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  1. VA paddler

    Field sharpening

    I’m with Alan, a $15 double-sided diamond stone that slides into its handle resides in the kitchen set. Cooky needs a sharp knife, and his sous-chefs and dishwashers can be a bit careless!
  2. VA paddler

    The Maine Guide Paddle

    Not offering any opinion here, just evidence, neither for nor against. My wife’s great grandfather was the owner operator of Camp Caribou on the western shore of North Bay in Moosehead Lake back in the teens, 20s 30s and 40s - near a place on the map called Ogontz, though for a ‘place’, there...
  3. VA paddler

    Two days on the N. Branch, Potomac

    I spent my formative years ('94-'20) in the Shenandoah Valley, and the forks of the Potomac and the Cheat were our playground, always just over the mountain, ready to paddle after any sizeable rain or good snowmelt. If you get the chance, run Smoke Hole Gorge (overnight trip and tricky to catch...
  4. VA paddler

    Back to the crater (this time for real?) Manicouagan Reservoir

    Awww. Methinks you and Fuddle are gonna miss yer ne’er-do-well mates, but we’ll be checkin’ on ya from Elon’s eye-in-the-sky. I’ll be sure to send ya a couple “cmon, you’re burnin daylight” rise&shine messages. At least this trip should be ice free. Be careful - you’re not 70 anymore!
  5. VA paddler

    Megiscane Misery & The Clash: Trip Report spring 2025

    Ok, not my best work, but it paints the picture.
  6. VA paddler

    River Advice for Virginia or thereabouts

    I should do some write ups for the VA rivers. I've focused most of my TRs here and on CCR on the northern trips, but for 20 years I paddled dang near everything worthwhile in VA & WV, and dabbled in TN & NC, before I moved to ME. New River Gorge was our never-fail, go-to, ww option for a 4 or 5...
  7. VA paddler

    River Advice for Virginia or thereabouts

    I'm sorry I didn't see this post sooner. I would have steered you to New River Gorge for sure. Great C2-3 water and none of it is technical - just fun wave trains for four days from Sandstone Falls to Cunard, mostly fantastic scenery, and no portages. Nice big beach campsites, too, and no...
  8. VA paddler

    Who’s still paddling a Royalex solo boat

    I still break out the Mad River ME when I need something squirrely to have a play-date in.
  9. VA paddler

    Getting Kids into Canoeing

    Jmharrick - you must have one seriously zen disposition to take three daughters and the wife in one canoe. There's a special place at The End for guys like you. I've insisted that dad gets a multi-night paddle trip with each daughter each summer starting with the summer they each finished...
  10. VA paddler

    High Angle Double Blade Paddle

    The guys at Accent paddle built me a carbon/fiber double blade that is 9' long with big scooped blades and clipped corners. Great for moving a big loaded canoe over flats or in a headwind. Actually, it is pictured at screen left - that's me & a Duke, a 160lb Newfie, in a loaded Tripper running...
  11. VA paddler

    inReach Explorer Plus issue

    I've always used the Update Location option. Seems somewhat accurate.
  12. VA paddler

    Megiscane Misery & The Clash: Trip Report spring 2025

    That comment made my day! Haven't looked at the footage yet, but a video will be forthcoming.
  13. VA paddler

    Megiscane Misery & The Clash: Trip Report spring 2025

    Responding to several posts: Re: never having finished a croquet game, you have my sympathies. It is delightfully absurd, strangely competitive, not very physically demanding, and can (should?) be played while enjoying multiple substances. You should give it another go. Re: 'topper' stories -...
  14. VA paddler

    Megiscane Misery & The Clash: Trip Report spring 2025

    Ben came across the Megiscane route over the winter, and one of us mentioned it might be a good run for us to do this spring. It seemed simple enough. Train from Senneterre about two hours to Monet, drag to the put-in on the lake. There are about 40kms of un-canoe-mapped lakes and twists and...
  15. VA paddler

    How many have paddled the Maine Island Trail (MITA) by canoe?

    This Virginia Paddler now lives on the Maine coast and has become increasingly familiar with its waters. Is it possible to paddle the ME Island Trail in a canoe? Yes. Is it safe? Maybe. There are days in July and August when its a millpond out there - especially before noon. But if you are...
  16. VA paddler

    The 2023 Partridge River Drag

    I guess I didn't post the text of the TR on this site - you can find it on CCR. Finally finished the film - not high drama, but you'll get the gist of the experience. Maybe worth an hour if you're watching a spring blizzard out the window like we are in Maine.
  17. VA paddler

    Gens de Terre, September 2023

    Here is the link to the trip video:
  18. VA paddler

    Gens de Terre, September 2023

    Gens de Terre Trip Report, September 2023 We managed to pull off a late season trip somewhat out of the blue. Ben wanted to do the GdT because it was one of the few rivers in that neighborhood that he hadn’t run yet. Tom and I hadn’t run anything in that neck of the woods before, and were happy...
  19. VA paddler

    Fibbing To Your Spouse About Canoe Stuff

    "Oh... I think it should take about 10 days..." And then I walk through the door 17 days later.... Time is more of a fib factor than money for me - the gear was all bought a long time ago, and good gear lasts a long time, and I will wear something down to the bone before I replace it, so I...
  20. VA paddler

    Off to The Bay....James Bay

    Oh, stop kvetching. Those cold cocktails were fabulous on day 12! (which was really day 14 or 15 for the ice, if we count departure from Maine and when we loaded the coolers) If others imbibed more (or at all) they would be more appreciative. I think the big tandems with giant coolers...
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