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Yesterday, my wife, father in law and I completed a weekend trip of 27 miles on the Clarion river in Pennsylvania. It’s a wonderful river to paddle with great scenery, wildlife viewing camping and decent fishing. We typically try to do this trip in April for higher water levels and less river...

My first canoe, acquired when I was 17, was a 13’ aluminum boat some previous owner had painted yellow. It developed a deserved reputation for instability; particularly when loaded with two young men (who may have been a bit overloaded themselves) and a cooler also loaded with various beverages...

My wife and I are obsessed with being outside. Year round backpacking, trail running, sea kayaking on Lake Erie, maintaining an old house and garden work well for keeping us in shape. I take inspiration from 3 people, however. My grandfather took his final overnight canoe trip with me when he...

Big Agnes copper spur hv ul 2.

Big Agnes copper spur hv up 3 and Kelty Noah’s tarp 14.

There are lots of differences, particularly with how you care for anything that could freeze. As a contact lens wearer, for example, I have to ensure my saline is thawed when ready for it. We have to be careful with water, etc. I use my phone for photos and, often now, navigation with the Gaia...

For years, I’ve backpacked in trail runners in all weather save deep snow. They’ve become my paddle shoe of choice as well. They work well for me for portages, remain comfortable when wet and dry quickly. I wear a simple smart wool sock with them that insulates even while wet. In camp, I wear...

Following this thread reminds me of that ancient truism: there is no wrong weather, only the wrong gear.

Some notes on additional gear for winter backcountry travel and camping: 1. We add a foam pad under our therma rests for additional insulation from the ground. 2. We always carry a white gas stove when temps are below freezing for reliability and efficiency. I carry the MSR Dragonfly. 3. I...

Some recent winter backpacking photos. 1. Lean to in PA - 25 degrees 2. Lean to in PA - 2 degree morning 3. Pulling the pulk 4. Gathering firewood is a great way to stay warm - 12 degrees 5. Tarp camping - Accumulated about 2" additional snow on the tarp tonight - 8 degrees

Hello sir! Most of our winter forays are in Pennsylvania, New York and West Virgina. We tend not to go too far afield in case travel conditions become problematic.

We do a lot of winter backpacking. We snowshoe or ski when necessary. As others have said, no bugs! I really don’t like to sweat and love that we can see so much more in the wintertime without the foliage. We can dress for the cold, but not for the heat. We spend 40 nights out per year on...

I really enjoyed the read! It’s going to be a wonderful resource for planning our future wabakimi trip. Thank you for posting it!

I can verify they are still in use. While we didn’t see a train, we saw a work crew come in.

Our municipal water system treats with uv light. For wilderness travel, find the convenience tough to beat. I hate carrying water around.

I did cast my vote. I’m not concerned with “floaties”in my water. They’re not going to get me sick. I try not to look at the water that carefully after I purify it. 😉 A recent campsite was surrounded by particularly silty water. I did pour it through a bandanna prior to purifying in that case...

In my 30 years of wilderness travel. I’ve used filters, chemicals, filtration bottles , etc, etc. For the last 10, I’ve used nothing but my steripen. I carry iodine as backup, but haven’t used it since going to the steripen. I froze and clogged filters and spilled chemical treatments. I have...

We had a great time. And we’re fortunate to get lots of good views on trips, but will be sure to take those recommendations next time. The fishing was so good, we had trouble leaving the water! The drive isn’t terrible either!

Thanks guys. We switched things up pretty regularly. I’d paddle with Jodi (my wife) where I was comfortable with wind and waves or that we had no beaver dam pulls. Otherwise, we split up to ensure our crew had a good experience and minimized chances for out of boat experiences.

A smattering of photos