Everybody Pogie!
Published October 18, 2011 | 
Sit beside the breakfast table
Think about your troubles
Pour yourself a cup of tea
And think about the bubbles – Nilsson
It’s pogie season again. It’s not necessarily that the water is too cold. It’s not that the air is freezing yet either. It’s the combination of wet hands and wind that’ll get ya. Now, let me go all “Back-in-the-day” on you for a minute. I’ve been paddling for a while now. Nearly 10 years. Being based here in Wisconsin, I feel like I’ve tried nearly every freaking glove the paddling industry has to offer. None, let me repeat that, none, have keep my hands warm on a cold, winter day paddle. Go look at the cost of heavy-duty winter paddling gloves and you’ll see that this is a very expensive failure. The silver bullet for me was a combination of Pogies and SealSkinz paddling gloves. Continue reading
The Devil On Your Shoulder
Published October 14, 2011 | 
On Mondays, I never go to work / On Tuesdays, I stay at home / On Wednesdays, I never feel inclined ? Work is the last thing on my mind
On Thursdays, it’s a holiday! ? And Fridays I detest ? Oh it’s much too late on a Saturday
And Sunday is the day of rest – TMBG
We all know, paddling is an addiction, but to be fair, there are days. You wouldn’t think it would ever seem like a challenge to paddle a couple of miles in the morning, but it can be. Not because it’s hard or because you’re facing the rage of the wild seas or whatever, but because we’re human. Just the simple act of dragging your hide outside and schlepping your kayak to the beach on a cold, windy morning can be a challenge to overcome. Continue reading
Lumix Crash Test
Published October 12, 2011 | 
So, I’ve got to share this story with you. The other day I was just packing up after my regular paddle around the local lake. I was going through my habitual process of putting away my gear, changing clothes and what-have-you when a woman came walking around my Jeep and started asking me questions. She had traveled around the US and had just arrived for 10 days here in the Baraboo Hills. She had all sorts of questions about trails, paddling, biking, where to find vegan food and about a hundred more questions. In the distraction, I got out of my routine. I left my Lumix DMC-Ts3 sitting on the back of my jeep. Continue reading
Vultures Circling
Published October 5, 2011 | 
Oh yeah, I’m still circling the little lake like a dizzy vulture. I’ve got about 70 miles to go. At least the last few days have been pretty much perfect autumn days. Where else would you rather be than on the water? Oh, and speaking of vultures circling I just returned from my annual check up. I always post about it because way too many men are simply too scared to go each year, especially when you pass that 40th birthday. I’ll tell you one thing.. I’d rather go each year and act preventatively, than only go when nothing can be done. Now, I’m not going to say every minute of it is fun, but once it’s over I can get out the door and feel pretty good for the next 365 days or so… until the next check up…
Don’t wash the dirt off of your hands, doing the same mistake twice,
making the same mistake twice.
Come on over, don’t be so caught up,
it’s all about compromising. I see problems down the line, I know they’re not mine.
Don’t let the darkness eat you up. – 6pm
October rains remind me that all things are temporary. I tend to walk the trails a lot in October and November. I know I’m running out of time. Sure, I can get out the snow-shoes.. but winter is well, limbo. Winter is the time of year I spend trying to remember what a warm, wet, wind feels like. When late in the evening I sometimes strain to make my mind recall the sound of a thunderstorm or the earthy, tea aroma of a wet, autumn day. Late autumn sometimes feels like the last desperate opportunity to grasp the pulse of life. Continue reading →