There are certain things we do in life that, by doing them, give us back something immeasurable. They can be extremely difficult, or at best case, impossible to master. For many of us, the 'quiet sports' offer the chance to inhale things into our souls that are infinitely larger than our own selves. Is it possible for a person walk the earth, yet carry something inside them larger than mountain ranges, oceans, deserts? Ride your bike, run, or ski long enough, and you will begin to wonder, too.

Fly fishing is one of those sports. To this writer, and many athletes that DeFeet has been involved with over the last 15 years, fly fishing is a sport that has much in common with cycling and running. True, it's not the best thing you can do to raise that ceiling on your Vo2 max. Do it properly, though, and you know you did something at the end of the day. Kind of how you feel after a six hour ride.

The reason we watch racing on Tv or DVD's is because it showcases a sport in a way that no other medium can. Mountain bike riding has a way of extending that 'feeling' without having to show racing. Road cycling doesn't. Yet (read:opportunity). Mountain riding has DVD's like 'The Collective' - incredibly well done films by young filmographers that do their sport justice. Similar to what Warren Miller did for winter sports. They have captured the essence of the sport in a way that competition could not. Fly fishing does have a World Championship, but most would agree it's merely a demonstration of how the sport is done in Poland, the Ukraine, or other far off spots. Fly fishing deserved more, and the Angling Exploration Group has stepped forward.

AEG do not depict fly fishing as an exclusive wine&cheese lodge vacation. Their accomodations, if they have any, are dive hotels. Usually they dirt surf next to a river. Traveling the World on a shoestring, AEG captures footage that no film crew at 10x, hell, 100x, the budget has ever been able to put in the can.

Tonight, the Fly Fishing Film Tour kicks off at the Patagonia World HQ in Ventura, California. That's not the only stop, though. The AEG might be coming to a town near you. If not, you can pre-order their new DVD. The new film takes place in New Zealand, and it's worthy of a view even if you don't fish. New Zealand IS that beautiful. The first 'Trout Bum Diaries'film took place in Argentina, and that film is also available in the AEG store.

AEG needs products that can stand up to months of abuse with limited care, and that's where DeFeet came in. DeFeet supplies product to AEG, and we have created a custom fly fishing film tour logo sock to commemorate these travels. If you get a chance, go see an event. You will leave a different person. You will have seen on film a part of the world that is surreal. Your soul will thank you. You will have also seen a group of people that are out there, not only doing it, but doing it really well, on whatever budget they can muster. For that, DeFeet awards the entire crew at AEG the 'Driven Sole' title.