Recent content by Steve in Idaho

The population that will buy a $200 wood paddle is quite small.

Is this another AI hallucination?

Point taken, but our local paddlesports shop quit stocking canoes and much gear before Amazon was much of a thing. I have to drive half a day to get to where I can even look at anything I would buy, and then I'm restricted to one brand of canoe. Lots of good k***ks there though. Amazon and...

A few things I forgot to mention.... Beckers Lodge looks like the best place to rent a canoe, and the best place to rent a cabin or have a cooked meal before the trip. But their Solitude that we looked at had no foot bar. I think most solo paddlers at Bowron would be better served by the...

Seems like LL Bean is devolving into just another niche clothing store. Sierra Trading Post has been reduced to clothing and cookware. Not even a good selection of outdoor shoes anymore. Idunno what makes two big names in outdoor supply like those founder when others like Bass Pro and Scheels...

And they are consummate aerobatic flyers. Watching them skim the water on a collision course with the side of my canoe only to rise just enough to barely clear the hull and drop back to skim level on the other side is fascinating.

Yes that's my experience with early mornings. I also have a favorite moonlight paddle on a place known as "The Meanders". Starting at dusk, beavers may be spotted. Ospreys or eagles may be seen going to roost near the water. As the sky darkens, bat skim the water and rise just enough to clear...

Yeah, you know I don't think I'd rely on that in coming years. Probably would be good idea to have a backpack available, in case they change their minds. I saw nothing on any website, including the park's, about not weighing solos.

BTW, I think I forgot to mention that every campsite and every portage has bear proof vaults. Since park rules require all food or scented items to be stored in those vaults when unattended, there's no point in having critter resistant containers.

There are some things I would do different next time. Bringing a solo canoe, I would skip the backpack and the blue barrel. Instead, I would carry everything in drybags and a couple of 3 gallon screw top buckets. One bucket for cookware, and one bucket for trash. That would allow me to keep my...

The cabin at the very last campsite (which is indeed an older one) has some pretty artistic relief carvings in the ceiling beams. I didn't think to get a picture.

The Flathead below the lake is on my radar for next year as I ponder choices for a multi day trip that I can invite some class 1 paddlers on. I have one guidebook that gives some information, but little is said about camping opportunities or shuttle service.

I didn't say much about it beforehand, not wanting to jinx the trip. ;) About 1,000 miles each way. The Solitude was great, everywhere except for the chute at the end of Isaac Lake. I might have been okay running it, but wasn't confident that I could do it dry with a load. Being not quite...

Yes, definitely. The drive itself for me is also quite scenic once across the border into Canada at Osoyoos. I was going to do it this year alone if necessary. Finally, a couple of months before my reserved date, I found someone willing to put up with me. We both brought our own carts. The...

I'll try not to make a long trip report, but there are a few things I can say that I don't think I've seen covered here. I convinced a friend to do the trip with me, so many of my photos will show the back of his head. After 18 hours of driving, we decided to stay in one of the small cabins at...