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So much for our planned trip to Quetico in September. About half the area we were going to paddle is now burned over. Might be able to salvage a trip if the fire doesn't burn to the north or west and rain puts it out before we get there. But not sure if Ontario Parks will even allow people to...

Back to canoeing... 😜 I recently had an interesting discussion with a retailer that sells and rents canoes, kayaks, and SUPs. I asked him about canoe sales and what people were buying. He said solo canoes are his best seller, especially set up as a pack canoe. Interestingly, kayak fisher(wo)men...

I find it difficult to understand how these killing machines are allowed to remain. I know it will cost a fortune to retrofit (or remove) low head dams but Congress seems to find tens of billions in extra military spending.

I owned a Clipper Sea-1 canoe (which is much like a Kruger Sea Wind), which is designed for big, open water paddling, where the wind and waves can make paddling a real chore. I used the rudder in windy conditions quite a bit at first, but I found the rudder to be distracting and unnecessary in...

The shallow V design does work well to keep a canoe tracking, but I like the feel of a shallow arch better. The flats on either side of the V hull can feel more stable (secondary stability) when heeled but it doesn't seem as smooth and predictable as the curve and soft chines of a shallow arch...

We have Google Pixel 9 Pro (Android) phones with satellite texting. It's nice to have because cell tower coverage is spotty in many places that we visit around the country. There can be delays in sending and receiving texts but it works. I am concerned, though, about the resulting space trash...

I'd be hesitant to reach in there for a bait minnow.

Why are the oldest and tallest trees all conifers? I assume that you mean individual trees because some of the oldest tree organisms are quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones. But as GeoBoy posted, the oldest single trees are bristlecone pines. I think that the apical dominance of conifers...

And then there's Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) which was originally thought to be a hemlock (Tsuga), thus, the subsequent corrective addition of Pseudo. Perhaps it would be fitting to rename the mis-named cedars as Psuedocedrus. ;) One of my favorite contradictory specie names is Pinus...

The GRB Classic will definitely provide that for you. :)

That's one of his I haven't read, I'll have to find a copy. I appreciate how he incorporates the social aspects of natural resource management into his stories.

Classic or Classic XL? Interesting perspective. I wouldn't consider either the Trillium or the Classic to be a big water solo, not without a spray deck.

Exactly. And what do you do with the 240cm (and longer) double when you switch to the single? Added: I'm interested in what double-blade paddlers have to say. I haven't canoed with anyone that swapped out paddles; the single blade was there more as a spare.

For me, the big drawback to double-blade paddles (and why I'm hesitant to use them) is the awkward bulkiness of storing the paddle in the canoe whenever I switched to the single-blade. Sure, you can get two-piece paddles but that's equally kludgy. I tried a double with my Clipper Sea-1 for a...

Was out paddling in a Jensen 18, which is a pretty fast canoe, and a friend was in a Northwind Solo and kept up with us quite easily. He was using a double-blade paddle. Despite the negativity associated with that combination, it does work well, especially against a brisk wind.

I was out paddling bow in a Jensen 18 the other day. It's a good canoe for day paddling at speed. Doesn't turn on a dime but will come around with a bit of heel and an axle or post. We were out in a pretty stiff wind and small white caps but it did fine. I does like to cut through waves so can...

That'll teach 'em... 😄

I've been thinking lately that I should buy a double-blade paddle and use it with our Swift Prospector 13 at a popular local lake, occasionally switching between the single-blade and the double-blade just so people can see that canoes can be paddled either way. It'd be even better if I learn to...

Enjoyed the account of your trip and I like your sense of humor... "Never liked the bottom of my canoe anyway." :D

We canoeists should keep in mind that the potential market for new recruits realistically doesn't include the buyers of $300 'yaks from the chain stores. It's the Pungo kayakers that show an interest in our canoes at the put-in. It's the first time or returning buyers of watercraft that have...