1. SKOAC's February 14-17 BWCA Winter Camping Trip lived up to its "Winter" label, with temps reaching down to -20 F and occasional biting wind. SKOACers Bill Newman, Sarah Ohmann, Rick Wright, Brock Hunter, Jane Johnston and Kelton Barr braved the elements on our foray into the pristine beauty of the frozen wilderness. Minimal snow cover on the lakes enabled us to forego snowshoes and travel much more quickly and easily than we are accustomed. We hiked approximately seven miles our first day before setting up camp. After scouting a number of potential campsites, we settled on one at the eastern end of Newfound Lake. Everyone in the group worked together to pitch the two large wood stove-heated tents and gather firewood. With stoves stoked, we were able to warm ourselves and dry our gear as we cooked dinner and settled into another entertaining evening in the Disco Tipi.

The following day, we day-hiked a couple miles to the Canadian border then returned camp for a couple hours of wood chopping before dinner. Temps dropped to -20 F our second night and we marveled at the thunderous booms of the lake ice as it expanded. Later in the evening a full moon lured us from the comfort of the warm tents. We made our way out onto the lake and marveled at the illumination reflecting off the snow, agreeing that we could easily have read a book by the moonlight alone. The scene was unworldly and created one of those moments than can make a whole trip worthwhile.

On our third and final day we arose to continued frigid temps with the addition of strong biting winds. We, again, worked as a team to pack the tents and load our sleds. By late morning we were underway, leaning into the wind and struggling to protect every patch of exposed skin from certainty of frostbite. The extremely cold temps caused the snow to take on a sandpaper-like quality, add to the challenge of pulling our gear-laden sleds. The seven-mile hike back to the trailhead was a bit of a gut check with the group struggling to keep up with Rick Wright who was especially motivated to complete the task ASAP. This was the first BWCA Winter trip for Kelton Barr and Jane Johnston. They both performed admirably and had a great time (at least that's what they told US).

2. The SKOAC April Fools Lake Powell Adventure: Trip Report by Bill Newman

Eleven of us set out from my house to head west to Utah: Bill Newman, Gretchen Heidler, Daryl&Jo Zier, David Christianson, Rich Cook, Kelton Barr, Adrienne Madson, Ellen Nacik, Jeff Kidder, and Sarah Ohmann. Jim Prieur unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to a family medical emergency. The most difficult part of this trip was drive out and back! We had three cars and plenty of drivers, but it is still a killer drive. Jeff Kidder offered the services of his kayak trailer and van fully equipped with the master bedroom. Unfortunately what we really needed was a van equipped with a good alternator and voltage regulator. Somewhere in Colorado we started wondering why the acid in the battery was going from a gentle simmer to a rolling boil. We spent Sunday in Green River Utah while Jeff and the local mechanic at the truck stop, searched for the owner of the car parts store who was allegedly somewhere out on a the golf course. The wait was not all bad, since we had the chance to tour the John Wesley Powell museum.

Monday we checked in at the Bullfrog marina to get our houseboat and were told there were no reservations for us! They had reserved a boat for us at Wahweap about 150 miles farther down the Lake. Due to the mix-up we were able to get a bigger and fancier houseboat for the same price – a 53-foot sport class. We were required to have a captain and co captain take a quick course in how to pilot the boat. Rich Cook and I volunteered or should I say no one else would do it? The course was very brief, and after sizing us up, the instructions seemed to primarily consist of them telling us over and over that they would be glad to pilot the boat back into the marina and to the fuel dock for us- "so just call on the radio please!" Based on historical precedent the group voted to make Rich-Captain Cook. Now in addition to exploring Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, let the record show that Captain Cook has sailed extensively on Lake Powell!

The boat was huge, but even with a stated capacity of 12 people we soon discovered that with 11 kayaks on deck, and mountains of gear we had to step around piles of junk wherever we walked. That first day Captain Cook took the helm and piloted the boat up the Escalante arm to our final destination in Davis Gulch. I piloted the boat part of the time and soon the competition was on to see who could crash-land the houseboat on a beach for the night with more authority.

After spending the first night in the Gulch we did a brief side trip deep into the Gulch’s canyon until we were forced to hike. It was a beautiful little canyon, but walking a couple of miles in the hot sun wearing neoprene was not such a great idea. I lead the group as always in finding primordial ooze and quicksand to sink into along the creek bed. We stayed another night and decided to start another SKOAC tradition – getting drunk and getting tattoos! Daryl and Jo Zier decided that the best way to make a good first impression with club members was to bring about 10 gallons of homemade wine. Add this with the kitschy fake tattoos that we bought on our way west, and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortunately the tattoos and the effects of excess wine consumption were temporary, and we were ready to paddle the next day – resplendent in our new body art.

We split up in various small groups to explore side canyons. Most of the group went to explore Forty-mile canyon, and some of us went to explore Clear Creek canyon. Both had beautiful paddling and hiking deep into the narrow canyon ends beyond where any sane person would pilot a houseboat. That afternoon it got very windy with gusts up to 20 knots or more. My group checked out a small box canyon on the way to Clear Creek. Heading toward the end of the canyon I was looking forward to getting out of the wind for a rest. The next wind gust hit about 50 knots and stripped everything off my boat from under the deck lines. After retrieving my gear, I quickly headed back to warn the rest not to round the corner. Rather than blocking the wind the rim of the canyon had a little notch that funneled the wind like and nozzle. I have paddled in Superior fall gales, but never have I been hit by such a violent and sudden wind gust.

That night the wind got stronger and stronger and we spent much of the night waking up to check the anchor lines and we spent the next morning resetting our anchors as the pulled loose three times before noon! Finally we decided we better run to a new more secure anchorage. We dogged-down all the gear as best we could on deck, but in spite of this Sarah’s graphite paddle flew off the boat and after hitting the railing her one-piece paddle sank into the depths as a two-piece paddle. Off we went to dock at the Rainbow Bridge (largest natural bridge in the world). Even with base winds of 30 knots the boat handled well but the wind gusts of 40 to 50 knots bouncing off the canyon walls were really amazing to watch. You could always see where the wind was jetting from around the next bend by the walls of spray and spindrift. Captain Cook piloted us through the long narrow winding passage into Rainbow. The 36-foot houseboat in front of us hit the wall twice with a loud bang, and at least once we had to do a 180 and point back into the wind to avoid the same fate (Rich said he did this on purpose?).

We finished the trip with a stop at Dangling Roper Marina to refuel the party boat and pump out the black water holding tanks. I piloted the boat onto the beach of a sandy little bay within Oak Bay and we set the anchor. Leaving the helm and shutting down the engines I went to use the head. Minutes later I hear the engines feel the boat moving and hear “brace for impact”. Apparently Captain Cook was not satisfied with the lay of the anchors (I hear Ellen messed it up!) and had to ram the boat back onto the beach. I think he just wanted to see what would happen to me if I was sitting on the can with a full bowl and we hit the beach at ten knots! Fortunately I was able to jump up and hit the flush pedal, only to see Ellen in the window with an anchor rope in her teeth walking up the side of the boat – going “Hi Bill”. The co captain gets no respect!

Oak Bay and the its side canyon Hidden Canyon were gorgeous and we had a couple of great paddles deep into the canyon until the walls closed in to just a few feet wide while still towering hundreds of feet above us. Although we lost a day of paddling due to pernicious weather we all had a great time and we expect this will be an annual event! It was great group of people and in spite of the close quarters both by car and by sea we were able to get along without the captain decreeing a public flogging for any of the crew.

3. 2nd Annual Spring Fling - Basswood Island: Join us for our early season counterpart to the Fall Ball. The Fling is a primarily social Superior paddling season kick-off, for catching up with fellow SKOACers, meeting new ones and scheming up adventures for the coming months. Last year's cold, rainy conditions kept our Fling numbers down, but not our spirit!

We will probably have two groups paddling out to Basswood, one Friday afternoon, and another on Saturday morning. Once everyone has arrived, we will do a day paddle (destination TBD) on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night will be a potluck dinner and BYOB bonfire. Contact Brock Hunter FMI: 612.823.1272 or brock.hunter@justice.com

4. SKOAC has been invited to present at this year's Inland Sea Kayak Symposium on July 19-22 in Bayfield, WI. Out topic is "Weird Gear". Gail Green, the event organizer, has heard enough stories about Disco Tipis, kayaks with breasts, and other SKOAC oddities that she thought we would be perfect for the topic.

We are hereby requesting all SKOAC members to inventory their gear for any and all "weird" items we can include in our presentation. The gear does not have to be homemade, just unusual in some way. Contact Bill Newman with any ideas: 763.585.6191 or wanewman@earthlink.net.

SKOAC 2003 SPRING AND SUMMER CALENDAR

How to sign up for a trip:

v Check the trip rating system at the end of the newsletter to see what skills are required for a trip. Please remember to check the trip distances to see if they are within your range. If you are unsure about a requirement, please talk to the organizer about it.

v Contact the trip organizer to sign up for the trip and get more specific information about meeting time and place.

v Official club trips have “SKOAC” next to the date and generally require participants to be members of SKOAC and are covered by ACA and club guidelines. Non-official trips/events are not sanctioned by the ACA or SKOAC, and membership is not required.

	April 23	Intro to Kayak Navigation: 7 –8:30 REI Store in Bloomington. For directions, see www.rei.com/stores/bloomington/index.html To sign up, call Sarah at 612-789-2338 or sarah@skoac.org
	April 25-27	Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo: Volunteer to staff our booth or work at the boat demo. Contact Bill Newman at membership@skoac.org
SKOAC	May 2-4	Mississippi Headwaters Icebreaker: Ten days after the expected ice out date for Lake Itasca, join us as we paddle from the headwaters of old man river to Bemidji. We leave Thursday night and weather and ice conditions permitting will paddle 63 miles to Bemidji in three days and be back Sunday night. Level III skills required. Wetsuit or drysuit required, drysuit strongly encouraged. Call Jim Prieur 651-490-9784
SKOAC	May 10-11	Annual Spring Fling: Basswood Island. Primarily social Superior paddling season kick-off. Catch up with fellow SKOACers, meet new ones and scheme up adventures for the coming months. We will do a day paddle, destination depending on weather on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night will be a potluck dinner and BYOB bonfire. Join us for our early season counterpart to the Fall Ball. FMI: Brock Hunter @ 612-823-1272 or brock.hunter@justice.com
	May 14	Wednesday Night Skills Session: 6-8:30, North beach of Lake Calhoun. Level I. Review your skills, have some fun and get ready for the paddling season. Join us afterward for some hot food to warm up at Noodles & Co., 3040 Excelsior Blvd. Taught by ACA Certified Instructors.
SKOAC	May 17-18	ACA Coastal Kayak I: This is the American Canoe Association’s comprehensive introductory class, plus a lot of extras. It provides an excellent foundation in sea kayaking skills and safety for the beginning paddler. We will cover all the basics from getting in and out of the kayak, gear and clothing for paddling, different strokes and boat handling, wet exits and self and assisted rescues. This year we will be doing the “wet” part of the class in the heated pool at Brooklyn Center. Our ACA instructors, Sarah Ohmann, Bill Newman & Ellen Nacik, will teach the class. There is a fee for this class and you must rent or provide your own equipment. Class size will be limited to keep the student/instructor ratio low. So sign up early. To register or FMI contact Sarah Ohmann 612-789-2338 or Bill Newman 763-585-6191.
SKOAC	May 23-26	Sauna Islands Trip: Join us for our annual pilgrimage to the island chain just north of the border. This year’s trip will be a little more challenging since we will have to use the Little Trout Bay launch. We will meet on Saturday and paddle 17 miles to Thompson Island and base camp there. Level III-IV. FMI Sarah Ohmann @ 612-789-2338, sarah@skoac.org
	May 23-26	14th Annual West Michigan Coastal Kayakers 2003 Sea Kayaking Symposium: Big Blue Lake, Muskegon Mi. Beginner -Intermediate, Inuit and Euro style instruction. Very high Staff/Student ratios. Our headliners this year are Nigel Foster, Ken Fink, and Doug VanDoren. Contact: Frits Kwant (616-534-5228) or frits@iserv.net www.wmcka.org.
SKOAC	June 6-8	Intro to Lake Superior Paddling, Basswood Island: This combination class/trip is a good chance for those who have some flat-water paddling experience and want to take kayaking to the next level by learning about paddling on Lake Superior. We will “learn by doing’ and cover such topics as packing the boat, dealing with boat traffic, assessing weather conditions, and basic kayak navigation. Instructions by Ellen Nacik, Bill Newman and Sarah Ohmann. Cost is $10 for camping permits, $8 for parking and kayak launch. Level II. FMI Sarah Ohmann 612-789-2338, sarah@skoac.org.
	June 11	Wednesday Night Skills Session: 6 – 8:30 p.m., North beach of Lake Calhoun. Level I. Learn or review and fine-tune different strokes such as the forward, reverse, sweep, sculling draw, etc. Join us afterward at 8:30 p.m. for some hot food to warm up at Noodles & Co. 3040 Excelsior Blvd. For more information, contact Ellen Nacik 651-646-5621.
	June 19-22	Inland Sea Kayak Symposium: “Join the Dance” Guided paddle tours, guest speakers, great food, live music, classroom topics from navigation to weird gear. If you have some, bring it. To register: symposium@inlandsea.org or 715-682-8188
SKOAC	June 28 –July 6	Silver Islet to Rossport (The Sequel): Last season biting insects, a car fire (bad carma), and wicked weather thwarted our attempt to paddle this wilderness coast. Last year’s battle scarred crew are first in line for reservations – all others may call to be put on the waiting list in case of cancellations. FMI Bill Newman 763-585-6191
	July 9	Wednesday Night Skills Session: 6 – 8:30 p.m. North beach of Lake Calhoun. Level I. We will be teaching important self rescue and group rescue techniques, come practice with us whether it’s your first time learning rescues or you would just like a review. Join us afterward at 8:30 p.m. for some hot food to warm up at Noodles & Co., 3040 Excelsior Blvd. FMI: contact Bill Newman at 763-585-6191. Taught by ACA certified instructors.
	July 17, 20	Great Lakes Sea Kayak Club Symposium: A weekend of fun on the UP at Grand Marais, Michigan. FMI contact Larry Merx. lmerx@nkfm.org
	August 6	Wednesday Night Skills Session: 6 – 8:30 p.m. North beach of Lake Calhoun. Level I. We will be teaching important self rescue and group rescue techniques, come practice with us whether it’s your first time learning rescues or you would just like a review. Join us afterward at 8:30 p.m. for some hot food to warm up at Noodles & Co., 3040 Excelsior Blvd. FMI: Contact Bill Newman at 763-585-6191. Taught by ACA certified instructors.
SKOAC	Sept. 5-7	Annual Fall Ball on Sand Island: Meet at Little Sand Bay and paddle over either Friday evening or Saturday morning. FMI, contact Adrienne Madson 952-955-1897 kayakinade@aol.com
	Sept. 26-28	Leech Lake with Jeff Kidder and the Paddle Pushers from the Brainerd area: Jeff has invited us to join his club for a weekend at Stoney Point on Leech Lake. National Park Campground with all the amenities. We can launch from three sides and do a 10-15 mile paddle on Saturday and then paddle to Bear Island on Sunday. FMI: Jeff Kidder at 218-828-0729.
	February 2005	Kayak, Scuba Dive, Camp in Antarctica: Level II Cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula via Quark Expedition’s ship Professor Multanovskiy. Join Chris, Sarah and Bill for the trip of a lifetime! Imagine yourself… Ø Paddling a 15-foot Prijon Double Barge, er, kayak in the company of penguins. Ø Diving under the Antarctic ice in tepid 28F waters. Ø Winter, er, austral summer camping on the ice pack. Ø “Feeding the fish” from the deck of a Russian ice breaker. Due to the expense of this trip and SCUBA diving qualifications necessary, wee are publicizing it far in advance. FMI: Contact Chris at webmaster@skoac.org

Spring '03 Newsletter

SKOAC 2003 SPRING AND SUMMER CALENDAR

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