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Need a push outside? Clinic can help with that
0703Backpacking
Randy and Sheri Propster, leaders of Backpacker magazine's Get Out More Tour team, will lead a workshop Tuesday at Outside World in Dawsonville.

The North Georgia mountains are so close, so enticing. Yet most of us rarely get out and enjoy them.

Well, no more excuses. On Tuesday, Backpacker magazine will bring its Get Out More Tour to the Outside World store in Dawsonville.

The event features outdoor recreation specialists Randy and Sheri Propster, who travel around the country teaching people about backpacking skills and the latest gear.

"We give clinics here at the store all the time," said Outside World owner Brent Troncalli. "But it's kind of neat to have somebody with different experiences and different backgrounds."

The Propsters have worked as a team for 13 years. They through-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1999 and the brand-new American Discovery Trail, stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, in 2006.

They'll give a one-hour presentation at 6 p.m. Tuesday and allow another hour for questions.

Troncalli said he hopes the event will help people overcome perceived obstacles to getting out and hiking.

"Many of our customers haven't spent much time outdoors," he said. "They're afraid it's too much time, too much driving, too much money spent on gear."

But Troncalli said you don't have to spend a fortune, just get the essential equipment. "And there's plenty of places to enjoy the outdoors close to home."