Outdoor Reads: Utah's Gov. makes grand plans; Maryland family supports industry

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• Timberland isn’t the only company that reaps the benefits of “hip” hiking gear. In South Korea, dressing in hiking gear is all the rage, and people will spend some pretty pennies on equipment just to fit in. “It’s not cheap, but everyone dresses this way and I don’t want to look out of place,” said one person quoted in this story. Apparently hiking became cool during the economic crisis of 1997, when men suddenly found their days free and used the time for jaunts in the hills.

• When you poop off a big wall on a date and she sticks around for another — she’s a keeper. At least that’s the case in this charming story on the Outdoor Resarch blog that recalls a time when the author had to urge to go No. 2 in a big way while on a climbing date with his crush in Yosemite. We won’t say how it ends, but let’s just say it’s a happy story.

• We totally identified with this story in Women’s Running Magazine that posed the question: When did you know you were a runner? The author talks about how she didn’t really feel like a runner for many years, because at every race she was surrounded by stick figures with perfect bodies and muscle definition. But the 15-year running veteran has finally been able to use the term “runner” to describe herself.

• We all know and love Outdoor Nation, but have any of us loved it enough to write a Haiku about it? Someone did. This Huffington Post story includes a Haiku about the beloved nonprofit that goes like this: This cool non-profit; Hosts summits, then awards grants; Getting kids outdoors. The story reports on this past week’s Outdoor Nation youth leadership summit in Chicago.

• Iceland seems tremendously beautiful and after spying a few photos of the country a few months back, it’s made it onto our “Top Destinations to Visit Before We Kick the Bucket” list. This story in the Santa Fe New Mexican just made us realize we made the right choice. Iceland is readily accessible to travelers and there are tons of outdoor adventures to be had from ice climbing to hiking. Seems like the perfect place to test some gear.

• We don’t like sad stories as much as you don’t like sad stories but sometimes we have to share them. A Los Angeles investigative reporter was found dead after falling from a steep trail. He was only 56. His colleagues remember him in this story.

• Have you hard of the Quimby Family Foundation? Now you have. The Maine family has been giving grants to support organizations that promote the outdoor recreation and the arts since 2004. In that time frame, the foundation has doled out more than $10 million. You might qualify for one of these grants. Check out this story for more information.

• There’s really no need to say it, but to introduce this yoga DVD review we must: Yoga is hot right now. Like fire hot. We see yoga equipment everywhere from our local Sprouts market, to our gym, to our neighborhood outdoor retailer. What better way for people to get involved in yoga (and shopping at your stores for yoga stuff) than through a DVD they can do in the privacy of their home. This Dallas News story reviews the “Elements of Yoga: Air & Water Flow, With Tara Lee,” and concluded the DVD is good for mostly “advanced beginners” (we were a little confused by this term) or intermediate yoga practitioners.

• Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was recently in Denver making plans with his public relations firms to make Utah the, “No. 1 best business destination in America,” according to this Bloomberg Businessweek story. The story mentioned the ongoing talks between Outdoor Retailer show organizers and Utah’s government regarding the show’s growth and possible venue change.

• We recently wrote in our Health Notes column that children aren’t getting enough exercise, especially girls, so we were happy to read this story in the Bellingham Herald about some Alabama schools that are implementing a healthy living program thanks to a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield. As part of the grant, kids will learn how to cook fresh vegetables, study butterflies, garden and exercise.

Did you read anything interesting this week? Email us because we want to read it too!