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Archive for 'May 2012'

Riding a Bike: It's Never Too Late to Learn

May is National Bike Month, and everyone knows how to ride a bike, right? Most of us learn when we're kids, of course. But, what if for some reason you didn't? What would you do then? The folks at the REI Outdoor School began hearing from adults shopping at REI stores who wanted to learn how to ride. A light bulb went off, and a learn-to-ride class tailored just for adults was born. These classes have been a big hit ever since. I watched one such session held recently at a large, empty parking ...

Posted by Steve T on May 8, 2012 2:26 PM & Tagged Cycling, REI Outdoor School, adults and bicycle | permalink | Comments



After the Supermoon: 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse on Display in Western U.S. May 20

Did you catch a view of Saturday's Supermoon? Why it was cool: • It was a perigee moon, a full-moon phase that brings the moon more than 15,000 miles closer to earth than during other phases. • It appeared around 30% brighter and 14% larger than customary. If you missed it, scroll through a boffo online collection of Supermoon photographs assembled by The Atlantic, or watch the following report below that aired Sunday on NBC Nightly News. (Sorry about the lead-in ad.) While the moon is ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on May 7, 2012 5:04 PM & Tagged astronomy, national parks, solar eclipse and supermoon | permalink | Comments



Almost Killed by a Cactus: A True Story

This March during an orienteering competition in Florida, high school sophomore Joshua Reyes heard another racer whistling for help. It was Micah Robinson, who was trying to get himself out of a sticky situation. In a Hernando (Fla.) Today newspaper story, Joshua explained, "He'd fallen face first into a cactus, and he had those little quills all over his hands and stuck in his face all around and inside his mouth. I helped pick the quills out of his hand, but as he stood up, he was dizzy. I ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on May 4, 2012 12:34 PM & Tagged NOLS, WMI, Wilderness Medicine Institute, cactus and wilderness first aid | permalink | Comments



A Whole Lotta Love: REI's Partners Organize 3 Million+ Volunteer Hours for the Outdoors

You have to admit that volunteering to care for great outdoor places is awesome on so many levels.  From picking up a piece of litter as you walk along to putting in a day of sweat equity spent with a work crew organized by a local nonprofit, every one of us can make a difference for the places we love. I think it feels great to get outside, breathe in fresh air, have fun with friends and leave an outdoor place—park, stream or trail—a little better than I found it.  From the REI perspective, we ...

Posted by Kevin H on May 3, 2012 1:54 PM & Tagged Stewardship report, Volunteering, rei, stewardship and volunteer | permalink | Comments



Klaus Lenhart, Owner of Leki, Dies in Plane Crash

In recognition of his many contributions to improving the outdoor experience, REI notes the tragic passing of Klaus Lenhart, owner and managing director of Leki on Monday (April 30).  According to German news agencies, Lenhart, died Monday in a plane crash near his hometown of Kirchheim/Teckin, in Germany's Black Forest. Mechanical failure was cited as the cause of the crash. Lenhart was an experienced and internationally competitive acrobatic pilot, winner of a number of European flying ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on May 2, 2012 5:58 PM & Tagged Klaus Lenhart and Leki | permalink | Comments