November 2013 Issue of BRO Out Now!

November 1, 2013
BRO Staff
November 2013

Another issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors is out on newsstands and online, and we could not be happier. Our November, 2013 issue brings you the results of our Best Mountain Towns in the Blue Ridge reader poll! After 34,000 votes, you chose the winners, we featured them, and they did not disappoint. Find out which towns came out on top in the four categories: Best Trail Town, Best River Town, Best Beer Town, and Best Music Town. We then head underground for two amazing stories on caving in the Blue Ridge. The first is a unique look at the history and future of Mammoth Cave National Park and its extensive system of caves, underground rivers, and unique species of critters that thrive in the dark and dank environment. We then head to Georgia’s Pettijohn’s Cave where we examine caving in the time of the devastating White Nose Syndrome.

Hop in the saddle for two very cool biking features. BRO contributor Graham Averill enlists a couple of his buddies to cycle Newfound Gap Road through Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most scenic, but also the most dangerous, roads to cycle in the Southeast. They live to tell the tale, which is hilarious. Pro cyclist and Virginia native Ben King traded his skinny tires for fat ones and won the Shenandoah Mountain 100 mountain bike race. We also enlist outdoor writer and fly fishing guide book author Beau Beasley to shed some light on the current state of the King’s Grant land use issues that are getting anglers and paddlers in hot water with the law across the state of Virginia. Our November issue wraps up with a debate on prescribed burns in the Linville Gorge Wilderness, a look at the emergence of aerial media in the outdoor industry, and an interview with Asheville, N.C.’s Town Mountain who won Band of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards.