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Garrett Genereux the Gear Guru
Garrett is well on his way to achieving his goal of
spending 30 nights in a tent this year...so it's safe to say that
he's pretty critical when it comes to his outdoor gear. Check out
his latest review...
The Columbia Men's Ascender Softshell Vest does a
ton of different things while maintaining a high level of
performance. The outer softshell layer is soft, quiet, and repels
the weather. The inner layer of fleece will keep you warm on those
chilly spring mornings. The vest was cozy enough for me on a breezy
50 degree day with only a long sleeve t-shirt underneath. Still,
the vest is very breathable for when you are climbing a hill on
your day hike or powering through a turn on the slopes. The
Ascender was not too baggy nor was it too tight. It fit well over
several layers and was still comfortable when I put a jacket on
over it. The only feature I would change for this vest would be to
produce it in some brighter colors. At $72, this vest is affordable
and is completely worth it. As with all softshells, make sure that
you use a detergent specifically made for softshell products to
clean this vest. When you use regular laundry detergent it ruins
the durable water repellent coating (thus you will be soaking wet
the next time it rains, snows, etc.). While this vest is in a
men's style, Columbia puts out some awesome women's style vests. Check them out here
Click here to keep up with Garrett's blog
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Upcoming Events...You Will
WANT to attend!
From one Outsider to another, here are several
opportunties that we think will definitely add excitement to your
summer plans....
What: Wakarusa Music
Festival
When: May 31-June 3
Where: Mulberry
Mountain, near Ozark, Arkansas
What's the
Word: Most road-trip worthy music festival! We
started to list some of the highlights on the line-up but a) we
didn't have room for all of our favorites and b) we couldn't choose
our favorites because there are too many!
Click here for more info and to check out the
stellar line-up!
When: Throughout the
summer
Where: Throughout the
country!
What's the Word: With over 50 races throughout the summer and across
the nation, there's no excuse to miss the chance to splash in mud
puddles and jump over fire in this epic TEAM race!
What: National
Public Lands Day
When: September
29
Where: Outside!
Wherever you are!
What's the
Word: Just an early heads up -- grab your
friends and plan an outing to celebrate National Public Lands Day this September! (You
do it already, so why not have another excuse to get outside?!)
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Save State Parks with the GO GAME
Every year, California struggles to keep its 278 state
parks open. In fact, due to proposed budget cuts, the state might
close 70 of them... which is a huge bummer!! The nerdy folks
at The Go Game LOVE parks, and they wanted to do something to lend
their support, which is why they designed a Roadtrip Game that you
can play (for free) while you explore the great outdoors. Here is
the link to the app and more information (with a powerful
video!) can be found here. So round up a group of friends,
pack a picnic, load up the game on your phone, burn a sweet
mixtape, and GTFO!
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Summit Season is Soon Upon Us!
School's out (or soon to be out!) for summer, and
Outdoor Nation has some INCREDIBLY fun and productive summer plans
for you. It's hard to believe it, but the Outdoor Nation summits begin in just about
one month! So, if you haven't yet registered, do it now. (As in, take a break from
reading this newsletter right now!). In
case you need more convincing, here's a teaser: See below for a
great way to earn a free trip to a summit as well as an iPad!
If you can't make it this summer - make sure to check out our
ON Intensive Training Summits in the fall. We're already looking
forward to GTFO-ing with you in the upcoming months! Take home
message? REGISTER.
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We know you have a ton of
friends, why not tell them all about the ON Summits?
We need your help to find the coolest Outsiders who
have been living without Outdoor Nation in their lives (how sad!).
To make it super easy to spread the word about the Outdoor Nation
Summits, we've created this social media toolkit. And, when we say
toolkit we mean language for posting on your blog, Facebook, and
Twitter as well as way cool banners for your Facebook Timeline
photos (check out the example above!) So, help us out (pretty
please!) and make Outdoor Nation even more awesome!
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Speaking of
Summits, how about a free trip to one of 'em?! It's this
easy...
If you read about our social media kit above and said,
"Easy... done!" then we've got another social media
challenge for you (this one has prizes)! Do you love to write and
make videos? We've partnered with The North Face to find
enthusiastic, media savvy people to be embedded reporters
(iReporters) at the 2012 Outdoor Nation Signature Summits in LA,
Austin, and Boston. (And you don't have to live in one of
these cities to be eligible!) iReporters will be in the thick
of the action, get an all-expense paid trip to the Summit and tons
of gear from The North Face! Three winners selected by Outdoor
Nation and The North Face will report live from the Summits using
an iPad (that you get to keep! Seriously!) to interview attendees,
send real-time tweets, stream video, blog, post on Facebook, and
upload images/content for Outdoor Nation and The North Face. Click here to apply!
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Campus Clubs GTFO
this Spring!
Outdoor Nation is thrilled to report that its Campus
Clubs programs in both DC and Atlanta are getting outside in a big
way this season! On May 5th, a group of 50 students and our campus
fellows went white-water rafting on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers!
 In June, the group
will get behind the wheels (bike wheels that is!) and take on the
bike trails of DC! The team in Atlanta will test their teamwork and
leadership skills on the Expedition course of the Atlanta Challenge
this upcoming weekend!
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Map more, play
more,
Did you know that today's children play less than any
previous generation? Good thing the national non-profit
organization KaBOOM! is working to fight this "Play
Deficit," an issue intimately tied to Nature Deficit Disorder.
Lack of play is causing profound physical, intellectual,
social, and emotional harm to kids -- want to know how you can help
fight this?
First off, let's look at the clear obstacles to
play:
-Not enough playspaces are being built; those that
exist are often in disrepair. Fears surrounding lawsuits and safety
are trumping common sense, resulting in sterile, uninspired play
environments. -Recess is being eliminated from our nation's
schools.
-Kids are overscheduled, and in their free time, many
choose to stay indoors, lulled by television, computers and video
games.
Now, onto your help! Tell us where you (or kids in your life) play
outside! Find and add your favorite places to the Map of Play. You'll be connecting people to
great playspaces and mapping play deserts at the same time. You can
even take your outdoor activism on the go and download the mobile app. Try it out -- make it a goal to add
one park today!
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Student Climate
& Conservation Congress... June 24-June 29, 2012.
Nominate Someone or Apply TODAY!
Outdoor Nation is all about Outdoor Leadership, and
what a better way to hone those skills than to become a U.S. Green
School Fellow? The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) in partnership with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently accepting
applications and nominations for the 2012 Student Climate &
Conservation Congress (Sc3). All rising 9-12th grade students
-- or school faculty or staff -- who have demonstrated outstanding
leadership in their schools or communities are invited to apply to
become a U.S. Green School Fellow. Fellows will attend the
extraordinary week-long "Congress" at the nation's
premier training facility, the National Conservation Training
Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in in Shepherdstown,
W.V. The mission of Sc3 is to empower outstanding student
environmental leaders...and if you're reading this then that
probably means YOU!
Applications are evaluated on a rolling admissions
basis and
scholarships are available (yippee!).
For more information and Application click here!
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Enjoy all of the end of the school-year celebrations, and keep the
party going into the summer with your fellow Outsiders...
Now Get out there and Get The Fun Outside!
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