PeterB

Mt. Desert Campground is indeed a choice spot, right near the top of Somes Sound. Because its so nice it is often full; reserve asap. Across from there on Somes Sound (the west shore) is a campground in an old quarry (I think it may be Halls Quarry) .Lesser known so better chances for a vacancy. It has a number of good campsites. Not as choice as MDC but nice enough... Blackwoods is the Natl. Park campground, near Otter Cliffs and the Natl Park scenic drive along the island's southeast shore . I think it's first come first served, at that time of year you might get a spot there.

Thank you. Your post indeed "sets the standard" for after-action reports. The wealth of information contained therein will benefit all of us, regardless of skill level and experience. Whether launching in calm waters or 4-6 foot seas, running tidal races or getting into a boat & wet-exiting for the first time, as a paddling community we all share the experience of encountering conditions which fecklessly wander along that outer edge of our own comfort zone, and I would wish for all of us to seek the common ground that may be found in your words.

Bartlett Island on the west side of the island, near the Acadia Natl. Park Pretty Marsh area, is a good paddling choice: you can circumnavigate if the conditions are right & you have company , if not there'll be lee somewhere. You won't be alone there. I think its a popular paddling spot. If inland paddling feels more suitable , Eagle Lake would be hard to beat: boat ramp on the north end of the lake, totally undeveloped beautiful shoreline with Cadillac Mt.overhead , fairly protected from wind,and you might well have it to yourself. Jordan Pond is next door,more people but also more open, all set about with impressive mountains like "the Bubbles." I'm not sure about access though.

The trip would be solid level three, because of the crossing which in some (not uncommon) conditions could put a level two paddler in a difficult position. A good number of other campsites could be recommended for those looking for level 2 paddling. Campsites 28 and 29 (near the bald eagle nest ) for example, would be level 2- friendly, as they are near more protected waters, and offer bailouts which don't require any crossings.

Kevin, I would advise against using tie-downs on the nose and stern. Two good tie-downs to the roof rack system ought to be enough to secure your boat(s) to the car, (at least its always been enough for me) and tie-downs in the front and back, I have been told, can result in differential stress on your hull . e.g. if your vehicle does a big jounce , when it hits a pothole or bump (but that would never happen on roads in Maine, would it?)

Just about all the remote campsites on Lake Umbagog are good, and R14 might be the best of them all. Good choice! Sunday Cove is remote and tranquil, and this island campsite has its own little beach, and one of the better privies, which are generally skanky in most of the other (otherwise very good) campsites. Campsite 14 requires a crossing to get to/from, and since strong winds and stiff chop are a quite regular occurrence on open parts of the lake, this would make yours a level three trip.

"Directional Control" is supposed to be the best one. I have "rolling and bracing" which you are welcome to borrow. Peter

If a 15 mph speed limit were legislated and strictly enforced, the number of U.S. traffic fatalities would drop from the tens of thousands to probably hundreds per year. But practically nobody would accept this is because there is a level of collective risk that we accept as a consequence of living our lives. I drive into Boston every weekday, and sometimes drive long distances to do elective things like… kayaking. I’m sure that I am placing myself at greater risk while in my car than in my boat. To blame AAA, or the fire department or the dept. of Motor vehicles as enablers if I were to come to grief in an auto accident would reveal the kind of behavior which is depressingly prevalent in todays litigious, blaming society. I for one would not have much use for a society where everyone drove at 15 mph, and only those who ventured on to mountains ,ski slopes, flat ponds, or drove to their relatives on Thanksgiving(and so on) did so only on sunny days and in totally benign conditions. If paddlers ended up overmatched in bad conditions, to presume that they launched in those same conditions is to advertise ones own ignorance of marine weather. Conditions on the ocean can change at any time. What begins as an outing on a damp day with scummy skies and 8 knot winds can end as a contest with roiling seas and 25 knot winds. Weather reports are not always accurate. Innumerable NSPN skills sessions and outings have been cancelled due to predicted conditions which did not materialize, leaving frustrated , fuming would -be paddlers changing their plans for the day. The awareness that weather can change at the drop of a hat is part of what forms an experienced paddler, but if that same knowledge keeps the paddler off the water for fear of changing conditions than he/she would never become an… experienced paddler. I do have a selfish, personal stake in all of this, since I benefited from Mr.Attenborough’s knowledge & skill when he taught me a full range of rescues and tows during NSPN trip leader training. I am thankful that he and others ventured out in conditions that have led to the need for acquisition of these skills in the first place.

No one needs to be lecturing anyone else on safety, gear, or judgment at this time ,especially before all the facts are in. For my money I will defer to the paddlers own after- action report ; when it is shared with us I hope its author does not have to weather any more undeserved comments. I know one of the paddlers and I would go out with him any time: if he’d have me.

If you are a new member or beginner , this after work practise session is a great way to get yourself introduced to the club. The atmosphere is relaxed, fun and welcoming. The session leader has excellent new member radar,and my observation has been that his time defaults to those who are most in need of introduction. The sessions usually have no rigid agenda , so he and others will be happy to share advice on just about anything, from basic to advanced strokes, rescues, braces, tows, equipment etc., and members are always willing to let you test drive their boat or paddle. So if you're unsure about what sort of boat or gear you want or need, its a great place to see new stuff. And its a good way to cool off, hang out and relax after a hot day. And the parking is free. And the Chebacco Lake Port o John is extremely clean & well-maintained... Last year I felt that even if I had done nothing else with the club but the after work practise sessions, my yearly dues would have more than paid for itself.

My plans for Portsmouth harbor didn't work for today , so I will join you, if that's ok. -Peter

As a clarifiction: I was not asking that there be any policy change ,that this was a web administrator issue, or that people shouldn't be allowed to do this or that ; People are, of course , free to do with their messages as they please. This was just a request to individuals to not delete their own original message because a thread which is missing the substance of that original message is hard to understand.

I am requesting that messages that are posted on the NSPN message board be not then removed at a later time . This leads to a thread which is very difficult for a latecomer to comprehend. While I’m by definition working with incomplete information at that point , I can sense that the original post, whether a trip report, an attached article , or just a musing, is of value and one which I would enjoy reading, whether or not everyone might be entirely in agreement with its content. When I open up the NSPN website for my daily oats, and there’s a thread which starts with a message titled: “ * ”, followed by messages with titles like “Look at yourself Brian, you’ll hate what you see” or “You’re the one who’s a hypocrite, Ken.”, innocent bystanders such as myself are only confused and frustrated, and I would like to think that that is not the original intention of any posting on our message board. So, I would only say: Dear NSPN member, if you post a message, I am very interested in and see intrinsic value in what you have to say, so please resist the urge to “take your toys and go home”, (that it’s only males who indulge in this kind of behavior can’t be lost on this savvy bunch) and leave your original post. If you get a reply which is arrogant, intemperate, ill-informed, insensitive, insulting, or whatever, it will probably stand on its own merits or die on the vine any way. For every real or imagined attack you receive , rest assured that there are many more of us who just want to read and learn from what you have to offer. If this is all a big mistake and NSA has been deleting posts on our message board for national security reasons, or if this is the work of a sinister web administrator, please ignore this message. I won’t delete it.

There's an article titled "Paddling with the Whales on an in-land Sea: Exploring the Mingan Archipeago" in the November 2002 issue of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker magazine. I have a copy if you would like to read it. Interesting limestone/sedimentary rock formations (monoliths, pinnacles,"flower pots") and lots of whales and seabirds; sounds like a choice destination...

Yesterday, during a short post -TLT conversation on this cowboy reentry , someone raised an issue that I hadn’t thought of. The cowboy renentry becomes the preferred (perhaps only) self -rescue option, (preferable to the RE & R), if one wants or needs to avoid immersing ones head in water. (very cold water, lack of head protection, already hypothermic , prone to headaches, gasping vertigo etc) In this event , it would seem that a paddle float assisted cowboy reentry would be a viable option, but while I’m familiar with the paddle float RE & roll, I’ve never heard of a paddle float cowboy rescue or seen it taught, practiced. Is there some problem with it that I’m missing?

Jason, I practiced to where I could consistently do a cowboy reentry in an ocean cockpit (in pool sessions) , so my experience might be helpful to you. If you have trouble initially mounting your boat, you can mount from the very stern of your boat, its just a longer way to scramble and slither to get to entry position. Once you have gotten on the back deck, just hoist yourself along, staying as low as possible, paddle in both hands in front, ready to scull or brace on either side. Or you can favor one side all along, with your paddle in something of a scull or brace position on that side. Through practise you’ll find the best spot to position your butt so your legs will reenter, and raise your torso into a sitting/riding position If you scull and get your legs in, reach forward & grab the front coaming and pull on the trousers.(it's during thois phase that you'll bemost likely to fail) I found that the key was a quick and decisive pull on the coaming was the best, get it over with, slam into the cockpit , so you’re ready to brace, scull, recover etc. A backband (especially a high and taut one) is an enemy of this kind of reentry. Ideally, with practise one can mount the boat right in the position ,or close to, where one wants to sit astride the boat and reenter , and avoid that hoisting and slithering. Some boats are easier than others . The Explorer, e.g, has a nice long keyhole cockpit, so one can drop ones butt and scissor the legs in, I imagine this was one of the things in mind when that cockpit was designed. A cowboy rentry in a short ,or ocean cockpit, or with long legs, in conditions, might well be a party trick for us mortals , but, as I’m told that the paddle float self rescue is not viable in 2-3 ft+ seas, the CR and the RE&R might be the only solo options. If you’d like to practise on Sunday, Jason, I’m game. Peter

I went to the Paddlesports event on Friday night, mainly to sign up for 2006 at the Maine Island Trail Association booth, and to see Derek Hutchinson’s seminar on paddling the Aleutian Islands. I had never seen Derek Hutchinson in action before. After a brief introduction, he showed a film of his 1975 (I think) expedition to the Aleutians, with some disclaimers. The film, he said, did not capture the essence of the trip at all. Nevertheless, it was interesting , with quaint footage of five paddlers traveling in a truly exotic location. They paddled for 3 weeks, encountered very bad weather (not so evident in the film) without immersion wear and using paddles which look , well , primitive by today’s high end lightweight carbon fiber standards. During the Q & A session , Derek gave a lucid exposition of the racing stroke and wing paddles, and a good explanation of the physiology of paddling.( In pedestrian terms, get in shape for paddling by doing lots of ... paddling, its not a strength thing at all; a better conditioned paddler with arms the diameter of broomsticks can whip a stronger, more musclebound paddler its all in increasing the efficiency of blood transport to & from the arms. ) He has a lot of opinions, and I imagine he has made many friends and a few foes over the years. He thinks very little of the high end, lightweight carbon paddles of today, and thinks a 240cm, paddle that weighs 45-57 ounces is the best choice. Either everything I know is wrong or… well, everything someone knows is wrong. But he’s the one who paddled for 25 days in the Aleutian Islands, so I guess I’ll withhold judgment until I’ve done the same, or something vaguely equivalent … At the show, there were a few cool toys on display . The Current Design booth had a Rumour (less than 20” wide; paddles under 140 lbs need no longer feel neglected.) I think that was Ben Lawry in the P &H booth, but I didn’t go talk to him, (I felt like the guys in Wayne’s World with back stage passes at an Aerosmith concert : “we’re not worthy!’) On display was a low volume (must be a new model) P &H Quest with a black deck and a red hull. Very sharp! I talked with the folks at Impex, and the three new Force cruisers were on display, I had paddled the 4 & 5 at CRKC in November, but hadn’t seen the Force 3 yet : 17’ long, 20” wide, another choice for women /under 140lb paddlers. Mark Schoon of Carpe Diem Kayaks /Bar Harbor is taking a Force (4 or 5) on a trip up the Maine coast, (as we speak, I believe) and he would be a good contact for those interested in that new boat.

Years ago, a friend of mine returned from to her backcountry campsite to find a black bear with a cub on its shoulders, and a second cub on its shoulders, tugging away at her food stash, which was suspended from a rope about 7 or 8 feet above the ground. Bears can be experts at finding food. A bear got into my backpack once whie I left it unattended for maybe 10 minutes , and did a masterful job tearing into just those compartments where there was food,neatly opening packs of Swiss Miss, and extracting the contacts; great tongue work.

The blending between the two images is well done.

There are few problems in life which can't be solved by McMaster-Carr. Dee, did you raise a few eyebrows at your wedding ("She's not like the other girls" ...) when you ask to be registered at McMaster Carr?

Yes, the new drysuit in question is the Stohlquist bodypod, and Stohlquist is a not a new manufacturer in the drysuit business; I think that they have actually been around longer than Kokatat, and are equal in quality if not market share. I have a Stohlquist drytop with the new neoprene neck gasket, and I really like it. I'm pretty sure that this has the same gasket , fabric etc as the new bodypod drysuit. The gasket is very comfortable and watertight for me, the fabric is breatheable, and in general the whole top is watertight (I wear it with wetsuit pants, and in maybe four or five wet exits my torso has remained dry. ) so, assuming that these qualities extend to the drysuit, it would be a product worth looking into.( I had bought a Kokatat drysuit at a great off-season price,like it very much, otherwise would be very interested in the bodypod) Check to see if the gasket feels comfortable, and also make sure that the front zipper really does work as a relief zipper. (some are skeptical) If so, one less zipper to fail, or otherwise deal with. Re: the original inquiry: If you feel confident that you will be into kayaking for a long time, and its not something youre just trying out, then a drysuit is well worth the money. In addition to the obvious safety benefit , you will be freer to paddle with confidence in months other than July through September, and freer to expand the range of skillls on the water. Before I was adequately suited up, I paddled pretty conservatively, which naturally limited my ability to expand paddling skills and experiences.

I have seen the NESC cart (mentioned by Suzanne) in action ; it is a nice, simple piece, with a compact thermoformed (fancy word for bent piece of plastic) cradle that your nose or stern straps into, and works well for , say, one person pulling a loaded boat a few hunded yards to a put in at low tide. It would stow easily in your hatch.The wheels are maybe @ 6 inches in diameter, so there's a limit to how rough the terrain they can handle. If you are portaging long distances over rough terrain(roots, rocks, elevation changes etc) , and can handle a bulkier item , there is a kayak cart with big inflatable wheels.(one is on display now at REI) They are heavier, more expensive. You can remove cotter pins and take the wheels off, so they break down to some degree, but are bulkier, and you'd have to determine if the extra bulk is worth it. They're popular with canoeists in Canada where, for some reason, there seem to be no restrictions on wheeled devices in canoe areas as there are in the US. National Parks such as Isle Royale, Voyageurs , and also the Boundary Waters area prohibit wheeled devices on portage trails (I don't know about the Adirondacks, probably not but worth checking) , whereas there are no similar restrictions in the Canadian counterparts such as Quetico,Killarney, Georgian Bay Provincial Park etc.

Carl, I am interested, and would not like to miss this opportunity : can the class be scheduled some time in June? NSPN trip leader training is scheduled for two of the four weekends in May; Memorial Day & probably Mothers Day weekends are out for me. Some of us will need a little time during that month to go paddling maybe once, take out the garbage,do a few loads of laundry etc. -Peter

The Cow Yard is that area between Head Harbor and Steel Harbor Islands that I had toled around in before turning back, and it is very beautiful. On a gastronomic note, the fogbound paddler can always drive to Machias and get pies at Helen's. They make stawberry, blueberry, rasberry cream pies, depending on what's in season. Long-time devotees of Helens claim that the pies aren't like they used to be, but I don't know about that. Such is their allure that once when 5 of us were driving back to Boston from a camping trip at Mt. Desert, we got to reminiscing about Helen's pies, so when we reached Ellsworth and the turnoff for Rte 1 , we were so worked up that we actually considered driving the other way to Machias to grab a pie or two. (Machias is 60 miles the wrong way, or a 120 mile detour for pies, on the drive home at the end of a three day weekend) The Aquarium makes a yearly collecting trip to Eastport in the fall , and it is a tradition for the group to bring back pies from Helens to those who put in their orders. I had dutifully given them my $$ with an order for a strawberry pie , but they couldn't resist and ate my pie in the van on the way back . I don't think I ever got my money back, either.

I shall join in the chorus of approval. Thank you Brian. In my quest to methodically rid the world of factory installed footpegs and bulkheads, I made regular raids on Mr. Nystroms supply depot (space heater, solvents, vice grips, and legendary Fein edge- sanding wondertool ), and was able to remove the seat, footpegs and both bulkheads from my guest/family boat, and wish I could have attended both days to complete the job. Between applications of epoxy, I enjoyed watching the others at work: Kevin's newly glued hatches bristling with quick grip clamps, Mary mostly visible only from waist down, her upper torso swallowed by the gaping maw of her cockpit as she installed new bulkheads , and Deb nestling her new minicell seat to her breast, like Madonna with child, strumming it with a surform rasp , her fleece sweater slowly vanishing under an increasingly dense veil of blue particles. Does life get any better than this?