Who Wants Free Stuff?

10 03 2010

We all want free stuff.

I’ve been tooling around the interwebs recently, and have stumbled across a number of contests.  Even though I could keep them to myself, and increase my chances of winning, I’m going to share them with you all.  My reasons for doing so are selfish too, of course.  The way I see it, if you get a free tent or a free GPS device, it might inspire you to finally get out there and get hiking and camping, and then you’ll keep coming back here and reading.  Right?

GPS For Today is giving away a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger Tracking Device.  It’s a “come rescue me” beacon.  It won’t tell you how to get yourself unlost, it will tell rescue services to come and find you — and where to find you.  It also lets you send out an “okay” beacon so that loved ones will know you’re safe on longer treks.  GPS for Today is giving away the device and one year of service, and provides a number of ways to enter.  The blog itself, in its own words, “explores the applications of GPS technology for every day life by examining current usage while anticipating what GSP will look like into the future….  We are here to try to anticipate some of the potential uses of GPS technology, exposing the potential abuse while we praise the possible use.” 

Women’s Adventure Magazine has a bunch of giveaways going on right now, for a series of outdoor adventure gear.  This includes: GORE bike pants, a Sierra Trading Post tent, a Marmot Catalyst jacket, a Nikwax package, an assortment of items from the Gear Playground, and an Osprey courier bag.

Pyramid Breweries, a western beer company, is giving away a 5-Day Whitewater Rafting trip (with airfare) in Hell’s Canyon, Idaho.  I think this sounds awesome.  Unfortunately, it’s not open to residents of every state.  Most of the states that qualify are out west.  So, readers, if you live in one of the states that qualifies, enter, and when you win, invite me along, please.  Many thanks!  (**this find courtesy of Hiking Lady.)

Good luck!

© Her Side of the Mountain, 2010.


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Categories : Contest

Announcing Contest Winner!

16 02 2010

Well we didn’t get ten entries, but the entries we got were so good I decided to go ahead and award a prize anyway.

In order to be sufficiently fair, I gave the entries to a neutral third party — a fellow hiker/camper who has no idea who any of the entrants are — and asked him to pick the winner.

In the end, Neutral Guy was so impressed he picked not one, but two, insisting that it was a tie.  So, without further ado…drumroll, please…the winners are:

1. Jennifer Floyd, for her tale of triumphing over adversity, conquering the Boundary Waters, and not clocking her father with her oar.  Neutral Guy said, “I like the ‘I f-ing hate this/ok, keep paddling/now I remember this fondly’ tone of this story.”

2. CityGirlWhoRarelyCamps, for her tale of being awed by the night sky while at summer camp as a child.  Neutral Guy said that “there is not much better than being out at night somewhere where the sky lights everything up.”

Congratulations to both of you!  Select your photo, let me know which one you’ve selected, and I will send along your prize!

Thanks to everyone who participated.  I loved hearing your stories, all of them, and they got the juices flowing on some ideas I have of my own.

You can read all of the entries here.

© Her Side of the Mountain, 2010.


Comments : 1 Comment »

Categories : Camping, Contest, Hiking

Her Side’s First Contest!

29 01 2010

I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s missing from this blog, and I’ve decided that what’s missing is good, old-fashioned competition.  Yep, that’s right.  Now introducing…

Her Side of the Mountain’s very first CONTEST!

I want to hear your stories about hiking and camping.  They don’t even have to be stories about hiking and camping solo.  For this first contest, I specifically want to hear about the most incredible moment you’ve experienced while hiking or camping.

The winner will receive — aside from extreme bragging rights — a 5×7 photo, taken by me while solo hiking!  You can put it in your office and dream of being outside.  (That’s what I do.)  You’ll even get your choice, from one of these three photos:

Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park, VA

Zion National Park, UT

Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Pretty cool, right?  So, here are the rules:

  • Tell me, either by posting in the comments or emailing hermountain at gmail.com, the story of the most incredible moment you experienced while hiking or camping.  It doesn’t have to be a solo experience.  It can be about hiking or camping, it doesn’t have to be about both.  I’m looking for something that scared you, or inspired you, or an encounter with wildlife, or a triumph, or a failure, or a moment of revelation, or whatever you want.  Be creative.  (But not lewd, please!) 
  • If you need an example, look here for a post I wrote last week about a moment of revelation in the Smokies.  But you don’t have to send a photo.
  • Keep it short.  I’m not looking for a treatise, so keep your story to 300 words or less.  Preferably less.
  • You don’t have to be a writer.  I mean, make sure that the grammar and punctuation and spelling make the thing readable so I can understand it, but don’t worry if you don’t think of yourself as a wordsmith.  Just pretend you’re writing me an email.
  • Make sure I know how to contact you if you win by giving me your email.
  • I’m going to set a minimum here — I need to receive at least ten entries in order to give out the prize.  Otherwise, we’ll try it again.  This is your chance to get in while the getting it good!  As (hopefully) readership grows, your chances will be slimmer…
  • The deadline is next Friday, February 5, 2010.
  • In order to keep things fair, I’ll give the entries, without attribution, to a disinterested third party who will narrow the choices down to three, and then I’ll choose from there.

Any questions?  If not, then bring it on…

© Her Side of the Mountain 2010.


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Categories : Contest