Check out our new website! www.kidsadventuring.org

Please point yourself to our new website at

www.kidsadventuring.org

Thanks!!!!

We made it! All sweaty and tired...but we made it.

35 brave souls, mostly returning KIVA members, blazed a trail up to the amazing sights at the top of Peaks of Otter on Saturday!

Thanks to Target for the water, man did we need it, and to Clif Bar for supplying the snacks! Hmmm...Chocolate Chip Bars, Double Chocolate Bars, Sour Apple Twists Ropes, and Strawberry Twists Ropes...

Two quick things:
June 7th, Roanoke City Parks has invited KIVA members for a special hike at 10AM. I will send out an e-mail of details.

NEW - The Phenomenal Jon Beard and the Ever-talented Kim Avis have created a bright and bold new website for KIVA. It is still in the works. I will give you the link, as soon as they give the go ahead. These guys hiked with us, took amazing pictures and still had the energy to go home and develop this fantastic addition to our increasing web presence. Thank you guys.
Please check out Jon's work at www.jonbeard.com

Thanks All.

A hiking we will go...a hiking we will go....

Join us today, if you can! See below for details. Check back Monday for really neat news and an extra special date for KIVA members in June. If you have not signed up for our monthly newsletter, please send an e-mail to KIVAinfo@gmail.com

Also: Please check out this great article about the work of Richard Louv and the people of Children and Nature Network.

Also wic... Thanks to the Roanoke Times for their excellent coverage of Bike Month. They published my letter to the editor today about these efforts. I will be riding in the Ride of Silence Wednesday, to bring attention to the growing number of people who are making the clean commute to work.

Ready to take on the mountain?

Join us Saturday for a beautiful day spent hiking to the top of Sharp Top at the lovely Peaks of Otter. Our children have enjoyed this fall and spring tradition for several years now. Each of them has spent time in our worn out old backpack. This will be our youngest last journey in the faded teal and blue snuggly. And he will be excited for that. His little legs are not so little anymore.

Our kids enjoy the trip for the snack breaks, and the chance to see Daddy winded. Last year, nearing the top, I heard our youngest mimicking me from the backpack...hhhhhh...aaa...hhhhhh...aaa...hhhhhhh. I'm sure he didn't know why I was making the noises, he just new I was supposed to be doing it, and therefore so should he.

This year the trip will be shorter, as we have grown, but also because we will have friends hiking along with us. Many people on our mailing list of over 160 families have said they will come out. We are happy to also welcome Ms. Virginia Ehric from the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We joined FotBRP after hiking the trail last spring. I came down the mountain noticing how much cleaner the trails were and a few days later I read a great article about how a group of teenagers spent their spring break cleaning up the Peaks trails for a project sponsored by the Friends.

Ms. Virginia will be sharing about the FotBRP programs, box turtles and tree plantings. We will be writing up our adventure on Saturday for their newsletter. The timing of this event is perfectly set to the recent newspaper accounts of the loss of funding for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Come join us as we learn more about the efforts of so many people working to keep our area beautiful. Can't make it, but want to learn about the Friend's efforts, check out
www.blueridgefriends.org

Meet us at 10 AM at the Discovery Center atop Mill Mountain for a pit stop and directions, or meet us at the bottom of the Sharp Top Trail at 10:45 AM. We hope to see you there. Bring a picnic lunch. Snacks are being provided by Clif Bar and 72 water bottles have been donated by Target of Roanoke. We will begin the hike about 11:20.

Thanks for your support and for passing the information about KIVA onto many friends, family, and neighbors.