New Boundary Waters Catalog Tee Shirt Ideas

We're working on some new Tee Shirt Ideas here for next Spring's Boundary Waters Catalog.  We've done some posting on Facebook and gotten some feedback, and we wanted to do the same here.

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BLOG 30. Lines

 BLOG 30. Lines

by

Cliff Jacobson

One way to tell a novice paddler from an experienced one is to check his or her canoe for the presence of “lines”.  “Canoeists” will usually have a line (rope) attached to each end of their canoe; “canoers” never do. The ready lines come in handy when you have to work your canoe around rocks in shallow water (and possibly avoid a portage) or track the boat upstream in a current or around a downed tree.  Lines are a “must have” when the canoe sleeps overnight on land—experienced paddlers always tie up their boats before they retire for the night.  This, more than anything separates knowledgeable paddlers from those who have no clue.

Lines coiled and stuffed under a loop of shock-cord on deck.  Important: leave a few inches of the bitter end exposed so you can just grab it and pull to release the coil.

You seldom see lines on canoes in the Boundary Waters and Quetico. Evidently, lake country paddlers must think that a beached canoe is safe from high winds that may push it aloft and out to sea.  I can recall two occasions when I’ve chased canoes that had blown into the water. One was when my friend Al Todnem and I were camped together on Miles Island on Saganaga Lake.  Around 2am, in the black of night, we heard a swish and splash.  Al’s eighteen foot lightweight Grumman, which was well up on shore but not tied up, blew out into the lake.  Wearing only undershorts, Al leaped out of his tent and dove in after the rapidly disappearing canoe.  He caught it just in time, towed it “home” and tied it securely to a tree.  Afterwards he nursed a sprained toe and scraped knee.  I won’t mince words: lines are essential whether you’re going to the Boundary Waters or well beyond.

What kind of ropes and how long should they be?  I prefer brightly colored woven (not braided) polyester or polyethylene rope (that floats)—three-eights inch diameter for tandem canoes and quarter-inch for lightweight solos.  My ropes are about eight feet longer than the length of the canoe.  Thus, 25 foot lines for a 17-footer, 22 foot lines for a 14-footer, etc.  A longer than the canoe length” allows you to spin the boat completely around while standing on land. When not in use, ropes are coiled and secured under a loop of shockcord on deck. They release instantly by pulling on the end.

Lines are essential on a canoe that will be paddled in currents and rapids, but—except for tying the boat up at night—you can probably get along without them in lake country like the BWCA. After all, most (nearly all!) people do. But even here, there’s subtle value in that the lines enable you to more easily descend routes that will get you away from the crowd or possibly, eliminate a portage.  For example, my favorite BWCA route is the Frost River (details are in my book, Boundary Waters Canoe Camping, 3^rd ed.). 

The Time Lake cut-off bypasses the 100 rod portage into Mora Lake

In the route description I suggest that if you want solitude, take the “Time Lake” cut-off out of Whipped Lake (heading towards Little Saganaga) rather than the routine 100 rod portage into Mora Lake which bypasses this section.  Hardly anyone goes this way.  Why? Because there are a number of small canoeable rapids and several sections where you must either line your canoe around rocks in the current or bushwhack a portage.  You can canoe the Time Lake cut-off without lines, of course, but having them makes things much easier. In a nutshell, lines on a canoe increase your security and safety and allow you to more easily access treasured places in the backcountry.

Cliff lines his 14-foot solo canoe (Pakboat®) around a dicey rapid in Norway

Cliff

BLOG 29. Thanks for The Cards and Letters!

BLOG 29. Thanks For the Cards and Letters!

by

Cliff Jacobson

Cliff: BWCA. Bell Yellowstone Solo Canoe

 Dear Friends:

On November 8, I suffered a heart attack, which doctors said rated about a 5 out of 10.  Fortunately, my wife Susie got me to the River Falls, WI hospital within 30 minutes of the event and that is what saved my life.  From River Falls, I was taken by ambulance to United hospital in St. Paul.  There, they discovered that one of my arteries was 95 percent clogged; another, 85 percent.  They put in two stents , plied me with pills and IV’s and kept me hospitalized for three days.  I was released on Saturday and am back home now, a bit bewildered but smiling. On a side note, I must say that I was very impressed with United.  Their care and treatment rates A+.

Cliff and Susie

 I am told that there may be some light heart muscle damage but not enough to slow me down.  My doctor said that, in a few weeks, I should have quite a bit more energy than before the attack.  More energy?  Susie already thinks I’m the “Energizer Bunny” so this may not be a good thing.

Segway tour, Minneapolis.  It's not a canoe but it sure is fun!

A nurse at the hospital was surprised to discover that there was nothing on my medical chart.  “When were you last in the hospital?” She asked.  “When I was 8,” said I. For 72 years I’ve been super-healthy so this set-back came as quite a shock. But there’s no fighting genetics—the men in my family have all died young from heart disease.

Tomorrow, I begin a re-hab program, which I will take very seriously.  My hope is to attain my once youthful high-school weight of 128. Ah…if I could just get back the good looks!  As I look back over the summer, and especially the late August BWCA Piragis canoe trip with Steve Johnson, I realize how lucky I am to have had this problem now, not then.

Cliff: age 22 and 128 pounds. U.S. Army Gold Rifle Team, National champions, Camp Perry, Ohio 1964.
Yes, this is an M14!

My plans are to canoe across the Everglades (about 130 miles) in January with my friends Larry Rice, Darrell Foss and Rob Kesselring.  I should be in good shape by then, better, afterwards.

In closing, a HUGE thank you to all of you who wished me well through emails cards and calls.  It has meant a lot. And my apologizes for missing some planned presentations during the week I was hospitalized. 

I’ve always stressed that “skills are more important than things”.  Now I’d like to add that good friends like you are much more important than either!

Best to you all and thank you again for your support and smiles.

Cliff

BLOG 28. New From Frost River

 BLOG 28. NEW FROM FROST RIVER

by

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

Cliff: Along the Frost River. Bell Yellowstone Solo canoe

Cliff: Frost River

Those who have read my book, “Boundary Waters Canoe Camping’ know that my favorite route in the Boundary Waters is the Frost River.  The river has a smattering of everything—large and small lakes, beautiful falls, winding beaver streams and high beaver dams, tough, poorly-maintained portages, canoeable rapids and adventurous options.  If you want solitude and challenge, the Frost is the route to do.  Be aware though, that you must canoe the river early in the year, mid-June at the latest.  After that, the you’ll deal with miles of shallows and matted nets of lily pads.  You’ll best enjoy the trip if you pack light and paddle a canoe (solo or tandem) that turns easily.  Equip your canoe with 20 foot lines at each end so you can line around little rapids that are too tight and shallow to paddle.

Darrell Foss: Frost River.  Bell Wildfire canoe

Beaver dams are common along the Frost River

Now, there’s new product from Frost River that combines a cribbage board with the magic of canoeing the Frost  River. The 7” x 13” cribbage board is laser-engraved with the Frost River route—from Frost Lake to Afton Lake.  The workmanship is first class; the board is beautiful and the laser-engraved map is pretty accurate—I think one could actually canoe from Frost to Afton Lake using it alone. The board comes with four stained wooden pegs (contained in a sealed compartment in back) and a toothed slot for hanging.  You’ll love how it looks on your wall when you’re not playing cribbage.  

The Frost River cribbage board is as beautiful as it is practical

  

This is the prettiest cribbage board I’ve ever seen. When my wife Susie unwrapped it, her first words were “Wow, it’s beautiful!”  Indeed it is.   Just looking at it will make you smile.

Cliff Jacobson

BLOG 27. Best Woodburning Trail Stove on the Planet

BLOG 27. Best Wood-burning Trail Stove on the Planet!

by Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

Littlbug Senior stove: BWCA (yes, it's legal when placed next to the fire grate)

One of the perks of being a writer is that I get to try new products. I’ve spent enough time in the woods that I can often assess field performance without exhaustive testing. To some, this may sound egotistical, but those who’ve spent serious time in the bush pretty well know what works and what doesn’t.  For example, small zippers are the first to fail on a garment; plastic knobs on cookware and stoves break or burn; tents that don’t have enough stake points blow down in high winds, etc.

Thus, I was not impressed when I received a Littlbug® (www.littlbug.com) wood-burning stove for review.  It was simple (too simple)—just four stainless-steel parts that snap together. I viewed it as nothing more than a “take-apart” charcoal burner. I set the stove aside with the intent of testing it later. Much later.

Stainless steel parts snap together in seconds!

Ultimately, I got a call from the manufacturer asking if I had tried his stove.  I made up some excuse, promising I’d get to it soon. I didn’t. A week later, another call and another excuse.  This pattern continued for a month, after which, I’d had enough, so I reluctantly went outside and fired up the stove.

Parts snap together easily and nest for travel

Minutes later, I was hooked. The stove burned hot and clean, with very little fuel. I heaped on more wood and watched the base turn cherry red. I filled my tea kettle with water and set it on the pot supports—eight cups of water came to a rolling boil in just under seven minutes. Impressive!  Unlike other small wood-burning trail stoves, the Littlbug will accept big wood. Logs up to about three inches in diameter---and as long as you like—can be loaded through the top slots—just stack ‘em in like inverted tipi poles. The Littlbug doubles as a campfire, but it uses far less wood. Want a bonfire? Build a pole tipi around the stove or stack wood “log-cabin” style on top of the burner and you’ll feel the heat a dozen yards away. 

Littlbug burns hot with very little fuel

The stainless steel parts consume almost no space in a pack.  No other wood-burning trail stove is as compact.

My friends and I have come to love the Littlbug stove. When used with a deep-sided steel oil-drain pan or pizza pan, it qualifies as a government-approved “fire within a fire-pan” (the pan must measure 12” x 12” with a 1.5” lip). If you’ve hiked or boated out west where fire-pans are required, you’ll love the Littlbug stove. Unlike the heavy, bulky pans most boaters carry, the stove and pizza pan will fit easily into a solo canoe or kayak.

Rio Grande River, Texas: Littlbug stove and pizza pan

Specifications:
There are two models (Littlbug Senior and Junior):
•    Senior: Weight: 19 oz / Junior: 5 oz
•    Senior: 9” x 8” diameter / Junior: 6” x 5.5”
•    Assembly time: about 15 seconds
•    Senior 1 quart water boil time:  3-5 minutes / Junior 4-6 minutes
•    Vent holes in the base can be turned towards or away from wind.
•    The stove can be fired with an alcohol burner like the one that comes with the popular Trangia stove.

Littlbug Senior with hanging chains and FireBowl

Accessories (extra cost): 
•    Pot sling: allows the burning stove to be hung (by chains) from a limb or hook—ideal for snow camping or where a ground fire might be dangerous. Sounds unstable but it isn’t.
•    FireBowl: a compact, ultralight, three piece stainless steel fire-bowl. The parts snap together to create a fire-pan that contains ash and embers. Unfortunately, the FireBowl does not meet federal government specifications for fire-pan size. But it is very effective—the feds should make an exception here. Note: there are two FireBowl sizes—Senior and Junior.
•    Nylon tote bag (envelope).

Optional Use: The sides of the assembled stove (sans the two pot supports) can be used as a wind-screen for a gasoline or butane trail stove.

Cliff and Littlbug stove: BWCA

In summary: The Littlbug stove (www.littlbug.com) provides an edge on rainy days and where wood is scarce or where a closely contained fire is essential. When canoeing above the tree line we fuel the stove with dead willow twigs—provides cheery heat and a way to burn trash. The stove burns hot with very little wood; it doubles as a cook-stove and campfire. It’s simplicity belies its effectiveness. In a word, it is “awesome”!

Cliff Jacobson
www.cliff-jacobson.com

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