Scoutmaster

The Island Will be There Tommorrow

Several years ago a local Scout Troop ( I swear it wasn't us) suffered through a period of infamy they flipped several canoes while paddling in some heavy weather and had to be rescued.

On this year's trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Eighteen Scouts and leaders in two crews chose a route to match the abilities of our most inexperienced paddlers. During our third day of paddling we portaged into one of Algonquin's larger lakes, Big Trout. The big lakes can kick up some good sized swells that make paddling difficult and dangerous. We entered Big Trout from a creek with the wind blowing towards us (some veterans of several canoe trips swear we always have the wind in our teeth no matter what our direction.)

The rough conditions were clearly above the abilities of the paddlers. We headed immediately for the shelter of an island to regroup and consider our options. The first crew on the lake was an hour or so ahead. By radio we learned they had encountered very difficult paddling and swamped one canoe . They had wisely holed up in the nearest campsite about 3/4 of a mile away from us.

As we sheltered on the island a storm front came running down on us from the northwest. We set up our tarp, sat on our PFD's (to insulate us from a possible lightening strike) and waited out a violent thunderstorm. As soon as the storm abated we made the brief paddle to the other crew and joined them in their campsite.

Shortly another wave of thunderstorms started building. Out came the tarps and we hunkered down for another storm. A huge, beautiful and frighteningly awesome wall cloud followed (see above). We later learned that our outfitters base (about 15 miles downwind of us as the crow flies) lost electricity for several days as a result of the same storm.

That afternoon we were treated to quite a show as the storm system passed rapidly overhead. Weather records for the day indicate a massive thunderstorm with winds of close to thirty miles an hour. We saw whitecaps on the lake most of the day.

A mile and a quarter across the lake lay one of our favorite campsites - an island that we had stayed on two years before. We stood on shore and looked longingly across the lake. Lightening was seen and heard a few miles away on all sides of us. The storm had largely passed and our path to the island looked calm.

At that point we had to decide whether to stay in our present, cramped campsite or strike out for the day's goal just a quick hop across the lake. We stayed put.

My fellow adviser from the other crew and I made the call to stay because we had only two or three hours of daylight, lightening was still threatening and actually striking in the distance. We made the best of our cramped conditions and left the island for the next morning. We were safe, mostly dry and a bit disappointed.

Thankfully we were experienced enough to ignore a fleeting feeling of failure, of having been a bit too cautious and a driving desire to move on bravely despite the obvious signs that such bravery may be foolish.

The next day we made our island goal through some challenging wind conditions but all arrived safe and dry. We'll never know what would have happened had we decided to paddle the day before. Perhaps nothing, perhaps a swamped canoe or two, perhaps someone struck by lightening.

We put safety and prudence ahead of the goal. We adjusted to the conditions, we were prepared and we arrived home tired, but uninjured (well one adult got a black eye from a paddle when his canoe swamped but he was almost proud of it). We remembered our safety afloat and hazardous weather training.  Most Importantly our scouts got home safe.

The Portage Lexicon

Today 18 Scouts and adults are off to our annual high adventure trip to Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park.

Canoer Chris Lawson, in writing about his Bonnechere river trip in Algonquin, has developed a lexicon for some of the conditions he encountered while portaging:

The Armadillo: wherein the clear line through the bush becomes suddenly a Car Wash, the portager curls head toward chest, tucks arms in, leans forward and stomps aggressively through obstructing branches. A move heralded by judges for its audacity in placing skin preservation ahead of the need to see where you're going.

Car Wash: undergrowth along a river, either where nature is reclaiming a trail or engulfing a river tends to be strong, right to the ground. Branches grow horizontally seeking sunlight, creating a gate effect between trees similar to what you find in a drive-through car wash, but they don't so much buff as flagellate.

The Twistoff: when carrying the canoe, the portager attempts to execute a turn only to find the bow of the canoe has gone past a tree. Extra points if your head makes a sound when the canoe hits it.

I'll let you know if we have any additions after next week!

Via Algonquin Canoe Trips

Paddling Articles by Kevin Callan

Kevin Callan is the author of several books and guides about canoeing and camping. The folks at paddling.net have a collection of his articles that will appeal to canoeist's and campers alike.

From "Storm Proofing Your Tent"

• First things first, you need a good tent. A three-season with minimum waterproof rating of 600 mm for the flysheet and 1000 mm for the floor.
• The more ventilation systems the tent has the better it will keep condensation out and your sleeping bag dry.
• Slab on generous amount of seam sealer on a new tent, prior to your trip.
• A tent's weakest link is the door's zipper. Position the tent door away from the prevailing winds to reduce the chance of water seepage.
• Place a plastic tarp inside on the tent floor, not outside. Having it outside will just help collect the water. When the water begins to soak through, and it eventually will, having the tarp inside guarantees a protective layer between your sleeping pad and the soggy tent floor.
• Nylon guy lines loosen when wet. Attach shock cord loops to each one. This will guarantee they keep taunt and absorb any stress placed on the tent fly when the gale force winds begin to howl.
• Sew on extra stake loops to the sides of the tent. Most tents only come with three of four; that's not enough to stop the fly from flapping in the wind.
• Tie two three foot lengths of parachute cord at the front and back of the tent, attached to the poles and not the fabric. Double stake each one.
• When packing up, stuff your tent into its storage bag rather then rolling it. Not only is it less harsh on the fabric, it also reduces the bulk in your pack.
• The moment you get home pitch the tent in your backyard to properly dry it out. The moment mold and mildew set in, your tent will never hold up against wind and rain again.

Kevin Callan's books at Amazon

Canoe Paddling - Canadian Style

No Canoe Can Hold Me

Had a fantastic week canoeing in Canada last month. I had to laugh when I saw this article in The Onion. Thankfully Dennis wasn't with us.

No Canoe Can Hold Me
By Dennis Puttkamer

The Onion March 29, 2006 | Issue 42•13        

Care to take a relaxing, uneventful canoe trip down the lazy river, the sights and sounds of nature soothing you? Want the warm midday sun to bronze your shoulders as you calmly drift across the water?

Well, you'd better call someone else to join you. Because when Dennis Puttkamer steps into a canoe, there's going to be trouble.

They have yet to build a canoe that can contain Dennis Puttkamer, Canoe Tipper Extraordinaire. No matter the brand or make—Grumman Double-Ender, Michi-Craft T-17, Pelican Dare Devil—give me enough time, and I'll find a way out of it. Whether I'm recklessly standing up to scout for potential dangers ahead, or throwing all my weight unexpectedly over to one side after seeing what I believe to be a beaver, I will upset the canoe's delicate balance.

Not even the Alcatraz of canoes, the impregnable Old Town, can hold me within. I am a modern-day Harry Houdini when it comes to canoes.

For instance, I've been known to decide, mid-voyage, that I'm feeling a little "seasick," and need, urgently, to switch places in the canoe. Using my patented "Not- Thinking-Things-Through" technique, I will then begin stumbling toward the bow before you have a chance to react, toppling us both into the freezing river water below. You won't know what hit you, although if past experience is any indication, it will probably be my paddle.

Critical Judgement II

CRITICAL JUDGMENT II Understanding and Preventing Canoe and Kayak Fatalities from The American Canoe Association is an analysis of the 500 plus fatal canoe and kayak accidents reported to the United States Coast Guard between 1996 and 2002:

Among fatalities who had been paddling canoes at the time of death, 85% were not wearing a PFD. The odds that individuals who were paddling kayaks when they died were wearing a properly worn PFD was over six times that of their counterparts in canoes. However, nearly half of the fatalities among kayaks were also not wearing PFDs.

Approximately 50 % of victims categorized as canoeing and kayaking fatalities were fishing when the accident occurred.
Approximately 40% of canoeing fatalities for which information is available were in aluminum canoes at the time of the accident.

While the conclusions of the study are not all that surprising they confirm that common sense instruction is the best antidote to accidents in canoes or kayaks. Anyone leading canoe trips will benefit from reading this report.

CRITICAL JUDGMENT II PDF file

Tundra Tarps

Normal camping tarps have some weaknesses; grommets may tear out in heavy wind, there are never enough points to tie onto and while most people use a center pole to hold the tarp up it typically falls down when the wind picks up.

Cooke Custom Sewing's Tundra Tarps solve these problems and incorporate several other valuable improvements in coated 1.9 oz. nylon or 1.1 oz (a 10x14' tarp weighs 24 ounces) silconized nylon-

•     Nylon tape tie loops every two feet or so along the edges and center seams
•     An ingenious method of securing the center pole.
•     Pockets in each corner for tie down lines.
•     Four or six (!) different colors of cloth so he tarps are visible from miles across a lake.

Cooke also makes canoe packs, canoe accessories and some traditional shelters from extraordinarily lightweight cloth.

Related Posts
Sil-Nylon Tarp
Philmont Dining Fly
Rigging Tarps

Wanigans

Wanigan is an Ojibwa term for storage pit that became associated with a box carried in a canoe that usually holds kitchen gear. I use a three gallon plastic bucket that fits nicely in a portage pack. A set of pots, utensils, cleaning supplies, and sundry cooking gear nests inside. The bucket serves as a handy way to haul water, wash dishes and makes a decent seat around the fire.

There are many adaptations, both homemade and manufactured:

LL Bean York Pack is a multipurpose dry box used by guides and outfiters.

Kitchen Kit

Wanigan

Plastic Wanigan

Build a wanigan

Algonquin Outfitters

For the past two years I have led a group of Venture Scouts for a week of canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario Canada. For both trips we used services provided by Algonquin Outfitters in nearby Brent.
The folks at Algonquin provide equipment, advice and great Swift canoes at a very reasonable price. Algonquin Outfitters staff was well informed and helpful making every possible accommodation for our needs.

Our total individual costs (including outfitting, transportation, and incidentals) equaled what we would have paid on the ground once we arrived at a BSA high adventure base.

Algonquin Outfitters

Photo Diary of this year's trip

Make a Canoe Paddle

I actually made a canoe paddle, and plan on making some more. My new paddle served me admirably on an extended trip. This is as complete a treatment of the subject as one could hope to find. Making a paddle is a reasonably complex process but the authors explain every step with well-illustrated clarity.

Making Canoe Paddles at Amazon