The Great Outsmores

If you’re not into seeing the peach drop, and want to see something spectacular on New Year’s eve, you can catch the best show in the North Georgia Mountains. This time of year, enchanting sunsets can be found near Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak. While a night hike to the summit can be special (with headlamps of course), an easier and nearly equal showing can be had from the South West corner of the parking lot.

Here’s a google earth view of the summit & parking lot looking Southwest over the Cohuttas and Cumberland Plateau:

I’ve had the chance to catch this one twice before, here’s a photo from the last outing:

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The other reason I’ve been away from my blog: PostMapper.com As many of you know, I’ve been trying to put together a way for all of our Outdoors Bloggers to tag their posts on a site wide Google map. Well, as usual, I went a little overboard.

Over the last month or so, I put together a utility that all bloggers can use to tag their posts on one searchable google map, hence PostMapper. I’ll leave the techno speak alone, but here is what it does and how my fellow outdoors and travel bloggers can use it:

What it does:

1. Takes the location of a post, and converts it to coordinates (geocoding)
2. Sends the post’s location, title, excerpt, and link to the PostMapper site
3. The PostMapper site then displays this information on a searchable map, allowing visitors to follow the link back to the participating blog to read the full post.

I’ve already written a mapping plugin for wordpress that does all the hard work, and it even includes a neat little tool for displaying a map within a post by simply typing “

” without the quotes. Soon, Ihope to have a tool for TypePad and Blogger users to tag the map also, I’ll post it here when I do.

I’d sure love it if anybody wants to give it a try, and please don’t hesitate to send any criticism my way.

Lastly, OutdoorsBloggers can already access this utility without having to do anything but activate the plugin.

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One of the reasons I’ve been away from the blog so much lately is a charity project I started this holiday season, and hope to do again next year (with help). About two and half weeks before Christmas, I started the first annual Business for Kids Bicycle Roundup. The idea was simple, to spread the word about North Fulton Community Charities Santa shop, and get businesses to donate a kids bicycle to the cause.

Well, it worked. We initially put a goal of 100 bikes in two weeks, which may have been a bit ambitious. We ended up collecting 33 new bikes for the Santa shop, and getting another dozen or dozen and a half used bikes to be donated to the NFCC thrift shop. It ended up being around 20 trips all around Northern Atlanta to pick them up, and some long days between the day job and the roundup.

For both of my readers, sorry, but this was something I have wanted to do for some time. Next year, we plan on starting in November, and getting a few more folks involved with the pickups and deliveries. Any one interested in chipping in, please feel free to drop me an email at wade (at) outdoorsblogger.com.

Lastly, a special thanks to Roswell Bicycles for their generousity and for discounting bicylces bought for this charity event.

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A couple of folks asked, so I wanted to share. I must have been good this year, cause Santa was as good to me as I ever remember.

First up, a Coleman Duel Fuel lantern. I’ve had an old propane powered single mantle lantern for years, and it’s been great. But this was a huge step up not only for the extra mantle, but that it can run on arguably the most available fuel around: unleaded gasoline.

This will be (i hope) more convenient for resupplying on longer trips, since gas stations are more prevalent than Walmarts in the boonies. Also, it’s always a pain when having to track down a REI or Walmart when travelling via plane.

Nalgene makes a great product, as best covered here. North Face also makes a great product. Both companies have been criticized lately for getting away from their core businesses, but this has got to be a home run!

On the outside, a super tough lexan skin sporting the NF logo. Inside, is a slide out plastic liner that won’t hold the smell and taste of booze (scotch flavored vodka must be awful). The outer part of the cap (blue part) actually slides off, making a neat little jigger sized measuring cup!

Lastly, I just can’t figure out how he got down the chimney with this one. Nothing less than a 17 foot red Mad River canoe, with a square back. Actually, my wife got me this, making me the luckiest man on the planet. I mean, who gets their husband something that will inevitably lead to more weekend days away from her on the river? This can only mean that she wants to come along…..

I spend so much time working, playing, working, working, playing, charity working….. I forget sometimes to stop and be thankful for all those around me that care so much. I guess that’s the most important part of Christmas, the thoughts and best wishes that these material things represent, not the things themselves.

That said, I look forward to testing the last two out this weekend!

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What do bail money, national parks, base jumping, and political action have in common?

Imagine climbing thousands of vertical feet with loads of gear, topping out on a majestic mountain view, and then throwing yourself off the other side. As you scream past ancient granite walls, accelerating towards a stunning river valley, you tug on the pull cord seconds before impact and float leasurely down to one of America’s most pristeen wilderness.

But the adventure is just beginning. Now you have to run for your life, well, your freedom anyways. See, law enforcement will be gunning for you like you just threw your buddy off without the living saving chute. BASE jumping is illegal in the national parks, and jumpers will be detained no-questions-asked. My problem with this is: who are they endangering? Park visitors? Park staff? Animals? No, just themselves. Whether you think the practice of jumping off inanimate objects is stupid, crazy, or brave - why are we legislating this? Americans all to often these days try to outlaw all forms of crazyness, even if they pose no risk except to those initiating the crazyness. I argue that this is not only wrong, but out right Un-American! We are still the land of the free, aren’t we? After all, risk takers like this:

1. came over on boats to the colonies
2. sent the English packing, and formed this country
3. built many of the businesses that dominate the global economy

Rock climbers, paddlers, and many others can risk their lives in our national parks, without fearing of jail time. Hope fully somebody can explain the difference, but with the recent budget cuts and ever increasing park visitors, it seems like we could use resources for a better cause. Now, enter UHUCK. UHUCK is an organization dedicated to raising awareness of this issue, and helping to get this stupid law repealled. Their planning a massive protest jump September 6, 2008, from none other than El Capitan in Yosemite NP .

How can we non-BASE jumpers help out?

• Visit their website & spread the word.
• Donate money for their legal defense fund (bail money)
• Check out one of forty concerts being put on around the country on their “Bail Money Tour”

Disclaimer: No National Park Service employees were hurt by writing this article. We love you guys & gals, and know you all don’t make the rules - just enforce them.

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To both of my loyal readers, outdoorsbloggers, and everyone who has stopped by:

Thanks for your patience, I’m back from my blogging hiatus!  Things have been extremely hectic here, between work , charity work , developing my first wordpress plugin & API , and yes the best of seasons that brings out the worst in Atlanta drivers.  I still found a little time to go fishing though, more on that later.  In the mean time, I’ve collected a stack of emails to respond to, a lengthy to-do list for OutdoorsBlogger, lost one of our best bloggers , and let The Great Outsmores sit idle for too long.

I’m looking forward to not only getting back on track here, but taking it up a notch.  Once again, thanks to you all, and Merry Christmas!

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