On the chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon of March 11, 2023, I pulled my canoe out of the storage shed and upgraded some outfitting. It already had yellow floatation bags permanently installed in the bow and stern. And it already had a purple bag and green river dry bags. The dry bags served two purposes. When paddling they are filled with empty soda pop bottles to provide light and cheap flotation in case of a turnover. When canoe camping then the bottles are removed and replaced with camp gear for the overnight stay. But all those bags are covered with…
On the rainy, chilly Saturday of February 25, 2023, I wanted to paddle my kayak or canoe. But the last couple of times I tried that I found that my sore left hip, which is scheduled for joint replacement surgery in a couple of weeks, interfered too much with my balance and flexibility. So, I tried biking the Neusiok Trail in Croatan National Forest, to see if it was more manageable. This was the section to the north of where the trail crosses NC Hwy 306. I was able to bike, but poorly. Despite the national forest being essentially flat,…
New Bern, NC, is not right on the sea-coast; it is inland about 30 miles. But it lies at the junction of the Neuse River and the Trent River. Its waters are stained dark with the tannin from the cypress and oak trees. The land is mostly swampy. Everywhere that I have lived the outdoors people there engaged in a wide range of activities. New Bern sportsmen and women have the most uniform interest in that more people here kayak than any other activity by far. Right downtown just a few blocks from the Tryon Palace are several pockets of…
A few years ago, I learned a valuable lesson in outdoor skills and life skills from Eustace Conway at Turtle Island Preserve. I was taking one of his classes on making fire by friction. The instructor, who was not Eustace, showed us how to find the materials in the woods and make a base, spindle, bow with string and handle. After our half-dozen class members had finished making the tools, the instructor showed us how to work the pieces and try to make a fire. Unfortunately, he did not show us the physical technique. All of us casually sawed away…