Paddling
Canoes are amazing. There's something about the shape, the pace, the quiet, the whole thing that I've loved since I was about ten years old. I first learned how to paddle a canoe on Eagle Island in 1972 and I've been paddling ever since. For a while I switched to kayaking but I came to my senses again and I'm back to basics. The canoe makes a great platform for fly fishing and my favorite camping trips are the ones where I load a canoe with stuff for a few days and paddle across a lake. I'm not overly fond of portaging. Go figure.
Right now I own two canoes, a lightweight solo Hemlock Peregrine made by Dave Curtis and a big heavy old fiberglass tandem from the 1970's that I've refurbished with some oak, cherry, and webbing. I love them both.
I live in Ithaca, NY and so most of my paddling is right here in the Finger Lakes and local streams. But my heart's in the Adirondacks and I try to paddle and camp around Upper Saranac Lake every year.
Here's a photo album from Upper Saranac in September, 2005.
Two excellent online resources for paddlers: