The Lansing State Journal has a Gannett News Service article with tips for picking good sunblock.  It’s a good article to look at during these days of summer sun:

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/LIFE02/807250306/1079/LIFE

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you might be surprised to learn that I almost never took pictures prior to working on this site.  I always believed that I’d just remember the great places that I had been.

Of course, I now regret that I don’t have great pictures to share of several decades of hiking across the region and nation.  Ah well…

But this blog has meant that I now take cameras into some pretty interesting places.  I took my digital camera with me on several kayak trips for a Lenawee Magazine article.  Thankfully, I didn’t turn the kayak over.  I have also taken my cameras into sub-zero weather, on boats and ships that rock with the waves.  I’ve tried to take pictures in driving rain storms and in the darkness of night.

And I am humbled.  It is not easy to get a good shot.

Kim Schneider at mlive recently had a link on her blog to an LA Times review of good waterproof cameras.  It is worth a look for those who like to hike, camp and paddle with their cameras.  Among the cameras reviewed is a $10 Kodak disposable that uses real film.  Imagine that…

SINGLE-USE SLAM SUNK

First look: Maybe you don’t want to spend more than $200 on a waterproof camera. In that case, consider buying a one-time-use, 35-mm camera such as the Kodak Sport. The Sport is light, easy to use, shock resistant and waterproof to 50 feet.

Likes and yikes: If you can get past the idea that this still relies on film, you’ll find that the Kodak Sport takes a pretty photo. You don’t get many accessories, but as long as you have good lighting, the Sport’s pictures are more than adequate.

The 411: About $10, available at REI and other sporting-good stores, or call Kodak at (888) 368-6600.

More here…

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-roadtest20a-2008jul20

Several years ago, while backpacking on North Manitou Island in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I had the wonderful experience of stripping down to my swim suit, wading into Lake Michigan and purifying several jugs of satisfyingly cool Great Lakes water to accompany our group’s lunch of couscous and fresh-picked N. Manitou strawberries.

And after about five miles of hiking, that lunch tasted better than anything from a great restaurant.  Of course, backcountry survival requires clean water.  And it is impractical to carry one’s water into most backcountry settings.

So backpacking water filtration/purification is a neat little side hobby for many hikers.  Some swear by the old method of adding a bit of bleach to a jug of water.  Most others utilize small, hand-held water filtration units.

PUR, however, has a new system that seems quite cost-effective and minimizes additional pack weight.  It’s called the PUR Purifier of Water system.  Excerpts and links to an Outside Magazine blog post on the topic:

PUR markets its latest water-purification product as a “mini water
treatment plant in a packet.” Indeed, the pragmatically named PUR
Purifier of Water employs the exact chemical process as used in many
municipal water-treatment plants around the Western world.
  Developed more than a decade ago by Proctor & Gamble, and used in
municipal as well as humanitarian applications, the process introduces
iron sulfate and calcium hypochlorite in a powder form to water
tainted with sediments and microorganisms. Unlike iodine or other
typical treatments used in the outdoors, the P&G process pulls all the
gunk in water together, coagulating nasties including cysts, microbes,
viruses and bacteria into clumps you can then filter out.

http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2008/08/the-gear-junkie.html

Here is the official product web site:

http://www.purpurifierofwater.com/products.html

It becomes more difficult by the day to determine the difference between truly useful products at outdoor retailers and those created to feed the large-and-growing “green” style crowd.  So, here’s a report from Outside Magazine’s blog about performance flip-flops.  The idea is, of course, preposterous, but here it is:

In the rank and file of the footwear world, flip-flop sandals stand
among the foremost underachievers, lazy and flat-soled, offering
little support or protection, and barely staying on the foot as you
walk along.
  But outdoors companies like Teva, Keen and Sole hold faith in the
flip-flop format still, and each have open-toe offerings that attempt
to add performance features onto the blank slate of a sandal sole.

More…

http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2008/07/the-gear-junk-1.html

MyNorth.com, the internet presence of Traverse Magazine has this parable to help campers remember how to build a successful fire:

First came the birds and they built nests. (Build a pile of dried weeds and teensy-weensy twigs; make it messy, thick but not compressed.) Next came Native Americans, and they built tipis. (Build a small tipi around the nest using sticks about pencil diameter.) Then came Europeans, and they built log cabins. (Build a log cabin tightly around the tipi using sticks slightly larger than the ones in the tipi.) Put a match to the bottom of the bird nest. Have a pile of bigger sticks ready to add as the fire grows.

http://www.mynorth.com/My-North/June-2008/How-To-Build-a-Campfire/

Wolverine World Wide, the Michigan-based maker of Hush Puppies, Caterpillar Boots and Merrell hiking shoes posted a 17.9% increase in profit-per-share during the second quarter, according to the Grand Rapids Press.  This increase beat analyst expectations for the period.  Excerpts and link:

ROCKFORD — Wolverine World Wide Inc. continued its streak of record sales, reporting today second-quarter revenue rose 6.8 percent.

Sales increased to $267.4 million from $250.3 million in the same period last year. Profits per share grew 17.9 percent to 33 cents a share.

That beat analysts’ average forecast of 31 cents per share for the second quarter, which ended June 14.

The results marked the 24th consecutive quarter of record sales for the Rockford-based footwear company.

“Our strong financial results were broad-based — all four of our branded operating groups contributed to the revenue increase as consumers around the world continued to embrace the style, performance and innovation of the lifestyle brands in the Wolverine portfolio. Our revenue increase was also geographically diverse, as all global regions reported sales increases in the quarter,” CEO Blake Krueger said in a statement.

Wolverine is maintaining its annual profit outlook of $1.23 billion to $1.26 billion and its earnings per share range of $1.83 to $1.90, reflecting growth of 7.6 percent to 11.8 percent.

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/wolverine_extends_string_of_sa.html

The Lansing State Journal’s style site, the Hub, has a good overview of hammocks currently on the market.  There’s nothing better after a paddle or hike than a nice nap in the hammock.  Link below:

http://tinyurl.com/68ptks

The City of Ann Arbor will hold its annual surplus canoe and kayak sale this Saturday at Noon.  Ann Arbor News excerpt and link:

Love to get out on the river, but don’t have the cash for a new canoe? Look no further than the Ann Arbor Canoe Livery at Gallup Park, which will hold a canoe and kayak auction Saturday at noon.

Along with the livery’s standard aluminum canoes, this year’s auction will feature double and single kayaks.

For more information, call 734-662-9319.

http://tinyurl.com/43cu6h

The Monroe Evening News posted a Charles Slat story today about Jack’s Bicycle & Fitness and its move to the new Downtown Monroe location.  I passed by this weekend and the place sure looks great.  As a hiker, my biking needs are limited, but I’ve bought skis and a few other items from Jack’s in the past.  The best thing about them is that they had and have a big role in organizing the Munson Park trail crews.  They are a good, community-oriented business.

Excerpts and link:

If Monroe officials need a spokesman for the benefits of investing in downtown, they might visit the new bicycle shop at 206 S. Monroe St.

“It’s busier than we’ve ever been for this time of year,” said Scott Goocher, operator of Jack’s Bicycle & Fitness, which recently moved to the location from Food Town Plaza.

He purchased, renovated and restored a building that first was constructed as the downtown offices of the Greening Nursery Co., which occupied it until the late 1930s. The project, spanning about six months, has preserved the classic look of the building and opened the interior, which had been a catacomb of office spaces divided by a central corridor.

The building has given him about double the size of the previous location, enabling the business to stock more assembled bicycles.

http://tinyurl.com/64fjs8

REI, the much-loved outdoor gear cooperative, is set to open its new Ann Arbor location today.  Grand Opening events are scheduled for next weekend.  Excerpts and link from the Ann Arbor News:

The Seattle-based chain Recreational Equipment Inc. is set to open its latest shop today in Cranbrook Plaza, between David’s Bridal and the Whole Foods Market under construction. REI’s 26,000-square-foot space was occupied by Mervyns.

The store carries camping gear, bikes, accessories, kayaks, luggage and fitness, outdoor and casual clothing, among other recreational gear, including equipment for climbing, paddling, skiiing, snowboarding and triathlon competition. Camping and clothing have the largest footprint. There’s also a bike shop that’s outfitted to do repairs.

The company is the nation’s largest consumer cooperative with more than three million members, although anyone can shop there. For a one-time $20 fee, anyone can become a member. Membership entitles a family to special offers, discounts and annual profit-sharing that’s based on how much is spent on eligible purchases at REI.

• Address: 970 W. Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor.
• Phone: 734-827-1938.
• Hours: Monday-Saturday, from 10 a.m. 9 p.m.; Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Web site: www.rei.com.

Note:  REI often holds workshops on a variety of outdoors-related topics.  This story will be another source for outdoor information and events in the region.

http://tinyurl.com/5lq95e