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  1. Steve in Idaho

    Anyone here familiar with the Flathead river in Montana?

    The Flathead below the lake is on my radar for next year as I ponder choices for a multi day trip that I can invite some class 1 paddlers on. I have one guidebook that gives some information, but little is said about camping opportunities or shuttle service.
  2. Steve in Idaho

    Bowron Lake Circuit September 2026

    I didn't say much about it beforehand, not wanting to jinx the trip. ;) About 1,000 miles each way. The Solitude was great, everywhere except for the chute at the end of Isaac Lake. I might have been okay running it, but wasn't confident that I could do it dry with a load. Being not quite...
  3. Steve in Idaho

    Bowron Lake Circuit September 2026

    Yes, definitely. The drive itself for me is also quite scenic once across the border into Canada at Osoyoos. I was going to do it this year alone if necessary. Finally, a couple of months before my reserved date, I found someone willing to put up with me. We both brought our own carts. The...
  4. Steve in Idaho

    Bowron Lake Circuit September 2026

    I'll try not to make a long trip report, but there are a few things I can say that I don't think I've seen covered here. I convinced a friend to do the trip with me, so many of my photos will show the back of his head. After 18 hours of driving, we decided to stay in one of the small cabins at...
  5. Steve in Idaho

    Which solo canoes are best for heeling?

    I've had the Solitude for several years now. Its seat is adjustable to three heights. It came to me with the seat in its lowest setting. I immediately raised it to the middle, and left it there. It took me until less than a week ago to figure that out. On the last morning in Bowron, I raised...
  6. Steve in Idaho

    Ursacks and Minimalism

    Well, I hate paracord. It stretches when wet, and it's hard to get knots out of. 1/8" braided poly is easier to use but heavier than paracord. And I'm not comparing to a blue barrel - which isn't an approved "bear proof" container in a lot of places. I'm thinking more about the smaller and...
  7. Steve in Idaho

    Ursacks and Minimalism

    I don't think I'd ever give up a change of clothes to save weight. One slip and fall while getting out of the canoe after a long day has convinced me of that. After seeing all the tackle it takes to make a hang in some locations, I wonder if you really safe much weight over a small bear vault...
  8. Steve in Idaho

    U.S. Rivers that No Longer Reach the Ocean, and Why Lakes Mead and Powell are Drying Up

    Add to that list the Snake River and Lost River in Idaho...sort of. The Lost River never did make it to the sea. It made it to the historical lava beds in the Snake River plain and entirely dissapeared there into the aquifer at or before the Lost River Sinks - hence, the name. It wasn't actually...
  9. Steve in Idaho

    My ZRE field repair

    I went with the carbon fiber grip. It was going to be a bit of a loose fit, so I gave the plug one wrap of 4 oz fg. That made it perfect. That makes it a $115 paddle. 😉 Fixed for good, I think.
  10. Steve in Idaho

    BWCA late June 2026

    That's gorgeous! Which layup did you get?
  11. Steve in Idaho

    New Solo

    @Sdrew22 you made a great score! That Mohawk Solo 14 is a very underrated canoe. Mine probably won't be for sale until I die.
  12. Steve in Idaho

    Royalex / T-Formex vs. Tough Composites

    I view this one as an especially enticing trap. In fact, people are used to hearing the admonishment "stick to the plan" as if that's a virtue or protection. Yet, I would argue it's the cause of death in countless outdoor incidents.
  13. Steve in Idaho

    The power of a flash flood on a placid stream

    Know what's happening upstream indeed. A friend of mine was walking along one of our smaller rivers hunting birds with a buddy. It was early winter, and flow was untypically low. What they didn't know was that there was an ice dam upstream thet had backed up a lot of water. That dam broke while...
  14. Steve in Idaho

    Paddles, solo position in a short tandem

    It's been a while since I had the Fisherman, but I think I can still comment. Because it's so short and wide, I don't think you can get a good vertical forward stroke with a bent shaft as you will need to avoid yaw - and especially from either seat. When I paddled the Fisherman solo, I found...
  15. Steve in Idaho

    Crossing into Canada with bear spray and knives?

    Kinda figured. I'll be leaving my ADA compliant EDC knife home.
  16. Steve in Idaho

    Royalex / T-Formex vs. Tough Composites

    Thanks for confirming my suspension about Duraflex. I continue to be impressed by the durability of even my kevlar Solitude with its S glass skin. Also reaffirms my thought that the Clipper P14 should be a great whitewater tripper.
  17. Steve in Idaho

    Following wind, waves, and canoe design. Where to next?

    Oh, good points! The waves I run from on the bigger lake are very different from what I was just on. Way more fetch. Way deeper water.
  18. Steve in Idaho

    Following wind, waves, and canoe design. Where to next?

    It occurs to me that I have never experienced a tailwind while loaded for a multi day trip. It's always been on day trips with not much more than myself in the canoe. So I did a test with the Solitude the other day. I've never paddled it with more than a day tripping load before, and I thought...
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