Appalachian Outdoorosity

In the first episode of Appalachian Outdoorosity we explain what the podcast is about and introduce you to our team. Melissa Weddell, Becki Battista and Joy James share a bit themselves as well as some stories about their time together in the outdoors.   Transcript: Melissa Weddell: Welcome to Outdoorosity, the get outside and keep going outside podcast, where we share Appalachian State stories to entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. Our goal is to promote Healthy Outdoor Play & Exercise across the lifespan or what we call HOPE. Melissa Weddell: The HOPE Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play on health, the environment, and human development, the vision of the HOPE Lab is to continue developing the scientific foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play through interdisciplinary research. You can check us out online at hopelab.appstate.edu. My name is Melissa Weddell. Melissa Weddell: Today, we are going to introduce your three hosts. But before we get started, we wanted to share with you some benefits of being in the outdoors. According to the American Public Health Association, people of all ages and ability enjoy higher levels of health and well-being when they have nature nearby in parks, gardens, green ways, naturalized school yards and playgrounds, and natural landscaping around homes and workplaces. Melissa Weddell: Access to nature has been related to lower levels of mortality and illness, higher levels of outdoor physical activity, restoration from stress, and a greater sense of well-being and social capital. The integration of nature into towns and cities has secondary benefits that contribute to better health and more sustainable societies. Melissa Weddell: Given the importance of contact with nature for well-being, the American Public Health Association and the HOPE Lab supports the protection and restoration of nature and the environment where people live, work, and play at every scale, from building sites to large regional park systems and ecologically sustainable rural areas. With that said, we would like to introduce ourselves as host. Joy James, would you like to go first? Joy James: Yes. I am a professor of recreation management here at Appalachian State University. I teach a lot about how people spend time in the outdoors. I thought I'd share with you a little bit about how I came to love or realize the outdoors was a space that I wanted to be in. Imagine the possibilities within yourself and the outdoors, and then transferring it to daily life. And that's sort of like what Melissa was saying were some of the benefits. That's what happened to me as a young girl who was shy and lacked confidence. Joy James: I was involved in Girl Scouts, which is already a nerdy thing to do, right? And a strike against me in the popular crowd. But I found I loved it because it was all about getting outdoors and I was learning backpacking and camping and having fun and goofing off and really making connections with the other girls. It was also something that my other classmates weren't doing. I could come back after a weekend and said, "I was learning disco," which has nothing to do with that outdoors. Joy James: But I also could come back and say, "I went backpacking, or I went camping." One formidable experience for me was our troop went hiking to Mount LeConte Lodge, which is a lodge in the Smokeys near Gatlinburg when I was about 15 years old. This was kind of like a precursor to backpacking for me. We didn't have to bring a sleeping bag. We didn't have to bring cooking gear. The lodge provided food and a place for us to rest. All I had to do was just hike up there with a change of clothes. Joy James: Also, it was unusual for me being from Georgia. The elevation was about 6,593 feet. And not having ever seen anything like that or hiked anything like that was a daunting task that I wasn't quite sure I was capable of doing it. I don't remember how many people were in the group, but what I do remember about the number in our troop was we had three groups, a fast group, a medium group, and a slow group. Joy James: I was the only one that was in the medium group, because I was not very fast and I wasn't slow at the time, although my two friends here would say I'm slow now. At that time, I was a little more of a medium, and I could yo-yo between the two groups. What would happen is I would be by myself, and then I would catch up to the fast group and chat with them. And then I would wait for the other group while the fast group took off, and then talk with the slow group, and then I would take off. Joy James: What I started to it was this sense of I didn't mind being by myself in the woods, but I also got to be social. It was the best of both worlds. I really loved it. I was in nature and I could meet the physical challenge, while not necessarily taking away from other people's experiences. I was able to go at my own pace. When I was hiking with the other groups, if I did stay with them, I felt like I was being supportive and I was growing comfortable with others and making connections. Joy James: When we reached the lodge at the top, we met other interesting hikers who found it interesting that this Girl Scout troop was hiking. They also told stories about their personal adventures. I just wanted more of that. That's kind of a pinnacle experience for me where I realized I was capable. I was also could be by myself, but I also was liked for who I was and what I brought to the table and being supportive. This adventure while little and not very big in scope, it led to me becoming a camp counselor, a bike tour guide. Joy James: I went on to be a park ranger, a sea kayak guide, and ultimately where I am today, sitting here behind this microphone talking to you guys, a professor of recreation. The outdoor has always given me confidence in life, which has translated into my professional and personal success. I have to say without the outdoors and the recreation activities I did in the past some years, I would not be who I am today, confident and adventurous. Melissa Weddell: Thank you, Joy. We really appreciate you sharing that story and all the people and students that clearly you've impacted along the way. I think what's great is that you've been able to turn that into your full-time career. We get to share that with students here at Appalachian State. Up next, another researcher and host, Dr. Becki Battista. Becki Battista: Hi, thanks for the introduction. My name is Becki Battista, and I am a professor in the department of health and exercise science. My area really is around exercise. If you've had a class with me or have any vague knowledge of what I do, I'm all about promoting physical activity. When I think about the outdoors and why this area is really of interest to me, I think, as I reflect back on it, it really goes back to I love sports. I always have loved sports. My parents were active. My dad played softball. Becki Battista: My brother played soccer. Sports were just a part of my life since probably age five. All the sports I did were always outside. It was soccer. I wanted to play football when I was little. I mean, everything that you could imagine I wanted to try. Because my dad was in the Air Force, we moved around a lot. When I think about where I'm really from, I am really from Delaware, but we lived in Texas, and we lived in Virginia, and we lived in Alabama. Becki Battista: And in all of those places, I remember as a kid going back into the streams and trying to catch tadpoles or going camping all the time in Alabama. We had a camper. As a family, we joined a camping group. We always went out on weekends in the State of Alabama, which there are some pretty phenomenal camping places. I remember one specifically that was around a lake. I loved going to that one particular campground because it was just... You could ride bikes everywhere. Becki Battista: You could go swimming in the lake, and you could go hiking on the trails, which my brother and I did quite often. But then we moved to Delaware when I was probably 10 and Delaware, super small state, but Delaware is along the coast. I started to have friends that always went down to the beach. And all of a sudden, the beach became like my happy place. It was just relaxing, the sound of the wave, just walking along the ocean. I mean, it was really just a great place to be. Becki Battista: I thought I always want to live near the beach. Well, my life kind of changed a little bit with all the education that I had. I was a PE major, again, because I love sports, and I ended up moving to Colorado. In Colorado, there's mountains. And all of a sudden, I realized, these are pretty spectacular also. I lived in Colorado at a time that I was by myself. I wasn't making a lot of money. I was out of graduate school, and I would have to do things on my own. I'd go hiking. I'd go running on the trails. Becki Battista: Just kind of learning how to navigate that by yourself is a little bit of a challenge, but it was so beautiful that I couldn't resist. Everybody in Colorado always goes outside. If you're not outside, it's strange. After I moved from Colorado and I went to graduate school to get my PhD in growth and motor development, from there, I learned a few things about Michigan. The State of Michigan is also beautiful. It had some great lakes and had some great outdoor adventures when I was in Michigan. Becki Battista: And then from Michigan, I moved to Wisconsin, and I think that's where I kind of brought my childhood memories into my adult world, where I always loved being outside. I loved playing sports. In Wisconsin, I met a colleague who was a physical education person and he was all ab

On this episode, host Dr. Joy James sits down with Madi Heater and Nick Perkins, two passionate students from Appalachian State University who serve as National Park Trust College Ambassadors. As leaders of the App State National Park Trust Club, Madi and Nick share their journeys into outdoor recreation, their love for nature, and their mission to make the outdoors accessible to all students. From birdwatching and fishing to trail stewardship and caving expeditions, their experiences highlight the transformative power of outdoor engagement. Through their work, they not only foster a deeper appreciation for national parks but also build a thriving community of like-minded adventurers. This episode delves into their personal connections with nature, the challenges and joys of outdoor recreation, and the impact of their roles as ambassadors, inspiring others to step outside and explore the world around them.     Show Notes Madi Heater, heatermp@appstate.edu Nick Perkins, perkinsng@appstate.edu   National Park Trust Club Taught members how to fish (Price Lake), stewardship events, clean trails, caving expeditions (Worley's cave) https://parktrust.org/asu-college-ambassadors/ https://www.worleyscave.co/ (Bluff City, TN) https://www.exploreboone.com/listing/price-lake/881/ (Blowing Rock, NC) Congaree National Park- Madi  https://www.nps.gov/cong/index.htm Shenandoah National Park- Nick https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm Birding apps. Merlin & eBird Merlin is based off of the calls that the birds give eBird has a larger database  https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ Merlin asks three questions about the bird (Size, Main Colors, and Behavior) It also can use the microphone on your smartphone to listen to and ID the bird's call as well as take a picture using the camera to ID the bird based on a photo. https://ebird.org/about/ebird-mobile/ eBird makes it easier to log the locations of birds seen and shows hotspots of bird sightings by region and species. It seems to be less of an “identification” app and more of a GPS and locator app. Fishing  App state health physical activity for fishing and fishing club  https://engage.appstate.edu/organization/fly-fishing-club Some of the activities discussed in this episode like caving, hiking, and fishing are offered as classes here https://rmpe.appstate.edu/academics/pe-activity-program/course-descriptions How to join clubs is through “Engage” also remember that the National Park Trust Club is free and has no dues  https://engage.appstate.edu/   Transcript Becki Battista: Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here, we will share Appalachian state stories that entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story, the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the HOPE Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play on the health, the environment, and human development. The vision of the HOPE Lab is to continue developing the foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Becki Batiste and I'm a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University, and a self-proclaimed outdoor physical activity addict. I'm your host for today's episode of the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. In today's episode, Dr. Joy James, a professor of Recreation Management, is joined by Madi Heater and Nick Perkins from the App State National Park Trust Club. They share their journey to becoming National Park College ambassadors, highlight some of the exciting activities they've organized as club leaders, and reflect on their experiences as ambassadors and their passion for engaging fellow students with the outdoors.   Joy James: All right. Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. Today we have two guests here, Nick Perkins and Madi Heater. They're going to be talking not only about their outdoor experiences, but their work here at Appalachian State University as the National Park College Ambassadors. What I'm going to do is have each of you introduce yourself, if you'll tell us your major and your favorite national park.   Madi Heater: All right. Yeah. My name is Madi Heater. I am a double major here at App State. I am majoring in recreation management and environmental science. My favorite national park would probably have to be maybe Congaree. I've grown up around Congaree because I'm from South Carolina, so spent a lot of time in Congaree National Parks.   Joy James: Side note, I got the lottery for the synchronous fireflies at Congaree. In two weeks I'm going to be down there.   Madi Heater: That's so cool.   Joy James: How about you, Nick?   Nick Perkins: Yeah. My name's Nick Perkins. I'm a recreation management major. And I guess my favorite national park would be Shenandoah. I've worked there and I spent a lot of time there.   Joy James: Awesome.   Nick Perkins: Yeah.   Joy James: Awesome. How did you first get interested in the outdoors?   Nick Perkins: I would say my family. They're not big outdoors people, it's not like they go camping and hiking all the time. But I would say just playing in the woods outside my house, that's where I wanted to be. That was my comfort place. So, I just ran with that. I'm happy doing this. So, I want to continue being outside.   Madi Heater: Yeah. For me, I remember as a kid we used to go to this thing called BirdFest that was actually celebrating some random donkey named Bird. But you would go out and it was like this three-day festival where you just set up tents. And then, there was just always bluegrass music playing to celebrate Bird, the donkey. That was my first experience. But I think also my experience at YMCA Camp Greenville, going there as a camper and then being there as a counselor was really where I first did my deep dive into the outdoors.   Joy James: Awesome. All right. So from those activities, what is now your favorite activity to do in the outdoors?   Madi Heater: I think, for me personally, I've taken up birdwatching lately. I have a little wooded area behind my house here and I will sit outside for hours and just watch the birds come by.   Joy James: Do you use the Merlin bird ID?   Madi Heater: I do. Yeah. I've got Merlin and eBird.   Joy James: Which do you like better?   Madi Heater: I like Merlin just because it's based off of the bird calls, and that's been my goal, is to learn the birds by their calls. So, it helps me to improve that knowledge. But eBird has a bigger database, so it's more scientific than Merlin. But they're both awesome. Joy James: That's wonderful.   Madi Heater: Yeah.   Joy James: Shameless plug here, we had a podcast where we interviewed a serious birder who was like the Audubon Youth Birder of the Year, and she was a biology student here. It is an awesome interview, if any of you want to check that out.   Madi Heater: For sure. It sounds awesome.   Joy James: Nick.   Nick Perkins: I would say fishing is my favorite. Even though I go hiking a lot, a lot of times when you're hiking you're just putting your head down and you're not really appreciating what's around you until you stop at a scenic place. By fishing, you're there, you're in nature, and you could just sit there and bask it and appreciate it. And that's my favorite part. And sometimes you catch a big fish and that's really exciting.   Joy James: I've had people tell me that even if you don't catch a fish, it's still great.   Nick Perkins: Oh, yeah. There's plenty of times where I've gone fishing and haven't caught anything.   Joy James: Yeah. Do you fly fish? Do you cast?   Nick Perkins: Mostly just rod and reel. I have been trying to learn how to fly fish, but not as much my thing.   Joy James: Okay. I think App State has a health physical activity with fly-fishing, if you wanted to...   Nick Perkins: Yeah.   Joy James: I've seen them out there.   Madi Heater: There's also a club.   Nick Perkins: Okay.   Madi Heater: But we actually, shameless plug for our club, last weekend we had our fishing trip. So, we actually took a bunch of people up to Price Lake and practiced both rod and reel and fly-fishing with a few students from App State.   Joy James: That's awesome. Tell us the name of your club.   Madi Heater: We are the National Park Trust Club here at App State.   Joy James: That's fabulous. We'll be talking more about that as we move along. Let me finish up with two more questions. How do you think you became comfortable in the outdoors? Nick, you mentioned you played a lot. You mentioned, Madi, that you were going to this festival and camping. What about that made you comfortable to want to spend time in the outdoors?   Madi Heater: I think a big thing for me was just learning more about the outdoors and the environment surrounding me. So, once I was able to identify the trees, then I had a lot more of a personal connection to them, and that made me want to spend more time outdoors to learn more trees and learn more information about the outdoors. So really, just getting that personal connection in there, that was the biggest thing for me in getting comfortable being outside.   Joy James: Awesome.   Nick Perkins: Yeah. I agree with Madi. As I've started to learn more about the different kinds of trees and birds and animals and how they all interact, I definitely have a greater appreciation, and I get excited when I see little things I don't see often. But also, I spent so much time outside as a kid, I just prefer to be outside. I don't like to be cooped up inside. That's just my comfort place in that sense.   Joy James: A space that you feel comfortable.   Nick Perkins: Yeah.   Joy James: I know the outdoors, even though there's so much going on, it calms me eve

  On this episode of Appalachian Outdoorosity podcast, host Dr. Joy James interviews Subaru Leave No Trace (LNT) traveling team members Haley Toy and Gary Huey. The couple shares their personal journeys into outdoor recreation, how they became passionate about the outdoors through a college experience in Yosemite, and their current work educating people on minimizing environmental impact through the LNT principles. They discuss their favorite outdoor activities, challenges, and the importance of balancing personal and professional life while working full-time together. They emphasize that Leave No Trace isn’t about perfection but about being mindful of the environment and learning through experience.   Notes Haley Toy (she/her) and Gary Huey (he/him) Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Team www.LNT.org PO Box 997 | Boulder, CO 80306 haleyandgary@lnt.org LNT Instagram handle: @leavenotraceorg Brendan Leonard Climbs 7 Summits … Of His Neighborhood www.LNT.org Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Teams Kula Cloth     TRANSCRIPT   Becki  Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story. The goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by The Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on the health, environment and human development. The vision of the Hope lab is to continue developing the foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Becki Battista. I am a professor of exercise science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed outdoor physical activity addict. I'm your host for today's episode of the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. In today's episode, Dr. Joy James, a professor in recreation management, sits down with Subaru Leave No Trace traveling team members Hayley Toy and Gary Huey. Together, they delve into the core principles of Leave No Trace, reflecting on their experiences as part of the Subaru LNT traveling team and sharing insights from their own outdoor adventures.    Joy  So, welcome to Outdoorosity. I have here Leave No Trace Team Hayley and Gary, who have generously agreed to give some of their time to tell us a little bit about how they came to the outdoor space, as well as a little bit about Leave No Trace. So welcome, and thank you for being a part of this.    Gary  Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for having us.    Haley   Thank you.    Joy  All right. So what I'm going to do first is have you introduce yourselves kind of where you're from, and then tell us what your favorite outdoor activity is.    Haley   I can start. My name is Hayley, and I grew up in the Seattle area in Washington state. And my favorite outdoor activity right now, it's a toss up between hiking and just sitting outside in the sun and reading a good book.    Joy  I like how you said right now. It changes, doesn't it?    Gary  It does. It really does.    And I'm Gary and I'm from Northern California, and my favorite outdoor activity would be fishing right now. So I enjoy it.    Joy  Line fishing or fly fishing?    Gary  A little bit of both. A little bit of everything. I get out there and catch fish. I enjoy it all.    Joy  Awesome. All right. So I'm going to ask questions and as we've been doing kind of alternate back and forth. My first question for you is how did you first get interested in the outdoors?    Haley   For me, I actually had the privilege to grow up kind of being exposed to outdoor recreation specifically like national parks. So I grew up every summer. My parents were generous enough to take us, like on multiple weeklong road trips. And every summer it was like a whole list of different national parks. So that was kind of my first exposure to the outdoors. And because it came at such a young age, I think those ideas were always kind of instilled in me, whether I realized it or not. But yeah, so I guess from an early age, I had the benefit of just getting to see how much stuff there is to do outside.    Gary  And for myself, I grew up not really doing too much outside, and I played more like traditional sports, like basketball outside. But it wasn't until college where they had a semester right outside of Yosemite called High Sierra, where you spend a whole semester outside, and there's professors out. It was at like a summer camp campus. But there are the professors there and we had a cohort of like 30 to 50 other students. Through that immersive experience. I felt like I discovered a whole other world in the outdoors. And so it was a little later for me.    Haley   And that's also how we met.    Gary  And that's how we met as well. We met that semester. Exactly. I know.    Haley   So, lots of positive outcomes.    Joy  That's what I love about outdoors and recreation is that it connects people, and it is an opportunity to discover oneself as well. So I love that you explained about that immersive experience. I think a lot of people actually are comfortable in outdoor settings through sports, and they don't know about some of this other stuff that's going on, or they just think we're weird because we camp, you know, like, why would you do that? No shower. It's not until you have the experience that you're able to feel comfortable and then connect with others. So that's really cool. So my next question is what are your favorite outdoor activities? We kind of hit that at the beginning, but what are some more that you enjoy doing when you're able?    Gary  Specifically together, we have gone backpacking a bunch. We go car camping, but I feel like a goal we've had within the past only maybe 3 to 4, maybe five years, is that we’ve tried to climb like a bigger mountain or like a little goal every year. And so we've done a few of those together and usually they're overnighters. If not, you know, 1 or 2 nights.    Joy  Multi pitch type climbing or just climbing a mountain?    Gary  More so yeah, just hiking mountains. So we climbed like Mount Saint Helens and Whitney and we did the cables on Half Dome...last year maybe. And so that was really fun.    Haley   Only once a year so far.    Gary  Only once...I know. It takes some planning.    Joy  Was that inspired from this immersive experience that you had or just something you said, oh, we want to climb these mountains?    Gary  You know, it was...What do you think?  Haley   It was him.    Gary  I think the making of the push was I'd have these different photo books of different outdoor photographers, and I'd see all their photos, and I was like, oh, that looks really cool to do. And when you look at an image and you try to do a similar experience, you realize how much planning there is. And so once we saw that, we were like, okay, one a year would be a good goal. And so I don't know. That's where it kind of came.    Haley   It just became that.    Gary  Yeah, it kind of became that.    Joy  I just watched something where a man from Missoula, Montana did the Seven Summits...that he could see from his dog walk.    Gary  Oh, wow. Oh.    Joy  I thought that was pretty...And what he was doing, he said, you know, I don't have $140,000 to go do the Seven Summits around the world. So I'm going to make my own plan. He goes, I walk my dog all the time. And then he showed the different ways he was biking. So it was really interesting. I'll send you the link and I'll include the link in for our listeners, but I, I love how you're like, it's a goal and we do it once a year because of the amount of planning. But I think a lot of our other skills kind of lend itself towards your success, whether you actually make the climb or not. Right? Like the weather might impede or do other things for us. Since you two have different stories about how you came to the outdoors, how do you think you became comfortable in the outdoors? Like it's not always easy to go to the bathroom in the outdoors, not have a shower, be sweaty, be stinky. So how did you get comfortable in the outdoors?     Haley   Not to keep like pumping up this experience that we had during our semester in college in the Sierras, but for me, that really was how I became comfortable in the outdoors. Part of that semester experience. Is that you...I don't want to say you're forced, but you are required to...I felt like I was forced at the time...to go on a backpacking trip in the backcountry of Yosemite, and one of them was in the dead of winter. So it was like late January, maybe early February. That was my very first backpacking trip. And I can't even describe to you how terrified I was. Gary knows because I still talk about it all the time. And everyone also at the time knew. I mean, that was like the one hindrance for me and why I almost didn't participate in that semester program. he morning of we were supposed to leave and I just, I guess, physically made myself sick, like, I, I don't know how my body did it, but I gave myself like, a fever and all of its other symptoms because of out of fear, just because it was so unlike anything that I had ever experienced or thought that I was capable of. Because I had grown up very front country focus, outdoor experiences. We weren't camping out in the backcountry or anything like that. So this was totally new. But getting thrown into it and not really having a choice made me realize that I could do it. And there were a lot of other people like me who that was their first time. You know, for some reason, in my mind, I felt like I was the only person who wouldn't know what they were doing. But we were all really in the same boat, including Gary.    Gary  It was my first time camping..    Joy  I was going to say, it w

On this episode of Appalachian Outdoorosity, Dr. Joy James, a professor in App State's Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education, interviews App State graduate, Grayson Smith. Outward Bound plated a pivotal role in Grayson's outdoor and personal development. Throughout Grayson's time in the program they faced setbacks and challenges in the outdoors and learned with the help of a community to believe in themselves and persevere. Topics covered include building community, emotional vulnerability, the fun scale and the power of journaling. Show Notes Outdoorosity Team Email: podcasts@appstate.edu Pronouns: they/him School email: smithgh@appstate.edu  Instagram: ghsmith15 Outward Bound North Carolina Outward Bound Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks and Trails Journaling Ideas     Transcript   Becki Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story. The goal… to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by The Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on the health, environment and human development. The vision of The Hope Lab is to continue developing the foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Becki Battista. I'm a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed outdoor physical activity addict. I'm your host for today's episode of the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast. On today's episode, team member doctor Joy James, a professor in recreation management, interviews App State recent graduate Grayson Smith where they tell us how their Outward Bound experience inspired them, and they have come full circle working for Outward Bound.   Joy Hi, I'm Joy here with Grayson. Thank you for joining us, Grayson.   Grayson Yeah, I'm really excited to be here.   Joy If you could introduce yourself, kind of tell us where you're from and what your favorite outdoor activity is.   Grayson Yeah. So my name is Grayson Smith. I use they/he pronouns, I identify as trans mask. I grew up in Raleigh. Atlanta until I was about six. And then Raleigh. I call Boone home now. I've been here almost five years. Oh, gosh. Favorite outdoor activity? There's so many things I could say. I've gotten really into climbing over the past few years. That was something that I used to be pretty scared of as a teenager. And, being in the rec program here at App has really helped me, reopen up to that, that activity and, kind of push those fears away.   Joy Cool. Glad to hear that. How did you first get interested in the outdoors?   Grayson So I went to a high school in Raleigh that required us to go on an outbound trip as freshmen. I had never heard of Outward Bound. I had never really. I never understood that there was an outdoor industry. I didn't really go hiking as a kid. I grew up in two major cities. two major capital cities. I just didn't. I wasn't really exposed to recreation until I got to high school and went on this Outward Bound trip with my freshman class, and I was the only student that enjoyed it. And I kind of kept that to myself. I was like, ooh, this bugs and camp. Ooh, gross dirt, you know? And everybody was like, like, this is so. I loved every second of it. It was my favorite thing. My instructors probably remember me being the only person that was excited about it. So from then on, from about the age of 14, I had the goal and passion for working for Outward Bound as an instructor one day which is crazy, because eight years later, here I am. I just had my interview yesterday for that position. So. Yeah.   Joy I'm so excited for you.   Grayson Yeah, it's going to be exciting.   Joy Just in case some of our listeners don't know what Outward Bound is. How would you describe it?   Grayson Outward bound. Oh, okay. Let me see if I can make this a short definition. Outward Bound to me is a community of people and a program that provides courses like backpacking courses. there's paddling, there's climbing, all integrated. Either it can be separately. It's like just a backpacking course or all those three things together, and then various other leadership skills, communication, self-reliance, mental health, just all the kinds of things that can help shape you and help you grow as a human. Outward Bound. They just really, really care about youth, and they really care about inspiring young people to connect with nature and, you know, connect and grow more into themselves.   Joy Okay. Thank you. So it's something I can pay for. I can do semester-long, week-long activities.   Grayson So the courses run, typically on average from 4 to 30 days. And then we do have like, 50 day outdoor educator course around that, number of days and then also a semester course. The cool thing about NCOBS which is North Carolina Outward Bound School, is they actually run programs in a couple of different states, which is, let's see, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia. We have got someone like the Outer Banks, like beach stuff, which is kind of cool. And then, the season actually just ended, and Table Rock, which is about an hour outside of Boone, near Morganton. And so that season ended on Halloween, October 31st. And, all the people are moving down to the Everglades in Florida which is really cool. The base camp is like on an island. I've never been, but I've heard really cool stories. Then they also run a semester course in Patagonia. So, you do a month there, a month in the Everglades and a month in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm not sure of the order. I think you've got, like, a day break.   Like you've obviously you're flying. You might stay in a hotel or somewhere, like, you know, but, yeah, I mean, there's so many options.   Joy And so when you were in high school, was it a week, like, how long was your course?   Grayson Our course was three nights and four days.   Joy And you got jazzed just from three nights and four days?   Grayson My gosh, yes, it was. I mean, the bus ride. They're getting out of the bus. I mean, I ended up going on a course for 30 days. I applied, I think 2 or 3 months after I got back from that trip, which is in April so I applied over the summer, got accepted to my 30 day course in Oregon that October, and was there the next summer.   Joy And remind me how old you were. For the first time in high school.   Grayson I was, I had oh, actually, I might have been. No, I would have been 14 about to turn 15.   Joy Okay. Yeah. And so then a couple months later, you go on a 30 day course.   Grayson About a year later, I applied a few months later, and then about a year later I was in Oregon.   Joy Okay. So Outward Bound has really been in your life since you're about 15? Yes. Okay. Cool. All right. So the next question we have here is what are your favorite outdoor activities. You've mentioned that you enjoy climbing. What other outdoor activities do you do or enjoy?   Grayson Yeah. I really like backpacking, just generally speaking. It brings me a lot of joy to carry all my things around, even though it's really heavy and can be painful at times. I just find a lot of joy in the fact that I'm just like, ooh, where's my pen? Well, I know where it is. It's right here in my pocket. You know, like I have all my things right on my person. I can put my bed anywhere. I have beautiful views, you know, I'm with my friends. I can cook them a meal. Let's see, I took a paddling class. Let's see, was it last semester or the semester before with Grace Fortune, who works at UREC now. Grayson And, that was an amazing class. I had a lot of fun. Yeah. She's great. Yeah, we had a really great time. that really opened up my passion for paddling as well. That's also something that I'll hopefully be trained in, with Outward Bound, whenever that does happen. But yeah, kayaking would be my, my preferred paddling.   Joy Are you thinking kayaking like whitewater or flat water or any of it?   Grayson So I have some, some flat water kayaking experience. I grew up going to summer camp, so I learned a lot of it there. and then with that paddling class we were on, all flat water. We didn't get the chance to do any whitewater. I did go to the Whitewater Center in Charlotte while I was working with Outward Bound this summer. It was a little intimidating because, you know, it's intense there. It's, you know, it's like a real rapid situation. We went rafting before, and I fell out at the top of the run and, like, was swimming all the way down. And it was just so much. And I was like, I'm not going to do the whitewater kayaking today.   Joy Did water get up your nose?   Grayson Oh, I thought, I thought so many bad things were going to happen to me because I swallowed the water and I couldn't get out of it. It was just so funny. But type two fun would be that. That was my type two fun experience with some white water.   Joy So our listeners may not be as familiar with type one. Type two can you kind of tell us what you mean by that?   Grayson Yeah. So type one fun would be like, yeah, I just had a lot of fun. Like, you did an activity and you're like, that was super cool. That was really fulfilling. That made me really happy. Type two fun would be like, in the moment I'm really kind of scared. Or I'm like, what's the outcome going to be like? This is kind of really like a roller coaster, maybe like you're going up the roller coaster, you're freaking out. And then once it falls, you're like, woohoo!   Joy Yeah.   Grayson So, type two fun would be like, you look back on that moment when you were scared and you're like, but that was kind of fun though. Like, let'

On this episode of Appalachian Outdoorosity, Dr. Joy James, a professor in App State's Department of Recreation Managment and Physical Education, interviews App State Biology Alumna, Adrianna Nelson about her passion for birding.    Show Notes https://today.appstate.edu/2020/06/26/nelson http://ww.appalachianaudubon.org/ https://highcountryaudubon.org/ https://www.inaturalist.org/ https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ https://www.citizenscience.gov/ The Big Year - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/   Transcript  Becki Battista Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by The Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on health, environment and human development.  The vision of the Hope Lab is to continue developing the foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Becky Battista and I am a professor in Exercise Science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed physical activity addict. I'm your host for the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast today. On today's episode, team member Dr. Joy James, a professor and recreation management, interviews App State Alumni Adriana Nelson. Adriana tells us how her curiosity of birds shaped her outdoor experiences and interests in Appalachian State University. Joy James We're here with Adriana Nelson, who is a biology major at App State. Adriana, what I'm going to do is have you introduce yourself. Tell where you're from, why Appalachian State University, why you're here. And then if you could tell us about your favorite outdoor activity. Adrianna Nelson Okay. Yeah. So, I'm Adriana and I'm from Bristol, Tennessee. So, it's just kind of on the other side of the mountains. I picked Appalachian for several reasons. One, I wanted to be a biology major and App State offered a concentration in ecology, which is really what I want to focus in. So that was nice and I really wanted to do that. And one of the professors here also does work with birds, which is kind of my...that's my big thing. And of course, I liked all the outdoor activities right in Boone and the nearby areas. I came for the mountains like everybody else did. Joy James For people who might not be familiar with what your activity is, what do you call it? Adrianna Nelson So, I am a birder and some people say bird watcher, but the serious people say birding, they're birders. Joy James I wanted that clarification because sometimes I think my mom, she's a bird watcher, she has the feeders up. And so how is a birder different than my mother who watches birds? Adrianna Nelson I think it just depends maybe on your own definition of it, but I like to actually go out and look for different birds at different times of year that might be migrating through or breeding. And I like to look at their different behaviors. It's more of a whole inclusive activity where you look at different parts of their life cycles and you’re more serious about it instead of just casually watching what may come to your yard. Joy James Gotcha. As you and I were joking before the interview, we called you a bird nerd. Yeah, that's an appropriate word to use. And you would honor that. That's not an insult. Adrianna Nelson Yeah, it's not an insult. Joy James All right. So how did you first get interested in the outdoors? Adrianna Nelson Well, I think I've always been interested in the outdoors for as long as I can remember. When I was really young, I rode horses, so I wanted to be a horse trainer for a while. But I also watched a lot of, like, Animal Planet and National Geographic. So, I also wanted to be like a safari explorer. So, I've always really been interested in wildlife for as long as I can remember So that's how I'm tied to the outdoors, at least initially, and with birds specifically...When I was nine, it was the middle of winter and I saw this bird outside that I didn't recognize and I knew a lot of the common ones in our yard, like a cardinal and a blue jay and all that. But I didn't know what this one was just a little gray and white bird. And I also thought all birds migrated to Florida in winter, which is not true. So, I was really confused why this one was here. So, I looked it up and I found out that it was a bird called a Dark-eyed junco. And I kind of got hooked on it because when I was searching for it online, I saw all these other birds that I could find in my area and that I haven't seen before. And I thought I was some expert on wildlife. And then here are all these tons of birds I didn't know. So that kind of got me hooked. Joy James Well, so you literally looked it up on the Internet. There was no book that you used or anything like that? Adrianna Nelson Right. Yeah. Joy James That's really cool. You know, I'm not a birder. I enjoy and I am probably a bird watcher, but I'll go out with birders and kind of get that experience. And what I remember when I first got into it was having to look at the book and I couldn't hear the sounds of the birds. So, now with technology, it really has advanced to the point that, like you said as a young person, you're like, ‚ “Wow! There's all this stuff out there I didn't know.” Adrianna Nelson Now I have tons of bird books, but that was before I got into it. And there is a lot online, so it was easy to figure it out. Joy James Well and I think, yeah, that's a great point. You know, the online kind of introduces you and then as you dive deeper into your interest area. You probably do go get books and magazines and other things on it as well as still look at stuff online. The big thing for me that was interesting about birders is like how do they find out when the snowy owl was out, when it wasn't supposed to be out and there's like this whole network? Joy James And now I think it's even more expedited because you can see online where the sighting was if you know the right people are talking.   Adrianna Nelson Yeah, we definitely have a good network going. I mean, it's something where says, you know, we can send an email out. We have listservs for different areas like at home. I have one for the Bristol region and there's one here in the High Country. And you know, you can hear about rarities just like that. Joy James So yeah, it's just amazing how connected your birding community is. We know birding is your favorite outdoor activity. Do you have any other favorite outdoor activities that you do? Adrianna Nelson Yeah. So, I like to sometimes start hiking in with birding. And even if I don't see a lot of birds, I just, you know, I like to go out and hike a lot of the places around here. There are so many places to go. So that's one thing I enjoy. And I also like kayaking. Joy James And is it flat water or whitewater kayaking that you do? Adrianna Nelson I like flat water. Joy James There's lots of good ways to see birds that way, too. Adrianna Nelson Yeah, that's true. Joy James And this is a side question. Have you ever found birding has gotten you into an activity that you wouldn't have normally gotten into because you want to go see the bird? Has that ever happened to you? It's a side question because sometimes I find with people who are kind of animal nerds, they may not be outdoorsy, but with their passion for the animal, they'll go camping. They'll go rock climbing. Yeah, you've seen it. People who are biologists go rock climbing for lichen and they're not necessarily rock climbers, but they learn it so they can go see and collect the samples that they're looking for. So, I'm always curious to see how biologists, you know...is it the the interest that drives them or is it the recreational activity that got them interested? Usually, it's the interest that drives you guys. Adrianna Nelson Usually, it's literal driving that I do. I drive a lot in my car to go to all these places. Joy James That makes sense! What's a... when you said you combine birding with hiking, how does that combine? Are you bringing gear with you or you just hiking? What does that entail? Adrianna Nelson Well, whenever I go hiking, I always end up bringing my binoculars and my cameras anyway. So, it does end up usually turning more into birdwatching that it does just straight hiking. But like I went to the profile trail once to hike to the top and I really was just going to hike and see it because I hadn’t gone on it before at that point. And of course, there's like Pine Siskins that fly over and Crossbills and all that other stuff. So, they blend together. I hike to go see birds too. Joy James So, this is the other thing I suspect is the difference between a bird watcher and a birder, what time you go hiking to specifically see birds? Adrianna Nelson Early! Yeah, actually the cool thing about birds is you could probably literally go any time of the day, depending on what you're looking for. And like with waterfowl, they're not picky about what time they're out because they're just going to be on the water. So, you can pretty much see him any time. But then there's owls and nocturnal flight calls or NFC‚ and you literally have to be out there before the sun comes up. So, it depends. It's a big scale. Joy James Do you have trouble getting people to go hiking with you that early in the morning, or is it usually other birders? Adrianna Nelson It's usually other birders. I didn't have taken friends a couple of times and they usually don't mind getting up early to go on a nice hike. Joy James So good. I'm glad to hear that. I, I had an experience once with a

While attending App State, Lauren Moody discovered her love for backpacking. On this episode of Appalachian Outdoorosity, Lauren shares some of her favorite experiences getting outside. Lauren and Joy also discuss the importance of making the outdoors a welcoming space for all.   Show Notes Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson https://outdoorafro.org/ https://latinooutdoors.org/ https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/pattie-gonia-backpacking-queen-releases-her-first-full-length-video https://fatgirlshiking.com/ https://tnstateparks.com/parks/roan-mountain   Contact Information: laurenlmoody@gmail.com Instagram handle is @laurenl_m   Transcript   Becki Battista Welcome to Appalachian Outdoorosity where we encourage you to get outside and KEEP going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire, and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and KEEP you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the Hope Lab where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play on health, the environment, and human development. The vision of the HOPE Lab is to continue developing the perfect foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise, and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out on hopelab.appstate.edu   Hi, my name is Becki Battista, a professor in Exercise Science and self-proclaimed physical activity addict. I am your host for the Appalachian Outdoorosity podcast today.   On today’s interview, team member Dr. Joy James, a professor in Recreation Management, interviews Lauren Moody.   Appalachian State University student Lauren Moody, of Marietta, Georgia, was recognized for outstanding leadership and service — she was the recipient of a 2020 Community Impact Student Award from North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide network of colleges and universities committed to community engagement. While at the University she picked up the hobby of backpacking. Listen as she shares her experience and thoughts on how to make the outdoors a space for all.   Joy James We want to welcome you to our podcast, Lauren, and thank you so much for being willing to talk to us today.   Lauren Moody Yeah, thank you. I'm excited. I'm a little nervous, but excited to be here.   Joy James Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, what your major is, where you're from, and what year you are here at App?   Lauren Moody Yeah. So I am a senior here and it's exciting going into my last year. Yeah, I'm originally from outside of Atlanta, Georgia, so I'm about like five, 6 hours away from Boone, so a little bit far from home. I'm actually an interdisciplinary studies major, so it's a little wacky but kind of fun and cool. My program of study focuses on community development, so the way I view community development in like how I've kind of approached my program study is looking at really how culture influences the way communities develop and like how culture kind of converges with different things like government and like economic policy and how it all comes together to affect like how people build physical institutions in community, but also like that sociological sense of belonging.   Joy James Sounds like you’re going to be doing a lot of community building and work in the future.   Lauren Moody Yes, definitely.   Joy James That's the goal. One other question. What are your favorite outdoor activities?   Lauren Moody Backpacking, definitely, because I think it's just like a really cool, immersive experience outdoors. But just on a day-to-day basis, because you can go backpacking every day or like every weekend, I really do just enjoy going on like a good walk outside, just being in nature because I think that's one of the really important parts of advocating for people spending time outdoors. It doesn't have to be this big intimidating thing like backpacking. It can just be going to the Greenway and going for a walk.   Joy James Absolutely. I agree with you. I love doing all those things. But like you said, with the planning and day to day are only an hour at a time. It's nice to be able to have those green spaces to go out to and just kind of do the outdoors.   Lauren Moody Definitely.   Joy James How did you first get interested in outdoors or nature or being able to enjoy these types of activities?   Lauren Moody Yeah. So before coming to Appalachian State, I definitely had a deep appreciation for outdoor spaces. My family, when I was growing up, spent a fair amount of time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the most beautiful place ever. It's somewhere that's really important, especially to like my dad's side of the family, him and like his dad had always gone on fly fishing trips there. Then it became something that was important to like my individual family as well. My brother's name is Jackson even, which I always think he's named like for Jackson Hole. I'm never exactly sure I should check with my parents on that. I think he is literally named for Jackson Hole. So, it's a place that is very important to my family and we have a lot of great shared memories there. But yeah, so that's kind of where I guess I developed my appreciation for just being able to spend time in places that seemed less touched by other things in the world, being from outside of Atlanta or living in a suburb, it is city life. I think city life is great. But there's also this other aspect of appreciating the wilderness. Before coming to App State, that's kind of been my relationship with the outdoors, but I didn't necessarily participate in a ton of outdoor recreation. I'd go on like hikes sometimes, but I never backpacked until freshman year. So yeah, that's when I went on my first backpacking trip and yeah, it was just a super cool experience and it became something that I really have enjoyed doing and get a lot out of.   Joy James Cool. Two things. Did you ever fly fish?   Lauren Moody I have done fly fishing before. Yeah. I would go sometimes with my dad and my brother when we were at Jackson Hole. Yeah. I mean, it's not something where like, oh my gosh, this is the best thing ever. I would like to do it more because I think it's interesting. And like, like I said, it's something that's important to my dad, especially and his dad and even my brother now. So it's something I definitely would like to do more one day, but I have not done a ton of fly fishing.   Joy James Well, the reason I asked about some of the research that I've done in the past looks at how people become comfortable in outdoor settings and in particular activities like hunting and fishing don't always translate into the female experience. Unless they have a father or a brother or significant other who might take them out. Then the fact that you've had some of that base experience outdoors and doing some fishing made you comfortable so that you could be uncomfortable in backpacking, right? Like it was building up that skill set. And so kind of transitioning over to your backpacking. It sounds like that's become a passion of yours. How did you find out about it? At App like I mean, what got you? What was the trip or what did you do that kind of lift the fire for you.   Lauren Moody Yeah. So freshman year it was, it was a big group of people, it was a pretty big group to go backpacking. I want to say it was eight people, which is like a pretty big group, but it was just a group of people I'd been hanging out with. And about half of the people that went on that trip had previous backpacking experience. The other half myself included, had no experience. So it was definitely interesting. That trip as a whole, can I go into it? It was a wild trip, but it remains one of my favorite backpacking memories just because of how wild and kind of poorly planned it was. It turned out to be great. I obviously really enjoyed myself. It was Mount Mitchell outside of Asheville area. We did the Black Mountain Crest Trail; I think it's called. I remember I wasn't really involved in the process of picking the trail or anything because, like, what do I know? I knew that was the trail we were doing and I looked it up before we left. I remember reading it was only for expert hikers. This trail is extremely strenuous. But I never said anything because I was like, “Oh, maybe we were just like not doing that part of the trail. It'll be fine.” But yeah. So, we started hiking at four in the afternoon, maybe, and I think we were planning on hiking like three miles. That was supposed to be like three miles into a campsite and we just could not find the campsite. We just kept on hiking and hiking. The trail was extremely strenuous. It goes over, I think it's like three like ridges. So it'd be like, you're going to go straight up and like, straight down, straight up, straight down. Pretty much. No in between. It’s a ton of rock scrambling. At one point there's even like a rope you have to use to, like, gently repel yourself down. We just kept on hiking and we were like, “Oh my gosh, where is this campsite?” We were hiking into the night. It was probably like ten when we finally found our campsite. One guy didn't even have hiking boots on. He was wearing sneakers. So yeah, it was just definitely a wild first backpacking experience. I think that's kind of what made it so great. I was like, “Holy crap, I've never done anything like this before. And like, this trail's really hard and like, I'm really struggling and it's difficult, but like, I'm still getting a lot out of it, having a lot of growth from it.”   Joy James I'm glad you explained that because part of the question a lot of people ask is like, why would you put a backpack on that is 35, 45 pounds, go up and down hills into the darkness and still want to come out doing it ag

Joy talks cold weather adventures with two outdoor experts on this Appalachian Outdoorosity. Bob Riddle and Valerie Kankiewicz share their perspectives on the best way to prepare for and thrive in the chilliest of outdoor scenarios. Ice climbing, sweating in the snow, David Hasselhoff and last but certainly not least The Legend of the Traveling Jorts all await you! So, come on in! The water is ice.    Show Notes App State University Recreation   How to Dress for Cold Weather, According to Outdoor Adventurers   What should you wear to run in the cold? Build an outfit with this paper doll       Transcript   Becki Welcome to the Appalachian Outdoorosity Podcast, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on health, the environment and human development. The vision of the Hope Lab is to continue developing the perfect foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Becki Battista and I am a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed physical activity addict. On today's episode, we will continue our conversation with outdoor professionals about what to wear when recreating outdoors in the cold and rain. Outdoorosity team member Dr. Joy James, a professor in recreation management, interviews Appalachian State University's outdoor program team who provide more details about types of clothing and the importance of layering, as well as things to consider in a variety of outdoor activities like backpacking and ice climbing. Why have two episodes on dressing for weather outdoors? Because our aim is to have you enjoy the outdoor activity. While discomfort can be part of the outdoor experience, there are ways to lessen being uncomfortable. Dressing for the weather is significant to a person's willingness to continue to try new outdoor activities. And here at Outdoorosity, we are all about getting people outdoors. Let's get to the interviews. Joy These are two experts from outdoor programs at Appalachian State University. We have Bob and Valerie. First, we'd like to know, Bob, a little bit about yourself. Bob Yeah, so I'm Bob Riddle. I'm originally from southern Ohio, so I grew up in the foothills of Appalachia. I've made my way deeper and deeper here into the mountains over time. Now, kind of in year four of my professional experience here in the outdoors, apart from graduate assistant shifts and working as an undergrad student and outdoors, I'm currently here the coordinator of outdoor programs for Appalachian State University's Outdoor Program at University Recreation. Specifically, some of the things that I do right now is I manage our indoor climbing wall, our outdoor trips program, our broad stone kind of outdoor educational center. And as part of that is our team building challenge course. Joy Thank you! Valerie, I think I will go ahead and switch over to you and have you tell us a little bit about yourself before I start asking questions. So give us a little bit of information about who you are, what you're doing, and anything you think's funny or surprising. Val Thank you. I am Valerie Kankiewicz and I'm the assistant director for outdoor programs here at App State. In this role, specifically right now, I work most closely with our outing center where we handle all of our gear rentals, trip registrations and items of that nature. In addition, our Bike App program that provides free bike tunings and repairs for the App State community. Overall, I just generally oversee the operations of outdoor programs to make sure that we are flowing smoothly and providing great opportunities for everyone. I have been involved in the outdoors since I was little, but I came from a family that was not very interested in the outdoors. I went to summer camp and really built up my own interest that way and one thing that I think is kind of funny is that I don't really like to watch a lot of TV or movies or music or things like that. So I'm often quite ignorant of a lot of quotes that people will talk about or different things. My first day of my first full time job ever, I was working as an aquatics director and my supervisor said to me, referring to a particular lifeguard of ours, “He's a real David Hasselhoff.” Now, I had grown up in this town and I was like, I recognize that name. I said, “I think I know him. Why would I know him?” And now it turns out he's a famous actor and I didn't know that. So I prefer to spend my time outside and not spend a lot of time with my technology. Joy I know a few people like that. Bob, what is your favorite outdoor activity that you enjoy doing? I know you probably have multiple, but if you were to be able to go do something today, what would that be? Bob Backpacking. I really got my start backpacking kind of in West Virginia and through the mountains there. It's something that I've always really valued because for the most part it can be pretty low gear intensive. It's certainly a lot of logistical planning, but on a skill level, it offers a wide variety for really anyone to get involved with. It's a great way to connect with folks or disconnect from folks, depending on what you're looking for. So for me, it's backpacking. You know, similar to Val and what she was saying earlier, I don't come from an outdoorsy background originally. I didn't go backpacking until my freshman orientation program. I grew up playing basketball, baseball, football. My original thought of camping was taking your 30 foot family trailer to the county fair and spending a week with farm animals. I'm certainly not a lightweight backpacker. A quote from a student staff colleague of mine when I was just getting into backpacking that has always stuck with me is, “We're not out here to rough it. You know, we're out here to thrive and do the best that we can with each other and with the supplies that we're given.” I got no problem. You know, throw in some tent poles and carrying a bunch of water and a bunch of food to have a good meal outside. So not on the lightweight side. Joy I love that you're like, we're here to thrive and not to rough it. And I think often many people think backpacking is roughing it and it's just a different form of camping that gets you out in a different way. And and I love the challenge of being able to carry all that gear. All right. Thank you for explaining that. I am going to ping pong between the two of you. Change it up a little bit, Valerie. So can you tell us what your favorite outdoor activity is? If today you could do whatever you wanted to be doing. What would be your choice? Val Ooh, well, that's tough. Somebody I worked with in college leading trip said it best that they were a jack of all trades and a master of none. And I find that defines me. So I really enjoy backpacking. I also really enjoy cycling. I really like winter and outdoor sports. So if I had my option, I would like to go ice climbing. But that's not an option very often. So I'll take cycling or backpacking as well. Joy And it sounds like both of you, come from snow areas originally, right? For some reason I have Iowa on my mind. Valerie and Bob, you said Ohio, but it was southern Ohio you're at. Bob Yeah, I'm originally from Southeast Ohio, about 45 minutes from the border. Any which direction, south or east you go. Val And Joy, you're correct. I went to college in Iowa at northern Iowa and grew up in northern Illinois. I lived in Wyoming for a little bit and between Buffalo and Rochester, New York. So I've seen my fair share of snow. Joy And I asked this because I knew my parents were from Iowa, but I grew up born and raised in Georgia. So Snow was an event in Georgia. And to have snow like we have here in Boone, was kind of a new concept to me. And I mean, I've lived in North Dakota, but I didn't understand wearing a hat. That was a new thing to me. It's like people who come from snow know how to play in it, they know how to dress for it. And it didn't stop them from recreating. And that kind of stunned me as a Southerner going, “Why would you tell the snow and ice climb? Doesn't that that sound like it would be a little bit of a challenge?” But, having been in the snow now, I can see why people enjoy that. All right, Bob, so since we're talking about cold weather, how do you typically dress for a workout or backpacking in colder weather? Bob Yeah, so kind of a rule and principle. I use and this is going to sound kind of backwards maybe to some folks if they're not familiar with it. But I like to actually dress to be cold during the activity, especially if I'm going to be on something that's going to be multi-day, where I don't have the luxury of, you know, driving home at the end of the evening and getting a hot shower and a hot meal and laying down in the bed. I like the dress cold for the activity. The reason I like to do that is I want to be just comfortable enough I can withstand it, but I want to be cold. So I'm not sweating because after that activity, if I'm going to be camping and I know it's going to be cold that evening, that sweat is going to kind of linger and that moisture is going to, you know, freeze in time. So typical rule of thumb for me is hike cold, camp warm. And so having layers with me, but not necessarily wearing all those layers during the activity. Now during a regular day where I'm not doing multi-day stuff, you know, I'll, I'll just pack on as much or as little clothes as I want knowing I can just simply get in a

The entire Appalachian Outdoorosity crew comes together to discuss their favorite ways to recreate when the weather outside is frightful. We mean cold. You knew that.  Joy, Becki and Melissa talk layering, cotton vs polypro and time tested tricks for not becoming hypothermic whilst backpacking, biking and camping. Along the way we discover some of their biggest fears and most embarrassing cold weather related moments. A jolly time is had by all.          Transcript: Becki Batista Welcome to the Outdoorosity podcast, where we encourage you to get outside and keep going outside. Here we will share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story with the goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. This podcast is presented by the Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on health, the environment and human development. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu.  Hi, my name is Becki Battista and I am a professor in exercise science at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed physical activity addict. I will be your host for this Outdoorosity podcast. On today's episode, Outdoorosity team members will share their advice about what they like to wear when it gets cold out, types of clothing and the importance of layering. Let's go to the conversation now. Joy James I'm Joy James. I teach in recreation management, working in the Hope Lab. I'm a Southerner, born and raised. So, I've lived in the southern climate. I've lived in North Dakota, Utah, I’ve had the heat extreme and the cold extreme and they all provide different challenges to us, but they don't keep you from going outdoors. Becki Battista I'm Becki Batista, and I am a team member in the Hope Lab. With the fact that I have lived in cold weather climates like Michigan and Wisconsin, I definitely have had to adjust my layering of clothing items. But we can certainly address any issues associated or ideas, tips, tricks and some good common sense about what to wear when you are being active outside. Melissa Weddell And I'm Melissa Weddell. I think the one theme that we will collect today is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices. Becki, why don't you tell us your favorite outdoor activity and how you kind of plan and typically dress for outdoor recreation? Becki Battista Running is probably my favorite outdoor activity and over the years I have figured out what works in what temperature. Probably the most important thing that I always make sure I have is gloves. If my fingers are cold, then I'm cold. Sometimes I have to have two layers of gloves, just depending on what the temperature really is outside. I might have gloves and then added mittens. And I always thought mittens were kind of a weird concept, like, why would I wear mittens in the wintertime? That's what little kids wear. But mittens actually keep your fingers closer together. And so technically, mittens are much better in the really cold climates, like 30 degrees and lower. I'd say like a good weather wind resistant type mitten is really helpful for me when it's really cold and in this climate really cold as 20 degrees and lower than that is when I tend to put mittens on. I always dress in layers. I kind of I look at what is the temperature going to be like when I start my run? Now, keep in mind, I don't like to be cold at all. And so I probably over dress and over prepare, which that's just kind of how I am. So, if it's chilly out, I might just wear one layer, a top and then a jacket and hat and gloves if it's below 30, I tend to wear maybe two layers a jacket, hat and gloves. If any time I get hot, the first thing that I take off is my hat to just cool off a little bit. I think layering is a really important thing. So, for me it's my hands are the most critical part. I don't really have any problems with my feet, probably because I am running. And so the constant movement, they just usually stay warm. But I always think about the temperature and the temperature change and how to keep myself as warm as I can. Melissa Weddell Awesome. Great suggestions, Becki. Tell us one of your funniest outdoor experiences in cold weather, one of those times you'll never forget. Becki Battista So, I was actually laughing at myself the other day because when I lived in Michigan, I used to go for a run outside, but only if it was ten degrees or higher. Then I'd go outside and still go for a run. When I moved to Wisconsin, I had to change that temperature and so it had to be zero. And that didn't include the wind chill factor. So, if it was still above zero, I'd still go out for a run, except at the place where I worked. It was called La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it was a big exercise school and everybody in Wisconsin goes outside anyway. It doesn't matter the weather. I think they all looked at me funny because not only did I have my running tights, probably two layers like a t-shirt and then another shirt, another jacket. But on top of that, I also was able to get sweat pants on a sweatshirt from the exercise science department. You could get t shirts, shorts, sweatshirts and sweat pants from the department. I added those on and then had my hat. I had two pairs of gloves on and I went for a run. I would run by some of the cross-country runners and they're in like shorts and a long sleeve shirt and I have 3 to 4 layers of clothing on and I looked like an idiot, but I was warm and I just did not care as long as I was comfortable. It didn't matter to me. Melissa Weddell That's great, Becki. It's great that you could actually run with all this clothes on. Becki Battista It was a challenge. Add in snow and ice and then it gets even more challenging. Melissa Weddell That's definitely true. Joy, why don't you share with us your favorite outdoor activity and how you prepare? Joy James I love most outdoor activities camping, hiking and biking. Most recently, I probably do more hiking than anything else. Been doing that since I was a kid. I’m going to go on the theme of what Becki kind of said with I didn't really care if I was warm. When I go outdoors and I don't really care what I look like and that has changed up my ability to stay warm or stay cool. If I was looking at dressing for the weather, I would echo what Becki has to say with the cap and mittens. I do have really warm socks that I put on because there's nothing like having your feet be cold and your fingers be cold. Another thing that I found useful, particularly when I was in college, polypro started coming out. So, the technology has really advanced and now you can even wear athletic wear that is wicking. It doesn't have to be fancy like Patagonia or North Face. It can be Walmart or I'm even finding athletic T-shirts that I go look at in the Walmart and TJ Max in the men's section and find their athletic shirts. And I put those on because I'm a larger woman and sometimes it's more difficult to find outdoor gear that fits me or that wicks in the same way. Surprisingly, I still wear cotton t shirts when it's hot. But if I know it's going to be a hot, cold or a lot of variation, then I go to wearing technical gear so that I can wick moisture away because there's nothing like being sweaty and then getting cold. The other key for me as I like vests, you can warm up your chest really well. They're lightweight. You can put them in your backpack really easily and paired with a long-sleeved shirt, it can go a long way. And the other thing that I really have enjoyed are buffs. You can wear a buff around your neck, you can wear it as a hairband. I wear it a lot as covering my ears. So it's not for like zero degree weather like Becki was talking about, but it was for kind of like this, 30 degrees, 40 degrees. My ears get cold when that's windy I can pull the buff down or I can pull the buff up. So, I think that's been a key piece of wear that is important and good boots. Good solid shoes. And those shoes will keep you warm and dry. So, if you kind of like can't afford boots, then what I would tell you is that we got Re-Gearin town and you can waterproof your boots and just get work boots and go out there. It’ll help your ankles. That'll keep you warm. And when you have to go through creeks, it makes a difference in terms of your ability to stay dry. Melissa Weddell Absolutely. And I think also you bring up a good point when you pick hikes or different things, if I know it's going to be really cold and they'll be a lot of water crossings, I might pick a different trail that day knowing I can come back to that, but those are really good suggestions. Tell us a story from being cold in the outdoors that's memorable for you. Joy James Well, you know, it's interesting. I had to think about it was like, what are some memorable stories? And Melissa, you may need to add to the story because I repress things that are bad. You know, I always remember the positive. I don't know what's happening. I'm a Pollyanna or something. Melissa and I, I was working for Clemson. We're both in school at that time and I was teaching a backpacking class. We were down near Brevard area and it was a really kind of an easy trail. But the students at the time didn't know how easy it was because it was still challenging. Wearing a bunch of weight on you and they may not have dressed appropriately. It was before we had like weather at our palms, so I don't recall even checking the weather. We didn't know what the weather's going to be like. It was a fall, maybe October or late October or early November, and we're out. We did about a five-mile hike and we had all the students camped out and Melissa and I camped at a bluff above the students because we wanted to give students the chance to kind of be together. But we didn't know what to think about it. A

Dr. Joy James speaks with App State alumnae Megan Bryant about her her trek solo hiking the Appalachian Trail for 6 weeks covering 600 miles. Along the way she found a community of like minded people from many different walks of life, suffered through shin splints, discovered she was much stronger than she thought and even happened to meet her future fiance!    Transcript: 00;00;19;00 - 00;00;51;06 Melissa Weddell Welcome to the Outdoorosity Podcast. Get outside. Keep going outside. Where we share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story. The goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. The Outdoorosity Podcast is brought to you by the Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on healthy environment and human development. 00;00;51;16 - 00;01;16;22 Melissa Weddell The vision of the Hope Lab is to continue developing the perfect foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Melissa Weddell. I'm a professor in Recreation Management at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed outdoor addict. I will be your host for the Outdoorosity Podcast. 00;01;17;04 - 00;01;45;06 Melissa Weddell On today's episode, team member Dr. Joy James, also Professor in Recreation Management Interviews Alumni Megan Bryant. We will be discussing the title of the episode, Big Adventures Empowered by Little Inspirations, where Megan tells us the story of how she moved from the city to attend Appalachian State University, why she made that decision in her journey from learning how to hike and enjoying the outdoors, to planning and participating in a six week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. 00;01;46;07 - 00;01;48;14 Melissa Weddell Now, here's the interview with Joy and Megan. 00;01;50;27 - 00;02;10;16 Joy James So this is Joy James, and we have Megan Bryant here with us today to share her story on Outdoorosity. Megan, what I'd like you to do, if possible, if you would introduce yourself, kind of like where you from, how you ended up at Appalachian State. I know you've graduated and then tell us your favorite outdoor activity. 00;02;10;25 - 00;02;36;09 Megan Bryant Yeah. So I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia, grew up there, but was always drawn up to the mountains, which is one of the reasons that most people end up it up to me, too. I did my first two years of college at the University of Georgia, and I studied environmental economics there. But the mix of the campus culture and also just the focus on economic use of the outdoors was just not where my interest was. 00;02;36;23 - 00;02;55;05 Megan Bryant When I was in high school. I originally applied and got into App, and after two years at UGA, I was like, I'm not happy here. I'm going to try to mix this up a bit. I love App, let's try that out again. So went out for two years and graduated there. I'd say my favorite outdoor activity. I love long distance backpacking, which I know we'll talk a bit about later. 00;02;55;16 - 00;02;58;28 Megan Bryant So that's my all time favorite outdoor activity. 00;02;59;04 - 00;03;04;25 Joy James Cool, so how would you say you first got interested in the outdoors, like your childhood or a friend? 00;03;05;01 - 00;03;22;16 Megan Bryant So my introduction to the outdoors was through Girl Scouts when I was in elementary school, going on little camp outs and stuff. And if you've ever been to The Hike Inn in North Georgia. It's Four miles out and then you stay at this awesome lodge and hike back. We did that and I was like, this is my type of thing. 00;03;22;16 - 00;03;44;15 Megan Bryant Like, I love this. And then as I got into high school, me and my friends love to go hiking. And then on spring break, when most people are going to the beach, we planned a big hiking trip with all of our friends and camping and all of that. And more and more as I was doing it, I was like, I love being outside and then when I got to college, I actually originally wanted to do international affairs and work for like State Department and like big government and stuff. 00;03;44;15 - 00;04;04;24 Megan Bryant And I was very quickly like, Oh, I'm not nearly as passionate about this as I am about being outside. Like I wanted to do National Park stuff. As I got more and more into college, I was like, This is what I want to do. And then I ended up doing a six week solo hike on the Appalachian Trail because I was kind of just lost and wasn't sure what I was going to do. 00;04;04;28 - 00;04;23;05 Megan Bryant After my first year at college. Having all that time out there kind of being like, not only is this opportunity awesome for me, just being able to be outside, like, I think I want to do something to give more people access to opportunities like this. So it was like, Oh, wow, this really helps me. I bet it can help other people too. 00;04;23;08 - 00;04;26;01 Megan Bryant I want to do this. And it was like down that path. 00;04;26;10 - 00;04;43;29 Joy James In terms of backpacking and that solo hike, what inspired you or helped you to make that plan? Because, you know, a lot of people don't like to do things by themselves and sometimes backpacking is a solo activity, but it can be social. How did you move from hiking with your friends to backpacking? 00;04;44;06 - 00;05;05;21 Megan Bryant I went backpacking twice with my aunt who lives out in California when I was in high school, when that was out in Yosemite. So it was like, oh yeah, starting up the best I knew it was awesome and I was like, This is incredible. Like, this is so great. The time to reflect out there. I really like I was saying I was feeling lost that like... 00;05;05;26 - 00;05;35;17 Megan Bryant I don't really feel like I have that many people that I can rely on to do a long trip. And I was like, Well, I can rely on myself. Let's make this happen. And when I reflect on that time of planning for my experience, the planning became a leisure activity of itself. When I had my free time, I was doing research, I was watching videos, I was going on the RV website or going to local outfitters and trying to figure out what the best sleeping bag would be because I had a super low budget for the trip. 00;05;35;17 - 00;05;58;20 Megan Bryant Like, what's the best sleeping bag, what's the best backpack, what's the weather going to look like? Because I was 18 when I went out there. That's also one of the things that brought me to doing the 80 instead of any other long trail was that I knew that there would be that community. Once I got out there, I felt super socially awkward at the time, so I was like, Even if I don't make any like super long term friends, you know, once I got out there was like a super big community. 00;05;58;20 - 00;06;04;09 Megan Bryant I was like, Oh my gosh, I actually get along with these people. What is this? This is crazy. But it's like, Oh, this makes sense. 00;06;04;28 - 00;06;06;14 Joy James Did you have a trail name for the app? 00;06;06;24 - 00;06;23;17 Megan Bryant I did, and my church name is Duct Tape. My second day out there, I was at Trail Magic with a bunch of people that were like yellow blazers. I kind of just drove from one trail crossing to another, and we were about to go into a really scenic section, Grace Highlands. And I was like, you know, I heard supposed rain for the next few days. 00;06;23;21 - 00;06;34;04 Megan Bryant And they said, if you keep perusing the weather like that, we're going to have to duct tape you to a tree. For some reason, I was like, All right. And then they're like, We're going to call you duct tape. And I'm like, Cool. Like, I have a trail yeah. 00;06;35;03 - 00;06;44;26 Joy James Well, a couple more things I want to go a little deeper into your backpacking planning and stuff like that. Before I do that, can you describe that feeling of lost? Like. 00;06;45;04 - 00;06;45;15 Megan Bryant Yeah. 00;06;45;24 - 00;06;55;04 Joy James You were just kind of not knowing what to do, like, what was that feeling? And then how did you get out of that feeling to direct yourself into backpacking? 00;06;55;04 - 00;07;15;00 Megan Bryant I mean, I was at a school that I didn't want to be in. I hadn't followed my heart. I was more like, This is a well-respected school and it has a good program, so I'm going to go there. Even though everything inside of me is like, don't go like I'm just going to go and like because will probably be good in the long term. 00;07;15;06 - 00;07;41;26 Megan Bryant So I wasn't really where I wanted to be. I wasn't setting stuff that made me passionate. So feeling really bogged down by the core Sloan and the tech stuff I was studying in the classroom environment, which was so different from App. It was very unprofessional. Also, the campus culture there was just not me. It was very sorority based or like really cultural in a way that I was in touch with, like really good music. 00;07;41;26 - 00;07;59;02 Megan Bryant And art and stuff. And I just was like, I don't know anything about that. So I was just having a really hard time finding my people in my place, and I knew I loved the outdoors, and I knew that when I started thinking about doing something like a big trip, like a big backpacking trip, I was feeling excited and I felt good. 00;07;59;14 - 00;08;02;00 Megan Bryant So I was like, I'm going to follow that. I'm going to make that happen. 00;08;02;12 - 00;08;05;17 Joy James How did you bring it to your parents? I want to do a six week solo hike. 00;08;07;07 - 00;08;22;15 Megan Bryant I inched into it. I was like, I think I want to do a big trip by myself. This summer. And then I was like, I think I want to go on the 80, Hey, here's all these documentaries that I can show you that we can watc