Links:
These are links to other paddling sites and resources that you might find useful and interesting. If you find a link that is no longer active, please notify me so that I can make a correction.
Sea Kayaking Links - Organizations and Information
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The home page of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
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The home page of the Albany Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club. This club schedules several paddling activities each week in season.
Hudson River Watertrail Association Home
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The home page of the Hudson River Watertrail Association, a resource for information on paddling the Hudson River.
American Canoe Association ACA
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The home page of the American Canoe Association, a resource for training and paddling information.
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Home Page of the Georgia Wilderness Society. This group plans many outings throughout Georgia year round, including the annual Suwannee River paddle.
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Information on the annual Great Hudson River Paddle, 140 miles, Albany to Manhattan
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Home page of the Anacostia Watershed Society. This group sponsors an annual “Paddle to the Bay” event, Washington D.C. to the Chesapeake Bay, 120 miles/6 days.
Canoeing and Kayaking Info - Paddling.Net
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Paddling.net is an online weekly newsletter and information site for canoe and kayak paddlers.
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This is the website of a friend and accomplished paddler, Stevie McAllister. Stevie’s blogs are loaded with great information and solid opinions.
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This is the website of another paddler, Bill Quick. Bill has made many trips. He has detailed them on this website. Bill passed away on January 5th, 2011 while on an adventure trip with his brother. Bill’s website remains active and will be maintained and updated by his widow.
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This site connects paddlers to diverse paddling blogs around the world.
Chicago Sea Kayaking Association
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Great trip reports and photos.
Outfitters I Have Used and Can Recommend:
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I have gone on two multi-day trips with Scott Locorini , the owner of Adirondack Exposure. I hope to do many more! Scott is a complete professional, who like me, likes to over prepare for the trips he leads. This was evident on last March’s Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail trip when we got into a serious blow on the Gulf of Mexico and Scott had at least two back-up plans to save our necks (we had to use one of them - See the Blog entry “A Bad Day on the Big Bend”). I can recommend Adirondack Exposure as a top flight outfitter with out reservation.
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Lisa and I had a wonderful trip with this organization to Isla Espiritu Santu, an island 35 miles off the coast of Baja, Mexico in the Sea of Cortez. Kayaking, Swimming with sea lions, visiting pre-historic indian ruins, lunch at a Mexican fishing camp, paddling into sea caves, excellent food and music every night; what a wonderful trip to remember for a lifetime. I highly recommend this outfit. They are professionals all the way. (BTW, Baja Expeditions is still using two of my photos in their brochure about the trip!)
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I have had one memorable wilderness trip to the Georgian Bay of Canada with this outfitter. Even though it was seven years ago, I often refer to the experiences I had on that trip. Overall it was an awesome experience. In addition, I have done many day trips and other training with PPS and Rick French, the major force in this family business. PPS offers a unique, year-long leadership training experience that I found very valuable. I still think about the October night alone with no gear on a mountain in Bristol, New York. This was part of a weekend wilderness survival training. It was a wonderful, confidence building experience.
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Julie Monahan of Up The Creek Trips contacted me after reviewing my website and asked that I list Up The Creek on my Links page. Up The Creek Trips is adjacent to Cumberland Island National Sea Shore. Cumberland Island is Georgia’s largest barrier island. It lies almost on the Georgia-Florida border. After reviewing the website and because of this outfitter’s unique location, I agreed to place them on the Links page. Let me know if any of you use these folks as an outfitter. I’d like some feedback.
Kayaking and Camping Equipment Vendors I Have Used
and Can Recommend:
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Lake George Kayak is located in Bolton Landing, New Your on beautiful Lake George. I have purchased two boats and lots of equipment from these folks. They stock only high quality equipment which they sell at reasonable prices. They are great at giving advice and letting you try equipment.
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Mountain Man Outdoors is located in Old Forge, New York. I have purchased two boats from these folks as well. This outfit is one of the few that regularly discounts new and used boat prices. Mountain Man sponsors a three day paddlefest in may each year. During this event, you can paddle dozens of different boats and talk with the manufacturer’s representatives about their products. Both my wife and I bought our Impex boats after testing them over several days at the paddlefest.
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Adirondack Paddle and Pole is owned and run by Rich Macha, a regular part of the Albany Adirondack Mountain Club paddling scene. I have had the pleasure of paddling with Rich on several occasions. His store is on Central Avenue, almost to Schenectady in the New York Capital District. I have bought a number of accessories from Rich, including my favorite Stolquest PFD and my Chota Mucklucks. Rich also sells and rents kayaks. He is one of the few outfitters that will rent a high end boat for an expedition.
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I buy more gear from Campmor than from any other online supplier. Their inventory of equipment is enormous. I can almost always find what I am looking for at Campmor, and at a few dollars under competitors' prices. Their warehouse is in New Jersey. As a result, I usually get my order within three business days.
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REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated) is a membership organization, though you do not have to be a member to purchase from its online store. REI sells camping equipment from all of the high end suppliers, plus their own fine products (I own two REI tents, which I really like a lot). They also have excellent customer service. I had trouble with leaking valves on two successive Big Agnes sleeping pads. They replace both with no difficulty, and even paid for shipping each way.
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EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) Has several stores in my area. I pick up a lot of small camping supplies there and have bought several pieces of luggage from them. They are convenient and I can often find a solution to a problem by simply browsing in the store. I find their prices to be a bit on the high side, but when I need something “right now”, EMS is a great place to go.
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L. L. Bean is not a place to shop for kayaks or related gear. It is all pretty low end. Neither is it a great place for tents or sleeping bags, as they tend to be bulky and not for the serious camper. However, I find that their clothes are dollar-for-dollar, some of the best on the planet. Their polartec sweaters are inexpensive, hold up well and cost about half what their competitors charge. I have L.L. Bean sun shirts and fast drying pants, all inexpensive when compared to other vendors. Again, they are durable and an excellent value. Once in a while I’m surprised by something I find in our local L.L. Bean. I had spent too much for a pack towel at another store and it didn’t perform well. I spotted one at Bean’s for about half the price. I tried it and I love it. It’s a great product.
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I don’t know if as a paddler you need such a product, but if you paddle in bear country, here’s a source of humane protection for you. The fella who sells this stuff did me a favor. I’m returning the favor by posting this link to his website.
Sources for Used Kayaks and Camping Equipment:
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I haven’t actually bought anything through this site, but I was impressed by the large number of quality used touring kayaks for sale here. If (when) I’m in the market for another boat or for a boat for my grandkids, I will definitely start with this site.
