Hello from the bottom of the Mighty Miss

[garfish]

Hey y’all, I’ve been lurking for years, it’s about time I joined in.


Sold my first canoe, a sturdy wood and canvas of unknown brand, in 1966. Followed by a Sawyer Cruiser, a Super and a Saber. Then I bought my Malecite and dodged gators in bayous, chased freighters on the Mississippi to surf their bow waves, ran Ozark rivers and some North Carolina whitewater, and cruised saltwater on the Gulf Coast and Puget Sound. The Malecite got too brittle for rivers but worked fine on open water, lasting almost 30 years.


I got distracted by snow and rock for a long while and my Malecite and a Wenonah Heron only got occasional use. But now I am old and never did my fantasy Far North canoe expedition that I had dreamed about since I was very short. So...


I’ve been collecting maps, big river-proof packs, a new super light camp kit, bunches of cedar and fiberglass, and an NRS drysuit that might be too much. Still haven’t decided which canoe to build but I will do another post about that.


I want to thank all of y’all for the many posts about solo canoe designs and for great trip reports; it’s pretty inspiring.


Y’all take care,
James

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

James, welcome to site membership!

Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos, and to start threads, in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Many of the site's technical features are explained in Features: Help and How-To Running Thread. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.

Louisiana is one of the few places I've always wanted to paddle but haven't yet. I canoed in New Jersey last month with a Texas woman who used to paddle with the Bayou Haystackers Paddle Club in New Orleans.