Outdoor gear manufacturer Kelty is getting in on the Haitian relief efforts too and has sent nearly 300 tents to the earthquake zone since January. In one case, some of the Kelty tents were used to house 750 children left without parents after the disaster.

Recovering from a natural disaster like the quake in Haiti can place millions of people into a survival situation that looks and feels a lot like an indefinite camping trip. Water must be purified, shelter needs to be found, and fresh food can be difficult to prepare. It’s great to see outdoor companies like Kelty and Hi Tec recognizing the needs of the survivors and are willing to offer items to make the recovery a little more comfortable!

We suppose it’s just a sign of the times but Arizona is closing 13 of its 22 state parks beginning next week due to budget cuts totaling $8.6 million. As you can imagine folks in Arizona aren’t too happy about it and they’re venting some of their frustrations on the official state parks website.

I’m sure the argument has been made that parks are good for local economies, especially in states like Arizona with such unique natural beauty. Here in our home state of Georgia they’re actually looking to add $5 million to improve amenities - like cabins and campsites - to attract more (paying) overnight visitors.

As outdoor enthusiasts it’s up to us to advocate for local, state, and national parks or be faced with a situation like the one in Arizona. We’re pretty sure once folks start showing up and finding locked gates they’ll start calling and writing their representatives.

This is a pretty cool item that didn’t get a lot of press (which actually makes it even cooler): last month Hi-Tec donated 900 pairs of hiking boots to Haitian earthquake victims. The company gave the boots to Souls4Souls.org which will distribute them to men, women, and children in Haiti. Not ones to toot their own horns, Hi-Tec makes no mention of the donation on their website - all I was able to find was this short press release on another site:

Hi-Tec has donated 900 pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s boots and shoes to soles4souls.org for distribution to victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“Our hearts go out to our Haitian neighbors as we struggle to comprehend the magnitude of this disaster, and we cannot forget how important basic necessities – such as shoes – will be in the ongoing rescue and rebuilding efforts,” said Bill Berta, CEO of Hi—Tec USA. “We deeply appreciate the work of Soles 4 Souls and encourage everyone to look into their own closets in support of this tragedy.”

And as you can see from the image at the top of this post, Hi-Tec also supports our National Parks and other great causes. Kinda makes us feel good to see outdoor companies stepping up and helping out…

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Smoky Mountains National Park and there are dozens of events scheduled to celebrate. Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular National Park in the US with nearly 8-10 million visitors each year and is easily accessible to most east coasters. The list below showcases just some of the events taking place in 2009 - check out greatsmokies75th.org for more details!

Seventy Five Miles of Hikes in Knoxville
Music of the Mountains
Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Gatlinburg
National Junior Ranger Day
Cosby in the Park
DLIA Citizen Science Event
International Day for Biodiversity A Celebration in Gatlinburg
Fern Foray
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Anniversary: Cades Cove in Cades Cove
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Anniversary: Park Headquarters in GRSM Park Headquarters
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Anniversary: Oconaluftee in Oconaluftee
Biodiversity Days in the Smokies
Women’s Work Festival in Oconaluftee
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Anniversary: Park ‘Rededication’
Fern Foray
Mountain Life Festival in Cherokee
DLIA Citizen Science Appreciation Potluck in Cosby Campground
Festival of Christmas Past
Holiday Homecoming in Cherokee

The Outdoor Federation recently released its Outdoor Recreation Participation Report and it’s a bit of good-news / bad-news. The good news: 50% of Americans participated in outdoor recreation activities in 2007 and racked up an impressive 11.35 billion outdoor excursions in 2007. The participation numbers represent a 3% increase over 2006 numbers meaning more Americans are enjoying the great outdoors.

Now for the bad news: young Americans’ (ages 6-12) participation in outdoor activities actually dropped 11% in 2007.  According to surveys young people are introduced to the outdoors by parents, friends, and family so it’s a little surprising the increase in overall outdoor activities didn’t influence younger Americans.

It’s not difficult to imagine the reasons for the decline in outdoor participation among children when there are so many entertainment options these days (video games, internet, television, etc.). The survey found the #1 reason children participate in outdoor activities is for fun so it seems to me we need to find new ways to make the outdoors exciting and engaging for the younger generation. New outdoor activities like mountain unicycling, geocaching, and mountain boarding can help but it’s up to adults to encourage young folks to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors!

A few camping and hiking news items to share with you today:

Another Glamorous Hiking experience: Last week we wrote about an example of glamorous hiking (gliking, as we termed it) and this week we found yet another example, this time in southwestern Utah. The Ottawa Metro wrote about the Red Mountain Spa outside St. George, UT where guests can choose from 30 different hikes through the red rock desert. After a day of hiking, guests indulge in a gourmet “healthy” buffet back at the spa. Sure beats a Snickers bar back at the car…

Hikers missing in Four Lakes, AZ area: A Tuscon couple is missing after heading out for a hike in the Mogollon Rim area in Arizona this weekend. The couple is described as experienced and rescuers believe they’re well stocked with cold weather gear, camping supplies, and 3 days worth of food. Still, cold temperatures and heavy snowfalls in the area could make things difficult for even the most experienced hikers. Fortunately the couple left a detailed note with their hiking plans which should make it easier for rescuers to find them quickly. Stay tuned, we’ll let you know if we hear of any new developments.

More camping fee hikes: Camping fees are rising again, this time north of the border in Canada. Citizens and some legislators are pretty upset about the $2 daily camping fee increase and the $5 reservation fee hike. To most campers this is a pretty minor increase but I suspect the ire is really due to the increases in seasonal site reservation fees - these are jumping from $830 to $1,500! As far as I know there aren’t many (if any) government owned campgrounds that allow seasonal campsite rentals here in the US. Sounds like a lot of money to me, wouldn’t you want your RV to be mobile during the summer? I’d get pretty tired of the same campsite every weekend.

Photo courtesy The Discovery Channel

Bear Grylls, host of the television series Man vs. Wild, fell and injured his shoulder during an expedition to Antarctica last week. Grylls was in Antarctica as part of a Ethanol Ventures expedition promoting alternative energy (not sure what that has to do with Antarctica) and his trip was not related to the taping of his own show.

After four days awaiting airlift, Bear finally made it to Cape Town South Africa where he is said to have received medical attention before heading to his home in UK. From the articles I read about Bear’s injuries, it sounded fairly serious but there were no details about how it happened. If you’re seen Bear’s show, Man vs. Wild, you know the adventurer isn’t afraid to put himself in dangerous situations to teach a lesson or prove a point. Here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery so our favorite outdoor guru can get back to his incredible survival series!

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you think: fees for single campsites in California’s Sequoia and Giant Sequoia National Forests will be rising $1 a night in 2009. Current rates range from $17-$19 so at worst we’re looking at a 6% increase - hey, what hasn’t gotten 6% more expensive in the last year? Cabins and group campsite rates will be increasing by about the same percentage.

Camping is still a bargain vacation and it’s pretty incredible that a family can spend a weekend immersed in some of the world’s most spectacular scenery for 40-bucks or less (not including food or gas, of course ). Get out and explore in 2009 - you’ll be amazed at the value you can still get in our National Parks and Forests!

According to an article in the Washington Post, camping along the Presidential inauguration parade route and in the National Mall will not be permitted. The Park Service says the National Mall is *technically* open 24/7 but security operations will be in effect to keep folks from setting up tents or otherwise occupying spots the night before the festivities.

Some observers expect 3-5 million people to jam Washington for the inauguration which could potentially overwhelm the city’s public transportation system. So why not let people come out a day or two early to beat the crowd (and ease the transportation crunch on inauguration day)? If Best Buy can handle shoppers camping out for Black Friday deals, shouldn’t our National Park service be able to accommodate camping in our nation’s capitol for such a historic event? Oh well, at least MetroRail trains will start running at 4am - set your alarm clock