Recent content by goonstroke

Yeah, I think it's a latitude thing. Even here in Maine the canoes only outnumber the kayaks around 44-45 degrees north (which happens to be about where I live). I just drove home from Pennsylvania and only in the last 3 hours did I see significant canoes. From license plate analysis there seem...

Permethrin is golden, but keep the cats away from it. On a recent trip out west I came by this herd of easy meat while out for a morning bike ride through suburban streets. They were so tame I had to chase them away. The driver in the car opposite thanked me for doing so. This was in Silicon...

He neglected to tie off the bow and stern. There are probably convenient hardpoints in the rear wheelwells.

It was an indoor after dinner talk, and IIRC she went without headgear. (I should have taken a photo!) However she did say beforehand that she would pack the hat, just in case.

It was great to meet you guys (and almost meet you @gadabyte)! This was only my second MCS, but it's such a great group of people that I know I'll be back. So many great conversations. Also, not only does @Benson Gray know every rib in the Old Town back catalog, he also knows which HDMI cables...

I concur with @Sliding Focus, looks like tuff weave. Nothing wrong with that, but it means it's already on the heavy side. Gel coat cracks are like dandruff, but chunks coming off is not. Ideally one would smack it a few times with a rubber mallet and see if anything else comes off. Still...

Not to pile on, but another disadvantage is that in an emergency webbing would take longer to cut than paracord. If the boat and its float bag lacing are tangled up with a strainer and the only way to get it (and possibly a swimmer) free is to cut the lacing that might be an issue.

You mean they don't tow ore barges into Battle Mountain on the Reese River? Guess I better sell my stock ... https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=184153

Great trip report! Many people don't feel the appeal of sage, juniper, pinion pine, cottonwood, etc, desert scenery and smells. That's fine, they can hang out in the usual places.

Looking forward to meeting you guys! @Paddlinhal, I'm keen to see your Machias travels. I love the upper lakes but I don't know jack below the Airline rapid, or the East. Just to round this out to a full shameless plug (ping @Flip), I'm giving that Lost Routes talk jointly with my paddling...

The time I did it in low water (August 2019 -- this trip), it was still doable but definitely a drag. But solitude ... I was definitely the only person on Little Round Pond that night. As @JD Corry says, watch those ledge drops (if there's actually water). None of them are huge, but there's...

I've only done it once, clockwise, but I've separately gone up Allagash Stream. I think Allagash Stream is harder upstream than Caucomgomic, and it's a lot of fun downstream if there's water. Also, there is sort of a trail (no warranty!) leading to a road with Caucomgomic, whereas with Allagash...

You bet I'm ready for a portage trip. I've been saving these five pounds of high quality tripper fuel since November. (My wife scored them cheap at the drugstore -- seasonal demand is an opportunity.)

I did something similar a couple years ago, although with 3rd Lake as the takeout. I did it in April during covid and to my surprise most of the roads were closed, so instead of starting with ~6 miles of slackpacking it was a full portage. I wasn't expecting that so I wasn't even packed light. I...

Moving to the back area of the campsite, when it comes time for #2, there are two kinds of people, those who scrunch toilet paper and those who fold/reroll it nicely before using it. Does this correlate with tent/hammock/tarp behavior? Are there people who scrunch their TP but roll their tents...