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Equipment » Favourite Piece of Equipment » 12/07/2016 3:24 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 34

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Helinox Camp Chair
CCS silnylon Tarp
Sea to Summit Comfort plus pad
Rapid Fire
Bob Dustrude Saw

no buff for me.. Had chemo and lived in them for nine months.. bad memories

Fitness » Knee Pain » 7/21/2016 4:04 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 9

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Well yes similar. Went for xrays and was diagnosed with severe arthritis in both knees and both hips.
and back
Only one knee really gives me pain and hips become stiff after sleeping ( inactivitiy) Canoeing is ok on them
Not so right knee for kneeling long. X ray showed bone on bone
Everyone is different. I met a lot of kneeling canoers who recently had total knee replacements and they all said do not put it off. It does not get better and the more you do physio you can certainly kneel
My surgery is in Oct.

There are different kinds of meds for arthritis. None work for me. Its the worse at night or when walking.  My right leg can now not straighten and its an inch shorter than the left. That will for sure screw up my back and has given me foot pain.

Tests are most helpful as is a specialist.  Forum answers arent going to help as there a jillion causes of knee pain.

Equipment » Bear Bangers or Spray » 6/22/2016 10:32 am

kayamedic
Replies: 33

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EddyTurn wrote:

What are the chances that one doesn't have time or nerve to properly estimate wind direction when using a spray? For most of casual wilderness travelers I'd say it's 50/50 at best. This might end dangerously in me being disabled in the path of charging bear.
I live in bear country, though it's just 50 miles away from New York city. I met bears on the streets, met them in the woods. In 10 years I heard about one nuisance bear - it didn't run away from hikers! Should I carry the spray every day? In the woods I just talk to myself or sing, when I'm sure nobody but bears can hear me.

Same here. Those little bells are worthless over wind and running water..A rangrer in Glacier suggested an air horn or a really big bell like on a buoy. Having lived in NJ in bear country in the 70's ( the age of bears knocking down tin cans every garbage collection day and finding them in neighbors kitchen) and now  we are better behaved in Maine but still in bear country.

My spray has long expired. I almost always forget it. Be of heart though I have seen Algonquin bears many times and most were with cubs. One trio of cubs and Mom was playing on diving off a log repeatedly on the Amable du Fond River while I watched.. Another mom came out of a creek on the portage to Radiant went under the bow of the canoe and fled.. Cub stopped to watch.. That was an interesting moment.

Bangers cant be fired over the bear..that might scare them to come to you Spray is of course wind dependent

Campsite Cooking » drops vs crystals - water flavouring » 4/25/2016 9:00 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 11

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lots has to do with personal taste.  I find the drops way too sweet and some brands of lemon crystals just right. I like lemon in my water for variety at home and in camp. My water at home is on the same aquifer as a commercially bottled water. Its quite good.  Well water for the last 50 years

Trip Planning » Rock - Louisa - Pen - May 2 in a Kayak ! » 4/22/2016 8:36 am

kayamedic
Replies: 8

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We did the Rock-Louisa portage right after ice out in2012. Be prepared as you may be the first over. We did have a saw.. We were glad we did.

Photo Equipment and Technique » New Camera! » 4/20/2016 3:59 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 28

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Googles NIK software is now free. I think it can operate stand alone though I use it with Photoshop.

Skills » How do you solo trip without freaking out? » 4/15/2016 10:01 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 70

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solosal wrote:

getting back to the opening of dontgroandaddy, I would say there is nothing wrong with looking behind you while on a trail.  I do this every backpacking trip.  I've only got a few years under my belt as a solo backcountry camper but here is my advice.  Do not read or watch anything remotely related to backcountry camping a few months prior to going in.  That being said do read lots of stuff in the "off season" that will help you be prepared. If you have camped in the backcountry before all the same rules apply ie: be prepared for any encounter whether It be wildlife or human and keeping a clean site.  Finally as others have mentioned make sure someone knows your plan - this could mean a in and out date from the backcountry or a check in from a SPOT (or other means).  I have found going solo that my instincts are heightened and that's okay.  Its all really a part of the experience...its the wild for pete's sakes.  All that being said, I am a woman, so some are worried about me for other reasons.  The biggest question I get from others, when I go solo, is don't you get bored by yourself?  The answer is simple - if I can't be alone with myself who the heck would want to be near me!

I am really awed about the number of women solo trippers out there. And we are not afraid to speak up.

Another reason for soloing is that it seems from my slanted viewpoint that its not as hard to get a group of guys together for a canoe trip and male bonding as it is to get a bunch of gals together for a canoe trip and female bonding. Gals want something else( spa etc) and we are odd gals out. We do exist so we are willing to solo to do the things we love.

Trip Planning » Harry lake camp sites » 4/15/2016 7:35 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 8

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We stayed on the first site on Harry coming from Welcome. Awesome beautiful beach site.

Skills » How do you solo trip without freaking out? » 4/14/2016 9:06 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 70

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30 liter barrel and a Woods Mason Pack. Pack weights are maybe 35 lbs for the Woods and 20 for the barrel
My canoe is 31 lbs. No superwoman.  But I have been flattened by carrying too much and face planted in Woodland Caribou  on a flooded portage. I had some 80 lbs on me and tangled in a pack strap.

Not doing that anymore. Woodland Caribou is a place where you might go till spring next year without being found.

Skills » How do you solo trip without freaking out? » 4/14/2016 3:33 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 70

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I dont single portage. I tried it and lost my footing and  at the age of 70 and being a girl it does not work well.  In some areas  rescue could be difficult and I worry that if I cant pull my PLB I am toast. i cant see  my feet with a pack on my front and a pack on my back and a canoe on it too. Plus post chemo I am not very strong.

One trip with the food and the canoe.. one with the main pack and paddles and water.  500 meters before dropping the pack and going for the canoe works pretty well ..  For a 2 km port repeat four times.

Skills » How do you solo trip without freaking out? » 4/14/2016 12:46 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 70

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I love to solo cause I can spend time with my camera and not worry about any one elses timetable. My first solo was in 1996 in Algonquin and was for a week.. The only jeebies I have and still do is leaving gear unattended.   So I break up portages so I am never far away from my gear. 

I have seen bear aplenty and do think about the fact that they are active during my day and perhaps sniffing my gear when I am gone. But mostly its been seeing back ends of bear though one walked 10 feet in front of my canoe going to Radiant while I was carrying it. It left fast. The scary part was the second bear..the cub that stopped and walked under the bow of the canoe  to stare at me before..thankfully..following mama.

I have seen some wonderful bear antics as cubs and mama played in the water for a few minutes before the fleet of Girl Scouts in Grummans arrived.

Watching wildlife is so much more possible solo.

Equipment » LifeStraw Performance » 4/13/2016 2:49 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 22

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http://epa.illinois.gov/topics/water-quality/surface-water/algal-bloom/index


More likely you will get skin irritation. The article points out that large quantities of water need to be ingested/

I have only seen one algal bloom lake..of course one I had to teach canoeing on. and rescue class. No one drank the water though.

How prevalent are these in Algonquin other than Dickson and Laveille?

Equipment » LifeStraw Performance » 4/13/2016 8:30 am

kayamedic
Replies: 22

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Blue Green algae are not algae. They are a bacteria. Sure your water filter should filter them out.

E coli and giardia are also carried within you and you can contract Giardia by not handwashing well.  It can be gotten at home quite nicely too. Its not just lake water. The poor beaver is much maligned. You can get it from a dog.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/general-info.html

Catch-all Discussions » previously stored "private messages" » 4/09/2016 5:04 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 6

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nor the canoe you borrowed from me
Sorry to poke fun. I have a friend that forgot he borrowed my canoe a year earlier. The trouble is I forgot too. Till I went in the barn loft and counted and asked my husband where was the  Peregrine.

and I accuse him of memory lapses.

Equipment » Kelly Kettle Basecamp » 4/06/2016 6:05 pm

kayamedic
Replies: 11

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they are said to work well and are probably  illegal if there is a fire ban.

Equipment » Solo Cooking Setup » 4/04/2016 9:54 am

kayamedic
Replies: 20

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I dont bring the two pie plate thingys from the OO. Just the hood and the diffuser. My temp gauge long ago lost the print. I have had OO for more than 20 years

I use an MSR Windpro

Equipment » Clipper Freedom / other fast solos » 4/02/2016 11:51 am

kayamedic
Replies: 3

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Hemlock Peregrine. Colden Nomad, Swift Keewaydin 15, Northwind Solo by Northstar . You are seeking a l/w ratio of 7 or better.. If you are small Placid Rapidfire or Shadow can be reinforced to use with a standard touring seat. 7.5 and 8.5 respectively. Savage River too of course has fast solos.

Argosy is not fast. Its sub 14 feet. LWL not LOA counts. I have had one for ten years. Paid $600 USD for it. Kiji is way high I think.

Board footera