Winter's here, but have no fear if you've got the gear!

by Brian Schwarz

DATELINE DMV -- Winter's not so bad if you've got the gear. Layering is key to comfort when hourly weather changes lead to a faulty internal heat-regulating thermostat. Body temperature regulation can be easily maintained when you've got the essentials that sync with your particular outdoor activity and your ever-changing level of exertion as you transition from outdoors to in.

Not exactly a winter person - but having the right gear keeps me smiling!

The key to successful layering is having a good local outfitter, one who knows the weather and does the activities you do, in all seasons, in your specific region or the regions you're traveling to.

In my current little corner of Megalopolis, Hudson Trail Outfitters happens to be THE number one local outfitter in the DMV - the region that includes the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. From the Northern Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah to the Chesapeake, and all up and down the Potomac, HTO's outfitters are regional outdoor activity experts. And the company's bent on delivering "positively outrageous customer service" is why I've gotten involved as a manager.

The point isn't that HTO is the best in the business, although I'd certainly argue that's the case; It's that keeping your outfitting local will help you get the most out of your outdoor activity regardless of the weather outside.

You can't always count on the weather you'll get, but you can sure as hell get ready for any activity regardless of weather's whims by frequenting your local outfitter and learning from those who know.

Blurred Lines in the Wildnerness of Southern Megalopolis

“There are some who can live without wild things
and some who cannot.”  - Aldo Leopold

This girl at work today was telling me about how she hates wilderness. I thought, "Who hates wilderness?" She talked about trail maintenance and trail-use issues that impact her niche community within the outdoor recreation industry - cross-country skiers - and she was aghast when I told her I agreed that wilderness areas be free of the impact of mountain bikes and motorized, man-made vehicles of any kind.

I work for a local outfitter that does probably a third of its business in bikes, so she could have easily assumed I blindly support all types of cycling in our preserved natural areas. This could not be further from the case.

Then again, I'm a hiker. So as long as humans are allowed to lightly tread these areas free from the pestilence of mechanized contraptions, I'm happy. Even better if I don't run the risk of being knocked off a rocky path by a mountain biker whizzing by.

My colleague argued that horses do more environmental damage to wilderness areas than mountain bikers - who are vehement trail maintainers. And I shrugged with a retort that did nothing to make her feel she had not wandered ass backkwards into a verbal lock-down.

She had some good points, but hate? But how could anyone hate wilderness?

And this made me think, "Who is wilderness for anyway?"

"How do laws protect it?"

At the end of the day, the important questions is, "How do we foster a culture of conscientious wilderness use in an increasingly diverse society?"

Bottom line, leave no trace ethics remain important regardless of the sport or recreational activity one wishes to do in our fragile, remaining open spaces.

THE WILDERNESS NEAR HERE

On Old Rag Mountain's busiest day of 2014 I was lucky to get a people-less shot!

Look at the map of wilderness sections of northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Notice how major routes from ports along the Chesapeake Bay thread whole populations of urban dwellers in the likes of Norfolk and Richmond, Baltimore and the Washington Metro. All these people here in the southern end of Megalopolis could be potential users of a very limited amount of wilderness spaces.

Any open space invites outdoor recreants, so potential users are many:

Hikers
Equestrians
Paddlers

Bikers

Hunters

4-Wheelers

Mudders

Fishers

And residents of these areas come from a multitude of nations to coexist here. But wilderness law in America exclude some of these dynamic user groups, seemingly along facet lines that are force-filtered into perhaps the most-frustratingly partisan republican two-party system on earth.

In short, I guess my conversation with this colleague found us along blurred lines. Perhaps it's really time to start listening more than I speak. I want to understand what people are really saying.

Pedestrian Living in Philadephia - the SEPTA Way!

Two months ago I moved back to Philadelphia after five years on the road. In that time, I hopped from Miami to Boston to desert cities in New Mexico and Southern California, living a semi-nomadic, car-dependent lifestyle. Now that I'm back, I've traded my vehicle for a SEPTA TransPass, and I'm loving my new pedestrian life here in this vibrant little corner of Megalopolis.

SEPTA (a.k.a. the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) refers to the greater Philadelphia public transportation system. The SEPTA service network includes buses, trolleys, subways, an elevated train, light rail and an extensive regional commuter rail network. You can get almost anywhere you want or need to go within the city and well into the suburbs - even to Trenton, NJ (where you can catch a New Jersey Transit train to New York City) and Wilmington, DE. (Check out the SEPTA transit map here.) Add a bike to the mix, and the possibilities are endless!

Bikes add unlimited flexibility to SEPTA's already amazing route network

One thing I love about SEPTA and living in the Philadelphia area is that you can get almost anywhere you need to go via public transportation. Add a bike into the mix, and the possibilities are endless. I'm not just talking about commuting between work and home. SEPTA is great for getting to and from all your favorite weekend activities, too.

If you're into shopping, SEPTA can get to all the major malls and high streets throughout the area. And if you like to be more active on the weekend, you can get to every park in the amazing Fairmount Park system via public transit. Love hiking or mountain biking? Check out Wissahickon Valley Park. No matter where you live in the city or suburbs you can get there by train or bus. You can even do a through hike on one of the three rugged single-track trails there - the Orange Trail, the White Trail and the Yellow Trail - by taking one SEPTA route to either Manyunk or Chestnut Hill and catching another route home.

There are some downsides to SEPTA, though, mostly customer service. Drivers on all routes are useless for anything but staying on the road. Don't try to ask them anything, like when the last bus runs or where to get off. They know, but they just don't want to be bothered. And don't expect anything from booth agents, either. They have no maps. They cannot give change. And they act like they have no idea where you can find maps or change - so don't bother asking.

SEPTA maps at North Philly's Fairmount Station, Broad Street Line subway

This isn't to say that the terms "good customer service" and "SEPTA" are mutually exclusive. If you want to get information, get maps or need to buy a TransPass with anything but exact change, I recommend you go to Suburban Station downtown or to the SEPTA store in the underground concourse near where the Market Frankford Line and Broad Street Line subways converge. These people are friendly and knowledgeable. Also, Check out @SEPTA_Social on Twitter. Ask anything anytime, and these folks are there to help you. They really know their stuff!

Well, it's Saturday, so I better get outside and make the most of living the pedestrian life on this beautiful Philadelphia day! I'll be taking the Broad Street Line north to Olney Transportation Center to catch the L bus over to Chestnut Hill (it's cheaper that way than taking Regional Rail). Then I'll be thru-hiking the Wissahickon this afternoon, catching the 27 bus from Wissahickon Transfer Center to head back to Center City afterward. It's all part of living MyFitLife2Day!