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From: BRADFORD R. CRAIN <brad_at_mth.pdx.edu>
subject: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 13:43:15 +0000
     Discussion on this list is listing heavily towards technography 
lately. Anybody have any trip reports to balance things out?
     Brad Crain
**********************************************************************
Bradford R. Crain                             E-mail: brad_at_mth.pdx.edu
Dept. of Mathematics                          Phone: (503) 725-3127
Portland State Univ.                          FAX:   (503) 725-3661  
P.O. Box 751
Portland, Or. 97207
**********************************************************************

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From: Larry Bliven <foxhill_at_shore.intercom.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 18:23:26 -0400
hi Brad   

>  Discussion on this list is listing heavily towards technography 
lately. Anybody have any trip reports to balance things out?

Last weekend there were severe thunderstorms with high winds and lots of
lightening on friday nite. i paddled Chincoteague Bay, Maryland on saturday
morning and found two new PFD's in a marsh that was 15 miles from the
closest marina... one had a toy critter attached...can be described as
*Mighty Moose* - half-man and half-moose. biting flies are coming into
season here, so we will have to pay attention to time of day and wind for
choosing sandy beach landings... that problem will be addressed tomorrow.

where you been paddling?

bye bye bliven






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From: Mark Zen <canoeist_at_netbox.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 1998 16:47:39 -0600
At 06:23 PM 7/2/98 -0400, "Larry Bliven" <foxhill_at_shore.intercom.net> wrote:
>
>
>hi Brad   
>
>>  Discussion on this list is listing heavily towards technography 
>lately. Anybody have any trip reports to balance things out?
>
>Last weekend there were severe thunderstorms with high winds and lots of
>lightening on friday nite. i paddled Chincoteague Bay, Maryland on saturday
>morning and found two new PFD's in a marsh that was 15 miles from the
>closest marina... one had a toy critter attached...can be described as
>*Mighty Moose* - half-man and half-moose. biting flies are coming into
>season here, so we will have to pay attention to time of day and wind for
>choosing sandy beach landings... that problem will be addressed tomorrow.
>
>where you been paddling?
>
>bye bye bliven
>
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i've been paddling all over the state [of colorado!!] and much has been
enjoyable!!
every year, for the national "river clean up day" the RMCC cleans a part of the
platte river through downtown denver, or at least through the denver metro area.
this year i found a stuffed "tazmanian devil" the warner bros cartoon
character!!

there are three ways to "run" a river, faster than the current, slower than the
current, or floating at current speed. when my partner and i got to one of the 
big drops on our section, we were going slower than the current... in an
aluminum
canoe. we had no speed whatsoever, and instead of plowing through the
curling wave
at the bottom, we hit it and stopped, due to lack of inertia. the wave we
hit was
just under derek's armpit. i saw him lift his arms, and his lower half just went
out of sight as the water rushed around him and filled the boat.

as we hit each wave the boat got lower and lower in the water. it finally sank,
but we kept it from tipping over bracing at about eye level ;-) more like chest
level, but quite funny. we were laughing so hard, we finally just stood up in
the titanic, and stepped out. as we swam the boat to the shore, our compatriots
came over to our rescue, but we waved them away, saying "please rescue the
devil,
and the balls" --- we have a dog at home that loved "river flavored" tennis
balls.
and i had found about a dozen balls of various sizes and colors, which all were 
floating away as we sank the boat!!

so much fun --- "so many rivers, so little time"  ;-)

mark



#------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com--------------------------------------
mark zen                      o,    o__              o_/|   o_.
po box 474                   </     [\/              [\_|   [\_\
ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----')      (`----|-------\-')
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~
http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler  [index of Paddling websites I manage]
Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers
The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page 
#-Fortune:
Langsam's Laws:
	(1) Everything depends.
	(2) Nothing is always.
	(3) Everything is sometimes.

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From: Mark Zen <canoeist_at_netbox.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 1998 17:15:53 -0600
At 01:43 PM 7/2/98 +0000, "BRADFORD R. CRAIN" <brad_at_mth.pdx.edu> wrote:
>
>
>     Discussion on this list is listing heavily towards technography 
>lately. Anybody have any trip reports to balance things out?
>     Brad Crain
>************************************
  

if you can handle a long one, involving canoe touring, whitewater canoeing,
and sea kayaking, it should be done by the end of the weekend...

and here's a short report today:

Wet-n-Wild ... not a porn movie ;-) but a girls scout's senoir project was
today. the initial details can be found at:
http://www.diac.com/~zen/cpr/pleashlp.html

there were about 30+ girl scouts, 10-14ish yrs old, divided into three groups.
we all met at lonetree reservoir at 8:30 this morning. cool temps, 75oF or
so, and a strong breeze, so rather pleasant. 3 members of the RMCC provided
"perimeter support" while the instructor gave the girls brief instructions on
canoeing fundementals.

the first group was blown 1/4 of the way across the lake, and concerns were 
raised about the group "drifting" too far away. the instructor made a point 
of clarifying with the subsequent groups where the boundaries were, and asked 
us [as support] to confine the paddlers to this area.

many games of "dead fish polo" were played, and the weather cooperated for the
rest of the day anyway. we didn't have anything but a gentle breeze after the
first group... the view of the rocky mountains was fantastic, the temps never 
got roasting, and nobody went swimming, although the last group was mostly a
family, so the polo game turned into how much water can you splash on each
other!!

my daughter, jessica, paddled her aquaterra spectrum, while i paddled my prijon
yukon expedition. we had the chance to paddle emily's family sea kayaks as well.
i have never paddled the aquaterra scimitar, or "sealution" before, so that was
quite a bit of fun. i didn't like the seat to the scimitar, but the boat was ok.
i could see why the sealution [plastic] has such a following [or as near as i
can tell, it does!!]. it was pretty stable, but you could heal it over until
the combing [sp?] was underwater for a leaned turn.

ok, mini-trip report & boat review ;-) next?!!

mark

#------canoeist[at]netbox[dot]com--------------------------------------
mark zen                      o,    o__              o_/|   o_.
po box 474                   </     [\/              [\_|   [\_\
ft. lupton, co 80621-0474 (`-/-------/----')      (`----|-------\-')
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~
http://www.diac.com/~zen/paddler  [index of Paddling websites I manage]
Rocky Mtn Sea Kayak Club, Colorado River Flows, Poudre Paddlers
The Colorado Paddlers' Resource, Rocky Mtn Canoe Club Trip Page 
#-Fortune:
Langsam's Laws:
	(1) Everything depends.
	(2) Nothing is always.
	(3) Everything is sometimes.

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From: BRADFORD R. CRAIN <brad_at_mth.pdx.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 16:01:56 +0000
> From:          "Larry Bliven" <foxhill_at_shore.intercom.net>
> To:            <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
> Subject:       Re: [Paddlewise] trips
> Date:          Thu, 2 Jul 1998 18:23:26 -0400

> hi Brad   
> 
> >  Discussion on this list is listing heavily towards technography 
> lately. Anybody have any trip reports to balance things out?
> 
> Last weekend there were severe thunderstorms with high winds and lots of
> lightening on friday nite. i paddled Chincoteague Bay, Maryland on saturday
> morning and found two new PFD's in a marsh that was 15 miles from the
> closest marina... one had a toy critter attached...can be described as
> *Mighty Moose* - half-man and half-moose. biting flies are coming into
> season here, so we will have to pay attention to time of day and wind for
> choosing sandy beach landings... that problem will be addressed tomorrow.
> 
> where you been paddling?
> 
> bye bye bliven
>  
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> ***************************************************************************
> 
          We paddled the Columbia River last weekend, launching from 
Corbett. Weather was brilliant sunshine and a modest breeze opposing 
the steady current, making for a few interesting  sections of wave 
action. Highlights were the massive basalt cliffs, towering 
waterfalls, and background mountains of the Cascades. Not a lot of 
wildlife, but scores of cool boats, mostly motorized. Just an ideal 
day to get out and stretch some desk-bound muscles. 
          Two weekends ago, ventured forth on the Willamette River on 
a sunny Sunday afternoon, starting at the Sellwood Bridge. Saw too 
many runabouts and large pleasure craft, but had tons of oportunity 
to capsize in the numerous wakes. Most boats did not slow down as 
they passed, so had to pay careful attention to boat traffic, and 
stay out of the channel. But it was fun dodging all those waves. Also 
saw many ducks and geese in the shallows. 
**********************************************************************
Bradford R. Crain                             E-mail: brad_at_mth.pdx.edu
Dept. of Mathematics                          Phone: (503) 725-3127
Portland State Univ.                          FAX:   (503) 725-3661  
P.O. Box 751
Portland, Or. 97207
**********************************************************************

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From: David Seng <David_at_wainet.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] trips
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 17:39:54 -0800
 
  Took a nice little trip last weekend.  The plan was to head from
Juneau southeast down Gastineau Channel out into Stephens Passage and
then make a crossing of Stephens Passage over to Admiralty Island for a
weekend of camping and paddling.
 Friday we managed to get underway around noon under sunny skies with
the wind out of the southwest at 20 knots.  Water temps were in the mid
50's - I almost always wear a dry suit in these waters.  My partner and
I had the kayaks _loaded_ with food, she was ribbing me incessantly
about how much food I had bought and packed. (That's what happens when I
do all the planning and shopping for a trip - I'm a former hard-core
backpacker who saw the light when I discovered how much gear would fit
into a kayak<g>)  We'd eat well at least.
 Gastineau Channel leads toward the southeast from Juneau approx 8 miles
until it reaches the southern end of Douglas Island and the waters of
Stephens Passage.  We hugged the western shore of the channel and
paddled in very protected waters until we reached Point Tantallon at the
south end of Douglas Island.  As we approached the point we could see
that the waters of Stephens Passage had a good chop running before the
20 knot winds.  Nothing nasty, but the waves were probably a good three
feet consistently.  (Paddling these waters in anything less than ideal
conditions always makes me think of the latest news of boats that have
disappeared in the area.  Within the last three weeks two skiffs had
been lost with the lives of seven people.  I like the fact that my kayak
is truly much more sea-worthy than many of the boats that ply these
waters.)
 We took a short break on the rocks of Marmion Island off Point
Tantallon - a good time for a Power Bar, Pringles (hey, I did the
shopping!) and some water before attempting the five mile crossing over
to Admiralty Island (the native Tlingit name is Kootznoowoo - Fortress
of the Bears) and our destination - a little jewel of a cove called
Oliver Inlet.  We were headed almost directly into the waves - I had a
ball as the bow of my Seaward Ascente ducked time after time into the
waves.  It was a wet paddle....
 We entered the narrow neck of Oliver Inlet about an hour after the
indicated low tide, but the waters of Oliver Inlet weren't following the
rules!  The tide was still ebbing - and running at about 6 knots through
a rocky channel.  A little eddy-hopping and some tough moves and we got
through. (Hey, this is the G-rated version)  There was a little bit of
muttered verbal motivation going on too - "Yes, I should have talked to
somebody about local conditions like this.".....  What I know is it
certainly wasn't noted in the tide book or on the chart - ah, what's an
adventure without at least one unforeseen difficulty.  The secret is in
knowing how to deal with the things that you didn't anticipate.  
 Oliver Inlet is a narrow beautiful 1.5 mile long inlet.  We saw Great
Blue Heron and quite a few Bald Eagles as we paddled in an (eventually)
leisurely fashion up the inlet towards our next destination - a small
narrow gauge tram at the head of the inlet that leads across a mile wide
isthmus and over to the 60 mile long Seymour Canal.  We had reserved a
State Forest system cabin at the other end of the tram and planned to
paddle the protected waters of Seymour Canal the next day (and hopefully
see some of Admiralty's Brown Bear).  We saw an old dilapidated wooden
boat anchored in the cove, but no signs of life onboard or of a dinghy
on shore - strange.  Shortly before the head of the cove we found the
tram trail.  It appeared that the rails had at one time run all the way
to somewhere between the high and low tide lines (in this area the tides
can vary by as much as 21 feet), but now they terminate at the top of a
low hill.  As fortune would have it, the last people to use the tram
left it at the other end, so we had a nice walk, except for the
ferocious Spotted Sandpipers nesting up in the muskeg - they were rather
perturbed and scolded tremendously along with several dive-bombing runs
at us.  Both kayaks fit side-by-side on the tram car and it made an easy
portage.  The tram tracks cross an area of muskeg and appear to be quite
old - we can't figure out why the tram is here - it's a little bit out
of character for an area like this.  Hard to believe that it was put
here for recreational use.  Ah, well - it was fun riding down the hills
- as long as I didn't think too much about having to push back up the
hills on the way back.
 The state-owned cabin had four bunks, a wood stove and a latrine.
Several hours after low tide the waters of Seymour Canal seemed a long
way off -  at least a mile!  Most bays and shorelines in this area (SE
Alaska) are very steep and drop off sharply - long shallow bays like
this are unusual.  There weren't any salmon in either of the two nearby
streams, so it didn't surprise me that we didn't see any bear - except
for two bear skeletons left by hunters on the shore about two miles from
the cabin.  Spring bear season - nuts if you ask me!

 (Okay, My fingers are tired, the sun is shining and the fourth of July
weekend is beckoning - I'm going to run home and go for a paddle.  It
doesn't get dark around here until about 11:00pm these days - gotta love
summer in Alaska!).

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
 


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