How to Build the Perfect Yoke for Portaging Your Canoe, Step by Step
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I built the most comfortable custom padded canoe portaging yoke ever. No more bouncing the damn boat up and down on my cervical vertebrae…
Lost in the Barrens, a Solo Canoe Trip on a Remote Arctic River
Trip Overview This is the story of a solo canoe trip into the Barren Lands of Northern Canada that I did in the summer of 2024. The goal was to traverse Nueltin Lake, ascend the Kognak River, cross the height of land and then descend the Kognak to the Tha-anne and thence down to Hudson […]
Plastic Welding a Cracked Whitewater Boat
I recently broke my favourite whitewater boat – an Esquif L’Edge Lite – paddling the Capilano River. The river was already at a low level when the river authorities turned off the dam upstream and reduced the river to a trickle. The Capilano is in a deep canyon and climbing out would have been very […]
What’s Better Against an Aggressive Bear, Bear Spray or a Gun?
I was working as a guide in the Yukon the summer some French tourists went hiking in Kluane National Park, saw a grizzly bear, and pulled out the bear spray. They then proceeded to spray themselves with it, thinking that it worked like mosquito repellent spray. On the plus side the bear decided to ignore […]
How to Physically Prepare for a Long Paddling Trip
I’m getting ready for a big Arctic solo canoe expedition this summer, so I was thrilled to talk to my friend Rob Sainsbury (@so_aero on Instagram) who competes in outrigger paddling and is also a very knowledgeable NCCP-certified coach in both rowing and triathlon. Here’s the video of Rob and I chatting about preparing for […]
Lessons from Low Water Paddling
One of the best things you can do to prepare for wilderness paddling trips is to go playboating, aka fooling around on local rivers in tiny canoes equipped with saddles, thigh straps and airbags. Playboating allows you to develop your skills in full protective equipment, friends standing by to rescue you if you swim, and […]
Will It Burn: Pringle Chips and Steel Wool?
Any good campfire requires tinder, a fine and easy-to-light material that can then be used to light kindling which in turn is used to light larger pieces of wood. Good tinder can be hard to find, especially in a rain-soaked landscape where everything is soaking wet. So it’s important to know about alternative tinder options. […]
Why Lighting a Fire with Gasoline Usually Doesn’t Work (nd How to Do It Safely)
Lighting a fire with gasoline or other flammable liquids like kerosene or white gas can be incredibly dangerous since the explosive fumes extend out well past the actual liquid. This can potentially engulf you in a fireball when you try to ignite the fire. The worst case scenario occurs if you’ve previously tried to light […]
Does Expired Bear Spray Still Work?
A few years ago I pulled off the highway onto a deserted logging road and pulled out an old container of bear spray. I wanted to fire it off to refamiliarise myself with the range and dispersion pattern of the capsicum spray. I checked the wind direction, removed the safety latch, and pushed down on […]
What Causes River to Meander?
What causes a river to meander and cause a series of curving channels across the landscape?