Calling all Charlottesvillians! We’ve finally made it to out first home base for the 2018 season. We’ve spent the last few days sorting, packing, unpacking, then repacking gear for the tour, and putting finishing touches on the van. Roxy finished our backsplash while I organized our gear drawers and made sure that we have all of the toys that we might want this spring. We also had the pleasure of taking part in our first two events of the season. Tom Tom Founders Festival 2018 and our annual Saturday morning group bike ride.
Tom Tom Fest (for those unfamiliar) is an annual festival-style celebration that plays out right in the heart of downtown Charlottesville, Va. TTFF is a week-long event that seems to take over the whole city. Celebrating local entrepreneurship, culture and innovation, the week-long event culminates in a giant block party on Friday and Saturday.
As usual, you could find us under the Blue Ridge Outdoors tent in Emancipation Park talking with people about their favorite hikes in the area and giving out some of our treasured backpacking tips. We were lucky enough to have some incredible weather the entire weekend. Saturday morning was sunny and 70 degrees with a cool spring breeze. The Blue Ridge Outdoors crew teamed up with Blue Ridge Cyclery to host a family-friendly group bike ride along the Rivanna Trail from Darden Towe Memorial park to Riverview Park and back. For attendees looking to stretch their legs a little more, we had the option to ride the dirt path on the opposite side of the river as well. We had a great turn-out and Blue Ridge Cyclery even brought a fleet of mountain bikes for riders to demo.
TTFF weekend is always a blast here in Charlottesville. This year seemed a little different. People seemed to have a little more appreciation for the humans around them. The vibe was excellent and a good time was had by all.
Next up, we have our first water event of the year. Tuck Fest in Charlotte, N.C.! Come paddle your hearts out and listen to some free jams from The Wood Brothers, the Infamous String Dusters, Shaky Graves and more.
There is only one way for this tour to be a reality: our sponsors! Sending a thank you shout out to our title sponsor Nite Ize, and all of our other awesome sponsors like Crazy Creek, National Geographic, Sea to Summit, Mountain House, Lowe Alpine, Old Town, Leki, HydraPak, UCO Gear and Wenzel.
