top of page
Outdoor Writer & Consultant - Wilderness Guide - Custom Canoe Expeditions into the far north
Search


COLOR CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE!
Mouth of the North Knife River, Hudson Bay. Green River, Utah Blending with nature is part of what wilderness camping is all about—and...

Clarissa Jacobson
Oct 11, 20202 min read


MY SON IS TRYING TO KILL ME!
Upper Wedding-Cake Falls Land of the Lost West of Lake Nipigon, in the rocky shield country of Ontario, there flows a spectacular river...

Clarissa Jacobson
Sep 4, 20207 min read


THIS MESSAGE WILL MAKE YOU SMILE
THIS LETTER IS FROM ROXANNE EGGERT. She was a student in my Ninth Grade Environmental Science Class many years ago. It really made me...

Clarissa Jacobson
Aug 20, 202013 min read


CANOEING MISTAKES THAT CAN KILL YOU!
NOT SCOUTING A FAMILIAR RAPID Round the bend you see the dancing horsetails of a familiar rapid. Pangs of conscience tell you to check...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jul 31, 20205 min read


GOOD COP, BAD COPS, GREAT LAWYER!
An abbreviated version of this article was originally published in the 2010 Canoe & Kayak Magazine's Dealer-marketing Guide (long gone). ...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jul 2, 20207 min read


HOW TO DIE ON A CANOE TRIP!
Ask folks what they fear most about canoeing a wild river where help is an airplane ride away and you'll probably get these answers--in...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jun 10, 20209 min read


IT'S IN THE GENES!
Mariscal Canyon, Rio Grande River, Texas Rio Grande River ("The Great Unknown") I was born in Chicago and spent the first 14 years of my...

Clarissa Jacobson
May 13, 20203 min read


REVIEW: Weatherwool Neck-Gaiter and NRS OSO PFD
WEATHERWOOL NECK-GAITER Weatherwool’s new Neck-Gaiter is among a handful of outdoor products I’ve reviewed that are done “just right”. ...

Clarissa Jacobson
Apr 13, 20204 min read


HUDSON BAY BREAD--YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!
Hudson Bay Bread is really a moist, high-energy granola bar. Each piece contains about a million calories! Now that the Corona virus is...

Clarissa Jacobson
Mar 26, 20202 min read


HOW TO PICK A GOOD CAMPING KNIFE
Top to bottom: Idaho Knife Works, "Cliff" knife, Grohmann #1 Camper, Spyderco Military knife (this one is left-handed). The Cliff and...

Clarissa Jacobson
Feb 23, 20203 min read


ONE SHOE FITS ALL IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS!
I recently returned from my annual fall solo canoe trip into the Boundary Waters. My experience began at the Tofte ranger station where...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jan 27, 20203 min read


THE TRUTH ABOUT MAGAZINE/WEB PRODUCT REVIEWS.
Snake River, Yukon, Canada Kopka River, Ontario Point Lake, Nunavut, Canada I am often asked this question: "We’re planning a wilderness...

Clarissa Jacobson
Nov 28, 20193 min read


MY FIRST BOUNDARY WATERS TRIP
Cliff: above center: Note LLBean boots Cliff: Right. Note leather boots. I learned fast that rubber is better! Above: Cliff with...

Clarissa Jacobson
Nov 16, 20192 min read


KAYAK OR CANOE--WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU?
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...

Clarissa Jacobson
Oct 24, 20196 min read


THE BEAR TRUTH!
#1. Bear climbs tree, chews through rope #2 Bears climb trees. Really! Readers who are familiar with my books know that I...

Clarissa Jacobson
Sep 24, 20196 min read


SOME NOT-SO-POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR NATIONAL PARKS
You are REQUIRED to hang your food in Yellowstone NP. Note that the bear-hanging pole is directly over a prime tent spot. Way to go,...

Clarissa Jacobson
Aug 30, 20194 min read


WHAT? A NEW SURVIVOR SHOW!
I recently got a call from a casting director in California. She was casting for a new TV show, similar to “Survivor”. The idea was to...

Clarissa Jacobson
Aug 2, 20193 min read


SOME ADVICE FOR TRIP LEADERS
A bright summer morning on any river. A crowd of canoers prepare for a downstream float. It's 9:30 a.m. and confusion abounds. ...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jul 4, 20194 min read


New Book: Justin Cody's Race to Survival!
Wilderness users are an aging group. The U.S. Forest Service recently reported that the average age of those who go to the Boundary...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jul 2, 20192 min read


TWENTY TIPS FOR CANOEING THE BOUNDARY WATERS
Much as I love canoeing wild, fast rivers, I can't escape the lure of the Boundary Waters. And every year, since 1971 (when I moved from...

Clarissa Jacobson
Jun 23, 20197 min read
bottom of page