Articles

Canoeing Lessons Every Paddler Should Know, with Paul Mason

I was honored to speak to Paul Mason, son of the legendary Bill Mason and an icon of canoeing in his own right, on my

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How to Find Your Most Powerful & Efficient Stroke for Canoe Tripping

In my paddling career I’ve spent a ton of time paddling into headwinds and crossing gigantic lakes, stroke after endless stroke. And that’s given me

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Cliff Jacobson Interview

An Interview with Cliff Jacobson I’ve learned an absolute TON about canoeing from Cliff Jacobson over the years. I’ve read and re-read his book ‘Canoeing

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Bear Boards and Other Precautions

Bears are curious, persistent, and tremendously strong creatures. Given enough time they can break into just about any structure to ransack it in their quest

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How to Get Started in Canoeing, Featuring Mikaela Ferguson

Getting started in something new is always daunting, and this especially true if you’re talking about canoeing, paddling, and other watersports. There is steep learning

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My Top Four Wilderness Canoeing Books

I’ve learned a TON about traveling in the wilderness from books. Here are my top four wilderness canoeing books… The Path of the Paddle, by

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My Favorite Bear Alarm

The PakAlarm is an affordable and reliable way to bear proof your camp. Basically it allows you to run a tough monofilament line around your

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Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Run…

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephan Kesting (@essentialwilderness) It’s just not worth getting hurt when you’re just training. I bailed off

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Poling, A Forgotten Method to Travel Upriver

Poling upriver above Manitou Falls on the Fond du Lac River in Northern Saskatchewan If I just had a dollar for every time I’ve been

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Fire Irons, the Best Way to Cook Over a Fire

Fire irons are two pieces of metal, typically tubular aluminum, that can be laid across a fire to provide a stable surface for cooking. In

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