Recent content by Alan Gage

I use a lot of zip locks, mostly for food. All my food is dry ingredients and it's stored in separate baggies (inside barrel bags for easier organization). I use both gallon and quart sizes. As each bag is emptied out they're stored inside another empty bag. At the end of the trip I have one...

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in being so attached to my wrist watch. It's just a $20 Timex and I'm sure I could get by fine without it but I'm so used to it. I most appreciate it when mentally calculating travel time. If I know I've been paddling for 3 hours and I can see by the map that I've...

SPOT, a single headlamp, P&S camera, and my wrist watch are the only electric devices I take. I'd gladly give up the SPOT but I don't think my mom could handle it. So ignoring the SPOT the camera would be the last thing I'd give up and it would be a toss up between my watch and headlamp for...

I haven't done a lot of video editing but I've used Wondershare Filmora and had have gotten along very well with it (on a Macbook). I tried a few different programs and for me it struck the right balance between being easy to use and offering enough features (the vast majority of which I don't...

You've been reading my mail. Sometimes it's frustrating to cycle through hobbies but on the other hand I retain something from all my interests and even though it might not be something I actively participate in anymore I still have a lot of the knowledge I gained and it still brings enjoyment...

I'm guessing this article is like nearly all the other "best of 2020, 2021, 2022, etc" articles that proliferate the web. Other than the initial intro I don't think they're even written by actual people but are rather done by some sort of algorithm that searches out reviews and manufacturer...

My question is did he not leave pieces of his boat behind because it was tougher material or because he didn't hit the same rocks? Reading the water and avoiding underwater obstacles is an art (which I'm far from mastering) but learning that will make a much bigger difference than hull material...

I suppose it would depend how how fast those rocky rivers are, how wild those rocky rivers are, and how you want to get through those rocky rivers. If they're just shallow rock riffles and the only way to get through is to grind over the rocks then it probably doesn't matter much. Or maybe the...

There is a lot to be said for that. For years my schedule and lack of planning allowed me to leave on the spur of the moment in nice weather or postpone if the weather looked poor. I'm sure some good trips and memories were missed because of the weather forecast. But I also have very fond...

Just came from the frame shop and ordered a new set of prescription sunglasses. $369 for frames and polarized lenses. I didn't think that was bad at all. I can remember getting my first pair of glasses 30 years ago. I was about 12 and did not yet realize my dad was a fashion dud so I picked...

That was a nice chuckle, thanks. Alan

Have you asked if they can fit new lenses into your old frames? Alan

I'm due for a new set and my far vision is bad enough that I need prescription lenses. I've had my current sunglasses for about 12 years now and they're still in good shape but I'm tired of the big wrap around style. At the time I wanted something that blocked all the sun from the corners of my...

I'd have to look at my maps but I was thinking Graves Lake was the first lake after Kasmere? But whatever the lake name it was that series of rapids that turned me around. I think I descended 3 sets, running the first (barely) and portaging/lining the next two, when I came to the realization...

I tried to get them all but there were too many. A lot of the scratches came from going up/down rapids but plenty came from dragging the canoe. And I wasn't above sacrificing the canoe at times by grounding it on rocks before getting in/out to keep my feet dry. It was a very cold trip at...