Happy Holidays

Hey Everyone,

I apologise for the lack of activity on the blog lately. With the Holidays here, it means long days at work. The weather hasn't helped much either. I was supposed to be up on one of the rivers today, but decided against it because of the freezing rain and ice we are experiencing. I mean I love fly fishing, but I'm not opposed to a nice hot cup of coffee and a movie on the couch. A friend of mine, who is also a fly fishing guide, and I are trying to get up on the water together between Christmas and New Years. As far as hiking goes, I get the feeling that we are going to have quite the winter here in NC, I may get out for a good snowy day hike but I'm pretty sure there will be no backpacking until spring. I am however checking out some new gear and working on a couple of projects. I also may have a really cool announcement to make in the near future.
I hope everyone is having a good holiday season. I hope we all get that cool new piece of gear we wanted. Maybe we can have a blogger show and tell. Happy holidays everyone. Stay warm.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Big Brown

Hey Everyone,

I was up on the river a few days ago and had yet another wonderful day. The weather was actually pretty warm and the sun was out. I didn't expect such a banner day since it wasn't overcast and certainly didn't expect what I was about to catch. I had landed several trout that day and was just moving along the overhangs drifting small nymphs when out of no where a huge brown slammed my fly. This fish was 24 inches and all of five to five and a half pounds. I'm pretty sure I'll be looked at like I'm crazy for even attempting to film this fish but that's what I did. I don't want to take away from the video that I risked so much to shoot so here it is.



Needless to say it was a real caper on what was a great day on the water. I had the strangest thing happen to me as well. I was standing there casting away and all of the sudden something hit my boot. I looked down and to my amazement there was a brook trout just resting between my feet. Now I'm a very still person and sometimes don't move my feet for hours while fishing. So with that said I had a fishing buddy for about forty five minutes which I thought was pretty cool. Check out the photo I took of my good friend. I talked to several guys on the water that day and even handed out a few pointers here and there since I apparently had the magic touch for the day. I cant wait to get back up on the water and try and beat my own record.


See you on the trail,
Lance

Hey Everyone,

I got out for the first day of fall fly fishing yesterday. I cant even tell you how good of a day it was. I was landing a fish every second or third cast all day long. I even managed to catch not one but two browns one of which was a nice fifteen incher. I began moving around the stream to check on other holes and was having the same success in each. I then noticed three ladies fishing up stream of me. When one of them came walking up I waved her over. I asked her how they had been doing and found that they had had limited success. Well at that note, I not only gave up the spot I was at, I told her how to rig, what flies to use, and where in that hole to cast. Her third cast produced a nice rainbow. She then began pulling them in with regularity. I proceeded up stream to her two friends and did the same. One of the women hooked a very large, very pretty, brook trout that I netted for her. I must have spent at least two hours just talking to and watching them fish. It was as much fun watching them as it was landing them myself. The ladies where very thankful for the the advise and time spent with them. It was possibly the best day on the river I have had not only because of my success but because I was able to help others do the same.



See you on the trail,
Lance

Trail Note

Hey Everyone,

I was recently informed of a really cool site that could save your life. I'm not sure about you but I usually hike alone. With hiking solo there are inherit risks that one must accept. I'm a compulsive trip planner, taking up to a year to plan out the details of a hike. However, with all the planning in the world you cannot account for a misstep or accident. What would happen if you fell while in a deep ravine and could not move to get a cell or GPS signal. For those occasions there's Trail Note . A Trail Note is a simple online form that stores your travel details. You name the trip, provide a travel description, give a start time and end time of the trip, and mark your destination on a digital map. You also enter the email or text message address of people you would like to notify in case of you do not return in time. This is a really great free service. If you do any kind of back country exploring like backpacking, fly fishing, or ATVs I suggest you check out an possibly use this site. I plan on registering and using trail note for all of my future back country trips.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Back in the Light

Hey everyone,

Im sure you all have been wondering where I have been.(yeah right) I have pretty much been working and sleeping. It was a busy month for me and although Im pretty tired of thriteen hour nights, yes nights!, I will enjoy the extra money and the cool new gear I will inevitably buy with it. With my favorite time of year for fly fishing just around the corner Im pretty pumped about this falls prospects. I also may have a fall run to NY in the works for some more steelhead fishing! I look forward to seeing the sun again and getting back to my hobbies which keep me sane. Leave me a coment and let me know whats new.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Warm Air Cold Water

Hey Everyone,

Some of you may remember Josh. Last fall I took him trout fishing for the first time and he finished the day with a slam. He just picked up a nice fly rod and was itching to get it on the water. We took off for a very commonly fished stream in hopes of finding a few stragglers. I turned out to be a great day on the water and josh hooked his first trout on a fly. We also caught some species that I wasn't expecting but they were pretty all the same. I personally cant wait for fall to get here so I can really put him on the fish. Its nice to get someone else excited about a sport that you are passionate about. Here are a few photos of our day.



I hope every one's summer is going well and that you have found time to get out.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Ebira

I spent my Friday in the backcountry, on a small trout stream, Tenkara fishing. I was also testing out a new product, the Ebira. All I can say is this thing is awsome! I consider it a must have for the backcountry Tenkara fly fisherman.



If you want to know more about the Ebira or Tenkara. Leave a comment below or chat with Jason, myself, and other like minded folks at backpackflyfishing.com

See you on the trail,
Lance

Its Raining Beer?

Hey Everyone,

I took the day off from work (honey do list) to go for a little stroll. I planned a nice eight mile hike using a combination of trails, and enjoyed hiking from one high point to the next. However, upon reaching my final summit, I heard the unmistakable sound of aluminium hitting a tree branch. Imagine my surprise when a nearly half full Miller Lite can landed with a thud at my feet! I was, for lack of a better term, pissed. I grabbed the can, emptied the remaining contents, and decided to hike it back to the top in hopes of returning it to its owner! Well, it was no surprise that upon reaching the top, and questioning about ten people, no one saw anything. I'm pretty sure I found the guy (who shied away from me as I inquired about the can), but with no proof or pointed finger, I couldn't justify handing it to him. I crushed the can and hiked it back to the parking lot. In all my years of hiking, I've been through all types of weather, but this was the first time it rained beer on me.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Tying One On

Hey Everyone,

I was recently invited to be the guest fly tier at the Greensboro location of the Great Outdoor Provision Company. I visit the store from time to time to see what I "need", and to talk a little trail and fly with the staff. I have come to know a few of the guys pretty well and occasionally they will ask my advise on a subject. I was really honored to be asked my Mike, the fly fishing manager, if I would mind coming in and tying some flies for their weekly get together. I don't consider myself to be an expert tier but accepted the invite. It was good to talk fly with a few folks, and I tied a few patterns that I have had great success with. I also introduced the world of Tenkara fly fishing to the guests and staff. I talked and tied so much that I didn't think to get my camera until I was packing up. I want to thank Mike and GOP for the invite, and I look forward to doing it again sometime. In fact, I'll have to get over there to see some patterns tied by other guest tiers.

See you on the trail,
Lance

p.s. If you are in the NC area you should stop in to one of the GOP locations. Here is a link to find the location nearest you.
greatoutdoorprovision

Shaving Pounds

Hey Everyone,

Well, I was going to write this great post about how we all count every ounce in our packs, and scrutinize every piece of gear for its weight, but never think about losing weight ourselves. However, upon doing the research for this post I have found that it is a lot more complicated than that. No wonder people have to have degrees in this field. The truth is that we are not all thru-hikers, and we don't spend every day on the trail. It is not so true that we all could easily lose weight to be lighter, thus feeling like we took twenty pounds off of our backs. Upon reading some articles about sports fitness, I have come to find that you can burn fat, but that doesn't mean you will be lighter. When you start to working out and burning fat, you also start to build lean muscle. So what does that mean? Well, when you step on that bathroom scale, after six months of training, you may not be lighter. The goal, I have found, is to have the correct body fat percentage. I'm pretty sure that, for most of us, getting to a correct body fat percentage will make us lose some weight. If your body fat percentage is good, then that means the weight you are carrying is all working for you instead of just sitting there. Ive looked at body fat percentages,for athletes, and have taken an average from triathletes, swimmers, and runners, to come up with what I think is a good number for hikers.

Males 9- 15%
Women 12 - 19%

I was measured in the military to have 6% body fat. When I did triathlons I was measured at 8%. So, from my experiance alone these percentages seem reasonable. Another thing I have found is you can't always count on you BMI (body mass index) score because it does not take muscle mass into account. For instance I am 5' 10" and weigh about 190 lbs and my BMI score is 27.3 which is technically overweight. According to this scale I would have to weigh no more than 170#. However, my doctor says that, with the muscle build I have, I could never get below 175 lbs and be healthy. So your BMI is good to use as a rough estimate, but don't let it discourage you. If you would like to read more on this topic, I have posted a couple of links to my resources at the bottom of this post. I hope you all have learned something... I know I sure have. I think I owe my scale an apology as well.

I have set a goal to get back to 10% body fat at 175-180 lbs. This should be, not only good for my health overall, but make me a more efficient hiker. We'll see how it goes. Let me know if you set a goal and how you plan to or did accomplish it.

See you on the trail,
Lance

P.S. I also have some cool health related stuff coming up- like video interview with a friend of mine, who has a degree in sports medicine. We're going to go over food choices for hiking and look at things like calories, sodium, and electrolytes.

UPDATE: After talking with my friend he recomended that I up my body fat percentage to account for any weight loss that might occur during a hike. You will also notice that I have changed the recomended percentage for men due to this discussion.

Resources :
sport-fitness-advisor
fitnessonline
mountainsurvival

The AT Goes Where?

Hey Everyone,

I recently heard some very interesting news about the AT (Appalachian Tail), well, the IAT (international Appalachian Trail). What do you think of hiking to Morocco? There is a plan in the works that will extend the Appalachian Trail into Europe. As it looks now, the IAT will run along the east coast of Greenland, and then on to Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The trail will then pickup on the mainland of Norway, and proceed south through France and Portugal, with a small run through western Spain, and finally ending in Morocco. Trails already exist along much of the conceptual route, so in many cases, participating countries can mark these trail segments with the IAT sign to make it part of the network. It seems that Greenland and Ireland are taking the idea seriously, and they are already plotting out the routs through their countries. This means, of course, that there will be some portions which involve a ferry or train ride, but that just adds to the adventure! With the small connector that links the AT to the Florida Trail, one could conceivably thru-hike from Big Cypress National Preserve all the way to Morocco. The logistics alone would be immense, and I'm sure it would cost a small fortune, but I bet you would never run out of stories for the camp fire!

See you on the trail,
Lance

UPDATE: I was asked to post a link to the article that I read this from. However, I am unable to locate it again. I have found this article pressherald which is almost word for word the same as the one I read. Also if you type "European Appalachian Trail Extension" into google you will see several more articles.

After the Hike.

Hey Everyone,

Sorry if you haven't seen me around for a few days. I just got back from a three day backpacking trip that my Venture boys put together. Other than the 90 degree heat, thunder storms, and relentless mosquito's it was a fun trip. I think that everyone learned a new trick on this hike, such as how to cook in a down pour! I've just finished up cleaning everything (a.k.a. my post hike ritual). I know that when I step in the door I'm dog tired, smell like, well like Ive been living in the woods, and the last thing I want to do is clean gear. However, after a nice hot shower, with lots of soap, I find the energy to pull everything out, dry what needs drying, wash what needs washing, and inspect all my gear. I'm lucky that Christi is a hiker as well, so she understands the need to take over the dinning room and hang rain flies up from the chairs, and cover the kitchen counter with drying cook sets and filters parts for a day or two. Not to mention, I moved her decorative cooking apron to hang up my hydration bladder.



What's your post hike ritual? Do you get right to it like myself, or do you prefer to kick back, relax, and do it the next day? Also, if you have a really cool way of cleaning a piece of gear let me know. I'm always interested in learning a new way to do something!

See you on the trail,
Lance

Butt Kicker Hike!

Hey Everyone,

I have been wanting to do this hike for some time now. I want to hike the Big Butt Trail and Black Mountian Crest Trail using the MST (Mountain to Sea Trail) to connect them. This is by no means a long hike, but the climbs make it one of the toughest around. With short 8 to 10 mile days, I think that three days will be plenty enough time to hike this thirty miler. This hike will summit several of the highest peaks in the south, including a visit to Mt. Mitchell's new lookout. If you are interested in hiking this with me let me know you can leave a comment on here. I haven't set dates, but I am looking at the end of June or mid August.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Footwear

Hey Everyone,

When I'm at events or teaching classes I always get the question, "What brand of hiking boots/shoes do you wear". I always start my response with, "Well, I've been hiking ______ but...". The fact of the matter is, I feel that footwear is one piece of gear that you shouldn't copy just because it's popular. Sure, there are some companies out there that the majority of people will find comfortable and you should go try them on. However, just because that's what you see a lot of other people wearing doesn't mean it will be best for you. Here is a perfect example. I have read several backpacking web sites and forums, and I have heard a lot of great things about Solomon hiking shoes like the XA pro. So, I went to a local shop to try them on. Well, when I went to take a step my heel lifted about 3/8 of an inch out of the heel cup. I'm sure that you all know that, if I was to get them anyhow, I would have been headed straight for blisterville. I am once again in the market for some new hiking shoes, and sure, I'll check out the local shops and try on all the well known brands like montrail, inov8, and merrel, but don't be surprised if you see me on the trail in a pair of asics or new balance. The point that I'm trying to make is, hike what is comfortable to you. It shouldn't matter if they are two hundred dollars and float when you take them off, or if you got them on clearance for three bucks with a stain on the toe. Your feet are your vehicles out there, and if they break down, you break down.

p.s. dont forget to bring a pair of your actual hiking socks with you.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Steelhead

Hey Everyone,

I'm back from my trip to NY. I was surprised to see how much had changed, and at the same time, how much has stayed the same. Needless to say, it was nice to be back on my home waters. Well, I dont want to steal too much from the video, so here it is.



See you on the trail,
Lance

Have Tenkara, Will Travel

Hey Everyone,

Well after seeing his simple setup and talking with Jason Klass about Tenkara fly fishing, I just had to try it out. I recieved my rod the other day, and I can't wait to get it on the water. For the backpacker/fly fisher, there is no better setup. I have the Tenakara USA "Iwana" rod, which pulls out to eleven feet, and weighs in at a staggering two and a half ounces. This eleven foot telescopic rod collapses down to a mere twenty inches.
The reel you ask, there is none. This is a traditional style of fly fishing that originated in Japan about three hundred and fifty years ago, long before the invention of the reel. Your fly line, which was traditionally woven from horse hair, simply attaches to the end of the rod. The simplicity and compact design is what makes this style of fishing blend so well with ultralight backpacking. So far, the average kit I've seen, which includes rod, line, fly box with flies, tippet, and some basic tools, weighs in at around six ounces. I plan on using it almost exclusively for all my back country streams. If you have any questions or would like to try Tenkara for yourself you can checkout tenkarausa.com or stop by and chat with Jason, Myself, and other like minded folks at backpackflyfishing.com

See you on the trail,
Lance

Hot!

Hey Everyone,

Well I spent the day in the sun, on the river, catching fish, getting burnt. I started the day with a little shiver, while I stood waist deep, watching a light fog come off the water. However, by that afternoon I was dying to just get out of my waders and "wet wade". I figured that the afternoon might die off a little, and we could get out of the sun for a bit. Well luck would have it, that at about one o-clock the bite came on again so we stayed. I did put on sun screen eventually, but by then it was really too late. I am glad to say that Ray landed a nice Rainbow that filled the net, and I held my own catching some healthy fish as well. I have always considered myself pretty hard core as far as the outdoors. I mean I kind of look forward to the rainy days because I know I'll have the river mostly to myself. However, I now know that rainy days don't make you that die hard, because getting wet is a whole lot easier to forget about the next day.

See you on the trail,
Lance





p.s. I think I might change the saying from "rain or shine" to "soaked or sun burnt". whadya' think.

Events

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it has been so slow on the site lately. I have been really busy this spring. Not only have I been checking out some new products, but I have been busy attending several events this year. I have been invited to speak about backpacking all the way back home in NY in April. I am very excited to see what this year brings with backpacking and fly fishing. I have met some really knowledgeable people and made some great friends along the way. I also have been invited to come fishing with Linda Heller and Bob Clouser, and to go shad fishing on the fly with the team from Orvis. As far as backpacking, I have a few trips in mind for late spring in the higher elevations, and I think we have a caving trip in the works. This should prove to be a very eventful year indeed. Thank you to everyone who has invited me to talk at your events. I truly love sharing the passion that I have for these sports and getting others as excited about them as I am.

See you on the trail,
Lance

p.s. I have a really cool video on camp soap that I'm about to finish so keep checking in.

Learning From The Best

Hey Everyone,

What a killer day. I spent the day talking fly with two of the most respected fly fishers in the sport. Not only did Anthony Hipps show me how to tie a couple of his most famous patterns that were featured in "Fly Tyer" magazine, but Linda Heller and I spent a good amount of time talking fly. I always say you can never stop learning and I figure if your going to learn something about fly fishing why not from two of the best. I'm excited to say that Linda told me that next time that Bob (Bob Clouser) is in town that we all should hit the water together. I gladly accepted the invite. Here are a few photos of the masters in action.

See you on the trial,
Lance

Wow Busy!

Hey Everyone,

Im sorry for the lack of activity on the site lately. Ive been busy at work getting ready for the spring season. I havent even been fly fishing in about three weeks. Im hoping to get out here in the next few days and have something to share. I am also checking out some realy cool gear that I will be doing some videos on. Hang in there I have not abandoned you.

See you on the trail,
Lance

First Trip of the Year

Hey Everyone,

This weekend I went on my first backpacking trip of the year. My venture crew and I headed to Uwharrie National Forest for our first hike together. Temperatures where mild compared to the 20's we have been experiencing, and we even managed to slip out just before the heavy rain fell. Although it wasn't a long hike, it was one of the more interesting trips I have taken. Menu choices are always fun to see, and there was no shortage of interesting meals. Now that the first trip is under our belts its time to hit the gears lists and start to shave some pounds. I hope to get everyone to around a fifteen pound base pack weight.

I have some really cool ideas for gear this year. I also have seen some new things that have come out that may make it into my pack. I think this is going to be a great year. I hope to be under nine pounds soon so keep checking in to see what I come up with.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Fun and Excitement to Come

Hey Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of activity on the site lately. I have been out, I just haven't had much time to post. I went fly fishing last week in the cold and did quite well considering I had to break the ice out of my guides all day long. I am also in the process of planning a backpacking trip with my venture crew. I'm already getting requests for classes this coming spring and have been invited to a couple events. I think this year I'm going to play around with some ultralight tent/shelter ideas and see what I can come up with. I also plan on cooking some original meals this year on the trial. By the way...If you haven't been following Tinny lately I urge you to check out his recent tinkering. This should be a fun year and I cant wait to see what comes of it.

See you on the trail,
Lance