tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340288152011-10-01T10:06:06.479-04:00A log of what I'm up to, esp kayaking year round, plus random stuff that catches my attention.Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-77533842469128666282011-05-15T17:43:00.000-04:002011-05-15T17:43:29.894-04:00

Since last post the lake got yet higher, but on this day was back to about the same. It was starting to rain (and forecast through next Wednesday) as we launched from Converse Bay and headed south.  Destination Lewis Creek. A friend had told me she has to wade or row to get from her house on Long Point so I wanted to take a look.  The camera's battery was pretty low, so it died early on, but

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-13547594517952623762011-05-02T11:21:00.001-04:002011-05-02T16:13:37.632-04:00

Since last week's trip onto flooded Lake Champlain, the water has risen another couple of feet to a record high of 102.8 feet. At the Converse Bay boat ramp there was a guy getting his truck lined up to haul a  boat out who repeatedly warned us how cold the water was and how rough with 5 foot rollers once you got out of the bay and we shouldn't go out in (mere) kayaks.  When it was clear we were

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-90984393398486574202011-04-25T17:05:00.001-04:002011-04-26T07:26:16.247-04:00

"Launching at 2 pm from WInooski F&W in Colchester, then heading out to the lake.It's a raw, wet, and windy day."  (water 34 degrees, air mid 30's, 30+ knot wind, and sleet/rain at time of posting)  By trip time the precipitation had stopped, air temp was up to 40, but the wind was holding up. The Winooski boat ramp is far enough up river that it's sheltered from the lake, so launching was calm

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-45447118475437092282011-04-18T11:08:00.002-04:002011-04-18T11:27:21.224-04:00

Springtime?  On Saturday the water was 35, the air a little warmer, a good wind predicted,  and the lake is officially in flood.  But... there were 2 separate kayak trips.  I opted for North Hero in the morning as I had a commitment later in the day plus rain was more likely in the afternoon. The beach we'd normally launch from is under several feet of water so we're starting from a steep

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-21166452558238971802011-03-15T08:43:00.003-04:002011-03-17T18:56:31.602-04:00

From Vermont Public Radio: "Henry Marckres is the maple specialist for the Vermont Department of Agriculture. He's tasted maple syrup almost every day for nearly 3 decades! He's judged contests around the country, sampled batches from sugarmakers from Highgate to Bennington, and he's the arbiter of quality for the state of Vermont. He spent some time with VPR's Jane Lindholm and shared his

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-79877313192685802822011-02-10T11:20:00.005-05:002011-03-15T08:33:38.306-04:00

I think I've had to shovel snow every day in the last week except Saturday.  Saturday was a technicality. I had tickets for the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chamber ensemble in Rutland (about 70 miles south on Rt 7.) Kayak buddy Sam lives pretty close to Rutland.  He switches over to back country skiing once the snow builds up and is always trying to get me to come down there, so I

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-28546068124591489122011-01-26T08:45:00.001-05:002011-01-26T08:54:32.742-05:00

As much as there are some paddlers who will seek and find whatever liquid surface remains on the lake through the winter, there is the flip side.... people who relish the frozen surface, maybe hiking to alpine ponds in search of skateable ice in October. We just had a few days of cold weather, one morning clocking in at minus 20 to 30 F depending on where in the state.  I asked Phelps to let me

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-19728356807923369012011-01-23T10:07:00.001-05:002011-01-23T10:13:32.070-05:00

Despite the zero degree morning Dave called for a paddle yesterday. Without the wind, it feels warmer  Shelburne bay looks totally frozen up, but things are clear on the broad lake side of the point. We went south, letting Dave play ice breaker on the thin stuff between Meach Island and shore. Turnaround point was a bit north of Charlotte town beach. Lots of ducks about and at least one eagle

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-24037575348925485672011-01-16T08:56:00.005-05:002011-01-30T08:05:55.285-05:00

Next antarctic summer marks the 100th anniversary of the race to the pole betwen Scott and Amundsen. An article in today's NY Times describes the expected tourist boom at the pole, people arriving by plane, maybe skiing the last few miles, or trekking from the coast: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/16pole.html?_r=1 One event is a reenactment of the race, with teams following both

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-14797847993467408112011-01-03T19:36:00.002-05:002011-01-03T19:48:52.995-05:00

Hmmm... I see I've been pretty slack on the blog lately, only one post since September, and it's not even about paddling.  I'll wrap a couple of trips into this post.  Tom, Dave, and I went on our last trip of the fall on Dec 18 from Converse Bay and headed south.Pretty much everything in splash range of the lake had some ice.Including the the raft that set out on a round the world trip last

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-56728039394109655422010-12-02T14:21:00.000-05:002010-12-02T14:21:54.909-05:00

My daughter is a student at Vermont Tech in Randolph. She tells me that many of the rules for dorm life stem from behavior that has caused problems in the past.One such rule in the manual is you can’t hang a deer carcass in the shower. This wasn’t because of one deer, but on one occasion ALL the showers in a dorm had deer hanging.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-47009867027726732362010-09-20T20:19:00.000-04:002010-09-20T20:19:18.366-04:00

Our local club just had a full weekend of classes with Turner Wilson, Cheri Perry, and their intern (not sure that's the right term, maybe touring partner?) Adam Hansen from Greenland. There's been a surge interest for skill development since that squall hit a club trip a few posts back.  "Hmmmm.... maybe all that rolling, heavy bracing and such aren't just parlor tricks for those boyz in the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-73021892268745546382010-09-09T10:27:00.002-04:002010-09-09T19:22:47.450-04:00

Last week a friend asked if I wanted to go camping, maybe a backpack in the Adirondacks to get away from everyone, catch some solitude. I figured there wouldn't be much solitude on any of the normal backpack routes on Labor Day weekend, so I suggested a water trip.  Once you get to a pond with no road access (have to carry your boat from another pond) the crowds thin out pretty fast.  Besides,

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-90895234705693263462010-07-05T15:04:00.000-04:002010-07-05T15:04:13.983-04:00

Every year Burlington celebrates the 4th of July on the 3rd.  Apparently that gives them a better price on the fireworks, which are set off from a barge in the harbor. Waterfront restaurants start the party with bands etc in the afternoon, and carnival rides are running in the park. Before it gets dark there's a stunt plane act that does loops, hammerheads, etc while streaming colored smokeI

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-61182312759541414512010-07-02T12:53:00.003-04:002011-02-04T08:21:16.655-05:00

I mean to post about this a while ago, but better late than never! This was a Wednesday night club trip (read mixed ability) starting at the Sandbar boat launch, at the base of the road causway to South Hero island. We headed S to Malletts Bay.  At the north end of that bay there's a cliff featuring a peregrine nest, and one of them was flying about. From Kayak2010 The forecast was for a

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-83705202514386734252010-05-25T09:45:00.000-04:002010-05-25T09:45:07.610-04:00

I got a short notice call from Sam Sunday. He was in the Islands, looking for a paddle on the way home. Winds forecast for South 15-20 kt. Waves should be good around the mouth of the Winooski, but a little complicated to give directions over the phone. Malletts Bay is easier to get to and he'd never been there, so that was settled. With the short fetch (see map) any kind of southerly isn't

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-54055103809890733252010-05-06T09:10:00.001-04:002010-05-06T09:11:23.781-04:00

This weekend was the first back in the skin boat. As I was getting ready a tourist lady (guessing, since she was in a group that was taking pictures of each other with the lake in the background) came over and asked if it was a skin on frame. Then last night, as I was strapping the boat on the car someone rode up on a bike and asked if it was a Greenland kayak, and did I use one of those anarak

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-68327919686483988492010-04-11T10:43:00.006-04:002010-04-14T16:17:00.647-04:00

Last week it was in the 80's.  Yesterday started with sleet and snow, but cleared up in time for the paddle. A stiff onshore breeze left me wondering if a seal landing on the road would work. Starting at Shelburne Farms and heading north, there was a lot of reflected wave action.  Not the most friendly for non-waterproof cameras, but there were a couple of opportunities on the return. There's

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-23215674041837588592010-04-05T13:10:00.000-04:002010-04-05T13:10:59.335-04:00

Strong south winds, so what we were breathing was probably in Carolina a couple of days earlier.  80+ degrees and sunny though the water is still in the mid 30's. 5 of us showed at Ferrisburg town beach and headed south before crossing to the NY side  The Palisade on split rock mountain had this waterfall, good for a cool-off. The waterfall water was somewhat warm, but the lake is still

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-26313590257609461362010-03-27T18:32:00.000-04:002010-03-27T18:32:28.727-04:00

Chives are up, and Molokai racers come out to train. It's still below freezing though.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-85202434447407237512010-03-17T08:46:00.000-04:002010-03-17T08:46:20.273-04:00

A few years ago I was making pancakes and had no buttermilk, so looking in the fridge, blueberry yogurt was the closest substitute.  The blueberry juice and yellow cornmeal combined to make green, to the amusement of all.  We did a repeat of that for St. Patrick's day, and have ever since. Today I had them with some just-made maple syrup from the backyard tree. Some maple trivia: In the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-8170543091664195132010-03-14T13:47:00.000-04:002010-03-14T13:47:31.448-04:00

The sap is running 3 trucks/cars  fell through the ice on Schroon Lake. People who've been skiing and ice biking all winter showed up to paddle.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-594077436703545872010-03-08T09:03:00.001-05:002010-03-08T09:07:09.709-05:00

Freezing nights, 40 degree days.  That should be ideal for sugaring, but I tapped my one maple tree and the hole is totally dry.  Consolation prize... also great paddling weather. This has been the least frozen winter I've seen. We haven't had to go far afield to find open water at all this winter. Oakledge is the closest of our normal summer launch points and was looking pretty accessible

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-53711988110441964722010-02-13T08:11:00.000-05:002010-02-13T08:11:55.544-05:00

No kayaking likely this week.  One of the regulars is sick, another has to work.  There is a pool session tonight, but I'm going to see the Capitol Steps. Meanwhile, the America's cup series is going on now in Valencia.  2 multihulls, both roughly 100 feet long.  Apparently both teams have spent more on lawyers than the boats.  Can't we all just get along?

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-35177326863937769292010-01-31T12:26:00.000-05:002010-01-31T12:26:40.379-05:00

Another pool session this week. Have to get back out in the lake! The people that wanted to learn to roll sea kayaks did come this week. While they were learning some stretches I got to use Dave's stealth roller (pictured below.) Maple roll worked well, and did a few hand rolls. Back in my own boat I worked on various off side things, upside down paddline, and managed to get a few breaths

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-44471490274783318172010-01-28T18:13:00.002-05:002010-01-28T19:33:38.198-05:00

The local (mostly) whitewater club has started their pool sessions and word was a couple of sea kayakers had asked about learning to roll, so 3 of us "boyz in the hoodz" (Greenland types) went to help out and try to turn them to the skinny paddle side. Turns out the couple got the time wrong and showed up just about when it was over... maybe this week. It was a chance to get back in my skin

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-6344462469024796122010-01-17T12:36:00.003-05:002010-01-17T13:26:22.718-05:00

This arrived around 10 Saturday:"Perkins Pier Paddle and Roll FestNoon Saturday Jan 16th!!"A bit short notice, but it was sent from a phone the day before.. pony express email!I was the first one there, so had a bit of time to wander the pier. The canal schooner Lois McClure has sprouted a greenhouse for the winter.. maybe picking up a little extra by growing some tomatoes?From Kayak2010Not much

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-6690665478316666702010-01-03T19:48:00.002-05:002010-01-03T20:12:23.488-05:00

A cold had me out of commission, at least wrt kayaking for a while in December. Missed the solstice, missed going out on the lake to watch them blow up the Crown Point Bridge.I saw that on TV, but the broadcast did no justice to the reported 130 dB "BOOM". In this day of HD and all they SHOULD have had it in 5 channel surround sound, but the TV crew at the minimum 1000 feet just gave us a

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-82726879871878594562009-11-01T13:49:00.002-05:002009-11-01T14:01:15.015-05:00

It's ~60 and it has stopped raining. Still a slow night for trick-or-treaters. There were a couple of years I went out with my kid and it was snowing or freezing rain. The house at the end of the block gave brandy to the parents those years. Another family in the neighborhood (since moved) had a big "wheel of fortune" thing the kids would spin to determine what candy they got. There WAS a "lose 1

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-4928962825534831832009-10-23T15:58:00.002-04:002009-10-23T16:04:28.788-04:00

Got an email suggesting a paddle saturday.Someone responded with the lake forecast:".SATURDAY...SOUTH WINDS 20 TO 30 KNOTS. WAVES 3 TO 5 FEET. RAIN."You might think.... trip cancelled, right?Nooooo.... now the conversation is how to best take advantage of this opportunity.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-88494996642193670252009-09-27T12:14:00.005-04:002009-09-27T13:05:00.390-04:00

Yesterday there was a short notice trip starting at Kingsland Bay.On the way there's a rail crossing with the red light blinking. A couple of cars are waiting... waiting.... waiting... no train. After a few minutes they start going forward one at a time, look both ways, and cross. Later I find out it had been blinking for at least a half hour. In a more populated area there also would have

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-5683853032754871612009-09-07T10:57:00.010-04:002009-09-10T09:44:06.006-04:00

Email from Sam:"Meet at whites Beach at 10:30 am for circumnavigation of Valcour. Plan on a strong 4 hour paddle."Note it doesn't mention a day. That was in the subject line, but one guy didn't notice that, showed up on Saturday instead of Sunday and ended up doing the paddle alone.... then came again and did it with us.The stretch between White's beach and Valcour Island in New York is often

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-76767293861198137442009-07-25T11:47:00.002-04:002009-07-25T13:20:21.401-04:00

Isle La Motte is an island in Lake Champlain. Sam Champlain camped here for a while in July 1609 (watch out for quadracentennial celebrants!), and it is the site of Vermont's first permanent European settlement. Teddy Roosevelt was here addressing the fish and game league when he learned president McKinley had been shot. Isle La Motte is also home to the world's oldest known coral reef, ~450

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-62557064533529248902009-07-13T09:43:00.005-04:002009-07-13T11:30:05.815-04:00

Over the years the Otter Creek has pushed enough sediment to form what looks like a canal with a levy on either side sticking out close to a mile from the shore of Lake Champlain.Yesterday we launched at the Fort Cassin boat ramp, located at the base of this extension.Fort Cassin was located out on the end, named for a navy Lt. Cassin in the war of 1812. Cassin commanded the fort with only 7

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-54687697031915171322009-07-08T08:45:00.005-04:002009-07-08T13:29:45.737-04:00

All up and down the Hudson Champlain corridor the buzz is on for the 400th anniversary of, well, Hudson and Champlain (up the river and down the lake, respectively). Champlain made so many trips to the new world (57 by one count) that local 400 celebrations are going to run for many years.One event is an end to end paddle of Lake Champlain, 110 miles over 8 days. It looks like only 2 are going

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-44888767655824616262009-06-30T09:30:00.003-04:002009-06-30T10:05:24.977-04:00

I've been using the skin on frame exclusively for a month or so. One thing that was a bit tight on the fit was getting my heel over a particular rib while getting in or out.Building and rolling gurus Cheri and Turner said cut it out, one missing rib is no big deal. So I did.I guess the Adam name is only appropriate if I use the cut out rib to build another boat. Anyway, exit and entry no

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-85164985491006662502009-06-19T17:03:00.005-04:002009-06-19T19:23:26.822-04:00

Wednesday we started at Charlie's boathouse, a venerable institution at the northernmost point of Burlington's lakefront, it is at the end of a dirt road.It was also at the end of the bikepath, before the bike bridge over the Winooski River was built. Many a parent has urged his kids on with a promise of a snack from Charlie's.We were supposed to meet the rest of the club trip (9 boats) at the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-70545021589446068882009-06-15T08:01:00.004-04:002009-06-19T10:27:36.036-04:00

Yesterday marked our annual Champlain Kayak Club meeting. For many members it is also their first time out paddling for the year as the water is finally warm enough that you don't need a wetsuit. The afternoon started with tons of kayaks ready for launch.Options at this point were a trip around Knight Island, or a strokes class from Todd Wright, who teaches kayaking (and other outdoorsey stuff)

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-86108516051452969292009-05-25T09:53:00.004-04:002010-01-18T07:17:11.148-05:00

It was a dark and stormy morning.... didn't seem like a great day for the low volume SOF. Not that it isn't stable in waves, but it doesn't have enough volume to surf well and it's a bit discouraging to just be paddling downwind when the others are zooming into the distance.Arriving at Kingsland Bay the sun is breaking out and temp up into the 70's. The plan is to head south, cross over to New

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-87492984512618841532009-05-17T15:24:00.003-04:002009-05-17T18:43:33.500-04:00

I got out 3 times in the last week, barely time for the gear to dry out.Wednesday evening was Shelburne bay. Only one other paddler showed up, someone new, who at least knew she was remiss in not having some sort of cold immersion protection. I opted for heading up the LaPlatte river through the nature preserve, since at least you're never far from shore, and there won't be waves. I have to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-8189591305503683172009-05-14T14:41:00.002-04:002009-05-14T14:48:36.808-04:00

I had a plum tree with a fungal disease knows as Black Knot. It was totally leafless last year with branches that would snap like well seasoned kindling. I figured that was it and cut it down.This spring out of the stump pops a sucker in blossom, trying to act like it might bear fruit.Most fruit trees one buys are clones grafted onto some other root stock, and in the case of plums the root

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-65805970748381249742009-05-07T11:22:00.002-04:002009-05-07T11:48:32.139-04:00

Midweek paddles are back in the lineup. Bruce came with his outrigger. I guess he's decided it's time to start training for the Moloka'i Hoe (inter island race in Hawaii this fall).Tom's been waiting since last fall to check out his rapier against the outrigger. They were pretty much walking away from us.The change this trip is the water is up over 40F.. warm enough to skip the mucklucks,

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-43058548415852129282009-05-03T18:13:00.005-04:002009-05-04T12:46:25.154-04:00

Two days of paddling this weekend!Saturday ran from Kingsland bay to the leanto south of the Palisades in New York: (Note to Ol' Philosopher: landing around the corner just to the north)This was the first day I tried skipping the mitts, and it was fine (sign of spring?)On the way we stopped to check out the heron rookery at the Otter Creek delta. It is in "land" that is posted, but the rules are

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-63423289737919472912009-04-26T16:44:00.003-04:002009-04-26T17:59:38.459-04:00

Nothing especially noteworthy about the route or conditions this week, but it was a bad week to forget the camera as we had more than just kayaks. THere was Bruce in his outrigger canoe, and Jeff in a CLC Annapolis Wherry sliding seat rowboat(CLC photo):

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-84718254321897632492009-03-31T07:10:00.002-04:002009-03-31T08:00:36.909-04:00

A busy week for kayaking.. my third time out in 5 days, if you count the pool session.It was raining Sunday morning so I didn't bring the camera. We crossed to the New York side for the first time in several months. Took a lunch break near Split Rock and headed south along the shore.A south wind came up with the potential to shove miles of ice between us and Vermont, so there was a quick change

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-64455825219875018462009-03-25T19:32:00.004-04:002009-03-27T12:58:55.139-04:00

A local TV news reporter somehow hooked up with Dave and wanted to do a piece on winter kayaking. By the time everyone's schedule could mesh it's spring, oh well.So we got interviewed, and I got to paddle for a while with a camcorder taped to my deck and a wireless microphone clipped on my PFD while the "big gun" shot from shore:(Note to self: Don't roll and try not to splash the camera!)

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-51547603348491085492009-03-22T11:08:00.003-04:002009-03-22T11:55:40.568-04:00

One is sugaring. From the news it appears the local maple producers are busy as bees. My single tree isn't producing much sap though. Ideally we would have frost every night and above freezing every day. The sap then runs up and down the tree with every transition, and a portion flows out the tap. What we've had since I tapped is several days where it was above freezing day and night

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-2169685420981946862009-03-15T19:23:00.004-04:002009-03-15T19:40:03.681-04:00

The clear cove we launched from last time is iced up. This one was iced up last time and not now.. so here we are, still at Shelburne Farm, but by the inn instead of the Coach Barn.We found a bunch of that thin ice I was rolling in last time.. did that again. But there was also an area where it was all broken up by the wind and waves then pushed together so it stacked like shingles to make a

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-70557088660654870522009-03-01T18:51:00.006-05:002009-03-08T12:41:05.999-04:00

4 and sunny this morning. I figured I wouldn't want to pull off my mitts so I didn't bring the camera. The starting point was Shelburne farms. We're still in the mode of a spotter driving around early AM looking for a clear launch, then phoning around.Dave's kayak decided to start the seal launch before he was quite ready. He ended up flipping without his tuliq attached to the cockpit and did

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-14601376188457698662009-02-22T08:48:00.005-05:002009-02-22T10:37:20.096-05:00

In trying to scope out the weekend, I asked if there was any good skating ice on the lake. My friend said her kid had just been to a skating party on the barge canal and it was pretty good. We made plans.. the bonus is that the parking access is right at Meyer's Bagels.Meyer's is a relatively small, decidedly informal bagel joint. They have a big wood fired oven right behind the counter and

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-14220799364723560552009-02-17T10:11:00.003-05:002009-02-17T12:03:20.628-05:00

At Shelburne Beach yesterday there were a bunch of ice sheets to negotiate, like thie one Dave is drifting away on, so there was some use for the shortie ski poles and/or nail boards. This picture was at the end and he's looking for the pole he dropped. It was a nice sunny day, around 20F and 15 kt breeze. This eagle stayed with us through most of the trip. Maybe thinking we were predators and

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-4801786487891464612009-02-08T16:26:00.002-05:002009-02-08T17:44:08.690-05:00

The temperature peaked at 50 in the way dark early morning, and started coming back down. The scouting call came around 8:30 AM: "Meet at Coast Guard at 9:30" Not much notice, but OK, I guess. I asked how clear the harbor was. "Oh, did I say Coast Guard? I meant Coach Barn (@ Shelburne Farms)."Glad I found out!Shelburne Farms is on the outside of the point that forms Shelburne Bay. Driving

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-15076237990612797992009-02-05T15:38:00.002-05:002009-02-05T15:46:55.747-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we started having to hunt for clear shoreline. The beach at Oakledge park had a hundred yards or so of ice, but we trucked through the woods to some clear shore near the point. Headed south to SHelburne bay which was mosltly iced. A south wind was calving some off so we ran up on a sheet and rode downwind on it for about 20 minutes.This past weekend it looked like solid

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-44871206173664701252009-01-05T16:15:00.002-05:002009-01-05T17:11:52.729-05:00

We were supposed to go out New Year's Day, but at the last minute the instigator got cold feet with a windchill of around -25 and canceled the trip. Which brings us to this weekend. Cold, 14, but sunny and calm. Coast Guard ramp was frozen in, so we met at Perkin's Pier, still part of the downtown waterfront. When we got there there was a duck frozen into the ice. Tom tried to melt the ice

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-37964777754682194522008-12-29T19:41:00.002-05:002008-12-29T20:33:59.751-05:00

Yesterday was my first time out in neoprene mittens. They promised to be warmer than the gloves I have been using, and sure enough, my fingers weren't cold at all! I must admit it was 45 degrees warmer than last week. We'll have to see how they work in more seasonal weather.The reason it was so warm was strong southerly wind, so the 55 degrees here was probably the same as it was in Virginia

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-28771164242808573832008-12-22T07:38:00.004-05:002008-12-22T08:15:51.381-05:00

Saturday seemed like a great day for kayaking. Sunny, calm. Just have to shovel out from Friday night's snow storm. The others want to go Sunday. Oh, yes, the first day of winter.For some reason it's become traditional to roll on the Solstice. I'm not sure why.. maybe getting closer to the bottom of the world where the sun is hiding?The first day of winter turned out to be the real deal. 10

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-31800519131836176272008-12-14T12:41:00.002-05:002008-12-14T13:18:31.576-05:00

.THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN OPEN WATERS FORECAST....A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT....REST OF TODAY...SOUTH WINDS 30 TO 40 KNOTS. WAVES 4 TO 6 FEET. .TONIGHT....SOUTH WINDS 30 TO 40 KNOTS. WAVES 4 TO 6 FEET..MONDAY...SOUTH WINDS 30 TO 40 KNOTS.I detect a trend!What were the implications for the winter kayaker?1) Excitement2) Maybe not going so fast upwind.3) Plenty fast downwind.4) Launching into the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-64874211076487945702008-11-28T15:35:00.002-05:002008-11-28T15:56:24.854-05:00

Last weekend it was about 20 degrees F, plus pretty windy and wavy.I figured, ok, now's the time to break out the fleece. For the record, even with spray blowing in my face and the occasional roll, fleece+drysuit+tuiliq was way too hot. Dave found the waves too big for his rolling boat and bailed out (not literally) early.Between the heat, the waves, and something I must have eaten the day

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-81558996124886447762008-11-16T17:45:00.003-05:002008-11-16T17:52:58.172-05:00

The big thing of note in last week's trip was that even though it's mid November, we saw the most motorboats of any trip this year. Correlating with that, the parking lot at the Cedar Beach boat ramp was pretty much packed.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-43669613900568742902008-11-06T12:55:00.000-05:002008-11-06T13:09:08.959-05:00

I figured with the demise of daylight savings time the midweek paddles would be done. Then we got a warm spell, pushing 70 degrees Wednesday and calls started flying about a lunch time trip, not too long, but take advantage while we can. We ran into Bruce building a house by the shore just north of Red Rocks. Apparently he used to paddle with our gang, before my time. Then he got totally

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-32445668427046165082008-11-03T10:49:00.005-05:002008-11-06T12:54:01.191-05:00

Saturday was the roughest weather I've paddled in the SOF. I suggested Button Bay as I've only been there once before. It is also on the southern end of our usual range and Sam was going to be coming north from Rutland. It is named for stones shaped like buttons originally formed by reeds growing through clay (making the holes).It was in the high 30's and pretty windy at the put in Saturday.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-35118964556991400752008-10-19T12:14:00.007-04:002008-10-20T23:19:04.209-04:00

The season is progressing. The water is still hanging in the high 50's where it's been for a couple of weeks. For air the high Saturday was ~45, with the wind-chill in the low 30's, but that's with dry skin, so I figured I'd wear the dry suit to keep that applicable as we would have a mid-trip excursion on foot.Can you tell there's a dry suit under the tuiliq that needs burping? After this pic

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-19497714335915954392008-10-13T09:05:00.006-04:002008-10-13T13:03:17.346-04:00

The Champlain valley is sometimes called Vermont's "Banana Belt" since the lake moderates temperatures (until it freezes over.) Some areas haven't seen frost yet, so you can still get local tomatoes and peppers at the farmer's market.Yesterday we launched from the back (main lake) side of Shelburne Shipyard on Shelburne Point with a destination of Willsboro bay on the New York side.Tom's boat is

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-21858027836281652842008-09-28T19:23:00.003-04:002008-09-29T13:17:16.565-04:00

This weekend I went to New Hampshire to help close down an AMC camp for the season. Putting boats under cover, bagging mattresses so they don't turn into mouse nests etc etc.I had to leave early Sunday because this closing weekend coincided with the only time Cheri & Turner could come to Burlington for a rolling class. I got there when they were doing lunch between the morning and afternoon

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-75221142577269072332008-09-20T21:26:00.005-04:002008-09-21T09:57:27.541-04:00

Email said "the gang" was going from White's beach to Valcour Island Saturday. The weather service's prediction tool was saying that stretch of lake was likely to have South winds at 25 and 4 foot waves. Maybe this isn't the best day to take the low volume SOF that would rather spike through waves than climb over them, given that we may do 20 miles. So it's the Gulfstream. I'm not used to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-8721574135565260812008-09-18T13:30:00.003-04:002008-09-18T14:08:01.183-04:00

This must be the season for new kayaks. Tom got his Rapier over the weekend. Last night I test-drove a used SOF, a sleek 18 inches wide by 18 feet long. I used the same boat in a rolling class last year and correctly remembered it as a tight squeeze to get in and out but a nice boat to roll & paddle once I'm in.We did a loop of about 8 miles in 15 kt wind. Compared to my Gulfstream, less

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-27651566728007968002008-09-16T10:16:00.006-04:002008-09-16T13:53:54.598-04:00

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum had their challenge race Saturday. Originally scheduled in July, it was postponed due to thunderstorms. We gave Tom no end of grief because he's been practicing with a wing paddle on his kajaksport and ordered a racing boat. Now on the 1 day a year with a local opportunity to race, he was off in New Hampshire picking up the new boat.The race is for any human

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-57229382544665254562008-09-04T08:25:00.004-04:002008-09-04T10:44:03.971-04:00

A good crowd of 7 turned out at the Converse Bay boat launch Wednesday. Tom and I got there early for some rolling. He showed me a "storm roll," and I got it the first time. It's supposed to leave you in a more stable position than the more common layback roll. I'll have to try it in a storm sometime.Certainly no storm last night.. more like not a breath of wind. We decided to cross the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-36928302918425716762008-09-02T14:03:00.006-04:002008-09-02T16:15:30.662-04:00

Another "What?" rescue, this one in New York City(NY Post, 8/31)" ...Danziger, a corporate headhunter from the Upper East Side, was taking kayaking lessons with wife Ellen at 3:30 p.m. near Pier 61 when he toppled out of his craft.Fortunately, the crew of the passing ferry spotted him and pulled him to safety."He was in the water for 17 minutes. Another minute or two and he would have been

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-89205847586094235312008-08-26T07:06:00.004-04:002008-08-26T08:16:24.279-04:00

In yesterday's paper:~20 kt wind (according to Colchester Reef station) on Lake Champlain Sunday, 4 kayakers capsized and bailed out of a group of 12 and needed Coast Guard/Police rescue.They were all from out of state, no mention of experience level. All wearing PFD's, no injuries.The 2 things that struck me were..1) It would be nice if they could have recovered amongst themselves.2) sounds like

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-73182537111257940462008-08-20T06:42:00.003-04:002008-08-26T08:17:32.705-04:00

Did you ever notice that appliances seem to know when you're going on vacation?The day we were going to leave, my kid (who keeps teenage hours) wakes me at 3 am to tell me the drier stopped working. When we got back her computer monitor was dead and the dishwasher won't fill. While clearing the prairie that formed in 2 weeks the discharge chute on the mower fell off and went under the mower for

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-69294826460156625922008-07-14T13:41:00.003-04:002008-11-13T00:32:09.903-05:00

Sunday was supposed to be a "get wet day" where people could come learn some strokes, wet exit, how to get rescued by another kayak, ...The forecast was a bit harsh for that, with rain, 20-25 kt wind, 3 foot waves, so nobody signed up. The beginners might experience a little too much "get wet" and rescue. We were going to go out anyway (hey, 25 knots, 3 foot waves, what's not to like?)In the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-43489675973751233152008-07-11T10:44:00.005-04:002008-11-13T00:32:10.390-05:00

Charlie's boathouse is a private boat ramp buried in the woods at the end of North Avenue by the mouth of the Winooski River. He's got storage for a few boats, some kayaks and rowboats for rent, and various snacks. Until the bike bridge was built it was also right at the end of the Burlington rail-trail, so perhaps a good lure to get kids to pedal "just a little further" to Charlie's where they

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-144691901445278612008-07-07T10:45:00.005-04:002008-11-13T00:32:11.247-05:00

Tail end of the good news/bad news from last time:I got the stitches out of my hand, but not in time to kayak the harbor for the fireworks. THe good news is there were organized (as organized as they get, anyway) trips out both Saturday and Sunday. It seemed like most everyone this weekend showed up on home made boats (though not all made in their home.)Saturday we were paddling "the islands."

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-68625998041438159492008-06-26T13:30:00.002-04:002008-11-13T00:32:11.497-05:00

Wednesday's trip Mallet's Bay featured the launch ceremony for Tom's new sparkly-white skin on frame kayak. Boat builder and all around Greenlandic fixture Turner Wilson was on hand sharing some paddles that seem like they were carved from a closet rod rather than the usual 2x4. Compared to mine and some others I've used, they really let you know if you aren't canting the right amount. It

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-19421996199110893142008-06-20T11:33:00.003-04:002008-11-13T00:32:11.681-05:00

For the last week, and every day looking forward to the end of time, the weather forecast is something like "chance of storm"The midweek paddles tend to alternate starting north or south of the city to give equal access. This week was Leddy Park, in the north end, and we headed north, to cover shoreline we hadn't seen in a while. The only remarkable thing was the sky had this "Hudson River

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-60600472581299242512008-06-10T19:04:00.006-04:002008-11-13T00:32:13.303-05:00

Wow, a month since the last blog. We've still been going out typically twice a week, including:Kingsland bay. You can see the water level has dropped from the high mark. 4 or 5 more feet to go for typical summer level. As usual, I didn't take the camera out for the windy/wavy bits. We went across to the New York side along the Palisades (3-400 foot cliffs) which had some good waves bouncing

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-32241130262629431402008-05-07T20:50:00.004-04:002008-11-13T00:32:13.814-05:00

THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN LAKE LEVEL AT THE KING STREET FERRY DOCK INBURLINGTON WAS 99.90 FEET...AND THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS 42 DEGREES"Flood stage" is anything over 100 feet, so the lake is back in its normal state by about an inch.Another sign of spring, we are getting back into the midweek evening paddle habit.Tom brought his harpoon. Most of his shots were pretty close on target, so I'd say as

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-55972842810017002302008-04-29T15:18:00.004-04:002008-05-05T10:18:01.883-04:00

This was a bad week to be running late and have to leave without the waterproof camera box. The weather was pretty calm, and even though the water was still in the 30's, the air was in the high 60's, so I could paddle without gloves.The lake was over half a foot over flood stage. The road to the launch at Kingsland Bay was partially flooded, but passable.We headed south. One bay was reputed to

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-60462000650219897882008-04-14T18:00:00.004-04:002008-11-13T00:32:14.773-05:00

The April Madness Greenlandic kayak thing ended up canceled for lack of registrations. Better luck next year.We went out Sunday. The ice is off Shelburne Bay, the wind was up from the North, and the lake is a few inches over flood level (100 feet), which meant it was darn close to the road heading for the boat launch, with whitecapped waves coming even closer.The boatyard had the ferry Grand

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-52175285554031036152008-03-31T13:59:00.006-04:002008-11-13T00:32:16.131-05:00

I took a week off from kayaking to skiAfter all, this is Vermont.And do some sugaring,After all, this is Vermont. Excuse the cheesy sap bucket.And visit family for Easter.This weekend a couple of us lake paddling Greenland paddle kayakers went to the last of the local pool sessions to get some warm water practice before the April Madness on rolls that aren't too sure and might involve failed

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-35779659116375694772008-03-16T15:03:00.010-04:002008-11-13T00:32:16.651-05:00

It's the last weekend of winter, and it looks like we only missed 2 or 3 weeks of kayaking since the start of, what do we call it? Drysuit season?We launched this time from the coach barn at Shelburne Farms. I'd never been there before. The grounds also have the Inn (pictured a few weeks ago) and are the site of an outdoor concert in the Mostly Mozart series.Coming up in a few weeks is the

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-229325214955065782008-03-12T19:43:00.006-04:002011-03-15T09:00:21.932-04:00

A departure from kayak posts, but I'll be sociable and play. The Open Book Meme: These were the instructions: 1. Pick up the nearest book. 2. Open it at page 123. 3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase. 4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions. 5. Don't you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book. 6. Pass it forward to six friends I'm

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-74325741052439029802008-03-02T19:01:00.006-05:002008-11-13T00:32:16.895-05:00

Perkin's Pier is a waterfront access roughly aligned with the south end of the Burlington breakwater.Starting time was pegged at 9:30. We usually start later in the winter so it's a little warmer. An early start generally means the instigator has some sports event to watch in the afternoon. There was also only about an hour's notice on the starting place.. this based on what isn't too iced

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-54054428295697560762008-02-18T07:23:00.004-05:002008-11-13T00:32:17.357-05:00

THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN LAKE LEVEL AT THE KING STREET FERRY DOCK IN BURLINGTONWAS 97.34 FEET...AND THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS 32 DEGREES.This week's trip started at the Charlotte town beach. Charlotte is one of 3 towns in Vermont named for women. The others being Sharon and Cabot. OK, that last one is tricky since it was the woman's last name. When I arrived there were a bunch of birders. They were

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-75189096427575059712008-02-11T09:33:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:32:17.449-05:00

No pictures this week, at least none of mine. A late night and early start meant I left home without the camera box again, plus the visibility in snow wasn't so hot.This week's trip started with me being tasked with checking out the Coast Guard launch on Saturday to see if it was clear of ice. It turns out the place was all under crowd control and I couldn't get in there unless I was somehow

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-72206758414031194382008-01-28T07:49:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:32:17.667-05:00

This week I was rushed, and left home without finding in which coat's pocket my camera is hiding, so there are just a couple of shots from the cell phone before I zipped it inside the drysuit.We launched from Oakledge, the southernmost park in Burlington.Out to that point there's a thin skim of ice, maybe 2-3 mm. It is thin enough to flex and ride over the small waves on this calm day. You can

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-5155525323509152132008-01-20T10:57:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:32:18.548-05:00

There was ice on shore at Kingsland Bay Saturday, so seal launch was mandatory.So we got to try the nailboards Tom cobbled up for us. They mate together like this so you don't spike your kayak while not in use. You pull them apart, and use them to push yourself along the ice. In the video, note attempts showing that a) paddling on ice doesn't work, and b)if you try a "walking gait" (one hand at

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-79683275807031806942008-01-13T16:02:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:32:18.881-05:00

Today we launched from Shelburne Beach. This week's thaw melted a thousand plus square miles of couple foot deep snow which then started running in what ever way it can towards the lake. The lake level rose about a foot in a day, and is now several feet higher than when I took a Greenland rolling class here in September. So what we really did was launch into the water now covering Shelburne

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-50355096282805937842008-01-10T06:51:00.000-05:002008-01-10T16:47:40.895-05:00

With the forecast of 50's midweek there was noise of a midweek outing on Wednesday.Tuesday would have been THE day for warm paddling as it got to 63, but I was in North Carolina for the day, where it was about the same. Come Wednesday morning the forecast also mentioned T-storms (which didn't happen, it was sunny) and 50 mph winds (which did in the afternoon, or close enough) so the plan soft of

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-8566821929251565002008-01-05T17:28:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:32:19.550-05:00

The weather service suspends doing a lake forecast from December 31 until May 1. Luckily they are still posting conditions from the several automatic data collection sites. Today,"THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN LAKE LEVEL AT THE KING STREET FERRY DOCK IN BURLINGTONWAS 96.84 FEET...AND THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS 34 DEGREES."Yet there is some ice around, blown and packed into the downwind end of each bay we

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-14077300928119518872008-01-01T17:33:00.001-05:002008-11-13T00:32:20.560-05:00

At the end of the last trip 2 days ago, we were planning to go to Lake George today, so we had loaded all our kayaks on Tom's trailer. Then there was a winter storm warning for late in the day with phrasing pretty close to "Stay off the road you dumb @#$%$^!"So, we stayed local to get back early, but still went out. Converse Bay again... one factor being the parking lot was plowed.Another seal

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-45515047882395555042007-12-30T14:12:00.000-05:002008-11-13T00:32:21.535-05:00

You know how on weather reports in the winter they always hit you with the wind chill, "but with the wind it feels like -10!"Many around here take the opposite approach. There's usually some sort of breeze, so that really is what the temperature feels like. If not, then you might say, "It's zero out, but there's no wind so it feels like 30!"Today it was low 30ish, no wind, and some good sun.

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-89495906370536926532007-12-24T07:56:00.000-05:002007-12-27T15:01:19.781-05:00

It got warm! The news has been full of high wind advisories from the south once you have any kind of elevation. So all this air was in like Carolina yesterday and it got up to around 45 degrees (mind you, the water is still 36.) The lake forecast looked a little tamer, but still a good breeze with scattered showers.Sam was going this week. He lives an hour and a half south of Burlington, so

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-87102220372192270422007-12-20T10:31:00.000-05:002007-12-20T10:39:35.247-05:00

We were all set to set off at noon Sunday. It was snowing hard, so more entertainment value.. and maybe make a point to stay in sight of shore.Around 9 I get an email that one of the guys is trying to get his car out of a ditch.The other one doesn't have snow tires for his trailer, and lives on a steep hill. Ah, well... got my exercise for the day by shoveling, and got some time to work on my

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-61425290206825163512007-12-09T16:33:00.000-05:002007-12-17T17:51:50.007-05:00

A couple of milestones this week in the seasonal progression wrt paddling. To quote the weather service lake forecast, "..AND THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS 39 DEGREES."There's nothing magic about dipping below 40 and into the same 10 degree bracket as freezing, it is just an artifact of what we as decimal number users see as round numbers, and measuring the temp in degrees Fahrenheit. But 39

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-2872273601259156022007-12-05T12:52:00.000-05:002007-12-07T08:20:17.972-05:00

Dumb excuses There's a trial in the news this week. A man is accused of shooting his friend 3 times with a .357 mangum.He admits to the shooting, but claims he didn't know the gun was loaded.EXCUSE ME? If that excuse was good for anything, doesn't it kinda run out of steam after the first shot? or is it

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-54343972173293452122007-11-26T09:30:00.000-05:002007-12-05T17:14:04.015-05:00

Post Thanksgiving on Lake Champlain Last weekend was the first with a choice between going out on the lake and skiing. The lake won. Most of the rocks and cliffs within splash range of the waves were glazed and hanging with icicles. Winter wonderland is here. We went from downtown Burlington up into

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-19620097999217500022007-09-24T12:36:00.000-04:002007-12-06T13:11:47.881-05:00

Do it like an Inuit Sunday (9/23) I took a class on rolling kayaks in the Greenland Inuit style. Considering it was the first day of fall, it was a great day to be out on/in the water.This was one of those "lost art" things where the Inuit ditched their kayaks in favor of powerboats and by 1983 there were literally only 1

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34028815.post-41514933181706747442007-07-09T12:59:00.000-04:002007-12-30T14:35:07.961-05:00

The Mustard Belt Returns to America! The Nathan's famous July 4th hot dog contest was won this year by Joey Chestnut, downing a record 66 hot dogs. 5 time winner Takero "The Tsnunami" Kobayashi managed to beat the old record with 63 despite a sore jaw, but couldn't ketchup to Joey's pace.In a post contest

Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04472848930999735814noreply@blogger.com0