Bulletin E-Edition:
more photosThe kayaks of Connie Austin and her husband, Roger Rudolph, lie on the shore of Sparks Lake last summer. The couple spent their trip to the lake hiking, paddling and swimming.
Submitted photo
Stay fit on vacation
A low-cost and active trip can be just the ticket for a healthy getaway
By Markian Hawryluk / The Bulletin
Published: March 19. 2009 4:00AM PSTWith about three months left till summer, your family may have started the discussion about the annual vacation. Whether you have kids or not, vacations offer a chance to get away from the stress of daily life, to recharge your batteries and come back refreshed for new challenges.
But too often, vacations become a throw-caution-to-the-wind experience that can derail your hard-fought progress in maintaining fitness and a healthy weight.
Nutrition experts say vacationers can easily consume twice the number of recommended calories and come back from a weeklong vacation with an extra 5 pounds of baggage. And we’re not talking about T-shirts and souvenirs.
Cruise vacations, in particular, are notorious for caloric extravagance. The ship’s staff feeds you three meals a day, then adds a midnight buffet and high-calorie alcoholic drinks, leaving you too tired for anything but a day of lying by the pool. You can understand why studies peg the average weight gain at 2 to 6 pounds during a one-week cruise.
With vacation budgets shrinking anyway, perhaps this is the year to try a low-cost, active vacation instead. There are plenty of recreational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest to provide a vacation experience of a lifetime, without forcing you to work twice as hard to burn off the excess calories when you get home.
Connie Austin has stayed at plenty of hotels and resorts. As a consultant to meeting planners, the 40-year-old Bend resident has to be familiar with the accommodations in the region as part of her job. So last summer, when she and her husband, Roger Rudolph, wanted to get away, they packed up their new kayaks and headed to Sparks Lake.
“I like the idea of exercise with a destination, so that I’m getting somewhere through my paddling and that I’ve earned it, rather than just showing up,” she said. “And I think I prefer the solitude and being in nature more than going to someplace like Vegas. If I’m going to spend money, I want it to be for something that I feel I’m getting my money’s worth.”
Austin and her husband loaded their camping gear into their kayaks, paddled to “a gorgeous campsite” on the lake and spent their time paddling, hiking and swimming. And the trip didn’t involve a long car drive or expensive flight.
In fact, the opportunity for active vacationing is one of the benefits of living in the area.
“We’ve traveled quite a bit. Each time we come home, we say, ‘We live in the most beautiful place in the world,’” she said. “There’s so much right here out our back door. You just can’t beat it.”
Boo Rigney agrees. She owns two vacation rental homes in Bend (www.yourhomeinbend.com). She estimates 90 percent of the people who rent the homes, one of which provides easy access to Phil’s Trail, come for the recreational opportunities — from skiing and snowshoeing in the winter to biking and hiking in the summer. She’s even rented the house to local residents who wanted a more convenient location from which to ride bikes when their friends came in from out of town.
If you need additional help in organizing active vacations, there are plenty of outfitters throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest that can help plan, outfit and guide you through a range of recreational opportunities. Trips can range from hard-core all-day athletic pursuits to mellow, stop-and-smell-the-roses rambles. Most can accommodate a wide range of abilities, from beginners to experts, and all ages, from small kids to older adults. Most also offer a day or weekend trip, so you can try it out before committing to a weeklong adventure.
And if you’re of the mindset that it’s not a vacation without some luxury, don’t worry: Even the roughing-it camping trips have a pampering quotient.
Mountain biking in the Cascades
Outfitter: Cog Wild
Contact info: www.cogwild .com or 541-385-7002
Recommended trip: Cascade Mountains Singletrack Camping
Five days mountain biking some of the best trails you can find in the Cascades, through alpine and sub-alpine forests. You’ll camp by Little Lava Lake, where you can relax after a day of singletrack riding as the guides prepare a gourmet meal. The camping trips are sponsored by Deschutes Brewery. But don’t worry, you’ll burn more than enough calories to offset that Black Butte Porter.
Cost: $865 per person, additional cost for biking and camping equipment rental if needed
Ability range: Intermediate to advanced, recommended for strong riders, with options for harder or easier rides
Age range: 12 and older
Time frame: August to September (other tours available earlier in the summer)
Highlights: Riding every day, hanging out by the lake, great Cascades scenery
Sea kayaking in the
San Juan Islands
Outfitter: Anacortes Kayak Tours
Contact info: www.anacortes kayaktours.com or 800-992-1801
Recommended trip: Five-day sea kayaking trip
Itineraries will vary depending on weather conditions, the range of tidal movement and the abilities of the group. Explore the shorelines of the islands by stable two-man sea kayak and enjoy the San Juan scenery from your island camps. The trips are fully catered, with meals often featuring fresh Skagit Valley berries.
Cost: $849 per person, includes all paddling and camping gear except sleeping bags
Ability range: Best suited for folks in reasonably good shape, but prior paddling experience isn’t necessary. Five-day trips might average 8 to 10 miles of paddling per day.
Age range: 5 and older, small children paired with an adult in a kayak
Time frame: May to September
Highlights: Spotting the marine wild life, including seals, eagles, porpoises and if you’re lucky, an orca
Road cycling through Oregon
Outfitter: Wild Heart Cycling
Contact info: www.wildheart cycling.com or 877-846-9453
Recommended trip: Wallowa Mountain Rambler or Oregon Sampler Tour
Ride your bike along quiet roads among snow-capped mountains or coastal sea bluffs while experiencing the best Oregon has to offer. The Wallowa ride stops at campsites along the way, but if you prefer a bed and a hot shower, consider the lodging-based sampler tour that heads from the Willamette Valley to the Oregon Coast.
Cost: $1,425 per person, additional cost for bikes and camping equipment if needed
Ability range: Moderate, about six hours of riding each day
Age range: 16 and up
Time frame: June to September
Highlights: A visit to the rim of Hell’s Canyon or the seaside town of Yachats
Llama-supported backpacking in the Wallowas
Outfitter: Wallowa Llamas
Contact info: www.wallowa llamas.com or 541-742-2961
Recommended trip: With llamas carrying all the heavy gear, you can enjoy a hiking trip into some of the most remote areas of Oregon with nothing more than a daypack on your back. You’ll hike 6 to 7 miles to a campsite, then enjoy dayhikes followed by luxurious meals with ingredients from the owners’ organic garden and orchard, as well as fresh baked bread and desserts. If you’re interested, you can even learn to lead the llamas down the trail.
Cost: $895 per person
Ability range: Moderate, must be able to hike over somewhat rugged terrain
Age range: 5 and older, unless parents are willing to carry children; great for retired backpackers
Time frame: April in Hell’s Canyon, June to September in the Wallowas
Highlights: Spectacular mountain scenery and llamas
Rafting the Rogue River
Outfitter: Ouzel Outfitters
Contact info: www.oregon rafting.com or 800-788-7238
Recommended trip: Rogue River 4-day Rafting Trip
Float down the premier rafting river in Oregon. The pace of a multi-day trip is slower, allowing you to take it easy or to go all out. Less active people may choose to spend the days in the oar raft and let the guide do all the work. More adventurous folks can paddle a raft or a one-man kayak. Or you can mix it up and do a bit of everything. You’ll have the option of swimming the rapids, hiking up creeks to waterfalls and swimming holes and visiting historic landmarks, such as Zane Gray’s cabin. Campsites are primitive, but meals are served on banquet-sized tables and accompanied by fine wines. A great trip for birders, and there’s always a chance to see a black bear.
Cost: $825 per person for adults, $795 per person for kids
Ability level: All levels
Age range: 7 and older (must weigh 50 pounds)
Time frame: June to August
Highlights: Big rapids at Blossom Bar and Milk Creek Canyon
The Stay-cation
Outfitter: Various companies
Contact: Central Oregon Visitors Association, www.visitcentral oregon.com or 800-800-8334
Recommended trip: A multi-sport adventure
Why spend time and money traveling when Central Oregon has some of the best active recreational opportunities of anywhere in the world? Hop onboard one of the latest trends — a vacation based out of your own home. Mix and match day trips to suit your pleasure. Go biking one day and rafting the next. Head up to Smith Rock to climb a steep rock face, then rent a canoe or kayak and explore one of the Cascade lakes. Follow each day’s adventure with great local fine dining and brews, or maybe an outdoor show.
Cost: Varies according to activities selected
Ability range: All levels
Age range: No limits
Time frame: All summer
Highlights: No packing and the comfort of your own bed.
Markian Hawryluk can be reached at 541-617-7814 or mhawryluk@bendbulletin.com.
ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today!
blog comments powered by Disqus
