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Delaware River north of the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania.I think it was a 3-4 day trip in 17’ aluminum canoes owned by the Firestone Explorer Base. Exciting first trip with some decent rapids. A bunch of 13-15 year old kids with one adult. We ended at Dingman’s Ferry, as I recall. It...

M Clemens- why did you have to replace your Summersong? Did it have physical problems?

I picked up a 1988 kevlar Malecite last year and am still in the process of repair/restoring it. I have taken it on several river trips and day trips on lakes and would rate it very stable- both initial and secondary. It is not quite as stable as my Kevlar or RX Explorers, but not by much. I...

First one is a Bernie Fuchs print (348/360). The second is a watercolor by an artist friend of my wife and me on an evening paddle on the Colorado below Moab, UT. She took photos from another canoe and turned one into a painting, which now hangs in our entry. The sculptures are gifts from my...

This is the book which started it all. Growing up in suburban Maryland in the 1950’s, I had never heard of canoes, rapids, canoe camping,black flies, or the north woods of Maine. This gift from my brother when I was 10 years old introduced all of these things and instilled a desire to...

I am also a fan of Lucie lights. After getting one as a gift years ago I purchased 3 more and we keep them on a sunny windowsill for use during power outages as well as for camping. One with a red strobe goes in the truck for emergency use. The big one with 10 leds only weighs 3.9 oz and never...

That was my understanding also. They said that they will sell off any remaining inventory next spring when they return from this year’s trip and that trips were going to continue in the future. They didn’t like how much time the retail and manufacturing business was demanding and preferred...

Bob- I liked your photo and anorak. You are lucky to have gotten it- I looked online and Lure of the North has gone out of business. Interesting story about the owners decision to move on.

You both got some good vertical!! I really like watching Ziva jump over things while she is sprinting- don’t get to see humans jump very often 😁

This is a more typical carry for a solo paddle.

Hard to beat a pickup when the grandsons want to come along.

I have a female Vizsla that weighs in at 38 pounds- which is at the low end of the size range for the breed. As others have noted, she also does not smell and grooms herself like a cat. Unlike many v’s, cold doesn’t bother her, but mosquitoes do. She gets welts which show through her coat...

Alcohol I have used Trangia stoves/kits for many years and recently converted an old Optimus to alcohol for more robust heat and ability to simmer more easily. I like not having the smell of white gas in camp. The trade off is a little slower cooking time. I also use a twig (solo) stove when...

Where are you located IS? We western canoeists are pretty rare. What rivers, and sections, are you planning to run ? I mostly paddle the Green and Colorado, but would like to do the Dolores and San Juan again. Northstar Phoenix IXP and a kevlar Mad River Malacite are my main go to solo boats...

I also have collected knifes most of my life and tend to go over equipped. I have a Gerber or an NRS rescue knife mounted on the lash tab of my pfd, depending on if I am canoeing or rafting. One has been used to slash a rope in an emergency and I always have one of these. My kitchen/utility...

Hey Doug- I just figured out that you must be Scooter from Maine. I have always enjoyed your blogs over the years. Am I correct, and you have moved to NH?

More photos from above post.

I am finally posting the results, so far, of the repair of my Kevlar Mad River Malecite, which was the subject of the first post in this thread. After weighing all of the advice given by members here, I decided on a kind of middle ground. My son, who is a muscular 6'6" 220 lbs and I were able...

Al- the paddle looks great! I'm curious as to where you removed the 5 oz, was it mostly in the "throat" i.e. transition from blade to shaft area, or all over? Did you thin down the edges? the whole blade? reduce the circumference of the shaft? What grit sandpaper did you start and end with...

My first canoe purchase was in 1979 when I was 32 years old. We took a short trip to Vermont from our home in Connecticut and somehow ended up with a 17’ Grumman on top of the van. I think it was a spur of the moment decision. The reason for Grumman was that this was the brand that my Dad had...