Your daily outdoor news update for January 6th, the day Nancy Kerrigan was attacked for being a good figure skater in 1994:
Beech Mountain Brewing Opens
You will now be able to enjoy craft beer slope side at North Carolina’s Beech Mountain Resort. The newest brewery in micro-brewery heavy western North Carolina is the aptly named Beech Mountain Brewing Co., which opened its doors in the resort’s village between Christmas and New Year’s. The new nano-brewery will have a 100-gallon a day capacity and features three ales on tap brewed with the assistance of brewer Will Young of Blind Squirrel. On tap now are the flagship 5506 Pale Ale, the lighter, session-able Liberty Ale, and the winter warmer Yardsale Ale (at 8.1% ABV, we see where it gets the name), and they are available in the pint or growler. The brewery will also be open year-round to serve skiers, mountain bikers, and others alike. The grand opening will be January 11, in conjunction with Beech’s annual Winterfest Weekend.
Combined with the new mountaintop restaurant and lodge and the mountain biking achievements of the past few years, Beech is making major moves. What screams major moves like opening your own craft brewery on site?
Hypothermic Hikers Rescued in GSMNP
This was the group’s first hiking trip together. It could have been their last.
Three South Carolina men are in good condition following a failed hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ranging in age from 21-32, the men had set out from Fontana Dam on a 10-day backpacking trip when they ran into cold, wet weather and called for help. They were airlifted out of the park by the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team Friday, and transported to Asheville. The men were burning their clothes to keep warm. According to authorities, the men were mainly wearing cotton clothes and did not have a tent – they were planning on sleeping in shelters along the way. The park got five inches of snow, the winds kicked up to 35 mph, and temperatures dropped to 20 below zero with the wind chill.
So, no shelter, not properly clothed, not familiar with the area, bad map. Maybe it will be their last hiking trip together after all.
David LeDuc Dopes
“I told them don’t even waste your time testing the ‘B’ sample, I’m guilty.”
That is the quote masters cycling racer David LeDuc gave the News & Observer after he tested positive for a bevy of banned substances at the U.S. Masters national Road Championships in Oregon this past summer. The 62-year-old LeDuc is a legend in the North Carolina masters cycling scene, a 21-time national champion before getting popped for amphetamines, synthetic testosterone, and EPO. The story from Jay Price is a great read, delving into not only the tired issue of doping in cycling, but the issues surrounding amateur doping, aging racers, anti-aging medicines, etc. Also, the reaction from local riders who have been losing to this guy for years, and are understandably pissed off about the piss test.
