Author Archives: veloxseeker

It’s 1:22AM and I can’t sleep so why not write a blog post!

This story is a true account and takes place in the border region between Southern Ontario and Northern Minnesota. It was the culmination of a 9 day canoe trip with a crew of good friends and good weather and occurred almost two decades ago.

We were paddling and portaging our way back to civilization and had started before dawn that day. The weather was cooperating and we were making good time as a good crew usually does after a length of time together. A rythym develops and the miles glide by as the trip progresses. Dennis was my paddling partner that day; together we had taught over a hundred people how to paddle a canoe and had been bringing people up to this area for quite awhile to experience the true Wilderness. And it was rare that we were able to paddle together in the same canoe, seeing as how we both preferred to paddle in the stern position and in fact had a derogatory name for the bow position paddler. Or rather, we each generally had a somewhat less experienced paddler in the front of our canoes.

On one particular portage we had stopped for a quick break since we hadn’t seen another soul all morning. Normally we follow canoeing etiquette and do not loiter at a portage but either haul up short and take a break in our canoes, or power through and rest in our canoes on the other side of the portage. For those not familiar with what a portage is, it is a trail over land that connects two bodies of water together and usually is there to bypass an obstacle such as a boulder-strewn section of river or some such hazard that is detrimental to both canoe and paddler. In short, you beach your canoe, unload all of your gear and carry it all over the portage to the landing on the other side, reload all the gear and continue on.

Dennis and I decided to take a look at the top section of river next to the portage and for some unknown reason decided that we would skip the portage and paddle the river instead. Mind you that we didn’t conduct a full reconnaisance to see what obstacles were lying in our path but with cocksure impudence, declared to all, that this was nothing and that we were wasting our time on a trivial portage and that we were paddling through.

The rest of the crew stood silently and merely blinked at our declaration. They shouldered the gear packs and began the portage as they had done on every previous portage that day. Dennis said “Aw hell, we got this” and we shoved off and paddled the canoe into position to begin our run. The only obstacle we had seen was a small waterfall with a drop of about 2 feet, nothing we couldnt handle.

I suppose that I should explain some of our equipment at this point. Our canoe was an 18ft kevlar canoe with a hull thickness of maybe an eighth of an inch. They are built to be light and agile and are designed for paddling the northern lakes region. Our paddles were made of wood and were bent shafts, again, designed for efficiency when paddling aforementioned lakes. Not one single piece of our gear was designed to withstand whitewater paddling. Sounds like a brilliant plan huh? Except there wasn’t a plan! We had looked at the map and simply declared we were going from Point A to Point B by the “easiest route” which was the river.

Dennis and I sailed over the first little drop and were laughing at the “suckers” who took the portage rather than listen to us. We cruised through the fast water section and were “living the high life” and were all smiles until the river made an abrupt turn and careened over a 6 foot waterfall! I remember being at the top of the waterfall for just a brief second with my eyes bugged out and trying desperately to tell Dennis what was ahead, but the cacophony of noise was too loud for him to hear me and things were happening too fast anyway. Maybe I’m dreaming it, but I’m pretty sure I heard Dennis yell, “We don’t got this!” But down we go with the bow of the canoe and myself being driven completely under water, gear floating up around my ears and the canoe protesting loudly to the punishment. I’m trying to hold onto my paddle and stay “somewhat” in the canoe. At that point the river made an immediate hard right turn followed by another two foot drop. And yes, some of the gear made it through before we did! Had you taken a measuring tape and figured out the length that all of this took place in, I can guarantee you that somehow we managed to get an 18 foot canoe through a 16 foot section of rock and river. I chalked it up to Dennis being in the stern which was several feet higher than the bow!

Nothing like being humbled by an experience akin to being stuck inside a washing machine. We weren’t smiling or laughing anymore, rather we looked like wet rats as we quietly gathered up all of the gear floating around us and stowed them back inside the water-laden canoe. Somehow this “quick and easy run” had taken longer than we were aware of because when the river squirted us out the other side, the whole crew was standing there waiting for us. The only words spoken were from Doug who was standing at the portage landing and waiting for us shouted…”are you two done screwing around or what?” In unison, Dennis and I lowered our eyes and sheepishly said, “yes sir” as we beached the canoe and began emptying all of the water out and re-stowing the gear.

And of course, being young men on an adventure, the lesson in humility lasted about a mile of paddling. I remember turning my head to look back at Dennis and we both broke out into huge grins and nodded to each other and continued the trip in knowing silence. Life was good!

Looking back, I am amazed that we didn’t destroy that fragile canoe and the disaster that would have caused. The first rule of Wilderness Paddling is that you ALWAYS take the portage, the second rule is to NEVER jeopardize the canoe or your paddle in any way.

“Do as I say, not as I do!”

This isn’t fishing related for the most part, but it is outdoors related simply through the books I have chosen to read. I have several “bucket lists” and due to the Oklahoma heat I have been spending what little spare time I have reading and checking items off my reading bucket list.

I have always been fascinated with African hunting safaris for some reason. Perhaps it was from being allowed to go into an older relatives trophy room when I was a child. I have never been interested in the modern version of safaris that we see today, but the old style of months long walking safaris. Philip Hope Percival lamented the introduction of the motorcar onto the African scene as he deemed it unsporting. I will never condone the wanton slaughter of animals, which did happen. But at the same time I am capable of “perspective through their eyes” and I understand it was a totally different era. I don’t have to agree with it but I can at least comprehend that things were vastly different. And humans judge others, especially today.

Take Ernest Hemingway as an example. Love him or hate him…he was real. It seems like every psychologist has a theory and that every book critic has an opinion. As a reader, I don’t have to agree with every statement he wrote…I just read the words and try to put them into context of the times he lived.

I think in todays terms, all of these books would probably come under fire and/or would be banned. But these were real people with real experiences and they have a story to tell. It is too easy to cast blame and shame on people from a different era. Everybody wants to jump on board a righteous cause, or to feel superior. Each and every one of these writers had flaws, some of them major, yet who am I to judge. I am a simple man with complex thoughts and emotions…yet I stay “in my lane” and can accept things for what they are or were. I could repeatedly preach about littering or sportsmanship but I’d rather SHOW that I practice what I preach and leave the bickering to others.

The final book I read was of more modern times and shows what is being done and what can be done in the Amazon. Interestingly, the root cause is the “human condition” and that won’t change.

I would love to be a gifted writer such as these authors I have mentioned, yet I have no formal training, rather I read and dissect their work and try to learn more about how it’s done. Being an autodidact, it takes time and effort but I will never stop trying to absorb as much information as possible. And I hope to improve the quality of this blog as much as possible. Thanks for reading…

The word “Quality” has many connotations and varying definitions. As I get older, I much prefer some of the finer things as opposed to run-of-the-mill items. Things that possess a vestige of the craftsman’s soul, or a bespoke suit of clothes expertly tailored to the individual, or perhaps a life well lived.

As of late, my “Quality of Life” has been lacking. I currently suffer from all the warning signs of mental exhaustion, stemming from working way too many hours and not getting enough sleep. Truth be told I average about an hour and half of decent sleep per night. And I was blessed/cursed with a mind that never seems to shut off. The summer heat has prevented me from doing much in the way of fishing or getting out for that matter. I am not a fan of summer and am looking forward to autumn. Once things cool off I am hoping that we will able to get some much needed fresh air as I tend to sleep better out of doors. I seriously need to get out and recharge my inner-batteries. But persevere we must.

We have ever-so-slowly been upgrading our camp gear to include more items of comfort. You won’t find any crystal or fine China in our Kitchen Box but that is not outside the realm of possibility sometime in the future. We definitely have plans for a shakedown outing to see how the new pieces integrate into the whole.

Hand-in-hand with quality, and as equally important, is aesthetics. I won’t hunt with an ugly gun, or carry an ugly knife, or rod and reel. All of which I find rather odd since I used to use what was at hand to get the job done. But not now…and it baffles me how this came about. Perhaps it is because I am getting older and per force, am slowing down. That I now have time to take a critical eye to all the accoutrements and select each one according to some preconceived notion.

For me, natural fibers such as wood, wool, leather and canvas, as well as antler and bone have a vital essence about them that I find appealing. Indeed, a warmth that will never be matched by petroleum based items, but rather harkens back to a bygone era which is rapidly fading into history.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many modern items that I prefer as well such as quality knife steels, modern canoes, modern rods and reels and even modern tents and camping stoves. The only thing constant is that they have to “please the eye and be functional.”

Inevitably it is left up to the individual to forge their own path forward and decide what to take along for the journey. In our case, we are both introverts so we go forth without judgement or haughtiness towards others. Thank you for reading and Godspeed on your ventures.