canoe
Right Tackle
07.21.2006
Marty Grabijas (Marty G. to his friends) was introduced to the outdoors at an early age through fishing. Living in Buffalo, New York, a simple line cast from some of the best canoe water in the world, Grabijas soon turned his sights toward Ontario as his base of adventure. “There were summers when I was [...]
Lake Powell’s Disappearing Act
07.21.2006
Lake Powell in Bullfrog, Utah is barely half-full and taking in less run-off than expected this year. The lake, used as a reservoir for keeping water for dry years in the Colorado River basin, is sparking debate over whether the shrinking water level is a positive. Some prefer the new beaches for camping revealed by [...]
Luring Locales
07.20.2006
Everglades National Park, Florida Chokoloskee Island is smack-dab in the middle of a kayak fisherman’s nirvana-the western edge of Everglades National Park. Look on a map and you will see literally 10,000 islands surrounded by mangroves, mudflats, oyster bars, sandy beaches, and a rich marine nursery that is home to an amazingly diverse fishery-trout, redfish, [...]
Mildwater PFD Recalled
07.19.2006
VENTURA, Calif. (July 19, 2006) – Lotus Designs, Inc., the paddling apparel manufacturer and an affiliate of Patagonia, Inc., announced today that it is voluntarily recalling its Mildwater PFD. This style is also sold as the Fishing PFD and Patagonia Fishing Vest. Although there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the [...]
Craft that Catch
07.16.2006
I blame it on my parents. They took me fishing at an early age and I was hooked. Nothing fascinated me more than peering into the depths that my bait had descended into and wondering what creatures lurked down there. I soon discovered that as I retreated farther into the backcountry, the fish became bigger [...]
Lord of the Loop
07.13.2006
If you knew who freestyle kayaker Stephen Wright was before 2005, you were either a friend or family member. But after entering the Reno River Festival that year as an amateur– and taking third place among the pros – Wright has become on of the best-known athletes on the freestyle scene. Since then, Wright, 28, [...]
Canoe Records Smashed in Yukon Quest
07.10.2006
Course records were crushed at the 2006 Yukon River Quest canoe and kayak race from Whitehorse to Dawson City, held June 28-July 2. The overall winners, Brandon Nelson and David Kelly, smoked the 460-mile course in 40 hours, 37 minutes, and 5 seconds in a tandem kayak, lopping two and a half hours off the [...]
Sit-and-Switch Canoe Paddling
07.07.2006
If you’re planning a long flatwater trip, it’s time to consider the most efficient way to move a canoe-using bent-shaft (elbow) paddles. I hear arguments for not using bent-shaft paddles, but once you’ve used them a time or two, you’ll fall in line. Some time ago, a friend asked how to train his new partner [...]
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
06.29.2006
Imagine packing your supplies, stepping into your boat and pushing off. You paddle on scenic rivers, historic lakes and shimmering streams, winding your way through the New York’s Adirondacks. You’re surrounded by billowing hills, with quaint cabins plopped into the deep emerald fields that seem to roll straight to the clouds. Paddling on, you venture [...]
Wave of Honor
06.28.2006
With several courses under construction nationwide, 2006 will be a landmark year for whitewater-park development. None, however, is as inspirational as Brennan’s Wave, a $300,000 park being built on the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. The park is a tribute to Brennan Guth, a local boater and founder of Tarkio Kayak Adventures, who died [...]
Stoke for the Armchair Paddler
06.28.2006
Most armchair thrill-ride videos make me glad I’m still in the armchair and not getting my sinuses flushed with seawater or my skull ground into a beach like a cigarette butt. As I get older, and increasingly injured, I find myself less interested in the wild moves of kayaks getting thrashed on tape than I [...]
Gimme Shelter
06.27.2006
The desire for adequate shelter is damned near primordial, a holdover from the cave days, when warm, dry, and secure lodging was up there with food and fire on the priority list. On a paddling trip, a dependable, functional, and even luxurious tent ranks alongside a sweet boat and good company. When a tent-door zipper [...]
Reverse Sweeping in Whitewater Kayaking
06.16.2006
There are times on the river when you want to stop traveling in one direction and head toward a new destination. Sometimes this happens because your boat has gotten knocked off line. Other times it is part of your plan. For example, if there are two obstacles that you need to go between, a solid [...]
Canoe a Gentle River
06.16.2006
This time of year nearly 30 years ago, an excited novice canoe paddler discovered the pleasure of floating a river. I remember the river and the trip. A sunny, warm day enhanced the magnificent mountain and meadow scenery. Each river bend added ner-vous energy, and loud riffling noise generated by shallow water raised images of [...]
Portraits of Kayakers
06.15.2006
My Brother’s Keeper When Simon Osborne says he didn’t really know what he was getting into when he decided to circumnavigate the United Kingdom, he means it. That the 26-year-old had never actually sea kayaked before only accentuated the urgent need for instruction from renowned kayaker Nigel Dennis. “Fortunately, he didn’t tell me to just [...]
Versatile Canoes Reviewed
06.15.2006
The lure of moving water seems to have moved the major canoe makers in 2006. All the models in this review focus on versatility, with three of the four advertising at least moderate whitewater capability. When hybrid bicycles came out years ago, they were neither pure road nor mountain, and with these boats there is [...]
Buyer's Guide
