September 3, 2010

Rock/Creek & Outdoor Chattanooga's Overnight Kayaking Adventure A Successful Event

All boats are dry and sun burns are healing after a relaxing weekend paddling on Dale Hallow Lake near the Kentucky border. The weekend of August 28- 29 was the first of what we hope to be several more Outdoor Chattanooga and Rock/Creek sponsored Overnight Kayaking Adventures.
Outdoor Chattanooga Guides Philip Grymes (with his wife Jenn), Minya James, Guide Andrew Akridge and Photographer Rachel Tucker from Rock/Creek and support staff Dave Petty, took 7 adventure seekers from the Chattanooga area on a weekend camping/paddling trip. Over the course of the two day respite, the group would learn proper paddling techniques, understand "leave no trace" concepts, and eat lots of good food while relaxing on a lake-front campsite.

Participants arrived at Outdoor Chattanooga on Saturday morning to make the 2.5 hour drive North-West to Dale Hallow Lake. We started the day off by unloading the boats, organizing the camp site and setting up the MSR Mutha Hubba Tents, and MSR Hubba Hubba Tents.

Once changed and ready for the water, instruction was given by Andrew on boating safety, Personal Flotation Device (PFD) fitting and water protocol. Minya James from Outdoor Chattanooga shared the importance of "leave no trace" practices with food, packing gear, and the necessary actions for human waste disposal while away from accommodations. On a serious note, Minya emphasized the importance of "leaving a small footprint when adventure going; to maintain the original state of a location for someone else to enjoy."

The next step was to "fit" boats to our participant's height. Our group consisted of petite sized women, medium sized young men, and very tall grown men with long legs, therefore, each participant needed the best length and width of kayak for their needs. (My take away note: If a person is taller, they may want to consider a longer boat with a wider cockpit to make entering and exiting easier.) The kayaks used were Wilderness Systems Tsunami series ranging from the Tsunami 140 to Tsunami 165 which are ideal for laid back recreation paddling.

While everyone familiarized themselves with paddle strokes, the waves from the fast speed boats added a certain theme park wave- pool experience. Once across the lake safely, we settled into the cove where Philip Grymes gave instruction on how to tactfully exit and re-enter a kayak while floating in deep water. (Lets just say the technique for getting back into the boat, does not require finesse or grace) After kicking, splashing and throwing a leg over the boat, a few people got the hang of it.
Saturday evening shifted into an orange glowing sky as we made a delightful paddle into another cove before heading across the choppy waves to camp. Dinner and relaxation were on the menu as the group feasted and re-hydrated before the night time paddle. John quickly discovered the lulling sway of the Eagle Nest Hammock while the youngest participant, Tim, tried his hand at fishing for the first time.

The group, in a well fed comatose, gathered for the night time paddle while the moon rose above the treeline, illuminating the waterway. Day drifter into night as the clamor of bird calls shifted to a sleepy night time melody of chirps from crickets. Our Saturday night concluded with an about-turn to shore, and s'mores at the campfire.

The warm breezy Sunday morning welcomed participants to a relaxing wake up, accompanied by coffee and a filling breakfast prepared by Minya, Philip and Dave. (I am pretty sure Philip's invention of the brownie pancake is a first experience for all.) We packed most of the tents and camping gear up and prepared for the afternoon's paddle before leaving.

With hugs, goodbyes and thanks passed to Dave, the group ventured into the same cove as the night paddle to see what was not seen, and swim in a small inlet. The water was so calm and clear, it appeared as if another forest was below our boats, living untouched by the elements above water.

A good time was had by all, and the experience was one to remember. Thank you to Outdoor Chattanooga and Rock/Creek for conducting the Kayaking Adventure Series. View all the photos from the weekend trip on Rock/Creek's Flickr account HERE >
The final trip of the series will be the Williams Island Tour on Sunday, September 19th from 1:00pm- 5:00pm. Williams Island holds a TN River Blueway Campsite, prehistoric archaeological features, and a 20-acre organic farm. We'll paddle around the island and do a little exploring on foot. Cost is $35 and includes gear, guides, snacks, water, and transportation. If you are interested in participating you need to register by contacting Ruth at Outdoor Chattanooga via email (ruth@outdoorchattanooga.com) or call at 423. 643.6888

If you are hooked into paddling, kayaking, canoeing or the like, be sure to stop in at the Rock/Creek Ocoee store this Labor Day weekend for a huge closeout sale on boats, helmets, paddles, gear and more. Some discounts are up to 60% off.
Visit the store at 1680 Hwy 64 (Old Cooper Rd.) Benton, TN 37307 or call for directions 423.338.1075

Announcements , Chattanooga Local News , Events & Races , Kayaking and Paddling , Rock/Creek Event , Trip Reports & Photos | By Rachel Tucker | 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

August 27, 2010

Rock/Creek Weekend Inspiration- Commercial from FIVE TEN

The popular outdoor sports shoe maker, Five Ten, created a commercial to get outdoor adrenaline junkies pumped about the sports you love- or aspire to do. Enjoy the thrill of watching people jump, flip, climb, free fall and dive into the unknown and Five Ten gets them there! (Crank up the speakers for the full experience!)

Check out Rock/Creek's selection of Five Ten Climbing Shoes, Approach Shoes, and Clothing >
*These are all professionals, so no one do anything stupid crazy out there cause Rock/Creek got you all psyched. K? ~ Cheers to the weekend!

Bouldering , Products & Reviews , Rock Climbing | By Rachel Tucker | 9:52 AM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2010

Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k Registration Cap Announced

The 2010 Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k & 11 Mile Trail Race is just over a month away and due to popular demand, Wild Trails and the Rock/Creek Trails Series today announce a cap on registration of 300 participants for the 11 Mile and 500 participants for the 50k. Over 500 people have already registered. Organizers urge racers to sign up now while spots remain.

Race Director Jonathan Mobley looks forward to the race. As he explains, "there is still a lot of work to be done in preparation for StumpJump, but the anticipation is building and I look forward to all the excitement this year's race will bring. From increased participant numbers to the growing list of local and national sponsors, StumpJump is sure to leave a lasting impression on our great city."

We are also happy to announce that Skullcandy will be joining the long line of sponsors for the 2010 Rock/Creek StumpJump. In addition to SmartWool socks, a Patagonia Runshade race shirt and other surprises, all 50k race participants will receive a pair of Skullcandy headphones in their race packets. 11 Mile race participants will receive Skullcandy headphones as finisher awards while supplies last.

Race founder Matt Sims says he's excited about this year's race and looking forward to another world-class event: "It makes me proud to see StumpJump, a race that started as a local, grassroots event almost 10 years ago, grow to receive national recognition as one of the premier 50k's in the country. It's gonna be a great race and I'm looking forward to being the voice behind the microphone once again this year."

Sponsors of the Rock/Creek StumpJump include Salomon, SmartWool, Patagonia, Marmot, Vasque, The North Face, Hammer Nutrition, La Sportiva, Deuter, Columbia, Skullcandy, Outdoor Research, Greenlife Grocery, Trail Runner Magazine, Southern Spring Water, Smith Optics, Toyota of Cleveland, Blue Smoke Coffee, North Shore Yoga, and Archer Physical Therapy. The race is part of the Rock/Creek Trail Series and River Rocks Chattanooga.

Proceeds from the race go to Wild Trails, a new 501 (c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to promote the use, expansion and protection of trails in greater Chattanooga. Wild Trails just announced annual memberships. For more information visit http://www.wildtrails.org

Be on the lookout for more race details in the coming weeks. For more information go to http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump and join us on our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/stumpjump.

About Rock/Creek

Rock/Creek is an independent specialty outdoor retailer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee with over 20 years of brick and mortar experience. With a dedicated staff of outdoor enthusiasts and gear experts, Rock Creek offers only the very best outdoor apparel and equipment from top brands like Marmot, Patagonia, Arc'Teryx, The North Face, Chaco Sandals, Montrail, and others to ensure that customers are comfortable and safe in the outdoors.

Along with our online specialty shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, we provide quality gear for a host of outdoor sports including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. As a leader in the outdoor industry and in the larger community, we use outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and stewardship and to improve access to the backcountry. Rock Creek hosts the annual StumpJump 50K Trail Race, attracting top competitors from across the nation, and is a major sponsor of the Triple Crown Bouldering Series.

As part of this mission, Rock/Creek is a proud member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a group of independent outdoor shops dedicated to the sustainability of the specialty outdoor channel and the quality of the outdoor enthusiast’s experience. We stand together to help facilitate a market for performance-oriented, revolutionary products, create a unified marketing presence for high quality, local outdoor specialists, and help protect and sustain the quality and access to the environment on a local, national and global level.

Announcements , Events & Races , Rock/Creek Event , Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k Trail Race , Rock/Creek Trail Series , Trail Running , Ultrarunning, Ultramarathons | By Mark McKnight | 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2010

TransRockies Update: Rock/Creek Fares Well After Stages 3 & 4

The last couple stages have continued the gains for the Rock/Creek Race Team in the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run. Stage 4 early results are in, with some runners still out on the course.

Jaclyn Greenhill and teammate Roxanne Zobava hold on to 3rd in the Open Women's division.

In the Open Mixed division, R/C team member, Krissy Moehl, who is running with Bryan Dayton, has moved to first place after the previous leaders dropped out of the race.

For Open Men, Nick Selbo and Josh Wheeler again took third as they continue to hammer it out against first place team Max King and Andy Martin and second place Jason Wolfe and Eric Bohn. Overall they've put a few minutes on second and now have about 20 minutes lead over fourth.

    Photo by Kevin Arnold/Courtesy GORE-TEX TransRockies Run.

R/C teams' times for Stage 4 are:

Open Mixed:
Krissy Moehl/Bryan Dayton in first for the stage and OA, 2:21:02 today (11:35:55 total time).

Open Men:
Josh Wheeler/Nick Selbo in 3rd for the stage, 3rd OA, 2:07:06 today (10:21:51 total time).

Open Women:
Jaclyn Greenhill/Roxanne Zobava 3rd for the stage, 3rd OA, 2:46:44 today (13:07:07 total time).

Dawson Wheeler (Josh's dad and Rock/Creek co-owner) just called in his daily report and said Josh and Nick were feeling good but beat up at this point; the course tomorrow will be a serious challenge and is said to be the crux stage. They have about 4600 feet to climb over two mountains. Today's 24-mile stage clearly took some energy, but they headed down the mountain to get some food and rest and will be back up there tonight and back at it tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more details by following Rock/Creek's Blog or Facebook Page

Here's a video with the Stage 3 wrapup report:

Events & Races , Rock/Creek Race Team , Trail Running , Trip Reports & Photos | By Mark McKnight | 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

Pre- Labor Day Weekend Climbing Gear Sale- Stock Up Now

Being a climber, I always surf the web to scope out the deals on gear before the season's change. (You can never have too many #1's & #3's). Now till September 1st, Rock/Creek is getting the word out that our Black Diamond climbing gear is on Sale up to 30% Off!

And...To make your purchases even sweeter, we are tossing FREE stuff into your boxes with certain gear! See below for all the great deals:

*Black Diamond Cams- 15% off +
FREE matching Neutrino Biner for C3 and C4 Camalots >

* ALL Black Diamond Harnesses On Sale >

* Black Diamond Quick Draws On Sale >

* Black Diamond Belay & Rappel Devices On Sale >

* Black Diamond Carabiners On Sale >

* Buy any Black Diamond Trekking Pole and get a FREE Gizmo Headlamp >

* Black Diamond Headlamps On Sale >

*Black Diamond Crash Pads On Sale + FREE Brush Kit with Drop Zone Crash Pad >

* ALL Black Diamond Gear on Sale >

*FREE with any Climbing Shoes at Rock/Creek is a (2.5 oz.) bag of chalk >

All gifts with purchase are while supplies last. As much as we love giving you Free stuff, we only have so much. Sorry folks.

Announcements , Bouldering , Products & Reviews , Rock Climbing | By Rachel Tucker | 2:37 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2010

TransRockies Run Stage 2: Rock/Creek Pushes Onward

Yesterday's stage led to some gains for the Rock/Creek Race Team. The GORE-TEX TransRockies Run continues this morning with Stage 3 of 6, and yesterday's strong performance puts our runners in a strong position. Runners faced a 3500 foot climb above timberline to the summit of Hope Pass with a technical descent, something that favored our runners, many of whom train on technical Tennessee trails like the StumpJump course.

    Photo by Kevin Arnold/Courtesy GORE-TEX TransRockies Run.

Jaclyn Greenhill and teammate Roxanne Zobava moved to 3rd with only 16 minutes off the leaders in the Open Women's division.

In the Open Mixed division, we have an R/C team member, Krissy Moehl, running with Bryan Dayton. They're staying strong and have moved up to 2nd place after yesterday's stage.

In the Open Men, Nick Selbo and Josh Wheeler again took third as they continue to hammer it out against first place team Max King and Andy Martin and second place Jason Wolfe and Eric Bohn. Overall they're fifteen minutes behind second and have about nine and a half minutes over fourth, so they can expect some pressure today.

R/C teams' official times are: Nick Selbo and Josh Wheeler in 3rd for Open Mens' with 4:55:19. Krissy Moehl and Bryan Dayton in 2nd for Open Mixed with 5:30:58, only 1:26 back. Roxanne Zobava and Jaclyn Greenhill in 3rd for Open Women's at 6:11:44.

Today's Stage 3 should be another unique challenge. Here's what the official site says about the course:

After the straight up and down profile of Stage 2, TransRockies runners will need to change gears again tomorrow for a high-altitude 24-plus mile run from Leadville to historic Camp Hale, former home of the 10th Mountain Division. Though this route includes 3000 feet of climbing it is dished out in much more incremental fashion as runners cross the Continental Divide at Tennessee Pass before running over the shoulder of Ski Cooper resort and through rolling meadows to the finish line. Though it's nearly a marathon in length, Stage 3 will be a trailrunning feast for the runners with lots of sweet singletrack along the Colorado Trail and beautiful treed doubletrack climbs and descents.

Dawson Wheeler (Josh's dad and Rock/Creek co-owner) just called in and said Josh and Nick were feeling good this morning. They spent the night in Leadville carbo loading and got a nap and a good ten hours of sleep. The run today should favor the first and second place teams because it's not as technical. The second place team of Jason Wolfe and Eric Bohn are said to want to make up some time today on Max King and Andy Martin. It's about 50 degrees and overcast this morning. Runners will have some exposure today as they run through some high alpine meadows. We can't wait to hear how things progress!

Stay tuned for more details by following Rock/Creek's Blog or Facebook Page

Events & Races , Rock/Creek Race Team , Trail Running , Trip Reports & Photos | By Mark McKnight | 10:12 AM | Comments (0)