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Recently returned from Québec and saw very, very few canoes on cars or trucks, except in the Vérendrye region. None had fancy Thule or Yakima racks. They were mostly those little foam blocks, or occasionally, something home made. I think we Americans are wimps.

Recently on the Mégiscane my iPhone occasionally showed « SOS only ». I wondered what would happen if I pressed it - such as is it just an SOS like a SPOT SOS with no message? Or can one compose a text message?

There are many bug stains on the interior of my tents. Most disturbing is when they are bloody. They already got me but at least they aren’t free to breed more. If weight is not a problem, I bring thermacels. Set one up about a half hour before bedtime, just outside the door. No bugs will be...

I remember getting the email stating I had to answer three canoe questions before being permitted to join and post. I remember being afraid they would be technical questions I wouldn’t know the answers to. Luckily, the questions were simple enough and I passed. Whew! Talk about test anxiety.

If there’s anyone who hasn’t read this trip report, do it now. It is a fantastic trip extremely well written. I can commiserate about the days of rain. I had a 28 day trip during which it rained 26 days. That was some 30 years ago and I remember the trip with great fondness. More recently...

I had pre-paid, but when I saw the location, I just drove away and stayed somewhere else.

I got in okay. There are few posts, but some as recent as 9/9/25.

I love it!

As a former hospice nurse, I understand where he is coming from.

The pictures in the OP are all of the same canoe. The canoe is entirely green. So that had to be the the camera. I noticed it too, but I promise you those pics are all of the same boat. They were taken on different days, so I suppose the light might have been different. I only paddled a Blue...

I looked through some old photos. Here’s the Freedom in better days. And in this photo it looks like there is a thwart in the bow. Once I saw that, I looked more closely at the first picture and can see a bow thwart there.

Thank you so much, Robin.

It’s a gorgeous canoe and a superb photo.

What is “felt on the stems?” I know the center thwart needs replacing, but why two more thwarts? I don’t think it ever had more thwarts. I love the look and feel of wood canoes and wood gunwales, but living in south Florida the heat and humidity damages the wood quickly. I’ll try a local fix...

I’ve practiced swimming easy whitewater with a pfd on. It’s more difficult than it sounds, keeping your feet up, when you’re being pummeled this way and that and crashing into this or that rock.

Under some sad conditions I have regained possession of my original Mad River Freedom which needs some work. My former paddling partner and I bought it at least 30 years ago. This is the boat we did our most extensive and remote trips in, including white water. Some of the best experiences of my...

Thank you, eckilson, for posting. It appalls me when small children are put in a boat without a pfd. My daughter wore one with a crotch strap and a “heads up” flap at the neck. She was comfortable and happy in it. We also practiced swimming with it on and falling off a SOT. On the Mégiscane I...

Drinking beer and shooting guns and having a good ole time. Cat calls. Seen it many more times on the river than at the grocery store.

In one of Paddling Pit's books, he describes a situation where a bear was approaching them and Kathleen had a bear banger in her pocket. He described it going off, like a whoosh when she unleased it and then a bang near the bear that sounded like a gun shot and the bear did retreat. It's much...

I have an old iphone SE. It went on my last trip in the pdf with no waterproofing. It did get seriously dunked along with me, but I don't remember why or where. It kept working, but when I tried to charge it, I got a message that water was detected and to wait. So I waited and eventually I could...