"Living for Adventure" Presentation Series

Sponsored by Great Miami Outfitters
Have you ever dreamed of going on an outdoor adventure? Not sure how to get started. Or do want to be inspired by how others "live for adventure?" Join us for these true tales of adventure. You'll see and hear how these local people have experienced various journeys, treks and feats. All presentations, unless noted otherwise, will take place next door to the store at A Taste of Wine, 90 S. Main Street, Miamisburg.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
6:30 to 7:30 PM
Location: Taste of Wine
Joe Denniston:
35 Day Alaskan Brooks Range Expedition
Joe Denniston spent 35 days with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) hiking and canoeing through the rugged tundra of the Brooks Range and the Gates of the Arctic National Park. The first ten days, about 70 miles, were spent hiking across the Brooks Range, via the continental divide. After a resupply of collapsible canoes and dry bags by float plane, he and his group paddled over 400 miles from the headwaters of Noatak River to the Chukchi Sea at Kotzebue Sound. During this time he learned how to live and travel above the Artic Circle and he encountered everything from grizzly bears to the world's smallest carnivore, the least weasel. He also learned how to paddle an open canoe in whitewater conditions, bake a pizza over a backpacking stove and how to travel safely in grizzly country. For 35 days, Joe and his group learned more about themselves and how to work together to achieve a common goal and the culmination of the trip was paddling across a five mile stretch of the of the Artic Ocean to reach Kotzebue, a small town of about 3,000 native Inupiat Indians, where Joe and his group showered for the first time in over a month and a half, and had a real breakfast of eggs and bacon.

Thursday, December 17, 2009
6:30 PM
Location: Up & Running
6123 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, OH
(937) 432-9210
David Johnston:
Endurance Running & Having Fun!
David Johnston from Wasilla, Alaska with speak about endurance running and having fun at the same time. David has been running for over 30 years, and averages 10 miles every other day. He's run the 26-mile Boston Marathon the past 3 years, but it is only a warm-up for him. He has competed in California's Miwok 100K Trail Race, 100-mile Resurrection Pass Alaska Race, Alaska's Susitna 100 and Texas Cactus Rose 100. Though he pushes himself to a personal best in each, the races aren't about winning. "I'm not the fastest person, out there, but I guarantee I have the most fun," David says. Join us at Up & Running as David shares his running adventures.
Brought to you by Great Miami Outfitters and Up & Running

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
6:30 to 7:30 PM
Andy Niekamp:
6,500 Miles On A 2,200 Mile Trail.
Lessons Learned From An Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hiker.
Andy has vast long-distance hiking experience. Join us as he tells his stories and learn from his experience. Since 1994 Andy "Captain Blue" Niekamp has hiked 6,500+ miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT), a continuous footpath that runs through fourteen states from Spring Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. He has been awarded two "2,000 miler" certificates by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy which is conferred on hikers who have completed the entire AT and he is a Life Member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Andy first became interested in backpacking in Boy Scouts, took his first solo hike on the AT in 1989, and since then has hiked the trail in sections end-to-end over two and a half times.
READ MORE on our facebook pages.