However, planning and successfully completing a thirty day canoe trip is nothing to sneeze at, even -- or perhaps especially -- if done in that fugly looking excuse for a canoe! If he sticks around he may have some valuable insights to contribute.
Completing a 30 day trip with a square stern Sportspal is by itself quite an achievement. Maybe a unique one;
that could have been the supplemental storyline, and opportunity for some humor.
OK, the “Authority” part was off putting, for reasons including a sense of “ownership” in this self-supporting board and community.
But I fear we, including me, have piled on, something I have never before seen on this board, and not a path I want to see continue on Canoe Tripping. There are other paddling boards on which that derisive dog pile is too often the case, and I believe such tone and tenor drives away the folks who only want to give back and contribute.
I have found Canoe Tripping contributors to be accepting, low key, well read and well written, and often self deprecatingly humorous, which serves nicely to take the wind out of any expert-ism-ese.
And,
most importantly, this board is a source of the highest quality information.
The experience and wide ranging knowledge base available on this board, and contributor’s willingness to share, is unparalleled online.
By way of expert-ism-ese and bona fides to make such a pronouncement, I have been a contributor to paddling boards since the early days of the Rec.Boats.Paddle newsgroup (late 1980’s?) and I have seen nothing quite like Canoe Tripping in 35 years of canoe message boards.
I have learned more, had more questions answered, received more proven-to-work recommendations and been-there solutions since joining Canoe Tripping than I would have thought possible.
Eric, get to know these folks, read some archived threads, use the search function for any key word that interests you, ask questions. . . . .maybe change your log-in name.
