are a more valuable asset then someone with tons of experience with poor communication skills.

Tip #3: How excited are you about the job?  A lot of times I talk with people that don’t seem that interested in the job, sure you have applied, but if you don’t seem that enthusiastic it makes me wonder.  Ask questions, think of questions before the interview that way you are not put on the spot.  Read through the web-page and jot down notes from there, I love hearing “while I was looking at the web-page I found…”.  It shows that you are curious and care enough about the company to do a little research.  When an employer is explaining what type of work you are doing, explain to them why this is the perfect fit for you, enthusiasm and a positive mind frame goes a long way.

Tip #4: Sell yourself and the experiences that you have had.  Anything you have done in a similar field when shown in the right light can be a plus for you.  If you have substituted, served tables, coached sports or worked at an ice cream stand, I am sure you have some great stories to tell, personalize it and sell it.  Don’t get me wrong, past experiences in the field are a very big plus in the hiring process, however showing you have strong work ethics and would do what it takes to get the job done is a big selling point.

Last big selling point for me would be love and appreciation for this line of work.  If you love being outside, and respect the environment and people you work, you make yourself a very good candidate.

To sum it up real quick:
1.    If you are planning on working a seasonal job this summer start looking now, and start applying.
2.    While selling yourself to the employer, make sure you show that you are really personable and have great communication skills.
3.    Ask questions, sound interested, be enthusiastic and always have a positive attitude and mind frame.
4.    Share your work experiences, personalize the stories and apply them to the job you are looking for.  Work ethic is a very important thing in the job market these days, we are hiring less and trying to be more efficient, why are you the employee I want.
5.    I want people working for me that love what they do.  If you can show me that you respect the work and the program, I want you here sharing that love with the people you work for and work with.

Though there are many other points and suggestions when it comes to applying and interviewing, these are a few that I am looking.  Stay positive and go get yourself a fun seasonal job for the Summer of 2010.  I got my summer position after college in 2005, and now I am the Director of Operations.  You never know where a seasonal position can lead you.

Other good websites for outdoor employment:

Outdoor Education Professional’s Resource

Outdoor Industry Job Publication

Short Term and Seasonal Job Site

Outdoor Adventure Professional Network

Patrick Boas,  a.k.a. “The Office Dandy”
Director of Operations

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I listened to music, I often would find myself trying to relate the mood of the music with the changes in the melody and supporting chords.  Much in the same way I would rather play sports than watch them on television, I also found myself wanting to take part in the music I heard.  This feeling would eventually lead me to my keyboard, or in most cases, the camps old upright piano; which happens to be the subject of my writing.  (Click here to see all pictures of our Main Lodge)

Pianos currently occupy many households across the United States and all over the world.  Not long ago, they were a thing only the very wealthy could hope to own.  Despite their high cost, they were little to behold; little more than a harps turned on their sides being struck rather than plucked like a harpsichord, by crude lever operated hammers.  They generated weak, tinny sounds that could barely be modulated for volume or duration.  These pianos of history have rapidly gone through a great many transformations to become what we now view as a modern day piano.  Mass production has greatly reduced the cost of building; and the incorporation of scientific principals and revolutionary new ideas have vastly improved the tone, volume, and touch of the pianos we now use. (Click here for more interesting facts about pianos.)

Every instrument is crafted to produce a sound; but few so elegantly, precisely and efficiently as the piano.  There are 88 keys on a standard piano and there are at least 56 different parts that make up the masochism that ultimately drives a single hammer to its respective string or strings to produce a note.  The piano embodies both the science and art of its conception with the unmistakable quality of the sounds it produces.

When I sat to play, I could here our piano calling for help with it’s out of tune unisons, broken strings and poor regulation.  The love and toiling care once given to our piano in its creation was still evident in all the intricacies of its moving parts, but time and use has taken its toll, and our poor piano was again in much need of some TLC.  As the pianos primary user, I felt somewhat obligated to care for our piano, however I was fiscally unprepared to higher a professional for such an endeavor.  This left me with only one option: I needed to attempt to repair the piano myself.

The first tool I needed for the job was knowledge.  I had never even looked carefully at the inner workings of a piano.  I assumed that attempting to tune and regulate it without research would end poorly.  I started my quest for knowledge with the Internet.  (Click here to see what comes up on a google search for “How to tune a piano”)  I found so much information that I decided to buy a $15 book to save my eyes.  After reading through much of the book I was confident that I could proceed with the tuning of the piano; leaving the vastly more technical regulation and voicing work for later.  Of course, for the tuning I would need more tools; and off to eBay I went.  I purchased a tuning kit that included: mutes, felt, hammer and tuning fork for $45.  Lest my ears betrayed me, I also ordered a chromatic electronic tuner for $75.  Having wanted to save money, I mistakenly ordered the tuning kit from Hong Kong and paid the price with a lengthy wait for its delivery.

Upon returning from a visit to my hometown, I found that my package was ready for pickup at the post office.  After retuning and opening the package and finding the contents to my satisfaction, I took care in removing the stuffed deer head, candles, and other trinkets from above or on top of the piano so that I could access the tuning pins.

I took out my electronic tuner and struck middle C to find that it in reality was almost a B flat.  Seeing as I was planning to tune the whole piano it seemed to me that middle C was a perfect place to begin.  Muting two of the three stings of middle C I began raising the pitch of the left most string until it rested to my satisfaction, close enough to middle C.  I continued by raising the other two to meet it and continued onto the next note.  When tuning, I found it necessary to hit the keys firmly to equalize the tension among the various lengths of the strings, otherwise the string would eventually slip on its own and become flat or sharp.  The process was long and tedious.  Throughout the session, my electronic tuner refused to work with the din of the TV in the background, nor would it work for the very high or low notes.  I called it a day after I had tuned 2 octaves below middle C and all but the highest octave on the register.  It was an improvement for sure, but I felt like I had a long way to go before I would be satisfied.

Please feel free to email me with any questions or helpful facts that I learned throughout this process.  If anyone is interested in coming up to visit and play our piano, we can always use some company.

Stay tuned! ;)

All creatures great and small get on their children’s bikes, over sized big wheels and wheeled creations that could be best described as a “Franken-Bikes” and head down the hill as fast as they can pedal. Pretty soon we all file into line and start to gain speed. Lots of headlamps and duck taped flashlights keep the road ahead clear as we barrel down the road. I am lucky enough to be riding a bike that us at WA like to refer to as the “Golden Boy”.   Chris “the T-rex” is behind me on a bike known as the “Sea star”. As we keep gaining speed the road and all the blackness around become a blur.  As I gain speed, all the creatures I saw at the top of the mountain fall behind as I pedal to gain even more speed.  I push to the front of the pack and I see an older lady on a child’s bike. She had to be at least 80 years old.  She is leading the monster race down the mountain. As I speed up this old lady gets on the go pedal and starts to pull away! I decide that no old lady is going to beat me down the mountain, so I tuck in as close as I can and keep the pedals moving. I am reminded  of my good friend Marc Dufour a well known and respected road cyclist.  He said the key to any cycle victory is “Spin to Win” with that mantra in my head I start to increase the revolutions.  I start to close the gap on granny. We pas a few cars going up the mountain and continue onto the main street that heads to an intersection that marks the finish line.  Granny is relentless in her quest for victory but I will not be beat! I decide if I am going to pass I need to make my move. I tuck in behind her and decrease my wind resistance and engage the slingshot maneuver  made famous by a personal hero “Ricky Bobby”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We are all caught up in our lives, we have deadlines for work, bills, kids, and so many other things that take up our precious time. My new years resolution is to slow down and enjoy the moments that I am not spending stressing about work, or anything else in my life. With a baby on the way and more stress approaching I need to get myself in check before the sleepless nights and poopy diapers start showing up.  Starbomb is one of those small things in life that to some people seem so pointless. But to us Hipsters, bike nuts and adventurers it is a chance to slip into another world and relax. So whatever your new years resolution is, try and take time out for the small things. weather it be watching the sun set, sleeping in or riding sketchy bikes down a mountain.

As always, Ride or Die.

Dano

Contributor #1: Yours truly…Julia Bradford for those of you who don’t know that I am working on updating all the content and pictures for the new site.  That’s me and the best dog in the world up at McAfees Knob this past fall.  That hike has become a fall tradition for me and my little family (my fiance and my furry dog baby), and I would definitely recommend making it one for your family too.  If you have any suggestions about the site or for the blog I am mostly open to them, unless it’s something I’ve already dwelled over for days on end.  Then I might mutter things about you under my breath, but it won’t really be your fault.  Here at camp I am the Group Program Director which basically means that I book groups for day trips and into our lodges year round.  I also get to make brochures, coordinate marketing when we have the resources to do so, respond to general email inquiries and oh so much more.  You can expect my blogs to cover a potpurri of topics such as snowboarding & rock climbing trips, upcoming events at camp such as the New Years Eve Party blog soon to come, and detailed accounts of the awesome things that happen around basecamp.  If you would like to make suggestions or even contribute to our blog please email me and keep those comments coming!

Contributor #2: Dan Lucas who is our Base Camp Director and mountian bike guru did a great job of blogging before we had the big switch over and we hope he will keep them coming.  This picture was taken of Dan at the Devil’s Marbleyard on one of our summer youth trips near the Natural Bridge.  Nice product placement too with the Colonel’s Four Principles of Success shirt on.  Dan spends more hours of the day then you would ever dream possible, researching bike parts and the ins and outs of the biking industry.  If you ever have questions about what kind of bike is best for you, mountain biking with Wilderness Adventure, or 101 ways to spend your hard earned money on biking contact Dan.  So he might have some input for a baby blog seeing as his wife Ashley will be having their first baby girl in February 2010.  Watch out, biker chick in the making.

Contributor #3: None other than Steve Allen, our activities director, which is just another term for guy that is good at everything. The picture here shows him during our summer youth program instructing at the Lignite Site on Bald Mountain.  Steve is more than proficient in anything from mountain biking to piano playing/tuning, rock climbing to wood carving, and even chain mail making.  We never know what trick Steve will be pulling out of his bag so while you may never know what to expect from Steve’s next blog, one this is for sure it will be highly entertaining and amazingly informative.  If you have any questions regarding our wide array of activities or impeccable safety record he is the guy to talk to and to thank for keeping us safe.  He also has all the used gear sale information memorized and ready to give to any potential buyer at a moments notice so feel free to email Steve anytime.

Contributor #4: Although this saying is a little played out it still needs to be said that Patrick Boas, our Director of Operations, is last but certainly not least.  The picture featured here show Patrick giving instruction during our swift water rescue class that is given to all our white water trips on the beautiful New River.  We should all feel especially lucky that he will be taking a moment out of his busy day to contribute to our little ole’ blog.  Typically Patrick is working on all the tedious yet extremley important everyday tasks that allow a business to run.  Patrick is in charge of our finances, managing and hiring our crazy staff, paying the bills, and all the other behind the scenes stuff that never gets fully appreciated.  If you feel sorry for him because he doesn’t get to do any of the fun stuff anymore, don’t.  His alter ego, “the ruckus”, creeps out pretty regularly and shreds up the mountains and rivers whether it be on a bike, snowboard, kayak, or his personal favorite extreme hiking.  Regardless of whether he is just regular Patrick or the ruckus he has a lot of valuable information rattling around up in that brain of his that he will be sharing with us once a month on the blog, and that you cannot miss.  Click here for questions or to contact Patrick.

So everyone stayed tuned to learn more about our contributors and the crazy stunts they pull.  Now that you’ve been sitting around on the computer for a while Go Find Your Adventure!

Realizing that most people were setting up for their parties, probably out fighting the crowds at the grocery stores trying to grab some chips & salsa and a couple 2-liter bottles of soda, we had hopes of accomplishing something more adventurous.

Being it was one of the nicest days we had seen in a couple months, and not wanting to do the typical bike ride at Carvin’s Cove, we invented what is known currently as the BROathlon. A BROathlon consisted of 4 of our male staff members (Eric, Anthony, Chris and Patrick) spending 4-5 hours trekking the New Castle countryside on;

1) a 7 mile bike loop around Fenwick Park back to Base Camp,
2) a 1.5 mile run to the 2nd ford creek crossing and then
3) a 3 mile paddle down Craig’s Creek in our open cockpit white water kayaks back to Base Camp.

All started out well, we planned out the trip in the Administration building, drawing a rough map that we would follow, as well as deciding what prep work we would need to set up before we hit the trail. We decided that we should drop off the boats, pfd’s and paddles at the second ford before we did anything else so they would be ready for us when we arrived after our jog. Then headed back to camp to get our bikes ready for the loop. It took a good 30 minutes to get set up and be on our bikes on the camp road headed to Fenwick Mines. Our start was time 2:15pm with a goal of finishing the event in 3 hours.

A factor we did not put into our estimated time was the pack of camp dogs, Rocky, Jackson and Charlie. They must have been looking for something to do this Sunday as well, and it seemed as if they decided that a Dogathlon was a great idea. Hoping we could out ride the dogs we started to pedal faster, even the littlest of dogs (Charlie) picked up his pace and followed us all the way to the 615/611 intersections. A little frustrated we decided that we needed to head back to camp and chain them up before we hit the road again. New start time: 2:45.

We completed the loop successfully the second time around in about an hour, put our bikes away and started our 1.5 mile run to the second ford. Again the dogs started to follow us; luckily they were distracted by some of the stray rabbits on the property. We reached the house in about 20 mins, grabbed a quit bite to eat (pb&J) and then grabbed our boats and carried them down to the 2nd ford.

Though it was a beautiful day outside the water was still extremely cold, flipping your boat and or dragging our boats through shallow areas would be a horrible idea. Along the way we found some ice formations that had drained off of the ridge and froze before getting to the creek.

Not something you want to see as you are sitting in an open kayak with shorts and t-shirts on. Though it was a long paddle on flat water, it turned out to be a very peaceful paddle, soaking up some sun and remembering warmer days where we found ourselves on this creek almost every week. The creek looped around and we found ourselves pulling the boats out at Base Camp in less than 2 hours, finishing our BROathlon in roughly 4.5 hours. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon and we have hopes of setting out on one that would include more of our staff, meaning we might have to change the name from BRO to BRO/GALathlon.

Un-till next time…….

Patrick R Boas
XOXOxxOxoOx

The first day we drove from my house to St. Louis Missouri. We got there around 5a.m. Checked out the Gateway to the west. Then we caught some much needed z’s before heading further westward. We passed Kansas City and said “Sayonara” to Topeka. We traveled ever farther on Interstate 70 till we got to the Great Plains. Flat and somewhat boring is what most people said about them, but I did not really mind driving through the Great Plains it felt somewhat joyous to finally be on planet earth somewhere west of Ohio. Then we entered into Colorado. As the sun was setting we were approaching the Rocky Mountains, but we wouldn’t actually see them till dawn.

The next morning we awoke after spending the night at a motel 6. We left for Rocky Mountain National Park. We headed for the east entrance. We got there and were awestruck by the size of the mountains and the natural beauty that surrounds them. We got there Paid for our America the Beautiful all inclusive visitors pass and went to the backcountry office. There we were helped by Lyle. He gave us a suggestion where to go snowshoeing and all we needed to know to go into the backcountry in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We Got back to our car and prepared to Snowshoe up to Mill Lake. We were planning to then camp a little bit further up the trail past Jewell Lake. We made camp around an Altitude just above 10,000Ft. My buddy Dj was feeling a little under the weather so I was left to take care of dinner by myself. We then slept the night away listening to the wind howl with gusts up to 55MpH. The next morning we arose packed up camp and snow shoed over to Loch Lake. Loch Lake was one of the most amazing views that I have ever seen in my Life. The clouds and sun were just amazing. To walk up over the edge of the hill and see the ridge towering over the frozen lake was a feeling that is indescribable. The weather again was quite amazing in the 20s with wind 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 55Mph. We then left Rocky Mountain National Park and we headed towards Moab a Mecca for the Outdoor Industry and also the location of our next stop Arches National Park.

Arches National Park has amazing rock gardens and breathtaking features. We started by driving into the park trying to take in everything we could with our eyes. We first saw Delicate Arch and Fiery Furnace. We then wound up at the Devils Garden Trailhead where we hiked to Tunnel Arch, and Pine Tree Arch. Then we worked our way to Landscape Arch, Which is probably the most impressive spanning over 300 ft. and only 11ft. thick in one spot. A portion of the arch fell off in 1991. We then left Arches and headed to Zion National Park on the way we had one of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever seen.

The next day at Zion we first drove through the park and explored what it had to offer. Zion is a Beautiful canyon land offering a unique landscape unparalleled in any other park. We wound up hiking the river walk and then we hiked the Patriarchs trail where we saw the most wildlife on our trip. We saw Turkeys, Mule Deer, Woodpecker, and Blue Jays. We got back to The Bull and went to the furthest west our trip would take us, the land of giants, Sequoia National Park.

When we got to Sequoia we didn’t know that high up in the sierras there was over 2.5 feet of snow and would need to rent snow chains to be able to see the giant marvels. We drove up and up seeing spectacular views all around us. While passing through many types of ecosystems traveling to see the largest trees on earth we were smitten by the biodiversity of our planet. We finally get to the chain up point, hook up the chains, and take off again. We round two corners and there are trees that you cannot even imagine how big they are! We get to the top after passing Sequoia after Sequoia and we decide to get out and walk around. We are now in the zone where these giants live 6000 to 9000 ft. in elevation and are also only found in the Sierra Nevada’s in California. We walk over to the General Sherman Tree, the largest living thing on the planet and the largest tree in the entire world. We cannot believe our eyes again on this trip. We just cannot even start to take in all the sights we have now seen because of the amount of beauty we have tried to process in the last few days. Moving on we leave the land of Giants and go to the land of Death…Death Valley.

At Death Valley we hiked Mosaic Canyon, which is a beautiful limestone canyon. We then drove through the sparse landscape, past many water barrels for cars that overheat in the summer, to the most famous point within Death Valley Badwater Basin. Badwater Basin is the lowest place in the United States at an elevation of -282ft. below sea level. From that point you can also look at the highest point in the park at over 11,000ft. Leaving Death Valley we worked our way towards Las Vegas. Then after having a night on the town we hit our final park.

The Grand Canyon is one of the biggest wonders in the world. Created by the water of the mighty Colorado it continues to be shaped and changed which you can see by looking at all of the exposed layers of rock and earth. At the Grand Canyon there was about 2 feet of snow up on the rim. So we decided to not hike into the canyon for safety purposes. We decided we could still see plenty and it wasn’t worth the risk. The canyon is an amazing sight, from whatever angle you see it from. Most of the other visitors that we met in the park were not Americans but travelers from other countries. We drove through the park and after experiencing all that these parks had to offer. I asked my friend Dj anything else you want to see. He replied “what else is there to see” in a tone like we have seen everything. We had just seen the Grand Canyon and 5 of more of the best National Parks in the United States. I had no answer, but “I guess we go home then.”

These are just small examples of my trip and many more stories can also be shared. The experiences from this trip will stay with me forever and the fun times that I shared with my good friend. I can’t ever imagine something better than what I had just done. So who wants to go to Alaska?

Are you going to lose weight this year? Be more productive? Call in sick less? Brush your teeth more? There are plenty normal and boring ways to try and be a better person in 2009. This year, as 2008 was rolling out and 2009 was becoming a reality I was trying to decide what my new years resolution was going to be.

Should I mow the lawn more? “Nah.” Should I try and save more money this year? ”Phhhhh…..yeah right!” Should I make more of an effort to keep in contact with my friends? ”No that’s what Facebook is for.”

What is it going to be? Maybe I should ride my bike more! If you think about it, It is perfect! I will ride my bike more in 2009. I will be working out, losing weight, having fun, spending time with friends and making new ones almost every time I go for a bike ride. Sounds like the best New years resolution ever right?

The first day of the new year and it is time to test my theory. 12:00pm Jake Janine, Anthony, and I are suiting up. We hit a low loop at Carvins Cove for our first ride of the new year. It was cold, it was windy, and I had to wear all the cold gear I had. But it was such a great ride!

You can’t get much better then spending time with people you really enjoy and being in nature. There is just nothing like it. Only 365 days left to make this years resolution the best it can be. I may not be saving money, and I am sure the lawn will look worse than ever this year. But for me, and I am sure for some of you, this new years is going to be the best yet. Good luck with all the new years resolutions!

Ride or Die……Maybe my new years resolution should be to change my motto…

~Dano