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This newsletter is brought to you by the Tucker County CVB

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Our Fall 2023 issue is now available on shelves across the Mountain State

We just wrapped up a whirlwind week on the road, mailing and hand-delivering 15,000 copies to over 175 distribution locations. Distribution is one of our favorite parts of making Highland Outdoors. Hitting the road, seeing the beautiful scenery, and chatting with awesome people—it doesn't get much better than that!

Here are some scenes from the last week. Enjoy, and be sure to grab a mag at one of these locations (or subscribe—see below for your chance to win big).

It all begins when Turtle, our favorite delivery driver, brings us two pallets containing 60+ boxes of magazines! Turtle, naturally, receives the first copy every time.

The second copy went across the fence to our neighbor and legendary kayaker Keith Strausbaugh as he was on his way out for a mountain bike ride.

Next up, we displayed some nepotism by putting Nikki's dad Dave and his lovely partner Cheryl to work in the HO mail room. If you're a subscriber, there's a good chance Dave and Cheryl packaged up your mag!

Finally, we hit the road to hand-deliver copies throughout our favorite West Virginia towns. Here's a Pulitzer-worthy shot of Nikki delivering a fresh stack of mags to Craig Reger, owner of Range Finder Coffee in downtown Fayetteville. Can't you just see the pure, authentic excitement in Craig's face?

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Good Gauley!

But before we got any mags out on the shelves, we had a free weekend (for once, phew) and cruised down to the New River Gorge for an epic multisport weekend. First up was a bike party on the classic Wolf Creek Trails. The next day, we made our annual pilgrimage to paddle the thrashing waters of the Lower Gauley River. I've done the horrifying rapids of the Upper Gauley once, and, honestly, once was enough for me. I'll gladly step it down a notch and enjoy the Lower Gauley for the rest of my days.

Nikki launching off one of many fun features built into the fantastic Wolf Creek trail system.

Our buddy Micah attempting to ride one of the four long skinny logs that add some optional spice to the otherwise friendly singletrack trails at Wolf Creek. As you can see, his front tire was floating on air... until it wasn't!

River selfies are the only selfies you'll find me shooting. In the middle is our guide and HO contributor Evan Vulpez.

Looking upstream at Canyon Doors, candidate for the most beautiful riparian locale in West Virginia.

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Remember back when...

...we published some classic articles detailing the people and places mentioned above? Since I haven't put any of our Fall 2023 articles on the web yet (don't worry folks, they're comin'), I thought it would be fun to revisit some classic required reading from the Wolf Creek Trails, the Gauley River, and one Mr. Evan Vulpez.

Howlin' Hardpack: Fayetteville's Wolf Creek Trails

This superb trail system epitomizes the community involvement and momentum of the mountain bike scene in the New River Gorge—go ride it!

Heaven Help Us: Glory on the Lower Gauley

Join author and whitewater paddling guide Mariah Lee Hibarger on a journey down the Lower Gauley—a world-class section of river that, during fall, is overshadowed by the zoo that is the Upper Gauley.

Networking in the Forest: Mountain State Mushrooms

Mountain state woodsman and mushroom forager Evan Vulpez is an enigmatic and poetic writer who appeared out of the woodwork to hand-deliver us this creative and lovely piece on our fantastic fungi.

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We're at 399 subscribers... become our 400th and win a HO Swag Bag!

Folks, we are SO CLOSE to hitting the 400 subscriber benchmark! That's right, we're sitting with bated breath at 399 subscribers, and I want YOU to become our 400th. For doing so, we'll send you a Highland Outdoors Swag Bag filled with a shirt, a hat, and a sticker pack. And, if you like the limelight, we'll give you a special shout-out in our next newsletter!

Even if you're not the winner, you'll help keep the mag going. People often ask us how they can support the mag, and the answer is simple: become a subscriber! And if you're already a subscriber, thank you! We truly appreciate your support.

Subscribe Here

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Stay tuned for our next installment in early October, featuring pretty fall photos, new digital articles, and, hopefully (but for real this time), the announcement of our 400th subscriber.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!

Dylan Jones

Editor-in-Chief

Highland-Outdoors.com