How To – Page 2 – Richard Rathe's Reflections

BWCA Canoe & Hiking Trip 2023

This year’s trip was a return to a familiar locale…

Duncan and Rose Lakes!

*BWCA Route Map, Source USGS (Click to Enlarge*)

Video with Loons and Beavers

Complete Photo Gallery

Day 1 (Portage to Duncan Lake)

We started at Bearskin Lake and paddled across to the Duncan Lake Portage.

After exploring options on the north shore of Duncan we decided to stay on the campsite closest to the portage on the south shore (conveniently vacated by the prior group as we waited).

Overall this was a great site and not affected by blowdowns like the others we looked at. It had a nice fire area, lots of big trees, adequate tentsites, and a small pebble beach. (4/5 rating)

I’ve been a Hammock Camper for the past ten years. This was the first trip where I used an Underquilt and it performed very well. On the warmer nights (50s) I barely needed a sleeping bag. Going to bed felt like entering a warm bath!

After setting up camp, we had Happy Hour and veggie burgers for dinner!

The smoke haze from the Canadian Forest Fires gave us a very red sunset that night.

Day 2 (Canoe to Rose Lake)

The next morning we were treated to the largest gathering of Loons I’ve ever seen! We counted nine in all. It started with three or four calling and others flying in over about twenty minutes. Then they socialized and fished together for at least an hour. I called it the Loon equivalent of a breakfast club!

We read that at this time of year Loons are after fish called Cisco or lake herring. These are very oily and help the birds fatten up before they fly a thousand miles to the ocean for the winter.

We paddled down the long eastern arm of the lake to the famous “Staircase Portage” to Rose Lake.

We consolidated into one canoe to cruise around Rose. We saw where Ross and I camped during the The Boys 40th Birthday Trip back in 1996.

We stopped by Rose Falls to have lunch before heading up the stairs and back to Duncan.

Day 3 (Caribou Rock Trail, 4.3 Miles)

The next day we decided to hike on the nearby Caribou Rock Trail. This would ultimately take us to Rose Lake, but we did not go that far. Afterwards we read this is one of the “most difficult trails in Minnesota!”

That night we recovered with an elaborate taco meal prepared by Ross.

Day 4 (Rose Lake Cliffs, 6.5 Miles)

Our final full day was a mix of canoeing and hiking the Border Route Trail to the Cliffs over Rose Lake. It was difficult at times, but the view once we got there was worth it!

Way down on the lake we noticed two large white birds. These turned out to be a pair of [Trumpeter?] Swans! At the top I was able to take a photo through the binoculars with my phone.

Day 5 (Return to Civilization)

The next day was pretty simple. We broke camp early because the day was going to be hot (high 80s). When we later drove through Duluth the dash thermometer said it was 101!

Knots of Note

Bear Rope Hitch

We saw this one on a video about bear ropes. It is somewhat counter-intuitive as you get started and may require two people if the rope is heavily loaded. The first loop eliminates the need to “wrap the tree” with a long rope. The second vertical loop locks under the taught working end. As a slip knot it is extremely easy to untie so you can add one or two half-hitches for more security when needed.

Soft Shackle

These are referred to “Aussie Bowlines”. They are specifically used to secure a loaded line to a sail or other object. The cinch cords shown here already have stopper knots on their ends so it is easy to “shackle” them to the hammock strap.

Treehugger Hitch (or Tree-Hook Knot)

This is an idea I’ve been incubating for some time as a non-destructive “place anywhere” alternative to nails in trees or breaking branches to hang things on. Shown here is my first successful field test! It is tied using a short stick or similar object found locally.

Starting with the middle of the rope, wrap the tree at least twice and tie loosely with a reef (square) knot.
Catch the lower loop with the stick and add turns to partially tighten the loops.
Tie the upper end of the stick as tightly as possible in front of the reef knot.
Adjust everything to use the resulting hook to best advantage.
The excess rope will just hang down out of the way.

It performed well holding about ten pounds of equipment and it even let me hang up my hat! The main flaws with this implementation are the stretch in the second reef knot and the tendency for the loops to converge, allowing the hook to turn sideways. I plan to address these in the next version.

Once perfected this bit of knot-craft should help eliminate the need for nails in trees!

New Hammock 2023

History

For the height of this sort of deliciousness is to have nothing but the blanket between you and your snugness and the cold of the outer air. – Herman Melville (Moby Dick)

I became aware of Hammock Camping back in 2016. Luckily my first hammock was reasonably well designed and built. Seven years later that hammock has taken me many places and taught me a lot! Unfortunately it is showing some wear and I’ve been looking for a possible replacement.

One of the things I learned is to keep things as simple as possible. That first hammock was unusual–having a short tent pole spreader at the shoulder (vertical orange bar in photo above). This eliminated the need for tying the hammock out when no rain threatened, and eliminated two extraneous lines to trip over! The rainfly was a standard 10×10 foot diamond with the ridge on the long axis. It also served as the de facto ridge-line when hanging the hammock up. Deploying it took only two stakes and I added some shock-cord to help keep it taut.

I call this the “four point suspension rule” and it works! Minimal trip hazard–most nights you just hang up and jump in. Even with the fly fully deployed it is easy to enter from any quadrant. I carry a few lengths of lightweight rope to solve minor problems as they come up.

I had to search hard to find a hammock with a single aluminum spreader pole similar to the above. Most “spreader” hammocks have non-removable, self-deploying wands at both ends. This makes them harder to pack up, since you have to fold them in a very precise way. I bought one of these a few years ago and found that it made a better bugnet tent on the ground. It works when hung, but not very well. The spreaders don’t spread, they just support the netting. Newer models appear to have wands closer to the ends and that arrangement might work better. (?)

Setting Up the New Hammock

Spreader and Netting

This “TravelBird” hammock looked promising and was not very expensive. The first thing you’ll notice is the spreader pole on the outside (my original had the pole inside the netting). When empty the whole thing tends to tip over in the wind. Not so much with gear in it. (The video instructions tell you to stake it out, but there really is no need to do this.)

Here’s a closeup of the spreader in action. You can also see the standard carabiner suspension and entry zipper. Note that these are not the supplied straps, which are two feet shorter and could not span the distance between my “hammock testing” trees.

Note that you can enter from either side, and the netting folds away into a pocket at the foot when you don’t want it. (Nice!) The dark netting is also better for stargazing at night.

When you lay down in the hammock the spreader bends and keeps quite a bit of tension under your shoulders. I’m still experimenting with proper pitch for the most comfortable effect. My only major complaint–at only 100 inches it’s too short. It should be 104-106 inches IMO. I’m 6 foot 2, so if it works for me it will probably work well for anyone who is shorter.

Rainfly

The rainfly is a custom shape and the spreader supports it just like a modern tent. The problem is the inadequate ridge-line tension using the weak elastic tabs on the ends. I re-engineered this with some shock-cords that tighten the fly and allow it to rise above the netting for better airflow.

I added a six inch shock-cord loop and hook.

As you can see there is more tension on the fly. And when the hammock is loaded the fly can better maintain both height and tension.

The fly can be tucked on both ends to keep out blowing rain. This works very well!

I’ve found that in many situations the foot can be left lightly tied or loose. The side pull-out tabs can be tied to each other as shown below (black tabs near the ground).

If more wind is anticipated you can stake out the fly as shown below. The hammock came with thin elastic cords that I replaced with heavier shock-cords and lightweight rope. (The knots are an adjustable Taut-Line Hitch and a Zeppelin Bend to connect cord to rope.)

The final result meets the four point rule outlined above, and keeps the head and sides clear of ropes!

If you want to hedge your bet you can reef the fly along the ridge-line. This also makes it easy to pack up when you’re breaking camp. Note that one of the reef points was not sealed properly and caused a minor leak. I will be adding some seam sealer to address this.

Note that this is the first hammock I’ve seen where you can access and deploy part of the rain-fly from the inside!

There are two pockets, one at the foot and one along the right side. As always, I wish there were more pockets and larger. A “loft” near the head would also be helpful.

Recommendations

PROS
a good hammock overall, at a great price (~$69)
single external pole design, fewer ropes!
enter from either side
netting folds out of the way
dark netting is good for stargazing

CONS
too short (needs 4-6 inches more IMO)
rainfly needs better suspension (easy to fix)
included hanging straps are adequate, but short
no ridge-line, so harder to hang (minor)
side-zipper bag included, a stuff sack would be better
no instructions, videos are not that helpful

Inflatable Kayak Review

Advanced Elements Expedition Elite Kayak

I’ve used a “traditional” inflatable kayak for several years, mostly in special situations such as houseboat camping or floating down rivers. They can be very practical and lots of fun in these settings. They are bouncy and sit high in the water, more like life-rafts than kayaks. The one thing they are not good for is a windy day on open water!

So I was intrigued when I read about newer designs that approximate the capabilities of hard-sided kayaks. Advanced Elements produces several models including the Expedition Elite reviewed here.

The boat is nominally 13 feet long and weighs in at around 42 pounds (not as heavy as it sounds when you consider the design). It is rated to carry up to 400 pounds. The materials, fit, and finish are all very good to excellent. I’ve had a chance to use this kayak in 20 mph winds on a large lake, and on a small river with minor rapids. It performed well in both situations.

There are several notable design features:
1) Short aluminum frames define the prow and stern.
2) The drop-stitched floor is very rigid (similar to a standup paddle-board).
3) Two concentric floatation chambers (rings) provide redundancy in case of damage/air loss.
4) Seven auxiliary inflatable compartments define the semi-rigid deck.
5) An outer envelope gives the boat shape and protects everything else.

There are a total of eleven separate inflatable elements when you include the seat and optional rear “thwart”. Only three of these provide primary floatation (the outer ring, inner ring, and floor). Inflation pressure is low (1-2psi) except the floor (4-5psi). All components noticeably lose some pressure after a day or two. It takes a bit of effort to keep everything topped off.

The entire kayak (potentially including the pump and paddle) folds up into a suitcase-sized duffle. I’ve had some difficulty folding and unfolding it smoothly. When folded there are six or more layers that must slide over each other without binding. Inflation leads to asymmetries that make me think I’ve done something out of order. There is an example in the photo below where you can see the right inner ring bulging towards the midline. I’m not sure if this is some subtle configuration problem or the boat is just built that way. These are minor aesthetic issues to that don’t appear to affect performance.

Other Details

I’m over six foot tall and this kayak is just barely big enough for me to get my legs in. The photo below shows the bow zipper opened to reveal the adjustable footrest and limited storage space beyond. (Also note the dimples of the drop-stitched floor.) The more substantial rear storage area has a clever hatch that rolls up like a dry bag.

The biggest deficiency/flaw so far has been the position of tie-downs for the paddle and gear. There are two velcro attachment points on each side for holding a paddle, however the forward points are too far away to be useful. I remedied this by tying a short length of shockcord between the existing d-rings. The other end of the paddle fits nicely into the rear velcro strap.

Another irritation was the seat falling out when I picked the kayak up to move it. There was no attachment behind the seat so I added one using an elastic toggle.

I have a similar problem storing small gear. My other kayaks have easily accessed cubbies for gear and slots for water bottles. Again the attachment points on this boat are all too far forward. I’m thinking of adding d-rings to the black side panels to attach a deck bag.

Bottom Line

Pros

Lightweight compared with plastic or fiberglass equivalents.
Subjectively 80% of the feel and performance of a hard-sided kayak.
Less vulnerable to waves than you’d think. (An optional skirt is available.)
Enough floatation to carry a significant amount of gear.
Very portable. Packs into a single duffle!

Cons

Leg area somewhat cramped for taller paddlers.
Gear attachment issues outlined above.
Need to top off inflation frequently.
Complicated, many parts that can move in or out of place.

Overall this is a very functional kayak, even compared with hard-sided models. The combination of partial frame and drop-stitched floor give it a solid feel on the water. Plus you can carry it in the trunk of your car and store it in the back of a closet!