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If all you want is a cart that will transport an empty boat over a portage (or a nearly empty boat), then nearly any cart will do. A center mount cart will be easier and keep the frustration factor low. If you need it to carry a load, something heavier duty is in order. On a recent trip I did...

Day 2: Central Falls, down the Blackstone, Pawtucket and Seekonk Rivers and a bit of Narragansett Bay to "The Oxbows" State Park on the Pawtuxet River, Cranston, RI On these sorts of long distance canoe trips, it is usually nice to wake up knowing that there is no rain in the forecast. But...

Ah retirement. I have heard of such fascinating periods of life. Yet every time I look down the road, my retirement date seems to pull away from me further into the future. Assuming that one of these days I can retire, and assuming I am still healthy enough to paddle, this sounds like a...

Day 1: Blackstone River, North Smithfield to Central Falls When I arrived at our put-in at The Meadows town park, Billy and his sister were already there. As I started to unload, our friend Tommy, who was part of last year’s attempt but unable to accompany us the whole way this year, came by to...

I should preface the trip report with some background information. Two questions probably have arisen already: What’s the big deal with canoeing across Rhode Island? It is, after all, the smallest state in the nation. As one smart@$$ put it, “Sure, but what are you going to do on the next day?”...

I need to figure out if something similar can be done from Picasa. Working on a trip report last night, I was able to load photos at a decent size, but had to do so by loading/inserting it as an "attachment" from my hard drive. It worked, but it was clunky and not intuitive (I'm no tech wizard)...

You don't have to travel far to have an epic trip, in my opinion. A good map of the area or state you live in, a little imagination, and committing to the idea can reveal some pretty cool trips. I just did an 8 day across Rhode Island (yes, the smallest state, and one of the most densely...

Yes, and he did a fantastic job on her. He actually e-mailed me a couple weeks after the accident, having heard about it, and offered to look at the boat to see if he could fix her. He was racing nearby in West Thompson, CT, so I didn't have far to drive to take the canoe to him. He turned it...

This past July I completed an epic trip, and it deserves an epic trip report. I therefore ask for patience over the weeks as I get it put here. I probably won’t even get the first couple days on here before I head off on another vacation, but hope is eternal and so will be the wait unless I...

That depends a lot on whether I have beer with me or need beer.

On Lobster, I don't think you can beat the beach at Ogden Point. Except maybe the one at Little Cove, which also gives you an option for a cool hike up Lobster Mountain. I've also camped at Boyscout, which was nice. I've always stopped on Thoreau Island headed down the West Branch Penobscot. I...

I have been making major strides in my bucket list over the last few years. I finally did an Allagash trip, Chamberlain to Fort Kent. That was part of a bigger bucket list item (completing section-paddling the NFCT) that I still have yet to complete. Mud Pond Carry...that one I will combine...

I think having younger guys along is definitely an incentive. I recently lead a 100-mile trip across my state that included over 20 portages ranging in length from a couple hundred feet to ten miles. In this case, I WAS the younger guy...my three companions were all older, two of them in their...

I have been on Chesuncook with a crazy northwest wind pushing us down-lake, surfing 3 foot waves with the tops getting blown off. It was no fun. Fortunately we were exiting at Chesuncook Village, and were able to eddy out of the madness behind Cemetery Point. Extending the trip up Caucogomoc...

Yikes. I think someone has a scissor hoarding issue to address. One should not own more scissors than canoes. There are, of course, two solutions to that problem.

Congratulations on an awesome trip! My advice is to hold off starting until sometime next spring. If you get lucky, you may be one of the few that gets to enjoy the South Branch Dead River, which is a gem. If you get really lucky, you'll also not have too much flow to battle against going up...

Nice TR! I love the Adirondacks, and it is great when new people find the magic in it. I also got a kick out of your description of the trails. Switchbacks? My experience in NY and New England is that the trails go right the heck up the hill. Switchbacks are rare. Hiking in the Smokies, where...

Weigh gear? I use a canoe so I don't have to weigh gear. I like to camp in comfort, so I don't bother going ultralight on much, except perhaps for using dehydrated food to save weight. The portage cart so far has gotten me over any long portages (the longest of which, so far, has been 10...

First, I hope the cardiologist doesn't go too hard on you, YC. Best wishes for a complete recovery! It must both be nice, and a pain in the butt, to have some clinical knowledge of what was going on with your ticker. Second, you're right...it is just nice to be out there. I just completed a...

Thanks for sharing that, Robin! Great article. I have not had any opportunity to do any poling this year, but the itch is on and my poles and MR Explorer are calling. Hmm...maybe a trip out to the Farmington is in order.