• Happy Birthday, Whirlaway (1938-53)! 👑👑👑

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    Training?

    Not sure about BC skiing, but XC skiing is very good cross training. I alternate upper body days with lower body/cardio days. In warm weather that means paddling for upper and cycling for lower. I had open heart surgery in 2018 to get a valve replaced. That was a setback. Then in, I think, in...
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    Training?

    You might try taking Magnesium for the cramps. I used to be bothered by cramps a lot and the magnesium pretty much cured it. The glycinate form is supposed to cause less diarrhea.
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    Weather: Was it colder when you were a kid?

    World wide, 2024 was the hottest year on record. The second hottest was 2023. Climate change is real. I know one thing, I have much better cold weather clothing than I did back in the sixties.
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    Best Places to Live in the US for Canoeing?

    I think Grand Junction, Colorado or, maybe, Glenwood Springs, would be a pretty good place. Numerous outstanding paddling opportunities with a very reasonable drive time.
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    Training?

    I guess my first question is, do you do any paddling specific training? Do you make an effort to keep your paddling muscles strong through the winter and, in better weather, do you go out paddling with the main purpose being to get stronger? If you do train, what do you do? At 71, I don't feel...
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    Kayak vs Canoe - Your Personal Pros and Cons

    This topic is right up my lane. I think I've touched on it before myself. I have a ton of boats. Let's stick with solo boats, since most kayaks are solo. I've converted both my solo canoes to pack style and paddle them with a kayak paddle. It's just faster and easier and I don't have to prove...
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    Trip photography.

    I went to video, for a while, back when video cameras recorded on tape. Now, trying to watch the tapes is pretty inconvenient and wish I'd just taken still shots. When I bought my Sony a7 II, it was supposed to be pretty good at recording video so I bought accessories thinking I'd get into the...
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    Trip photography.

    Before digital, if you wanted to get your photos published, they needed to be slides. That's what the publishers wanted. Print film wasn't acceptable. My brother was getting his photos in calendars and postcards and winning local awards so was an influence on me. Then I got a PC and email...
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    Trip photography.

    My first camera was an all manual Canon film camera with a 50mm prime lens. This would have been about 1976. I had several other film cameras after that. I know I had one Pentax and at least one Minolta. At first I shot regular Kodak color print film, then I moved on to professional slide...
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    Trip photography.

    I think the second reason, I got out of photography, was I no longer had people to share my photos with. My parents have passed, I became alienated from my brother, who was even more into photography than, me, lost friends, etc. Truth is, I probably got way more out of sharing photos with them...
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    Trip photography.

    There is a saying that applies to a lot of things. The best one is the one that you have with you. Long before camera phones and when I still considered photography an important part of my life, I realized how many fantastic shots I was missing because I didn't have my camera with me. I never...
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    Trip photography.

    I had a friend that hiked the Continental Divide Trail. I followed his progress on an online journal. Occasionally, there was an attempt at a scenic, but most of his photos were of things like the ice cream cone he had when he reached a town, or the disgusting water source he had to pump his...
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    Ballast for Wind, Current

    I think that's true, but it took more force to get it turned back downstream than it should have, but I think I'd concluded that I also had it trimmed stern heavy in addition to the asymmetrical rocker. I'm thinking that, if I had moved some weight forward, it probably would have handled...
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    High winds

    The rule is bow heavy for paddling into the wind and stern heavy for paddling away from the wind. For a crosswind, you just have to find the trim that keeps the boat from wanting to turn. I've been caught out when the wind came up suddenly and it's no joke.
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    Ballast for Wind, Current

    Paddling my North Wind solo on the Green River, when I'd stop paddling, to take a photo or a drink, my canoe would tend to turn sideways or, even, upstream, and be reluctant to get turned back downstream. I attributed that to its asymmetrical rocker, which would lead me to believe adding weight...
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    Best canoe dog for wolf protection

    I recently read a little web post about wolf vs. pitbull. The conclusion was the wolf would win easily. Then throw in the fact that wolves don't hunt alone. No dog is going to protect you from wolves except the wolf might be smart enough to know that the dogs mean people and humans are to be...
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    In praise of cheap binoculars.

    I think one thing some of you are forgetting is that resolving power isn't just about the quality of the optics. If it's an hour after sunrise, on a cloudy morning, and you are trying to decide if that's a branch or the rack of a buck, you might be better off with these...
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    Night Fears: Worse with Hammocks than Tents?

    Where I do most of my canoeing, creepy crawlies are a lot more common that bears. I have hammocks but, so far, have never used one. To get up off the ground a little, I've been using a cot. On a Colorado River, Meander Canyon trip, we slept on sandbars and I just laid out my sleeping bag on a...
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    Another new camping trend - individual tents

    I don't know how recent a trend that is. Maybe just in your group and might reflect a loss of partners. I've been sleeping solo for many years. On canoe trips, where room and weight aren't as critical as backpacking, I often sleep solo in a two person tent. My personal trend is to not use a...
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    In praise of cheap binoculars.

    I just got the OXK monocular. On the one hand, I'm pretty impressed with it. Seems well made and rugged, optics are good and it comes with a little tripod and phone adapter and everything fits in a nice little case. On the other hand, it's too big and heavy to carry in a pocket, so why bring it...
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