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

The Chicago Sun-Times published a slightly disturbing report in yesterday’s edition.  Apparently, tests on Chicago tap water reveal small amounts of DEET.  DEET is a compound originally developed by the U.S. military.  It is still just about the best bug repellant out there.  It is the major compound in OFF.

Most experts say that it is nothing to worry about.  Excerpts and links:

The concentration detected in a sampling of Chicago tap water was low — 8.3 parts per trillion. Health experts said the level found in the Sun-Times testing shouldn’t pose a health hazard.

Still, said Mohamed Abou-Dania, a professor at Duke University who has done extensive research on the neurological effects of DEET, “This raises a red flag. [When] you have so many people using it, the risk is there.”

And the chemical was detected in Chicago drinking water sampled in March, when one would expect the use of mosquito repellent to be low.

The U.S. government doesn’t have standards for DEET in drinking water. Nor does it require the removal of other contaminants recently found in other water studies — including pharmaceuticals, flame retardants and plasticizers.

Used as directed, DEET is considered safe for people over 2 months of age. But at very high levels or when used long-term, DEET has been implicated in nervous-system damage. Medical literature on the chemical cites rare cases of children suffering poisoning or even death from overexposure or ingestion of DEET.

Abou-Donia’s studies of DEET exposure to laboratory rats found no effect when a standard dose was used for 30 days. After 60 days, though, brain-cell death occurred.

When DEET was approved a half century ago for consumer use, no one considered the potential environmental effects.

But after DEET is washed down the drain, flushed down a toilet or thrown in the garbage, it doesn’t degrade quickly. It has been detected in natural-water bodies throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and even in the North Sea.

Unlike some chemical compounds, DEET remains fairly intact as it passes through sewage or drinking-water treatment plants.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Stackelberg tracked water at a New Jersey water-treatment facility, testing it for contaminants when it began as source water and then after each step of the cleaning process. He found DEET at every step, in every one of the samples.

The insect repellent’s resilience raises questions about whether it stays in the sediment of streams, and whether fish or birds — to which DEET can be toxic — could be harmed over the long term.

“A little bit seems to go a long way in the environment,” said Dana W. Kolpin, a research hydrologist with the Geological Survey in Iowa City, Ia., who has studied DEET.

http://tinyurl.com/3mydyo

* DEET has been fending off mosquitoes for more than six decades, having been developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 for soldiers in bug-infested areas.

* It was first marketed to consumers in 1965. Today, it’s found in about 140 insect-repelling products — including the widely known and used Off! repellents.

* DEET works by masking the sensory perception of lactic acid on the skin, causing bugs to look elsewhere for a host to bite.

http://tinyurl.com/3hxk44

Nalgene bottles have been omnipresent within the camping and backpacking world for many years.  The hard plastic was sold as virtually unbreakable.  And the bottles even screwed into several major portable water filtration systems.

Recently, concerns have arisen about the fact that a chemical called bisphenol A is present within the bottles.  Some animal tests have shown increased risk of cancer and other health difficulties.

Nalgene maintains that its bottles are safe, but consumers have begun to search for alternatives.  And companies like Walmart have been removing bottles with BPA from store shelves.  So Nalgene has decided to pull its BPA bottles from the market.  It will replace them with a BPA-free product.

Excerpts and link to the AP story:

“We continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use,” said Steven Silverman, general manager of the Nalgene business, in a statement. “However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives and we acted in response to those concerns.”

Highly durable and lightweight, resistant to stains and odors, and able to withstand extremes of hot and cold, screw-cap Nalgene bottles have been marketed as an environmentally responsible substitute for disposable water bottles.

Nalge Nunc was founded in 1949 by Rochester chemist Emanuel Goldberg. The lab-equipment supplier’s product evolved in the 1970s after rumors spread about its scientists taking hardy lab vessels on weekend outings. That led the company to form a water-bottle consumer unit targeting Boy Scouts, hikers and campers.

“I think the writing’s on the wall for this chemical,” said Aaron Freeman, policy director of Toronto-based Environmental Defence Canada. “You’ve got major retailers with huge market clout pulling BPA products … and you’ve got consumers in droves who are opting for alternatives. They’re a big late to the game, but they are responding to that consumer demand.”

http://tinyurl.com/3o8opc

In a related story, Health Canada became the first regulatory agency in the world to label bisphenol A as a “dangerous” substance.  Excerpt and link:

“Health Canada is calling bisphenol A a dangerous substance, making it the first regulatory body in the world to reach such a determination and taking the initial step toward measures to control exposures to it. Although the government won’t announce specific bans or restrictions, the designation as dangerous could pave the way for the hormonally active chemical to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which would allow Health Minister Tony Clement to issue specific measures to curb its use. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in modern industry. It is the basic building block for polycarbonate, the see-through, shatter-proof plastic that resembles glass, and is also used to make the epoxy resins lining the insides of most tin cans, along with some dental sealants, sports helmets, and compact discs. Experts are worried about BPA in food and beverage containers. Products such as CDs aren’t considered a problem.” Martin Mittelstaedt reports in the Toronto Globe and Mail April 15, 2008.

http://tinyurl.com/3sdh8r

Most outdoor shoe stores are filled with a VERY Michigan-centric product.  Merrell is a popular brand of trail shoe and boot.  The brand has helped the Rockford, MI-based Wolverine World Wide, the maker of Hush Puppies, to record profits.  Excerpt and link from the Grand Rapids Press:

The Rockford-based shoe company continued its streak of 23 quarters of record revenues, reporting Wednesday that profits climbed 6 percent and sales rose 2.6 percent for the first-quarter ending March 22.

Profits increased to $23.7 million while per share increased to 46 cents, a 17.9 percent increase over the 39 cents for first quarter 2007. That beat analysts’ average forecast of 43 cents per share.

Sales grew to $288.2 million over the past year, helped by global distribution and increased sales.

On the strength of orders for the first quarter, the company boosted its yearlong profit outlook to $1.83 to $1.90 per share, from $1.80 to $1.88 per share. Also, it kept annual sales expectations of $1.230 billion to $1.260 billion.

Merrell’s strong sales in the U.S. and Europe made Wolverine’s Outdoor Group the leading profit contributor during the quarter.

“We continue to believe that Merrell will be our first billion dollar brand,” CEO Blake W. Krueger said in a conference call with analysts Wednesday morning.

Halfway to meeting that goal, Merrell continues to expand into new product lines such as Merrell Apparel launched in 2007.

Merrell, which already has a line of trail running shoes, will be introducing a road running shoe in the fall, targeted at the top 50 to 70 specialty running stores nationwide.

“We want to make sure there is credibility and get buy-in from true enthusiasts before considering growing out,” said Christi Cowdin, director of investor relations.

http://tinyurl.com/59rocj

Film clip from WZZM 13 in West Michigan:

http://tinyurl.com/6ahohm

Several interesting new solar-powered gadgets have passed through my Google reader in recent days.  The first is a solar powered cigarette lighter.  Not impressed?  Well, just read this from Outside Magazine’s blog:

The mechanics of the Sunlighter are pretty simple: It’s curved aluminum surface, when positioned precisely right in the sun, creates up to 270-degree heat. The Sunlighter comes with interchangeable cigarette and cigar holders, but Martino, who recently celebrated his 13th year as a non-smoker, says it can light just about anything. Tested and approved, oddly, by the Boy Scouts, the lighter can make flames from your headlights and start a killer bonfire with just a cotton ball and Vaseline.

Martino and his business partner, Leonard Ucci, have already sold 6,000 and are gladly hopping on the eco-friendly bandwagon, marketing themselves as the “greenest” lighter around and citing the 3 billion Bics each year that make their way to landfills. And the best part is that it looks like your own little personal satellite dish. The folks around the ashtray might think you’re a bit strange, and it doesn’t exactly fit in your pocket, but for $15 you can have one of your own“ at sunlighter.com.

http://tinyurl.com/342sk6

And I’m not sure how new they are, but here is a link to some solar battery chargers.  They would be pretty nice to pop on top of a backpack while on a nice long hike in sunny terrain.  It would keep the GPS working.

http://tinyurl.com/3487ct

The Detroit Free Press published an AP article from Outside Magazine today about the proper way to dress for outdoor activities in the cold.

The basic principle is to wear clothes that will wick away moisture and keep a hiker or skier dry.  The human body is amazing.  It can keep a person warm in weather like this.  But moisture is the killer.

So, a base layer of synthetic material is a must.  I like to buy water-wicking golf shirts when they go on sale at Kohl’s.  They even have a few cheap designs at Steve and Barry’s for under $10.  The key to the base layer is that it should pull perspiration away.  I also use polar-tec microfiber long-johns when it gets really cold.

The outside layer should be something waterproof.  I just love the Gore-Tex shell that I purchased about five or six years ago at Cabela’s.  The outer layer is meant to keep water from snow or drizzle out.  This outer layer should have some ventilation, however, to keep perspiration nonexistent.

In between, people have choices.  Wool can get wet, but it can also keep a hiker warmer.  Synthetic fleece can be a good option.  This is the layer that provides warmth.

Cotton is pretty much never a good idea.  It traps moisture.  When you are hiking or skiing, that’s okay.  But when you stop physical exertion, wet clothes can cause hypothermia or worse.

Layering is also important.  As you get more active, take a layer away.  As you stop, put more on.

Here’s the article:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080119/FEATURES01/801190363/1025/rss05

Many campers and backpackers perform a little ritual before a big trip.  They pop the tent up in the backyard and use a waterproofing spray along the tent seams.  These sprays can sometimes mean the difference between a dry and comfortable night of tenting or a rain-soaked evening of misery.

Well, the New York Times had a story in its Dec. 29th edition about possible dangers of waterproofing sprays that contain the chemical fluoropolymer.  The ingredient has, apparently, been the cause of short-term lung problems and many trips to hospital emergency rooms.  There have even been a few deaths.

Read the story by clicking below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/29/us/29consumer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Slowly but surely GPS - Global Positioning System - units are becoming essential gear in the outdoors.  Some people use them geocache, a modern day version of treasure hunting.  Others like the help that GPS units provide in finding obscure trailheads.  Still others use them as navigational devices while hiking.

But GPS units have become so popular that users must take care to safeguard what can be a fairly expensive piece of technology.  The Ann Arbor News has reported in recent days on a rash of recent GPS robberies.  Many have been stolen from cars.  In car mounting devices and carrying cases can sometimes tip off a criminal that a GPS unit might be inside a vehicle.  So, it is best to hide a GPS unit completely.  Better yet, get a device small enough to carry in a purse or pocket.

Here’s the link:

http://tinyurl.com/2ww6y4