Archive for May, 2005

Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams, The islands and bays are for sportsmen. – g. lightfoot

Ok, so I’m still a little stiff this next morning. But I did want to get out on Lake Michigan one more time before leaving for Michigan proper on Tuesday. It’s actually a pretty nice paddle from Seagull Marina in Two Rivers north to the lighthouse at Point Beach and back. As Mary mentioned along the way it does look very much like the Atlantic coast near Huntington beach in South Carolina. You glide along sand beaches framed in grassy dunes laid against a forest back drop. The big difference is the big pine trees and the total lack of Spanish moss and palms.You certainly couldn’t complain about the weather either. Saturday we had a temperature of around 65 and the negligible bit of swell was under a foot. The only fly in the ointment was a silly bit of following wind waves that were nipping at our sterns. You know the type, they’re weak enough that edging the boat tends to over-correct, so you end up doing a “rhythmic paddle, paddle, paddle, sweep, paddle, little sweep, paddle, paddle, paddle little sweep” thing all day long. About half way along the route north we discovered a blood red stream flowing out into the lake. This red color is pretty common in northern Wisconsin and it is my understanding that this is due to heavy iron content in the soil. However a big bloody red patch in the lake can be a bit un-nerving until your eyes are able to follow it back to it’s source.

And speaking of “Big Bloody red patches”. (Bet you’ve not heard that too often). We took advantage of being at the Seagull Marina to stock up on flairs and dye markers. If you have not heard about these before, they are basically a little rubber container filled with power that when poured into the water will create a nice (florescent green in our case) colored trail with the water current. The claim is that they can be seen for miles from the air. Note the “from the air” bit. A dye marker is not a good choice to be seen from land. Ok, you can go ahead and try it if you like but I’m telling you, It’s not going to work. . .

I’m pretty sure this will be my last post until I get back from the WMCKA symposium on June 2nd or so. ( It’s fun to see all the kayakers suddenly dropping off the web to gather at various shorelines around the world) Today I need to run down to Rutabaga and make a couple last minute purchases. Yes, really, the last. I’ve had a couple things written down for some time but I never remember to actually get them. By now I have to accept that if I don’t have it, I don’t need it. I’m no longer adding to the list. I’ll just be content to have clean clothes. Well, at least the first day out. After that “Clean” is defined as “least aromatic”.

I’m a bit intimidated by the variety of very skilled sea kayakers going on our pre-symposium Manitou trip. (see previous posts regarding performance anxiety) I guess as long as I stay vertical I’ll be content. Usually when I know I’m out-skilled and out-classed I just keep my mouth shut. “Safety in silence”, as it were.

I’ve got a nice group of classes to assist with. Rescues, Boat Loading (well, I’m getting there), Euro paddling strokes, night paddling, and even a children’s class. Cool! I got a little confused by my schedule so I created a new chart where I could just color in boxes and write the details in. This way I can visually see the class times and free time. The chart lays out the hours from 7am to 7pm and goes from Wed to Monday. I converted a blank version called “My Symposium Schedule” to PDF and included it in my handouts page. If you are attending a symposium this year and need a more visual schedule feel free to grab a copy.

So, well, I think that’s about it. See after the holiday weekend. Be well. Be safe.

they’ve told us unless we can prove that we’re doing it, we can’t have it all. (I want it all) – Kate Bush

Gear , Gear, Gear, Gear. Let me share, if you did’nt hear,
I’m getting some gear! I’m getting some gear!
No fun gear, bought that stuff last year,
Just boring necessity gear.
Every year there’s more boring, necessity gear.
I’m not too proud to buy the wrong gear.
I’ll make mistakes. I’ll take it back.
Will you take it back? “Sorry no dear, no refunds here!”
Damn, Damn, I hate buying gear!
I want to steer clear of gear though I never will.
I fear I’ll never stop buying gear.
Light gear, fancy gear, gear with buttons and gear with straps.
Mountaineer gear, Gondolier gear, Marine-engineer gear, and
whatever-you-do-you-do gear, all turns to kayaking gear
when I get it all here and stuffed in my boat.
My boat full of gear.
My floating gear boat.
My floating gear-tote-boat.
Any more gear and my floating gear tote boat may not float.
May not float at all!
May just sink like a rock, or sit on a rock not floating at all!
My non-floating, rock sitting, gear toting boat!
I gotta leave in a week and I need to seek out more gear.
Gaffa tape and towel gear for cracks and smacks.
Marine glues and water shoes and a liquor flask for the back hatch.
Ah. . . a liquor flask for the back hatch.
Now that’s all I ask.
That’s all I ask of my tote-boat’s back hatch.
A back hatch liquor flask with liquor to last!
A week or a year without thinking of gear.
Just a tote boat back hatch liquor flask and a buzz in my ear.
A buzz in my ear?
I just remembered. . .
Deet!
Oh no! Time to go!
I’ve got to go!
Got to buy more gear!

- Yes, I do feel better now. Thanks for asking!

One little bit of gear that we’ve been taking to task recently is Denzo tape which is available in Europe but not here in the states. So most of us carry Duct/Gaffa/Gaffer tape for boat repair. This is one of those subjects that gets way out of hand. Every couple of weeks someone seems to have a new tape. Recently this subject has been running through the Paddlewise group as well including the mention of 3M Helicopter tape that apparently costs $125 per roll!!

Then this morning I read a new blog post by Ginni Callahan and there is that darned tape again! During her assessment she pulls out the Duct tape and a towel, dried the spot off and the tape stays on until she removes it the next day. Interestingly while I was reading that JB sent me an email saying just use Duct tape and have a dry towel. Hey, you don’t have to hit me upside the head. I can be taught, really.

So until proven otherwise I’m going to stay Suspended in Gaffa!

You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been, A place that has to be believed to be seen – bono

Ok, so it’s one week until I head off to Michigan. So I’m suddenly experiencing that quick shallow breathing that comes with not being even slightly prepared for the trip. Not to mention the fact that this is the first “solo” trip I’ve taken in many years. Normally Mary and I make most of our trips together but this time schedules did not match up. Especially if we want to make a fall trip together to the Georgia symposium.

So the big plan is to leave next Tuesday morning and drive up to Manitowoc WI and ride the SS Badger across the Lake Michigan over to Ludington, spend the night there then rise at 6 in the morning, drive north to a beach I’ve never heard of by 9 am for a 10am launch. From there a group of around 13 of us will be paddling the 6 or so mile crossing to North Manitou Island and spend the next couple days exploring both North and South Manitou Islands. Then Friday morning we have to get back to the mainland and get on the road to Camp Pendalouan in Muskegon County MI. I keep having this feeling I’m going to get totally lost in Michigan in not turn up again until 25 years later when I walk into a little diner asking who the president is. . .

Since I’ve done very little camping out of my kayak I’ve been digging through a lot of information about cook stoves, tents, sleeping bags, etc., mainly concerned with size and weight. I could certainly bore you with hours of details in this regard but not this time. I ended up getting going to MSR for a Windpro stove, Ventana Tent, and Miox water treatment system.

I’ve found that a sleeping bag has become the bane of my existence. I’ve been putting off buying a new sleeping bag for quite some time. Hey, we already have sleeping bags. The problem is that they are classic old fashioned bags that we’ve been zipping together for almost 9 years now. I knew trying to get one of these cotton dinosaurs in my boat was futile, especially if I wanted to take food. However buying a solo sleeping bag has a certain amount of negative connotation. It’s an odd thing that when you don’t share a double you are suddenly in a “mummy” bag. I keep going back to this animated film I saw many years ago called “When The Wind Blows“. The movie was based on a book by Raymond Brigs and follows an an elderly British couple as they follow government pamphlets to prepare for an impending nuclear attack. After the attack on London the couple who are located some miles away, begin to feel the effects of radiation sickness which they assume to be common maladies of pensioners such as themselves. Near the end when you know they are dying of radiation sickness, the couple crawl into potato sacks as prescribed in a civil safety leaflet, secure in the knowledge that, “The powers that be would get to them in the end. . .”

Synthetic sleeping bags hold their warmth even when wet. Not that getting your sleeping bag wet is a good plan mind you. So I could skip looking at “down” altogether. Personally I am not going to spend $300 on a sleeping bag. Sorry, it’s just not going to happen. Even then the choices are most overwhelming. My personal favorite was the expensive bag with no insulation in the bottom because you have to buy the pad separately and insert it into the bag. Sorry boys, I’m not going to pay extra to, well. . . pay extra. What a daft proposition this is! Especially when there are so many other choices out there in the same price range that did not skip putting insulation in the bottom. So 4 stores and 3 cities later, I spent about $150 at REI for a bag that will get me through late spring to early fall. I will actually stuff the bag into a dry bag instead of the amply large stuff sac it comes in. I also bought a 42 inch self-inflating 1 inch pad. Again the main consideration is packing space. Depending on the length of the trip a sleeping pad of any size could end up being left behind.

Thanks to to everyone who has wished Mary and I a happy anniversary. On May 20th it will be 5 years since our wedding at 6am on the south shore beach of Devil’s Lake State park. We have actually been together for 9 years since our first “date” which was on my birthday (June 29th) so long ago. (I’m pretty sure it was a pity date since I would have otherwise been on my own for that occasion). I took her down to Madison for the evening. Poor Mary was all dressed up for a night on the town and it certainly started out that way. However when the rain began falling in torrents only seen in Akira Kurosawa films things changed. Hey, I love rain. After dinner we stood in the doorway of Stillwaters for a few moments watching shadows scattering under slipstream light pouring from the streetlamps. I suggested we go over to the Memorial Union where we could watch the storms come in over the lake. Unintentionally I left out the distance we had to run (about 7 blocks or so) and that we would NOT be under a shelter of any sort while watching the storms. It wasn’t until we got back into a warm, well lit area that I noticed what kind of damage rain can really do to eyeliner! Since then there has been a lot less eyeliner and a lot more water. . .

This year we will spend our Anniversary taking our First Aid & CPR certifcations in Madison. How bloody romatic is that?

-dm

Got a devil’s haircut in my mind – beck

Bugs Bunny sure was in drag an awful lot! Do you remember the bit where he dressed up as the Tasmanian She-Devil? If you’re a trivia buff that was in “Bedevilled Rabbit” from 1957. Anyway, that just jumped into my head while I was putting this post together.

You know every so often I send you right over to Justine’s site and this is one of those days. Today we just put up a brand new clip preview from her up-coming sequel to “This is the Sea”. The footage is from her circumnavigation of Tasmania last December with Trys Morris and Gemma Rawlings. The first time I saw the clip I was thinking, “You are NEVER getting me out in that!”. One of the cool things she posted on the site as well is their expedition report. Although it’s pretty interesting to read as a story it’s also, dare I say. . . educational. She lists the kind of communication gear they used, emergency equipment, first aid, repair kits, and most importantly food. So if for some reason you are planning to get up in the morning and going for a paddle say. . . around Madagascar, you’ll have some good knowledge of what you may need to take with you.

For my part it looks like I will get a cloudy rainy day to teach my first sea kayak fundamentals class for the season at Rutabaga tomorrow. I don’t mind that. Kayaking is a watersport after all.

-dm

1. Safety strobe – usually worn attached to an attachment point on a back shoulder.
2. Knife – worn normally over the chest for quick access.
3. Mirror & Whistle – safety signaling devices
4. VHF Radio
5. Hand-held compass
6. Small First Aid Kit
7. Small repair kit
8. Rescue Stirrup
9. Flairs or flair gun
10. sugar/snack
11. nose plugs?

and pretty much everything needs to be attached to the vest either with Velcro or with a short lanyard. (no, not the repair/rescue kits). None of this stuff is any good if it goes floating off in event of a swim.

There are a few guide/rescue vests that have more storage area but then you often give up the features you enjoy in a more standard vest. Last year Northwater came up with a good idea in their mesh “guidevest” that you wear over your PFD, but to be honest I was taken back by the price. In addition I get concerned with another set of zips, arm holes, mesh, straps and do-dads to get caught up in. Too much bulk.

So. . . if you’ve actually read this far you are probably wondering what I’m using. Ok, since YOU asked. . . I chose the Kokatat MsFit Tour. Designed originally for women, the “Ms” vests have found a market in the non-v shaped male audience. In addition they did a good job with gear pockets, pouches, and attachment points on the MsFit Tour. Yes, I’d like another pocket here or there, and reflective material on the shoulders but all-in-all this is a nice PFD. In addition I wear a Lotus EFT Pack which allows you to have water on-the-go as well as carry some of your gear with little impact on comfort. You can also add a Lotus “Whip-it” to your vest which hill give you one more pocket again without much impact.

Hopefully now you are completely confused and are ready to give up the sport of kayaking which leaves more open water for me. (Ah-ha, secret motives. . .) If not, just wait for my next post. (drum beat please) The main points again are choosing a vest that fits well, keeps you afloat and carries all your gear. Don’t drag that ratty old orange PFD out of your canoe and put it under a deck bungee. Get a decent PFD and ware it all the time. Even while driving to work in your rusty but loved 1979 Subaru wagon. . . .

- dm

I will watch her dive beneath, the white cascading waters, she may beg she may plead, she may argue with her logic and then mention all the things I’ll lose, that really have no value, in the end she will surely know, I wasn’t born to follow – Carol King

Here’s a picture I took while paddling Mirror Lake. Although her broomstick is only partially submerged the body was never found.

Sea kayaking feeds an independent soul. You hit the water and you’re gone…

But then you return to shore and again are easily encased in the mundane. Sometimes I just turn around and head right back out. Sometimes I can’t, but I sure think about it!

It’s the middle of the week again and I find I’m struggling to resurface.

-dm

So just a quick note today. I had hoped to make it up to the Paddle America event in Manitowoc but the morning did not play out that way. The next choice was to go out on Mirror Lake near Wisconsin Dells. This turned out to be a lucky break. Out in the slough Sandhill Cranes are nesting so I just slid my boat up unto a mudflat and watched the cranes for awhile. What a great morning!Cranes are spectacularly big birds. There are just 15 species globally and only two, Whooping Cranes and Sandhills are native to North America. Sandhill cranes can stand anywhere from 4 to 5 feet tall and have nearly a seven foot wingspan which you can imagine is pretty imposing from the seat of a kayak as you can see from the shot. I actually have a bit of an “inside” knowledge of cranes being that Baraboo is home to the International Crane Foundation and I worked as a tour guide & chick parent there for a time. Yeah, I know, “Chick Parent” is not a manly title. But, considering I’ve never been a chick magnet, “Parent” will have to do!

Also out on the slough were a few Great Blue Herons as well. Another big local bird. In fact Heron are often confused with cranes. That’s not really too surprising considering Sandhills come in shades anywhere from reddish brown to silver much like a Heron. In the air however, it’s pretty easy to tell the difference. A crane flies with it’s neck out and a Heron tucks it’s head back. There’s your ‘tid-bit’ of the day!

In addition the air was also filled with Canada geese who also nest in this part of the lake and a myriad other ducks and birds of many stripes and colors. In all it made for some very busy airspace. Much like plane spotting in a busy airport you could just sit back and note the many species and distinguishing marks within species as they buzzed over head or landed often just yards away. The crane in this picture was guarding a nest only 30 feet or so from my boat!

TTFN~

-dm