Dream. Plan. Live.
I was at the shop working a Saturday shift about a month ago. Sometimes we get busy and our back-of-house spaces miss out on the care we provide to the public spaces. One of those areas is our staff kitchen, specifically the fridge. I noticed the state it was in— random juices stuck to the shelves, unidentifiable items in the freezer. It was what you might call a tragedy of the commons.
Image you’re a parent and your kid has just come home from college. They joined a club with a crazy group of dirtbags and now spend every weekend outside getting sunburnt, climbing, backpacking, and caving. Your first thought might be, “Oh lord, they’re gonna drop out and live in a van down by the river.” I want you to know it does not always end up that way. However, you probably will have to work with them on showering more often. Whether you are the worried parent or the adventure-driven kid, college outdoor clubs are important and can be life changing.
While there have been amazing strides to making the outdoors more inclusive, there is also a horrific past that delays progress. The following quotes and linked resources summarize this sentiment. There are plenty of people that have already said it better than I, so I will let their voice speak louder than mine. Please read through some of our country’s history below as it pertains to racism and other discrimination in the outdoors. I will then provide further links that outline where we go from here. Finally, I’ve provided info below for how you can make a very direct and immediate impact in your community. It is our goal that we all walk away with a better understanding of the problem and how to move forward.
As you could probably imagine we see our fair share of scouts preparing for trips at RRT. Currently with 4 Eagle Scouts on staff we’d like to think we are pretty good at it too. So with all of that scouting experience we were curious what stood out to them as their most epic trips and unforgettable moments. Here is Will and Joe’s top 5 trips that they would not have experienced without being a Boy Scout.
As many may know last year “the crown jewel” of the boy scouts was greatly affected by a wildfire that destroyed nearly 1/5th of its 140,177 acres. Having gone to Philmont in 2013 it is very sad to see all the wreckage. It really hit home seeing camps like Dean Cow which I had camped and climbed at when I was there, now destroyed.
RRT’s new gear rental program gives opportunity to the new adventure seeker. With RRT’s professional gear guidance and rental service you can be side by side with seasoned thrill seekers and look like the pro of the group. We now rent gear from top name brands like MSR, Black Diamond, Thermarest, Osprey, Sea To Summit, and Sierra Designs.
The Sheltowee trail runs 323 miles from northern boundary of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, Kentucky to the southern boundary of Big South Fork NRRA in Scott County, Tennessee. The STA, is a 501(c)3 non-profit association with the purpose of achieving the formation of a highly functional cross-state recreation trail. This includes trail maintenance, building, and markings.
You shouldn’t have to challenge your kid to play sixty minutes a day you should try to get them to sit down for only sixty minutes a day. I would have never had the tools and mindset to complete the entire Appalachian Trail without these experiences.
Did you know that when carrying a phone in your pocket, you’re also carrying a piece of gorilla habitat? Cell phones contain an ore in them called coltan, which is mined in endangered gorilla habitat in Africa.
If you would have asked me to describe the outdoors community a few years ago, I would have had no idea how to do that. I probably would have guessed something along the lines of a rugged lumberjack or described a scene you might find on the front of a Mountain House Meal packet. The truth is, it’s a much larger group than what most people think.
