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I have several of Cliff's books and find him to be very knowledgeable about canoe tripping. I have enjoyed his books and have learned lots of things. Having said that, I find his dismissive and arrogant attitude toward methods that other people have found successful and toward equipment that...

I always really enjoy your trip reports and your pictures. Thank you so much. Hoping for more!

Wow! The foreshadowing of wind and the Wanderer 4 is becoming real. Hopefully the tent holds up. Were your guy lines slipping or were pegs pulling out or is the high profile of the Wanderer 4 just too much for the combination of high winds and little shelter on the barrens? Your situation on...

From Robbie Burns (To a Mouse) : "But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!" And an English translation: "But Michael, you are not...

When I ordered my boat all those years ago I found Bob Hellman easy to work with so I expect he would produce a Duratuff Solitude.

I have had a Hellman Solitude for 15 years and find it a very versatile boat. I paddle rivers up to Class 2+ and lakes with people in tandems and have found it to be capable in moving water and quite fast on the flats. I got it with a tractor seat and foot-brace and with knee pads. I paddle...

As always, a great read - thanks. Your reluctance to use your compass as you usually did in the past reminds me of me, for whatever reason, not wanting to do simple things that have been successful in the past. For example, deciding that it will be OK to not tie the canoe up when stopping...

Hi Michael, I asked about your canoe and tent and then I didn't respond, sorry! Thank you for responding. I got lost in following your story and I have the attention span of a gnat. When I saw your picture of your tent, I thought it was the Wanderer 4 but wanted to confirm. I have one (and a...

Such a great storyteller! You make ordinary things very interesting. Beautiful photography! What canoe are you using? What tent?

You are a wonderful storyteller. Thanks and keep telling.

From a recent trip in the McLennan Lake, Saskatchewan.

That doesn't look like Royalex to me. Buyer beware!

Ah, yes, the things I've bought and never or seldom used or that have not performed well. I prefer look at my many unfortunate purchases differently. I like to frame myself as a seeker of knowledge, an experimenter, etc. It makes me feel better than framing myself as someone who doesn't know...

As with most people, we use a lot of zip locks that mostly get re-used at home, usually they get re-used several times. We differ from most in that we carry our lunch in a 1/2 sized pail with a Gamma Seal lid. We find it handy to grab at lunch time and we replenish it as needed from the main...

As others do, I usually head for the shore and find shelter among shoreline trees - but not the highest trees around. Sometimes I will get out on shore and take shelter. One question that has been in my head for years: What to do if you are camped on a fairly small island with a limited...

It was a really nice river to paddle. I suspect the countryside might remind you, somewhat, of the barrens. I have a more complete report, without pictures, that is available to anyone who wants it.

Great work on re-opening routes and on your maps.

Thanks! Knowing that most of your tripping is done in amazing shield and boreal forest, I think you'd really enjoy the Milk River partly because it is so different. If you are ever considering it, let me know and I'll send you whatever info I can. The offer for additional information on the...