Spring is approaching which means Sandal Season in Northeast Tennessee! It's almost time to start working on those Chaco​ tan lines. With a plentiful blessing of rainfall, paddlers are in for a stellar whitewater season. Appalachia is hopping with lots of outdoor events coming up this spring and summer.
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Plan ahead for a season full of music, mountains, and rivers in Northeast Tennessee!

Looking for a local group of yoga teachers to rock your world and zen out your balance? The Downtown Yoga Center in Johnson City offers a variety of classes and programs for beginners and experts alike. Check out the summer Yee Haw Yoga weekly program for a fun group Yoga meets Brew experience outdoors.

Sign up for this class ​here.

Whether you come with paddle in hand or just want to get outside and have some fun, check out this year's annual NoliFest on the Nolichucky River at USA Raft Adventure Resort! The event is family-friendly with live music and a wild host of activities:  kayaking, rafting, SUP, onewheels, yoga, and more. Camping is available around the area, and book your World-Class Whitewater Trip today to reserve your seat for the ride of your life.

Mark your calendar for this August to get more familiar with the mountains of Northeast Tennessee. The festival is broken into three zones of "Endless Adventure." Explore gear vendors, local outdoor businesses, and get hands-on with mountain activities in the Water Zone, Air Zone, and Earth Zone. Check out the community Events Calendar, and get involved in volunteer opportunities or attend the fest as a guest with a warm, southern welcome.

Tannery Knobs is a premiere mountain bike skills park located only minutes from Downtown Johnson City. Open 7 days a week, this family-friendly skills park offers 40 acres of wooded terrain to begin and improve skills as a mountain biker. The park is only a short ride from restaurants and breweries like Holy Taco and Yee Haw Brewery.

Volunteer to help build trails around the community with Sorba Tri-Cities!

To you, this may just look like a bunch of that icky white stuff. You may cringe at the very sight of those great white flakes pouring from the malted gray clouds above. Does the thought of snow give you angst?

Getting slapped silly with a cloud of powder is the prime reason some of us live where we live. Move "West," and the powder days are the reason for the season. While some sit at home and hide from winter's confetti, this breed seeks ways to spend more days rolling in it. It represents something much, much deeper than a chance in tomorrow's weather forecast.

When you move away from your hometown to chase snow, you make major sacrifices. You miss out on things like photographing a friend's wedding, attending friends' weddings, baby showers, and family cookouts. Birthdays become recognizable in the shape of taped up boxes shipped from miles away, and getting any kind of package from home feels like a godsend.

Every day spent out in the snow, you realize its worth and the sacrifices that went into making it possible. It's deeper than the surface and in that sacrifice, you find comfort in pursuing your passion and pushing your limits- doing what makes you feel most alive! You build confidence that carries into other aspects of life and begin believing in yourself again. You could say it's an addiction or you could call it a passionate desire to experience the richness of life.

Each turn and every lift ride to the top of the mountain is given a greater sense of fulfillment than sitting in wonder, thinking about the what ifs of life. You did it, you are here, and it came with life's greatest price. The ticket on this item cost memories, homemade food, and quality time spent with bloodlines. It cost more than any amount of money.

Some days, you question your choices. What am I doing? What greater purpose am I fulfilling? Why did I come here again? And maybe you are questioning, because you have gotten off track of the reason you came here in the first place- for the snow, for the mountains. When you pick up your whole life and move to the other side of the country to chase snow and don't make snow a priority, life gets muddled.

On the days you are hoping we don't get that two inches of fluff the local weather station is predicting, we are down on our knees praying for 16 inches with every ounce of being committed to snow dancing the night away.

We dream of waking up to so much snow that boot-packing to the ski lift is the only way to get to the mountain and take a few laps in that freshy fresh. So when you hear of snow in the forecast and say you hope we don't get it, excuse me for the utter look of disgust smeared across my face and not so subtle disapproval in my forehead lines. I will dance on your behalf.

Next Up, Raft Season.

*Disclaimer* Adventure Pickle does not promote calling in sick to work or abandoning necessary meetings. Always make an appointment ahead of time with your Shred Doctor.

Ah, life's most loyal companions. When you are craving Chinese or itching to get out of the house, your pups are the first to run to the door at the mere mention of "Who wants to go bye-bye?" They never try to talk you out of your spur of the moment road trips or early morning hiking plans. They don't belittle your dreams or judge you for wanting a pint of veggie lo mein for brunch. They simply hop in the car and go. You give them about a million "pet names" and they respond to each with equal sincere engagement. They want to hear what you have to say. They lick you as much as you allow and eagerly await a chance to spend the whole day together, whether sinking into a cuddle~fest or going for a walk in the woods. You are their reason for being.

​Dogs & Daughters make the ultimate partners in adventure and can teach you a thing or two about yourself.