Phil Allen

How's the water temp doing in the Mystic?

Sorry if anyone thought I might be disparaging SOLO by suggesting another option. They're a great organization that's been doing backcountry and rescue skills training at least since I was in college in the early eighties. The WFA H20 appears ideal for kayakers. And while I dont have a clue about the numbers for water rescues, the golden hour versus golden day scenario strongly applies to anyone stepping off the beaten path. Standard wisdom for land based backcountry rescue is that it will take ~ 1 hour for every 1/4 mile you travel away from a road. And if I dont take it this spring through my employer, I'd be interested in WFA or WFA H20. Phil

Just FYI, there's WFA classes at Boston Univ. fitness center starting next week open to all. 125$ for ~6weeks/ 4hours per week. Mondays 6-10 or Tuesdays 6-10. See here: http://fitrec.bu.edu/programs/emt/eflexd.asp Actually, now that I look, they're just listing tuesday nights. Phil

Hi John- The 22 degree makes sense to me for sundogs/moondogs (saw one the other night at the full moon before the recent storm), but wouldn't the "ring" be due to multiple scattering events and therefore related to the concentration of scatterers (sp)? I think this is what happens with imaging point sources in turbid media for microscopy, the turbidity increases the apparent size of the point source, as different photons take different routes to the detector, which makes them look like they come from different places. Turning over the physics geek hat and returning to my role as a biologist/skier/kayaker now. Phil

or quietly approach an easy landing and proceed to slip on your but in the mud. There's always someone watching when I do that! Phil

Mary- There's been a few folks using and testing it for skiing in the backcountry. Kinda like kayaking, there's a fair amount of potential risk, but unlike kayaking, there's not always a clear view of the sky. One discussion is here: http://telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.ph...=spot+satellite Take home is that it seems to do what is says it does, and unlike some of the personal locator beacons, it can send several messages including: I'm OK and located here (with position), I need help but its not an emergency, and more critically: I need help, send S&R. One issue some folks seem to have, possibly related to obstructed views of the sky due to high cliffs or overhanging trees is that it may take several tries for the message to be sent. I haven't heard of someone using it for kayaking. I think it would be ideal for extended expeditions where one couldn't be sure of local radio coverage. Phil

Anyplace we know that's unavailable (insurance reasons, etc)? Just so we can minimize calls. phil

Hi Liz, Thanks for hosting. The pant's might be Ernie's (subaruguy, suburaguru?). Sized for a six footer? You didn't happend to stumble on some light weight softshell gloves did you? Phil

Galen- You could check out this trip report from some of the WildTurkey paddlers for some ideas Wellfleet Sunday Nov 4. It's just a bit farther out the cape but on the bay side. Lots of wildlife and little wave action. Phil

Congrats Deb! Smart one to take it where the water is "warm". And Wilson, it was my understanding that the coming BCU changes wouldn't be implemented in the US of A for the next several years. Has this thinking changed? Phil

Bob- I'm looking to surf tomorrow, but not sure where to head. May see you up there. Phil

And exactly how long did that take? Congrats guys! Phil

Hi Bob- Lorrie and I were all set for doing this trip, but I feel like I've got the beginning of a cold coming on (sore throat, drippy nose). So unless we're at the put-in on Saturday, you all should go have fun with out us. Phil

The text of the forecast hasn't changed, but the graphical interface at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/ has indicator lines that suggest they may do the same thing down here. There's separate boxes for Boston Harbor, Cape Cod bay, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay as well as the nearshore -25nm from Merimack to Plymouth. At this point they all point to the ANZ230 forcast. Phil

Nah- woulda happened in weeks, not years. If you're like me, all signs of dementia are caused by my family

Bob- My wife and I might be interested. I dont know the put-in, so more details please. Also, expected distance and any landing spots along the way? Phil

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Oct 1 2007, 01:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Naw, won't give me mightmares....just crossed my mind at the time what a great plot that would be for a horror movie...gigantic, brain eating ameoba! Now if they were gigantic, where's the fear in that ....just run/swim/paddle away. It's the idea that they are always there (cue spooky music) but you cant see them that's scary. Unless they're really big, like that forest size fungus someone discovered a few years ago... Phil

There are a couple of critters that do this, but not very commonly. I used to work on a different one; Acanthamoeba . It normally lived in soil, but could survive in pond water. People used to catch "ameoba brain (or more commonly called amoebic encephalytis (sp?)) from swimming in cow ponds where the soil and water had been well mixed. Snort some amoeba up your nose and there was a small but real chance it could crawl into your brain (the biologists in the audience know how difficult this might be). Problem was IF it made it in to your brain, little was going to prevent it from growing. Used to be about 1 case every other year. Given how many people are swimming in fresh water, it's not something that's going to keep me up at night. Phil

Updated forcast is for 15-20 with gusts to 30, so anything exposed is off the list. Those conditions are doable, but alot of work. May do the Anisquam or head to the south shore and explore some tidal rivers. Phil

Lorrie's away so I'm looking for some people to paddle with this Saturday. Up for almost anything but a marathon. Surfing good harbour beach, Salem to Manchester, or playing out of Gloucester are all possibilities, so make a suggestion. Phil

There are many art schools with intensive programs in animation (my kid just started at one). However, one has to pay upfront for the hoped for job later (and believe me, we're paying). Phil

I sense a future greenland champion!

Gary- My wife and I are interested. Please keep us in the loop. Phil

Shaila- I've got a waterproof case for my camera, but I think John hit the nail on the head with his comment on "small size". Even though my camera/case is much more waterproof than the Optio, I often just leave it in the hatch because of its bulk. Phil

Roger's reports says it all, but misses the best part. To quote from his show and go, the trip description was "Messing around" and that we did. Some simple/easy surf, some rescue practice (on purpose) and many connections made for future paddles. The fog burned off just about half way through the morning and I believe everyone there had a good time. I'm looking forward to more adventures out there. Phil