When you venture away from the beaten path, could you patch a bad blister, find your way in a fog, or survive an unplanned night out? Ask yourself that question and then ask what you’d need to have along in order to cope.

Everyone likes a good list. Paddlers, hikers, and cyclists are no exception. You won’t find a better list than the Ten Essentials, either. It’s as valid today as it was when The Mountaineers first put it together back in the 1930s—and notwithstanding the list’s alpine origins, it’s equally useful to canoeists and kayakers, cyclists and hikers.

1. Map(s)—for staying found
2. Compass—ditto
3. First-aid kit—for patching yourself and companions
4. Knife—for too much to summarize
5. Extra food and water—to keep stoked and hydrated
6. Matches and firestarter—to light a life-saving fire
7. Flashlight—for seeing in dark places
8. Sunglasses—for staving off blindness in glare
9. Sunscreen—to protect your skin from burns
10. Extra clothing—to maintain healthy core temperature

The next time you head off in your boat, whether you’re just puttering around Golden Pond, venturing out across the wine-dark sea, strolling along your favorite woodland trail, or on a Sunday cycle on a remote singletrack, make sure you Take Ten. Don’t leave home without ‘em. Read more…

Tags: & Sit-on-Topping, cycling, hiking, Kayaking, Let's Paddle! Canoeing, safety, ten essentials

Heading out for far places this summer? Do yourself, your loved ones and friends, and the folks at Search and Rescue a favor: plan to survive, no matter what Nemesis throws your way. The United States Coast Guard (aka USGS) encourages boaters to file a float plan when heading out for an excursion, whether it’s to last a few hours or a few weeks. It’s good advice, and everyone should do it. Take the advice of someone who’s been there and come back. It’s an easy decision to live with.

Fortunately, writing up a float plan doesn’t have to take a lot of time. It does require a measure of discipline, though. You have to decide in advance exactly where you’re going and how long you’ll be away. You say you don’t like rigid schedules? Neither do I. Nobody wants his holiday to become a forced march. But there’s a happy medium. Just build some flexibility into your schedule. Keep it loose. Plan on plenty of rest days if your trek is to be long. Be sure to make a little room for a change in the weather, too. And leave some space for serendipity. But whatever you do, FILE A FLOAT PLAN! Read more…

Tags: & Sit-on-Topping, cycling, float plan, hiking, Kayaking, Let's Paddle! Canoeing, safety

There’s no doubt about it. Scouting for new places to paddle can be exciting. Occasionally, though, the excitement gets out of hand. A lot of less-traveled ways to the water are old carriage roads or overgrown jeep trails. These aren’t always kind to cars, and breaking down in the middle of nowhere isn’t everybody’s idea of a good time. Sometimes it pays to scout by bike.

Bikes can go almost anywhere. Better yet, once you get your road legs, bikes eat up the miles at a surprisingly fast clip. There’s no better way to explore your neighborhood. How big is your neighborhood? Well, how strong are your legs? For most of us, fifty-mile round trips are within reach: twenty-five out and twenty-five back. This makes your “neighborhood” something like 1 million acres. Hardy folks may find they can go twice as far in a day. Their neighborhood is four times as large. Cycling is a great exercise, too, targeting the very muscles that don’t get much of a workout on the water.

In short, scouting by bike lets you check out nearby waterways without risking your family car or handing over all your paycheck to Big Oil. And it’s fun, into the bargain. You can even haul a boat to the water with a bike. But you have to have the right boat — and the right bike. Old carriage roads and muddy jeep trails aren’t for fine-boned thoroughbreds. A stocky, sturdy carthorse is what you want. You need a steed that can take a licking and keep on tick-tick-ticking along. And then hit the road in search of waters new! Read more…

Tags: & Sit-on-Topping, amphibious paddling, bikes, cycling, Kayaking, Let's Paddle! Canoeing