Over the Mountains and Through the Woods, to Good 'Ole Virginia I Go!

October is Hiking Season...

On Friday, October 9th, I'm heading to Mount Rogers to meet my friend, Dan Stevens, on the Appalachian Trail. Some of you might remember that I mentioned "Cancer Takes a Hike" a while back. Well, Dan is spearheading this 'expedition,' in memory of his brother, Andy Stevens, another friend from my Blue Ridge days and a fierce spirit who we all miss dearly. Andy was still with us during Cancer Takes a Hike '08. The hiking endeavor was his dream, and he worked tirelessly to make it happen, garnering support from major sponsors, such as Mountain Hardwear, Suunto, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, MSR, and Thermarest, among others.

(Andy "Chemosabe" Stevens)

In 2009, Andy is hiking alongside us in spirit! Many friends and fellow hikers will join Dan on his 165 mile backpacking journey, meeting up with him at random places along the trail. This year I am glad to be joining Dan for nearly 3 full days!, since I could only participate for one day last year. Others will be joining us from Friday night to Monday morning, including my old college roommate, Josh Brown!

(Cancer Takes A Hike '08)

Be sure to take a look at the Cancer Takes a Hike website (link above), as it details more information about Andy Stevens, his passion for the outdoors, and his determination to fight colon cancer. There you will also find a mileage calendar so you can track Dan's progress, a list of the '09 participants (which is not up-to-date just yet), and information on how to donate to the Colon Cancer Alliance if you feel so inclined.

Stay tuned for a full trip report in the coming weeks, and get outside, too, if you can. October is hiking season!

After These Messages We'll Be Riiiiiiight Back!

Anyone Else a 90's Kid? If So, You Probably Recognized the Title! Gotta Love Saturday Morning Cartoons...

Just a heads up, and it actually has nothing to do with cartoons or the 90's, but there will be some exciting posts to look forward to over the next couple months!

1) Articles on two LEGENDARY adventures: Dragon's Tooth & Humpback Rocks!

2) Another "Motion Picture" with epic soundtrack

3) Some new movie reviews and movie "groupings," with opportunities for people to vote on their favorite films in specific categories or even suggest movies for others to see!

4) The chance to help me figure out where the heck I'm going hiking next summer for a couple weeks! (Somewhere out West I am hoping!)

5) A trip report on 2009's "Cancer Takes a Hike," sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Ice Breaker, Mountain Hardwear, and several other major benefactors. This trip is in memory of Andy "Chemosabe" Stevens, a good friend from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, who fought the good fight against cancer. I will be joining Dan "Pack Mule" Stevens (Andy's brother and a good friend) along with other Blue Ridge outdoors folk for a couple days in early October. More on this later!

6) An article/video on MANVENTURE '09, the 4th official "manventure" and our most exciting yet! We'll be hiking Virginia's "Triple Crown" near Roanoke, VA, on the Appalachian Trail. More details to come...

7) And of course more photos and cool videos!

And a special thanks to everyone who reads the blog. Thanks for your time, interest, and support! You guys are great!