spreadthewool_east

point6 Conquers America's Most Hiked Mountain

Yesterday point6 had the delight of visiting Mount Monadnock State Park in Jaffrey, NH.  Those of you not familiar with Mt. Monadnock, it is the most frequently hiked mountain in the United States and third most in the World.  At 3,165 ft (965 meters) the mountain is unusually above treeline. 
When we had the chance to speak with a ranger, she gracefully provided us with the low down on the mountain and its history.  After the Revolutionary War, New England was a hotbed for raising merino sheep.  As the sheep population continued to rise, farmers required more land.  So, to create more 'open' space they would set fires.  One of these fires got a little out of control and burned on Mount Monadnock for over 2 weeks.  This is why the mountain is now above treeline and has exposed rock at just over 3,000 ft!  No one ever wrote about the incident in papers or such because it was very common to see fires burning in the distance.  Next time your in New England, be sure to cruise up to Mount Monadnock for a hike or to take in the views. 

Labor Day Weekend Memorial Golf Tournament

Over Labor Day weekend I had the joy of attending and sponsoring a private memorial golf tournament in Harwichport, MA.  A close-knit group of about 50 or so golfers gathered to play a 9-hole best ball tournament.  The weather certainly played a factor as the later parties were playing in an all out downpour and didn't get the roll that they dreamed about on the greens...but after the 9 holes, 4 under proved to be the winner.  I know that everyone was glad to have and receive their point6 socks with less than ideal weather and 9 holes of carrying their clubs!  Below are a hers and his views of our point6 active micros in some wet golf shoes:

New Hampshire Beach Cleanup

Last night I headed to Rye, NH to volunteer with the Blue Ocean Society at their monthly beach clean up.  We all met at Jenness Beach to conquer a beach sweep.  The Blue Ocean Society organizes beach clean ups here each month and has been doing so since 2001.  Before we all set off on our mission, Jen from BOC showed us a zip lock bag full of trash that was found in the stomach of a baby albatross to reinforce that we should clean up all trash, big or small. 
As we swept the beach, we took diligent records of our findings including exact numbers of bottle caps, cigarette butts, etc so the BOC can continue to study the trends of marine pollution.  At the end of our clean up we weighed the trash that we collect which equaled about 38 pounds!  I want to thank all of the volunteers and the BOC for allowing us to help and keeping our oceans clean.  See you at another clean up. 
Here are some photos of the August clean up c rew and the point6 van on the Atlantic Coast.

The Granite State

I started my week in New Hampshire at the 27th Annual Granite Man Triathlon in Wolfeboro.  This competitive, though family friendly event is a perfect way to spend an August day on Lake Winnipesaukee.  They put a cap on the number of competitors so you can always expect a full race crowd.  Participants that come appear to make a pilgrimage of sorts to this small New England town each year for this race.  Everyone is asking one another about families and such.

After the Granite Man, I made my way up to a place called Hikers Paradise in Gorham, NH.  Gorham is the last 'big' town on the Appalachian Trail before northbound hikers head into Maine to finish their trek.  I was greeted with big smiles from Bruno, the owner of Hikers Paradise, which is essentially a hostel for AT hikers.  I spent the night there with the AT hiking crew who all have trail names like Dave from Maine (who is hiking the AT for a second time), Peanut, WrongWay and many more.  They were all super excited to freshen up their feet for the rest of their journey.  Today, I'm heading to Rye to help the Blue Ocean Society with a beach clean up day. I hope to see you there! 

The picture below is from a brave soul at the Granite Man that did a portion of the event in ski apparel and point6 socks!

 

Brewster Brew Run - Cape Cod Style

This past weekend Shannon (our PR guru) and myself had the pleasure of attending the 30th annual Brewster Brew Run.  This seasoned and fantastic event kicked off Saturday at 4 pm in the quintessential Cape Cod town, Brewster.  While speaking with the event director, Tom, he said, "this isn't called the Brew Run because it's in Brewster, MA".  It's because after runners finish the 5.2 mile race they are treated with an ice cold beverage in pure Cape style.

One woman ran up to the van wearing a Squaw Valley Mountain Run t-shirt.  She said that she had seen our West Coast Scout, Paul set up at the event but didn't get a pair of socks.  So she was ecstatic to see us at the Brew Run so she could finally see what the buzz is all about. 

The day was perfect and we certainly saw nothing but smiling faces at race.  I will be back on the Cape before the snow flies and hope to see you there...

The Bitter Pill Adventure Race

Last night I 'spread the wool' at an adventure race in Waterbury, Vermont.  As the folks from all over the country rolled in to the parking lot I noticed a very relaxed and focused crowd.  Today, each of these 'relaxed' folks arose around 3 am to check over their gear for their big race.  They had no exact idea what they were going to be doing and when, all that they knew was they wanted to find checkpoints and lots of them. 

As each of them got a pair of point6 socks I would tell them good luck tomorrow.  Every team either pro or novice both said "We'll need it" in a very relaxed tone.  All of the teams seemed very ready and I'm sure that they are having a blast out there today using all of their skills, not luck. 

Kenda Bike Fest

This past weekend was spent in the wonderful Berkshires located in Western Massachusetts for the annual Kenda Bikefest.  Approximately 2,000 bike enthusiast were there for the weekend to demo the latest bikes, listen to music and get a pair of point6 socks.  There were all kinds of rides from beginner to expert and mountain to road so everyone could enjoy the festivities.

Cyclist and mountain bikers certainly seem to like quality so you can expect to see us at some more bike events as our cycling line launches.  Next stop is the Bitter Pill Adventure Race in Waterbury, VT...see you there! 

Saint Michael's College WOW Weekend

This past friday night I went up to my alma mater, Saint Michael's College in  Colchester, VT to 'spread the wool".  All of the college's wilderness guides were there including the Director Todd Wright.  The college has an excellent program and about 50 or so incoming freshmen were there for a wilderness week in Vermont where they had plans to go kayaking, hiking and camping.  I provided each of the guides with a pair of our outdoor socks along with each of new students.  But...before the new students could get their socks they had to break up into teams and sing.  The guides then voted on their performance to see who would be the first and last to get their socks.  It was very amusing and I'm glad that Saint Mike's isn't known for being a music school...

I'll be in the Berkshires of Massachusetts on Wednesday setting up for the Kenda Bike Fest.  Be sure to bring your mountain bike and swing by the point6 van for some socks! 

Spreading the Wool on the East Coast

Willie Nelson. Coffee. Willie Nelson.  More Coffee!!!  More Willie Nelson....this was the theme on my 2,000 mile trek back to the East Coast from Colorado to start spreading the wool.  I flew back from High Sierra Music Festival where I was helping out our West Coast Scout, Paul earlier this week.  In the airport in Reno I got the pleasure of having an extremely brief conversation with Keller Williams and Keith Mosely, which was really awesome.  I got to fill Keith in on the qualities of point6! 

I spent the night in Denver, picked up a load of socks and started my trek East.  Until I hit Chicago, it was pretty uneventful.  I stayed with a friend in Chicago for the night and landed a really nice dinner!  I'm now back in New England and had the pleasure of showing off Ram III to my grandparents and giving them each a pair of socks.  My Grandfather said that its the nicest pair of socks that he's ever owned and hes going to wear them each Saturday to Church! I told him to wear them fishing, but he insisted that they'll be his church socks which I found pretty humorous.

I'll be hitting up trail heads through the Northeast during the next week and then down to the Berkshires for the Kenda Bike Fest July 25 - 27.  Be sure to swing by and get a free pair.

VT - CO - NV - CA - CO - VT

If you haven't guessed from the title, I've been hitting up some nice states in this great country.  My van (Ram III) is complete with a kicking sound system, tons of socks and an East Coast event schedule to fulfill.  I've been lucky enough to get in a hike up my first 14'er, go toe to toe with a case of altitude sickness and spread the wool at the Fat Tire Mountain Bike Festival in Winter Park. 

I'm now at the Reno Airport waiting for our West Coast Lead Scout, Paul to swing by and grab me.  We're then off to High Sierra Music Festival to introduce the West Coast to Point 6.  If you're heading out this way, be sure to stop by and get a free pair of merino wool socks! 

See you on the East next week!