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...

#1. Bear climbs tree, chews through rope #2 Bears climb trees. Really! Readers who are familiar with my books know that I don’t recommend hanging food packs in trees to keep the food away from bears. Over the years, I’ve come under considerable criticism for this approach because II refuse to comply with what appears to be conventional wisdom. Click up my book, “ Boundary Waters Canoe Camping, 2nd Edition” on Amazon.com and you’ll find this “one star” rating a

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,...

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...

Wilderness users are an aging group. The U.S. Forest Service recently reported that the average age of those who go to the Boundary...

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...

A properly equipped family canoe. EVERYONE is wearing a life jacket! Hardly a year goes by when there isn’t a drowning on some lake or river, U.S.A. In nearly every case the victims were not wearing life jackets. Boats capsize and people die. Why? Because they don’t know what they don’t know! Those who have never capsized have no clue what will happen if they do. They shrug off concerns with excuses like “I can swim real good;” “There are no bad rapids;” “I don’t go far

This month, I'm breaking with "blog tradition" to share with you Chapter One of my teen book, Justin Cody's Race to Survival! 10,000 Lakes Publishing, 2019 (www.10KLP.com). The hard copy is shipping now. Details are on my web-site. A high-adventure novel plus a wilderness skills "how-to" book, Race to Survival teaches as it entertains. 43,000 words, full color. CHAPTER 1—THE PLAN Thirteen year old Justin Cody stared at the huge waterfall below him. He marveled at

INUKSHUK Wilberforce Falls, Hood River, Nunavut, Canada My first Arctic canoe trip was on the Hood River, Nunavut (formerly, Northwest...

Larry Rice (L), Cliff Jacobson (R). Northstar Phoenix canoes (IXP layup) Some of the "smaller" waves on the Yellowstone River Each...

Cliff, age 39 Cliff, age 39 In October,1980 I took my family on a canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota. Autumn is...

Bob O'Hara: One of North America's most experienced Arctic paddlers Since 1969, Bob O’Hara has spent every summer canoeing in the Far...

Eastern and midwestern waterways are generally clear and inviting. Not so in the far west. Desert rivers like the Colorado, Green and...

Kopka River, Ontario Adirondacks, New York At the outset, I should make it clear that I am an environmentalist. I taught environmental...

Newcomers to camping are often put off by the all the things they “think they need” to have a good time. Frankly, you can get by with...

Point Lake, Nunavut, Canada. Start of our trip down the Hood River Muskox! Cliff Jacobson and Sue Harings. Hood River I first heard...

Mention guns and canoe trips in the same breath and some folks are apt to go ballistic. Still, if you're traveling among dangerous bears...

The WeatherWool anorak: It's at home in the woods or at a fine restaurant! Check this if you think that wool isn't high-tech! I’ve loved...

IF IT RAINS HARD ENOUGH AND LONG ENOUGH, WATER WILL GET INTO YOUR TENT! FLOODED TENT: NOTE HOW THE INTERIOR GROUND-SHEET KEEPS WATER AWAY...

Stuff happens as we age, and it’s not all good. Darrell Foss, 75, one of my closest friends, has Alzheimer’s disease. Darrell has lived...