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Anecdotal comment: Yes I feel/think it was a lot colder in the 1950's - 1970's than it has been in 00's - 20's. Evidence comment: While the price of heating fuel has done nothing but go up, the amount of fuel (natural gas in my case) consumed has gone down and this is in spite of the fact that...

When dealing with long blade paddles such as Ottertail or Beavertail I find the measurement of the full paddle length to be next to useless (maybe applies to all paddles?). The important measurement is the shaft only.

If I had my way floating lines would be mandatory for any ropes attached to a canoe, also lining/painters should be of appropriate size (and length). I really get annoyed when someone asks me to help them line their boat through a tricky section and then hands me a 75ft pile of 6mm crap they...

My shoulder issues (which are generally minor) are actually totally unrelated to paddling and usually are improved when I paddle. I try to go easy for the first day or two and then not much of an issue after that. A couple of years ago I started doing some free weight exercises during the off...

My usual paddle is a Werner Bandit (all carbon), when I have any discomfort in my shoulder I switch to an Otter type paddle (I have a couple of relatively inexpensive wood versions). It's not suitable for major whitewater or shallow rivers due to the long blade shape) but weight is not much...

On the rare occasions when I paddle in a popular area where there are lots of other canoes I like to watch the tandems go by, you can easily tell who has experience and who doesn't. The experienced paddlers are perfectly in sync and move in a straight line, the newbies can't stay in sync for...

The only true way to (maybe) turn off tracking on a cell phone is to turn it off and remove the SIM card. Even that might not be sufficient since even without a SIM card most phones can still be used for 911 calls (if available in your area). My understanding is that smartphones ping the...

A couple of screen grabs from Waterwalker https://www.nfb.ca/directors/bill-mason/ (possibly geoblocked?)

There is some stuff about the trip here: https://www.lequotidien.com/actualites/2024/09/08/quand-une-expedition-fait-revivre-le-savoir-faire-de-fabrication-de-canots-a-saint-felicien-BSQF3WS3XNAH3I7HZBSQPR3Q7M/ facebook starts blocking me after more than a couple of clicks, I can only scroll...

The "dot" is a smartphone thing, those devices are ALWAYS tracking you if you are within cell range (and soon Sat range). I assumed the discussion was restricted to off grid tracking. If we are talking local trips.... Where are you going? - Out What for? - I have stuff to do Can I come? - No...

I use an InReach (an old pre-Garmin model. not that this matters). I have it in tracking mode whenever I am moving, any of my followers who have the link to my Garmin tracking page can see exactly where I am. A track point will appear every ten minutes. My Inreach when fully charged will...

With rare exceptions I pay no attention to people whose main goal (often only) is monetization.

I could offer hundreds of suggestions but I'm not going on a wild goose chase. Please comment on the following: - Where are you located - Portages (none, some, doesn't matter) - How long of a trip (time/distance) - flatwater, whitewater, some of both - amount of previous experience - type of...

The effectiveness or need for ankle pads partially depends on what footwear you are using. I mostly wear NRS Workboots, the soles are not very flexible (great for portaging, wading etc) but not so good for kneeling. I've tried various ankle pads, none of them worked with those boots (most just...

They had some network issues overnight Tues/Wed, it was fine around 1:00pm today when I looked and is still loading right now.

I dislike portaging! I try to pick routes that are light on portages but most of them tend to include at least one long or shorter but very rough ports. If I'm looking at routes with these long ports I might pick one or another based on where the portage is (day 2 or day 30). That said I will...

Yes to cell phone service, you can probably connect about 10+km north of the town. You can camp at Tidewater which is an island directly across from the dock. It used to be a Provincial Park, got closed and then 4 or 5 years ago got taken over by Moose Cree (who have basically done nothing with...

I almost always stay at the Triftlodge (Now called the Travel Inn), mostly because it's perhaps the cheapest but it's also dog friendly and is one of the few remaining motels anywhere with a couple of smoking rooms. I've also stayed at the Chimo Motel once, it's was acceptable. There is...

Yeah from Moosonee (or Moose River Crossing) you get the train to Cochrane. Many many years ago there was passenger service south all the way to Toronto (via North Bay) but that was at least 30 years ago. There has been talk of reestablishing the service someday maybe. The train leaves Moosonee...

You need Back Country permits for the sections within the park boundary. If you are getting off the train in Missanabie you don't reach the park boundary until you portage into Missinaibi Lake. The map shows a gap in the park for for about 60km upstream (south) of Mattice (a bit north as well)...