Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308250426
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: WS-20 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A) Not trying
B) Fear ozone depletion
C) Prefer Nirvana at high volume on headphones
D) Gotta study
E) Too dumb, better drop out now for partial tuition rebate
In this area, you could easily film one of those soft-drink commercials that show ecstatic youngbloods leaping and flying around like tie-dyed Tarzans.
In fact, there's so much to do that the biggest concern is avoiding confusion, like trying to tube on the New River Trail or mountain bike underground.
Not to blunt your creativity, of course.
Among the ready selections for outdoor fun are hiking, biking, tubing, canoeing, fishing, hunting, spelunking and rock climbing.
All of these options are accessible and inexpensive, even if you don't own a lot of gear.
That's one of the great benefits of being who you are - young, living in the New River Valley and only an I.D. card away from renting equipment from your school.
Plus, there are lots of caring nurturers, support groups and 12-step programs to help toughen your tender feet.
We'll take it by category.
Biking
Welcome to paradise - with hills. You can hop on your bike and find yourself on a lovely back road within five minutes of campus. Or you can bungee it to the car and go someplace other people literally drive cross-country to experience.
Paved road biking can be conducted on any number of scenic back roads. Heck, the Tour DuPont came through Blacksburg in May. And the Trans-America Bike Centennial Trail winds through Montgomery and Pulaski counties as part of its coast-to-coast route.
Additionally, the Blue Ridge Parkway is less than an hour's drive away by auto, offering a great place for biking and scenery. Call (703) 982-6458 for more information.
You can go solitary or with a group, such as the New River Valley Bicycle Club. It meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tech's War Memorial Gym for a 10- to 15-mile social ride.
Call Mike Abraham (951-0343) for more information.
For the increasing number of people who are into mountain biking, this area's fabulous.
The best nearby place is the New River Trail State Park, a 57-mile abandoned railway right-of-way that winds along the New River between the towns of Pulaski and Galax.
This trail is easy and relatively flat, with tunnels, bridges and wonderful rural views. It's a multiuse trail, for biking, hiking and horseback riding, so it does get congested some weekends.
But it's rapidly becoming known as one of the best of its kind on the East Coast. You can call the trail's headquarters for more information at (703) 699-6778. Bike rentals are available at private liveries.
For the wilder and woolier, the Jefferson National Forest covers much of the area and is criss-crossed by forest roads which make for great riding.
The best way to learn about these is to visit the U.S. Forest Service's Blacksburg Ranger District office on South Main Street.
This office just relocated several months ago from its old location on U.S. 460 west of town. It has the same telephone number as before, 552-4641, and is a great source for maps and advice.
Also, Blacksburg has a mountain biking club which knows the roads and also performs much-needed maintenance work on some trails. Call Scott Cohen at 953-2772 to learn more.
Two generic bits of advice for on- or off-road bikers. Wear a helmet! Plus, be careful on primary and secondary roads. Most motorists aren't used to sharing the road.
Water
Lucky you. It's all here - flat water floating, white water rafting, lakes and streams.
Tubing the New River is an unofficial prerequisite for graduation from Tech or Radford. The McCoy area of Montgomery County is the headquarters of laid-back floating.
You can take your own tube or rent one from several locations, some of which offer shuttle services.
Seasonally, there are whitewater opportunities nearby on the New River, and on feeder streams such as the Little River in Floyd County, Wolf Creek, Big Walker Creek and Stony Creek in Giles County, and John's Creek in Craig County.
Claytor Lake in Dublin is a nice place to paddle, and to fish, as are a number of area streams. Stony Creek is a fine location for trout, for example. Any store that sells fishing gear and equipment can give you the story on the best places to go.
Both Virginia Tech and Radford University offer canoe rentals and other equipment, in addition to organized trips. So does the Montgomery County Recreation Department. There are also several commercial sources for rentals and trips.
HIKING: The oldest national scenic trail passes by to the west, crossing valleys and cresting mountaintops as it connects Georgia and Maine.
The 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail is the main byway for the footloose. Much of it is within an hour's drive of the Tech or Radford campus, including popular spots at Angel's Rest near Pearisburg, Wind Rock near Mountain Lake and Dragon's Tooth near Catawba.
The A.T. is for small-group foot travel. There are lots of camping spots and trailside shelters for solace and recreation nearby, so don't limit yourself to the popular places.
There are many side trails to the A.T. and other lesser loops within the Jefferson National Forest, including the ever-popular Cascades trail.
Maps and all kinds of hiking information are available at the aforementioned Blacksburg Ranger District office, or at local outdoor equipment stores.
The Roanoke Appalachian Trail club has social hikes and performs maintenance work on the A.T., which are listed on the Outdoors page in the Sports section of the Monday Roanoke Times & World-News.
Also, a group is working to create a new bicycle and pedestrian trail between Blacksburg and Christiansburg called the Huckleberry Trail. Anyone interested in volunteering can call Bill Ellenbogen at 953-2233.
There are also a lot of places to go camping in the area. The Jefferson National Forest maintains several. There's a state campground at Claytor Lake, and other private campgrounds elsewhere.
\ AND: There are clubs organized through the Tech and Radford communities for people who like the vertical life, above and underground.
There are lots of rocks and people who enjoy defying gravity to climb them. You can hook your carbiner up with them by checking with local outdoor stores.
Other folks like to get down and dirty at area caves. Virginia Tech has a cave club, Radford also has people who like to explore underground. Check with the outdoor store people to get with them.
by CNB