Daniel, Decatur Garage and ATL to the Arctic

I met Daniel back in 2010, though I knew of the guy for many years as we have a couple friends in common.  It was during the lead-up to his inaugural ATL to the Arctic charity ride to Deadhorse, Alaska that I finally had the opportunity to get to know him.  As co-owner of Decatur Garage, Daniel (or Zolo, as some on the forums know him) turns his highly-skilled wrench on every motorized (and at times, non-motorized) vehicle imaginable.

The Adventure Travel Film Festival 2012 in Bryson City, NC on May 4-6

Great news!  The Adventure Travel Film Festival (All Thanks to Austin Vince and Lois Pryce) is coming to the Southeast during May 4th-6th and it is bringing along a bunch of really fantastic films that you are certain to enjoy.  It will be held nearby in Bryson City, North Carolina.

A brief introduction from the site:

 The Adventure Travel Film Festival is the brainchild of film-maker Austin Vince and travel author Lois Pryce. Here’s how it all came about…

‘Over the last ten years or so we have been sent tons of fantastic travel films from all over the world by largely unknown film-makers. They came from all over the globe and covered every form of transport — boats, bicycles, buses, motorcycles, 4x4s and even hitch-hiking and train-hopping. The ‘adventure travel’ shows we saw on TV, although polished and professional, were nothing in comparison to the real-life dramas that were arriving in our letterbox.

As time passed we gradually realised that we were accruing a fairly extensive and possibly, definitive, collection of adventure travel films. It occurred to us that this had to be the tip of an iceberg. Once we started searching actively, films came to the surface that were absolutely mind-blowing. We were amazed, and excited, that adventures of this quality, old and new, were essentially unknown by the public.

Our mission is to change all that.

Film festivals don’t usually have manifestos — so here’s ours!

1.To showcase the best independent adventure travel films ever made

2.To guarantee a platform for future adventure film-makers

3.To bring together the adventure travel community

4.We know that making a good film isn’t difficult — we will show you how

5.To have loads of fun while doing all the above!

Film festivals are usually based around cinema screens in cities. In the spirit of the event, the Adventure Travel Film Festival is based around two days of camping and good times in beautiful countryside.

We look forward to seeing you there!

To learn more, visit the Adventure Travel Film Festival Site.

Enjoy,
David

Road System Study set to begin on the Chattahoochee National Forest

I received a link to this last week.  Somehow I missed hearing about this, so I owe Nathan a big 'Thank You' for emailing me and letting me know.  Anyone interested in traveling on roads in the Chattahoochee National Forest should give this a look and express your interest that roads remain open.  This Road Study needs your input by April 13th.

I strongly encourage you to learn more by visiting the main Public Input page here:  Forest Service Seeks Your Input 

The Comment Form may be accessed directly here:  Chattahoochee National Forest Public Input

The site text is as follows

The Forest Service is committed to balancing your needs for access to the Chattahoochee National Forest with our responsibility to sustain a productive, diverse and healthy forest. As part of this commitment, we must address crucial concerns about the future sustainability of the national forest road system. The three Ranger Districts that make up the Chattahoochee National Forest are beginning a study of the road system, and we need your input.


This transportation study will help us find a way to use our limited resources to balance the needs for access to the forest with the protection of clean water and a healthy forest. The transportation study is not a proposal or decision, but is intended to help guide us in planning future road management.

The number of overdue road maintenance projects continues to grow, while public use of our roads is increasing. Roads that cannot be adequately maintained can be dangerous to visitors and threaten forest health. They can increase sedimentation into rivers and streams, degrading water quality and impacting fish and wildlife.

Possible options that may be considered for each road include:

Maintaining at the current standard

Changing the level of maintenance (ex., from passenger car to high-clearance vehicle)

Adding seasonal restrictions

Implementing year-long closures

Decommissioning

We need to hear from you by April 13

We want to learn from you which roads are important to you and why. We will consider your input along with other factors including management access needs, benefits, risks and costs. Before any actions are taken we will provide more opportunities for you to participate in the decision making process.

Use our online comment form to view maps and provide your input to us. You may also find hardcopy planning maps and comment forms at the local Ranger District and Forest Supervisor's offices. We will consider all comments received before April 13, after which the official comment period for this first phase of the study will close. Your input is very valuable to us, and we thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful comments.

Let's all provide thoughtful, useful comments to the USDA/Forest Service regarding the roads in the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Thanks!

Reader Submission: Pisgah East

I heard from our friend Randall again and this time he shares his notes following his exploration of 'Pisgah East'.

As always, I have neither verified the accuracy of the descriptions nor checked for legal vehicle travel, I feel obligated to state the obvious...Use the following information at your own risk.

Randall writes:

This is FR 477 to FR 1206 starting in Brevard and ending in the North Mills Recreation Area. FR 5000 out of North Mills will take you to Lake Powhatan. I'll try to add this on at some point in time, when I can check it out. FR 477 is about eight miles long, FR 1206 is about 8.5 miles and FR 5000 appears to be about 7-8 miles, so combined that would be about 25 miles of gravel road with a minimum of pavement.

Reader Submission: Larry C. and his H3T

Last week I received an email and pics from Larry following his exploration of the Cohutta WMA in the Chattahoochee National Forest.   Thanks for sharing the pictures and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on 'The Loop' when you finish it.

Larry's H3T