Outdoor Reads: What makes a great adventure town — or a fit city?

What did the SNEWS team read this week that industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out.

• Once upon a time, we went on a backpacking trip that included gourmet meals. There was even peach flambé for dessert. If eating well in the woods sounds good to you, check out Robin Donovan’s work. She recently penned a book called, “Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors.” This Lancaster News story features Donovan and her book.

• With Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 on the horizon, some of us are already thinking about all those empty beer calories. According to this ABC News story wine, beer and spirits soon may get nutrition labels. The labeling is currently optional, but the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (part of Treasury), is toying with the idea of enforcing the rule it established in 2007.

• We’ve noticed that outdoor apparel manufacturers are touting how much of the sun’s UV radiation their garments block. Wearing UPF-rated clothing seems like a good idea, and many consumers are concerned about skin cancer and other harmful effects of UV radiation, such as premature aging of the skin, as noted in this story.

• One manufacturer we chatted with for our Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 footwear coverage said the minimal “fad” was pretty much dead. Is barefoot running best? Studies outlined in this New York Times story don’t seem to think so.

• Not all outdoor stories end well. We recently read this terrible news out of Canada. A teenager mistaken for a bear while camping was shot and killed. He was 17. He was camping with three of his friends when one heard rustling outside the tent and fired the fatal shot.

• As we head into summer, many customers are coming into your stores to load up on pet camping gear. Why not bring Rover into the backcountry? Well, there are a few things pet owners should know before hiking out. Our hometown paper, the Daily Camera, has got them covered in this story. It outlines how some breeds and sizes of dogs are better suited for camping than others.

• A few weeks ago we brought you news of the fittest and least fit cities in the country. Turns out, the more outdoor space in a city, the healthier its residents. This Reuters article talks about how the outdoor spaces in cities lead to a healthier population — especially in locales closest to the water.

• Many industry folks were at the Boston Marathon when the bombs went off on April 15. There’s some happy news to report from Boston this week: The last victim, a 29-year-old preschool teacher, has left the hospital and is looking forward to hugging her loved ones and reading to her students, according to this Boston Herald story.

• Say your customers come to you to learn about an adventure town. The Gear Gals’ Head Gear Gal has got you covered! In this blog post she gives you the rundown of all the things to look for in an adventure town, from cute coffee shops to the “fivefecta of activities” — meaning it must be hospitable to at least five outdoor activities.

• Minneapolis, Minn. long has been known for its park system. Now those parks have been recognized by the Trust for Public Land. The organization announced that Minneapolis ranked first in a national analysis of five factors: number of playgrounds per capita, amount of park spending per capita, percentage of city land dedicated to parks, average park size and the percentage of residents living within a half mile of a park. Check out the Minnesota Public Radio story.

Did you read anything interesting this week? Email it to us because we want to read it, too!