The Tenaja Falls
By Joe Loiaacano

If you're thinking of a perfect place to have an overnight camp, a picnic, or simply a place to relax and enjoy, try the Tenaja Falls. Experience the fun of incredible roadside views while on your way and enjoy the beauty of the rushing waters, lush vegetation, beautiful rock formations, and breathtaking views at the top.

Caving in New Fern Cave Alabama
By Hubert Crowell

May 15, 1971, John Van Swearinger IV introduced us to New Fern Cave. John Wallace, Bill Meier and I were excited to see what all the cavers in the nation were talking about at the time. A huge cave system had been discovered in north Alabama. Vertical cavers from all over north America were coming to drop the deepest pit at that time in the eastern United States, Fern Cave.

The Fern Cave System is located in the west side of Nat Mountain in North Alabama. Fern Cave was discovered June 4, 1961 by Jim Johnston, Bill Torode, Louis Fox, Chris Kroger, and Butch Dill. It consists mostly of Surprise Pit, 437-foot deep and more than 200 feet long.

Survival Skill: How to Find Potable Water
By JJ Murphy

When the weather is nice, a day hike can turn into hours of meandering along trails. It's easy to run out of water. I've even forgotten to repack my water bottle after taking a break. Streams and ponds may be everywhere, but don't be tempted. You have no idea if that water is safe to drink.

Potable water is available if you know what to look for.

Water follows shelter in the sacred order of wilderness survival.

How to Care For Your Carabiners
By Jeffry Evans

Your carabiners may not be one of the larger or even one of the most expensive pieces of climbing gear that you'll have, but that does not mean that they are unimportant. Carabiners are used to link climbers to their safety devices, other kinds of climbing gear, or even other climbers in a belay. Using a faulty or damaged carabiner is dangerous. Always remember that keeping your climbing gear in good working order is an excellent way to avoid accident or injury. Here are some basic tips and maintenance care guidelines for keeping your carabiners in tip top shape.

Cleaning your Carabiners

Hiking in the Smokies - There's a Trail For Everyone
By Robbin Dean

Typically, the phrase "Go take a hike" doesn't exactly have a positive connotation. But when you're visiting the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, you can be assured that it's said only with the best of intentions.

That's because hiking in the Smoky Mountains is one of the most popular activities for area visitors and residents alike. With some 150 official trails within the national park alone, there are plenty of ways to enjoy some of nature's most beautiful scenery while getting some exercise in the process.

The Art of Mountain Biking
By Rita Lambros-Segur

Mountain biking is a popular sport as well as a great method of exercise, but, most of all, mountain biking is a lifestyle. The bikes have very specific design characteristics for off road and rough terrain. Mountain biking requires strength, endurance and biking skills. While much of this sport involves bicycling over trails and over hills and mountains, it can also mean cross country biking.

Why Try Free Heel Skiing?
By David C Wilson

Ever been out skiing, and wondered whats up with those crazy dropped kneed skiers? This style of free heeled skiing is called telemark skiing. Why would someone choose to ski this way? After all, telemark skiing can often resemble a painful series of lunges performed while sliding down an icy mountain, punctuated by the occasional crash. Why don't those telemarkers just lock down their heel and ski like everyone else?

Lake Tahoe Boat Rentals Are The Best Way To Experience The High Sierra Mountains
By Kevin Rockwell

Lake Tahoe is best known for the winter season where the skiing is magnificent and some of the best in the world. However, it is, at heart, a lake and a place where the summer time offers some great water activities.

This is a boating paradise. Lake boat rentals allow visitors to take full advantage of the lake front activities that are present in the summer season at Tahoe.

How To Improve Your Performance On The River
Author: Anna Levesque

Although white water kayaking does require some physical strength and technical skill, the real key to success in the sport is mental prowess. Learning to paddle the kayak and read the water are often easier than learning how to focus and to not let your fear overwhelm you. Since the level of fear affects your physical and technical performance, it's important to have tools that can help you feel confident in your ability. Visualization is a very effective tool for improving your performance, increasing your confidence and reducing the effects of fear.

How I Learned to Go With the Flow
By Terry Fitzroy

A dear friend invited me to join her on a whitewater rafting trip; a women's river retreat. I had never taken a vacation like this before. I was hesitant: It was a lot of money, and I wasn't sure about sharing my vacation with a dozen strangers in addition to my friend. She twisted my arm well enough, and I decided to give it a try. Little did I know then how much this adventure was an investment in my future.

I remember the first morning, anxiously waiting at the boat ramp for instructions about how all of this would work: We watched as our guides-all women--packed everything we would need, or want, for four days onto these large inflatable rafts. Armed with sunscreen, sunglasses, and a stylish life vest, we boarded the boats and shoved off into the current.

Vacations for Water Sports Enthusiasts
By Robert J. Carlton

Are you a water enthusiast? Do you need a vacation? Does sailing, skiing and surfing sound like the perfect vacation? If so, you should look into adventure holidays. Remove yourself from the demands of everyday life and enjoy the desperately needed vacation.

For those who love water sports, a vacation to you means sandy beaches, a warm climate and definitely an ocean nearby. Here are several great hot spots from which you can choose for a terrific adventure getaway.

The Top Ten Myths About Learning To Scuba Dive
By Joe Clarke

Everybody has a lifetime of experiences that determine the way that we perceive things. In addition, other people are more than happy to impart their views as well. This means that, quite often, we get a rather skewed view about something before we have ever experienced it. This can serve to keep us out of trouble; however, it may also stop us from doing things we might otherwise want to do. Below is a non-exhaustive discussion around some of the things that might be barriers to people having a go at Scuba Diving. Hopefully, it is a balanced perspective that might serve to correct some misconceptions.

Skydiving - Tips For the Newbie Jumper
By Jay Marsh

Exhilarating. The ultimate rush. Thrill of a lifetime. For those who have jumped out of an airplane and plummeted toward earth in a skydiving freefall, words seem to be inadequate to describe the experience.

You just have to try it they say. And, who has not thought of doing just that? You're never too old. Former President George H.W. Bush did it to celebrate his 75th birthday, then again on his 80th.

There are a few things to consider before taking that first big step, to make sure that the experience is rewarding and that you get everything out of it that you can.

Adventure Tourism - Filling Indy's Boots
By Nicholas James

The spirit of the popular action hero such as Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain lives strong today in those now choosing they want more from a holiday than just lying on a beach and blistering beneath a notoriously unforgiving sun.

The number of people now electing to forego the package holiday to sunny Spain and instead embark on what might be a life-changing experience in some of the furthest reaches of the globe is seeing a steady rise.

Being a Responsible Trekker
By Juan D'argent

Whether planning for that trek of a lifetime, your usually summer break trek or just a quick one, making the correct choice and having the right behavior can make a difference to the place you visit, the locals and yourself.

Being responsible means not only making the least adverse impact on the environment, but also how your trip will impact the social, economic and ecological aspect of that particular area. Consequently you want your trip to benefit your host community.