The Paddle Junkie

HI-Tec Vigorate Slide Sandals- Gear Review

"Should I wear my sandals?" I asked a friend as we made our to a cliff on Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, CO. He said I would be fine. Now, either he completely forgot about the crevice we had to climb to get to "Party Rock" or he knew that my Hi-Tec Vigorate Slide Sandals could tackle anything short of Mt. Everest. Halfway through our &q…

Mud, Sweat and Beer... A prelude to the Warrior Dash

One part 5K, one part obstacle course and several parts beer and music = the Warrior Dash. This mud crawling, wall climbing, fire jumping may-lay is on the calendar for July 23rd and 24th here in Minnesota. At just over a week from our scheduled start time, I am confident that I am in trouble. Training, hasn't really happened. I keep telling myself "it…

GU Energy Labs - Gear Review

Traditionally my idea of energy food has been trail mix and granola bars, mainly because the "quick energy snacks" I have tried in the past taste terrible. Usually you get a medicine like flavor with a gritty texture, tolerable I suppose if you are 20 miles into a marathon, but not my first choice. Well, the people over at GU Energy Labs must have had th…

Frost River Grand Portage Pack - Gear Review

When you are looking for gear that will stand the test of time, it often pays to look around and see what has survived from "the good ole days". Wooden paddles, cast iron cookware and canvas canoe packs have all been around for a LONG time, and odds are they will be in the future. If you want a pack your grand kids will use one day, Frost River makes som…

45ºN 68ºW Natural Insect Repellant - Gear Review

For roughly 8 months of the year, those of us here in Minnesota live in deep freeze, so bugs are not an issue. Once our lakes thaw however, it is but a matter of time until our unofficial state bird reappears, the mosquito. Stuck inside, trying not to loose digits to frostbite for more than half the year, we are not about to let a few bug bites get in our way of en…

Teva Churn Water Shoes - Gear Review

With the number of footwear choices out there, it's no wonder you can gaze blankly at the wall of options with a "deer in headlights" stare. A few years back I spent my entire BWCA adventure trying to dry out my hiking boots; a mistake I swore I would never make again. I had to accept the fact that no matter how careful I was, at some point I was goin…