Hikers Explore

Let me be honest, when we are on the road, getting active with the kids happens organically. Mountain biking trails are usually right out our door, or amazing hiking options, or lakes to paddle. Our small living space also forces us outside more.

However, when we are home (like we’ve been for the last week and a half) I have to get more creative. It is hotter out and the lure of cooler air conditioning draws us indoors. Many hiking and biking trails are further away than when we are camped next door. A 45 minute drive is often enough for me to cancel. �

Next week we are launching the second annual Kid’s Moving Miles Week and I’d love you you all to join us!

It’s no secret that many kids just aren’t moving enough anymore. Between the lure of screens to a fear of letting them roam more freely, kids are spending more time indoors and less time outdoors moving. While finding a solution is huge and involves a widespread commitment from our society in general, we are doing our part this year to start helping where it matters most – at home!

The “Kids Moving Miles!” challenge is a spur off our wildly successful 365 Mile Challenge, running throughout 2019. It’s a response to parents, but most importantly, KIDS who want in too. And since our larger goal is “families outside and healthy”, we couldn’t ignore that plea AND wanted to reach as many kids as possible.

What it is:

• A mini challenge just for KIDS to go a self-powered mile a day for a week.
• A kick-off to summer (and hopefully a boost to get out and moving!)
• Daily emails delivered to families (and then passed on to kids) for encouragement and ideas on how and where to get moving!
• Giveaways just for kids announced in emails (all signed up kids/families are eligible!)
• A FREE digital magazine offered to all participants.
• Finishers certificate for every finisher!

When:

June 24-30

Sign Up HERE

The Four Day Summit Climb team led by RMI Guides Mike King and Chase Nelson reached Ingraham Flats today.  High winds and a cloud cap kept the team from the summit, but they were able to get a bit of climbing in as they made their to the flats. The team will be starting their descent and be back at Rainier Basecamp in the early afternoon.

Congratulations Team!

We’ve all had the dream: buy a cool 70 Series or Defender, ship it to some exotic destination, and explore the world. Many of us spend hours, hell even days, browsing the depths of classified sections hoping to stumble upon that perfect truck here in the states. Unfortunately, when we do find it, the fairy tale often falls apart. Since these trucks are rare breeds in North America, the prices are exorbitant, the condition is often poor, and the buyer pool is huge. Those who actually pony up the cash to purchase their dream vehicle anyway then encounter pre-trip maintenance, shipping costs, and the logistics of sending a vehicle overseas. Thus, the vehicle usually ends up sitting here in North America, until it is eventually sold to the next dreamer. Let’s break that cycle.

Instead of purchasing a truck here in North America and paying for someone else’s import, why not buy it overseas and take your dream trip? Then if you really love the truck, you can ship it back home. Expedition Portal’s own Christian Pelletier did this some time ago, and now that beautiful pop-top troop carrier is back up for sale and ready for a new adventure. It is currently located in Belgium, and although the owner states he can ship it from the nearby port, we’re thinking a proper trip across Europe, Africa, or Asia are in order first. Check out the details and video below, and start dreaming of your journey!

Toyota Land Cruiser Troopie 2H Diesel Trekka Conversion—wants to go travelling.

It’s with a heavy heart that I’m thinking of selling my 1988 (25 years old) Toyota HJ75 2H 6-cylinder diesel Troopie with Trekka camper conversion.

I only used her once last year and have no plans for a road trip next year longer than two weeks. With work commitments. I don’t see that changing.

The truck spent her first 20 years in Australia when Christian Pelletier from the EXPO Portal bought her, shipped her to South Africa, and then ultimately drove her to Europe. I then spent two years getting European approval and implementing modifications and restoration work.

She’s ready to go anywhere. There are 308,000 kilometres on the clock, the transmission was rebuilt in SA, and I’ve changed many of the consumables over the last years.

She’s done Australia, Cape Town to London, Belgium to the Arctic Circle, and now she needs to go to the Americas.

I’m asking €11,500, roughly $13,000usd.
I’m happy to assist with shipping anywhere in the world and will deliver her to any port in Belgium or Holland. I’m even happy to store the car if you fancy a European/African tour.

My other love is British classic cars and I am happy to take one in exchange, assuming it’s running and can be used for a holiday tour.

1988 HJ75 with original 2H engine.
– 10 litres per 100 kilometres consumption at 100 kph
– Right-hand drive, speedo in KPH, LHD headlights
– Pop-top conversion made by Trekka in Australia when new
– 308,000 kilometres; I’ve driven 10,000 kilometres in nine years
– Rear Kaymar heavy-duty bumper with two wheels; these are Toyota split rims with used BFG AT tyres
– x4 New 235/85R16 BFG A/T tyres on factory Toyota rims
– ARB front bumper with space for winch
– Upgraded swivel seats

.
– Factory snorkel
– Inline water/fuel separator
– two factory fuel tanks (150 litres total)
– two aluminum water tanks underneath with rear faucet and electrical 12V pump. Hot water is via the engine and this is currently removed as is the tank.
– New stove mounted to the rear door, propane tank stored inside (African and European included)
– Kitchen cabinet with storage
– Dual batteries with national Luna battery management (If you plan a trip from here, I’ll supply two new batteries.)
– Rear bench seat that converts into a bed or can carry four passengers and offer plenty of storage. New cushions/ IKEA mattress
– Upper bed is strong and big enough for two.

– Transfer case and driveshaft have been rebuilt in South Africa prior to the trip, aprox 285,000 kilometres (invoices totalling + $5,000).
– Radiator had been replaced, all new water hoses, with old as spares
– Complete suspension rebuild, including leafs professionally rebuilt, 2-inch lift new EFS shocks
– Prop shafts rebuilt, new wheel bearings supplied, new hand brake cable supplied
– European wing mirrors, seat belts, fog light
– Double rear door seals to reduce dust entry
– Currently on Belgium number plates with European certificate of road worthiness (took two years and €1,000 to get)
– All EU Taxes paid

I’m sure I’ve forgotten loads.

Some marks on the bodywork and would benefit from a re-spray. The chassis has light surface rust from being used in Europe, and there is one small patch of body rust which will need attention if keeping in a wet climate—remember, it’s only in the last five years that she’s seen rain. The windscreen will need replacing sometime soon.

I really hope that whomever buys the truck will use her as intended. I’m happy to go the extra mile to make a deal happen, so no scammers or time wasters please.

Email for extra pictures.

Cheers
Matthew

email: [email protected]

Located Gent Belgium Europe

“The Friends of the Smokies are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year,” stated Tricia Maggard, Orvis Sevierville retail manager. “We are pleased our donation will be used to upgrade the park’s emergency radio system, which is a crucial piece of safety equipment every national park needs. We support the group’s ongoing commitment of enhancing Great Smoky National Park for future generations.”

In addition to a $2,000 cash donation from Orvis, the company is challenging their customers to give back, as well. During the month of September, customers donating $10 or more will receive a $10 Orvis savings card (limit one per customer).

There will be an after-hours event in the Orvis Sevierville store, 136 Apple Valley Road, on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, from 6-8 p.m. where the final donations will be awarded to the Friends of the Smokies and partner groups will be raffling Orvis products to help raise additional funds. The public is invited to attend and there will be free refreshments and drawings for Orvis savings cards.

Orvis commits 5% of pre-tax profits to protecting and sustaining the natural world, not only now, but for all who follow.

For more information, please visit Orvis.com.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

Source: http://hikinginthesmokys.blogspot.com/2018/09/orvis-event-to-benefit-friends-of.html

Thanks to all of the hype surrounding Free Solo over the past few months it is understandable if you didn’t know that there was another outstanding climbing documentary that was released last year from Red Bull House productions and Sender Films. The Dawn Wall tells the story of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s ascent of one of the toughest rock face’s the world, a climb that transfixed the world back in 2015. For man, the titular Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite is amongst the most difficult climbs in the world and until Tommy and Kevin did it, no one else had even come close. Now, their film is coming to Netflix on March 5, allowing subscribers to that streaming service to catch this outstanding documentary for the first time. You’ll find the trailer above to give you a sense of what to expect. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you’re going to want to add this to your list of movies to watch soon.

We are proud to be supporting Woodlore Senior Assistant Callum Hilder by stocking his exciting invention, the Elementree Kindler. Callum has designed and built an efficient and safe way of turning the standard sized logs you would find at your local petrol station or have delivered by your firewood merchant, into kindling for your wood-burning stove, firepit, pizza oven or small fireplace. Here is a little insight from Callum as to why he decided to develop this product and about his journey so far:

Elementree Kindler

Kindling or small firewood, and the production of it is a rapidly growing industry here in the UK.

But is it as easy to produce as the professionals make it look? Not for the homeowner and small firewood producer we say!

Elementree Kindler Blanks

I’m sure that at some point we have all pulled the rusty, loose headed axe from the corner of a shed and proceeded to bash into some logs (and the patio) to try and make some kindling – or at least some slightly smaller pieces of log  – whilst maintaining our thumbs… Usually in the dark or when we are tired but want or need a fire – sound familiar?

Well about 5 years ago I got fed up with doing that and since then have been working to produce the Elementree Kindler.

It has taken those 5 years to gain our intellectual property, research and thoroughly test, stress and attempt to break each and every prototype and then launch to market successfully in September 2017 at the Glee trade show, Birmingham. What a journey it’s been!

Elementree Kindler Launch

The Kindler now enables confident and not so confident users to quickly, efficiently and above all, safely produce kindling or small logs.

By placing a log up to 150mm in diameter and 200mm long onto the blades and driving down through with the supplied dead-blow mallet (this has got lead shot in it to give an extra whack) the Kindler produces 4 pieces each time! Easy as that.

Kindler Prototypes

Perfect for getting the fire going, feeding a log burner, pizza oven, firepit or simply amassing piles of kindling!

You can now purchase the Elementree Kindler from the Woodlore online shop!

– Callum Hilder, Senior Assistant

Last spring, you started seeing these shoes everywhere. All the pros had them and they were all over Instagram. Which apparently worked it’s marketing magic, because for several months they were really hard to get. So when I finally got a pair in November, I was eager to see what the fuss was all about. I had heard they were positioned as replacing the Python, though if you were looking for a similar shoe you’ll likely be disappointed, as this is a different beast altogether.

Performance

They are similar in stiffness to the Solution, perhaps a bit softer, which surprised me as I was under the impression they were replacing the Python and would be similarly soft. That being said, they are incredibly versatile. I’ve used them on steep boulder problems in the gym, techy sandstone face climbs and steep thugfests. They are supremely comfortable, although when I used them for a day of less steep terrain while I was breaking them in, my toes were protesting a little bit by the end. There were also times when they weren’t as sensitive as I would have liked for certain smeary moves, but the trade off was being able to stand comfortably on smaller holds that would require more foot power in a softer shoe. The split-sole construction supposedly allows the sole to spread when weighted, reducing edge deformation, though I can’t say that I found this to be something I did or did not notice.

Split sole construction.

One thing I will note, I’ve seen several reviews out there claiming this is a “soft” shoe, and I don’t think that is accurate. In the Sportiva line, it’s stiffer than the Testarossa, Genius and Futura, and quite a bit stiffer than Scarpa models like the Drago, Furia, Chimera and Booster S. Sure there are stiffer shoes out there, but calling the Skwama soft seems misleading to me.

Because I think they are so similar to the Solutions, I’ll point out a couple key differences. The toe on the Solutions is more pointy, and hence better for pockets, but I thought the Skwama was better for standing on small edges. To me, the Skwamas are more comfortable, which I attribute to the unlined leather. The midsole is also thinner on the Skwamas, being .8 mm of Laspoflex versus 1.1mm on the Solutions, and probably the reason they are a little bit more sensitive.

Fit

The single strap closure is simple, easy on easy off. At first they felt pretty tight but they stretched quite a bit, in fact more than any other Sportiva I’ve worn recently. The sizing is a bit wonky, I usually wear a 44.5/45 in Sportiva, but I’m comfortably in a 43.5 in these. Initially I thought maybe they were too small but they broke in very quickly and then I was thinking maybe I could have gone down another half size for mega performance. In the end I think I picked the right size for me. With a narrow foot, I don’t quite fill them out the way a wider foot would, and if you have medium width feet, I imagine these fit perfectly. One other thing to note is that initially they dug into my heel for the first couple times I used them, but that part of the shoe quickly softened up and is no longer an issue.

On my foot, toes are pretty downturned.

Bottom line

I’ve used them in the gym, on local limestone and for the sweet sandstone of Red Rocks. Because they are so supportive, they edge really well, but don’t smear as well as I had hoped. I do find myself reaching for them often, and for an all-around performer, they are an excellent choice. They also buck the trend of all new shoes that are coming out being super expensive, and clock in at a reasonable $165. If you are a fan of the Solutions but want something a little more sensitive, give them a look.

Retail: $165
Sole: 4mm Vibram® XS Grip2
Upper: Leather/microfiber
Lining: Unlined
Ideal use: Steep sport climbing, bouldering
Sizes: 33-46

More info and specs on the La Sportiva website.

Disclaimer: Wait! Before you go handing over your credit card number, ask yourself, do you really need to buy more new stuff? If so, this product is worth a look. In the spirit of full disclosure, it was provided to SplitterChoss.com for the purpose of reviewing. Don’t worry, though, our integrity can’t be bought!