Life lines

LITTLE ROCK — Goshen Gallop The Goshen Gallop 5K has switched seasons to avoid the spring crush of church activities.

The Goshen United Methodist Church fundraiser will be 9 a.m.

Saturday on a partially shady country blacktop road in Goshen.

The 3.1-mile course is described as a fast one for serious runners and an easy one for walkers.

"It's relatively flat for Northwest Arkansas," organizer Dennis Stropes says. "There is no such thing as flat in Northwest Arkansas, but there's no Heartbreak Hill, like some of the courses have." Registration costs $25, which will be accepted from 8 to 8:30 a.m. at the Backwoods Barn Restaurant, 2678 Wilson Lane in Goshen (a little more than 5 miles from Fayetteville).

The top three male and female finishers overall and the top three male and female masters and senior runners will win awards.

Other awards will go three deep in five-year age divisions from 12 and under to 65 plus.

Registration forms are also at Fleet Feet Sports, which will time the runners. Fleet Feet is at 1020 Harold St. in Fayetteville.

More information is at (479) 756-1148 or goshenumc@gmail.

com.

Climbers coalition The Arkansas Climbers Coalition, a new organization for avid rock climbers, will clean up the trail around Mount Magazine's climbing crag Saturday.

Everyone is welcome to help, secretary-treasurer Logan Wilcoxson says. The group won't climb but will spend most of the day on trail maintenance. For details, volunteers should e-mail info@arkansasclimbers.org or call (501) 227-9500, the Little Rock Climbing Center.

The group is seeking nonprofit status. It aims to preserve and protect climbing areas in Arkansas, educate and inform climbers and become a statewide organization.

"The idea is we're going to go out to these climbing areas, clean up, build trails, plus work on the access to areas where climbing may not be officially allowed.

We'd like to gain access to areas and keep an open dialogue with areas we have now." The group will try to forge relationships with landowners and also teach climbers to respect property rights.

Wilcoxson says the coalition has about 20 members. The president is Dave Madsen, and vice president is Daniel Carnahan. Its next public meeting is Nov. 13 at the climbing center.

Membership costs $25, which eventually will include a T-shirt.

More information is at www.ar kansasclimbers.org.

Ozark Society hike The Pulaski chapter of the Ozark Society will hike the Ozark Highlands Trail near the Mulberry River from Spy Rock to Lick Branch on Nov. 10.

The day hike will cover 9.8 miles of scenic woodland trails of moderate difficulty. A group will carpool at 7 a.m. from the Mc-Donald's restaurant at the Morgan exit off Interstate 40 to reach the trail by 9:30. Some members will camp overnight at Redding Campground in Cass and meet the hikers on the trail.

Those who'd like to come should call Steve Heye at (501) 455-2210 or e-mail steve_ heye@aristotle.net.

Outdoor leadership Riley Hopeman of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) will meet customers at the Pack Rat Outdoor Center from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 7 to talk about the school and its wilderness training programs.

Based in Wyoming, the nonprofit offers wilderness training expeditions on five continents in disciplines ranging from backpacking to snowboarding. Some students go on these adventure trips for college credit.

Pack Rat is at 209 W. Sunbridge St. in Fayetteville - or, for those who prefer Global Positioning System coordinates, it's at 36 degrees 5.844 minutes North, 94 degrees 9.597 minutes West.

Climbing class Pack Rat Outdoor Center will hold an indoor climbing class from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov.

10. The class will be taught by Rick Spicer, who is certified by the American Mountain Guide Association as a top rope-site manager. Registration costs $25 and is available through www.

packrat.biz and (479) 521-6340.

The store has a climbing wall that's open from 4 to 6 p.m.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

FoOT The Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) will gather for its annual meeting 11 a.m. Saturday at the U.S. Forest Service's Camp Clearfork, 20 miles west of Hot Springs on U.S. 270.

The group will elect three members to its board; nominees are Todd Henne, Pete Ireland and Glenn Wortham.

The group will have jambalaya for lunch and share information about its work to maintain the 223-mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail. The trail begins in Talimena State Park in Oklahoma and ends at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in central Arkansas. These volunteers donate their time in a systematic effort to keep it clear and safe for hikers, trail runners and, where allowed, mountain bikers.

More information is at www.

friendsot.org.

Walk this way The eighth annual Walk for CommUNITY will celebrate central Arkansas' "open, diverse and spirit-filled community" at 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Beginning at the Little Rock River Market pavilions, Just Communities of Central Arkansas will send about 1,000 people out to walk one mile in a show of fellowship.

Walk chairman C.J. Duvall Jr., Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays will lead them across the Main Street Bridge into North Little Rock. There they will circle the gazebo on Washington Street before looping back to the River Market. After the walk, participants can have Papa John's pizza, Starbucks coffee and soft drinks.

Registration costs $25 ($10 for students, $50 for families) at www.arkansaswalkforcom munity.org or (501) 372-5129.

Walkers can also register for $30 from 3-3:45 p.m. Sunday at the River Market.

The money will support community and youth programs, including Unitown and Ourtown for Teens.

Adventure races Adventure racers can hone their teamwork or get a really hard solo workout in two events organized by Lewis & Clark Outfitters in Springdale. The 12-to-18-hour Ozark Adventure Race begins somewhere in Northwest Arkansas sometime Nov. 9 or 10;

and the two-to-four-hour Urban Adventure Race begins at 10 a.m.

Nov. 10.

The Ozark race start time and place are still a secret because multisport competitions are for people who like surprises. The long race will use a 50-to-70-mile, wooded and rugged course including single-track mountain biking, paddling in fast-flowing water, hiking or running on hilly terrain, rope work and teambuilding challenges. Racers will make their way using maps and compasses.

Coed teams of three racers will enter the Ozark Adventure's open or masters division (masters teammates' ages must combine to equal 120 on race day).

Single-sex teams are also welcome but aren't eligible for race awards, which include carved wooden trophies to the top five open racers and the top three masters division winners. Each member of the team that wins the open division will also receive a mountain bike, trail shoes and a $100 Lewis & Clark gift certificate.

Each team must provide its own support crew, with whom racers will have limited contact.

Ozark Adventure entry costs $525 per team, which includes a goodie bag, T-shirt, singlet, prerace pasta dinner, finisher snacks, post-race banquet and a chance to win giveaways. Registration is due Thursday; latecomers must beg the race director for permission to enter.

The Urban Adventure Race will stay within Fayetteville and Springdale. Solo racers and twoperson teams will use map and compass to locate and hike or run six to 10 miles on hilly terrain and bike 15 to 20 miles; they'll face rope, water and team-building challenges. Support crews are not allowed.

Entry costs $75 per person;

race-day registration will be open from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Nov. 10 at Lewis & Clark, 4915 S. Thompson St.

in Springdale.

All racers must also belong to the United States Adventure Racing Association or buy an $8 permit. The Ozark Adventure is a qualifier for the 2008 USARA National Championships.

More information is at (479) 756-1344, www.ozarkadven turerace.com and www.ur banadventurerace.com.