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I’m reluctant to post this because I’m no expert in hydrodynamics or canoe strokes…, but, IMO, different shaped boats react differently to leans. For example, a Mad River Explorer tends to carve the side of the hull, turning away from the side to which you lean. An Old Town Appalachian, leaned...

A friend took a trip on Georgian Bay and cut it short because the guy was totally inept. Guy couldn’t paddle and had no camping skills. I started a trip on the Machias and bailed halfway through. I was paddling with a friend I had paddled with before in less challenging waters. We planned a...

I started to make a parallel to the joke Floridians make about Georgia: why does the St. John River flow north? Because Georgia sucks. But, that would be political and we don’t need politics here. Fairfax County has a mid-river water intake just north of the golf course. I think it physically...

During my one and only trip to BWCA, we hung, and sometimes it was tough to find a way to hang 12’ up and 6’ from a trunk. You need a large limb in an area where there are no lower limbs and no other trees nearby. There were sites where we couldn’t find such a limb and resorted to rigging lines...

I too have paddled that section of the Potomac dozens of times—it’s always been fairly straightforward. So, I’m curious to know what was going on. Discounting unidentified phenomena such as alien tractor beams, seems there’s only three reasons you’d be going upstream: 1. you were paddling...

Let me be Chief Brody to your Quint. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." I don't mean need--I'm sure you can make it work with the boat you have. My question is why mess with it? Just get a more right-size boat. My $0.02, and over-priced at that.

I’m not a nutrition expert, but I think the Lewis and Clark crew was on the Atkins diet before there was an Atkins diet. After their store-bought food was gone, they ate meat, meat, meat, and lost weight. Of course, they were probably working off thousands of calories per day. I think it points...

Hope you reviewed the similar thread Pseudonym linked above. I posted info on the Potomac to that previous thread. I think the Potomac is a good option for you.

As a Google avoider, I can't comment on your Pixel phone. However, I carry my iPhone 11 in my PFD pocket, swim with it, get splashed with it in the PFD pocket, and don't worry about getting it wet. The phone isn't on any kind of leash, and I worry about dropping it when I take it out of the PFD...

Pretty good article, Mark. Do you ever get that old Yardbirds song in your head?: (Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down (Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round (Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down (Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round When will it end? (When will it)

I’m a packaged food fan for trips with no portages and no treatable fresh water. That includes canned foods. Many modern cans have integral bottoms that can not easily be opened with a can opener. You can use a hammer, hatchet, or rock to pound them flat. Store the flattened cans in a zip lock...

My canoeing mentor and Virginia Whitewater guidebook author, Roger Corbett paddled an Intrepid 16. That makes me think it is a good boat for your area. Royalex boats that are still in the basic shape of a canoe can almost always be repaired. I’ve fixed boats in far worse condition. In...

No idea what the wood is but I love the grain pattern.

Stumbled across photos taken in 2016 along the Patuxent of bank-side wheels that seriously piqued my curiosity. Back then I went as far as writing to a local historical society, but they never answered. The wheels are just upstream from a tributary named Mill Branch, and I speculated that...

I've used an arborist throw weight, but have never taken it canoeing. I made a slingshot for mine which can get the weight up to about 70' with good accuracy. I've probably put that weight into trees a hundred times and it's never gotten stuck. About the only thing I use it for anymore is to...

I’m also a list user. One thing I do a little different is rather than use check marks to indicate each item is packed, I put a letter indicating into what the item is packed. “B” means it’s in the big blue dry bag, “AP” means it’s in the Action Packer box with kitchen stuff, and so forth. I...

Last time I was on Chesuncook was 2008, so this is dated info, but as I recall, you pay your fees at the entry gates. Not sure how you are getting there, or whether you pass through a gate. They didn't take credit cards either, and I don't know if that has changed, so you may need cash. I'm...

I was awakened by blood curdling screams coming from my companion’s tent in the middle of the night. “Are you okay? Do you need help?” I shouted into the darkness. “Yes…Heelllpp, aiiiyeeeeee,…” and so on. She later told me she didn’t know she was capable of screaming like that. She was out of...

Wood makes great poles. Wood is quieter than aluminum and if it’s cold, wood doesn’t suck the heat from your hands the way aluminum does. I’ve never found a good solution for making a two-piece wood pole, and I find the ability to split the pole into 6-foot pieces is convenient and not unusual...

I was thinking I'm a tough guy and I don't take "luxury" items. But then there's the dedicated, single-purpose, awkward to pack, popcorn maker. I don't actually own one, but have packed one in my canoe. CanoeTripping's Will Derness has a fancy one with a crank handle on top that drives a blade...