spider

Just to give the slightest clue as to what the link leads to...it is about a warrior kayak from Alaska 1869. Also I'm wondering are there more photos that I'm not seeing? (I see just the one) thanks

I also pack my tent components separately. I have found it very helpful to mark each of the bags with a ribbon, string or making sure the tent bags are all the same color. This I have learned from experience. My wife and I own several tents and I have indeed been out on a trip only to find I have the tent of one style but the poles of a different one. Even that was not to bad as I used my bivy as an alternative and had a perfectly fine time (mild temps and good weather helped). Sometimes folks set camp then go for an afternoon paddle... I am a believer to keep some kind of emergency shelter/bivy as a backup somewhere in the boat...just in case things go a bit "wrong". One example that comes to mind is a thunderstorm that comes up and you want to be off the water. For salt water camping last year we learned, by coincidence more than anything, that making camp at high tide and launching again at high tide saves a lot of energy than dragging the boat up and down as the tide ebbs or rises. Can't always plan it that way but sure is nice when you can :->

Hey Doug, just wanted to mention I updated my sleeping bag and tent these past couple of years. I opted for "waterproof" down bags and a small freestanding tent. The waterproof bags are not really waterproof because the zipper is the weak point, but it sure is nice when your tent may be wet and soppy but the bag stays dry. Lot's of nice tents out there, some look for a tent that is a roomy, but over the years I actually didn't look for a tent big enough to change clothes in, just big enough to sleep in, and to escape bugs or weather if need be. I would rather a roomy sleeping bag and a small tent. It's a drag to have a sleeping bag that is to small. If it's a tight fit, you can actually loose some of the heat you might want because you are actually compressing the loft of the bag and not getting it's full "loft" which helps to warm you. If for some reason you buy a bag without trying it first and find it tight some companies sell a narrow strip which can be zipped into your bag. (Most are made with a # 10 YK2 zip if I remember correctly) So many sleeping pads to choose from...they can take up a lot of room.. Sometimes it's the bulkiest item so it's worth taking your time finding one that you will like in relation to the room you have. Tarps... it took a number of years before I started using them as I never carried one back packing but for kayak camping I finally started using them. Though I don't always use it overhead I have found that if you have a good size one and fold it to about the size of your sleeping bag you can sleep on some of the stoniest shore line out there... snoozin like a babe. Have fun...and remember what ever you wind up with the other person always has a "Gee I wish I had thought of that" item...to tantalize you for future trips !

That is a shocker we have been Boreal Design enthusiasts for several years now (we have 3 of their boats). They are very popular in Quebec, esp with kayak outfitters. Great name recognition up there also..many a time people would recognize the boats...even the custom folks when crossing the border. They had a nice web site also wonder if that is still up and running.

Quite the adventure,great story. Sounds like Turk had cut it mighty close, glad he's ok. Absolutely loved the photo of Boomer paddling with this huge amount of stuff on his back deck. (I wonder how many "purists" will have the nerve to tell them they did it all wrong having stuff on their decks :-> Did it actually say it was a 13 ft boat...? Great take on what to do if a wolf wanders into camp..or polar bear...

Great report and it looks like you had nice stretch of good weather as well. I see you have the solo hubba tent...I think they are a great little tent, more comfy than just a bivy bag. I'm pretty sure the various names to the different bays were actually separate lakes and ponds that were joined together when the dams were built. It's an interesting history about how they "managed" waterways in Maine... sometimes even reversing the flow of the water depending on the where they wanted to "drive" the logs. Sounds like a great trip...Moosehead often makes the see it now list before it becomes another Winnepesauke. (may it never happen) Glad you made it up that way. Happy paddling.... !!

My understanding is they are asking for folks to report all that they find though technically it might not be required, just highly encouraged...it might help them figure out what is going on and perhaps give an idea how much of the population is affected.

I would tend to lean toward 10'oclock to help insure we have time to make ourselves useful... esp if they are going to send out a skiff.

Such a nice day for you all to be paddling. (I couldn't quite get the link to open) Awesome weather we are having this weekend !!

Nice pictures and nice company as well ! I see the very photogenic bird is a Plover (not a solitary sandpiper...should have put my glasses on...)

Glad it turned out ok...it can get plenty confusing back there. Good to read of the shallow water craft just for that purpose.

I plan on joining you this Sat (I'm up in Quebec till wed) Hoping for sunshine... see you there

Have a great trip, looks like you have plenty of time set aside for exploring the area. (These days I get whatever fire permits, though I seldom make a fire.) If you do find your way into Lobster Lake...I remember the lady ranger coming by. I mentioned that a couple of the campsites were a little tricky to find...she said that's probably cuz "I've been taking the signs down"...seems it was seasons end for her. Love Chesuncook lot's to explore!! Happy paddling

I just got back from paddling there for a few days. Much to my surprise the water is still pretty high. When I got back I looked up last years trip info and see that last year in the beginning of Aug there was less water than this year mid Sept. Beautiful as always, the higher water levels caught me off guard a little as some of the sandy beaches I headed to this year were still submerged...making for some "creative camping". Also was pleasantly surprised to meet one of the outfitters from the Maine seacoast up there paddling fresh water. Scandalous as it may be. ;-) Now through the foliage season is a great time to be paddling the interior waters...no bugs !!

Excellent report and beautiful photos also !! Seems like you made some wise decisions, not getting storm bound or over extending yourself into greater dangers. This year making a decision or two, wondering if I was backing off to early or easily. The toss up between "challenging" oneself or making foolish decisions can be a mighty fine line sometimes. Seems to be an unanswerable question...till the end of the trip when all the memories start filtering in... Good thinking on your part. Looked great !!

Nice report. Interesting being able to stay out there esp. when things get worked out a bit. I would imagine it was one mighty bumpy ride out there Sat !!

Sounds good. Looking forward to it. I'm partial to over nights but flexible either way.

about the video... the fellow seems to think that pushing with his right leg is giving him rotation. I am sure he has good form and what not but watch his left leg it is the raising of that knee that allows him the rotation. Pushing with the leg gives him plenty of strength, but that of itself just pushes your butt back in the seat.

opps what if that guy is wrong...?

though it's not the Great race of 30 years ago it's nice to see the name again. I used to do the Great Race and the not so Great Race in years gone by...only then I skated them.

I'm not sure I'm getting the slideshow feature but love the portage with the rollers...very clever and "user friendly" I'm linking to the website with a 4 day trip featured paddling in former East Germany the river Sprewa. (I'm using google translate from Czech to English so can't be that sure of the text, but get a pretty good idea of their trips...) Look like they are having a nice time of it paddling through some intricate waterways. Looks like fun.

In a bit of a paradox I find when I paddle a ruddered boat I always engage opposite knee but when I paddle with a skeged boat and fixed foot rest I always push on the same side, from habit more than anything I suppose. I guess I could say I'm paddling correctly about half the time one way or the other depending on ones' school of thought on the subject.

One of my favorite lakes to paddle. It's not often you get to paddle over a submerged village. Nice place to paddle looking for moose and eagles etc. Seems the trade off when they lower the water is more sandy beaches but more rocks to watch out for. Also very beautiful in the fall when the foliage changes.

Thanks (Just got back from a 10 day fresh water trip up in Quebec so was "off the grid" for awhile) We reference your trip reports from time to time for info (and of course you set the "gold standard" of trip reports) Before the 5 day salt water trip we did a 3 day salt water trip to work out some of the kinks in our approach I picked up a tiny free standing tent, for the 5 day trip and retired my other small hoop tent as impractical....I loved the new set up. Also bought prescription sunglasses also a huge improvement...changing glasses mid water was also impractical. Some other things that come to mind... it was mighty nice to have the high tide for launching and landing, partly good luck on that one but will give it more attention for other trips. Our days ran from on the water by 6 am to about 2 pm a nice rhythm for our journey. The lack of signage was very noticeable to us including Rogue Bluffs State Park where we searched for a good length of time till we decided were looking at it the whole while.... the "Bluffs" being in the eye of the beholder I guess. Other trips in the area we might make will build on the what we learned from this one, some campsites just are not worth the effort of finding, others are a gem to treasure for pleasure. The 5 day trip was a much shortened version of what we had envisioned last year. Then reality reared it's head... so we broke it down into two segments of 5 days. After the 1st segment we agreed we were an adventurous pair but not necessarily a strong pair, esp for the Bold Coast section. After meeting the only other kayaker, a fellow full of muscle, it was easily apparent we had room for improvement. I would like to be able to chock of 20 mile days one after another no problem. Not that I always want to travel a twenty mile day, but that is the level I want at my disposal. For the most part I travel days on the water we seldom travel miles per day. On foggy iffy days travelling is fun for awhile but can also just become a slog where you make a destination but miss some of the ingredients which add to the flavor. ....at least that is what some old spidery guy says from time to time..... My wife an I are heading up to Deer Isle - Campobello Isle in a few days to scout things out. We will surley make contact with the outfitter you mentioned and see if he remembers "Dora the explora"... if I remember the name corectly...

Thanks. All the photos are from Philippe. I'm sure he'll appreciate the compliment very much. I don't carry a camera as yet, though I like to write the text quite a bit. I also tend to think the population density is much less in these parts so more "elbow room" for everybody. Thinking it through a bit.... when I see someone hauling traps in rough water I'm pretty confident that they are keenly aware of the sea state and know water rough for them is also rough for us and we are giving it our best shot to make headway without getting run over....seems those are the times you will see a quick wave or nod of acknowledgment....or at least those are some of the nicest of "souvenirs".