MOUNTAIN KHAKIS - Built For The Mountain Life Blog

CYBER MONDAY - 3 Day Sale!

CYBER 3 DAY SALE: FREE Shipping + 1 FREE

 $25 Gift Card for Purchases Over $100*

From now through December 2nd, 2009, receive FREE SHIPPING + 1 FREE $25 GIFT CARD for purchases over $100*. Excludes Shipping & Sales Tax. Limited One Gift Card per $100 Online purchase at http://www.mountainkhakis.com.

Apply discount code FREESHIP3 during the checkout process.

 

 

What has MK Ambassador, Hayes Wauford, been up to?

"I attended the 2009 National Skeet Shooting Association's Mini World and World Championships in October in San Antonio.  I shot 399 out of 400 in the Mini World, which allowed me to finish 3rd Overall.  I also shot 548 out of 550 to finish 4th at the World Championships.  All told, I broke 1044 out of 1050 targets I shot over 8 days!  I wore my Alpine Utility Shorts every day as the temperatures stayed fairly warm.  As always they served me very well thanks to their comfort and durability. 

Prior to going to Texas, I got some great hunting and fishing in with my Dad in Montana.  We hunted sharp tailed grouse for 2 days and fished the Missouri for 5 days.  Lots of great wing shooting and some very nice brown trout!  I was also fortunate enough to make it out to South Dakota the first of November for some pheasant and duck hunting (mostly mallards but with pintail, teal, and gadwall thrown in).  We took our limit of both all 3 days we hunted with Northern Plains Outfitters. I wore the Original Mountain Pant 2 of the 3 days and they worked great for a briar-proof upland pant.  The heavy fabric is every bit as tough as ready-made upland pants. Thanks MK!”

How Do You MK? - "Get In Our Duds" Contest Winner

As you may or may not know (you SHOULD know), MK recently ran a contest with Keen footware called "Get In Our Duds."  Michelle Rosborough was one of the lucky winners and shared the goodies she won with her daughter.  This is how she MKs!

 

 

Summit Up - Post 23, "The Encounter On Mount Rogers"

MK follows Mark Zimmer on his quest to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s and to the highest points in the US.

“I doubt that I am the only one who does it, but I never really asked to be sure.  So, I am going out on a limb here, and risking being known as a big wimp by individuals across the country; when I am hiking, I have the tendency to think that most every sound I hear is one of two animals…1) a bear, or 2) a mountain lion.  I say most every sound, because let’s face it; it is hard to mistake the chirp of the chickadee as a bear.  I haven’t had a run in with either yet, so I am not really sure why I do this.  It could be movies; it could be too many Backpacker magazine articles; who knows?  There, I said it, it’s out there.   If you are going to laugh at me, please do it behind my back.

My love for the outdoors still is strong though, so I often man up and go hiking anyway.   On my most recent hiking trip, I found myself wandering up Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia.  It was to be my 8^th highpoint completed, and it was to involve the most walking of any highpoint climbed so far.  The walk up is about 4.5 miles, so it is not hard, unless you compare it the other highpoints I have done so far.  As I followed the AT up to near the summit, I was careful to watch out for the small fork that kicks off to the actual highpoint.  I found the trail, started the hike up, and as I was nearing the summit, I heard a sound that had to be a mountain lion.  I knew it was all over, and 7 highpoints would be all that I ever completed.

Now, if I stopped right here and made you all guess what animal I saw as I came out of the thicket, I am guessing most of you probably wouldn’t come close.  It was certainly the weirdest animal I have ever seen in the wild.  It was a herd of miniature ponies.  That’s right, it was straight out of a Disney movie where I next expected some prince would ride in, say something cool, and the ponies would prance off into the sunset. 

Of course the next thing I wanted to do was jump on one and ride it, because that would only make perfect sense, am I wrong?   At the same time though, I didn’t earn my pony merit badge, and I who’s to say these things are not aggressive.  I admit, all logic argues against ponies attacking hikers, but maybe they are like panda’s?  I decided to keep my distance, and let them do whatever it is ponies do when they are not prancing towards sunsets.  I later learned there is an association that maintains them (where do you sign up, I know!) and they are believed to have been left by the miners back in the day.  So, if you are even climbing Mount Rogers, beware of the ponies.  I can’t believe I just said that.”

 

Congrats to MK Ambassador, Trip Jennings

Explorer Trip Jennings Wins National Geographic Channel Grant to Stop Record Levels of Elephant Poaching

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the National Geographic Channel named Explorer Trip Jennings the winner of their Expedition Granted contest and awarded him a $10,000 grant to help save elephants from illegal poaching in Africa.

 

With elephant poaching at unprecedented levels, ivory selling at record prices and elephant populations plummeting, Jennings hopes to use the expedition — The Elephant Ivory Project — to pinpoint ivory-poaching hotspots. He, and a team of explorers, has proposed to help complete a map of African elephant DNA for pioneering conservation biologist Samuel Wasser by traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is considered too dangerous and remote for many researchers to travel.

 

The team plans to complete the DNA map in the Congo by collecting elephant scat. Wasser uses existing DNA maps to identify poaching hotspots by analyzing ivory seizures from around the world. He is able to locate where each poached elephant lived and help direct resources to regions where they are most needed. However, he has not been able to complete his map because of lack of data, which is why he approached Jennings and his team.

 

According to Wasser, “elephants are being killed by poachers at a rate of 10 percent per year. With only 470,000 elephants left in the world, it means that in just a few years the only elephants left will live in isolated populations behind fences with armed guards.”

 

In 2009, the price of ivory reached record highs — in some cases exceeding the price of drugs, which has lead to organized wealthy crime syndicates pushing ivory poachers to hammer specific elephant herds. The highest demand for ivory comes from China for use in artisan stamps and seals and the next highest from the United States for handles of knives and guns.

 

Jennings and Wasser both agree that two major problems face elephants today: first, lack of data to identify all poaching hotspots and second, few people know how serious the elephant poaching problem is, and how resource intensive it will be to stop.

 

“I hope to address the two largest issues affecting elephants by going into the jungle with a backpack full of camera gear to document the herds and leaving the jungle with a backpack full of elephant poop to complete the DNA map,” Jennings said. “It's shocking to realize that an average of 105 elephants are being killed by poachers everyday, but it's not hopeless. In 1989, with a global upwelling of support, the ivory trade was stopped, nearly overnight. We can do that again.”

 

To learn more about the Elephant Ivory Project visit: www.elephantivoryproject.com

 

Emily Nuchols

 

e: emily@undersolenmedia.com

c: 360.510.8696

w: www.undersolenmedia.com

t: www.twitter.com/undersolen

RECAP: MK Supports the Iron Eagle Challenge at Georgia Southern University

"The Iron Eagle Challenge over its past 4 years has continued to become more popular and more of an intense experience at Georgia Southern University. A lot of the interest not only comes from gunnel runs, sprinting through marshy woods, and solving mystery challenges, but the help of many of our sponsors that donate gear and gifts to our participants. Mountain Khaki has provided us with a generous donation that was one of the higher end awards that participants could receive. These gifts, if worn during the race, would have stopped many a briar or thorn from tearing up people’s legs."

 

 

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After a Frenetic Year, it’s Time to Give Thanks

Words of wisdom from OIA President and CEO, Frank Hugelmeyer:

"Many in the country will be approaching Thanksgiving this year with ambiguity. Millions have lost their jobs or know someone who has. Businesses have failed. Families are struggling to keep their kids in college or hang on to their home.  

But just as past sorrows prepare us to experience future joy, the last year has paved the way for a renewed and perhaps more sustainable prosperity. From mom and pop retailers to public companies with international brands, leaders agree that the Great Recession has strengthened our industry. The trepidation of Thanksgiving 2008 has been replaced by cautious optimism, confidence and – yes – relief. 

Relief that more outdoor retailers and brands did not fail. Relief that the rampant discounting of a year ago has not repeated. Relief that the old saw about the outdoor industry - that in times of financial stress Americans return to the outdoors for consolation, renewal and value – has been validated yet again. There is even renewed optimism that after years of neglect, our federal public lands and conservation efforts are going to get the funding they deserve. 

In October, 68% of respondents to the Piper Jaffray Outdoor Industry Surveysaid they were expecting increased revenue in the next three months. That was up from 50% just four months earlier. The latest survey also shows executives are more optimistic about investing in people and inventory than they were in early summer.  

While the country and the economy still face many challenges, there is abundant evidence that this optimism is not misplaced. Clearly, our industry has accomplished much in the last year. We have adapted with impressive alacrity.  

By and large, vendors and dealers have found ways to cuts costs faster than consumers have cut their spending. Inventory reductions of as much as 20% are common. In a matter of a few quarters, companies have found a way to grow profits amidst declining sales. With consumer spending now rebounding, many of our companies are poised for strong profit growth.

Retailers have been particularly nimble and disciplined. They have trimmed pre-season orders, worked off inventory and are using technology to identify the best performing SKUs, buy opportunistically, order closer to need and reach their customers in new and compelling ways at much lower cost. Some are taking advantage of plummeting real estate values to open new stores on very favorable terms. As of mid-November, retailers were more worried about running out of product than having to slash prices to liquidate inventory. 

On the brand side, where there has been consolidation, it has by and large remained within the industry. Vendors’ emphasis on cash management over the last year has bolstered their balance sheets. Many of the few publicly traded outdoor companies are sitting on more cash than when the recession began. That puts the industry in a good position to keep our younger, faster-growing brands within the family. 

We did not waste this crisis. We took advantage of it to become a stronger, more sustainable industry. We emerge more profitable and ready to invest in our companies, people, products and communities. 

In short, while we all need to proceed with caution, the outdoor industry is in position to gain market share and shift our focus toward growing the business. 

It appears our best days lie ahead and that’s a lot to be thankful for.

Frank Hugelmeyer
Outdoor Industry Association
President & CEO"

Happy Thanksgiving from MK!

A little turkey toastin' from the crew at MK...

 

Break out the potatoes

And bring on the yams.

Plug in the iPod

And crank up the jams.

Gather up the whole family

And get out to play!

Celebrate the spirit -

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

 

 

 

RECAP: MK Supports Winter Wildlands Alliance & the Backcountry Film Festival

"The premiere of the Backcountry Film Festival in Boise went just GREAT!  We had a near-capacity crowd that just loved the films—and the raffle!  I can tell you for sure that folks LOVE the MK coupons, not just for the product, but because they can pick the size, model and color that suits them best.  Many thanks for your generosity. I look forward to the other showings coming up (Jackson and throughout the west). Thanks MK!"