Harvey and her brother, Bo, own Heart of Texas Kayaks in Temple, which opened about a year and a half ago, just in time to experience the surge that outdoor adventure sports like kayaking are riding nationwide, and locally.
In Harker Heights, Trey Oliver, general manager of Boulders Sport Climbing Center, is seeing the numbers climb in that activity as more people are exposed to the sport.
While mountain biking has seen jumps in the number of participants over the past few years, road and recreational biking are growing at an even more rapid pace, said John Bolin, manager at Sun Country Bikes, which has been operating in Temple for 16 years.
The numbers show that more and more Central Texans are taking advantage of the mild weather and natural resources of the area and getting involved in outdoor recreation.
There are other reasons for the rising numbers as well.
Increasing gas prices have hit the recreational boater market, but that’s a plus if your vessel doesn’t run on gasoline, such as a kayak.
“It’s a growing sport,” Ms. Harvey said. “Especially with gas prices going up. People want to get on the water, but don’t want a lot of upkeep.”
Among those who are beginning to get into the sport are fishermen, along with birdwatchers and nature lovers.
“You can get into it for less than most water sports,” she said.
The accessibility of water in this area is a plus for kayaking, even though the local rivers don’t provide whitewater.
Paddlers can get out on the Leon River. “It’s a nice ride to take people on,” Ms. Harvey said. “The water’s cold because it comes out of the dam.”
Lake Belton is also a nice trip, as is the Lampasas River, which is a four- or five-mile paddle and then a drift back, said Ms. Harvey, an A&M graduate who has a day job as a wildlife biologist for a consultant firm. She works nights and weekends at the kayak shop.
On a recent Thursday afternoon, business was brisk as outdoor enthusiasts dropped by to look over the colorful assortment of sit-on top and sit-inside kayaks.
There’s also fly fishing equipment for sale in the shop, and they’ll set you up for lessons in that as well.
Being located in a military community is a plus at Boulders because soldiers transferring from other posts have often already been exposed to rock climbing, and the gym offers courses that appeal to service men and women.
“This community is not that affected by the way the economy goes … usually in an economic downfall, one of the areas impacted is entertainment industries,” Oliver said. “But those guys need a release. They need to stay active. We’re fortunate to be in a community that isn’t hit the way others are.”
Seventy percent of business at Boulders is military, said Richard Kahabka, the gym’s business manager.
Team building activities are held with units before they are deployed. Boulders has rope and rappelling courses for soldiers, and a portable climbing wall is taken to festivals at Fort Hood.
Those services are also offered to Boy Scouts, schools and local businesses by Boulders, which has been open in Harker Heights for about eight years.
There’s another reason for the increase in business. Rock climbing is not an expensive recreational activity, and it is one families can do together.
“Spending is tight. They are looking for more things they can do as a family,” Kahabka said. “With what’s going on in the world right now, people are setting their priorities. For the majority, family is that priority.”
Gas prices can account for increases in recreational and road biking because people are choosing to do things closer to home, “instead of loading up the car and going out of town,” Bolin said.
It’s a lot easier to just ride the bike down the driveway and through the neighborhood, he said, so road biking has taken the place of mountain biking for some outdoor adventurers.
And, biking is more than just recreational. Gas prices have also made commuting to work by bicycle more appealing to some.
“I’m not going to say commuting’s on a complete upsurge. I don’t think we’ve quite gotten to where people want to be more responsible and use less gasoline,” he said.
Still, Bolin said, “it’s something you’re going to see more and more people doing.”
Back at the rock climbing gym, people of all ages participate in the activity. “Whether you are 3 or 75, you can do this,” Oliver said.
Boulders offers home school and after-school programs. For the summer, there are camps through Aug. 15.
“It’s a community, but it’s not an exclusive community,” Kahabka said. “Anyone who walks in the door and takes an interest in the sport is welcome.”
Boulders has a rock climbing team that competes nationally and collegiate teams are being formed across Texas. In addition, elementary schools are adding rock climbing walls to their gyms.
Oliver estimated rock climbing makes up between 8 and 10 percent of the overall outdoor adventure sport market.
“In the next few years, it will be 30 percent of the overall outdoor sport industry,” he predicted concerning adventure sports.
Bolin would like to see more people involved in mountain biking without having to head to trails out of town.
The answer could be in a skills park, like one being built under a freeway overpass in Seattle, which offers city youth an opportunity to get involved in the sport. The parks are built with volunteer labor and donated funds. They include ramps, curves and terrain paths like those found on trails, just in a smaller space.
Such parks can be assets to a community and provide a place in town for mountain bikers to hone their skills.
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