2026 Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous

Thanks for the pictures, @Tryin'. They're great. That must be @Gamma1214's magic Merlin multicolor masterpiece in one of the photos.

Glenn MacGrady said:

Thanks for the pictures, @Tryin'. They're great. That must be @Gamma1214's magic Merlin multicolor masterpiece in one of the photos.

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It is. He brought the Bloodvein II and Raven also. Very nice watercraft.

Did you learn a lot?
Paddle a lot?
Paddled a canoe you did not know?
If so pro and cons?
Hope you write some more

Yes, as Tryin has said, the psychedelic Merlin made the trip. I took all 4 of the strippers and I was pleased to see them hit the water often even though they were obviously trippers and needed additional weight to paddle them properly. (most of the boats seemed to be smaller capacity day paddlers but there were some tripping-capable entries there)

The Raven, in particular, seemed challenging when empty (I've never paddled it that way) and it immediately ejected one young man upon entry and nearly dumped a couple more from what I saw. I'll have to take some water bags for ballast in the future.

The tie-dyed Merlin & Alan's Bloodvein were also popular and I got some great feedback and might have convinced a couple of guys to take the plunge, join the insanity and build a stripper themselves.

There was a great selection of boats to paddle (I think @Sliding Focus paddled all of them) and it was fun encouraging irresponsible spending in real time instead of via the internet (though, in truth, @Tsuga8 is far more to blame than we were).

The venue was great, camping fees were reasonable ($35 as night) and 3 meals a day were provided for whatever you wished to donate. Friday supper is a vegetarian potluck and it turns out that @RPATCH is pretty handy on the Blackstone (at least, I think that was him), while lunch & Saturday suppers are carnivore-friendly.

CTN was pretty well represented with (I think) 8 or 9 members in attendance and, although we seemed to be a bit on the rowdy side of average for the campers, we were warmly welcomed and even invited back. At least I was; not sure about @Tryin': "Hey Becky, what's the deal with your (really obvious) dislike for Bill...?"

In his defense, I probably wasn't much better... Becky (a vegetarian): "I love groundhogs". Me: "me too, they're delicious"

Meanwhile, @NikonF5user seemed content to watch most of the chaos unfold while maintaining close proximity to the beer cooler.

Honestly, I'm really not much for group events but I had a great time, spent quite a bit of time talking to folks like Dave Curtis and it was extremely cool to meet some of you in person. I'll highly recommend everyone attending next year... I'll bring a couple of cases of Yuengling.

Late to the thread here but I was enjoying the event in person too much to be checking the forum. Bruce, Anita and Becky who put on the event do a stellar job - there's nothing like it. There might be other demo days by outfitters but the history present at WPASCR is unmatched. Great boats and great company.

I really enjoyed hanging out with so many forum members in person. For a bunch of people who seek deep backcountry when they can, we sure were a social bunch.

It's amazing how many of us don't have room for more boats but keep on looking. I only feel a little guilty encouraging @Sliding Focus into another boat.

It sounds like it was a great event. I was planning to go, as I can see wanting a solo boat in the future, but things came up.

@lowangle al, though the emphasis is on solos, tandems are welcome too and WCHA was represented there (w/ a gorgeous w/c solo).



I forget the guy's name but he came in from Chicago. Your EM White would not look out of place (though someone will paddle it if you throw it on the bank with all the others)

There were even a couple of instances of stern seat paddlers (and one kid sitting behind the stern seat, having a ball with the bow completely out of the water) so there really were no rules.

I prodded Becky a little on the kid (hey, there's a bear... gotta poke it). She groused a little that he should move to the center but seemed more pleased that he was there than upset about his paddling style.

I'll try to stop rambling on but my preconceived notions of the event were inconsistent with the reality of it. The emphasis on solos, the inclusion of a "freestyle" clinic, the history of its origin coming from a random meeting of Becky's cadre running into David Yost, Charlie Wilson (I forget who else) on Lake Raystown years ago... I expected a bit of snobbery and an "old guard" vibe among those who'd been attending for years.

I even intentionally camped as far from everyone else as possible (and I was not the only one) so that I could take a break when needed. (huge mistake BTW, below the dam is really close to I79 and I've slept in quieter truck stops)

I'll admit my error publicly and say that I felt none of the elitism that I'd expected. Even with me parking an eyesore of a defiled stripper on the shore, everyone treated me like I'd been there before and (to me) it was a very similar vibe to what we have on this forum.

There are staunch advocates for "correct" paddling; there are some extremely accomplished wilderness trippers (sometimes they're the same person), but they were always down-to-earth.

Anyone considering it should (IMO) make the drive. No guest speakers like Canoecopia but you can paddle anything you like (except Swift offerings... You'll only see those if someone brings a privately owned one... Actually, that might be fun... "Bear!")

Great selection of canoes to try out at this year's Rendezvous! I lost count on how many I took out for a spin. It was nice to revisit with everyone, meet new canoeists, and chat with some of the forum members that I hadn't met before. It was encouraging to see younger canoeists at the event. Unfortunately I missed the Saturday evening festivities because I left early; I didn't think my tarp/hammock setup would hold up well in the predicted high winds. Next time I'll bring my mountaineering tent.

The variety of solo canoes was amazing, not only the private selection but Noel Canoe brought along some really cool pre-loved boats. There were even some rarely seen Mike Galt and Pat Moore models that Noel Canoe and Hemlock Canoe Works had out. Noel Canoe had some new offerings from Rheaume and Slipstream Watercraft, and seeing what was being paddled out on the pond, the Sliptream Inspire 14.5 and Rheaume Rebel were popular. I tried both out and can see why; they both seem like great canoes for their purpose, the Inspire 14.5 being a particularly fun canoe to paddle. Hemlock is offering a nice range of layups, including lightweight carbon. And of course Savage River's fast cruisers and sport canoes were a hit. I got to revisit paddling the Illusion and although I'm very happy paddling my Northstar Firebird, I could just as easily live with an Illusion. I'm not really looking for another canoe but I have to admit that the Savage River Falcon 15 (Tryin's next to last photo above), a decked Blackwater 15, had me thinking about how to fit another canoe into the single car garage.

Already looking forward to next year...

dutchlennart said:

Did you learn a lot?
Paddle a lot?
Paddled a canoe you did not know?
If so pro and cons?
Hope you write some more

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For sure
Not as much as I should have
Oh yes
More to come
Thanks for the encouragement!