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Why I Canoe
A guest post by Amy Funk of Campgirlz.com To talk about why I canoe, I have to first address my passion for the natural world. Sometimes tragedy can push you to find comfort. The year I turned six, my brother was killed in a car accident in July. A few months later, one of my Mom’s best friends died of a brain tumor, and the following month, my cousin was killed in a fire started by a Christmas tree. I remember this time as very confusing and scary. I also remember this time as my first glimpse of the healing solitude of the outdoors. Trying to deal with all the…
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How I Got Started Paddling
Over at Kayakquixotica.com, Derrik asks, “I know there are lots of very experienced paddlers out there. Help me out and share how you got into paddling in the first place…” Taking up his challenge, I posted a comment on his blog. Many more comments followed mine, and I found each comment interesting and enlightening. From the comments, it’s easy to see how appealing the sport is to all types of people. The more I thought about this, the clearer it became to me that doing a post on Nessmuking about how I got into paddling would be a perfect way for me to expand the topic. How I Got into…
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The View from the Canoe Project
A guest post by Scott Schuldt of canoepost.blogspot.com. Tuesday, September 22, 2009 – You Can Tell I woke up early this morning. It was dark and I was in bed, but I was already in my canoe. Fall is here. It will be unusually warm today, maybe 15 or 20 degrees above normal. The thermometer will say summer. The simplest and easiest measurement will lead one astray, as simple and easy information often does, in all things. It is fall and while at the scientific level there are dozens of measurements that say so, it is the qualitative that tells me so. The light has changed. Gone is the harsh…
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Lightweight Camping Cups
I was walking through an REI store, and I noticed that they offer a plethora of different camping cups. They caught my eye, because when I’m traveling lightweight, I tend to just carry along lightweight platypus bottles, but I like to drink a cup of hot chocolate spiked with a little Baileys Irish Cream and in the morning, I like to start the day with instant coffee. I hate using my platys for this type of drink, because the bottles end up tasting like whatever you put in it, so I considered buying a lightweight titanium camping cup. I just couldn’t stomach the titanium options, because they were so expensive–they…
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Winter Kayaking
“There is no bad weather, only the wrong gear.” -Minnesota Proverb Winter shorelines feature ice formations, ice caves, and the air is crystal clear which allows you to see for miles. On a blue-sky winter day, I feel there’s no other place I’d rather be than on the water paddling. With the proper gear and precautions, winter needn’t be a reason to stay off the water. Luckily, for me I live on the north shore of Lake Superior, and its shores remain ice-free for most of the winter. Some winters, we have only a few weeks of ice, and during some, we have months of ice. If you have open…
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How Far Away is the Horizon
APPARENT HORIZON: Where the sky appears to meet the Earth. (Also sea horizon.) Because of perspective effects, different observers generally have different apparent horizons. Because of refraction, even the sea horizon usually lies above the geometric horizon. -From the Atmospheric Optics Glossary. Knowing the distance to the horizon is handy when estimating how long it will take you to travel to a distant point. To accurately estimate to distance, understand that the apparent horizon changes based on the height of your eyes; the higher your eyes, the further you can see. That’s why it seems you can see forever when standing atop a mountain. Estimating the Distance to the Apparent…
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10 Classic Canoe and Kayak Books
Canoeist and kayakers should start off the new year and a new decade by resolving to read a few books. In the past I’ve done round-up reviews of boat building books and paddling books, but it’s about time for a new round-up. These 10 stand out as the paddling books you should read in 2010. Kayaking Books Sea Kayak Rescue, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Modern Reentry and Recovery Techniques (How to Paddle Series) First published in 2001 and updated in 2007, this guide presents the most up-to-date rescue, reentry, and recovery techniques for sea kayakers. The book is well-written, easy-to-understand, and laid out in a progression that instructors could…
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Sanborn Canoe Co.
Nessmuking welcomes a new advertiser: Sanborn Canoe Company. Sanborn Canoe Co. is based in Minnesota and makes lightweight gear tested and proven in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, our home waters. Here’s a little more about Sanborn Canoe Co.: Sanborn Canoe Co. is a lightweight wooden canoe paddle and cedar strip canoe company located in Winona, Minnesota. We like to make things light, durable and easy to use. You can buy them right here from our site, we ship almost all over the world, or find one of our amazing dealers. It was started early in 2009 by Todd Randall, John, Zak & Greg Fellman, Mark & Michael Boysen…
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Funny Kayak Videos
Over at Xtranormal, a website that allows users to easily create animated videos, a number of paddling related videos are appearing. They take a humorous look at serious issues and debates that occur within canoeing and kayaking. Many of the videos are based on some of the actual silly online debates that have occurred over at paddling.net. Note: Xtranormal discontinued its video service many years ago. These videos were pretty funny, so it’s too bad that they are gone. Also the links to the old paddling.net threads were broken years ago when paddling.net change forum programs. Pungo Kayak Expedition A funny examination of the Dunning-Kruger effect: 1. Incompetent individuals tend…
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A Paddling Emergency Ditch Kit
A common fear among paddlers is losing the boat or getting into a situation where the boat must be abandoned. Usually, along with the boat, the gear is lost too. It happens. An example of it happing comes from Canoe Trip: Alone in the Maine Wilderness. The author David Curran finds himself on the wrong side of a flooded river upstream of a rapid that would likely mean his death. After getting to shore, he abandons his canoe in an attempt to walk back to his car. In the process, he leaves essential gear behind. Another example comes from Robert Pruden when his kayak was swept over an unexpected rapid.…
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Wilderness Survival School Presentation
Tim Smith, the owner and founder of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School, often gives a presentation about wilderness survival at Canoecopia. He also teaches bushcraft and wilderness survival at his school. I’ve attended several of his Canoecopia presentations. Basically, during the presentation, he talks about wilderness survival, discusses making fire, what to have in your survival kit, and a survival plan. These skills are essential to anyone heading into the woods (Also, check out my article: Core Philosophy). His main point is this: If you can carry out those three activities, there’s a good chance that you’ll survive 40 days. Survival Plan His basic strategy aligns with what many in the…
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How to Decorate a Canoe Paddle
Since I built a Northwoods canoe paddle in a North House Folk School class, it has decorated the corner of my living room. Serving as decoration, I always thought that it needed a design painted onto it–if I’m only using it for decoration, why not. For awhile now, I’ve been following Murat’s Paddle Making (and other canoe stuff) blog, and I’ve been inspired by both his paddle building skill and his decorating skills. When he posted a picture of Steve Pyne’s Māori decorated paddle, I knew that I’d found a design I wanted to use on my Northwoods paddle. Steve Pyne’s Māori paddle is a carved masterpiece far beyond my…
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Sulfide Mining Near America’s Most Used Canoe Wilderness Area
I live near the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and on the shore of Lake Superior. Both locations are among the most pristine locations in the world. When paddling on Lake Superior, I can see what seems like forever into its depths–it looks cleaner than a swimming pool. On the inland lakes, I can paddle for weeks without seeing any of the adverse effects of mankind. There is no pollution to be seen. The wildlife is abundant. Fishing is world-class. When camping in the BWCA, the only sounds heard are the natural sounds of a clean healthy wilderness: the howl of a wolf, the call of…
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Boundary Water’s Route: The Hunt for the Viking Dolmen
Experts believe fifth-century Vikings placed a dolmen—a large stone perched upon three small rocks—somewhere in the Boundary Waters. Join us while we hunt for the Viking dolmen. Kelso River Boundary Waters Route Lakes Used: Sawbill Lake, Kelso River, Kelso Lake, Kelso River, Kelso Lake, Alton Lake, Sawbill LakeLength: 1 to 2 daysDistance: 9 to 10 milesElevator Pitch: A short scenic day trip, that works as an overnight. Paddle along varied terrain including birch forests, bogs, small and large lakes. The highlights include many large beaver lodges and the mysterious Viking dolmen.Description: Start at the campground on Sawbill Lake. If you need a canoe, rent one from Sawbill Outfitters. Head north,…
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Free Canoe Plan – Modern Malecite St. John River Canoe
This cedar canoe drawing is taken from Edwin Adney and Howard Chapelle’s The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America. It appears on page 79. Adney surveyed the original in 1895. He notes that the boat shows moderate sheer and low ends. For this set of free plans, I left the station shape and stem shape alone, and I modified the rocker and sheer. The original drawing shows the canoe with little to no rocker–I prefer a canoe that has some rocker–so I added a similar amount of rocker as seen in Prospector canoes. When I changed the rocker, I changed the sheerline, because I felt the additional rocker…
