Ironically, this week's Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door is Wade Heflin. He is the co-founder of one of my favorite outdoor blogs, Outdoorzy, who's goal is "connect outdoor enthusiasts online and provide the tools to help them prepare for and improve their outdoor experiences." Clearly, he is perfect for this interview. If you would like meet other outdoor lovers or need information, I highly recommend you check out Outdoorzy.

Why do you love the outdoors? This is an excellent question, and one that I actually discussed today with some friends as we were hanging out on the banks of a river we were canoeing down. We all agreed that when you are having a wilderness experience, and there are no signs of civilization, something happens to your body. Your mind clears, your heart rate slows, and stress leaves your body. It's as if the trees, sky, water, and earth are recharging your batteries.

Favorite outdoor activity/sport and why? That's a hard one. I love canoeing, mountain biking, and backpacking. But if I had to pick one activity that I enjoy the most it would have to be mountaineering. When I'm up in the mountains I feel like I can look inside myself and see things that I just can't see when I'm anywhere else.

What's the inspiration behind Outdoorzy? We had noticed that there was a hole in the outdoor market online. There were wonderful blogs and sites focusing on information. There were some great message boards. There were cool portal sites giving people information on other outdoor related sites. There were business directories, sites about gear, and many other sties that did a wonderful job. There was not, however, a social network for outdoor enthusiasts. We've tried to make Outdoorzy a one-stop-shop type site. Where you can find information on your next trip, share your stories, and meet others. And if we don't have the information you're looking for, one of our members or one of the businesses on our Links page or in our Business Directory probably does.