B

Any plans for a party next summer? I'd love to come and abuse my friends.

Nice to see that some of the "old gaard" still remains after 9 years. Sir Christopher, I'm told you now own John's old Pintail that went rolling down a R.I. beach in a 50 knot wind gust. All the scratches ACROSS the rear deck really are from me. Do you still have my old Necky Rip for surfing? Hit me direct @ paddleseattle@yahoo.com

Great new website and logo! Nice to see that you are keeping the old logo available for those that like "classic". FYI, the paddler in the old logo (V2) was drawn by Derek Hutchinson specifically for the logo. The first one (V1) was "found" on the web by Chris Perkins, NSPN's orignal webmaster and was added to the layout drawn by me. A little know fact, the triangle stands for "friends, learning, sharing."

Hey fellow NSPNers I still own the Explorer but have been teaching from a WS Tempest 170 and am loving it so much I started another new Yahoo group for it. It's designer, Steve Scherrer will be a moderator. If you are interested go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TempestOwners/ Bob Burnett

Still paddling the Explorer the club gave me in 2001. Other than holing the boat right through the 1st keel strip on a rock in AK, I once mis-timed a dumping wave landing on the Marin headlands and cut a 4 inch deep X 6ft swath through fist sized rounded rocks with my bow with only a few scratches. The Explorer, IMHO, is the boat of the pros. I've yet to find a better boat for me in big following seas. I fly along with ease, even in the steepest crap. The balance of the boat is so good I cut out my skeg box to give me more room for gear. I've paddled my boats and owned a few ringers, but the Explorer is my first choice. Bob Burnett NSPN Lifer 1997 Seattle WA 206-321-0011

How about graphite? John Leonard put one on one of my old Gulfstreams and it held up great for SLIDING over rocks. Dave, do you still have that boat? I have seen the TRUCK applications and they can be a bit grabby for my taste. Slippery is better in my opinion. B Bob Burnett Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Al Let me know if you need a ride to Bellingham from Seatac. I've been thinking of doing a trip into the MF this summer. Bob Burnett Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Thanks guys! BTW, I co-taught a class with Buddy and Dotty Hogan out here this past weekend. Glad you are all doing well. Bob Burnett Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Knowing that you all are up on the latest and greatest Marine radios which radio is best at the moment? I need a new one. BB Bob Burnett Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Same here on the west coast. Lots of folks timid about getting back to paddling after taking the winter off to ski/hike and other stuff. The year round paddlers spend most of their time playing in current/surf instead of paddling. Those that have been paddling all winter are short on mileage even here in a warmer climate. The San Juan Islands see very little traffic until summer. BB Bob Burnett Seattle WA 206-321-0011

My day compartment consists of a comprehensive first aid kit, a boat repair kit, 2 extra liters of water, a fleece shirt, an extra paddling jacket, a portable beach shelter, and an extra VHF radio. Yes, a bit much, but I also paddle with a Palm Ocean PFD with flares(large and small), cliff bars, hydrofleeece hood, gloves, fire making kit, a 4x6 orange distress flag, and a 2 liter bladder in the back pocket. Call me silly, but that's what I paddled with when I was at NSPN and the areas I paddle out here are much more remote. As for body weight, I weigh in at 225 which is why I love the T170's performance. I use it here at the shop due to it's handling capabilities as a teaching platform. I've had it out in everything and see it as the boat it was designed to be, a american competitor to the Explorer. There have been many close competitors in the past, but only one Explorer. I'll email you Steves email address. B Bob Burnett NSPN lifer Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011 NDK Explorer

Throw 20+lbs of gear in the day hatch. The T170 is a fine boat. Sounds like you are beneath it's OPTIMAL weight and riding too high. For a hull to perform as designed it must be loaded within the optimal weight range. A little heavier the better. I have several students that purchased boats too large for them due to the lack of knowledge when buying the boat. By adding weight they were able to bring the boat's keel to a much better depth and control was no longer and issue. I can put you in touch with the Tempest's designer for more insight on the boat's design if you like. B Bob Burnett NSPN lifer Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011 NDK Explorer

Hey NSPN old timers! I'm applying for a guiding job in Baja for the wonter and need references. If you are willing please contact me via email direct. B Bob Burnett NSPN lifer Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011

A trip report from a multi day trip to Ross Lake high in the northern Cascades, also known as the American Alps. Cast of paddlers Bill Walker (Owner Seattle Raft and Kayak) Bob Burnett (Bill's Slave) Rand Harrel (Friend of Bob and Bill) Tom Dillard (Friend of Bob and Bill) Others mentioned: Mo - great WW creeker on our staff at SRK Five days with the Weather God Written by Bill Walker Day One... meet at SRK at 9am with ALL our gear. Uh, right. Bill brings 3x too much fleece (c'mon, how much is too much fleece?), Bob brings -- where is Bob? -- oh yeah, Bob is on the road back to West Seattle to pick up his sleeping bag. Oh yeah. Rand and Tom are the only ones with their heads together. Leave SRK at 11, uh, well, OK, 12:30, call Ross Lake Resort to tell them we'll be at the base of Ross Dam for the truck shuttle at 4pm... "You'll NEVER make it by 4"... OK, what's Plan B? Meahwhile, for 3 hours of driving to Marblemount the rain drizzles, the rain pours, the weather reporter laughs at us on the radio. Permit in hand and pleasant memories in mind leaving Marblemount Ranger Station, we call the Resort and admit we'll never make it to the dam in daylight, and tell them we'll see them in the morning. We push on to Colonial Creek put-in on Diablo Lake, still dodging showers. We open the doors of our trucks at Colonial, and no kidding, we never see another raindrop for five days. Boston Bob the Weather God, may we kiss your ring? During the quick 3 miles across smoky-green Diablo to Buster Brown Camp, the pressure's on for me to prove to the fellas what amazing scenery they're in for... if the clouds ever rise above 3,000 feet. "Guys, I know you don't believe me but way up that canyon on the left is a huge, gorgeous... oh... wow..." to which Colonial Peak appears out of the clouds, 7,500 feet above our heads. Right on cue. Smiles on everyone's faces and a quick cruise to camp, 6pm landing, tents up, steaks on, tequila open, MacGregor visiting, fine company and Colonial still shining until dark. Day Two... with a long day ahead of us we get going early... on the water at noon. This is a vacation after all. Diablo Gorge gives us another look and taste of the grandeur to come. Cliffs hundreds of feet high on each side, and a channel maybe a hundred feet wide in places. Three miles long, and around each bend another breathtaking look at a new waterfall, rock formation, or eventually, 550-foot high Ross Dam. A rock-filled gully reaching nearly vertically to Highway 20 some 800 feet above us, where we could hear the waterfall running through the rocks but couldn't see it, prompted Rand to wonder aloud, "Do you think Monique would puke before running THAT one?" Bob and I leave the fellas at the takeout to wait for the shuttle truck to take us over the dam, while we head for the phone to call the resort and make sure the truck is on the way. I love City Light. Power, water, and a big old dude who's just cooked ten pounds too many hot wings for lunch... "you boys want some?" Walking back to our companions with two huge plates piled with wings, Bob tells me "don't say anything, just keep eating". Tom's reaction is swift and can't be printed here. Needless to say we share the bounty. A short, bumpy shuttle behind us, we put in on Ross Lake and drop a few things for safekeeping at Ross Lake Resort (www.rosslakeresort.com). We head out at 2:30pm with still 9 miles to paddle to Devils Junction, camp, and dinner. Absent the long-promised prevailing southerly tailwind we expected, suddenly we're doing all the work getting there. A little after 5 we duck into Devils Creek Gorge just short of our destination. We spend nearly an hour marveling at the scene above us in the cliffs, below us in the crystal clear water, and ahead of us when we reach Devils Creek itself, crashing into the lake a half-mile into this crack in the lakeshore. Again we wonder... "would Monique run this?" Naaa, don't think so. We camp after a long and strenuous day of paddling with a perfect view north along the lake. Desolation, Spratt, Hozomeen, and a hundred unnamed peaks look down on us. The stars are as bright as we've ever seen them, and we get a quick glimpse of the Northern Lights just after dark. Really, that was before the tequila. Day Three... Play day, an eight-mile loop to Lightning Creek, Skymo Falls, and back. Stern draw, bow rudder, high brace, low brace, and that side-feather-draw thing we're all working on... Bob schools us as we travel closer to Desolation Peak and up another SWEET creek gorge. We admire fall colors on the mountains where the vine maple stands out in flaming dots among the avalanche chutes. It's easy to forget we're sitting at just 1600 feet elevation, when huge mountains surround us. Jack Mountain, with stark, crevassed Nohokomeen Glacier gripping its north flank, tops 9,000 feet and is just a couple of miles from the lake shore. Ruby Peak and Hozomeen are equally impressive, Ruby capping a long, glacier-covered ridge to the south, and Hozomeen -- Jack Kerouac's great black "Void" -- raising its forbidding spike just a mile from the Canadian border. We cross the lake before heading for camp, to see what all the noise is about at Skymo Falls. Audible from 2 miles across the water even now in late summer, we ponder its Spring voice when draining a huge snowpack thousands of feet above. Again, we agree there's no way Mo would run this one. And that's before Bob convinces us to stick our noses into the pounding falls. Yeeha! I've been on Ross Lake every summer for nearly 40 years, and have never seen it so peaceful and flat. Typical afternoon winds can be pretty rough, but we paddle back to Devils' Junction at 6pm after seeing barely a whisper of breeze all day. 70 degrees, and hundreds of little baby spiders, a la the last chapter of "Charlotte's Web", drift southward across the lake. Speaking of warm moving air, Ranger Jake stops by to remind us of regulations... for those of you who try this trip on your own, remember to keep your tent on the marked tent pads. Just because someone has obviously pitched a tent some other time in that prime spot next to the water, doesn't make it OK for you to do it. Day Four... to avoid the afternoon headwind, in spite of never seeing that big southerly in the first three days, we break camp and get on the water early. Really early. Like, 10:30am. This group is blessed by fresh water and no tide charts to live by. And the tequila ran out the night before. We make our way South, dipping into Devil's Creek again -- this time shafts of morning sunlight penetrate to the bottom of the gorge -- and stopping for lunch among the thieving chipmunks at Big Beaver campground. A summer beehive of activity for fishermen and families, Beaver in September reveals not a soul in camp, on the water, or on the trail. Amazing. Quiet, sunny and peaceful. A night camping here would be a treat. But we hit the boats, surf a wave at the outlet of Beaver Creek, and push on South to the Resort. In the last mile we brave ten minutes of "this is what your whole trip could have been" whitecaps in our faces, but they disappear mysteriously as we round the final bend and our bunkhouse comes in sight with its hot shower and steak dinner awaiting (along with a fresh bottle of Cuervo). Tom and Will, proprietors of the Resort, greet us with the fresh chow and beverages we requested two days earlier, and after a dip in the lake and a shower, we fire up the BBQ, fill our glasses, and watch the glacier basin between Colonial and Pyramid Peaks glow pink with the fading sunset. Late into the night we sit on the floating deck, telling stories (another visit from our buddy MacGregor) and plan our next adventure. Day Five... Bob is the last to slowly emerge from the comfort of his bed. First time I've ever seen him anything other than joyful. Hmmm, an empty bottle by the door might explain it. Will confirms this, happily sitting in the resort office at 9am chirping, "dude, I'm still buzzed!" We pack our gear and take the short paddle across the lake to the truck shuttle. But before riding down the hill we can't resist a walk across the top of Ross Dam, looking 550 feet straight down the man-made wall into Diablo Lake below. Rand snaps picture after picture, asking a lone passerby for a couple of group shots, and we're on our way. We practice all those rudder strokes Bob's been drilling into us as we cruise slowly back down Diablo Gorge, snugging inches from the rocks and emerging unscathed. The final mile up Thunder Arm to the takeout is a slow drift, checking out Colonial Peak straight above our heads one last time as it shines with the Weather God's sunlight.

I love mine and will be buried in it. My west coast bretheren call it the "Beast from the east". She's had about 10lbs of glass and gelcoat added to her since 2001. If you do buy an Explorer you'll also need a support group. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDKOWNERS/ B Bob Burnett NSPN Lifer Sr. Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Alex Please call me at 206-321-0011. I need pictures of the boat racks at the shop. B Bob Burnett Senior Sea Kayak Instructor/Guide Seattle Raft & Kayak Seattle WA 206-321-0011

Keith and John Your courage to share your experience is something to be admired. Your friend always, Bob Bob Burnett Seattle Puget Sound Paddlers Network

I'm glad you both are well. I am saddened and humbled by your experience. As usual, you continue to provide us all with valuable lessons. Thank you for your strength. It's always been a beacon for many of us to follow. All my best to you and John. Your friend always, B Bob Burnett Seattle Puget Sound Paddlers Network

Hi all, it's been a while. I'm hearing rumors some "east coast pond scum" coming out to the Seattle area for the annual greenland weekend 6/4&5. Is this "pond scum" of the Walden variety or from the bigger pond of bigger fish? B Bob Burnett Seattle Puget Sound Paddlers Network "Whatever it takes"

JL used a rudder? That's a first! That's why you couldn't go straight. Never let John be in control of anything! You all should know better by now. B Bob Burnett Seattle Puget Sound Paddlers Network "Whatever it takes"

Hi all, it's been a while! I've been critisized by many for being too much of a hardass and for teaching TEAM based paddling in the early days. Now that I have returned to a work place that is filled with folks of my type, I'm reminded that it is the "Mindset" makes the difference. When dealing with life threatening things the "combat mindset" is one that comes from training for and living in danger. You need only to understand that you train for and function as if the worst were going to happen everyday you work, or in this situation, paddle. I've always believed in TEAM paddling and always will. Mother nature rarely gives second chances. B

More like bugs and rain is the case. I've worked things out so far to miss as much of the ABC islands as possible. The plan is to use the smaller passes for as much current as safely possible to carry my fat ass along. Some of the narrows and passes do run as fast as 14 knots with over falls so I'll be picking my route and timing carefuly. I have a relaxed schedule so I'm in no rush. I've been in touch with several folks from the AK clubs and have gotten some great info so far. B

Hi Al I applied for a job with CS, but they told me I over qaulified since all they were looking for was 2nd and 3rd guides at the time. They are supposed to be, from reputation, one of the better services in the SJ area. Most of all of the outfitter's SJ trips are done in doubles so I hope you won't be dissapointed or have worked something out. Bob Burnett