Coming soon to the Canadian Canoe Museum is a wonderful feature length film on Quebec's Dumoine River. This film takes both the experienced and novice out of their chair and into the bow seat as three canoes travel down the scenic and often challenging river. It was made by Tony Buell and Jeremy Kelly.

The film captures the spirit and essence of why people who love canoeing return again and again to Canada's wilderness.

Combine this realistic paddling adventure with a truely unique sound track with contributions from local and more well known musicians and the viewer is motivated to conjure up images of both past and future paddling endeavors.

Tony Buell has an excellent sense for balancing exciting paddling scenes with spontaneous reflections from the paddlers after running the many rapids they encounter or rewarding themselves with an envious meal plan. In fact, the only time the viewer is left wanting is when the film ends. This is a great movie for paddlers and non-paddlers alike.

Friday May 11th at 7 pm at the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Tickets are $10, Seniors and Students $5 and are available at Wild Rock - CASH ONLY.

The bike shop at Wild Rock is once again offering bicycle maintenance courses this spring and summer. We have made some changes to the course format, and this year we will be focusing on offering courses with smaller class sizes and more hands-on procedures. The goal is to help our customers better understand the mechanics of their bicycle so they can keep it working well between tune-ups. There are courses available for all ability levels, from people who have never worked on a bicycle to people who do most of their maintenance work on their own. Class size is limited, so sign up early!

Course Dates:

Basic Maintenance Course: Wednesday May 2, 6:00pm. $10, one night only, maximum class size 10 people. Women's Only Basic Maintenance Course: Tuesday May 8th, 6 pmIntermediate Maintenance Course: Wednesdays May 9, 16 and 23, 6:00pm. $75 for all 3 evenings, maximum class size 4 people.Advanced Maintenance and Overhaul Course: Wednesdays June 6, 13 and 20, 6:00pm. $75 for all 3 evenings, maximum class size 4 people.

Don't forget about Shifting Gears. Ride, walk, carpool or bus to work!

There will be an introduction to triathlon at Sticklings Bistro on Friday May 25th starting at 7 pm. The presentation is by Wolfgang and Nicole Guembel representing the Subaru Triathlon Series. This presentation/clinic/Q&A is being funded by the Subaru Triathlon Series. There is no cost for participants but you must pre-register with Nicole at nic@nicandwolf.com. Go to for participants but they must pre-register with Nicole at for participants but they must pre-register with Nicole at nic@nicandwolf.com. Go to www.nicandwolf.com for more info as it becomes available.

Boat Demos and Kayak Clinics will start on Tuesday evenings in June, July and August.

Who wears wool in the summer? Well, sheep for starters. I have spent most of my life trying not to behave like a sheep. I like bucking trends and shunning norms. But over the last year I have finally succumb to the pressure and I have joined the sheep.

Like many people I would never have thought to wear wool in the summer. Last summer I was forced to experiment with my Icebreaker clothing and was shocked, once again, at how versatile it is. Regular readers of our newsletter will have learned over the years that I often have "issues" when I travel. Last summer's trip to Baja (yes, I have some crazy desire to go to these places out of season. I sometimes wonder why Dee agrees to go anywhere with me.) was no exception. We had booked a very cheap and nasty flight that had three stops on the way to Baja. I could write for hours about that day but suffice it to say that we found ourselves in the Chicago airport at about the time that the British authorities announced the discovery of the plot to blow up planes using liquid explosives. Well, we did get to Denver, then LA and finally Baja. We hurried a lot, waited a lot, and then hurried more. While we rushed around our luggage languished in Chicago. When we finally stumbled into the 35C night air in Baja all we had were the clothes we were wearing and the assurance that our luggage "might show up during the week". Now, I had (wisely at the time, I thought) worn an Icebreaker Superfine tee shirt because I often get a bit cold on the plane. I thought it would be the perfect extra bit of warmth without carrying an extra sweater. Little did I know that it would be my only top for a few days in the summer heat of the Mexican desert.

What I discovered is that Merino wool is every bit as comfortable in the heat as it is in the cold. (Click here if you would like to read my original article about my Icebreaker experiences) The winter comfort is no surprise but I was shocked and not just a little relieved to find my Icebreaker superbly comfortable in the heat, as well. The key to this is that the wool fibers themselves breathe as opposed to synthetics where it is the weave of the fabric that allows the garment to breathe. The added bonus was Merino's natural ability to repel odors. I am not going to lie to you; I was a pretty sweaty guy down there! My lovely partner in travel is usually much less smelly than I am but this time it was her who was curling the nose hairs of the locals.

Fifteen months have passed since I bought my first piece of Icebreaker clothing. In that time I have climbed mountains and skied in it. I have run in the dead of winter and the heat of the summer. I have survived airline crises and desert travel. Not only that, I wear my Icebreaker almost every day that I work regardless of the season. What I have discovered is that I can do much more with fewer pieces of clothing for a huge range of activities in a huge range of conditions even if I feel a bit sheepish admitting it.

Many of our customers are looking for a way to exercise without the impact of running or the equipment requirements of cycling. Nordic walking, (think skiing without snow) is an excellent way to get a complete bodywork out. Nordic walking is walking with lightweight, shock absorbing poles that provide propulsion and stability. The poles are very similar to Nordic skiing poles but have a removable tip designed for use on pavement and small lightweight basket for trail use. The strap system allows for the poles to be released and "caught" with each stride thus reducing forearm and hand fatigue. NW tends to increase the heart rate of participants by up to 13% compared to walking without poles. This means for the same perceived effort a person will burn more calories on an hourly basis (~400cal/hr vs. walking ~280 cal/hour). The motion of Nordic walking exercises the forearm, triceps, back and core (abdominal) muscles and of course the legs.

Most participants really enjoy the rhythm and pace of NW. You can Nordic walk at your own pace or join a group of others and use it as a social activity as you work out. NW is a great way to get out and use the many trail systems we have available to us here in the Kawarthas. We have received a lot of positive feed back from people who have tried Nordic walking.

"The poles encourage good posture and activation of core muscles""It doesn't take long to get into the rhythm and then you just want to walk faster""Nordic walking is a "put a smile on your face activity" it really is fun""I really like that it targets triceps which tend to be a tough area to exercise"

If you are interested in trying Nordic walking drop by and talk to our staff. At Wild Rock we have a number of staff who are active Nordic walkers and two INWA Level 2 instructors. We will happily find you the correct size of poles. Wild Rock will also be offering weekly clinics for the Summer. Please watch our webpage for upcoming events. For more information on Nordic walking check out: www.nordicwalking.com or http://intraspec.ca/nordic-walking.phphttp://walking.about.com/cs/poles/a/nordicwalking.htm

March Break saw a band of merry cyclists leaving for Mallorca Spain. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. Wild Rock has been organizing trips for this world renowned cycling hotspot for several years.

Some may ask, "Why go all the way there to ride your bike?" Strangely enough, I have never heard anyone who has been ask the same question. Located in the Mediterranean, Mallorca has fairly stable, temperate weather. It rarely rains, which becomes obvious as some houses have cactus for hedges. The geography of the islands is perfect for a road bike. One end has the spine of a mountain range offering the cyclist with challenging climbs of over 20km in length gaining over 1000m at a stretch. The center of the island is a plains region offering countless routes on tiny roads. The other coast offers smaller rolling hills dotted by the odd mountain with a monastery on top.

This year we were blessed with great weather. We even got some tan lines! The only rain we had was on our final night where we had to make it from the Spanish restaurant to the hotel.

This year was accented by the fact that our group was comprised of strong riders all around. We had 3 Scotts, Graham, Kyle, Greg, Mark, Dave, Helen and Rick all of whom were game for riding every day. Surprise of the trip was Rick who showed up on a rental hybrid and proceeded to put on almost 400km in a week.

Our days were idyllic and consisted of waking in our seaside hotel and enjoying a relaxing breakfast. A typical day had us on the road by 10am for a 2-3 hour romp in the hills before stopping for a lunch in a café in some distant village. The afternoon was spent racing home, as folks could not contain themselves from going after sign sprints etc. Evenings were spent walking about looking for a great restaurant or wine shopping for a meal made in the hotel.

Not a bad way to spend a week. In the end a few of us cracked 1000km on the bikes with the odd run thrown in. We had one minor spill which healed up nicely, no flat tires, many rounds of Tunnel (the islands signature liquor), several bottles of splendid Raja, many hours spent relaxing reading and got to know some great new friends.

I look forward to organizing another trip in March 2008.

Finally, change is in sight! Our industry's dark little secret is finally getting some attention.

I have been a buyer in the outdoor industry for almost 20 years now (that number alone scares me!). Over this time I have witnessed a huge change in the ethics of sourcing the products that we choose to bring to our local market. In my early days it was simple as I mainly bought goods from reputable Canadian manufacturers. Active people who tinkered with projects in basement offices and local trails designed most of the specialized outdoor products. Small factories in Canada and the US then did manufacturing. Doing the right thing as a buyer was simple.

Over the last 10 years the landscape in out little industry has changed completely. A larger, usually publicly-traded, company has purchased all but one of our major suppliers. Most of the goods that used to be made in Canada or the US are now made in China or other Asian countries. Throughout this period, though many of our customers expressed that they did not like to buy Chinese made goods, the general response has been for shoppers to embrace the least expensive reasonable options available to them. This has helped to ensure the demise of our domestic manufacturers. More frustratingly, the consolidation of companies has resulted in an erosion of brands that show meaningful social leadership. It has seemed to me as though traditional corporate ethics have been applied to the outdoor market; a market that was bourn out of a rejection of those ethics. Wild Rock, and our Peterborough customers, have still had access to great products but the companies that have supplied us those goods have not always shared our values and ethics.

A few companies, Patagonia being the best example, have stood out over the years. These are the companies that have never let their core values slip in exchange for increased sales. The big revelation of the last year is that some companies have made a shift back to their roots. In some cases this is a direct response to seeing their sales eroded by smaller companies with strong environmental stances entering the market. Regardless, the result is that we are finally, once again, able to make many of our buying decisions based on a firm commitment to our own values.

The following are a few highlights for the upcoming seasons.

Patagonia, the perennial leader in addressing environmental issues, has entered the footwear market taking action to prove to the footwear industry that it is possible to manufacture in a much less harmful way. They have committed building shoes featuring leather produced in ISO14001 factories/tanneries that are strictly regulated. In addition, all of their soles feature either recycled rubber or Hevea Milk based soles. Hevea Milk is the only 100% sustainable source of latex available. They also use as little adhesive, which is the chemical nasty of the footwear business, as possible.

Patagonia is not only the original pioneer of both organic cotton use and recycled fiber in fleece but is also totally committed to the use of these products when almost every other company has moved away from these fabrics because they cost a few bucks more. They are also now building shell jackets, all capilene long underwear and many other items in recycled/recyclable materials. Patagonia's admirable position of leadership on these issues has, in many cases, made it possible for other companies to take action as they develop technologies that other companies can then use.

Icebreaker, whose sole business is merino wool clothing, uses a resource that, by nature, is sustainable/renewable. In addition, their wool-processing facility uses a cycling system which continually reuses chemicals rather than disposing of them.

Some of you may have read my article on Fox River Socks in the last newsletter. They are a true leader who has continually worked to reduce waste and energy use. They have recently released a line of socks made from environmentally sustainable fibers. The range includes both organically processed merino wool as well as a new fiber sourced from non-genetically modified corn.

The big focus of the equipment companies is on the elimination of PVC. We have chosen to switch our dry bag selection to Pacific Outdoor, our shoulder/messenger bag selection to Timbuk2 for this reason. We will be sourcing more PVC-free items as they become available as well as switching our support to companies that are working on these initiatives.

Finally, Osprey packs will release a range of packs manufactured entirely from recycled materials for next fall.

I praise the above companies for their efforts. In most cases it takes one company to work with a fabric manufacturer to develop, say, the ability to produce recycled fleece, polyester or rubber. Once that has been achieved that product is usually available for other manufacturers to work with. Patagonia for example is responsible for subsidizing organic cotton growers in the USA until they were in a sustainable, independent position. Now many other brands use organic cottons from those growers. Patagonia is also responsible for developing recycled fleece from Polartec and recycled rubber from Vibram. These are the most widely used materials in their respective categories so the impact that these developments can make extends beyond just what Patagonia produces. The key issue is that they, like the few other leading companies, care more about the greater issues than just squeezing profits out of the market.

Almost as an aside all of the above companies have been working for years to minimize the amount of packaging that ships with their goods. This may seem like a small issue but you might be shocked to know how much packing material some companies use. Many also don't seem to make any attempt to use recycled, PVC-free material even for packing. (In a peak of frustration a few years ago I bagged all the packaging material from one delivery from one of our most offending suppliers and sent it to their head office along with a bit of a rant. Their response was that they had "never thought of the issue". Over the next seasons they did pare down the packaging they used proving to me that it is worth keeping pressure on the big companies.) Although we have a long way to go, the outdoor industry does lead the way when it comes to developing or popularizing more environmentally responsible packaging and packing material.

All of these developments are very expensive at their initial stages and in the end lead to slightly more expensive goods. It is up to each of us to decide how we perceive cost. Obviously, when considering a purchase, we must assess cost based on our pocketbook. We should also consider the environmental/social cost of the goods we purchase. If these issues are important to you please do not hesitate to ask any of our staff for the "greenest option" in any product category. More importantly, ask this of any and every retailer as you do you daily shopping. It is only with increased pressure that more manufacturers will start to responsibly address the environmental impact of the goods they produce.

Together we can make a difference.

By hiking or sponsoring a hiker, you will help Hospice Peterborough raise awareness and support for the programs and services we offer. Hospice Peterborough is joining cities across the country in hosting our 5th Annual Hike for Hospice Palliative Care in partnership with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA).