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Spring into action in great outdoors

March 27, 2009 12:59 am

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.

“It’s not a matter of if you’re going to be scared, but what you’re going to do with that choice you have,” Perry said. “Stay on the ground? Or give it a whirl?”

The safety gear makes it impossible to fall, even if you let go of the ropes, Perry said. As a result, plenty of folks go up nervous but return to earth exhilarated, he said.

Riverside Outfitters also serves up a healthy dose of ecological lessons, teaching climbers about the relationship between plants and animals and how best to care for trees.

The joy of climbing adds emphasis to that message.

“The canopy of a tree, it’s sort of a rarified atmosphere,” Turner said. “To be up there, the arms of a tree spreading around you, you know you’re not in a place that’s well-worn by human travel.”

Edie Gross: - 540/374-5428 egross@freelancestar.com

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.

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).