To further test the strength of Nova Craft’s newest composite canoe material, TuffStuff Expedition, Nova Craft dropped a canoe from the roof of their warehouse. The canoe fell 100 feet and survived! While it sustained some damage, the hull was still strong and the team took it for a paddle right after the drop.
The first aid supplies you carry depend on the length of expedition and number of paddlers. Wilderness first aid training can teach you to do a lot with only basic supplies—essential when packing ultra-light. Pre-assembled kits like Adventure Medical Kits’ Ultralight and Watertight .9 are compact and stocked to handle a multitude of potentially emergent scenarios including wounds, infections, blisters, sprains and more.
www.adventuremedicalkits.com | $36.00
Click here for more expedition essentials in the free online edition of Rapid, Summer/Fall 2014.
This article originally appeared in Rapid, Early Summer 2014. Read the entire issue on your desktop, Apple or Android device.
Watch Spanish kayaker Marc Adroher dance with massive Mediterranean waves on the Costa Brava in northeastern Spain. Filmed at Fosca Beach near the town of Palamós in early November, this is 5 minutes of extreme surf action. Marc paddles with a Greenland style blade in a P&H Delphin 150.
See more kayak surfing action on Marc’s YouTube channel at Kayak Experience.
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After battling 10-foot-high swells and capsizing in the surf, Poulsbo, Washington, sea kayaker John Kuntz figured his problems would be over when reached shore.
But that was only the start of a five-day ordeal on a remote, storm-blasted stretch of the British Columbia coast. Kuntz and his paddling partner, Luca Lezzi of Bainbridge Island, found themselves trapped until the Canadian Coast Guard could reach them.
Read the rescue story here on the Kitsap Sun’s Puget Sound blogs. See maps and photos on Kuntz’s Facebook page.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I drag myself out of bed and stumble into the car, towards freedom. When I step out hours later, I have left my house but arrived at my home. I quickly dance my way into a wetsuit, squeeze into a neoprene skirt, and suction a helmet to my head. I jump into my whitewater kayak, slide down the rocks and into the icy chaos of the rapids. Whitewater bubbles around me as I dodge a jagged rock, contouring my body to avoid the impending collision. The paddle’s blade slides into the foamy current and I twirl into a surf. Like a surfboard in the ocean, I can play with the wave’s energy in my little boat. Water rushes under me as I carve right and left, slicing the bow of my kayak into the river’s fleshy current. My edge catches the current and the mighty river throws me into the air.
Another day, I dip my hat into the salty water, dumping the ocean onto my head. Ahhhhhhh, that’s nice. I turn in the seat of my ocean kayak. Looking around I see nothing and I see everything. There is no land, not even an island, yet the horizon is filled with activity. Seagulls swirl overhead, occasionally diving for their supper. The sun dances off of the asymmetric waves. Wind rushes through the salt-encrusted curls of my hair. The ocean allows me to be alone, even as I turn to smile at my dad.
I pull my rugged Grumman canoe onto the muddy shore of the pastel-painted marshes and dragonfly filled bends of the Ipswich River. I am in Monet’s head; colors blur, only an impression remains, an impression of serenity and freedom, an impression of paddling. As night falls I rub the blisters the wooden paddle has tattooed onto my palms. The sun has set but the river continues its lazy course, water trickling over the derelict beaver dam.
When Adventure Kayaker reader Koby Michaels had to write an essay explaining his interests for his university applications, he composed this short piece. The 18-year-old is now enjoying his first semester at the University of British Columbia. Follow a twitter feed of Koby’s writing and video editing @kobymichaels.
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The Trip at a Glance
Adventure Provider: Voyageur Quest
Trip Type: Guided Wilderness Canoe Trip
Length: 3 days
When: Monday to Wednesday & Friday to Sunday, June 19th to September 27, 2015
Trip Fee: $425.00 + HST per person (based on double occupancy)
Trip Rendezvous: Voyageur Quest Canoe Outpost at Algonquin Park Round Lake Access Point (#1), South River
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Discover the magic of world-renowned Algonquin Park, the oldest provincial park in Canada. Led by professional guides, this trip is ideal for people with any level of paddling experience or none at all!
The adventure features amazing wildlife (moose, fox, beaver, otters, bears) viewing opportunities, spectacular campsites and tasty backcountry cuisine. Learn or refresh paddle and portage skills and no trace camping techniques. Swim in clean fresh water, listen to the call of the loon, gaze at the stars and more.
What’s Included
Two nights camping accommodation, all meals, all group equipment, Algonquin Park permits, canoeing, hiking, wildlife interpretation and the services of a wilderness guide.
About the Guides
The guides are skilled outdoors people who are well versed in the natural and cultural history of Algonquin Park and are passionate about sharing their love for the outdoors. They are qualified canoe professionals, certified water safety/life guards, and trained in wilderness first aid.
| Getting There
The Voyageur Quest Canoe Outpost is located at the Algonquin Park Round Lake Access Point (#1), South River.
Latitude 45.922976 Longitude -79.184990
It is a 3.5 hour drive from Toronto. Need a ride? Voyageur Quest offers return transportation from downtown Toronto to Algonquin Park.
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About the Adventure Provider
Voyageur Quest is one of Canada’s most recognized adventure travel companies. It specializes in fun and educational year-round outdoor learning experiences in Algonquin Park. It offers outfitting services, guided trips and lodge-based adventures. Its Algonquin Canoe and Log Cabin Adventure is a “Best in Canada” Signature Experience.
More Options
Looking for a longer trip or something more luxurious? VQ offers a variety of three- to seven-day guided canoe trips in Algonquin Park including family trips, private guided trip and the renowned Moose Photography Safari, touted by award-winning travel bloggers, The Planet D, as one of the highlights of their summer in Ontario.
If you love the wilderness but prefer a good bed and comfort at the end of the day, you’ll love the Algonquin Log Cabin and/or the Algonquin Cottage Outpost & Island Retreat, a favourite “camp” of painter Tom Thompson. Packages include a canoe and access to the unique floating sauna.
Don’t Miss
In closest town, South River, Bean There Cafe specializes in home-made bistro-style lunches, soups, award-winning baking and locally roasted coffee. The Highlander Brew Co., open for retail sales, sampling and tours, features traditionally crafted Scottish Ale.
For regional travel information, please visit Explorers’ Edge.
“I want the yellow one!” the little boy declared, flopping onto the sit-on-top kayak’s thick, inflated floor and confirming my suspicions that lifting out the seat and Mirage Drive pedals would transform the nine-foot Hobie i9S into a peerless post-paddle air mattress. While the boy acted out imagined adventures on the manicured green seas of the city park’s grass, his patient stroller-pushing dad diverted from the bike path for a closer look.
Three air chambers in the Hobie’s heavy-duty PVC-vinyl hull inflate in just a couple of minutes with a supplied hand pump. The result is so firm and slick, Dad is surprised to learn it’s an inflatable. I show him the rolling travel duffle that I had pulled the kayak from just 10 minutes earlier, after easily wheeling the 70-pound package from my trunk to the shore.
Hobie Mirage i9S Specs
Length: 9′
Width: 36″
Weight: 66 lbs
Price: $1,749 USD
The i9S features Hobie’s trademark pedal drive to propel two penguin-like flippers under the bow hull.
Reclining into the comfortable high-back seat and kicking your legs is faster than using the included four-piece paddle, although the inflatable’s beamy width and shorter waterline means acceleration and cruising speed aren’t as quick as Hobie’s hard-shell Mirage sit-on-tops.
An available sail kit adds to your propulsion options.
With the compact rudder deployed, the i9S tracks well and responds quickly to inputs from the hand-controlled steering disk on the left gunwale.
Rudder cables are routed inside welded channels on the gunwale to protect them from snags and damage.
The pumpkin seed-shaped i9S is a super stable platform for fishing, photography or family adventures.
A bungee-secured storage area behind the seat accommodates a large dry bag or crate, so you can bring along the essentials for a full day on the water.
Ideal for: All-around rec use; day trips on harbors, lakes and rivers.
Assembly Time: 10 minutes or less
“Falling Creek Camp has a world class paddling program that teaches kids the absolute basics through to class 5 paddling. Located in the heart of the Southern Appalachian mountains, Falling Creek has been known to have an adventure program that exceeds all expectations. The paddling program takes kids to the Ottawa River Canada, Colorado, Costa Rica and recently flew campers on float planes to the remote wilderness of the Magpie River in North Eastern Canada.
Lead by three time world cup champion Jez and previous camper Taylor Barker, the program has every year grown to include new rivers and adventures throughout the southeast and further afield.
Every camper is taught via safe challenge by choice adventures and the program also includes whitewater rescue, camping, outdoor and life skills.
Be sure to check out www.fallingcreek.com for further information.”
From Jez Jezz.
Sounds of West Coast from Brett Andersen on Vimeo.
No words, no music needed. Sit back and experience the sights and sounds of a five-day canoe trip in the Pacific Northwest.
Muskoka River X from Pure Muskoka on Vimeo.
The Muskoka River X is not your traditional marathon paddling event. Paddlers traverse 125 kilometers in 24 hours, facing four lakes and two river systems and up to 20 portages. Watch this geat new video by Pure Muskoka of the 2014 event.
