Recent content by Philtrum

Wow ... My "nuts" comment certainly drew a strong response. I meant it lightly but with an element of seriousness. I also didn't discourage the OP but rather suggested some good resources. So let's lighten up. I do believe, however, that it takes a kind of insanity to consider such a trip...

Having done some sailing on Lake Michigan, offhand I'd say you're nuts. But if you're serious, look up Verlen Kruger and see how he's done his long-distance travel. And get as much information as you can about weather patterns and safe harbors with a few hours' paddle of each other.

I'm confused. Do you mean to say you don't have Kevlar groves and epoxy that oozes from male and female plants (resin and hardener from different sex plants)? And graphite or aluminum deposits in the soil? Kansas must be a very strange place.

You Manitobans will snort at this, and that's OK. It was in the low 80s in southern Wisconsin today. So of course I turned on the AC. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the upper 80s. Did the AC really come on today? Nope. Circuit breakers are OK. Unit doesn't function. When did I find that out...

Well, that's what happens when you (or rather I) respond to something read without checking it out more carefully. I would be red-faced if it were not for the fact that aluminum cookware oxidizes, and aluminum oxide is considered a heavy metal and behaves as such.

Speaking of storms ... about 10 years ago my (then-) wife and I were standing on our deck admiring the miles-high cumulonimbus clouds forming what I thought was about 20 miles to the east. Shortly thereafter we learned that those clouds were the top of a tornado that was wreaking havoc only...

People say Wisconsin is for the hardy, or the hardly very smart. I like the climate most of the time, but not when it's over 85 because the humidity is at least that high, too. I've thought of moving north to Duluth but temps 20 degrees F colder put me off. Karin, when I'm asked how I can...

That's pretty slick. My approach when I was rehabilitating a shoulder was to take a piece of theraband, wrap it around a short dowel, and staple it to the dowel. Stick the theraband through the space between a door and its jamb and wrap the free end of the theraband around a paddle shaft...

I just read an article about heavy metals in vegetables. Beware the thallium in your kale! http://craftsmanship.net/the-vegetable-detective/ The article mentioned that aluminum is a toxin that's implicated in autism and Alzheimer's. That's as good a reason - and maybe the best - to use...

Nice video review! I have an old pair of Adidas with mesh uppers and drains in the bottoms. They've been great but I've worn them out and of course Adidas doesn't make them any more. I have to disagree with Alan about the Abyss boot. Yes, it drains, but that's its only good point. Well, maybe...

You might want to check the manufacturer's statement about pressurizing the filter. You probably wouldn't want to ruin it that way.

Very well-written trip report! I especially enjoyed seeing the last picture of two happy partners/campers. I also appreciated to some degree how easy tripping is in the Boundary Waters where portages are mostly cleared by others. I hope you two can get back into decent shape and have many...

Mem, with great reluctance I must yield my Old Coot award to you. I thought I was the most curmudgeonly person on the planet but you have me beat. I would never have thought of "the Ashram of Deprivation and Pain." I've been there, but coming up with such a colorful phrase just stops me cold...

You must have missed the mating season. Yes, that's the time when you're paddling along in a nice, quiet stream, noting the great blue herons, various ducks, songbirds, etc., and it's quieter than a pharaoh's tomb, and suddenly the water right next to you explodes and you nearly dump the boat...

Lots of good perspectives here. All I can really speak to is my experience, and here's what I've found: - "Tail" paddles are hard to handle out of the water and they're blade-heavy. But because of their extreme aspect ratio (think high-aspect sails on racing boats vs low-aspect sails on...