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It has been the best fall in many years here in the mountains of Utah. The maples were stunning, but mostly gone. The aspens are golden. The local paddling has been a visual feast.

The book “Cadillac Desert” by Marc Reisner is a fascinating history of dam building, and river destruction by the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. I think it was controversial when published in1987, as it disclosed the massive government corruption and bogus feasibility studies...

Ppine- Thanks for the info. At age 76 I am trying to prioritize the trips I want to do, realizing that they are increasingly limited in number. The Upper Missouri is very tempting- I really enjoyed “Undaunted Courage” and would like to camp at some of the L&C sites. Logistics and getting...

ppine- how was that trip on the Misssouri? I have been thinking of doing it and have seen varied reports, good and bad. Do you think it was worth doing? I know that the logistics are tough. What time of year did you run it? Thanks for any opinions.

I used to use a Paco pad and liked except for the bulk, weight and difficulty to pack it. Switched to a Big Agnes Q Core inflatable a couple of years ago and love it. Very lightweight and also about the size of a Nalgene bottle. Inflates.using an air bag- no blowing required. It is very...

I agree with Al re the Badger paddles. I bought a “Sliver” which is a type of Ottertail and really enjoy lake paddling, mainly Canadian style with underwater recovery, with it. The workmanship and design are beautiful. It has become my go to paddle over the past two years. I also like...

Labyrinth Canyon at 24,000 CFS. June 14, 2023 This will be a quick trip report which may be of interest to those considering travelling to Utah to run the Green river through Labyrinth Canyon. Our trip was 64 miles, starting at Crystal Geyser (4.5 miles south of Green River State Park) and...

The Monarch is Mad River Canoe’s version of the Loon, which was designed by Verlen Kruger and made by Sawyer Canoe to use in his “Ultimate Canoe Challenge”, which was a 2 1/2 year, 28,000 mile trip back in the early 1980’s. He reportedly paddled exclusively with a Single blade but his...

As we were approaching the takeout at the end of a four day trip with a group of Boy Scouts down the Susquehanna River, an allegedly intelligent Yale doctoral student asked me “was I supposed to bring my car keys? I left them in your glovebox so that they couldn’t get wet”. It was a long...

I just replaced the shock cord in my Marmot tent this week. Coghlins sells pole repair kits and replacement cord for under $4 on Amazon. I matched the length of the poles and it worked well. THe cord gets longer when it ages and loses its elasticity, which makes it hard to put the poles together.

Hey Andy- how was the trip? Are you going to write it up? I watched the USGS flow reports during the ten days you were out and the river was high (22,000-28,000 CFS) the whole time. Any idea what the typical or range of current speed was? We are taking a group of boys down the section above...

Is that in your yard in Alaska or the Poconos? I assume it is the former. my brothers live in the Poconos and would be very interested to learn that there are moose in the area.

I would highly recommend a good physical therapist. I tore a rotator cuff last Thanksgiving (fourth time) and spent most f the winter doing specific exercises to recover range of motion and strength. I hated missing the first 3 months of an epic Ski season, but have nearly fully recovered in...

You will have plenty of time for hiking and exploring for cliff dwellings, pictographs and ruins. I would recommend Belknap’s waterproof Canyonlands River Guide. It has very detailed mile by mile river maps which show the locations of some of these features and the side canyons. We had...

Sadly, ppine is correct about the tamarisk invasion. I paddled that section (120 miles between Green River, UT and the confluence) 4 years ago and was really surprised at the difficulty we had finding usable campsites in Stillwater Canyon due to the overgrowth and in some places the mud. We...

I have been a fan of Tilley hats for over 40 years. I also used the guarantee when my sweat wore a hole in the front of my first one. I only like the original cotton “Aussie” style ones with the snap up sides and chin & head straps. The straps have saved my hats many times in strong winds. I...

I have about 4 feet (settled depth) in my front yard now. This winter has been a welcome reprieve from the ongoing drought in the west. Colder than normal though, with high temperatures below freezing for 3-4 straight weeks and a low of -18 F one night. Alta, 10 miles southwest of here, has...

I fully agree with ppine re Class 4-5 rapids. Just because my canoe is capable of making it through doesn’t mean that I want to try. At this stage of life the cost/benefit ratio does not pan out any more. I have friends who were heavily into running big water, life threatening rapids in...

I have an ME which I bought new in 1991. It is outfitted with a Bob Foote Grand Canyon saddle and air bags. It has run the San Juan and Green (Desolation Canyon) several times self supported and the Main Salmon with raft support. Last year we found another ME in great condition at a low price...

It looks more like a fiberglass hull. The Royalex Explorers don‘t have flotation foam in the bow and stern like that one. Also the material looks too thin to be Royalex.