<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Cliff Jacobson. Outdoor Writer/Consultant]]></title><description><![CDATA[Canoeing and Camping Expert]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 20:23:52 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.cliffcanoe.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[NIX THOSE UGLY SKID PLATES!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thick Kevlar skid-plates provide excellent protection, but.... Rocky rivers take a toll on the stems (ends below the waterline) of Royalex and Kevlar canoes, so many paddlers epoxy on protective Kevlar "skid plates" before the first sign of damage--a questionable practice.  Here's why:   1.    Kevlar skid pads add three or more pounds to a canoe--that’s weight you’ll have to portage! Of some importance is that the extra weight is added to the extreme ends of the canoe, which affects its...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/nix-those-ugly-skid-plates</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ff85fe4f7ebdc9f6adb92a</guid><pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2026 19:45:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_020d6f48cda842df87957949cf0d1f6a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_474,h_528,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[WRONG WORDS CAN CRASH YOUR CANOE!  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson   Kevlar Mad River Explorer, Steel River, Ontario.  Yes, we rescued this canoe! The rails popped back into shape and the hull was seaworthy.  Three days work at home, and it was "good to go".  Kevlar is tougher than most people think.  And American White Ash rails often "bend and hold" where metal ones may "hinge and fold". The gunnels bent about 30 degrees but held.  Quite a bit of of the outer Kevlar layer was broken.  But the rescued canoe had no leaks.  We covered...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/wrong-words-can-crash-your-canoe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69de6e2766c8cbf1f4c1917e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:17:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_82c542d8ca1341929d66ffb9b36b72ff~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[                       STORMS ]]></title><description><![CDATA[This photo was taken seconds before a lightning strike sent showers of burning branches and embers on to Alan's canoe! by Cliff Jacobson Canoeing texts tend to dismiss storms with the simple admonition that you should  “paddle close to shore when the wind is up” and “get off the water at the first sign of lightning”.   It’s not so simple.  Lightning, for example, often works in mysterious ways that defy textbook advice.  Here’s an example from my own experience on the Gull River in northern...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/storms</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b72a69ea38c468abd9a00e</guid><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:43:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_a1e5656ea77d482bb974a81e0ec32865~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[           A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE! ]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson   In 1971, I outfitted and guided three wealthy Chicago men--the least affluent of which earned a quarter million a year--on a  five day canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota.  I was told to provide the finest food, equipment and hospitality--whatever it took to ensure a good time. In return, I'd be well compensated for my services.          For months I worked on assembling the menu.  Supper the first night would consist of Minnesota wild rice and...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/a-matter-of-principle-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699a1ea277eba70e059cabfc</guid><pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:14:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_50355167e87f4d198f52ea191cb566a6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[ARMY TIMES: TEN SOLDIERS WHO SAVED MY LIFE! ]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson Cliff: U.S. Army National Match Rifle Team, 1964 PROLOGUE In 1964, I was a 24-year-old soldier stationed in Bayreuth, west Germany, near the Czech border.  I had two months left on my two-year active-duty commitment before I could return to the States.  I was what they called a “short timer”.  It was July 3 so two friends and I decided to celebrate our upcoming Independence Day and my “short timer” status, at a local Gasthouse (family-friendly tavern).   At the stroke of...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/army-times-ten-soldiers-who-saved-my-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698656412cdf2c42d92cd090</guid><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:11:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_8edb7644b28e4a90831cc9a6a719d74b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HE MADE ME PROMISE I WOULD TELL YOU!]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson Manitou Falls, Saskatchewan.  A decidedly spiritual place: Native Americans believed that the Fond du Lac River here disappeared into a hole in the ground.  Here, the river does a sharp 90 degree left hand turn followed by a sharp 90 degree right hand turn.  The approach by canoe is intimidating. It’s customary for authors to dedicate their books to a person they love or respect.  I’ve followed suit in all of my titles, except one—“Camping’s Top Secrets.”  Instead, there is...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/he-made-me-promise-i-would-tell-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69729f19aa29322cefc9aef5</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:27:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_d0deaabd5a0c454eb249c0d0044fcc8c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_964,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[FROG KNIFE WORKS, Knife Review       By Cliff Jacobson]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every once in a long while, I stumble upon a company whose products are so superb that I want to share my rare find with the world.   FROG KNIFE WORKS is such a company.  Surprisingly they’re located in River Falls, WI, minutes from where I live.   I discovered them at the annual River Falls “Art on the Kinni” festival,* which takes place in early September here in River Falls.  I’ve seen a lot of knives at trade shows, but few have impressed me as much as these.  I gushed over the knives for...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/frog-knife-works-knife-review-by-cliff-jacobson</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69727399affc20191ac1a360</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:15:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_3a5c2e68ea9140009d4e6e77c024845c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[                  DAMAGE CONTROL]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson My Bell Yellowstone Solo Canoe.  It has been EVERYWHERE!   When I was much younger, I made an annual trip down the Snake River in Minnesota.  The upper Snake--beginning at the now practically defunct town of Woodland--is beautiful and remote. The upper section is characterized by thick woods and intermittent rapids. In the mix there are two low canyons, the first of which, is easily runnable--that is, if you can stay away from the wall on river right.  The second canyon...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/damage-control</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6827853071c37c225286687a</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2025 19:29:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_3e2b528683024dd093a7bab0f7e3b654~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[REVIEW: RADLIGHT:  HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIGHTER]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Cliff Jacobson Here’s an interesting new product.  RADLIGHT is a “take off” on the old Zippo lighter, but it’s much larger, has a very...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/review-radlight-high-performance-lighter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67f034ce67842bbf735ef798</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2025 20:09:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_c45260beb6dd4f0cad3c36800be1a4fc~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[MURDER AT WEDDING CAKE FALLS  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson Third and final pitch of Wedding Cake Falls* Just west of Armstrong, Ontario, in the rocky shield country of Canada, lies a spectacular river called the "Kopka".  Along its length is one of the most magnificant falls within the tree line. Here, at what was once called "Mink Bridge Portage," the entire contents of the river spill tumultuously downward 250 feet in three successive drops, creating one of the most spectacular white water areas on the continent.  You can stand at...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/murder-at-wedding-cake-falls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67954bccd0d2f00ad9da5d8b</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:44:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_cb5ac44758b04a179746ab31db40089c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ON A CAMPING TRIP IS ??]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kopka River, Ontario.  Cliff prepares steam fried pizza - 10 min. prep/2 min. cook Quick! Name the most important thing on a camping trip.  If you said “food,” you’re partly correct.  If you said GOOD food, you are dead right!  I’ve been on many canoe trips where the rapids were intimidating, the portages bad, and the weather was awful.  But my crews never complained.  Why?  Because we were always warm and dry, and we had really good food.  I learned early that if everything on a trip goes...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/the-most-important-thing-on-a-camping-trip-is</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67391206948de5818e06d72f</guid><pubDate>Sat, 16 Nov 2024 22:07:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_3c66af8069b04cebac562cc4c828df61~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fire making -  Learn How To Make A One-Match Campfire!]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently returned from a trip in the Boundary Waters, and as usual, it was a good time.  But one of the things that gnawed at me, was the trash I found on one of the campsites.  The fire grate was choked with the green branches of living spruce trees.  Parts of branches were barely burned; the rest was green.  Nearby was a paper birch tree - its bark newly peeled.  Not far away there was a large spruce, its dead, shade-killed lower branches picked clean; the green ones above sawn and broken...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/fire-making-learn-how-to-make-a-one-match-campfire</link><guid isPermaLink="false">670da68b9f61ca5c92cfb660</guid><pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 23:52:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a7e801_9724fcf86a534dcc899c9a69f8b489f0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_910,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[DO YOU REALLY KNOW HOW TO USE A MAP AND COMPASS?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the 1980s, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources became concerned about the large number of deer hunters who became lost every year. They asked the rescued hunters a battery of questions: Question: "Did you have a compass with you when you got lost?" Answer: About eighty percent said "YES!" Question: "Then why didn’t you use your compass to get unlost?” Answer: "I tried, but I guess I didn’t know how." Question: "If you don’t know how to use a compass, then why do you carry one?"...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/do-you-really-know-how-to-use-a-map-and-compass</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66e8bf6b582dd710c4ec9ac2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:47:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a7e801_5cfdda650c2e49af89f863ccebf5e5d5~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_853,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[DON'T WORRY DOC, WE'LL MAKE IT! The story of Jim McAvoy--a daredevil Canadian bush pilot who carved history with his wings. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Eric Watt: From my book, Campsite Memories .  This true, heartwarming story will make you smile. Forward :  Erik Watt is a politically incorrect misfit who fled North after thirty years as a fourth-generation newsman to avoid becoming a journalist.  He's known Canada's Northwest Territories since he was a teenage Mackenzie River deckhand in 1943, was a southern-based Northern reporter from 1956 to 1962, arrived in Yellowknife in 1976 and put in seven years as director of public affairs for...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/don-t-worry-doc-we-ll-make-it-the-story-of-jim-mcavoy-a-daredevil-canadian-bush-pilot-who-carved</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66b3abf47f518d9213be72f5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:35:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_4dfdab95e42a41ecbb0f3ca94f59ad07~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AT LAST:  A GREAT NEW CANOEING MAGAZINE!]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently chatted with Joe Friedrichs, the author of Her Island .  It’s the story of Janice Matichuk, Quetico’s longest serving park Ranger.  I knew Janice very well.  She was talented, wonderful, and amazing.  Joe did a superb job capturing her life story in this book.  If you haven’t read it, you should.  It will make you smile.    Our conversation turned to canoeing and camping magazines, which are basically non-existent in North America.  There is one ( Paddling ) in Canada, and until...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/at-last-a-great-new-canoeing-magazine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66941d98d88ba92bb0a347e8</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jul 2024 18:54:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_51d96ebb66c74044899e7c775809d3b4~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CANOEING?]]></title><description><![CDATA[CANOEING QUIZ by Cliff Jacobson Steel River, Ontario When I was a Boy Scout in the 1950s, my greatest thrill was summer camp and the overnight canoe trip. Only boys who had passed their swimming requirement were invited.  If you knew how to run waves and steer around rocks you were a hero to your friends.  Hitting a rock or log—or worse, a capsize—drew laughter.  As in life, good skills were rewarded, bad ones had consequences.   Take this test and see how much you know about canoeing!  ...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/how-much-do-you-know-about-canoeing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6681a482692687229af3f950</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Jun 2024 19:26:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_82c542d8ca1341929d66ffb9b36b72ff~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[GOING NORTH - WHAT YOU CAN - AND CAN’T - LEARN FROM CANOEING THE BOUNDARY WATERS]]></title><description><![CDATA[Yes! The fishing (and everything else!)  is AWESOME in Northern Canada.  North Knife River, Manitoba   You’ve made many successful trips into the Boundary Waters. You’ve never gotten lost - maybe just confused for awhile; you’ve weathered storms, made fire in the rain, never capsized or been threateningly cold.  After each trip, you’ve come home smiling. Now you dream of canoeing a wild river in Canada or Alaska.  Does your experience in the Boundary Waters qualify you for a remote northern...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/going-north-what-you-can-and-can-t-learn-from-canoeing-the-boundary-waters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6654ef989a108a14316e7945</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 21:36:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_07bb66c0071f4938a7f95ed558b770f4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[SECURITY: To Tie or Not to Tie!]]></title><description><![CDATA[by Cliff Jacobson Renee and Ken Sebranek on a wild Wisconsin river.  Reneee is totally blind!  Their heart-warming story is in my book, CANOEING WILD RIVERS, 5th Edition. Question: Should you tie everything into your canoe when you run rapids and big lake waves?  Or,  should gear be allowed to float free in a capsize?             If you've ever capsized in a bad rapid with a load of camping gear aboard, you know the value of tying in packs. Tightly secured packs act like a giant life...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/security-to-tie-or-not-to-tie</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66201d153bf46c08c6057d01</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:14:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_0050baccc05848b8a3dbb0a2995cd166~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_640,h_458,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[KAYAK OR CANOE--WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kayaks now outnumber canoes on almost every waterway. Why are they so popular?   Some years ago, I guided a group of teens on a canoe trip in Minnesota's Boundary Waters. As we rounded a point, a yellow kayak darted toward us. The paddler—a young woman in her twenties—flashed a smile, then poured on the coal. In a flash she was gone.   The kids, in their banged up aluminum canoes, were spell-bound. "Why can't we have those?” they pleaded.   I just grinned and said, "You'll see."   Twenty...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/kayak-or-canoe-which-is-best-for-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66196a5384d914ba31281130</guid><pubDate>Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:44:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_e53f40e12bbf4dd6b04d938bf1ac7337~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tu ON THE RIO GRANDE]]></title><description><![CDATA[This guest blog, by, Tony Heck, is a great read.  It's long, but worth your time.  About Tony:  Tony is a jack-of-all trades outdoorsman, paddler and master sausage maker.  He travels with his little Beagle dog, Tu.  Tu has grown quite comfortable sitting atop Tony's specially outfitted Old Town Tripper canoe.  Tu never complains. Tony's home-smoked sausage is my go-to lunch meat on canoe trips.  It keeps fine for the longest trip and is much tastier than what I've found in stores.  Contact...]]></description><link>https://www.cliffcanoe.com/post/tu-on-the-rio-grande</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66196a5384d914ba312810ea</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:11:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb6a97_3e21694c26324ff29dcc467b3df6e163~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Cliff Jacobson</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>