On the way home from a long weekend of instructing at the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium, I took a detour up to Lake Superior to meet up with friends and paddle Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 40+ miles of sandstone cliffs, dunes, sea caves, arches and waterfalls. 

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With the paddling season in high gear, it’s been hard to find a few moments to sit down at the computer to write about what’s been going on here in the Great Lakes.    In late May, Nick Poelking, Larry Fordyce and I guided a group of 14 high school students and two teachers on an 5-day backcountry trip to the Mink and McCoy Islands in Georgian Bay, Ontario.    The area we were paddling in is called the 30,000 Islands region, and the name isn’t hyperbolic.    Cold, clear water, windswept pink granite islands, lonesome pines, and good company all combined to make this a memorable trip.   It also gave me a chance to put the new Cetus to the test on a multi-day trip.    (more…)

With the recent scorching 110+ degree weather in Redding, me and a few buddies decided to go play on the Northern California coast to escape the heat. (more…)

As usual a busy week preceded the weekends paddling therefore it was early Saturday morning when the last of us arrived at the Anglesey Outdoor Centre campsite. Breakfast there is easily arranged and good value, so as we ate, we finalized our plans based on the actual weather. (more…)