Last Rambler

Summer is here officially and it's the season that marks the end of certain things. The end of school for another year. The end of work for a while and the beginning of summer vacation. This summer I'm also marking the end of two things that have been important to me for many years.

Last Friday I went to the old YM-YWCA on Hazen Avenue for the last time. As you know the Y is moving to a new temporary location in Prince Edward Square Mall. The old building that was put up the same year I was born in 1954, has a date with the wreckers ball. It's coming down to make way for a new Justice Complex to be built on the site.

I've been a member of the Y for most of the last 15 years. I would visit the facility almost every weekday to go for a run or work out on the equipment or just enjoy a relaxing sauna in the steam room. And every time I'd go, I'd meet friends there. Going to the Y was the break in the day that I always looked forward to. I'll still go to the Y and I'm sure the new facility will be nice but I'll still miss the old place.

For about as long as I've been going to the YM-YWCA, I've been writing this column. I can't remember when it started but it has to be close to 15 years ago. It feels like it anyway. This column is going to be the last River Valley Rambler. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing a regular column in the River Valley News. I'm just making a change.

If you've checked the blog recently at rivervalleyrambler.com you will have noticed another name and links to another site called Doing Stuff Outdoors. It's the home of another project I've started that includes a regular audio podcast and soon I hope, an on-line video program about outdoor adventure and recreation. It's a place to find audio and video adventures for outdoor enthusiasts. And I'd like to expand the site to include more written content and photographs. I realize I can't do everything and managing that project along with writing regular columns and other content for the River Valley Rambler blog is just becoming too difficult.

So starting with the next edition of the paper I'm changing the name of the column from River Valley Rambler to Doing Stuff Outdoors. It's not really a stretch since most of the things I've written about here over the years have had something to do with the outdoors. This allows me to better focus my energies in an area that I'm really interested in and I hope you are too. In addition to this column about outdoor activities in this area, I'll also be posting other outdoor related content from all over the world on the site at doingstuffoutdoors.com. This is in addition to the podcast that I hope you'll listen to and subscribe to in iTunes and other podcast directories.

And as for the River Valley Rambler... well it isn't disappearing altogether. The site on the internet will still be there. I like to think of it now as the retro-rambler. Over the years I've written over 360 rambler columns, almost one for every day of the year. I'm going to go through these past columns and post some of what I think to be the more interesting ones and give you another chance to read them. Maybe I'll put all 361 of them on-line. They'll be updated on a regular basis. So be sure to check out the site at rivervalleyrambler.com.

So this is the end of some things and a new beginning for others. I've enjoyed being the River Valley Rambler for these many years and I look forward to continuing and building on that tradition by writing about outdoors people, places, adventures, fitness, gear and many, many other topics.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-09 Podcast

In this edition of DSO, the adventure podcast for outdoor enthusiasts we’re going to meet a man who combines his love of art with his passion for the outdoors. Cory Trepanier is a painter who throughout his career has expressed his artistic vision by painting some aspect of the outdoors. Often he brings his whole family with him on these excursions into the wilderness. His latest project is a three year expedition into the Canadian north. It’s called ‘Into the Arctic: An Artists Journey to the North’. He’s also produced a television documentary about his family adventure that includes spectacular scenery, frightening storms and encounters with grizzly bears. Cory Trepanier is our feature interview today on
Doing Stuff Outdoors.

Lorne Blagdon returns with another edition of Trail Magic, his ongoing series about life hiking the Appalachian Trail. This week he talks about how bad thru-hikers smell after days and weeks on the trail. He comments on the pain of blisters and how some stores along the trail try to gouge hikers. But when the going gets tough is when the real trail magic happens.

Next week we have a special tenth anniversary show on DSO. For program number ten we’re going whitewater kayaking in the world famous Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick. It’s the second annual Reverse Freestyle Kayak and BoaterX competition bringing together the best freestyle kayakers from the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and Maine. We’ll take in the action and meet some of the paddlers. Be sure to join us on the next edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-08 Podcast

Today on Doing Stuff Outdoors, the adventure podcast for outdoor enthusiasts, we meet a man who's experienced adventure close up. Ray Zahab is a Canadian adventure racer, ultra-marathoner, rock climber, coach and motivational speaker. In 2006 Ray along with two others embarked on an epic 111 day, 7000 km run across the Sahara Desert. It's an amazing story and Ray Zahab will share it with us on this podcast.

On All Things Outdoors we'll tell you about a new highway being built to the base camp of Mount Everest, we'll talk a little about hiking sandals and we'll tell you about the 'Patch', a special place in the mountains where snow lingers late into the summer.

We also have interesting correspondence from listeners in Australia and the UK. If you want to contact DSO with your comments, story suggestions or just to say hi, you can reach us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

Doing Stuff Outdoors-07 Podcast

On this weeks show we'll take you for a kayak paddle on the mighty St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada. For part of its run this river forms the border between Maine and New Brunswick before it empties into the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world. Gary introduces us to his home-made sea kayak and his favorite river.

Also this week running guru Alex Coffin is back with some advice for people who want to make the switch from walking to running. He'll have some tips on how to make the transition without injury.

On 'All Things Outdoors', the new name of our news package we'll look at one possible impact of global warming.

And we'll share an email with a listener from Australia who's getting ready for the ski season down under.

Featured Podsafe Music this week is from Brian Turner.

Next time on Doing Stuff Outdoors we will have a feature interview with a man who ran across the Sahara Desert.

Send along your comments and suggestions to doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

Rivers and Runs

It was hot and humid in Saint John today and I expected the same when I headed home to GBW. Instead the wind picked up and the temperature started dropping. The clouds rolled in and by the time I got in the house I started closing windows. I don't know what gives with the weather anymore but I'll take the heat anytime I can get it. Had it been as nice as it was this afternoon I likely would have taken the kayak to Westfield Beach for an evening paddle. You can do things like come home from work and paddle for an hour when you live in a place like this. I know people in Toronto who would love to be able to do that.

So no fun on the river tonight but the old St. John is looking good. I was at the ferry landing a couple of days ago and the new development is looking good too. The building is up although not yet finished. The parking lot is paved and the landscaping is underway. The new river centre is supposed to open some time in July. I'm still not sure exactly what will be in there initially. I know the town's tourist information centre is vacating the caboose and moving into the new river centre or trailhead building or whatever it's officially being called. I hear eventually there will be some food services in there. And a kayak/canoe rental operation is also supposed to be somewhere on site. Whatever it houses it'll be a welcome addition to the community.

If you're coming on July 1st for the Canada Day Half Marathon you can check out the new development as you run by the ferry landing. The run this year promises to be bigger and better than ever. Organizers are hoping for 500 entries. As usual the run begins and ends at the River Valley Community Centre. In addition to the half marathon, 10k and 5k there will be a special nordic walking category in the 10 k event. Nordic walking is walking with the help of poles. It's the newest fitness craze because it also gives your arms and upper body a good workout. And of course the 5 and 10 k events are also open to walkers so you don't have to be a runner to participate. The race begins at 9:00 am with the awards ceremony scheduled for 11:30. All the money raised this year goes to support the building of a running track at River Valley Middle School.

So it doesn't get any better than celebrating Canada Day with a run by the river in Grand Bay-Westfield and then going for a paddle or a swim in the river. My Toronto friends are jealous.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-06 Podcast

In this weeks show we go to Scotland for a feature interview with Cameron McNeish. He’s a wilderness hiker, backpacker, author and broadcaster. With 16 books to his credit and appearances on many outdoor radio and television programs for the BBC, Cameron is one of the UK’s best known mountain walkers and commentators. In this edition of ‘Doing Stuff Outdoors’ Cameron talks about his life in the Scottish Highlands, his love of wild places, his work as an environmentalist, his many adventures in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and his joy of being able to walk in the footsteps of his role model, John Muir. Check out his website and podcast at The Wilderness World of Cameron McNeish.

Also on the program Lorne Blagdon shares some more Trail Magic with us. This time he takes us to Springer Mountain in Georgia for the start of his through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. He’ll tell us how to survive encounters with poison ivy, heavy rain and big bears.

Also outdoor news about the sale of two major ski areas in Maine, Sunday River and Sugarloaf USA. And we’ll tell you how you can be a part of the show. We want to hear your stories of adventure in the great outdoors. Tell us about that mountain you climbed, that beautiful trail you hiked, your last kayak trip or the crazy thing that happened to you when you went for a walk in the park. Just email us and tell us how to get in touch with you and we’ll give you a call. We want you to be on ‘Doing Stuff Outdoors’. It’s your show about your outdoor adventures.

Email us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Odeo, Podcast Alley or other podcast directories.

Doing Stuff Outdoors-05 Podcast

We’re trying to get the show out a little earlier each week so it’s available by the weekend; since many of the topics we cover on Doing Stuff Outdoors are activities many people do on weekends.

So on this edition… a feature interview with Lou Dawson. He is a writer and photographer who specializes in writing about backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering, and is well known as the first man to ski down all 54 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. Lou is the author of Dawson’s Guides to Colorado’s Fourteener’s, several other books, and numerous magazine articles. In 2005 Lou was inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame. Lou Dawson’s popular website and blog is called www.WildSnow.com. In the interview Lou tells Gary about his early morning backcountry ski trips into the mountains and his life as a ‘total outdoorsman’.

Alex Coffin is back with another running tip. He has some suggestions for those fair weather runners who hibernate all winter and then grab the sneakers come spring.

In outdoor news we have the story of a hero on Mount Everest and good early season snowfalls in Australia.

Our music this week includes two good podsafe tunes from Citizen Six and Brain Bucket.

Next time on Doing Stuff Outdoors we’ll visit the Wilderness World of Cameron McNeish. We’ll have a feature interview with mountaineer, lecturer and author Cameron McNeish, long recognised as one of Britain’s best-known outdoor commentators.