MAPS FOR THE BWCA
Three map companies have long serviced the BWCA – Fisher (www.fishermaps.com), McKenzie (http://www.bwcamaps.com) and Voyageur (www.voyageurmaps.com). National Geographic is the new kid on the block. NGS maps are beautifully executed – complete, precise and accurate. Here’s how they differ from the competition: The entire Boundary Waters are contained on just two waterproof, folded sheets (both […]
THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON A CANOE TRIP is… !!!
Bad stuff sometimes happens on canoe trips — and it’s not always on the river! Location: about 20 miles southeast of LaRonge Saskatchewan, enroute to the Cree River. Most mechanics rely on systematical trial and error to solve problems. They figure that if they replace enough parts, they’ll eventually find the difficulty. At the other […]
THE NINE OUT OF TEN RULE!
Doug Green, Colorado River, Grand Canyon Round the bend you see the dancing horsetails of the rapid. As is the stern’s prerogative, you command the bow to “brace” so you can stand for a better look. The way ahead looks clear, so you settle to your knees and power towards the slick water vee which […]
REVIEW: GANESHA WOOD BURNING TRAIL STOVE
Ganesha stove. 700 ml pot on lower level. Top holds larger pots of any size. Note clean burn- barely any smoke. Every once in a very long while, a new camping product appears which is intelligently designed and honestly useful. The Ganesha wood burning trail stove, which will be released this fall, is one of […]
MIRACLE BOATS
Dragging! This was a daily occurrence. These boats are TOUGH! When Alv Elvestad, owner of Pakboats (www.pakboats.com) invited me to join him and three friends on a canoe trip in his native land, Norway, I was thrilled. After all, I’d done the Canadian shtick for decades; it was time for something new. Alv proposed a […]
A SPEEDY DEMISE
Kopka River, Ontario. One of the prettiest rivers in the tree line. SCENARIO You and three friends are planning to canoe the Kopka River in northern Ontario. This breathtakingly beautiful route consists largely of small and medium sized lakes and gentle current, but it also includes a number of short, challenging rapids. Five major falls […]
PITFALLS OF FOLLOWING LOCAL ADVICE
North Knife River, Manitoba. A narrow slot on river left (right of the canoe) allows safe passage. *SCENARIO Grand Rapids on the Mattagami River (northern Ontario) is more than a mile long and one-fourth as wide. When the water is high, the rapid is quite lively and produces a hollow drone which can be heard […]
I’M AFRAID I MIGHT DIE ON THIS CANOE TRIP!
Rio Lacnja River, Chiapas, Mexico. 16-foot SOAR inflatable canoe. Yes, they capsized! Cr. Larry Rice Dear Fearful: Rest easy; the fear (let’s call it “concern”) you express is perfectly normal. And healthy. It shows that beneath your tough outward appearance there’s a warmly beating heart. Rest assured that you are not alone! Every wilderness canoeist […]
*WHAT! ME PADDLE?
“Charter boat” pick-up, mouth of North Knife River, Manitoba Most Canadian Indians and Inuits who live in northern communities have never owned a canoe, let alone paddled one. In summer, they dash about in power boats and mini-four wheelers; in winter they drive Skidoos. Sounds like an extravagant way to get around until you realize […]
RIG A BOMB-PROOF CAMP!
Canoe camp in the Werneke mountains, along the Snake River, Yukon, Canada Some years ago, after a dangerous storm with winds to 50 miles an hour, a teenager and I went out to fetch water on a popular lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Everywhere, wind and rain had wreaked havoc upon the land. […]