Gorge adventure

Do It In The Gorge, Personalized

By Cynthia Christensen, 11-28-06

Guest writer and book connoisseur Cynthia Christensen of The Book Stop in Hood River hosts sports writer Christian Knight this First Friday.

Those who can, do. Those who won’t, read about it. Not exactly the old adage, but whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or, like me, prefer your adventures on the written page, Christian Knight's new book Out There: An Adventure Guide to the Gorge is a fun and personalized view of the people, places, and things to do in the Columbia River Gorge.

For those of us lucky enough to live in the Gorge, there is never a lack of things to do. Earlier this year Men's Journal Magazine listed Hood River, Oregon, in the heart of the Gorge, as the most active town in America. On any given day a person can theoretically participate in six different outdoor activities. Knight, an award winning journalist, has published a compilation of essays on many of them including: cliff jumping, hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and cross country trails.

While it’s true that there are dozens of hiking and outdoor guides about the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood areas, Knight's book is unique because of his personal take on each and every activity. He has gone on every hike, pulled himself up every climbing crag, and jumped feet first into every hidden swimming hole. Fused into each entry, he chronicles the adventures of our local daredevils and trail blazers, many of them his good friends. Nothing livens up a camping site listing like a story of a bunch of rough guys learning how some judicious "snuggling" will keep group of campers warm (I read that story twice!)

Knight's pursuit of all things adventurous began as a small child, growing up in Kansas. Lacking any other death defying feats, he and his siblings would settle for flinging themselves off of hay lofts onto hay bales fifteen feet below. Looking for greater thrills led him into extreme kayaking and professional whitewater raft guiding. Then, naturally, to outdoor sports journalism, where in his first three years he won more than thirty awards from the society of Professional Journalists and The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Formerly a writer for the Hood River News, he is now an outdoor reporter for the Wenatchee World in Washington.

Christian Knight will share his adventure and sign copies of his book at Book Stop in Hood River, Oregon Friday, December 1st at 7 p.m. This promises to be an exciting evening of food, fun, and Gorge Adventures!

For more information about this or Book Stop events call 541-386-STOP or visit their website at www.gorgebookstop.com.

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