Ruralhipster’s Weblog

Nothing ends another year like a top ten list!

–50+ free 4^th of July fireworks displays from abandoned AT fire towers (after bumming free beer from foreign camp counselors)

–ten-strong critical mass taking the lanes of htown…and the graveyards

-illegal punk shows on main st with more bikes than hipsters

–waitress having a yuengling waiting for you after 4 hours of loaded bike touring

-biking 80 miles to the warped tour followed by 3 hours in the pit

–all those windmills creating more wind in the world

–vegan sushi bars

–29ers and singlespeeds ruling the woods

–24 hrs of mud, hills are tough but rain really sucks

–cross races are more fun in ny

We move onward to a year full of even more uncharted adventure, wilderness exploration, fun, danger, and everything in between. Some traditions will return, others inevitably end, and more are waiting to be created…a homebrewing kit ready to give life to undiscovered beer, new singletrack lying dormant under ice and snow, stories of an epic journey to be made that some only dream about (if we make it back alive –or if we make it back at all!)

2010…the end of a very strange and new decade. We make no resolutions but to live as freely as possible, keep ourselves in the moment, and challenge the limits of common sense and our own bodies. Instead of signifying the dawn of the future, to us 2010 is yet another cycle of spring to winter. Another chance to do it all again. And a really good bad religion song

//M

~K

Quick fix for a broken ski pole in the woods. “Be one with nature, and it will be one with you” ~k

This is what you get with left over bike parts and some evergreens.

~k

Well I guess the cold weather kinda got us but never really slowed the fun. A few interesting things that are worth mentioning:
-XC skiing can be very cold
-Winter riding is hit or miss
-March in a tent in PA can be wind and cold
-Long rides, cold drink, and sunlight are back now.

More fun more posts to come.

Tomorrow’s place to be http://darkhorse40.blogspot.com/2009/04/singlespeed-polooza-course-leaked.html

~k

Berms for a green future

“Water use and conservation is quickly becoming one of the world’s more pressing issues. The majority of North American society remains unaware of some of the simplest practices that can assist in avoiding the predicted water crisis. One age old technique, now considered an essential part of Permaculture design, is that of creating swales and berms. A swale is essentially a small ditch or depression which catches, holds and/or diverts water, “berms” being the name given to the rounded side of a swale which helps direct water into its pooling embrace. Swales are a common practice in rainwater catchement, stormwater and flooding diversion.

Swales are often used on slopes where fast-moving stormwater would otherwise erode the earth and runoff too quickly, usually into overflowing stormwater drainage systems, for the surrounding area to benefit. In order to divert the water and also maximize the amount that can be absorbed into the soil where you want it, you need dig the swale on only a very minimal slope, generally on contour with whatever slope you’re digging it into. This can be a key practice in avoiding flooding, due to the increased rate of infiltration into the soil as well as the slowed pace that a meandering swale can provide. The slowed progress of water also allows for filtration of pollutants before reaching larger water-bodies, particularly if planted with trees or aquatic plants that absorb heavy metals (and are ideally not intended for consumption!).

Swales can and have been integrated into any level of site design, from individual homes to large commercial complexes. In terms of city planning, they are far more efficient and effective in dealing with stormwater than concrete surfaces, which allow for no penetration into the soil whatsoever, or drainage systems which ensure that every pollutant possible is washed away with the water that could be returning to, and being filtered by, the land.” from Ecospace blog http://www.ecospace.cc/culture/swale.htm

saving the earth.

//M

ruralhipster is sad that summer is over, officially; and in no particular order will miss:

• biking 100 miles
• riding again the next day
• energy drinks at the bike club the day after that
• cooking (burning..) local produce over a campfire for dinner
• sweaty circle pits
• packing pbr’s on the bike rack for a swim in the river
• sleeping outside because it’s free
• making other people feel bad about being inside.

yet.. cold weather means drinking to keep warm, xc skiing in the dark, stealing pumpkins from the park service, less sweaty circle pits, having a non-suspicious reason to wear balaclavas, stashing beer in the snow to keep it cold, exit 19 cycloX, learning to hold a line biking on ice roads, terrarium gardening, deciding if 18 degrees f is warm enough to bike in.

…and still feeling arrogant about being outside.

//M