In July we saw two tragedies in our area during triathlons only one week apart. First there was the death of a 32-year-old man in the New York City Triathlon on July 20. The following week 52-year-old John Hobgood of Princeton Junction, N.J., died in the New Jersey State Triathlon.
Spend a day, a weekend or an entire vacation by trying a new
adventure this summer.
Summer is the ideal time to get away from it all – even your
exercise routine. Take a mental break from your typical workouts by trying new
sports during your next vacation.
Reach for the sky in North Carolina’s Outer Banks with two
extreme sports – hang gliding and kiteboarding. In kiteboarding, a parafoil
kite pulls a rider on a wakeboard at speeds of over 30 mph. Hit the waves like
a ramp and leap to heights of 25 feet. The waist deep Currituck Sound is ideal
for learning this sport. For hang gliding, the soft sand dunes at Kitty Hawk
make learning to launch and land easy. Tandem aero-tow flights to 2,000 feet
with an instructor are also offered. Kitty Hawk Kites offers instruction in
both (www.kittyhawk.com). Closer to
home, check out H2Air for kiteboarding (www.h2air.com).
For hang gliding in the area, try the Maryland School of Hang Gliding (www.mshg.com), Silver Wings (www.silverwingshanggliding.com)
and Highland Aerosports (www.aerosports.net
Highland is also the home of Dangerous Toys Inc., which
sells Skimbat Kitewings and Dirtsurfers. The Skimbat resembles a windsurfing
sail. The Dirtsurfer utilizes large in-line pneumatic tires on a
skateboard-like deck for carving turns on land. Put the two together and you’re
flying on the ground. Free lesson included with purchase. See
www.aerosports.net.
Want something a little mellower? Relax on a multi-day
inn-to-inn canoe trip on Maryland’s eastern shore. Tours are self-guided.
Equipment and maps are provided, as well as canoe portage, luggage
transportation, all meals and accommodations at charming country B&Bs. See www.inntours.com/canoe_inn.asp.
Learn riding, roping and handling cattle on a City Slicker
or Western Adventure weekend getaway at the Marriott Ranch in Front Royal, Va.
The 4,200-acre working cattle ranch includes miles of trails through rolling
hills, pastures and the densely forested Blue Ridge Mountains. Ninety-minute
guided rides and full day trips are also available. See www.marriottranch.com.
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can’t go swooshing
down the slopes. Bryce Resort in Bayse, Va., offers classes and rentals for grass
skiing and mountain boarding.
Grass skis use rollers and tank-like treads along the bottom. A
mountainboard takes a snowboard platform and attaches it to outboard wheels See
www.bryceresort.com. Wisp Resort near Deep Creek Lake, Md., also offers instruction
and rentals for mountainboards and digglers – a cross between a mountain board
and mountain bike. See www.wispresort.com.
Escape the sun’s rays by heading deep within the earth. The
mountains of West Virginia abound in some of the most scenic caves in the
world. Cool dark and narrow passages have a year-round temperature in the 50s.
Get ready to get dirty and be awed by cathedral-sized rooms, stalactites,
stalagmites and natural artworks formed over millions of years. ACE Adventure
runs full-day wild cave tours in Greenbrier and Monroe Counties, West Va. See www.aceraft.com/cave.html.
For a truly unique way to cool off, go rappelling down a
waterfall. Shenandoah Mountain Guides operates daylong canyoneering trips in
the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. See www.teamlinkinc.com
You can also beat the heat by diving deep into a lake. The
Lake Rawlings Diver Center in Rawlings, Va., offers complete scuba-diving
certification courses in two weekends.
Considered to be the clearest lake on the East Coast, it’s perfect for
that first plunge. Underwater
attractions include a school bus, an airplane, cars and boats. Single day “Discovery Dives” with an
instructor are also available. See www.lakerawlings.com.
For another type of plunge, try skydiving. The traditional
method – static line – involves jumping from about 3,500 feet with the
deployment line attached to the plane. The accelerated free fall method allows
first timers to leap from about 13,500 feet with two instructors holding on to the
student’s shoulder and leg straps. The student comes down alone after
deployment at 5,500 feet. The most recommended option by instructors is a
tandem jump, where student and instructor are strapped together and leap from
about 13,500 feet, experiencing 40 to 60 seconds of free fall before deploying
the chute. Check out Skydive Virginia (www.skydivevirginia.com),
Skydive Delmarva (www.skydivedelmarva.com),
Chambersburg Skydiving Center (www.skydivingcenter.net)
and Skydive Maryland (www.parachutesarefun.com).
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Recent deaths make people wonder if they should keep running. 
