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Last October, one of our owners, Robert Schiller, volunteered in Tunisia with a friend named Sam Amiel who works with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Commitee (JDC), which has provided disaster relief and humanitarian assistance for 95 years. Rob provided everyone in the Tunisia volunteer group with a Gregory Muir 24, including Sam who is now aiding relief efforts in Haiti. The picture above was taken of Sam and his Muir 24 in a US Military Helicopter on its way to Haiti from the Dominican Republic.
The JDC was able to quickly coordinate relief efforts in the area due to its past disaster response experience as well as its network of Israeli, American, and other local partners on the ground in Haiti. Some of their partners include Heart to Heart International, Partners in Health, EcoWorks International, International Rescue Committee, ProDev Foundation, and Medical Corps of the Israel Forces.
To read more about the JDC’s partners and how they are aiding Haiti relief efforts, click HERE. If you wish to donate, click HERE.
Our customer service department recently received an inspiring email from Steve DeLellis requesting to retire his 30 year-old Gregory Cassin backpack at the Gregory headquarters in Sacramento.
After 30 years of companionship, Steve knew his pack had “one more ‘big-one’ left in her.” So, he packed his Cassin for a final trek up the Cerro Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Americas. While he reported his “pack endured the hardships of the expedition without wavering,” he felt it was now time “to give her a fitting retirement among friends” at Gregory.
We are so honored to accept Steve’s loyal companion and will be happy to find her a home on our planned ‘history wall’ featuring other Gregory packs of the past.
Read Steve and his Cassin’s story below.
31 January 2010
I was the smartest kid in the world…weren’t we all at 16 years old? I knew what I wanted, and did my research. I asked my parents for the cream-of-the-crop, custom built Gregory Mountain Products “Cassin” backpack for my 16th birthday. Though only 16, I had plenty of backpacking mileage under my belt…and lots of vertical “mileage” on the rocks. I learned to enjoy the outdoors at a very early age, and while growing up in Kentucky, took full advantage of everything the Red River Gorge and the Daniel Boone National Forest had to offer.
Though I had to agree to sell my not-so-old Kelty backpack and had to agree that the pack would be a combination birthday and Christmas gift, my parents reluctantly consented. I did my part…filling out the order forms that Gregory required, with all of the necessary information…height, weight, girth, age, etc….and put them in the mail. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when my pack arrived. It wasn’t long before it was on my back, heading down the trail, or being hauled up, or down, some rock face.
Over the years, she was there with me. She took care of me through a month in Yellowstone, during one of the worst forest-fires in the parks history (1989?), in the Rockies for the 3 summers I lived in Vail Colorado, hiking, backpacking or rock and Ice climbing. My Cassin never argued about what I asked her to carry, or where I asked her to carry it. She’s climbed too many of the continental United State’s 14,000-footers to count. She’s rafted whitewater, slept along the cliff-base in Estes Park, carried my ropes and ice-screws through Jackson Hole while taking a break from the Tetons…and who can even remember all the trips to the Red River Gorge.
While sleeping alongside Enloe Creek in the Smokies, she hung from the trees to keep my food safe from the bears. My Cassin never complained about the task at hand or the burden she bore. Occasionally, I would strap on an accessory pocket or water bottle, I could always find a place to hang crampons, ice axes or trekking poles and sometimes even more. On several trips overseas, my Cassin was converted from civilian play, to the more serious work of my military career. She’s been in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and the Philippines. She’s been to Honduras and Panama carrying the tools of my military trade instead of the toys I’d much rather be playing with.
On January 17, 2010 my 30-year old Cassin carried nearly 30kg of gear to the high-camp on Cerro Aconcagua in Argentina. In the early morning snow and sub-zero temperatures on the 18th, my Cassin “held down the fort” as my expedition mates and I headed out for the summit. Nine hours later six of us stood at 22,841 ft marveling at the extremes that the mountain had thrown at us. We were 20-strong only a few weeks before. The distance, altitude and climate had whittled us down to 13 climbers at high camp; of those 13 only 6 of us were strong enough to make the summit bid.
I slept well the night of January 18, 2010. Shortly after breakfast on the 19th I took several photos of my Cassin, loaded and ready to descend…looking like a sentinel on that mountain, happy to be fully loaded once again and ready to go wherever I asked her to go. She has been my faithful partner around the globe. She has served me better than I would have ever imagined. She had made you proud. Thanks so much for the opportunity to have shared so much with her!
Steve DeLellis
30-year Gregory Mountain Products Ambassador
As if smartphones didn’t already put the world at your finger tips, now you can download National Geographic’s own World Atlas application for $1.99.
The National Geographic World Atlas app contains seven levels of high resolution cartography provided by National Geographic as well an additional seven layers of maps by Microsoft Bing, which enables you to zoom close enough to see your home.
As with a bound atlas, you will find up-to-date country-specific information including, flags and facts, which contain geographic and socioeconomic data at the touch of your finger. Not to mention, you can bookmark and annotate your favorite places, use the iPhone’s built in GPS to locate your current position on the map, and add pictures from your photo library.
You may also download and save National Geographic maps to use when internet access is unavailable.
So, whether you’re traveling the world, backpacking or simply wanting to learn more about the world, this app seems to fit the bill and your pocket.
In the wise words of Roy Wallack from the LA Times, the Gregory Z 65 is the ‘world’s coolest pack.’
He calls the pack ‘very comfortable, smartly designed, and practical for overnight treks an all-out fast-packing.’ He also mentions its unique Jetstream ventilation system featuring a concave back panel, which allows the area between your shoulder straps and the small of your back to breathe.
And the best part? He couldn’t find anything he ‘disliked’ about the pack.
Read the full review HERE.
The winning films of this year’s Banff Film Festival will go on tour beginning early February, stopping in hundreds of locations in Canada and the United States along with a few stops in South America, Europe and Asia.
The films on tour represent the stories, action, and people of mountain culture around the world and will inspire anyone invested in the outdoors. Find tour dates and locations near you HERE and find film summaries HERE.
The Grand Prize went to a documentary called ‘Finding Farley‘ about filmakers Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison, along with their two-year old son, Zev, and dog, Willow, who set out to retrace the footsteps of Farley Mowat.
In its first year of operation in the Lone Star State, the Amarillo Rock Climbing House, hosted the First Annual Panhandle Pulldown Climbing Competition in which 50 climbers, ranging in ages 14-35, battled for the top positions.Adding incentive to the competition, several gear prizes were given out including a Gregory z35-R (favorite pack of climbing pro and Gregory ambassador, Joe Kinder) for the event.The climbing gym set 30 new routes and added a 4×7 foot pyramid feature for the competition.Congrats to the winners of each division: Hillary Eales (Women), Shawn Boyd (Beginner), Jeremy Roberts (Intermediate) and Ben Kramer (Advanced).
Photo via A.R.C.H
Here at Gregory, we definitely play harder than we work (shhhh, don’t tell the boss-man) and try to get out as much as possible. Molly from Customer Service and Dustin from the warehouse recently road tripped to the Ouray Ice Festival in Ouray, CO to do just that. We weren’t exhibiting there this year, but they were able to see some awesome slide shows, drink a couple of well deserved beers, get a little star struck, and of course test out some of Gregory’s new 2010 product with friends before it hits the shelves in February. Check out Molly’s recap and photos of her long weekend away from the office (we’re a bit jealous too).
So Dustin and I headed to Ouray, CO for the Ice Fest with a few key things on our agenda: climb some ice, try our hand at cross-country skiing, go snowboarding (or in my case, ride down the hill on my backside), chat up the folks at the local gear shop, and slide shows, slide shows, slide shows!
After 16 hours in a car we met up with some old climbing buddies from 
Phoenix and were super stoked to test out the new Gregory Fusion LTS packs for the first time. They are awesome by the way, launch in February, and were perfect for everything we did this weekend. Stay tuned for more info on those packs and my full review in the next couple of weeks.
On Thursday before the event started, we decided to climb in the Ice Park to find some good routes and to try to beat the crowd. Dustin had never climbed ice before and was a pro in no time. After a few hours it was back to town to check out Caroline George and Andres Marin give some awesome slide shows, complete with delicious (and complimentary) Fat Tire beers.
The next day, when the comps and clinics started in the Ice Park, we went out in search of the Ironton Park Ski Area. I remember being the fastest cross-country skier EVER…when I was 12. Three and a half hours, and a few extra trails later, we made it back to the car. Needless to say, we had earned our right to those free beers during tonight’s slide shows from Steve House and Majka Burhardt. Maika’s slide show “Waypoint Namibia” was stellar, though I might be biased because she signed a frisbee for me.
On Saturday, we headed out to find some fresh pow and a jump we had heard about from the local gear shop (huge thank you to Ouray Mountain Sports). I was the professional photographer for the day, 
as Dustin, again, looked like a pro. We headed back to the Park just in time to see the finals and Josh Wharton and Ines Papert win the Ouray Ice Comp. We were able to check out some of the other vendor’s booths and gear, and I’m not really sure which is my favorite part of a climbing festival - the raffles and free gear, or the slide shows and free beer. We ended the night with a special premiere of the movie “North Face“, which was great. Side note, if you are 4′11″, check to see if the movie you are about to watch has subtitles, and if so, don’t sit behind the only 6′5″ person in the room.
Our trip was wrapping up, but there was one thing left on my to-do list that I have thus far forgotten to mention: get Conrad Anker’s autograph and a picture with him. SUCCESS! Not only did he give me his autograph, he signed my hatchet, AND drew mountains on the other side. My 2010 is off to a pretty amazing start.
As an Appalachian Trail Conservancy supporter, Gregory received an email the other day with some good news for the organization. They were fortunate to win a $25,000 grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation through a contest on Facebook, qualifying them to compete for a million dollar grant.
So why vote for them? What will they do with the million dollars if they win? The ATC’s plan is to fund a youth program to connect with today’s youth to capture their imagination and enthusiasm, and seed a lifelong passion to protect our treasured resources for years to come. They want to get millions of kids back outdoors, improve their health, engage them through entertainment and education, and open the door to the value of volunteerism and the power and critical need for protection of Mother Nature for future generations.
The ATC needs your vote to win. Voting began Friday, January 15th and continues through Friday, January 22nd, so there’s not much time left! Please take a few minutes to vote for the ATC today. You can learn more abut the ATC, this million dollar challenge, and how to cast your vote here.
You burn about 300-500 calories an hour backpacking, 400-600 skiing, and 450-1,000 running (according to Livestrong’s fitness & exercise directory), depending on weight and intensity. So in order to increase your fitness potential, replacing energy lost after exercise is key.
While most understand pre-workout nutrition, many who participate in moderate to strenuous exercise tend to refrain from refueling until hunger strikes. This, however, is damaging to your body’s recovery process. Here’s why:
Phot via Runner’s World
During exercise, your body depletes your store of a carbohydrate called Glycogen found in your muscles and liver. After exercise, your body will begin to restore glycogen levels, but without consuming carbs, your body will enter a catabolic state and break down the protein in your muscle tissue instead. Some might think your body will break down fat after a workout; however, your body will only turn to your fat stores when protein reserves are low.
So, in order to protect your muscles and help your body recover from used energy, most experts generally agree that it’s best to eat within 45 minutes of completing your workout. Martica Heaner at MSN Health and Fitness calls the 45 minute period the ‘metabolic window’ when ‘enzymes that replenish 
muscle carbs are at their highest levels,’ and ‘insulin, which rebuild protein stores, is at peak levels.’ Calories consumed during this window will go to rebuilding rather than fat storage.
Within the 45 minute window, look to ingest both carbs and lean proteins, but stay away from fat as it will slow digestion of the needed proteins and carbs. One quick option for recovery is skim milk. Milk, or even low-fat chocolate milk, will replenish glycogen stores with its rich mix of carbohydrates and help repair muscles with protein. Plus, your body can digest it quickly giving you nutrients faster.
Milk also provides a great alternative to eating if you’re one of those people who can’t bear to look at food after strenuous activity. Whey protein is another option for those food adverse when recovering and is easy for your body to break down as well.
Below is a list of refuel foods to pack in your Gregory pack when your on the go:
- Oranges
- Trail mix
- Beef jerky with crackers
- Peanut butter on bread, an English muffin or apple
- Nutrition bars
- Bananas
- Bagel with cream cheese and jelly
- Dried fruit
- cheese and crackers or hummus and crackers
- Sports drinks
