Digging up more old posts, May 2007

Last weekend was paddlefest. Paddlefest is when Full Spectrum Tours brings out kayaks for a free test day on Lake Pend Orielle. At least it’s free until you buy one.Brenton and I have been dreaming of buying a kayak for about a year and a half. We had thought about it and debated it, and came to the conclusion that a hard body kayak just wasn’t quite what we wanted. We wanted a kayak that we could pack in and out to remote alpine lakes and that we could easily carry in the car. After a lot of consideration, we decided to hold out for a folding kayak like the ones offered by Folbot. But the price for a folding kayak starts out at about $2000 so that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

We walked down the beach admiring the various kayaks that were available to be tested. There were probably 70 different kayaks of various brands and styles for us to try out. We didn’t test nearly all of the. At the end of the row was a kayak that made me stop and look again.

I have never really been impressed with inflatable kayaks. They all look like beach toys to me, but when I saw the Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Convertible I knew I was looking at the solution to our kayak problem.

Here’s the stats about this little beauty:

SPECIFICATIONS:

Length: 15’

Width: 32”

Weight: 56 lbs (25 kg)

MaxWt.: 550 lbs (249 kg)

Color: Red/Gray

The bottom is made out of the same PVC tarpulin that is used to make white water rafts. There are 6 air chambers. The two main chambers both go all the way around the kayak so you would stay afloat even if one of them punctures. The main air chambers are protected by three layers so a puncture is pretty unlikely. The seats clip in. There are three sets of clips so you can convert it from a tandem to a single kayak. Set up and take down took us about 10 minutes a piece on the first try. I’m sure we will only get faster too (in comparison, my friends with solid body kayaks say it takes them about 15 minutes to get the kayak on and off their roof racks). And I can fit the kayak, paddles, and PFDs all in the truck of our car along with two sleeping bags and a cooler. That’s some sweet stuff. We’ve been out 3 times since we bought it. I would buy it all over again.

Image via Wikipedia

Another Post from my blog archives, May 2007.

With spring still being a bit temperamental, Brenton and I are taking every opportunity we can to get out and about when the weather cooperates. Yesterday the high was in the upper 70′s so we went out for a paddle in our new Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Convertible Kayak. We drove to Schweitzer Cutoff Rd and put in Sand creek at the bridge. Sand creek is a fairly well behaved creek with just enough speed to keep you moving (at least until you get close to Lake Pend Orielle).

Right beside the bridge is a nice parking area that can easily accommodate two cars. We were not the first to think of putting in there. A truck had already parked and was long gone down the creek by the time we got there. It turned out that our fellow boater was one of Brenton’s Co-workers, but that’s another story.

We scouted the best path to portage before we inflated the kayak. There’s nothing worse than getting all set up to go only to find out that you can’t get into the water because the bank is too steep. We had to hug the fence a bit to carry the kayak down to the waters edge, but we made it. The bank was a bit steep.

I went into the water first and WOW it was cold. We are still getting some spring melt from the mountains. The rocks were slick with alge and I thought I was going to take a swim once or twice as we were trying to get all situated.

We managed to get into the boat and head down the creek with no major events. Brenton paddled most of the way, I was just there to help around a few rough spots. It’s a good route for inexperienced paddlers, a few shallow places, a little bit of a current, but nothing too intense. Mostly the route is just flat, slow moving water.

It’s spring around here so we saw lots of goslings and ducklings. I have to say the ducklings are cuter than the goslings. We saw a long boardwalk along sand creek that was getting pretty old and decrepit.

As I was looking at the boardwalk, I thought about another time in Sandpoint, ID. This town has always revovled around the lake and water. Whether it was the timber industry or the tourism industry, Lake Pend Orielle is at the heart of Sandpoint.

I Found this post in my other blog archives, Dandelions and Daydreams from June 2007.

God must have had Heaven in mind when he designed North Idaho. Living here is like living in a playground. If you like to hike, bike, hunt, fish, ski, sail, camp, or do anything outdoors, North Idaho is a great place to call home.If you like art museums don’t come here. We like the great outdoors.

On Friday, I took off for the lake right after lunch. The sun was shining and a nice wind was blowing.I put our inflatable kayak out on Lake Pend Orielle and paddled out to the middle of the lake. For the next two hours, I let the boat drift while I was reading and working on a writing project. Next time I plan on writing on the lake, I think I will bring my MP3 player/voice recorder.It’s hard to write when the waves are rocking the boat.

The next day, Brenton and I decided to paddle the thorofare to Upper Priest Lake. Upper Priest Lake is a scenic wilderness area with no roads in or out and no houses built on the shoreline. The three mile paddle from Beaver Creek Campground to Upper Priest Lake took us about 1 1/2 hours, but we were not in a hurry at all. In a few weeks, we are going to take some people camping at Upper Priest Lake, and we wanted to check out the sites.

The camping is primitive. There are four campgrounds that offer fire rings, vault toilets (AKA outhouses), bear boxes, and not much else. The view is perfect, and I really hope we can do some stargazing when we camp up there.

This kayak trip was special because it was the first time I was brave enough to bring my camera along. I intend to buy a waterproof camera eventually. For now, I double bagged the camera with zip-lock bags, and hoped it would survive the trip. The risk was well rewarded.

We saw quite a few ducklings swimming. On a sandbar, there was a congregation of Monarch butterflies, but the real highlight of the trip came on the paddle back down the thorofare. As we slipped around a corner, a moose broke through the brush on the bank not more than 50 feet in front of our kayak. Brenton held on to the bank while I was taking pictures. A minute later, her baby came out into the water with her and began nursing. We floated there, on the opposite bank, for probably ten minutes watching this pair as they went about their evening feedings. All too soon, we had to paddle on down the thorofare so we could get off the lake before darkness fell. We had to paddle across open water for about 1/4 of a mile at the North end of Priest Lake. The wind was headed right down the lake, so the waves had picked up speed and height. We went splashing over the waves and were quite thankful that our Advanced Elements Kayak is very stable. We took out at Beaver Creek Campground, where we had put in. At the end of the day we were both exhausted and hungry, but grinning from ear to ear.

When you head out on the hiking trail for an afternoon or all day hike, you will need to pack some essential gear. The gear that you choose to carry will change depending on the climate, season, and location of your hike.

In the 1930′s, The Mountaineers, a hiking club based out of Seattle, created a gear list that is still referred to as the Ten Essentials. Here is their list:

1. Topographic Map
2. Compass
3. Flashlight
4. Extra food
5. Extra clothes
6. Sunglasses
7. First Aid Kit
8. Knife (multi-tool)
9. Waterproof matches
10. Fire starter material

There are a few extra things that I would add to The Mountaineers list like water and a way to purify it, sunscreen, rain gear, and a space blanket.

The basic idea of carrying this much stuff on a day hike is to be prepared to stay out all night in the worst weather the season can throw at you and survive it.

In the winter, you should carry gear to survive a night of snow and freezing temperatures. The temperature lows vary from location to location, and when you pack for a mountain hike, don’t forget to take altitude into consideration.

Summertime, your greatest threat is likely a cold thunderstorm. Actually, the chance of hypothermia is probably worse in the summer than in the winter because the average summer hiker is not prepared for it.

I’ve said it before, the most important thing to carry with you is knowledge, common sense, your brain. Unless you know how to read a map and use a compass, just carrying the items in your pack won’t do you any good.

I’m as bad as anyone–worse even–for wanting to just put on my shoes and head out to the trail, but a little pre-planning could save your life.

Next time, I’ll write about putting together a Bug-Out-Bag (BOB) with essential gear so that going on a day hike will involve putting on your boots and grabbing your BOB.

The recent disappearance of hiker, Meredith Emerson on Blood Mountain in Georgia has gotten me thinking about personal safety on the trail.

There are so many risks when heading out to hike, and you need to take some measures to protect yourself.

Some possibilities that you should consider when you go hiking:

• unexpected weather changes
• injury
• being lost
• dangerous animals
• dangerous people

I certainly don’t recommend avoiding the great outdoors because of the risks involved. Even the most experience hiker needs to prepare for the dangers that surround you on the hiking trail.

The most important thing you can take with you on a hike is knowledge. Having a first aid kit isn’t enough if you don’t know how to use it.

Over the next few posts, I am going to explore some of the basics of personal protection for the outdoor adventurer.