Publisher's letter

Allen Macartney, Kathleen Wilker, Paul Mason, Sheila Ascroft, Dave Brown, Robert Fuchs, Robert Conley

Lew Humphreys, Ontario Parks, Doug Harvey, Jay Heins , Rodd Heino

Dave Brown, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is an independent publication published seasonally every four months and distributed FREE at sports stores and a dozen other locations all over the region. E-mail: Editor@OttawaOutdoors.ca Tel: 613-860-8687 or 888-228-2918 Fax: 613-482-4997

Ottawa Outdoors Magazine welcomes story and photo contributions. Publisher may publish any and all communications with Ottawa Outdoors Magazine, and may edit for clarity and style. Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index ISSN No. 1204-69556. © Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any materials published in Ottawa Outdoors Magazine is expressly forbidden without consent of the publisher. Printed in Canada.

Mark your calendar to sign-up to enter a Mudd, Sweat & Tears obstacle race this autumn. The race will be held at Mooney's Bay, Sept. 28th It's your chance to earn an awesome, smiling, mudd-faced photo of yourself for your Facebook page or photo album. www.muddsweatandtears.com Do it. Mudd it. Love it!

REGISTER TODAY!

That's a pretty sweet cover photo don't you think? And to think that's what we all have wait ing for us in the coming weeks. Very nice.

Well I don't know if your summer was as fun and crazy as mine, but I'm betting it was. At least according to all the social network postings of DAVE BROWN PUBLISHER families at cottages, camping and other countries. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF And there's no need for the fun to stop.

Even though September is here, there are still many nice weekends to enjoy. It's prime time for camping (no bugs), hiking (great views) and cycling (cool, comfortable weather). So pick an activity and get outdoors.

For this issue, the focus for September and October is two-fold. Firstly, get outdoors and participate in the Mudd, Sweat & Tears ob stacle race at the end of September. It's right here at Mooney's Bay and is guaranteed to be a lot of fun.

The second activity is October 26-27, when Ottawa Outdoors & Travel magazine will launch a winter adventure show. We're pulling in the retailers, clubs and winter-related businesses to exhibit at the show, giving you one location to plan for the winter. It's running alongside the long-running Ottawa Ski Show, so be sure to mark your calendars.

For now, as you lay back to read this issue, here's a summation of what our team of writers has brought to this issue.

On the next page is a great reason to get out camping ... sleep. And what better location than in a tent in Algonquin Park. Read Kathleen Wilker's piece on pg. 7 about how you can now take a bus to the park, camp and get some of that much-needed sleep.

For the pedallers among our readers, there are great articles on cycling Prince Edward County (pg. 18), Cornwall (pg. 29) and an exciting action-packed article on Cyclocross racing (pg. 21).

The paddlers can read Allen's article on how to repair a beloved favourite wooden paddle (pg. 10); or follow Paul Mason's advice on how to correctly paddle the Canadian Stoke.

Hikers will enjoy the amazing story about Bruce Watts as he hikes and records his journey along the Rideau Trail (pg. 14) – really worth the read.

Like each issue of Ottawa Outdoors & Travel, there are many articles to enjoy about the outdoor life. Sit back, turn the pages, get motivated, and plan your next adventure.

See you at the winter show October 26-27 at the Ernst & Young Centre on Uplands.