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Note: this is an old essay I found in a notebook that had been stored for years. That notebook was from back when I first started PaddlingLight (called Nessmuking at the time). It’s paddling adjacent. I write a lot of these personal essays, but I don’t have a place to post them. So, you’re getting it here. In northern Minnesota, many Forest Service and lake access roads are left snowed in for the winter. So, when spring hits it feels almost like a treasure hunt to try and get back into places with a car. Every year starting with the last week of March, I’ve driven up the Gunflint Trail…

In other outdoor activities, such as backpacking and bikepacking, participants have a set of three inspiring trips known as a triple crown. For example, in backpacking there’s the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. For bikepackers, there’s the Arizona Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Colorado Trail. Although I suspect that Eastern Divide Trail will boot the Colorado Trail from the list. But there isn’t solid Triple Crown of Paddling, yet. It’s about time that changes. Triple Crown of Paddling Criteria Before establishing potential routes in a Triple Crown of Paddling there needs to be criteria. These are what I’d suggest: Possible Routes I…

With more paddlers carrying electronic devices on their trips, there’s a need for a lightweight and small power bank that can charge a phone or other devices several times. If that’s you, then you may want to check out the Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2 Power Bank. It weighs only 5.4 ounces. Nitecore claims it is the world’s thinnest and lightest 10,000mAh power bank. In the past it only came in black, but it now comes in silver, too. I’ve been using the Nitecore NB10000 for several years and have found it a lightweight and reliable piece of gear. When in the field, I’ve used it to recharge a phone, camera…

After hearing about First Ascent Instant Coffee blasting into space to quench the thirst of decaffeinated astronauts aboard the International Space Station, I was super excited to try their instant coffee. It isn't widely available, so I felt lucky when First Ascent Coffee sent me a sample pack to review.

Last year, fiber artist Moira Bateman purchased the drawings for the 1888 West Greenland Kayak. Her plan wasn’t to turn the drawings into a usable kayak. Her plan was to turn it into art. The artwork that she created is on display in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA until April 8th, 2023. The silk and wax kayak is called Vessel No. 1. It was made with two long strips of birch for the gunwales to support the silk and waxed fabric. Bateman creates her works from waxed silk that you stains using sediments from various Minnesota waterways. On her website, she writes: I create assemblages from silk that has been stained with…

In 1858, Assiniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition was charged to explore the fur trading routes between Lake Superior and the Red River and determine whether or not white settlement should move westward. As part of the expedition, they acquired six North Canoes. Photographer Humphrey Lloyd Hime accompanied the expedition to document their findings in photos. Along the way, he took the photo Encampment on the Red River. The photo shows a birchbark North Canoe (canot du nord). The photo includes expedition leader Henry Youle Hind, who wrote of their canoe: The canoe assigned to me proved unfortunately to be, not only very slow, but in bad travelling condition, requiring constant…

On January 25th at 9am CST, reservations for Boundary Waters Canoe Area permit system opens. Popular permits for busy weekends will go quickly. If you’re looking to get a permit for the BWCAW for a specific time and location, you best get your permit at 9am. You can reserve your permit at Recreation.gov. The background on the reservation system is that Boundary Waters’ permits work on an entry point and quota system. The area is divided up into entry points and those are the only locations you can enter. Each day the US Forest Service only allows so many groups into each entry point. Last year, they reduced the quotas…

If you’re an avid paddler, camper, or outdoors enthusiast, you know that a compass is an essential tool for navigation. But have you ever stopped to think about the different parts that make up a handheld compass? Knowing the parts of a compass helps you understand your primary tool for navigation. A compass typically consists of the following parts: Some compasses may also have additional features, such as luminous markings, a rotating bezel lock, or a bubble level. Other compasses may have built-in clinometers, thermometers, barometers, or altimeters to provide additional information about the user’s environment. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced navigator, understanding the different parts of a…

I’ve been messing around with ChatGPT, which is an artificial intelligence chat bot. It’s interesting to mess around with. The other day, I asked it to “Tell a story about sea kayaking on Lake Superior.” This is what it wrote. While it’s a little generic and has some mistakes, it seemed surprisingly accurate. The fish part was a mistake. It’s rare to see a school of fish in Lake Superior. What do you think? Did it do a good job? Tell a story about sea kayaking lake Superior It was a beautiful summer day, and the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. I had been looking forward…