Well, the ice isn't completely out, but there is a section of lake in front of the bridge in our town that is open for about a kilometer. So I tied my new paddle in and portaged the 500 meters to the bridge, paddled for over an hour and then portaged back home.
I really liked the werner, nice and light, and the blade size seemed perfect. I used the bent black bart that Alan had given me, and although also a sweet paddle, it pushed quite a bit more water. The werner seems geared to my new slow but steady pace.
Here's what my portaging rig is going to look like for my upcoming trip.
And in another thread, we were talking about fasteners, these are my new favorites, like big rubber twist ties. When I'm in Thunder bay next week, I'm going to pick up the longer size, just to make the process a little faster.
Paddling season is back in the north, I'm hoping to get out daily, even if it is just doing circles in the ice.