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Spring into action in great outdoors

Go climb a tree!

BY EDIE GROSS

Date published: 3/27/2009

BY EDIE GROSS

Roughly 85 million years ago, early man climbed down from the trees—or so goes the theory of evolution.

For the last 4½ years, the folks at Riverside Outfitters have been trying to lure us back into them.

Using gear and techniques generally limited to professional arborists, the Richmond outdoor excursion company teaches the art of tree climbing.

Youngsters who show up for climbing camps or weekend sessions usually take to the trees within minutes, said Riverside Outfitters founder Scott Turner. But grown-ups sometimes find that their skills are a tad rusty.

“When you’re a kid, you love to climb. You think it’s the most natural thing to do,” said Turner, an arborist. “You gradually lose that instinct.”

Turner, who grew up in Richmond, worried that an entire generation of suburban children was losing touch with nature. The owner of Truetimber Tree Service, he launched Riverside Outfitters as a side project to address that gap.

The company offers tubing, kayaking, rafting and canoeing trips on the James River as well as mountain-bike rentals.

But a growing portion of the business has been its tree-climbing expeditions, which pick up in the spring.

The company often sets up its climbing gear in the James River Park. But Turner said that, if possible, he likes to find a tree close to the client’s home, preferably one that person might pass each day on the way to and from work.

That creates a bond between the climber and the tree, hopefully one that encourages the climber to look after it, he said.

Riverside Outfitters often goes to schools and shows the students how to scale the trees right on their own campuses.

It’s no small feat getting into the canopy of a tree. Climbers can dangle up to 65 feet in the air, and can then walk another 30 feet out onto a limb, said Matt Perry, the president of Riverside Outfitters and one of Turner’s partners.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Spring is upon us. Climb a tree. Paddle a kayak. Go off-road. Just get out of the house already. Below we offer a partial list of outdoor adventures awaiting you. But it's a big world, so if you have further suggestions--and we hope you do--please post them at fredericksburg.com. ATV RENTALS Appalachian Adventures, Luray, 540/743-7311, appalachian-adventures.com Hatfield-McCoy Trails, a series of off-road trails in southern West Virginia, is served by several ATV rental businesses. 800/592-2217, trailsheaven.com Mines and Meadows, Wampum, Pa. Trails and limestone mines. 724/535-6026, minesandmeadows.com FLIGHT LESSONS SkyWorld Aviation, Warrenton-Fauquier Airport, Midland, 540/788-9380, flyskyworld.com JLS Aviation, Shannon Airport, Fredericksburg, 540/374-1715, jlsaviation.info Heart of Virginia Aviation, Hanover County Airport, Ashland, 804/798-6500, flyhova.com FLY FISHING Falmouth Flats Fly Fishers is a club that promotes fly fishing and offers instruction to all. 540/582-6396, ffflyfishers.org Capt. Tony Harding at Latitudes Charters Inc., Spotsylvania, offers individual instruction. 540/848.3770, flyfishtidalva.com FOSSIL HUNTING George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Blacksburg. Eastern Divide Ranger District, 540/552-4641, fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/resource_man agement/geology/fossils.shtml Westmoreland State Park, Westmoreland, Lots of sharks' teeth and other fossils along the Potomac River beach. 804/493-8821, dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/wes.shtml Calvert Cliffs State Park, Lusby, Md. Beach along the Chesapeake Bay offers prime fossil land. 301/743-7613, dnr.state.md.us/public lands/southern/calvertcliffs.html GOLD PANNING Central Virginia Gold Prospectors, Buckingham County. The club, which meets monthly, takes members on panning expeditions. centralvirginiagoldprospectors.com Gold Mining Camp Museum at Monroe Park, Goldvein. Offers panning demonstrations. 540/752-5330, goldvein.com Lake Anna State Park, Spotsylvania. Ranger-led gold-panning trips near the old Goodwin Gold Mine. 540/854-5503, dcr.state.va.us/parks/lakeanna.htm HORSEBACK TRAIL RIDING Inn at Kelly's Ford, Remington, 540/399-1779, innatkellysford.com Amber Hill Farm, Rhoadesville, 540/854-6136, amberhillfarm.com Colchester Equines, Mineral, 540/894-4700, colchesterequines.com The Wagon Wheel Ranch, Winchester, 540/868-9427, thewagonwheelranch.org Marriott Ranch, Hume, 540/364-3741, MarriottRanch.com HOT WHEELS Plantation Valley Kart Ranch, Virginia International Raceway, Alton, go-kart rentals. 434/822-7700, ext. 350, virclub.com. EagleRider Motorcycle Rentals, Richmond and Chantilly, Touring and cruising cycles. 804/353-3456 or 703/802-9860, EagleRider.com. MOUNTAIN BIKE RENTAL Big Wheel Bikes, in Arlington, Alexandria, Georgetown and Bethesda, Md.Bigwheelbikes.com. Inn at Kelly's Ford, Remington, 540/399-1779, innatkellysford.com. Riverside Outfitters, Richmond, 804/560-0068, riversideoutfitters.net. PAINTBALL Powerline Paintball, Stafford, 540/286-0404, powerlinepaintball.net. Soggie Bottom Paintball Supply, Spotsylvania, 540/785-3142 Soggie Bottom Paintball, Culpeper, 540/829-6203 PUBLIC OUTDOOR SHOOTING RANGES Bull Run Regional Park Public Shooting Center, Centreville, archery and skeet shooting. Shotguns available for rent. 703/830-2344, nvrpa.org. C.F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area Shooting Range, Fauquier County. Open until March 31, BYOW. dgif.virginia.gov. RACE CAR DRIVING Racing Adventures, Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, W.Va. Learn to race Corvettes and replica Cobras. 888/572-RACE, racingadventures.com. Richard Petty's Driving Experience, Richmond International Raceway. Take the wheel of a stock car or ride along with an instructor. 800/BE-PETTY (237-3889), 1800bepetty.com. SpeedTech Auto Racing Schools, Richmond International Raceway. Take the wheel of a stock car or ride along with an instructor. 877/807-7333, speedtech500.com. SKYDIVING Skydive Orange, Orange, 877/348-3759, Skydiveorange.com Skydive Virginia, Louisa County Airport. 540/967-3997 or 540/941-8085, skydivevirginia.com. GET WET Virginia Outdoor Center, Fredericksburg. Kayaking, tubing and canoeing. 540/371-5085, playva.com Clore Bros. Outfitters, Spotsylvania. Canoeing and kayaking. 540/786-7749, clorebros.com WHITEWATER RAFTING River and Trails Outfitters, Knoxville, Md. Trips on the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. 888-IGO-PLAY (446-7529), rivertrail.com Riverside Outfitters, Richmond, James River trips. 804/560-0068, riversideoutfitters.net INDOOR OPTIONS: Here's hoping spring brings sunnier weather than winter. But in the event of rain--those May flowers have to come from somewhere, right?--here are a few outdoorsy adventures you can have indoors. GO-KARTING G-Force Indoor Karting in Richmond (804/228-0188, gforcekarts.com) and Allsports Grand Prix near Dulles (571/434-9566, allsportsgp.com) offer indoor racing tracks and rental go-karts. ROCK CLIMBING Peak Experiences in Midlothian, Va. (804/897-6800, peakexperiences.com) hosts a huge indoor rock-climbing center. SHOOTING You can bring your own firearm or rent one at The Range in Stafford County (540/720-5922, indoorrange.com).

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Date published: 3/27/2009

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