Hello all. We just love patting ourselves on the back around here so why not put up a great review from Eddies Energy Bars. Thanks Mike for the kind words and advice. Don't worry people we arn't just blowing smoke up each others asses to get good reviews. We really do think Eddie's Energy Bars are the best we ever had.


As promised, fellow readers, the following is my review on the Symbiot Sportback. Symbiot is a company that I am looking to partner with in the future, because, in my eyes, they have a great product, and they are revolutionizing the way backpacks are made.

As it currently feels like March over here in Vermont (cold and rainy days), I was unable to actually give this bag the full test I was planning on. I had planned on taking it for a bike ride into downtown Richmond. Regardless, I took the bag for a walk and a run on my treadmill in the basement, and then climbed the stairs to simulate a hike.

Symbiot Sportback

At first glance, the sportback is not your ordinary backpack. It fit nicely and snuggly on my upper-body, snapping in front with two clips. I kept on finding little pockets for everything. There is one larger compartment in the back where I put my LL Bean fleece. There was enough remaining room to fit an extra t-shirt in there, perfect for a hike during the day. I loved that I still had room for some homemade energy bars. There is also a pocket for a water basin to go into, as well as two smaller velcro pockets on the front, of which I put my ipod in one, and my cellphone, and they fit in easily. They were both a little hard to take out, however, I guess that’s the point–you don’t want your stuff to fall out!

When I first put the pack on, it honestly felt like it shouldn’t be there, but I quickly became acustomed to it. The padding throughout the back and up on to the shoulders is a nice touch, and made it feel very comfortable on me.

I started out walking with the pack on, and it felt weird, but that was because I wasn’t used to it. After five minutes of walking, I couldn’t even feel it. Now, the real test began. I went for a run with the Sportback, and it certainly excelled.

When I increased the speed on the treadmill, and got to a steady running pace, I gave it a couple of tests. First off, I thought I would feel movement, but there was none. I was very impressed because I usually have those drawstring bags, that I hate to run and bike with because they sway back and forth, so I stopped using them. With the sportback, I will now be able to carry my cellphone when I go for a ride, and have easy access to it. I took a fake phonecall, and was able to take it out, with more ease than I expected, and to put it back in without a challenge. I then discovered something that really makes me happy: the material on one of the front pockets is thin enough so that I was able to change the song and turn up the volume without removing my ipod. This is great for when I am on the road and want to switch songs. Mind you, this was all done while I was running. I didn’t stop to figure this out. I’m sold on th benefits of this pack, and when I get outside to bike, I will probably end up writing about how much I like the pack again.

Overall, I am very impressed with this bag. I like the upper-torso style that allows for complete mobility, and the simplicity of the design. The two front pockets allow for easy access to items you need quickly, and the fact that the pack doesn’t move at all is an even bigger plus. On my bikes, hikes, and runs I will be sure to take this bag along with me.

So a few weeks ago we received a comment on this blog about our energy bar post. It was from Michael Adams, the owner of Eddies Energy Bars. A company located in Richmond, VT. He stared the company in 2004 and named the company after his father Ed. After talking to Michael about his company and ours we decided that we had a lot in common.
Both companies are startups with a lot to prove and both companies have great products. We saw a common theme with our products. We provide a product that helps your performance and works with you when your in the great outdoors, and so does he. If you could eat our bag that would be great but you can’t. You need to put something in it that is not only great tasting but also good for you. We proposed that we would send Michael a bag for some samples of his bars. Being an avid hiker I know that our bag has been a great help and inspiration to us and others. The one item that we always have in the Sportback is an energy bar of some sort. After trying tons of bars we decided that Cliff bars were the best, until now. When we received our package from Michael he provided us with two of each flavor.
After trying my first bar I knew right away these guys were on to something. Each bar provides you with everything you need, protein, fiber, iron, carbs and essential amino acids. Not only that they are made with all natural ingredients and are the freshest energy bars I have ever had. I didn’t think I was eating an energy bar at first but then I compared them to a Cliff bar and they pack the same punch but with ingredients that mom would use. With 6 flavors to choose from you will find one that you will love. After trying all of the flavors my favorite has to be Peanut Butter Chocolate. Who doesn’t like that combination?
You can actually taste each ingredient that’s in there unlike every other energy bar. Needless to say these are the best bars that we have ever tried and we plan on taking them with us on any trip we take. Check out Eddies Energy Bars to read about the nutritional facts and to get your own.







Just look at these natural ingredients!!!

Chocolate Chip Energy Bar
Tastes like a healthy brownie Great source of protein, fiber, and iron Low in Fat Ingredients:Apricots, Water, Unsweetened Applesauce, Yogurt, Honey, Egg Whites, Brown Sugar, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Soy Flour, Rolled Oats, Chocolate Chips and Vanilla.
Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bar
Low in Fat Great Source of Protein, Fiber, and Iron Tastes GREAT! Ingredients: Apricots, Water, Unsweetened Applesauce, Yogurt, Honey, Egg Whites, Brown Sugar, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Spices, Soy Flour, Rolled Oats, Raisins, and Vanilla.
Cranberry Almond Energy Bar
Low in Fat Good Source of Protein and Fiber Have the carbohydrates to keep you going Ingredients: Honey, Rolled Oats, Soy Flour, Dried Cranberries, Yogurt, Unsweetened Applesauce, Brown Sugar, Apricots, Water, Egg Whites, Nonfat Dry Milk, Almond Extract, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda
Cranberry Orange Energy Bar
Low in Fat Great out-of-the-oven taste Good Source of Fiber and Protein Ingredients: Honey, Rolled Oats, Soy Flour, Dried Cranberries, Yogurt, Unsweetened Applesauce, Brown Sugar, OJ Concentrate, Apricots, Water, Egg Whites, Nonfat Dry Milk, Vanilla, Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Orange Zest
Maple Walnut Energy Bar
-Newest Flavor! -Great taste of Vermont! -Good Source of protein, fiber, and iron. Ingredients: Vermont Maple Syrup, Rolled Oats, Soyflour, Walnuts, Yogurt, Unsweetened Applesauce, Brown Sugar, Apricots, Water, Egg Whites, Nonfat Dry Milk, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bar
Tastses like a healthy peanut butter cup Great source of Protein, Fiber, and Iron. Ingredients: Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chips, Rolled Oats, Honey, Soy Flour, Yogurt, Brown Sugar, Apricots, Water, Egg Whites, Vanilla, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda

The next morning we awoke and after warming ourselves in the sun from the cold night before and after a little breakfast we headed on our way. We made it to the western side of the slope where the environment was quite different from the valleys we just walked through. The size of the boulders increased along with the speed of the wind. After a long days hike through the blazing sun above the tree line making it to the next nights camp was quite a relief. We stopped a little early this day which gave us the chance to take a rest and collect some firewood for a nice relaxing evening. The next morning we awoke, and as much as we did not want to leave, it was time to go. We got our stuff together and hit the trail making our way back to civilization.
Overall the Dolly Sods is a great location especially for those who do not like a lot of uphill. You can drive your car to the top of the mountain and head into the plateau from there. The Dolly Sods is a highly recommended area to visit on the East Coast.


Harsh Sun


Jon above tree line


Chillin


collecting firewood

Well the trip to the Dolly Sods was spectacular. The weather was virtually perfect. It was about 28f at night and about 75f during the day. The lack of shade made things a little scorching however. You'll even notice in the pictures that a lot are over exposed because the sun was blazing. We didn't hike real far, it was J first trip. We probably hiked about 14miles. Most of the streams were pretty high so after one attempt at crossing over a downed tree, we gave up trying to cross dry. We took our socks and boots off and just walked through the freezing cold stream. After a few min in the sun our feet were dry,we put our boots on and continued. Our first night in the back county we stayed at a nice stream stop. Venus and the moon were also extremely bright. It gave the night sky great depth. More adventure the following morning and night in the next posting.


Pumping water.


Cold and bored.


Venus and the Moon.

The Symbiot team will be going to the Dolly Sods area this weekend. Although we have a map and it's fairly easy to get around we still plan our route to make sure we have safe way out if anything happens. For those of you who are new to backpacking or even map reading take a look below and educate yourself on a very important part of being in the backcountry.



U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quads, those navigational mainstays that cover every backwater inch of our nation, are essential to finding your way. Most are outdated, though, the land having been surveyed and the maps produced between 1940 and 1965. Mother Nature and man have since rearranged a lot of the geography with rockslides, fires, floods, and blowdowns, development, and trail rerouting. The USGS needs your help to update its more than 54,000 quads. A USGS volunteer program, the Earth Science Corps, enlists hikers to garther field information for the use in the 7.5-minute series of topos.

Contact: Earth Science Corps, (800) 254-8040; http://interactive.usgs.gov/volunteer/earthsciencecorps

Depending on the weather our first trip of the year will be to the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virgina. We will be going up with some new people this time and we figured to take it easy on them. Although during this time of year temps will still go below freezing and if it rains it's going to be a miserable time. So let's keep our fingers crossed. Read below for some history of the area. This is the second time we will be going to the "sods" so I'm hoping to see some new trails and views.

In the mid-1800s, the Dalhe family used open grassy fields called "sods" for grazing sheep in this area, which now bears the name Dolly Sods Wilderness. The region, located high on the Allegheny Plateau, is known for its extensive rocky plains, upland bogs, and sweeping vistas. In the lower elevations, you'll find a forest of northern hardwoods and laurel thickets. Higher up, groves of wind-stunted red spruce stand near heath barrens where azaleas, mountain laurels, rhododendron, and blueberries grow. The bogs are unique depressions of sphagnum moss, cranberries, and the insect-eating sundew plant--an ecosystem you'd expect to see in northern Canada. Beaver ponds dot the Wilderness and the headwaters of Red Creek spill out of the area.

Nine trails crisscross this Wilderness. They are relatively rough and wet most of the year. The Red Creek Trail runs north-south for approximately eight miles, moist and rocky across the entire area, and splashes through Red Creek at least twice. The Breathed Mountain Trail climbs abruptly from the west side of Red Creek to level off in the high plateau country. Solitude may be difficult to find unless you wander off-trail. This is easily the most popular Wilderness in West Virginia, and the amount of foot traffic proves it. Maximum group size is 10. The trail system includes approximately 26 miles of trail.