With all the hot temperatures and high humidity most of us are currently experiencing, we can’t help but crave a little amphibious outdoor fun. But first, getting the right gear for such an excursion is very important. That’s where the Columbia Drainmaker™ comes in!

This ingenious shoe not only has the superior drainage needed to tackle any wet terrain, it dries super fast and has excellent grip on wet surfaces. All in all, our perfect go-to shoe for a weekend of fun by the river…or just a great everyday lightweight shoe you’ll want to live in.

Pair them with Columbia Omni-Wick® shorts like the Cross on Over Cargo Shorts for women or the Snake River Water Shorts for men for an ultimate adventure-ready ensemble.

Check out the video below to learn more about the awesome technology behind the Columbia Drainmaker:

Ocean Minded™ a leading brand in ocean lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories for active outdoor enthusiasts has introduced a new close-toed shoe line. The 13-year-old company is known for its unique vision in pairing fashion, functionality and comfort in its product collections. The new close-toed shoe designs tout the innovative use of natural and sustainable materials including: organic cotton, metal-free leather, water-based glue, recycled Croslite™, recycled wool, recycled car tire and hemp.

“We’ve taken the concept of living ‘an ocean lifestyle’ year-round and have created comfortable shoes with the highest quality materials,” said Andy Palmer, general manager, Ocean Minded™. “With this new line we’re now able to offer consumers a year round footwear solution that fits their lifestyle and budget,” he said.

Finding the perfect spot can take a bit of work, so take a trek with the sublime styling of the Dune Rider from Ocean Minded™ and find a bit of surfing enlightenment. The Dune Rider uses recycled Croslite™ materials in the anatomical footbed to make these shoes comfortable, lightweight, and odor resistant. Enjoy the comfortably cool feeling of the natural wool lining on the inside and a combination upper of full-grain leather, nubuck leather, and metal-free suede for the outer shoe construction.

Being 'ocean minded' and living an 'ocean lifestyle' begins with the inspiration and allure that the world's oceans and beaches offer each one of us. The Ocean Minded™ brand enables an individual to identify, visualize and embrace their personal beach and water-oriented passions in the course of their daily adventure. Whether you're devoted to surfing in Hawaii, kayaking on the Sea of Cortez, snorkeling in Australia or warming up around a campfire in Big Sur, Ocean Minded™ welcomes you with open arms. Check out Ocean Minded™ at Zappos.com.

If you love the outdoors, kayaking is the perfect heart-healthy activity for you. Anyone can kayak -- it's very simple, requires no experience and amazingly little upper-body strength. It's an especially great activity for those who have lower body (knee, foot, hip, joint, etc.) pain or problems. Kayaking is a low-impact sport, which means that it has little or no wear and tear on the body's joints (unlike running, soccer, football, which are all very high-impact sports).

It should be surprising then to learn that you can burn quite a number of calories kayaking. In just 30 minutes of kayaking, you can burn around 200 calories. The number of calories you burn will, of course, depend on your weight, exercise regime, and how vigorously you are kayaking.

Kayaking is great for building upper-body strength. What's great about it is that it isn't difficult at first -- anyone can rotate the paddle without too much trouble. But as you practice, your body slowly builds considerable upper body strength (including arm, back, chest, and stomach muscles). Unlike lifting weights at the gym, you won't even notice yourself getting stronger.

Even if you aren't out there to burn calories, which most people who kayak are not, it's an extremely relaxing outdoor activity. All you need is a kayak, paddle, life jacket, lake or river, and you're ready to go! And it's always more fun with a friend. The calm of the water is very seductive, and you'll find yourself spending hours on the water on beautiful blue-sky days.

Another great item to take along kayaking is a pair of water shoes like Keens.
Keens are especially great shoes because they are extremely versatile. These sandals have webbing so they are perfect for water sports. They also have a rubber toe, which makes them perfect for hiking (no stubbing your toe on rocks). Also they are extremely supportive and breathable.

Sources
(1) http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/kayaking

If you've ever been to southwestern Minnesota, you know it's nothing but flat farmland and prairie. It's the last place you'd expect to find whitewater. But after starting out with a pastoral gentle flow, the Yellow Medicine River provides a good 19 mile run of intermediate whitewater. Late April to May is the best time to run the Yellow Medicine; you'll have high water, but not at a flood stage. Check the water level before you head for the river on the USGS website and look for at least 200 cfs on the Granite Falls gauge.

The river got its name from the moonseed plant, whose yellow root was traditionally used by Dakota (Sioux) Indians as a medicinal plant. The entire floodplain of the Yellow Medicine River was occupied by native peoples more than 1000 years ago, and more recently, the peninsula formed where the Yellow Medicine meets the Minnesota River and inside the Upper Sioux Agency State Park, was occupied by the Dakota. Their artifacts and burials are protected by cultural resources laws.

The put-in is just north of the Hanley Falls at the State Highway 23 bridge over the Yellow Medicine. Paddle about 19 miles (6 to 9 hours) and you'll reach the take-out at the picnic area in the Upper Sioux Agency State Park, where the Yellow Medicine reaches the Minnesota. You can also choose to continue down the Minnesota another mile or so to the County Route 15 bridge, and take out there. A good map will help you choose.

Shortly after you put-in, the river gathers speed as it heads for its confluence with the Minnesota. There are many bouldery rapids and plenty of standing waves to keep you alert. This stretch runs between steep bluffs that line the Yellow Medicine. If you're an angler as well as a paddler, the highway 15 bridge is a great place for northern pike, walleye, and smallmouth bass.

A shoe like the Hydratooth from Columbia will keep your feet comfortable in your watercraft or while you're fishing. In April and early May, you'll probably need long pants as it can be chilly out on the water. Don't forget insect repellent and a good pair of polarized shades.

To start their new lives together, many newlywed couples travel to beautiful, exotic locations for their honeymoon, one of the most popular destinations being the Hawaiian Islands. Normally, the scariest thing one might see in this tropical paradise is Greg, Marcia and the rest of “The Brady Bunch,” but during “A Perfect Getaway,” a honeymoon takes a deadly turn.

Cliff (*Steve Zahn*) and Cydney (*Milla Jovovich*) fly to Hawaii after their wedding to hike on the more challenging trails and enjoy the beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, while they are making their way to paradise, they hear about a young couple that was murdered on one of the other Hawaiian Islands.

Despite this horrific news, Cliff and Cydney keep moving forward, eventually hooking up with another couple named Nick (*Timothy Olyphant*) and Gina (*Kiele Sanchez*). These two attractive, interesting people have plenty of stories to tell, and Gina also demonstrates the meat-cutting skills she learned back in high school when she worked for a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Cliff and Cydney aren’t quite sure if their new friends are on the level or if they have a more sinister agenda.

Besides the serial killer subplot, “A Perfect Getaway” is like a video guide to hiking through the Hawaiian Islands. Cliff and Cydney start their adventure on a helicopter tour of the islands, and Cliff literally hangs out of the copter to get some high-definition video footage of the places they want to go.

Later on, Cliff shells out nearly $500 for freeze-dried food and other supplies to carry in his rucksack. When he and his wife reach a point in the trail that gets pretty steep and slippery, Cliff comments that he’s walking around with about 40 pounds of gear strapped to his back. During a moment of male bonding, Cliff and Nick even take some time out to go kayaking into some gorgeous water caves.

All things considered, “A Perfect Getaway” is a fairly decent outdoor thriller, but the indescribably beautiful Hawaiian backdrop makes this film well worth the price of admission.

If you’ve ever wanted to see where Daniel Boone walked, or where Tom Dooley (of song and legend) infamous lead him, your next whitewater trip should be Stony Fork Creek in North Carolina. The creek offers more than history; it runs through some truly beautiful country that doesn’t look much different than it did 200 years ago.

Stony Fork Creek comes off of Tompkins Knob in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and flows down between Elk Ridge and Dividing Ridge until it joins the Yadkin River just above the Kerr Scott reservoir. Some rank this 6 mile run as class I-II, others as I-III, and, typically with small streams, it depends on the water height. Put-in is above a bridge on CR 1155, about 2 miles west (left) from its junction with CR 1154. Takeout approximately 2 ½ miles east of the town of Ferguson; it’s a steep bank there, but it’ll save you about ¾ of a mile of mainly backwater.

Stony Fork is fast for its size, and it drops over one small ledge after another, averaging 9-10 feet down per 50 feet of stream. Stony Fork Creek is usually runnable through the region’s wet season. The ledges are about 12 to 18 inches high until just before the confluence of Stony Fork with the Yadkin, where the drops get higher and more frequent. You’ll know the spot by a large tree that cuts off most of the creek; behind and to the right of the tree, a solo kayak can take the 4-foot drop into a whirl of turbulence, and continue through the boulder garden in the Yadkin to the takeout point.

The cool water may be just what you need after paddling through a warm Carolina day. A raglan shirt from Five Ten will help keep you cool, and these shades from Arnette keep the bright sun from hurting your eyes. These Newport Sandals from Keen will let you put your toes in if you take a break; and in this gorgeous country you may want to.

(For more about Stony Fork Creek and the Yadkin River, check out Bob and David Benner’s book, Carolina Whitewater, from Menasha Ridge Press.)

Are you an adventurer at heart? Maybe you just want to try something new and exciting. If you enjoy nature and don’t mind getting your feet wet (or possibly the rest of you), you may be interested in whitewater or or other river rafting in Colorado. The Colorado Rocky Mountains are well-known for skiing, but are also a popular spot for river rafting. In fact, Colorado is the number one whitewater rafting spot in the world.

Whitewater and other river rafting excursions can be a bonding experience for spouses, family, or friends. They also can be an adventure in self-reflection and the thrill of a lifetime. Keep in mind that going alone is not recommended for safety reasons. Besides, this is definitely an activity you’ll want to share with others. Outdoor adventures in Colorado that include river rafting can leave each individual with something different. Speaking of different, there are many ways to have a river rafting experience in Colorado.

River rafting can be enjoyed in an oarboat, paddleboat, inflatable kayak, and more. River rafting tours are geared toward skill level and experienced guides can come along for the ride. Depending on preferences and experience, either passengers or the guide will control the watercraft. Navigation waters can either be mild or be Class 5 rapids only for the most experienced and daring of whitewater rafting adventurers.

Regardless of the water speed, be sure to have safety in mind when river rafting in Colorado. The safest river rafting excursions will include a trained tour guide who knows the area and all the safety precautions. Most river rafting tours include a safety overview, watercraft, flotation devices for everyone, and sometimes a meal and any other required gear. However, not all will be this inclusive. Be sure to check before the trip.

Don’t forget the appropriate footwear and bring along a waterproof camera to capture the nature and all the best moments. Colorado has many rivers to choose from in these river rafting excursions. The Arkansas River is arguably the most popular. There also is Blue River, Colorado River, Clear Creek, Green River, Eagle River, and more. It’s wise to do research on locations and options before going to be sure you choose the best experience for your purpose.

Sources:
http://www.raftcolorado.net/
http://www.coloradowhitewaterrafting.com/
http://www.coloradowhitewaterrafting.com/FAQs.htm

When you’re thinking of challenging rivers to canoe or kayak, North Dakota is not generally the first state that comes to mind. But there’s a stretch of the Missouri, north from the capitol city of Bismarck to Garrison Dam, that could change your mind about Dakota waters. This stretch is one of the last remaining undeveloped segments of the Missouri. Peppered with sandbars and undertows, and with a remarkably swift current, this run is largely unchanged from the Missouri river the Lewis and Clark expedition followed in 1804. New sandbars, different logs and snags, but the same tricky river!

In addition to the thrill of the water, you’re also in a prime spot to see both bald and golden eagles, beaver and white-tailed deer, and osprey. You may also spot endangered least terns and threatened piping plovers on the sandbars; if you do, don’t disturb them; just take a photo, and paddle on.

If you didn’t bring your own, you can find rental canoes and kayaks in Washburn at the Lewis and Clark Canoe and Kayak rentals, or at the Cross Ranch State Park (worth a visit even if you don’t need a canoe), and at several locations in Bismarck and Mandan.

You’ll want a dry bag to store your camera and other items. Good choices for canoeing footwear are these Columbia Hydrotooth shoes for men, and Columbia’s Bellafly for women. The new Life is Good shorts are great summer styling for guys, and these Patagonia Board Shorts for women in plum make a fashion statement while keeping you comfortable. If the day gets chilly, women may want to bring along these Torrent Pants by Isis. Because it can get cool on the water almost any time from May to October, bring along a jacket, such as a Merrell Storm Jacket for men, and this Marmot PreCip jacket for women.

Another advantage to canoeing the Missouri is that costs in North Dakota tend to be lower than other areas. You can find great deals on food, hotels and canoe rentals in Bismarck, Mandan, and Washburn..