N.Y.C.

Last weekend, I hitched a ride on the gravy train to New York City with the fabulous Luke Spencer and distinguished Jed Weingarten. Check them out on the Today Show interview featuring Luke's 70 ft plunge over Outlet Falls and Jed's photos of the stunning free fall that turned heads all over the world. Merideth and Matt ohh'ed and ahh'ed with concern for our boy and Matt even gave Luke a loving pat on the knee- grateful for his surviving the icy plunge.

Needless to say, New York was an eye full and this was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget. We must have walked over 20 miles from Wall Street to China Town. We took the subway, stayed at the uber posh Essex Hotel, jogged in Central Park, ate Pizza, and on the last night, (on the DL) we crept up to the roof of our fancy hotel and snapped a shot for Next Adventure. See all the pics at www.nextadventure.net.

River of Action PDX- 350.org

I headed down to the river today to help support the paddlesports community in making a statement for climate change.  All facets of the paddlesports community came out to create a floating "350" on the Willamette River in downtown PDX.  Over 100 paddlecraft where on the water.  Next Adventure supplied 13 boats for individuals that wanted to be a part of the action, but didn't have their own watercraft.  We couldn't have asked for better weather and a better group of people on the water.  A big thanks to Andy Maser for organizing this action that will hopefully help to let people know that things need to change to save our way of life on this planet.  Check out the details of this action and others across the globe at 350.org.

(Next Adventure showed up with a bunch of boats to help get more paddlers out on the water.  A big thanks to Northwest River Guides, Kayak Shed, Nash SUP, and Alder Creek for supporting the event with various watercraft.)

(Organized chaos as paddlers assembled just south of the Burnside Bridge.)

(The first attempt at creating the 350 actually worked really well.)

(Attempt 2 worked as well, but the "0" was having trouble with the increasing outgoing tide.)

(This was the third and final attempt.  It worked really well and was well placed on the river for media coverage from the Burnside Bridge.  The "0" had some issues, but all in all a huge success.)

(It was great to see WW, Rec., Touring, Sea, Canoe, SUP, and even Hobie pedal/sailing paddlers all get together to support a common cause.)

(The view from the top right hand corner of the number "5", as seen by Julie Borsetti.)

(Rod, Nate, Heather, and many others enjoying a great day for climate change out on the Willematte.)

(The mass of paddlers headed back to the PDX boathouse.)

(Photos by Bryon Dorr, On water Photos by Julie Borsetti)

Indian Heaven Backpacking

Last Friday I went backpacking on short trip to Indian Heaven Wilderness with my friends Megan and Harmony and their two dogs Olive and Elly. As expected, the scenery was amazing in this pocket of wilderness, and though there were a lot of cars at the trailhead, we saw surprisingly few people.

We started out Friday afternoon hiking past Thomas Lake, just one of the hundreds of small lakes all around here. The fall colors were out in strength! We made good time after a late start and got to Blue Lake just before sunset. And it lives up to it's name. With the remaining daylight we set up camp and built a nice fire. The temp dropped a bit more than expected, and as well equipped as we were the heat was appreciated. Even the dogs curled up in the orange glow.

Dinner started with elk and salmon jerky, followed by plain old freeze-dried backpacking meals. The appetizers were awesome. And actually, for packaged "just add hot water" dehydrated food, those backpacking meals are getting better and better every year.

The next morning we left camp set up and struck out on day hike to check out some more lakes. We made our way around East Crater, and came to Junction Lake. By this time the wind was whipping up pretty good, and the waves across these little lakes were impressive to watch!

Back to camp, where we broke it down and started out back to the cars. On the way down we passed some incredibly well equipped backpackers- they had a llama to carry their gear! It was a pretty cool site, and looked like fun. Maybe next time?

Deschutes Rocks

Mt. Hood was lost in the clouds as Doug and I drove over it, heading East. The peaks of Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters were visible to the south. We bounced along a rough remote road and arrived at the Marmot Adventure Camp just in time for Stewart, Gavin and Ryan to serve up a hearty scrambled egg breakfast, with Peet's coffee out of Jetboil presses.

A brief drizzle was followed by a sunbreak, a pattern that would repeat itself over the day. Doug and I chatted with reps and other folks in the outdoor recreation industry, and met Tommy Caldwell.
Then we took off for the crags, about a mile and a half from camp along a rails to trails path.
Doug and the others shot up to the cliffs while I explored further along the trail.

Doug slacklining ... the trail to the crags ... Doug at the approach trail

Turning back, I climbed the approach trail and joined the climbers high above the river

Tommy Caldwell ... Doug climbing

Then we headed back to camp as it grew dark. We were treated to another great dinner with beverages and more good company. Later on, Tommy C presented a slideshow.

It started raining during the slideshow, and rained all night. The rocks were too wet to climb, so everyone slept in. The rain let up for breakfast, and after breakfast, most departed, but Doug and I and some others stuck around to help pack up camp.
Then it was back on the road heading east. The night's rain had brought snow to higher elevations. Mt Hood was all white. Snow, people. SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!

Winter Kingdom is coming!

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submitted by Greg Hill 10/9/2009

Next Adventure @ The 2009 Hab/Rec Fall Open!

Welcome to the 2009 Hab/Rec fall open! Disc golfers from all over Oregon look forward to this event every season, now in its 8TH year held at the amazing Milo McIver state park. The NA Flight Team was their in full force, with Brice and I playing the tournament and Bryan cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs for hungry disc golfers, it was great day!

The legendary hab/rec T-shirt. I think this was my fourth.

McIver's fairways are full of beautiful landscapes like this one. the park boast 36 holes of pure disc golf!
Tournament director Patrick Buckley works hard every year to put on a good show.
McIver is truly a golf course with par 3's, 4's, and 5's ranging from a small par 3 at 175 feet to a monster par 5 at 1180 feet! wow!

Narrow fairways with lots of trees can get even the veteran disc golfer into trouble.

This event was my last of the season and it's a great tourney to end it on. I didn't shoot as well as i hoped to, but i had great time hanging out with good friends and throwing disc. I played more tournament golf this year then ever and had a great time doing it and can't wait to get started next season. until then this is Joey Baggadonutz signing out...Grip it and rip it!

Summery September Summary

PCT Trail Days -
I woke up on an island in the Columbia River, greeted by an otter and a great blue heron. I had camped out on the Cascade Locks Marine Park's Thunder Island following the festivities of the Pacific Trail Association's PCT Trail Days, sponsored by Next Adventure. Many thru-hikers were there: Clint hitched back from Snoqualamie, and Caitlin put in a long day on the trail to make it. Jake, David K, Dave and I joined Andrew, Dana and other to rep for NA. That means Thunder and Lightnin' were there, too.
Tons of schwag, beverages, and a screening Squatch's PCT movie made for a great event.

Washougal Dike Hike -
The 90 year-old hiker who fell 60 feet from a Gorge trail last May is hiking again.
Carroll Dubaur called me up to invite me along on a hike. After four months of recovery, he is back on the trail again, hiking every week with his group, the Hotliners -- the youngest member of which is 75. You may recall the story of the 90 year-old hiker that fell in the Gorge last May. (link to "Prepared" blog). Carroll has been regularly hiking in the Northwest for over 60 years, and it was an honor and a pleasure to accompany him as we strolled along the Washougal Dike.

Backpack Above Timberline -
Ah ... Four days camping at high elevation on Mt Hood, backpacking from McNeil Point to Barrett Spur along the Timberline Trail. The huckleberries, the late-season wildflowers, the wildlife and the solitude of off-season, off-peak back-country travel. Just me and the mountain, immersed in nature. Even saw a bear. Highest elevation was 7860 feet, and though I only hiked about 20 miles total, I did gain (and lose) over 7000 feet. A great trip.

Mt Hood Elderhostel Hikes -
Four more days of hiking, including: Wildwood, Salmon River, Timothy Lake, Little Crater Lake, Laurel Hill, Mirror Lake, Tamanawas Falls and Trillium Lake. It is always a treat to stay (and eat!) at the Collins retreat center in Eagle Creek. It makes for a great base camp for exploring the mountain. Lots of mushrooms coming up, and the salmon are spawning. The Equinox fell on the 22nd. All told, I hiked about 24 miles over the week.

Big Next Adventure Tent Sale -
A new dusting of snow turned the upper mountain white just in time for the big Next Adventure Tent Sale last weekend, though things sure were still summery in the valley. With the warehouse clearance sale, the opening of the new Paddle Sports Center, and the season changeover in the store, we're keeping busy at NA.
The rains have returned for now, but we'll probably get a chance of some more fair weather in October. Time for a few more hikes, at least. But the rains will come back again, and they'll bring more snow to the mountain.
When the snow does come, we'll be ready for it at Next Adventure.
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submitted 9/30/2009 by Greg Hill

NA Flight Team lands @ Ft. Steilacoom Tradition!

Hey gang! this past weekend the NA flight Team competed in the 2009 Autumn Tradition! held at the beautiful Ft. Steilacoom disc golf course outside of Tacoma, Washington. This was our first trip to Steilacoom and it definitely won't be the last. Steili is famous for its multiple tee pads, basket placements, and tricky layouts. Making it difficult to navigate the 36 awesome holes for the non-local. This might be the best course in washington!


The bags were fully locked and loaded ready to shred the amazing 36 hole layout for the tourney!


This was an old practice basket, disc golf has come a long way!

One of the coolest trophies I've ever seen!


89 competitors came out for the weekend and got there share of birdies and bogeys.

Local Portland golfer and good friend Jeff Hagerty got himself a 1st place trophy in pro-masters.



A big thank you to the Tournament Director Mike Rideout who put on a awesome event and let the flight team sleep at his house! you rock mike!

Kind of looks like Pier park here.


Brice mentally preparing with a bagel.

Another great tourney in the bag and something to look forward to next year.

NA Flight Teams next stop Hab/Rec @ Milo, Oct 3rd. Hope to see you all there!

Grip it and rip it!