Dry Corp DryCASE Review

Gear

A nifty new contender in the arena of waterproof electronics containers, DryCASE employs vacuum technology to keep your precious gadgets safe and dry. The science is similar to the vacuum- sealed, boil-in-a-bag spaghetti dinner you savoured on your last downriver overnight—DryCASE shrink-wraps around your camera, mp3 player or cell phone with the help of a one-way valve and small fist pump.

You can continue shooting photos and using buttons or a touch screen through the crystal clear, durable membrane. Tested to 60 feet, DryCASE comes with a buoyant armband and integrated headphone jack—an industry first—so you can listen to music through waterproof earbuds (available separately). Currently available in a small size to suit compact digital cameras, a larger case to fit items as big as a laptop is in the works.

drycase.com | $35

This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine, Spring 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Daily Photo: Round-Up

Photo: Flickr user Martin Cathrae — Evening boats

Canoes lined up and settled for the night on Stoplog Lake. Where will your paddling adventures take you this weekend?

This photo is was taken by Flickr user Martin Cathrae and licensed under Creative Commons. Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.

Creeking Capital: Terrace, B.C.

Trips

Photo: Graham Genge — Terrace, British Columbia

In the heart of the Skeena Mountains, 15 hours north of Squamish and 145 kilometres east of Prince Rupert on the lonely Yellowhead Highway, Terrace is the commercial hub of northwestern British Columbia. The town was founded in 1905 by entrepreneur George Little, who happened upon the site while snowshoeing south from the Yukon on the Kitimat Trail. Subsequently a port for Skeena River paddlewheelers linking the interior with Prince Rupert fisheries, as well as a booming logging and mill town, Terrace has long attracted hardy outdoorsmen. While the steamboats, mill and thriving economy are gone, the snowy peaks of the Hazelton and Kitimat Ranges, lush temperate rainforests and crystalline rivers remain. Today, quad-biking, hunting and an 11-month salmon fishing season are big draws for local roughnecks, but the town also attracts a few of the pedal-and-paddle adventure-seekers who flock to Squamish—the self-proclaimed “outdoor recreation capital of Canada.” So what is Terrace’s distinction over Squamish and other B.C. boating Shangri-Las? It’s home to the hardest of the hardcore—the local whitewater has been featured in TGR’s (Teton Gravity Research) kayaking films, and the town’s paddling scene includes world-class rippers like Corey Boux.

Whitewater Lowdown

Terrace can lay fair claim to the title Creeking Capital of the north. Massive snowmelt and lofty mountains create a plethora of creeks and falls—some classics, many still awaiting first descents. One such classic is Shames Creek—or “boulder garden on steroids” to the local paddlers—which originates up the valley in the frozen slopes of the local ski area and melts into six kilometres of amazing class IV-V whitewater.

Other wicked steeps just 10 minutes from town include Kleanza Creek, a tight class IV-V canyon run, and Williams Creek, home to an annual downriver race. Not just a creeking Mecca, terrace is also central to a fine selection of class II-IV river runs, ideal for decompressing after a gnarly day on the steeps. Try the easy Kitimat or the high volume Kalum, which hosts a near perfect wave at flood levels (both 30 minutes away). Butze rapids—tidal rapids that resemble a smaller version of the famous skookumchuck—provide year-round saltwater playboating near Prince Rupert (1hr. 45 min.).

Cross-training

Mountain Biking: rip four kilometres of singletrack steeps like Lucky Seven and Big Easy at Copper Mountain, then swap your downhill bike for a cross-country steed and sweat it out on the not-to-be-missed Terrace Mountain Loop. This 11⁄2-hour ride is a super smooth blend of climbs, technical rocks and roots that starts at the base of terrace Mountain.

Rock Climbing: Squamish’s granite crags may be better known, but terrace has  the same rock and none of the gumbies. Chalk up and head to Extew—a 5.8 mix of single-pitch trad and a seven-pitch bolted route—near the Onion Lake ski trails.

Skiing and Snowboarding: Terrace is home to some of the snowiest winters anywhere in North America. The Skeena Mountains boast heli-skiing in deep, dry powder, serviced locally by Northern Escapes Heli Skiing. Shames Mountain ski area (30 min) has 111 acres of glade skiing, 1,600 vertical feet (488 metres), 40 feet (12 metres) of annual snowfall and $42 lift tickets.

Grub, Pub and Hubbub

Big, bold and tasty burritos are the specialty at the Hot House, a great place for a quick feed after a day on the river. The Back Eddy Pub offers basic pub fare in the heart of town and is home to the world’s largest (stuffed) Chinook salmon at 92 pounds. Get your early morning, pre-paddle caffeine fix at one of Terrace’s several little cafés, two Tim Hortons, or even that West Coast staple, Starbucks. The Williams Creek downriver race in late June is a great place to hook up with local paddlers. For a river festival of a different sort, check out Riverboat Days, a weeklong celebration of Terrace’s steamboat heritage that features music, paintball tournaments, a 24-hour mountain bike race and much else.

This article originally appeared in Rapid magazine, Spring 2010. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

The Dizzying Healing Powers Of Canoeing In The Great Outdoors

Narrow path between trees in the woods. — A portage a day keeps the doctor away. | Photo: Kevin Callan

A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. Its effect is a sudden spinning sensation similar to walking off the Tilt-a-Whirl after drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels. It’s caused by a disturbance within my inner ear.

The specialists administered drugs, told me to stop drinking coffee and sent me to physiotherapy, where they performed a fancy maneuver that involved shaking my head back and forth. I was also told that the illness lasts forever and that my hearing will gradually get worse, my balance will depreciate and wilderness canoeing, especially alone for extended periods, will have to stop.

[ Paddling Trip Guide: View all canoeing adventures ]

Being diagnosed with an odd affliction was a shock, losing my hearing was upsetting and walking around as if I were drunk most of the time would pose some serious challenges. The end of my solo canoe-tripping career was absolutely unacceptable.

So I did what any wilderness-loving paddler would do—I stocked up on the drugs I needed, taught myself how to do the head-shaking maneuver and packed enough decaffeinated coffee for an extended solo canoe trip. Most doctors advised against it, but my physiotherapist promoted it—and even helped me prepare for it.

The result was one of the best trips I’ve ever had—one that included awesome rapids, phenomenal fishing, incredible scenery, utter solitude and zero spinning episodes.

Maybe wilderness travel is the cure for all; maybe a stress-free environment should be put into a bottle and sold at a pharmacy; maybe the trip was more like taking a dash of placebo. The time spent paddling was proof that there’s magic in the woods—a drug like no other—and a reminder that wilderness is a necessity of the human spirit, not a luxury.

It’s no wonder we just smirk at people who don’t understand the importance of paddling.

My daughter, now 8, has understood the passion for wilderness paddling from the age of 6 months, when she completed her first canoe trip. My wife, Alana, understands. She insists our marriage has flourished because of our canoe trips together, but also never questions the times I head out alone. My friends understand as well. That’s how we became lifelong friends—we paddle together.

[ Further reading: 5 Ways Canoeing Will Help You Live Longer ]

All of us, every culture on this planet, are born from wilderness. When we return to the familiarity of the outdoors, our senses peak and all the ills of society fade away. The dizziness disappears.

This article was first published in Canoeroots & Family Camping‘s Early Summer 2013 issue. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here , or browse the archives here.

This is an adaptation of the title story from Kevin Callan’s newest book, Dazed But Not Confused.

A portage a day keeps the doctor away. | Photo: Kevin Callan

Gear Review: Coleman’s Classic Lantern

Gear

Photo: www.coleman.com — Coleman Classic Lantern

Coleman was founded in 1905 with the creation of a classic, liquid fuel lantern. Over a hundred years later, they still make the quintessential camping lantern found in the company logo. Solidly built and reliable in a torrent, one tank of white gas will last up to 14 hours. You pump, turn the dial and light the single mantle with a match. It’s a little noisy, but this design is likely to last another hundred years.

$90 • www.coleman.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping Magazine, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Primus EasyLight Lantern Review

Gear

Photo: www.primuscamping.com — Primus EasyLight Lantern

The Primus EasyLight is a butane mix-powered, canister lantern. It’s very compact and comes with a protective case. The replaceable mantle is housed inside a frosted glass globe, so it gives off warm, bright and adjustable ambient light. No fumbling for a match in the dark either; the EasyLight is equipped with an electric piezo lighter. Hit the switch, hang it up and you’ll have plenty of light to eat, read or work by.

$73 • www.primuscamping.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping Magazine, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Snow Peak Mini Hozuki Lantern Review

Gear

Photo: www.snowpeak.com — Snow Peak Mini Hozuki Lantern

Improve feng shui in your tent with this Japanese-designed, pocket-sized lantern. The Mini Hozuki is a solid-state LED light that runs on three AAA batteries. Solid-state bulbs give off a much warmer light than traditional LEDs. You can dim the bulb and even create ambience by setting it to flicker like a candle. To top it off, the handy magnetic toggle allows you to attach it to a tab on the roof of your tent, your backpack, boat, wherever.

$40 • www.snowpeak.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping Magazine, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Gear Review: Thermacell Mosquito Repellant Lantern

Gear

Thermacell Mosquito Repellant Lantern | Photo: www.thermacell.com

This double-duty lantern will light up your dinner table and save you from becoming the main dish. Insert the butane canister, insect repellent cartridge and four AA batteries, and with the flick of a switch, you have up to four hours of protection from insects. Two settings allow you to change the intensity of the LEDs. Size and basic construction make it perfect for a dinner dockside and car camping.

$32 • www.thermacell.com

This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping Magazine, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

Base Camp: Precious Treasures

Stories

Photo: Scott MacGregor — Paddles make good walking sticks

I am as proud of my children as the next father on Facebook. Last fall I posted this photo of my six-year-old daughter, Kate. We’d just finished a couple days camping, fishing and paddling the whitewater section of the lower Madawaska River. In preparation for the trip, I left Kate’s barrel outside her bedroom door. She filled it with all her own camping gear, checking items off the list we’d prepared. On trip, Kate caught and helped cook us a bass dinner. She did more than her share of the dishes. And here she’s beginning the uphill, 600-meter portage from the take-out to the truck. Yup, a proud father I am.

You know what the very first comment was on Facebook? Someone wrote, “I hope she’s not using those paddles as walking sticks.”

Really? Where does this come from, this paddles-as-treasure mentality?

I asked Jeremy Ward, curator at the Canadian Canoe Museum, if the voyageurs coveted their paddles. He told me that of all the items issued by the north west company, paddles were not on the list. Little is known about where the paddles came from because there isn’t very much written about paddles at all. Much about the whiskey and the heavy packs, not much of the paddles.

I believe paddles were thought of as simple tools, as romantic as a carpenter’s hammer. I believe that paddles were used until they broke and could be used no more. Then they were burned in the cook’s fire or tossed in the flames as the boys drank—good riddance. I certainly feel the same about my computer some days.

Perhaps new paddles were carved on the spot. Maybe the voyageurs carried spares—although carrying anything extra seems doubtful. No matter, it’s unlikely Jean Luc turned to his companion on the portage, leather tumpline cutting into his sweaty forehead, and said, “Tabernac, your paddle is not a walking stick.” Why? Because paddles are, in fact, perfect walking sticks when carrying 180-pound loads over uneven terrain.

My guess is that this all stems from summer camps where they have strict no-walking-stick policies. I get it. Camp paddles have to last for hundreds of children on hundreds of trips. Not to mention teaching valuable childhood lessons in respect.

How you feel about paddles is here nor there, really. To you, maybe, they are to be treasured. To me, and to Kate, paddles are tools. We can debate it further with a barrel of whiskey around a crackling campfire.

But aren’t we missing the point? Look at this picture again. What else do you see? What about the little girl humping her own gear. A little girl who runs rapids. Who catches and cooks her dinner.

Paddles and little girls are better outside. They are better when they are well-grounded. Scratches can be sanded smooth and broken paddles replaced. Lost childhoods cannot be hung on the wall.

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.

How To Change Places In A Canoe

Skills

Photo: Dan Caldwell — Trading places in a canoe

Like any maneuver in a tandem canoe, switching paddling positions on the fly requires good communication. The key to a smooth, dry transition is ensuring only one person is moving in the canoe at a time.

Start by stowing your paddles. Then, have the bow person spin around so that both paddlers are facing one another.

Next, one person can leave his seat and move to the middle of the canoe. Always keep your center of gravity low and use the gunwales to brace yourself. Step over the thwarts and yoke carefully.

Once in the middle, this person should kneel down and curl up in a ball, leaving space between his body and the sides of the canoe. The second person will be traveling over top, so make yourself as small as possible. Once settled, let the second person know he is safe to move about.

The second person can now get up and slowly make his way to the other end of the canoe. When it comes time to pass the crouched person, straddle him. Distribute weight evenly side to side in the canoe, brace yourself on the gunwales and stay as low as you can.

Once comfortably seated, the second person can let the crouched person know he is safe to move into his new paddling position. That’s all there is to it.

Decide who takes which role, over or under, based on confidence. Having the smaller of the two paddlers crouched makes it easier to pass over top. However, this also leaves the bigger person to travel over, a potentially unstable position.

It’s a lot easier than it looks. If you’re in a loaded canoe or lousy weather conditions, your most prudent bet is to head for shore and make the change with the help of dry land. Less-than-confident paddlers will quickly gain nerve after successfully completing this technique. It also helps improve balance and awareness of a canoe’s stability.

Practice a couple of times and you’ll be ready to perform this efficient, fun maneuver to trade places on the go— from the shore, you’ll look like a pro.

This article originally appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.