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We have moved blog pages - please bookmark the following address below - we won't be posting to this one anymore..

http://mountainlakeconservancy.blogspot.com/

BrewRidge Music Festival, 3rd Annual - Virginia Is For Lovers

BrewRidge Music Festival, 3rd Annual - Virginia Is For Lovers

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Shelter for Haiti with Blue Ridge Mountain Sports

Check out this program from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, a close partner of Mountain Lake. Trade in your old tent and get 20% off of a new one!

Beginning January 27th, all Blue Ridge Mountain Sports locations began serving as drop-off points for the Shelter for Haiti tent drive. In an effort to provide critically needed shelter for victims of the January 12th earthquake that struck Haiti, Blue Ridge staff will be collecting tents in good working condition with all parts accounted for and any new tarps people are willing to donate.

All tents & tarps will be inspected and shipped to Convoy of Hope in Missouri, a 501©3 non-profit aid relief agency with staff working directly out of the Convoy of Hope warehouse outside of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. Since the earthquake, Convoy of Hope has shipped 12 shipping containers of badly needed food & supplies in addition to their staff providing medical aid to injured Haitians.

Following President Rene Preval’s request for 200,000 tents, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports contacted Convoy of Hope among other aid agencies searching for an outlet to ship donated tents.

“Competition for the canvas homes has boiled into arguments and machete fights, a sign of the desperation felt by the hundreds of thousands of people without homes struggling for shelter in this wrecked city. Haiti’s president has asked the world for 200,000 tents and says he will sleep in one himself.” 1

Next to food and medical supplies, shelter is the next primary concern as Haiti begins to see increased temperatures & rain moving into the spring months.

“Outside of the food area, the two prime worries are: one, medical services or medical equipment, and, two, shelter,” said Lewis Lucke, U.S. special coordinator for relief and reconstruction.”

As an additional incentive, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports is offering 20% off coupons for all tents & tarps with the donation of an old tent or new tarp for Haitian aid relief. To find the nearest Blue Ridge Mountain Sports store location, click here.

For more information about the Shelter for Haiti tent drive, contact Kurt Peterson at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, 866-905-2767×312 or kpeterson at brms.com.

Video of Lake Basin

I ventured down to the lake basin this morning to see if the levels had risen due the recent precipitation. The lake is still partially frozen and the shore is about 5 feet from the extended boat dock. Check out the panoramic video to get an idea of the size of the lake.

Snow ceases to melt at Mountain Lake

The snowstorm we had before Christmas is still present at Mountain Lake. 2 feet still blanket the mountain and cross country skiers have been frequenting us daily. The lake is completely frozen and it doesn't look like it will be melting anytime soon!

Sharron-Mays Memorial Grove

Last week we held a memorial to honor the late Olen Sharron and Warren Mays. Olen and Warren were both big advocates in helping treat our hemlocks at Mt. Lake. We received many donations in their honor and decided to create a memorial. Back in July, we picked out a sandstone boulder from the lakebed that was smooth from years of water erosion. Ralph Johnson from McCoy's Funeral Home in Blacksburg came to pick the stone up and took it to his engraving shop. As you can see, he is an amazing artist! We placed the stone at the north end of the lake along the Indian Trail where the hemlock grove is vibrant and healthy, thanks to Olen and Warren's dedication to protecting the hemlocks.

The Sharron and May's family and friends came up for the memorial. Becky Sharron stands proudly next to the stone.

Click here for more information on this story.

Lake Update

The lake levels have dropped slightly this October but during the entire 2009 season, the levels stayed somewhat constant. Below is a comparison between October 2008 and 2009. What a difference!

October 2009

October 2008

I found this praying mantis earlier this week and thought I would share this photo with you..what an interesting creature!

Mantises are masters of camouflage and most species make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Various species have adapted to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones.

Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail Elderhostel

14 participants showed up for our "Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail" Elderhostel program earlier this week. We hiked McAfee's Knob and the Wind Rock-War Spur Loop. Below are a couple photos from the program. Enjoy!

McAfee's Knob in the fog


War Spur Overlook

War Spur Connector Trail


Wind Rock Overlook

To see more photos from the program, check out our FACEBOOK page!

Women's Wellness Weekend

On September 11-13, we hosted our first Women's Wellness Weekend. We had 8 women sign up and they participated in yoga, hiking and canoeing along the New. Below are a couple pictures from the weekend!

Instructional session on canoeing. No one flipped!

Grace on top of Bald Knob



Bonfire and smores!

To see more pics from the program, visit our Facebook page!

Virginia Living Article on Giles County

New River Elderhostel

We just finished up last week with our 'New River Outdoor Adventure' Elderhostel. We had a total of 24 participants all the way from Washington state to New York. We spent the week on the New River learning the basics of canoeing, rafting, rapid swimming, falling out of boats and much more. Monday and Tuesday were spent on the New from Eggleston to Bluff City. On Wednesday we hiked to the lakebed, Old Golf Course and Bald Knob. The most exciting part of the trip was to the New River Gorge on Thursday, despite the tailpipe falling off the bus! Below are a few pictures from the week.

Eggleston Cliffs
Don swimming the rapids at lunch



Steve teaching basic paddling strokes

Kayaking and canoeing below Eggleston


Our venture to the lakebed


Old Golf Course overlook

Prepared for rafting!

Jeff & Meryl

Jess relaxing in the water

Getting their game faces on for the class 5 rapids




Lunch break



New River Bridge

To see more pictures, check out our Facebook page!

Day Hikes along the Appalachian Trail

We hosted our 1st 5 night 'Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail' Elderhostel last week. We had a total of 24 participants from all over the country! Below are a few photos from the program.

On our first hike, Susan's sole came right off her shoe! We were about 3 miles away from the hotel at the Bear Cliffs overlook. A little first aid gauze, tape, and zip ties and we fixed her shoe right up until she could purchase another pair.


Faye dipping her feet into Dismal Falls.

Bruce & Jan posing for a picture.

It decided to pour rain on our War Spur hike. This group was ultra-prepared, rain or shine.

We headed to McAfee's Knob for our final hike.

Stories, Songs and Walks Elderhostel

Last week we held our Stories, Songs and Walks Appalachian Elderhostel. We had a total of 23 participants and learned about Appalachian poetry, oral history, ballads, music and the flora and fauna of the Appalachian Mountains. One evening, we ventured out to Wind Rock to watch the sunset. Below are a few pictures from the program.

Hiking along Old Turnpike trail

Hazel Beeler describing the differences between rhododendron and mountain laurel

Rick Mullins viewing the sunset

Group shot at Wind Rock

Our next Elderhostel is 'Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail' on July 26-31. We are offering a shorter version of this same program on October 4-7 - visit Elderhostel.org
and type in program #16937.

Rhododendron in Full Bloom

Come up for a hike around the Indian Trail, the rhododendron is in full bloom! I ventured down yesterday to try and capture some shots.



The lake level is continuing to stay at the same level as the past month. The extended boat dock almost reaches the edge of the shore.