In case you didn’t know, that title was inspired by the lyrical genius DMX and his band of merry miscreants the Ruff Ryders. If you haven’t heard of these guys - don’t worry, you aren’t missing much. Gotta love those sport bike and four-wheeler tricks, though.
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve all but abandoned poor ‘ol WahooHiker.com, mostly because I have been concentrating all my efforts to my Outdoors and Nature blog over on VISITFLORIDA.com. Shame on you if you haven’t been reading my stuff over there. I’ll forgive you. This time.
Climb down from those hi-rise buildings, my friends. There’s no need to do anything crazy- most of the WahooHiker.com content will be transferred in some form or fashion to KevinMims.com. What’s with the changes, anyway?
Over the past couple of years I’ve had the good fortune to travel all over Florida and show you my experiences. WahooHiker.com originally started out as an anonymous outdoors blog to keep my sanity while trapped in an office. It grew into a pretty good site, and since then has led to a full-time writing/blogging/video gig. Not too shabby, if I say so myself.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be moving content over to KevinMims.com - keep a look out for that. New things are on the way, too. I’m looking to start creating video that’s a little more polished (not much, but a little), expand my blogging to include social media/video creation/gear and who knows what else. I think you’ll like it!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to follow along with me here on WahooHiker.com - I hope you’ve found the information useful and entertaining. I also hope it has inspired you to get out and explore, wherever in the world you find yourself. See you soon at KevinMims.com!
Check it out! My first VISIT FLORIDA video of the year! On Nov 1, the cool cats from Spark Studios and I headed down to Southwest Florida to put together a clip on the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival. I love the new style for the VISIT FLORIDA videos, they will have more of a experience-based feel.
That bearded fella with the yellow suit on that you see in the picture didn’t have a whole lot to say. I wanted to ask him about where he got his hat, since ours looked so similar. I don’t think ExOfficio makes one like that in yellow.
So, watch the video and be inspired to make your way down to Matlacha next year for the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival! Here’s the link, and be a pal and click the “I Like This Video” thing underneath the video. Pretty please, with sugar on top. Oh, and read some blog posts while you are there, too.
The Suwannee River is one of those places you just have to paddle. Not just once, either. I hooked up with the folks attending the Paddle Florida event and went along on the last nine miles, from Fanning Springs State Park to Manatee Springs State Park. Awesome trip, super nice folks. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to attend the whole event next year! Here are some pictures:
Now here’s a site that is right up my alley! The new Sierra Club Trails website is actually a wiki, meaning that you can update and edit the information, making it a great way to get accurate information on your favorite trail. Oh, and it’s just not trail stuff, either. There’s a birding blog, tips for hikers, forums - it’s a complete outdoor enthusiast resource. Get over there and sign up.
Well, I made the journey out to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, and I’m glad I did! There are all sorts of fantastic new products coming out in Spring ‘10. I’m still learning the best way to approach a show of this size, and went a little overboard with prearranged appointments. I think next time I’ll fly a little more by the seat of my pants and just stop in, I’ll probably be able to cover more ground this way.
Anyway, I’ve got some videos up on my GearActive YouTube channel from the show, and will be uploading several more in the days to come. Columbia has a really cool new pack coming out, the Mobex, and hopefully I’ll be getting my mitts on one of those to test out.
Chaco has some great new sandals, I especially like the new Z/1 Pro with the new Marking Vibram PRO Outsole. The Flip PRO looks pretty good too. Check out the video!
Les Stroud (Survivorman!) was there in the SPOT booth signing autographs, I got some good video of that. Also, Trail Runner Magazine’s Uphill Challenge was incredible! Of course, you know I got video of that too. Remain calm, I’ll get these all uploaded very soon.
Can’t forget about the mind-blowing technology from the dudes at Klymit. These guys are going to blow the doors off of the outdoor insulation market, and have all sorts of things in the works. Here’s a video of the Klymit Kinetic vest. I got a chance to test it out in a -30 degree freezer. What can I say - it works. I can’t say enough good things about Klymit, so I’ll stop before it looks like I’m on the payroll.
I kind of suffered from gear overload at the show and had to escape to the Bahamas for a few days afterwards. I didn’t shave for 10 days, and it was great. Now I’m back grinding away at GearActive.com, make sure you stop by, there’s good stuff in the works over there.
Here’s a video from my VISIT FLORIDA Outdoors and Nature section in case you are slacking up and not reading all my stuff over there.
You’ve gotta check out R.F. Orchids if you are in the Homestead area. Heck, make a special trip — it’s that cool of a place! Robert Fuchs and Mike Coronado are world-class orchid aficionados and grow the most mind-blowing plants you can imagine. The size and colors are incredible.
Oh, they also have an alligator in their backyard. Wanda, I believe, is her name. Having your own alligator raises your coolness factor by 100, so I need to try to score me one too (legally, of course). Also, if you visit R.F. Orchids, check out the 4-fingered monkey paw hanging in the office, it’s got a great story.
R.F. Orchids also offers tours to some of the world’s most exotic destinations where you can get a peek of orchids in their native habitat, and also attend some orchid shows as well. RF Orchids needs to bring me along to get some video and pictures from the tour. Yep, that’s what needs to happen. Maybe one day…
Check ‘em out at http://www.rforchids.com/.
I made my television debut last night on Orlando’s FOX35!
If you hit up my VISIT FLORIDA blog, you’ll see a post on “Top 5 Outdoor Day Trips Near Orlando”, that’s what the interview for FOX35 was based on.
Not too bad for my first time on the telly, I reckon. I was a little nervous, and when that happens, I get more nasally sounding than I already am…
Wanna know what’s really strange about this whole TV thing? I don’t even have a television, so I had to go somewhere else to watch it. Yes, I’m one of those weirdos without a TV.
Head on over to FOX35 where you can read the interview. Oh, 8X10 signed glossies are available for a small fee. You should get one now, because it will be worth something one day, I promise. OK, maybe not.
Congrats to me, congrats to me. No need for you to send chocolates, I’ve kicked the refined white sugar foods to the curb. It’s all apples and bananas for me now.
Yes, you read that correctly. I now will be serving as the Editor of SORBA’s quarterly publication, the Fat Tire Times. I’m looking forward to the challenge and working with a crack team of biking enthusiasts to promote the organization and mountain biking as a fantastic form of outdoor recreation.
Not familiar with the Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association? Shame on you. Go over to SORBA.org and get your learn on. While you are there, get your join on too, pull out that almost maxed-out credit card and do the right thing and support SORBA. You’ll be joining the IMBA-SORBA alliance, which is like getting two bags of chips from the vending machine when you only paid for one. You get the idea.
Alright, that’s enough for now. Look for more crazy bird, hiking, and caving videos in just a little while. Stay calm, and lay off the refined white sugar. You’ll thank me for it.
But you know this already, right? I probably don’t need to remind you that the Florida Hiking Festival and Conference is coming up - you’ve probably got your backpack on, trekking poles in hand, and are getting some really strange looks from your fellow office workers. Oh wait, that’s me. My bad.
Anyways, since you already know it’s time to get up to White Springs, I guess I’ll see you there. I’m doing a VISIT FLORIDA video on Friday about White Springs, so if I see any of you lining up to throw rotten vegetables at me, be warned. I’ll defend myself. Or I’ll hide behind something, depending on the amount of decaying produce being lobbed in my direction or the velocity of which said produce is traveling.
That’s enough of that nonsense, just get your stuff together and camp out with a great crowd Friday and Saturday nights. Head over to the Florida Hiking Festival website for a run-down on the events. If you haven’t registered - well, it’s too late to do all that online. You’ll have to do all that stuff while you are there.
See you in White Springs!
Yep, I bet everyone thinks I have ventured out into the wilds of Florida and gotten lost. Nope, I’m still here!
Actually, I’ve been concentrating a little more on my Outdoors and Nature section of VISITFLORIDA.com, so make sure to head over there and see what all I’ve been up to.
You can count on some great HD videos soon, so hang tight! Also, if you want the real up-to-the-minute news, follow me on Twitter.
It snowed this morning! Snow, sleet - whatever. We don’t get much of either, so anything that collects and is icy white gets called snow. We’ve had a week or so of really strange weather! Video taken in Inverness, Florida with a Canon Powershot SD780 IS.
Mullet, manatees, Crevalle Jack - you can see so much aquatic life at the Fish Bowl. There’s both freshwater and saltwater fish here!
Just a little video of a rainy day at the Iron Bridge area in the Withlacoochee State Forest. I just sat there (rain jacket on, of course) and watched it rain for about an hour. Good stuff.
Check out these cats riding in the Vortex area of Santos on the Cross Florida Greenway. Me? I stuck with the Puppy Trail, thank you very much.
I got a chance to go up to the top of Bok Tower! Now, not every Tom, Dick, and Harry gets to go up there, you have to be somebody to gain access to this incredible structure. That said, I’m not too sure how I got in…
Visit www.boktowergardens.org for more information on this amazing [...]
So I was stingy and never shared this video here with you, my loyal fans. It’s been sitting on my YouTube channel, but for some reason I didn’t post it here. Sorry, homeboys and homegirls, hopefully you will be nice and give me a pass this time, it won’t happen again.
We all know and faithfully [...]