- Joined
- Mar 8, 2017
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I was born and raised in Newfoundland and have been living in BC for ten years now. My family had a 12' Sportspal growing up but never used it much. I purchased my first canoe in 1999. A demo 16' Penobscot rx. I still have it. Over the years it was slowly modified and turned into a solo boat., but I've always longed for a true solo canoe.
I live a half an hours drive from the Bowron Lake circuit, so that's where most of my paddling over the last ten years has been. I've done it twice with a friend, and five solo trips. All have been in October when the park is closed, except once in April, also when the park is closed. I usually stay out there for 10 days. I'm too busy in the summer, and I don't think I would enjoy all the people anyways.
I got more serious about getting a solo canoe last year and started saving money. I am planning an extended solo trip for 2020. I mentioned to a friend about the boat I was getting ( 14' kevlar/duraflex Clipper Prospector with a Northwater spray deck ) and he mentioned that a friend of his has the same boat, plus a half dozen others and might sell it. After a couple of months of waiting, I finally made the purchase in Sept 2016. The funny thing is I had already read about, and seen pictures of this boat before. I love reading about the places people have explored up north, be it hundreds of years ago or more recent. In 2001 Paul VanPeenen, a photographer from Maple Ridge, BC, re-created part of John Franklin's 1821 Arctic Land Expedition. Paul paddled and portaged from Fort Enterprise to Point Lake, then down the Coppermine river into the Arctic Ocean, along the Coronation Gulf to Bathurst Inlet, and the mouth of the Hood River. I think in the summer of 2002 he used the same boat on the Hood river, and the Burnside River, until meeting friends and continuing in two Clipper tandems down the Mara River. This boat has some history. Clipper loaned him the boat, and when it was returned and cleaned up they sold it to the gentleman that I purchased it from. My friend who told me about the boat paddled the Coppermine in 2001 and met Paul and camped with him for a night. Small world.
Cheers for now, Andrew.
I live a half an hours drive from the Bowron Lake circuit, so that's where most of my paddling over the last ten years has been. I've done it twice with a friend, and five solo trips. All have been in October when the park is closed, except once in April, also when the park is closed. I usually stay out there for 10 days. I'm too busy in the summer, and I don't think I would enjoy all the people anyways.
I got more serious about getting a solo canoe last year and started saving money. I am planning an extended solo trip for 2020. I mentioned to a friend about the boat I was getting ( 14' kevlar/duraflex Clipper Prospector with a Northwater spray deck ) and he mentioned that a friend of his has the same boat, plus a half dozen others and might sell it. After a couple of months of waiting, I finally made the purchase in Sept 2016. The funny thing is I had already read about, and seen pictures of this boat before. I love reading about the places people have explored up north, be it hundreds of years ago or more recent. In 2001 Paul VanPeenen, a photographer from Maple Ridge, BC, re-created part of John Franklin's 1821 Arctic Land Expedition. Paul paddled and portaged from Fort Enterprise to Point Lake, then down the Coppermine river into the Arctic Ocean, along the Coronation Gulf to Bathurst Inlet, and the mouth of the Hood River. I think in the summer of 2002 he used the same boat on the Hood river, and the Burnside River, until meeting friends and continuing in two Clipper tandems down the Mara River. This boat has some history. Clipper loaned him the boat, and when it was returned and cleaned up they sold it to the gentleman that I purchased it from. My friend who told me about the boat paddled the Coppermine in 2001 and met Paul and camped with him for a night. Small world.
Cheers for now, Andrew.
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