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Category: Summer Expeditions

Waiting For Gooders: A Minor Inconvenience In The Wilderness

Waiting For Gooders: A Minor Inconvenience In The Wilderness

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There was a backlog of flights. In the previous couple of days poor weather had disrupted float plane services. Now the pilots were playing catch-up, ferrying fishermen, canoeists and gold prospectors out to the bush. As soon as a plane came in, it was being turned around again, made ready with another load. Our outfitter passed on the information that we should still be good to go first thing in the morning. All being well, the backlog would be cleared…

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Carving A Set Of Utensils For A Frost River Utensil Roll

Carving A Set Of Utensils For A Frost River Utensil Roll

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Other than knocking out the occasional small spoon for eating with, I’ve not had much time for carving recently. It’s not that I don’t like carving. Quite the contrary, I really enjoy carving. But, of late I’ve been occupied with leading general bushcraft courses, making wilderness journeys, writing articles, photography and, of course, running a business. So I was really looking forward to running Frontier Bushcraft’s new Woodcrafter course, which revolves around axe skills, woodcraft and carving. One afternoon during…

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PK Podcast 002: Ray Goodwin On Wilderness Canoeing

PK Podcast 002: Ray Goodwin On Wilderness Canoeing

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In this episode, I chat with my good friend and colleague British canoeing maestro, Ray Goodwin. We discuss wilderness expeditioning in canoe. Specifically we talk about the mindset and attitude you need in order to make the right decisions, particularly while you are in wild and remote settings. But we also talk about…

Switching Out Of An Expedition Mindset: Two Days Of Paddling At The English Canoe Symposium

Switching Out Of An Expedition Mindset: Two Days Of Paddling At The English Canoe Symposium

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The English Canoe Symposium happens once every three years as part of a tri-annual rotation with the Scottish and Welsh canoe symposia. It is held at the YMCA Lakeside, on the shores of Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. In the past I’ve run camp craft sessions at the Welsh Canoe Symposium and the Open Canoe Association’s Canoefest. It’s somewhat ironic for canoe-based events, with my teaching land-based skills all weekend, I typically don’t get to do any paddling….

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The Stagger Inn: Portrait Of A Wilderness Cabin

The Stagger Inn: Portrait Of A Wilderness Cabin

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Wilderness cabins, huts, hytte, cottages, bothies – whatever your name for these footholds in the wilds – are intriguing places. They tell you something of their owners and users. They can also inform you about the environment in which they are placed. In the north woods, a well outfitted cabin indicates how cold it gets in winter and what skills are important for survival there. We came across one such cabin on the Bloodvein River. It was called the Stagger…

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Bloodvein River Trip – My Personal Gear

Bloodvein River Trip – My Personal Gear

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People are always interested in other people’s gear. It’s certainly an area I’m asked a lot of questions about. As I get older, I’m less and less interested in outdoor clothing and equipment for any reason other than function and reliability. That said, I understand it can be instructive to compare and contrast with the experience of others. Also, I hate having too much clobber with me on journeys. In this respect my decisions always come back to function. Simple…

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Six Men, Three Boats and The Bloodvein: Canoeing A Wilderness River

Six Men, Three Boats and The Bloodvein: Canoeing A Wilderness River

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Rory, our pilot – about one third the age of the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver he was flying – took the plane into a banked turn as we descended towards Artery Lake. About 31 minutes earlier we had taken off from Red Lake. Malcolm was the other passenger. Just behind him, to the rear of the small fuselage, was our personal kit, a barrel of food and some canoe paddles. Outside, strapped to the port float struts was a 16ft…

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Cliff Jacobson and Camping’s Top Secrets

Cliff Jacobson and Camping’s Top Secrets

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Cliff Jacobson is one of the wise men of the outdoors. He is one of North America’s best respected and most published outdoors writers. He is the author of over a dozen top-selling books on canoeing, expeditioning, camping and outdoors skills. His excellent book Expedition Canoeing is a vital addition to any wilderness paddler’s library and a favourite resource of mine. Cliff’s extensive wilderness experience informs his writing with realism, pragmatism and practicality. He’s a true outdoorsman and he values…

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Canoe Master: An Interview with Ray Goodwin

Canoe Master: An Interview with Ray Goodwin

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Ray Goodwin is something of a living legend of British canoeing. He has been a pioneer of the open canoe in the UK and many consider him the UK’s foremost canoe coach. Even after more than 30 years of introducing people to, and developing people’s skills in, the great outdoors, Ray continues to be an active and enthusiastic outdoorsman. I recently caught up with Ray to ask him some questions about his paddling career and his new book…