Wilderness Supply E-Newsletter July 13, 2009

It has been a very busy month at Wilderness Supply! Thunder Bay ran a successful Sea Kayak Symposium out on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior (email picture). Winnipeg participated at the Winnipeg Folk Festival once again with our Folk Festival Camping store. Our staff has been up to some great adventures and we have seen so many of you in the store off on amazing adventures of your own.

Be sure to plan your adventure carefully. Before you go, leave a trip plan with your friends and family. Be sure to plan for extra days on the water or on the trail as weather doesn't always cooperate. You don't want to be stuck out in the bush without extra food and provisions or having your family and friends worry sick about your return.

Email Newsletter Special Offer

All INSTOCK summer Clothing (shirts, pants, shorts and jackets) and Footwear are 20% OFF to all of our email readers until August 1, 2009. Mention this email offer when you come into the store to take advantage of this discount!

Featured Gear

(click on the name to view product information)

Eureka Bonavista 100 Tent - A great family tent, tons of room, internal organizers and massive vestibule (ON SALE)

Naya Baby PFD 9-25 lbs (life jacket) - You don't have to wait until your kids are grown up to get back on the water

Perception Prodigy 10 Kayak - a great little recreational kayak, perfect for the cottage $449.00

Mammut X-Zoom Headlamp - a super light LED headlamp with a maximum beam of 120 m

Photo Contest

See all the details of the Wilderness Supply photo contest HERE. We will compile this calendar for the 2010 season and all proceeds will be donated to the Wilderness Supply Communities Fund.

Local Events

Check out any upcoming events in your area HERE.

Upcoming Courses for July, August

See a complete list of course listings at Wilderness Supply / WAVpaddling and register online here

  • Intro to Sea Kayaking: August 9, 15
  • Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills: July 17-19 (A few spots AVAILABLE still), August 26-28
  • Beginner River Kayaking: July 17-19 (Course FULL)
  • Advanced River Play River 2: August 28-30
  • Kayak Rolling Tune - Up July 22
  • Kayak Rolling Intensive - July 25
  • Intro to Map and Compass July 22 & 23

Staff Updates

Rick (Wpg) certified as Advanced Swift Water Rescue Technician with Rescue 3 / Raven Rescue
Tim (Wpg) traveled to Missinippi, SK to take part in a Paddle Canada Transfer and Upgrade course for Canoe Instruction
Scott (Wpg) certified in River Kayaking Level 1 and is still breaking fitness records at the gym
Dawn (Wpg) will be racing a portion of the Death Race in Grand Cache, AB with Team North Face in a few weeks
Barry, Dawn, Scott (Wpg) certified in Intro to Lakewater Tandem Canoe
Ryan (Tbay) is currently paddling the Kopka River near Wabikimi, ON
Mila and Bryan (Tbay) are still training hard for the Dragon Boat competition coming up in Tbay this weekend

Sea Kayak Symposium Weekend Report - Thunder Bay

From July 3rd to the 5th, our Thunder Bay store hosted the second annual North of Superior Sea Kayak Symposium at Beyond the Giant Nature Retreats on the shores of Lake Superior.   Many participants, from as far as Winnipeg came out to this magnificent eco-resort in Black Bay and enjoyed ideal paddling conditions!  On Friday night, participants set up camp, registered for their clinics, went for an evening paddle and socialized over some drinks around the bonfire.  The lake was calm and the air was cool which made for great sleeping!

Early Saturday morning, instructors met with their groups and got out on the water after some morning stretches and warm-up exercises.  The lake was like glass, which made it ideal for the instructors to teach the beginner clinics.  A nutritious and filling lunch was served by the Lakehead Canoe Club (LCC) of Thunder Bay, followed by a weather presentation from Graham Saunders who is a local climatologist and professor at Lakehead University.  After a long day of learning and playing on the water, we enjoyed a delicious pig roast, baked beans, salad and stuffed baked apples for dessert!  Speeches, prizes, live music and fireworks completed our perfect day on the water.

Sunday morning, participants explored Lake Superior by paddling to various destinations.  Groups discovered underwater tombolos, the mouth of various rivers teeming with wildlife, windswept islands, and a lighthouse.  Later Sunday evening participants and instructors parted ways as friends looking forward to seeing each other on the water in the near future.   Thank you very much to all those who helped make the weekend a success and to those people who attended this incredible weekend.  We look forward to seeing everybody in Rossport for the 2010 Rossport Sea Kayak Symposium.

Employment Opportunities

Join a fun and active team! See here for details on all positions available at this time. Please contact us at the store for more information or deliver a resume to our front desk.