Keeping Moms inReach for Mother’s Day!

May 10, 2013

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend I thought I’d take a moment to share a little bit about my own mom, how she sparked my passion for the outdoors, and how we use the inReach to stay connected when I’m in the backcountry on an adventure.

I think it all started when my parents were State Park managers here in Maine. My sister and I grew up spending our summers at the parks, in places like Sebago Lake and Range Pond. Our family vacations always took place during the off season when the rest of the park visitors had gone home. It was great having the trails to ourselves although I was much older before I realized that most people wear bathing suits at the beach instead of pants and long sleeve shirts!

The picture below was taken at Bar Harbor in Acadia National Park, one of my mom’s favorite places. Our family still goes there each summer to camp at Lamoine State Park. I was two at the time of this photo and I’ve been told that during a brief moment of freedom I ran headlong into the ocean in full fall attire. I imagine this was the start of my mother’s concerns about my decision making abilities and why the inReach has become a valuable tool for her to check in and make sure I’m not doing something foolish…

Mom and Chip at Acadia

My parents were teachers during the school year and led interpretive programs at their parks during the summer. My time in the outdoors was spent on nature walks and canoe trips, poking around in tide pools and climbing fire towers on the tops of mountains. I was very fortunate to have a mom who taught us to be stewards of our natural spaces. She shared her enthusiasm for the outdoors with her children and with all of the kids that she met at her State Parks over the years. To this day I hear her “leave no trace” reminders when I’m on the trail and see a bit of litter that needs to be carried out.

Fast forward a few years and flip back through the DeLorme blog a few pages and you’ll see how my mom’s influence on that two year old in the picture above has steered me to a career that, while more in the technology world – my dad was a science teacher after all, helps people explore the great outdoors while staying safe and connected, knowing where they are and being able to share their experiences with their friends and family. As you all know, I just came back from the Backpacker Climb for a Cause event raising money to send urban teens on wilderness outings. Next week I’m headed to Colorado to speak about GPS and Satellite Communication technology at the Sierra Club Leadership Outing. While I’m not as directly involved in the protection of our natural resources as my mom was, I like to think that here at DeLorme we encourage people to get outside and enjoy their time in the great outdoors.

Chip on Whitney
Photo courtesy of Jon Dorn – Backpacker Magazine

Which brings us to the inReach… remember that two year old that ran headlong into the ocean? Well, I’m older now but through amazing opportunities provided by DeLorme I still manage to find myself in situations that make my mother a little nervous. The photo above was taken at the bottom of the first rope section on Mt Whitney (framed in the background) at 12,300 feet. My mom was following along on the map and sending the occasional message to see how I was doing. It was a special event for me, knowing that my family and friends were with me as I climbed. This was an experience echoed by many of the people on the Mt Whitney team who were also sharing their tracks and messages via the inReach.

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So as I reflect on the different ways that my mom has helped to make me the man I am today I encourage you to do the same… and consider how you stay connected with her at Mother’s Day and with the rest of your family and friends when you strike off on your own adventures. Consider DeLorme’s inReach and inReach SE, the proven communication tool of my mom and her forever-two year old running headlong into adventures whenever he can find them.

…and one last picture taken on my mom’s last day as manager of Range Pond State Park, used as her retirement invitation. A final walk in the park with her son after 30 years of service. Well done mom, well done!

Mom and Chip at Range Pond

Happy Mother’s Day to you Mom, and to the rest of the mothers out there on this special weekend!

Take care,
Chip Noble
Team DeLorme


A Backpacker climb, the inReach SE, & prizes!

April 1, 2013

Backpacker’s Climb for a Cause

I wanted to share some exciting details about an important event that is taking place in just a few weeks. Backpacker Magazine has organized what might be the largest mountaineering event on US soil in history! 60 Backpacker subscribers will come together to form 6 teams of climbers on a continuous expedition to the summit of Mt Whitney, which at 14,505 feet is the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. This nearly month-long event will raise close to a quarter-million dollars for Big City Mountaineers and the at-risk teens that they support.

Note: Skip to my Donation Page for Prizes, Prizes, Prizes or read on for more details!

For those of you that recall, I’ve had the good fortune to represent DeLorme on two pervious Big City Mountaineers Summit for Someone climbs (Mt Langley and the Grand Teton) and am very impressed with the work they do. This is a wonderful organization that touches the lives of urban teens by taking them on wilderness adventures and helping them build their confidence by showing them what they are capable of achieving on the mountain as well as in life.

This cause is especially important to me having grown up here in Maine with four seasons of outdoor recreation all around me and a family that worked and played in the state and national parks systems. Now I have the privilege to share this same wilderness experience with my own children, watching their confidence grow with each adventure.

Abby and Dad at the trailhead

I know that many of you reading this post have similar backgrounds and a shared passion for the outdoors. That is why it is so important for me to connect you with an organization like Big City Mountaineers so that we can all help them with their important effort to bring kids from the city to the wilderness. Keep reading to see how you can help and what cool prizes you could win in return!

The inReach SE

DeLorme is one of the primary sponsors of this Backpacker event and we will be showcasing the new inReach SE two way satellite communicator during the expedition. We are sending 25 of the climbers up the mountain with inReach SE devices to track their progress and send messages to their friends, family, and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I’m expecting the largest inReach MapShare tracking event to date!

inReach-SE

For those of you looking for information about our new device, you can read technical details on DeLorme’s new inReach SE site. I’ve also uploaded a video for you that I created during a recent training hike. I’ve been using the inReach SE to track and message during all of my climbs this winter and have found it very convenient to use the new screen and keyboard interface when I couldn’t take my gloves off to use the touchscreen on my mobile device.

I’ll be shooting more video and sharing details about the device during my next training climb on Mt Washington, when the DeLorme Outing Club will be testing the latest version in the harsh conditions of New Hampshire’s Presidential Range.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!

Okay… now for the important part. Not only is DeLorme sponsoring the Climb for a Cause event with Backpacker, they have made a very generous offer to match my own fundraising up to $4,000! That means that you can help me hit my goal of $4,000 for Big City Mountaineers and DeLorme will double that to contribute a total of $8,000 to help bring a wilderness adventure to kids who might not otherwise have that experience.

Now I want to help motivate you to visit my donation page by offering an incentive… and what better incentive than prizes, prizes, and more prizes!

Here’s how it will work – I’ve put together the following list of items from DeLorme… for each $20 increment that you pledge I’ll put your name into the pool one time to have a chance to be drawn for one of the prizes. You can improve your odds by donating more to the kids that Big City Mountaineers support. Donate $100 and have your name put into the drawing five times…

The prize list:

  • 1 inReach SE – be the first to own one, right off the DeLorme Map Store shelf.
  • 1 PN-60w & inReach – handheld GPS and two-way satellite communicator.
  • 1 PN-60 – rugged handheld GPS with Topo North America desktop software.
  • 3 Topo North America – detailed topographic maps and desktop software.
  • 5 Atlas & Gazetteers – paper map books for a state of your choosing.

All totaled, that’s about $1,500 in prizes. Hopefully there’s something in the list that catches your eye and motivates you to make a donation to Big City Mountaineers!

So go to the following link and press the Donate button. It’s that easy!

Chip Noble’s Donation Page

Thank you very much for considering this and good luck with the prize drawing should you enter! I know I speak for Backpacker, Big City Mountaineers, and DeLorme when I say how much we all appreciate your support in bringing a wilderness adventure to the kids this Climb For A Cause event will serve.

Take care and see you on the trail!

Chip Noble
DeLorme

Abby and Dad walking on trail


Patagonian Expedition Race 2013

February 11, 2013

The 2013 Patagonian Expedition Race is about to start, with 11 of the world’s best adventure racing teams gathering in Chilean Patagonia for what is hailed as “The Last Wild Race.”

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DeLorme is very proud to be a sponsor of this event, providing the satellite communications for race officials as well as tracking for the top teams in the competition – all via DeLorme’s inReach two-way satellite communicator!

You can follow along as teams like GearJunkie – YogaSlackers make their bid for first place and share their tracking location through the course of the entire adventure.

Watch the teams in near real time at the Patagonian Expedition Race MapShare page and read details from GearJunkie – YogaSlackers and the Patagonian Expedition Race officials at each of their Facebook pages.

The race officials will be using the inReach to share check point details throughout the race, helping to keep all of the race fans informed as teams make their way through the course.

We’ll be posting updates here at the DeLorme Blog and at our Facebook page as well.

Let’s all start cheering for GearJunkie – YogaSlackers and the Four Continents – YogaSlackers as they get ready for the Patagonian Expedition Race to kick off!

One more time with the MapShare link…

http://share.delorme.com/patagonianexpeditionrace

Go YogaSlackers!

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme


North Country Endurance Challenge

September 7, 2012

The North Country Endurance Challenge starts tomorrow morning at 6am in the northern most part of New Hampshire. A hardcore collection of athletes will compete in a wilderness adventure course with lake paddling, mountain biking, and trail running legs that will take them over 60 miles of terrain with nearly 7,000 feet of climbing elevation.

Follow them at the North Country Endurance Challenge MapShare!

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Team DeLorme will be there tracking 10 of the competitors as part of an inReach demonstration in one of the toughest environments for back country satellite communication. Remember, you can follow along as the race unfolds by visiting the North Country Endurance Challenge MapShare.

Please note that the participants are using the inReach in standalone mode for tracking only so the ability to send them messages has been disabled.

Learn more about the Endurance Challenge at their website and check in to see how the race is going tomorrow morning. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions about the event or how the inReach is performing, I’ll be watching the Explore site throughout the day.

I’ll post a follow-up and let everyone know how things went. Good luck to all the racers!

Chip Noble
Team DeLorme


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