Summer sports in and around trees

My absolute favorite time of the year is summer. The reason being that their is so much to do when; the weather is warm with long sun shine filled day’s the sky is literally the limit. It is a time of the year when everybody is out and about with live music playing at local venues. The feeling of seeing live bands in the summer is part of what makes the season so special.

Another highlight in the summer is the ability to take a long ride in a sports car with the windows down, cruising in the breeze. Summer is the time of the year to participate in exciting sports/activities as well. Boating and camping are amungst some of my favorites. We enjoy dropping the boat in any of the finger lakes for a day of basking in the sun with swimming. Another great benefit of the summer is booking a campsite at any state or national parks this is a time to grill on an open fire, hangout around a campfire, hike, bike, swim and relax.

Mountain Biking in the forest

Mountain biking has come a long way since I was younger. They now have full front and back disk brakes with full suspension. This is so the bike now absorbs all of the bumps on rough terrain instead of our bodies. These bikes also come with lock outs which mean that anyone can simply pull a lever or push a button, so when pedaling up hill the bike doesn’t bounce on its suspension. This leads to more efficient and effective pedaling. When you get to the peak of a hill you can simple unlock the suspension and enjoy the comfort on the down hill decent. Mountain bikes now come in fat tire styles that allow for more surface area when riding. These tires make it so they are easier to control, plus they soak up more shock on the rugged terrain then do skinny tires. Fat tire bikes are also great for pedaling in the snow.

More and more mountain bike tracks are being constructed all over the globe at many parks because it is getting so popular. It is a great way to stay in shape while also enjoying nature throughout the forest. With all the different types of bikes being built these day’s anybody and everybody can be out pedaling

Electric bikes are the new trend

In the past few years electric bikes have taken the scene. Everybody is riding them at any age group. They come in all different styles from road bikes to mountain bikes with full suspension. Electric bikes provide many benefits to the rider which include being able to ride your bike faster because they have a motor to boost you along to speeds up to 20-25 mph. E-bikes allow the rider to go farther for the simple fact that when you get tired you put the bike in throttle only mode so that you don’t have to pedal at all while traveling at a quick speed. These bikes offer exceptional versatility because you can place the bike in 3 different modes pedal-only, pedal-assist, and throttle-only – and with a variety of compatible accessories, you can customize your riding experience to match your needs.

Kayaking

There are many types of kayaks – sit on top kayaks, recreational kayaks, inflatable kayaks, fishing kayaks, whitewater kayaks, tandem kayaks, and touring kayaks. Kayaking is sitting in a small floatable fiberglass or plastic boat and then paddling with a double-sided oar to thrust the boat through the water. Kayaking is a great summer sport that gets you out in nature. Whether its padding on the ocean, the lake, a river, stream or creek it provides the person with an exceptional experience. who ever is kayaking can also obtain an exceptional upper body work out to.

Disc golf

Another outdoor sport where you get to hangout in the trees is disc golf. Disc golf is very similar to regular golf, but with disc golf you use propylene plastic discs that are thrown at a target. With disc golf their are usually 9 to 18 holes that start with a tee and end with a galvanized central pole with a metal basket stand with hanging vertical chains to catch the disc.

Each hole on the course has a par just like with regular golf but the courses are usually much tighter through the forest. Every player tries to land the discs in the basket or hole at the end of the green with the least amount of throws. The average hole on a disc golf course range from 200 to 400′ with no less that 100′. Disc golf is a great way to get out in nature with your buddies in the summer to have a fun filled, action packed day while also getting a workout.

Rock climbing

One of the most physically demanding yet endurance infused sports is rock climbing. Rock climbing is a sport where folks that engage in it climb up rock formations of all types; the goal is to reach the summit of the route. In order for anybody to start out rock climbing it is mandatory that they have proper training so that injury or death can be avoided. Proper training will involve the climbing techniques that an experienced climber uses with all the right equipment that is crucial for the completion of routes.

Some basics to learn rock climbing is how to tie knots such as the figure 8. Following knot tieing, you absolutely need a proper harness, their are many choices to fit your budget and size. Next, is getting rock climbing shoes that are usually in a smaller size than your regular shoes that have rubber souls that are designed to grip the rock surface in tight spaces.

Proper climbing ropes are essential to safe climbing so a person can get caught by the person belaying if they slip or fall. With that being said it is imperative to have a climbing partner that will be the person on belay to keep the rope taught for the lead climber. These rope systems and partnerships will have a self braking system attached to their harness in the case of a slip or fall

Their are many methods to climbing. Some routes have pre-placed bolts on a route where you ascend with what is called a (rack) or assortment of quick draws on your harness. These run through your rope to get attached to the bolts. Attaching these quick draws will make sure that if you slip you are caught by the last quick draw and bolt placement.

Another type of climbing is crack climbing where the experienced climber ascends a crack formation in a verticle rock wall and stays attached with specialized spring-loaded cam systems that get placed in the crack.

Chalk is used in a chalk bag where the climber dips his or her figures in the chalk bag that is attached to the harness. The chalk is used to dry the fingers when the person gets sweaty. A helmet is necessary to keep a person safe from falling rocks and to keep the person on belay protected from falling debris

Other objectives with rock climbing are proper commands that are used when someone is climbing; such as, climber ready and the other person responds READY. Or is belay set up with a response ON BELAY and that means the lead climber is ready to accent up the route.

The safest way to start off rock climbing is Top rope climbing or (top roping) where a rope is run up around and through the top attachment point on a route then back to the people on the ground. These route usually have re-placed bolts for attaching. The person on belay attaches one side of the rope through the self breaking system on there harness where the lead climber attaches the other end to there own harness then they can start on the route while being tied in the entire time.

Conclusion

To me, summer is the best time of the year. The day’s are long, so their is a lot of time to be active. It’s also a great time of the year to participate in outdoor summer sports while exposing ourselves to nature and the forest. I really like the summer because we get to dress lightly in shorts and flip-flops or saddles. Speaking of which my most favorite outdoor adventure sandle are Chacos. My mission is that you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions please leave a comment or shoot me an email.