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Sea Gull Lake Loop Trip Report
Since I moved near to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Iโve spent less time exploring it on extended trips than before I moved here. At first, I tried to continue doing one-week solo Fall trips, a few long distance longer trips, like when I paddled theVoyagerโs Route, but most my Boundary Waters trips since moving here have been overnights or day trips. Itโs likely my love of Lake Superior and being able to kayak on an ocean-like body of water (or the warm bed nearby) that keeps me away. This year, I wanted to end the summer with a Boundary Waterโs trip and Ilenaโs vacation matched up with theโฆ
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Lightweight Canister Stoves
Recently, Iโve been preparing for a seven-day two-person canoe trip by reorganizing my cooking gear. Iโve settled on taking a Penny Stove, made from beer cans, but what if I wanted to use a canister stove? There are lots of reasons to bring a canister stove, but I find the most compelling reason is its ability to easily control the flame. Least compelling for me is having to use a non-renewable energy source. Still, from a weight perspective a canister stove makes good sense. My favorite lightweight canister stove is MSRโs Pocket Rocket Backpacking Stove. Its simply and light design has few moving parts to break, and it packs upโฆ
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Lightweight Cooking Gear
A great lightweight cooking system should quickly and efficiently boil water, set up easily, and pack up into the systemโs largest pot. Lately, because Iโm preparing for a seven-day two-person canoe trip, Iโve been looking for cooking gear that meets this criteria. Iโve looked into lightweight commercial cooking gear, like the Caldera Cone and the Jetboil (which I love for solo travel), but everything Iโve looked at seems lacking in some aspect. For example, the Cone doesnโt pack into a pot, and once you add all the accessories to make a Jetboil convenient for two, it ends up weighing significantly more than other options. I also wanted something that usedโฆ
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Paddling Weather Lore and Prediction
Paddlers live at the mercy of the weather. On a calm day, we can paddle miles. On a stormy day, a strong headwind makes progress a crawl, and nothing is worse than lightning striking during a long crossing. Having simple tools to help predict the weather during a paddling trip helps with the decision making process. It can help answer the question, โTo go or not to go?โ In the backcountry, one type of weather prediction available is weather lore, which is a collection of folk sayings that help predict the weather. These sayings can be helpful for paddlers wishing to predict the weather. Here are a few favorite weatherโฆ
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Free Canoe Plan: 1898 Passamaquoddy Ocean Canoe
The 1898 Passamaquoody Decorated Ocean Canoe comes from page 82, Figure 74 of Edwin Adney and Howard Chapelleโs The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. The text notes that this is the last known canoe of this style built. Tomah Joseph of Princeton, Maine built the canoe based on a cedar and canvas porpoise-hunting canoe. It has similar pinched ends and rounded tumblehome as the Modern Malecite St. John River Canoe. Length over all: 17ft 4inDesign beam: 36inDesign draft: 0.436inDisplacement: 510lbLength of waterline: 15.8ftWetted surface area: 29.5ft^2Optimum capacity: 300-800lbPounds to immerse an inch: 145lb The linesplans show the profile, plans and station view of this canoe. Free Canoeโฆ
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New 2011 Wenonah Canoes
At the summer Outdoor Retailer show, Wenonah introduced two new canoes. The first is called the 17 Wenonah. The company founder, Mike Cichanowski, originally built this model in his parentโs garage when he was 16. The boat sat on display at the company headquarters until they decided to dust it off and build a mold. Itโs now available in all Wenonahโs layups. The second boat is a canoe/kayak hybrid called the Canak. The boat is a decked Prism solo canoe with a kayak seat and a built-in holder for a portage yoke. The large hatches are covered by fabric hatch covers. Itโs definately geared towards canoe destinations like the Boundaryโฆ
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New 2011 Mad River Canoe Models
At the 2010 Summer Outdoor Retailer show, the yearly pilgrimage for gear obsessed outdoor store owners and buyers, Mad River announced the release of five new canoes. The first two ultralites weigh in at 45 lbs and 43lbs for the Explorer 16 KX Ultralite and the Malecite KX Ultralite, respectively. They range in price from $2,749 to $3,089 depending on the options, like wood gunwales. Both feature resin-infusion w/ something called custom MRC core system. If the MRC core system features a molded-in bunny, like shown in the picture, we hope it doesnโt make it into production boats. Resin-infusion results in a layup with a high fiber/resin ration, which meansโฆ
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How to Take Advantage of Gear Warranties
When an expensive piece of equipment breaks during an expedition, you fix it, swallow your losses and then get home. Once home, it sucks having to buy a new piece of gear, especially if you loved the broken one, and it was expensive. Luckily, most outdoor equipment offers some type of warranty and many brands offer lifetime warranties. Before you buy a new piece of gear to replace your old make sure you try and take advantage of the warranty. Recently, I had a small problem. The feathering sticker on my Werner Cyprusโs adjustable ferrule came off. The first solution that popped into my head was to paint dots correspondingโฆ
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Public Domain Canoe and Kayak Images
I always enjoy looking through old canoeing and kayaking images. They remind me that people have been paddling for a long timeโwhat we do isnโt new, because itโs been around for thousands of years. It reminds me that our recreational activity links us to all those back through time that have enjoyed it. They enjoyed adventure as much as we do. It also reminds me how much better we look doing it now; look at some of the goofy outfits worn by paddlers of the past. My two favorite locations are on Flickrโs The Commons, which has a small but interesting collection, and Minnesota Historical Societyโs Visual Resource Database. Everyโฆ
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Taking Great Canoe and Sunset Pictures
A canoe, glassy water, and a sunset go together like bananas, ice cream, and whipped cream. But unlike the quickly fading delight of savoring a banana split, capturing a sunset in a picture allows for sharing and enjoyment for years. Sunset pictures are tricky. Typically, like in the pictures below, you can capture either the detail and color in the sky and have the canoe go dark and black or your can make the canoe light and visible, but lose the color in the sky. Using a Graduated Neutral Density filter, you can capture both a colorful sky and a detailed foreground and end up with a picture like theโฆ
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How to Replace Your Kayakโs End Toggle
A couple of years ago, I watched a friend of mine carrying his wifeโs boat down to the shore. A new kayaker taking a lesson from us carried the bow. Unfortunately, the worn-out rope attaching the kayakโs end toggle to the boat broke sending the bow of the $3200 fiberglass Valley Pintail to the asphalt. It hit with a crunch. Heโs divorced now. I donโt know if it had anything to do with the kayak. Kayakers use end toggles (handles) for lots of things, but, arguably, the most important function is as a handle that allows the boat to spin freely if you have to swim your boat through theโฆ
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How to Recognize Drowning
gCaptian published two articles that every paddler should read: Drowning Doesnโt Look Like Drowning and The Truth About Cold Water. Below is an excerpt from the Drowning article. The Instinctive Drowning Response โ so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15โฆ
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The Eight Rules of Paddle Club
Paddler: Why? I donโt know why; I donโt know. Never been in a kayak. You?Narrator: No, but thatโs a good thing.Paddler: No, it is not. How much can you know about yourself, youโve never been in a kayak? I donโt wanna die without any swims. The eight rules of paddle club1: This spring our local paddle club debated rules, insurance and liability. In the end, we decided that weโre just a group of friends who paddle together and that each paddler is responsible for himself. We also decided that weโd only paddle with people who know how to perform self and assisted reentries. And paddlers must have the right gearโฆ
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Increase Your Paddling Gloveโs Grip with Sex Wax
When wearing paddling gloves, it seems like I always have to suffer a trade-off: warmth vs. good grip. On those cold and wavy days when Lake Superiorโs 40ยฐF water threatens to turn my hands into a solid popsicles, the lake leaves me no choice except to don the gloves. Just the other day when wearing gloveโI forgot my secret formula from making a paddle shaft grippyโI almost missed a brace when my glove slipped right off the paddle shaft. To compensate for the lack of grip, I notice I tend to tighten my hold onto the paddleโs shaft, which locks my wrist into an angle that flares up my tendonitis.โฆ
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When did you start kayaking?
A guest post by Lee Gilbert of A Whole Bunch of Ingโs. Lee is the expedition leader for the Paddle to Retirement Expedition. โWhen did you start kayaking?โ is a icebreaker, an epilogue of our paddling to that very moment. Whether it be sitting on a beach next to a roaring fire, in a pub being introduced to new paddling partners, or socializing at a symposium; this is the simple nexus that drawls so many different people together. And hereโs mine. I grew up in a modest house in rural Newfoundland with salt stained windows, which my mother would feverishly clean after every storm. Kelp was a common site inโฆ
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