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I’m from the Adirondacks and will say it’s hard to find real wilderness. On the flip side, I’ve never been to the Boundary Waters but that sounds like a total zoo to me. In both cases, the further you carry, the quieter it will be, though, the St. Regis isn’t a huge area. It is probably pretty...

Nice! I’ve been trying to find more info on that river. Thanks for posting the video. Definitely looked low and bony, but like you said, more water may not necessarily “improve” the situation. I bet that gets pretty wild. Looks like a great time and great weather. I recognized that lion with...

Agreed. My small Ocoee bag is the standard material and it’s plenty durable, and light. It just happened to be that the best deal I could find on any of their larger dry packs was new military issue ones on eBay. 50L for $80 and 80L for $120 was a steal! Their customer service is excellent as...

I really like my Watershed packs. They’re well known in the whitewater world but it seems not so much in canoe tripping circles. Just as air and water tight as my blue barrel, but more comfortable to carry and easier to fit in my solo boats. I bought new old stock military issue versions on eBay...

Luckily, Paddling Magazine trims down the choices for us and excludes 80% of the canoes on the market in favor of the few brands that pay for their advertising. That buyers guide is a joke. Nothing but an advertorial. But, yes, I still want most of the boats listed just in case I might like...

Have you seen the new Nova Craft Prospector 14 Solo that was just announced? Not particularly deep for a river boat, but with 2.5” of rocker, I bet it’s more maneuverable than the Swift iteration. Comes in all the different layups/weights...

Mad River Independence KH is my preferred flatwater solo for day paddling and tripping. Fast enough on the flats but very maneuverable and fun in tight twisty spots. Love that boat. Bell Merlin II in carbon/kevlar. Bought as a winter rehab project to flip, but kept for my daughter and wife to...

Umm… they were really toned mussels? 🤷

That’s correct. The only place they were found was on the concrete sea wall in the Village because of it’s calcium content. I once dated the niece of the director of the Freshwater Institute located in Bolton Landing, where she was an intern. We spent half that summer living on the Institute’s...

That editor clearly did not do her research, as Lake George is far from the southernmost point of Adirondack park. However, it is true that it is one of the clearest lakes in the US. It may be one of the cleanest too, depending on which Lake George you’re talking about. People often confuse...

Just be careful, the carbon dust is some nasty stuff! Outside with goggles, the best mask you can find, and latex gloves with your sleeves taped off. Some dust got up my sleeves and irritated the sh*t out of my skin for a day. I rinsed the pieces off in a bucket of water and wet sanded the edges...

Figured I would post an update of my final results. I decided to follow my original intuition of mimicking the Millbrook decks for simplicity, better drainage and minimal rot. Should have gone with 1/16” carbon decks, but 1/8” will be super rugged for thumping down steep portages.

My daughter loves to bake, so I use backcountry baking as as an incentive to keep her interested in canoe tripping. Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the Outback Oven has been as staple so far, but this year we’re stepping it up with recipes from scratch in a reflector oven, or twiggy fires on the...

I think Bob makes a good point about available room, but I always assumed it was about the paddlers center of gravity being forward of the seat due to their outstretched legs and arms. If the seats spacing and paddler weights were even, I think you’d surely end up bow-heavy and harder to control...

Hey Bob! Looking forward to hearing about the trips in your area. I’ve been looking into the Coulonge myself.

@recped I’ve seen the videos of your George River and Kesagami trips. It’s pretty impressive what you’re willing and able to run in that fully loaded boat, especially in the middle of nowhere! That tight little chute on the Kesagami sticks out in my mind. Well done! 🙌

Northstar is now selling 3D nylon airbags of various lengths that look just like the old Voyager/Harmony bags. My Harmony bags have been great. Lighter and tougher than the vinyl ones.

@SouthernKevlar I think the H2Pro makes a great whitewater tripping boat. Not as highly rockered as some, but it’s stable, relatively dry, enough volume for your gear and the moderate rocker make the flats tolerable. I’ve never seen a bad review of it. My buddy’s got one and I dig it.

@Glenn MacGrady The big gradient at the end is Jamestown Falls. Apparently, the national slalom used that as a practice course in 1988 with dam controlled flow. Paul Jamieson’s book rates it as class V-VI.

@Glenn MacGrady Yeah, there is not much info out there on this stretch besides what’s written in two guidebooks. I think that mystery and the presence of rapids keeps traffic low. Hopefully I’m not ruining that precedent by writing about it here. It really is a special place. I wish I could...