NO MONKEY BUSINESS

It's not the missing link but perhaps a way to join links more quickly.

Exercise might not make you smarter, but it could help you learn faster.

A neuroscientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that monkeys who ran on treadmills five hours a week learned new tasks twice as quickly as sedentary monkeys.

Once a task was learned, though, both groups of monkeys were equally good at it.

Source: Bicycling magazine

GOTTA-GET GEAR

• Beyond Fleece Cold Play

• Cost: $74 and up (depending on options)

• Why you need it: You're going to live in your shorts the next three months, so why not get a pair made just for you? We loved Beyond Fleece's custom- sewn jackets and pants so much we gave the company an Editors' Choice Award (April 2002). Now the Eugene, Ore., innovators are bringing their personalized fit and pocket configurations to shorts, and we're infatuated all over again. The stretchy Schoeller Dryskin Extreme fabric sheds water readily and dries quickly, and it's as tough on the outside as the brushed inside is soft. And for once in your life, a perfect fit is guaranteed.

• Where to get it: 1-800-741-3369; www.beyondfleece.com

Dennis Lewon, equipment editor of Backpacker magazine

For a review of five more trail-worthy shorts, see the June issue of Backpacker magazine.

REFRESHER CLASS

With the rafting and kayaking season just under way, it's a good time to take a look at how rivers are rated.

All rivers are rated on a class scale to help you determine the size and technicality of the whitewater you'll be rafting this summer.

Whitewater rafting rating scale:

• Class I: Moving water with small waves that tug at the boat - it's a relaxing way to spend the day.

• Class II: Easy rapids, waves up to 3 feet tall that are readily seen and wide channels that can be discovered without scouting. Some maneuvering is required during this little rock and roll.

• Class III: Waves up to 4 feet and narrow passages that send the boat shimmying and water gushing over its sides.

• Class IV: Long, difficult rapids, narrow passages, turbulent water that requires precise maneuvering.

• Class V: Large, complex, gushing rapids, twisting and spinning. Essentially, Classes I-IV and then some.

• Class VI: The ultimate extreme; only the most expert should attempt this. Raft trips don't go here.

Source: www.westernriver.com/riverscale