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  1. Chip

    "Drag-ability" of hull material over rocks in river beds and on portages

    My Kevlar Rendezvous makes horrible noises when grinding over rocks. There have been times when I was out paddling and there really wasn’t enough water in the river, and I spent a lot of time wincing as the boat skidded over rock and gravel beds. I remember thinking I was ruining the boat. But...
  2. Chip

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    If you keep ending up on the white water runs, I gotta question how hard you are looking for flat water. There is more flat water on the Potomac than ww. Start at Riley's lock and paddling upstream, there's at least 10 miles of flat water. Put in at Fletchers, its hundreds of miles of flat water...
  3. Chip

    whitewater chain of command

    If I’m paddling a rapid with a newb, they’re in the stern and I’m in the bow. In the bow, I can pick the slot and get the bow there. All the stern has to do is follow. If the bow doesn’t get where you need to be, the stern won’t get there either. communication: first, there’s lots of noise in...
  4. Chip

    Where have all the whitewater canoes gone?

    My buddy wanted to canoe camp Maine’s St. John river, which includes rapids, so we thought I should learn whitewater. In ‘99 I took beginning whitewater (tandem) with the Canoe Cruisers, and began paddling every weekend with a group of open boaters, informally led by guidebook author Roger...
  5. Chip

    Tips To Deal With The Great Tick Invasion

    Bears, sharks, snakes, hippopotamus. All are animals you could possibly encounter while canoeing or camping. If you do encounter them, there's a small chance the animal will attack you. If attacked, you could be injured or killed. Ticks on the other hand, if you are in their range, you WILL...
  6. Chip

    Odd, funny, scary or beautiful things seen on a portage

    I have not done a lot of trips with portages, and don't remember seeing any weird sites on portages. The only odd thing I saw was a footbridge and that was only odd because it was my second time across, and I knew there was no footbridge on the portage trail. With my canoe on my shoulders I was...
  7. Chip

    Royalex MR Explorer Cold Cracks - Advice & Repair

    Pete's post, with which I completely agree, sent me to the dictionary. Trabeculae is an anatomical term, but works well to describe what he's talking about: a structural part resembling a small beam or crossbar, for the less anatomically informed, such as me. I don't think I have previously...
  8. Chip

    Worst Camp Meals?

    Pasta. We were on a barrier island trip and fresh water was precious. Cooking pasta usually involves throwing out the cook water. Wasteful, right? So, I just used bay water. I mean, I always salt the water before the pasta goes in, so bay water is just pre-salted water. The pasta came out way...
  9. Chip

    Royalex MR Explorer Cold Cracks - Advice & Repair

    Half a century ago home was Alexandria and I went to school in Va. Beach, 208 miles away. You could make it in an hour and a half by averaging 133mph. Tie the boat on well! ;-)
  10. Chip

    Royalex MR Explorer Cold Cracks - Advice & Repair

    I’m with Mr Poling, except I’m reluctant to say anything negative about an MRE. The Explorer is a well loved canoe, so I just figured that my dislike for it was user error on my part. I tried and tried to make the Explorer carve like a normal canoe—turning toward the down-leaned side. The MRE...
  11. Chip

    How do you know the water temperature?

    Nomad, what’s your impression of the wind speed accuracy on that kestrel? I paddled with somebody who carried a similar looking gadget, and, to me, it always seemed to read on the low side. But, I always think the wind is stronger than reported. Is the wind really stronger on the water or do I...
  12. Chip

    Winter Swimming?

    I don’t purposely swim in the winter. I did receive Baltimore Canoe Club’s swimming trophy, presented to first swimmer of the year, several years, twice swam on New Year’s Day, first paddle of the year. I swam with ice blocks on a different outing, and this was pre drysuit days. I remember...
  13. Chip

    How do you know the water temperature?

    While paddling, PPine and I both carry thermometers. This got me to wondering who carries thermometers, and what kind. I use a meat thermometer, but it's never been in the kitchen. It folds and fits into a pocket on my PFD. On the water, I was Mr. Smarty Pants telling other paddlers the water...
  14. Chip

    Smartphone or tablet as GPS?

    Today, I hiked with John S, who was using a Garmin. I was a Garmin user for many years, but an older model: 76csx. WillDerness had one, too, and he loved it. The device was fantastic, but I found the user interface torturous. WillD thought it was fine. So, I mentioned this to John, who told me...
  15. Chip

    Drysuit in the Shower

    That is the kind of run the old guys stayed off in the winter. Some used wet suits but none of them had drysuits. "Old guys." Huh, they're gone, and now I'm the old guy (but with a drysuit!). How'd you know the water temperature?
  16. Chip

    Drysuit in the Shower

    I started out a ww canoeist and still managed to find mud. I remember thinking, "they don't tell you about the mud," when you are getting into it. Often the trail to and the put in were muddy, and the mud came in the boat with me. But agree, there's a lot less mud and more rock on the ww rivers...
  17. Chip

    Drysuit in the Shower

    I carry a meat thermometer so I can know the water temp. Maybe a new thread?
  18. Chip

    Drysuit in the Shower

    First the feet get muddy. And then I sit or lie down in the boat, usually to fit under some log or bridge. That gets me muddy.
  19. Chip

    Drysuit in the Shower

    The knees and butt of my drysuit tend to get muddy. I remember reading one should keep a clean drysuit to extend the life of the suit. Only once a year do I actually put the drysuit in the washing machine. The rest of the season I take it in the shower. The drysuit often ends up there anyway. I...
  20. Chip

    Pillows

    I use clothes stuffed into the sleeping bag’s compression sack. For years, before it dawned on me I should wash that sack once in a while. The sack lost a couple shades of grime when I washed it.
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