Meet the MULES
Day 13: ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Diane Van Deren had lots of company on Day 13 of her thru-trek of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Starting with a 5 a.m. visit with the local police. “Out for...
Day 22: 24 miles to go
10:40 p.m. Diane Van Deren logged 39 miles today, a “recovery day,” leaving her 24 miles to go Friday to reach Jockey’s Ridge. Her plan is to be back on...
Day 11: An ‘easy’ 30 miles
May 20, 2012 Diane Van Deren took it easy today. She only covered 30 miles on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. “Our goal today was to get her rested up,” said Joel...
Day 10: A horse race to Horse Gap
Diane Van Deren knows she’s had a good day on the trail when that day stretches late into the night. That’s good, because that means her feet, which have been...
Van Deren gets her feet back
May 18, 2012 On the first two days of the MST Endurance Run, Diane Van Deren covered more than 110 miles. Then, the relentlessly technical trail and rainy weather started...
Kids These Days....
Driving to the trailhead I wondered if we’d packed enough cold gear. Snow had been reported at Wilburn Ridge with an overnight low in the 20’s. My buddy and I...
WaterTribe NC Challenge Follow Up: Team Whynot
More photos @ Flickr.com/mulepics The WaterTribe NC Challenge started off on a beautiful morning with a picturesque sunrise and calm, flat waters. The scene was set: racers were readying their...
WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge
UPDATE: Follow Up Report Team Whynot I’m not sure if it started as a dare or a joke, but when Dave and I decided it was time to sink our...
Raleigh's First Nature Preserve
Providing Raleigh with a "new sense of place" Raleigh received a precious gift today. Our first Nature Preserve. The benefactress was accustomed to making special deliveries such as the Park...
NCKFA Tournament Report
On Saturday, 30 April GOPC kayak fishing team members Bo Anders, Tim Stewart, Drew Haerer, and Mike Callahan joined me for the 1st Annual North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association (NKCFA)...
The Rewards of Kayak Fishing
by Ashley “The Drumminator” Williams, GOPC Kayak Fishing Team This weekend was the perfect example to take full advantage of all the benefits kayak fishing has when searching the saltwater...
Paul Marsh -- Friend & Patagonia Pioneer
by Tom Valone, owner of Great Outdoor Provision Co. I last saw Paul on his last sales swing thru our territory this past summer. He was bent over, limped, coughed...
RiverBassin Tournament Report
On Saturday, April 2, I loaded up my Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 13 fishing kayak and headed to the Catawba River just above the Hwy 27 bridge in Mt. Holly,...
Hey y'all watch this! – A Story From Tom Valone
Tom at Haw River 1975 GOPC Owner Tom Valone recalls the early days Circa 1975. GOPC founder Tom Valone in his Chuck Taylors at the Haw Rivers steel bridge take...
Hard Core Kayak Fishing Tournament
Late in the summer I decided to enter in my first kayak fishing tournament. I have kayak fished off and on for several years, mostly fly fishing, but have recently...
Climbing Linville Gorge 1974
This photo was taken in February of 1974 (check out the jacket in 2010 below). My math says 36 years ago! That was a Sunday morning, and the Trail Shop...
Raleigh Native to Climb Everest
Update: James and his teammate Steve summited Everest North Side safely on May 23 at 5:30 a.m. He wrote “It was the craziest weather season, causing a very short window...
Paddling Trip to Charleston
Wilmington Staff member, Robert Smith, has embarked on a paddle excursion to Charleston, SC. (He had planned a 200 mile trip starting at Lake Waccamaw, but had a change of...