|
|
|
5 Tips To Get Out There And Smell The Roses….
As we move to the summer, it’s fantastic to see the sun shining, feel the heat and be able to get outside into the great outdoors to make the most of the great world that we live in. I feel myself inspired by the spring flowers, and reinvigorated...
Backcountry Skiing for Intermediate Skiers
Snowcats have made backcountry skiing accessible to intermediate skiers. Backcountry skiing offers vast expanses of soft, consistent powder snow in remote and spectacular high-mountain settings. Often considered the domain of hardy and...
I Hope it Rains in Heaven
I've been hunting for as long as I can remember. The first hunt I ever went on with my dad, he had to change my diapers. My first real hunting memory is sitting on a tree stand and snuggling under my dad's coat. To this day, I can still smell the...
Mission Impossible - Construction of a Backcountry Ski Lodge
How can a 9200sq.ft. ski lodge be built in just six months when it took over three months to finish your downstairs bathroom? Now, place the project at the 5250 ft elevation in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, 90 km from the nearest paved road, and...
Your Craft Show Booth - How it can make you more money!
The requirements for your booth will be spelled out in your
contract for each show. This includes set up and break down
times and policies to which you must adhere. In order to avoid
having to have different displays for different shows, it...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Kelsey: Steward of the Trail
With hair slightly unkempt, earnest eyes and a potentially roguish grin, Mike Kelsey has an air of unmistakable grit about him. An avid cyclist for close to 18 years and a lifetime outdoor enthusiast, he is no stranger to the danger of mountain bike racing, the thrill of competing and the triumph of winning. Although now a self-proclaimed “weekend warrior,” he still rides with his BOB trailer of tools in tow, and his unflagging devotion to trail building, repair and maintenance in the Ouachita Mountains is widely apparent.
“I love to build hiking and mountain biking trails,” confessed the 2003 Arkansas Trail Volunteer of the Year. “It is a good way to spend some hours in the woods, get some fresh air and exercise while creating something to be enjoyed by all.” Kelsey, who spends between 100 and 200 volunteer hours each year on trails statewide, has worked on the following routes: Womble Trail in Oden, Camp Pioneer Trails in Hatfield, Earthquake Ridge Trail in Mena, Little Missouri Trail, Wolf Pen Gap ATV Trails, Charlton Trail and Attila the Hun Trail.
“You just go out and identify problem areas, whether it’s a problem of erosion or just an area that needs maintenance,” he remarked. “Whether it be hiking or biking, continued use of a trail sometimes translates into some degradation. It’s easy to construct a trail from point A to point B, but you have to deal with creeks, ridges, mountains and gullies as well as all the things concerned with protecting the trail from erosion. A well-designed trail, however, can take a lot of traffic without degradation.”
In addition to his trail work, Kelsey maintains several web sites relating to cycling tours, mountain bike and road races and trail opportunities. The Bike Arkansas
Directory (www.bikearkansas.com) serves mainly as a collection of resources, including bike shops, teams, clubs or events in The Natural State. He also updates the web site for the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series (www.ambcs.com), keeping an active calendar, presenting race results, tracking series results and posting team challenge results.
Other related web sites include the following:
∑ Ouachita Mountain Bike Adventures (www.ouachitaadventures.com)
∑ Cycling Arkansas (www.cyclingarkansas.com)
∑ Ozark Off-Road Cyclists (www.ozarkoffroadcyclists.com)
∑ International Mountain Bicycling Association (www.imba.com)
Furthermore, Kelsey is a supporter of the Arkansas Pay Dirt Program, which links mountain bike racing to trail advocacy. To participate in Pay Dirt, racers commit themselves to a certain number of hours of trail maintenance. In turn, racers receive points to apply to this year’s racing totals. For example, if a racer puts in 8 hours on an official Pay Dirt work trip, then he or she is granted the equivalent of a first-place win.
With approximately 600 miles of trails, the Ouachitas have the largest ratio of trails to local users than in probably any state. “There are very few people to work, so it takes some very dedicated individuals,” Kelsey declared. “It’s important to encourage members of the racing community to become stewards of the trail.”
About the Author
Copywriter/editor Jeannette Balleza is Co-Owner of Vulcan Creative (http://www.vulcancreative.com), a creative agency specializing professional graphic design and web development services. She also owns Scribe Marketing, Inc., which offers content development and refinement. jeannette@vulcancreative.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Appalachian Mountain Club – Outdoor Recreation, Education ... |
| Members from Maine to Virginia participate in hiking, paddling, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Includes links to lodging destinations, local chapters ... |
| www.outdoors.org |
|
| Outdoors in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Explore sites dedicated to the great outdoors. Find information on boating, fishing, camping, hiking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| Adventure Travel and Outdoor Recreation - GORP.com |
| Resource for outdoor sports, adventure, and travel. Includes destination, activity, and gear directories plus news, articles, and forums. |
| gorp.away.com |
|
| Outdoors - UK Camping Equipment Supplier |
| Shops operated by the Scout Association. Site includes catalogue, locations of stores and online shopping. |
| www.outdoors.ltd.uk |
|
| ESPN Outdoors - Outdoors Home |
| The latest in Outdoors news and information, all at ESPN.com. |
| espn.go.com |
|
| Outdoors Network - Fishing, Fly Fishing, Hunting, Lefty Kreh, BASS |
| Fishing , Fly Fishing, Hunting , Lefty Kreh, BASS and more, from Outdoors Network - Bringing the Outdoors Indoors. |
| www.outdoors.net |
|
| Great Outdoors |
| Experience the outdoors online -- hiking, skiing, camping, and mountain biking with gear reviews and adventure profiles. |
| www.greatoutdoors.com |
|
| Open Directory - Recreation: Outdoors |
| Recreation: Travel: Specialty Travel: Adventure and Sports (237); Science: Environment (6754); Shopping: Recreation: Outdoors (2491); Society: Gay, Lesbian, ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| MaineToday.com | Outdoors |
| OUTDOOR NEWS. Trail backers back to work raising money The 55-mile Eastern Trail pedestrian and bicycle ... Seen Outdoors Were you seen in Maine, today? ... |
| outdoors.mainetoday.com |
|
| Outdoors |
| Los Angeles Times Travel Guide - Tips, discounts and world destinations from the Los Angeles Times travel section. |
| www.latimes.com |
|
| SFGate: Sports: Outdoors |
| Once mighty wool makes comeback in outdoor gear (11/23). MAIN EVENTS: Discover fabulous fungus, learn to hunt and hear stories of the great outdoors (11/30) ... |
| www.sfgate.com |
|
| Detroit News Online | Outdoors |
| Outdoors. Deer numbers are up. 17-point buck and numerous 200-pounders mark ... Outdoors. Deer hunt unites families. Old and young, as well as male and ... |
| www.detnews.com |
|
| Google Directory - Recreation > Outdoors |
| Science > Environment (7762) Shopping > Recreation > Outdoors (2778) Society > Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual > Recreation > Outdoors (50) ... |
| www.google.com |
|
| St. Petersburg Times Online: Outdoors |
| The weather is forecast to become more favorable for fishing and being outdoors in general. Go to article · Root for cleaner water to find kings ... |
| www.sptimes.com |
|
| Sports : Outdoors -- Philadelphia Inquirer |
| OUTDOORS LINKS. Outdoors Calendar Listing of clubs and activities in the area Resources How to get listed; whom to contact. RECENT STORIES ... |
| www.philly.com |
|
| Welcome to Cotswold Outdoor Ltd - outdoor & travel clothing ... |
| Find travel and active wear, camping and climbing equipment, rucksacks, accessories, and sleeping bags. |
| www.cotswoldoutdoor.com |
|
| Outdoors: South Florida Sun-Sentinel |
| South Florida's breaking news site, with news, sports and information updated constantly throughout the day. |
| www.sun-sentinel.com |
|
| Outdoor Clothing - Rock Climbing Equipment - Camping Gear - Hiking ... |
| UK based outdoor clothing retailer. Stock includes rock climbing equipment, camping gear, stoves, tents hiking boots, waterproofs, fleeces, ht and gloves. |
| www.ultimateoutdoors.co.uk |
|
| Outdoors T-Shirts and Gifts : CafePress.com : Shop Over 35 Million ... |
| CafePress has over 9660 unique , outdoors designs on more than 98600 T-Shirts and Gifts. Narrow your search with topics like funny outdoors, or nature, ... |
| www.cafepress.com |
|
| Great outdoors: Hunting, fishing, biking and running news ... |
| Top Outdoors Stories. Strong mast crop affects hunters now, next year ... Bill Cochran's Outdoors. You are never more alive than when a predator ... |
| www.roanoke.com |
|
|