AT. RECORD BREAKER | GIRL GEAR | GREEN RIVER GAMES pooner .BBLUE GE yy GO OUTSIDE & PLAY Naga e PA \ ee tS Cool Schools READERS SELECT THE TOP ADVENTURE COLLEGEFreestyle kayaking's premier international competition is being staged at one of the leading whitewater venues in the USA ~ the Nantahala River Lo * Gorge in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. 7 i . cotsncoa ae : VN 8 eee : SEPTENET once new standard for NANTANAY ct WY, NC RA freestyle events. To lear more about the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle Worid Championships, including travel and lodging information and news updates, visit the event website: FreestyleKayaking2013.com 9 Nantahala Gorge 2 word championships GE al a AROLINA NOKY MOUNTAINS OF Enjoy the Smokies in Bryson a Have a Big Vacation City, an easy-going, small ina Small Town fown with great things to do ~ scene crives, boating oe ‘and fishing on Fontana Lake, K C Nantahala River ratting, SUNUIT) hiking inthe Great Smoky. There's a wide ‘Andif@alin... NORTH CAROLINA asoenicralioad, and word. a72¥ of lodging, oneof the most _ GreatSmokies.com mere a ‘shopping and ‘scenic settings in (On your computer. eee O- dining options. ‘the southeast. ‘On your smartphone. 800-867-9246Pee ene ery tay 79) RacO ane TUn aeze, aN New River Trail CHALLENGE Cea) A Unique Triathlon Experience. USSU awa Ghigo aa sa pba cree ee eee ony POR Eins one eeronneg IZA ICI. 6s) Me eS Peer Pert er as rene Tron roan ete eC a our eee creer pare rrBLUE RIDGE The most adventurous outdoors thing you did in college? kydelaney bald Bought a salboet with my GO OUTSIDE & PLAY > ea Sonne tent ear ond EDITOR IN CHEF WL HARLAN ‘explored the Chesapeake Bay. senor coon 9 jessdaddio the first ime, Changed my ite salruibal University of AAT + PRODUCTION Coomieis the ‘ART ORECTOR 40 caty 3070, eprmceonigecsn timing th mT % ‘Third Flatiron JUMOR DESIONER CAD 88S teeters ina lightning storm was prety ASSOCIATE DESIGNER LAUREN WALKER adventurous. ADVERTISING + BUSINESS jeddferris IY drove trom Florida to Alaska fand worked in cannery for '3 month stl smell ike fish willharlan Lelmbed tna setenv . eee USES MANAGER Less ESSER Attra Braves tetosadue dpnssons cm twin the World Series DIGITAL MEDIA gregmelville Pa . The biggest {ETORCANIG sNODGASS adventures eee BP sually involved os bor and ge = cows, Im not comfortable re ouster providing any more information than that ‘BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS MAGAZINE Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 laurenellerman p494.997-2965% 434817.2760 Winter ! 56 Collge Strat, Suite 203 ay eng ‘havi, Noh Caroline 26801 cle at Wiliam ACT LITE 65+10 628-220-0808 829-226-0878 and Mary. ‘is, 1 ths pack has sper veton le went to via cds hee th aston The rel Faquette Lako, 2 table cary and a pean reduction of 15%, NY. and built and slept in an Vale wiedcutercom Igloo. nicknoe Comslaing a . @seee- ‘Manne ash = Runround actu corto st mrocnrea end hs On THE covER Bate umpig a Sms Madison BS iiiveriy, tl Bridge Day inthe New River Gorge anny Kemp hile dressed as Scuba Stove Blue Ridge Outdoors » PRINTED ON 100% weesAUGUST 2013 features 18.G08IG Emily Jackson, Senace Rocks. 32.001 SCHOOLS. (0n 32 collages and ur ‘majoring in adventure a1 JUMPING FROM [AIRPLANES 1 Arookie skydiver takes big leap two miles from the ground, departments $]U0]U00 fm . Family. Friends. Fun, Parks eabedy is Lwving, the park. Sr m Wei te beat te? You shoulet jpin US next time, Love, Virginia to:switchback 6 READER, Should water be kept in rivers or diverted for more drinking water? Compiled by Devan Bayle KEEP WATER IN THE RIVERS: SAVE PEOPLE AND SNAILS. River ara the lfsblood of our communis, ‘ur economies, and the natural areas all round us. k's been seid that fa ever water flow iets heartbeat, driving major tvolagieel processes Ike fan reproduction {nd migration, an forest heel. Healthy flows are erica fora vibrant river anc all ofthe bones t provides recreation, biodiversity, productive fisheries, ond & clean water supply ‘Southoastorn U.S. rivers ana streams aro a global hotepot for aquatic ray of native fish, mussels snc, and ther wildlife. Many af our tvars have. ready lost native spacies, often due to reductions in water law rom dame and ftream awings unnsturaly from Hood ike conditions to drought-ke conditions — is died up competely—the consequences are usually dire for endangered species nd the ecosystem as protecting and restoring haekhy flows, especially as the region grows, but this doesn't have to happon at the expense fenaure sustainable watar supple fr aur communitioe an for our rive ‘ten, natural ecosystems and endangered species function 8s warning flags for out species. Fiver is so strained that it no longer supponts native sh, ‘muses, and ater eritere, thon is sending 2 signal that sooner of ater at this ate, xating infestracture trough weter efficiency. Raleigh. NC. is one of many ches that has seen overall water use drop ‘moaning that tnevarnoeds to cary out ts proposal to build @ new dem on the Lite Riva. Stratoges tk this presorv vars and secure water supplios fer communities “while saving bundles of money presents ice were amor about managing wator, and efclant in using it we can do bath, In fat, we probably have ‘tien Sibien Mlabineee UNITES MRIS DRINKING WATER: SAVE PEOPLE, NOT MOLLUSK: or other development projec, oak ne futher than the nearest ndengered apcie, tt dosen't matorifyou rebuilding vour home afer a devastating hurcane, breaking round fora new hospital, using desert land {or outdoor recreation. or diverting svar vater to lp alleviate the effects ofa drought. re sand erab, fowaroving fy tinge-tod ad, “Koop out” signs go up and human activity is In ailanta in 2007 inthe midst of « devastating drought illons of gallons ‘of much needed fake water were deemed downstream forthe sake of a particular species of mussel. In anther ease, concern ver the hesepliter mussel ed to @ ‘moratorlum onver water extraction in Mit clean water for eleven years are an expression ofthe isa enimating the fnwironmentast mavernent: That i wrong fnwlonmantalt ethos isto conastntly wares priors other species, regardless of the Extracting water, for example, a ust one of the many fests of engineering that makes our lives happier, longer and bot. No ne longer have to worry about living directly nearby 2 watarta where peopl naod it the current ‘environmental trend of limiting any and all human impact on natura had boon in vogue a century ago tos such as Phoonix and Las Vegas would never have become anything wo use and transform the word around us Sometimes that means busing foed walla dome, or extracting water for use in wrban watarways 10 enjoy the wildlife naturally, found thare, But doesn't and shouldnt mean denying people the watar thay desporstaly need to survive forthe eako of afew molhaks the Ayn Rand nett what do you think? Join the water use debate at blueridgeoutdoors.comnina we mm san ca AS Next stop on the Subaru Road Show: Come by the Blue Ridge Outdoors tent to ccheck out our Subaru Outback and win free gear! Ride forthe young members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia. All 1,800 of them, < ‘SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 25, 50, 75, 100 MILE ROUTES i LLexingsou ha long hitcory tied co the wilderness adventures oul fin ll sound us, Prom Lexington Devs Marble Yard ta Genhen Pass we've strrvunded by mountain Foryou to ex 2 From Virginia's moat historic Remember o vote for Lexington, VA. inthe Blue 0 fountain Towns Pl ome ne re Fave ie. Cal $0468.77 oY Lentini. Wintiieticinn DN eine: 2thedirt i TOOTS FILES CHARGES OVER STAGE WOUND IN VIRGINIA. RICHMOND, VA. bottle at the Dominion Riverock Festival ln May. Wiliam Connor Lewis already facing a felony eriminal charge of malicious wounding for hurling = botla of Gray Goose ‘that hit Hibbort and caused » serious tear to the lof side of he singers forehead and face. Hibbert had to cancel US. tour dates after the lociden, which tok place at the popular adventure pons festival on Brown's Island, and according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch he's sooking "St milion compensatory damages snd $29 milion in punitive damages” RECORD BREAKING AT. HIKE IN PROGRESS APPALACHIAN TRAIL ‘ave Werren, known on the Appslachian Tal as "Chipmunk is trying to become the youngest person to hike the entre rai solo, ‘old gt fom Florida Being her mothar who dives 3 eampor {and moots hor deughtor at carainwhesds the way ‘through the nearly 2.200-nile tal BEAR GETS HEAD STUCK IN JAR JAMISON CITY, PA. Ie eound ke ‘cartoon, but es, a boar in Penasyivania neoded people to be treed gating its head stuck 1. The 100-pound bosr was lars cooking ol rosidue the ditresad bear came inf nil state game commission employee Jeff Hulblor and three resident were able to comar tha boar ima backyard, wrangle it with 8 rope, DOGGY DOODOO DATABASE YORK COUNTY, PA. ‘condo complex inork County ited of Imasponsole pet own in common area gas ‘ongoing prabem, the Chestnut Pointe Cond Assocation Board has enlisted the help of Poo: Prints, 2 service that wil obtain DNA swabs fall dogs living in tha complex and keep the data on fila in order to rocognizs future foros ffnders. Residents who fail use the peoper s2c0per wil soon be fined $120 fora first lense end fce legal ston ater thre strikes COURAGEOUS WOMAN HEADED TO EVEREST FOR STEM CELL. RESEARCH GREAT FALLS, VA. breast cancor tion and been diagnosed with Porkinson's disease. But the 57yearcld woman from Gret Fels, Ve, ia meeting her challenges head on. That includes a rp to Mt. Everest, with 9 aroun of fellow Parkinson's ‘rom the Calforma:b9800 Serpps Cine nd Research institut, As pat of "Summit 4 Stem Cell” Hellbrunn ond sove take a three week ek to Kala Pe Just above Everest’ 12600-oot base camp. Aecording toa piece on the Washington Posts vwabeita the group is haping to aise $6 milion for Parkinsons rosoorh S Yiriieddiee -HOTRRn aE Peeneeed MOOSE COLLISION IGNITES FIREWORKS WAWA, ONTARIO People near Wewa saw an unexpactad pyrotecinics display in June when a ruck carrying @Io9d of fkeworts fan into 8 ‘r¢0te. During the collision, fuel tanks ‘ruptured, and the resulting explasion sont the cargo tomards the sky Luckily the driver and passenger were abe to evacuate the ‘ruck botore the bist. Thee wa no sgh of ‘the moose, The Trane Canada Wighwoy had tobe shut down for five end a half houre DRUNK MAN MAULED AFTER PELTING BEAR WITH BARBEQUE ANCHORAGE, ALASKA In Juno, 2 man ho 2 plenic with fren ‘Campground, nh of Anehorage. Tho men {nome withheld as chorgos wore pending) decided to ake a bike ide and bring slong ‘soma barbecu that was being served atthe ‘getharing. Whon he ran into a black bear, the ‘unk elow decided to throw the animal ‘some meat eerap.Tho sink and then decided the men with seratches om his back and, juncture wounds on tha skin na Nis jw Park rangers fund the man cleaning his wounds and speaking incoherent. He was aten tothe hosptal, and t prose time, ‘authoritoe wore considering charges asanst the man for provoking the bear. RUNNING PAINS. ACTUALLY PRENATAL SYMPTOMS DULUTH, MINN. “Tish Staine thought she was dealing With the pain of training fr her first half rathon, but it turns out she was geting ly t0daliver her thir cil, Staine hed terribla back pain ster a two-hour roparation for und Half Marathon, Ae the pin became unbearable, she heade to the emergeney foam, where her atending doctors noticed a fetal heartbeat, Unaware shhe wes prognant, Staine soon found herself Ina dalivory room, whara she gave bith to {8 siepaund, sx ounce baby git. Already 2 ‘other to on Thyesrold eon and eoven year old daughter, Stone ‘ny more kids ready had @™ Welcome to the Green River Games Think you have what it takes to ‘compete in the world’s toughest racos? By Ky Delaney ‘Step aside Vall A small town nestled in ‘the Southern Appalzchian mountains bags bragging rights fo this summors largest coloration of advonture sports. The Groon Fiver Games, a multispor competition, wil debut September 7, 2013 in Salud, NC Race axganzar John Grace created the ‘Green River Games as an Eest-ooest version ‘ofthe Teve Mountain Gemes, He wants the ‘noes to showcase the scenic gorge that's home tothe holy aril of stoop creek: the Narrows section ofthe Green River. Faces include fullcontact and steep-o kayaking, mountain and rosd biking, road anc ‘all running, snd mellow and extrome stond vp padling. “The Cove Climb 6K kicks of the festivities, ‘The road rae starts along the emerald ‘var, the Views providing Inspiration forthe infamous savantoon switchbacks of Green vor Cove Road. Aor elimbing 1,000 fot Solude, where thy ean celebrate a gruating ‘un by throwing back local erat bear atthe cto pary. BEST TRA TOWN sHorTs | Proceeds from the GK vil fund field trips for loca ith graders who have never explored the outdoor oasis in their own backyara For those who pra amos feature both @ Mountain bike racors will be challenged by the Sunshine Enduro, a course consisting of long elimbs and techoical downhil descents “The SUP raoos will draw some ofthe bast inthe sport Tha fires qualiying race wil tne poco on the Class If the Lower Green The top twont Finishers wil be ivited to compote la SUP race on the Upper Green, eoataiing continuous Class Ib 10 rapide witha few rolls to roads, the and @ halt marethon significant drops. ‘Those who prefer padding 8 canoe or yok can compete in the Unper Green Stoge face, a two-par race consisting of both a timod down river sprit and 2 slelom course ‘down tha Upper Gr ‘Dubbed the most dificult race in the world the Sivor Back Race starts with 9 mace stot ta9 ninemile whitewoter peddle down the {Green River Including the step and techalcal Narrows section. Then racars put he ta the tat on 8 nino-mils mountain hike race bike ection, rocers must tackle @ quae-busting nei trail run t finish WE ARE ONCE AGAIN SEARCHING FOR THE BEST MOUNTAIN TOWNS INl THE BLUE RIDGE AND WE NEED YOURHELP! Log on and vote for your favorite mountain towns in each category. Think your town has what it takes to take the crown? Your votes will decide. BlueRidgeOutdoors.com/Best-Mountain-Towns ‘aeuier a0 peoulles) iimSHORTS. lhead tra @ A River Runs Through Him One Man's Fight to Save an Endangered River By Brian Plommons “The Catewbo River was recentiynarmed the most endangored river inthe country. Carolina tothe Weter2e Weterahed In South Carolina and then to te Atlantic Oeeen From source to 309, flows over 400 mils, Along the way, t meets several challenges: cool ash Sewage spills and recreation and drinking ‘water needs for 8 growing population. ‘One man is working te protect the Fiver. His name is ick Gaskins, a Harvard celveated environmental lower and the executive diector of the Catawbe Riverkeeper Foundation Just how bad isthe Cotawio curenty? In 2008, American Rivers, an orgonization that works to protect Amerie's waterways, rated the Catawba os America's Most Endangered River. Pus, just this year, American vers rated the Catawba a8 th ith wort river in the United States ue to coal ach pollution. In Low Geator a nonprofit that usb the law to fight for protection of the Southeastara environment, stad tha Catawba River a= done ofthe top ten endangered places inthe ee ee push for policy change, found, due to power plana, thet the Cetaia waa tha foureh most ‘roeeod rvar inthe Unites States, Which sections of the Catawba ar in the worst shape? ‘That shar 10 anewer, Ifthe standard ie whether tha Catena is fishabla, or example, thon one hundred percont ofthe basin fils te meet the unrectrcted fhabiltystendars There are fish advisories throughout the Catawba basin or excessive levels of mercury in some typ of fh, Burning cali tha jrimary source for most mercury found in ‘the water. High Iovate of marry affoct the nourologiea! develepment of children and can couse learning disbilties and other long disabilities. High eves of mereury are specially tox to chleren and pregnant |e the fiver getting beter oF worss? ‘That i some improvement. For example, Charlotte hes worked hard to restore the natural sate ofthe tributaries to the Catawba, even inttuting bulfer areas Also, some sewage. Hoavoy, the overall rad isnot 00d, Do you ever use tigation to help protect the Cotas? ‘hat sour lst resort. Qur fiat tap la 0 tak te the source ofthe problem. Ifthe source tides 00s not correct the iste, then we contact he appropriate regulatory body, hoping fr an ‘enforcement actin, ‘Wire curently involved in tnigation against the North Carlina Department of “Transportation to stop a proposed tell oad ‘thot would potentially damage water over lscharges fom coal as lakes into Mountala Island Leke, part of the Catawba River. This Glischarg ia drst throat to Cacrionas inking water, How about lobbying le We arn't large enough to have paid Tosbyisie, but we encourage mambers to use {ara6sr00t lobbying We get information to our ‘olunteer go they an tk 9 thar logilators. Won thee is bl that rety affects the waterway, then the foundation might rent an an take volunteers other lgilatrs in Paleigh la fete that he Catowbs could un out of water? Current projections are thatthe region's demand for water will xcs our quantity cof water by the year 2048. Industry and pereant ofthe wate consumed fom the Catawba i used for cooling powerplants Thi fan end should be reduced. Also, 2 big chunle ofthe water is consumed by towns outside the basin. In shor. these towns want water water to the Catawoa. Tis must be regulated What are the biggest threats to the Catawbe? CCool-burning powerplants and thei coal ash waste storage. On ny scale, coal ash the highest hazard potential. Other major ater quality probioms are by-products (of poor development precios that result inlarge amounts of polluted stormater, oor treatment of owege, and excosive water usage. Sewage spills and inadequate twoatment of sewage are also a major problem. Sewage aystoms fail with regulary, ‘State roguletors are underundad: one Inspector might ba responsibie ar thousands ofits, And even when curtent regulations are enforcod they are not enough te maintain {high level of water quality environment? ‘There ere fourteen dame along the length cof the Cetowba. These aro primarily used to ‘generate electricity and to create a source of cooling water for thermoeletie powerplants Power plants use the water for coalng, than thay dump net wstor into the Catawba ator sing it ‘There are sections ofthe Catawbs thet rst between two powerplants, one upstream and ‘one downstream. During peak power usede this patiular section will ave lita a0 water low. n fat i might have beckwerd ‘ow ith poster pant upetresm is argor thanGEAR ™@ What a Woman Wants Whether you're hitting the trail or the town, these ten items will keep you at the top of your game. 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