Spring's capricious weather and the return of Rad-getting...

Capricious - a sudden and unaccountable change (often in relation to mood or behaivour)

Remember calling your friends "Flakey"
Yeah, its like that.  But the WEATHER didn't promise to come to your house party, or pick you up to go surfing, or bring you back an iced coffee. Neither did the weatherman. Weather PERSON?

I remember a day in San Diego as a teen, when the weather had called for epic storms, and my Dad and I ran into the weather man from the local news station in front of a particularly sunny Home Depot. My Pops gave his usual wise-ass joking to the effect of "Hey, how bout this storm, huh?!" and the weather dude just shrugged...

Mother nature has shrugged a LOT this spring in the high country.  This morning, as most of the bike-only are want to do, I went straight to the window to look out.  Still the most accurate weather report - just look up! Another constant drizzle!  I just started laughing out loud.  Only 12 hours after yesterday's epic day off with My Awesome.

the usual enthusiasm for ANY thing!!

recent rains means healthy streams, and no less than 6 shoe and sock removals on the way...

upper Crag Prong Falls

bottom of Crag Prong Falls

cause you Only Live RHODO!

Ladies and Germs, Hunt Fish Falls...

Before and After a very cold skinny dip, followed by a fully nakey slip, fall and slide back into cold waters by yours truly, scary and comical. #onlyonesathuntfishfalls

An 8 mile hike does not mean going without a 3 o'clock espresso!

But the rain subsided early and an easy commute home from an easy lunch shift ensued.
Tomorrows forecast - there' s no way to know - well just have to wake up, go outside, and look up.

Showers bring May..... yadah yadah yadah....
Loni is just glad to be out...as am I!!

more pics at #surroundedandlost, #50mileradiusadventures
S.

What 50 MileRadiusAdventures is all about...

  So after posting the picture of my application for an assumed business name, I got a lot of questions and comments about what folks thought 50 Mile Radius is or should be.  I started to feel like I was building a bigger list of what it ISN'T rather than a concise statement as to what it IS. 

Sooooo here it is.... The definitive (yet classically flexible, classically Me) definition of what I hope 50 Mile Radius Adventures can become this year.

Its all about being a Steward...

...not THAT kind of Stewart!

Trail Stewardship. Simply put, I want to make sure that the places and activities I love, the very places that feed my soul, whether hiking, biking, walking, sitting, camping, strolling, skipping, swimming, floating, sleeping, or just passing through - that these places stay enjoyably open and free of garbage! 
 - If you love being outside like I do - if a simple walk on a protected green way, or an epic week long adventure are the kinds of things you get a tingle in your shorts about - this is for you.  

Its about trash on the trails...

...Not THAT kind of trash!



 - If when you are out getting RAD in the water, in the dirt, on a steep twisty road and the SIGHT OF TRASH gets you down, bums you out, if you have ever thought "Why would someone leave TRASH here!?" and ESPECIALLY if you have ever picked it up and carried it out - then this is DEFINITELY for you!  
 - If you have ever moved someplace new, or visited someplace old, and wondered why everyone was spending so much time in cars, why it isn't safer to cycle to your favorite cafe, lunch spot, or pub, this is a place where we GET THAT!  
 - If you have ever wanted to get your like minded friends, your bike gang, you hiker pals, or your paddling posse together for a fun event, for a slow paced group adventure easy enough so folks can bring kids and dogs, and where carrying a beer to share makes perfect sense, if you have ever wanted to get a user group together and actually MAKE A DIFFERENCE this is absolutely a place where you can feel home.

Stewardship is defined as...

the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially :  the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care <stewardship of natural resources>

...and it is the best way for me to sum up how I feel about the places I love in the High Country of North Carolina.  But its not just about where I live - its about where WE ALL live.  My lovely friend Holly has started to tag on Instagram #50mileradiusBaltimore when she gets a quick break from her very busy first year as a nurse to get out and love the places she loves outdoors.  She is a Trail Steward - I've seen it!  In its classic definition a community is much more nuclear that we all now feel, with internet access in remote places, and little computers on our phones in our pockets, with BookFace and Instagram, Sshnapschmat, and whatever else we are using a community can now be lightyears away physically and still feel close.  Community is important to me and my personal desire to stay connected to amazing, and rare friends all over the country and in Europe has allowed me to embrace some technologies to keep the feeling alive.

I will this blogity-blog, and INSTAGRAM, linked to BookFace to post the places I go, the work I am trying to get done, the invites for you to join me, the events I plan on throwing, the new ways in which I am going to try to bring small local businesses into the mix, and the opportunities for us to all continue GETTING RAD and to make a socially conscious impact while we do.

50 Mile Radius Adventures
Sustainable. Experience.

Its about getting outside, to PLAY. Its about making sure the places we love stay RAD. Its about leaving it better than you found it, and sharing it with others.

Thanks for joining me,
Scott.