Launch out on your Summer adventure, with help from Rock/Creek and Mountain Hardwear, who proudly present your official "Passport to the Outdoors."

Don't wait till the end of summer to start! You have until September 1, 2009 for the chock-full of fun passport to be your guide through adventures with friends and families. Every one is encouraged to complete activities to earn entries into a GRAND PRIZE SWEEPSTAKES.

Here is what you do to get started: Stop by Rock/Creek's Downtown Two North Shore store or Hamilton Place store during store hours, and pick up the bursting with adventure passport. Each time you complete one of the 5 activities, come back to Rock/Creek, with your passport in hand to receive the approval stamp, and commence to the next activity. But the rewards don't stop there. Mountain Hardwear wants to acknowledge participant's efforts, by pairing a product offer or free item with every completed activity.

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James Wilde grew up in Raleigh, NC, graduated from NCSU and has traveled the world. In 2001 he set out on a personal journey with the first step being in Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. That journey continues to take James to the ends of the planet has he attempts to climb the seven continental summits. To date he has climbed five of those seven summits with plans to climb Everest in 2010 and then Kosciusko (Australia). Join us at the Raleigh Shop on Thursday, July 16 - 7pm, to hear James speak about his travels and plans for Everest. Click here to read more about James

Mark your calendar for June 27, 2009! The Great American Backyard Campout provides an opportunity for everyone to relive — or to experience for the first time — how much fun it is to spend a night sleeping under the stars and enjoying the sounds of nature.

Held each June, the Great American Backyard Campout is a national event that encourages individuals, youth, friends and families to camp out together for one night.

Each year the number of campers has steadily grown. The locations and types of campsites vary from family campouts in the backyard to public campsites with 30 or more community members. In previous years, campers have ranged in age from 3 months to 99 years old and have come from all areas of the United States.

Learn more at nwf.org/backyardcampout

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"Coach Lee" Simril, the third place overall finisher of the marathon length in the Scenic City Marathon and Half Marathon, shares his impression of the recent race, presented by Rock/Creek and The Vasque Project. Coach Lee's wife Brenda also won the women's division of the Marathon.

The Scenic City Trail Marathon was promoted as a fast trail race...

"The trails at Raccoon are fast and forgiving, making for a great leisurely race for new trail runners or a full-on speed fest for those in the hunt for the first state record for a trail race."

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By Dave Baker, Owner Summit Hut

A trip up the Sutherland Trail from Catalina State Park to the top of Mt. Lemmon is a challenging hike! For starters, the word “trail” may not be an appropriate descriptor for the route. The first five miles are pretty easy to follow; a beautifully maintained trail leaves the parking spot at Catalina State Park, but after following a jeep road and power line for a while, the trail quickly deteriorates as it begins a steep climb up the flanks of Sutherland Ridge. The next 3.5 miles of trail are very challenging to stay on; often a bush whack route decorated with small rock cairns that are all too easy to miss in the heavy brush and among numerous rock outcrops.

And then there’s the elevation gain: about 6,300 feet vertical from the trailhead at Catalina State Park to the parking spot on top of Mt. Lemmon. That’s a big climb! (Hike from the Colorado River to the North Rim and you knock off 5,800 feet, while the famed hike up Mt Whitney comes in at 6,100 feet.)

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Summit Hut has implemented a “100 days of Service” community service program, an alternative transportation program for staff & a bag refusal program for shoppers who decline a bag with purchases.

As a retailer that promotes human-powered outdoors and adventure experiences, Summit Hut understands the importance of protecting and preserving our environment.  This understanding informs every aspect of our business. In May of 2009, Summit Hut completed the implementation of a Greenbacks program that was developed by an internal team to highlight and increase the things we as a company were doing to promote awareness of the environment. Along with things we have been doing for years, (see our entire Environmental Values statement) including having our stores’ energy usage offset by wind power since 2005, we established three new programs as the centerpieces of our efforts.

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Through free clinics, monthly seminars and highly successful Adventure Expo gatherings held at the store, Midwest Mountaineering is succeeding in its mission to connect people with the outdoors and this year it received the SNEWS / Backpacker Retailer of the Year Award for Best in Growth of Outdoor Sports.

By now, outdoor enthusiasts in the Midwest have become very familiar with the adventures of Johnson and his wife Sharon. Each year, they present to the public the highlights of three or four of their trips, and offer detailed instruction on how others can follow in their footsteps.

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(Chattanooga, TN)- Locally-owned specialty outdoor retailer Rock/Creek today announces a $5,000 donation for The Boonies, the latest in a string of donations stemming from the Rock/Creek Trail Series. The Boonies will use the money to help run future events as well as secure access to single track trails. These funds came from last Saturday morning's third annual Scenic City Trail Marathon and Half Marathon, presented by Vasque PROJECT and Rock/Creek. Other contributing sponsors include SmartWool, Marmot, The North Face, and Hammer Nutrition. Local sponsors include Greenlife Grocery and Cleveland Toyota. Continue Reading »

At Great Outdoor Provision Co. we celebrate the protection of the lands, waters and wildlife of North Carolina. “Vote For Land” gives you the opportunity to join us in these conservation efforts. CLICK HERE to select one of the projects as your choice to win the generous $3000 grant provided by our sponsors: Marmot, Mountain Khakis, ExOfficio and TS Designs.

Thanks for your support of wild, open spaces!

by Gwen Crabtree, Charlotte Staff

I took the opportunity to kayak at Landsford Canal State Park this afternoon to check out the spider lillies and get in some time on moving water. I’m still new to the moving water side of kayaking and really enjoyed the trip because it gave me a chance to practice some whitewater skills. The lillies are in full bloom and the view is great from a kayak.

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