Recent content by TrailBlaser

Right, the shoulder straps are only on one of the sections.

I've been splitting my gear into two packs (one larger and one smaller) until I got this. Although it is designed as a two-pack system, it is easy enough to separate the two sections to go into the canoe and then taken out and re-attached for a carry. If I am just paddling to a campsite, I'll...

Agreed, they are much easier to lift when they're separated. The two packs can be separated and then be (securely) attached with the buckles/straps.

I used to contact the local ranger to find out when the ice was out; it was usually sometime in April. One year he told me it was MOSTLY out; it was around mid-April. I was teaching at the time and had more than a week off, so I decided to go for it. I could tell by the access road, that I was...

My daughter got me one for Christmas (I'm amazed she found it on her own). I haven't used it yet, but packed for my first solo trip (in my Sawyer Autumn Mist). It has great capacity; I easily fit all my shoulder season gear and clothing in it, including hot tent gear/stove. Inside each section...

I've been paddling the river since the late 80s, at times when the it's still icing out. It is the high water and the ice that takes out the dams.

I've been driving with a canoe up top and E-Z pass for years and never had a problem anywhere that the pass is useable.

Being 70 now, I'm unable (and really don't want) to carry the loads that I did years ago. For the most part, my canoe trips are in the Adirondacks. On trips that involve carries of a half mile or more, I try to minimize the gear I take. However, I do take some items that would be considered...

My Warbonnet Ridgerunner hammock (for sleeping), the Marchway High Back Chair and Luxe 3W Wood Stove (for cold weather camping).

Depending on the trip, I use the MSR Miniworks, the Katadyn BeFree or my preferred system, the Platypus GravityWorks 4L Water Filter System (with additional reservoirs). With the Platypus system (and the extra reservoirs), I filter enough water for a few days upon arrival at the campsite.

Currently I'm taking an Agawa Canyon ADK26 and Boreal21 along with a Black River 3.75" Fixed Blade for batoning. I've found that this kit allows me to do pretty much anything I need to process wood.

Thanks for sharing the trip report and photos. In the late 80s and early 90s, I made that trip many times in all three seasons. Each one was memorable and special. My best time on the river was the summer I spent on it as the AFR as I really got to know the river and all the trails and sights...

I only go very early and late in the season. Forget the summer, it's a zoo from the parking lot all the way to the lake.

Thanks Bob. He's great and my only paddling partner!

I fully understand what you say about editing the footage shot on trips. I never got around to it until I retired. Now it is my winter project, but I am still not caught up with all of it and of course, I'm adding more to the backlog every year.