Recent content by eckilson

I'm the opposite - focus on cardio and stretching, but probably should do more weight training. I do try to do a couple of machines each day. Focus on knees, shoulders and back. Off to the gym now.

Don't get me wrong, its a good boat. It is exactly what it was designed to be - an entry to intermediate level whitewater boat. Not a great playboat, but for someone interested more in river running it would be fine.

Haven't paddled a Vertige, but my first whitewater boat back in 2005 was an Impluse. It was known as a beginner boat and as a bit of a barge. I replaced mine with a Dagger Encore after a couple of years, and have since passed the Impluse on to a friend. It's comparable to an Mohawk XL-13. Other...

I live in RI, but I love paddling in CT. There are so many nice rivers in east/central CT. The big ones get paddled a lot – the Quinebaug, the Natchaug, the Willimanitc, the Farmington. But there are lots of smaller tributaries to these bigger rivers that don’t get paddled as often. I got on...

Sorry about the implants - hopefully they will dry out. I got out yesterday as well with a group of open boaters on the class II section of the Assabet River in Maynard MA. https://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/albums/72177720332491987 Three whitewater boats, one solo tripper, one tandem...

Sorry - paid $800 in 2006. Not saying it is bad. Just commenting that it is the rare boat that appreciates in value.

Looks like a dent, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I paid $800 when I bought my Yellowstone Solo new in 2026. Not many boat appreciate in value.

I am in northern RI, and we got somewhere between 2-3 feet. Hard to get an accurate measurement because the wind blew it around so much - some places there is bare ground, other places 4-5 foot drifts. One of those big drifts was right in front of my garage door. Of course, I couldn't get my...

Update - its been a depressing winter in RI/southern New England - at least for boaters. Flatwater is frozen solid, moving water sections have dangerous ice shelves, and even the protected salt water coves that we usually paddle this time of year are iced in. The forecast for the coming weeks is...

Or make a real statement by dropping the big drybag. So here's the question - do you race to grab the best spot, or do you let it rotate around the group. We are usually a group of 3-5 people, and there are often only a couple of nice level tent sites. I don't usually grab the best spot right...

You're right - it is a Sentinel. The tag is still on the tent (never looked at it before), and I can just barely read Sentinel as the model. Unfortunately I can't read much else. I found this video online. Mine is a little different - grey and black rather than caramel and tan, and mine has 4...

My father's tent from sometime in the 1980's - when it rains I put up an extra tarp just in case. Its a Eureka! Expedition. I could never find out much about it other than these ads from the late 1980's. Plenty of room in addition to having sentimental value. Haven't taken it to Everest...

That looks really good. You are welcome to cook them on our trips anytime.

The good thing about living in southern New England is that we can usually paddle all winter. The bad thing is that we rarely get enough snow for snowshoeing. This year, the temps have been too cold for paddling, but we’ve had snow on the ground for the last few weeks. Last weekend we got about...

No - haven't seen Tommy in a couple of years - hopefully he will make an appearance at one of the spring poling trips.