Re: [Paddlewise] How was the LL Bean Symposium?

Kirk Olsen wrote:

> So how was the LL Bean Symposium?  It's been about 8 years
> since I went and I'm itching to go again.
>
> Also a friend was supposed to be showing his skin/frame kayaks and I'm
> extremely interested in hearing from anyone who tried them (assuming he
> was there).
>
> kirk
>

Are you talking about Willow Kayaks?  He was there.  Interesting boats.  I
didn't try them because I was looking for a boat for a friend of mine. (Long
story.)
I enjoyed the symposium immensely.  I had one L. L. Bean employee trying to
trade for my Paddlewise T-shirt, but she couldn't come up with anything
interesting enough.  I was tempted to offer it in trade for one of her staff T's
but decided against it.  I knew I should have bought a couple of those shirts!
    On a side note, I got to talk to Barry Buchanan, the man who designed the
Caribou.  Real nice person.  I thanked him for his design, and told him Melissa
thanks him too!  We talked a bit about the Bou, and I learned a few things.
Barry only made about 25 Caribou's before he sold the design to Current Designs,
and only about half of those are fiberglass.  The design was originally stitch
and glue!  He still has one unfinished Caribou in his garage at home.
    Chris Duff gave a couple seminars, I attended the one titled "Solo Paddling,
is it for you?"  Real Human person, no ego that I saw.  I liked him as a writer
before, I like him as a person now.
    And then there was Derek, about as much opposite Chris Duff as you can get.
But he does tell a great story!  He was asked to fill in for an hour when
someone else canceled.  No notes, no slides, just Derek being Derek and telling
his North Sea crossing story.  Only the first half of the story, he only had an
hour.
    I will be going back again next year, I hope to meet more of you there.
There were three of us that I saw with Paddlewise shirts on, it did help to at
least let you know that you "know" that person.

Mike

--
    Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are
visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great
blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a
mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your
passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space.
Mark H Hunt


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