Product Review - North Face Bivy

After months of deliberating with myself about this, I finally broke down and purchased a bivy. It's not a new purchase actually, as I picked mine up about a month ago, and these photos were taken on its first trip, August 14th, 2011 on the Merrimack. But my life nowadays leads me to write about these things months later. Life has gotten so damn busy I'm finding no time to live it!

To be honest, I'm just getting tired of having to set the tent up, to take it down (wet most of the time let me remind you) to either put it back up or let it dry then put it away again and continue the same damn thing. Well, the true definition of insanity is doing the same over and over and expecting a different result and I think I've gone insane with this tent shit. So, after 25 years of camping I want simplicity, and this was the solution.

I picked up this particular North Face bivy at EMS. After looking at many across the internet through REI, Kittery Trading Post and EMS here in Concord, either from Outdoor Research to Mountain Hardware then finally North Face, I didn't quite find what I was originally looking for, but I actually found something better. I was against the poles at first as I don't want the hassle of setting up poles, but I have to say this North Face system is simple and quick. It's up in two minutes and down in two minutes.

Something I like a lot about this particular system is the pole structure keeps the bivy off of me which avoids the feeling constriction and claustrophobia, and the internal volume has enough room inside to allow me a roll over in comfort and store some water bottles or small camp essentials. This isn't a sack as much as it is a bivy tent and more an individual, minimalist cross-over between tent and bivy that has simplicity. Secondly, the bivy has enough floor room to accept an air mattress such as my EMS Crash Pad or for some of you that might use a Thermorest, it would fit that also. The ability to keep the air mattress internally saves wear on your air mattress rather than being utilized externally which is open to weather and debris. The zipper system is extensive enough as for me, a 220 lb dude, I can enter my sleeping bag as it's inside the bivy, rather than outside. Certainly a bonus on wet days.

Just as any tent, a ground cloth is important and good practice to not only wick ground moisture to retain heat inside the shelter, its also good to save on the wear of the shelter. Ventilation in this sucker is okay, but I found it a bit stuffy on a humid summer night. The shelter is designed well for ventilation, but I'm assuming this is a limitation of the structure and its use with a need to keep you dry while ventilating at the same time.

Certainly it's not the perfect shelter system as its always good to have larger shelter such as a tent for gear when its wet, but with a tarp in any weather condition or on its own in fair weather, I think its a great solution for simplicity outdoors. It saves space in your gear and is quick to setup, so it does what its designed to do, and does it well. At $199 bucks, it was more than I wanted to spend, but reasonable in comparison to other models with either less or more features.

So, on a scale of 1-10, its an 8. Comfort and ease of setup a definite plus. Ventilation and price point not the best. So overall, not a perfect score, but pretty dam good. So in other words, I like it just fine and would actually recommend it to those looking for gear that has more for less.

Saco River - Summer 2011 TRIP REPORT

Well, Dougly said it well on his blog post and covered the trip as good as it could have been covered. Regardless, I figure I'd post my trip report anyway and hit anything he might of missed.

Yes, the river was PACKED. There is nothing like spending a hot weekend with 3000 other people on a river with anything BUT paddling on their mind. Can't blame them really, I've done it and liked it myself. But as my buddy Dougly gets grumpier the older he gets (you should hear him mumble), and I get more anti-social to people the older I get, it wasn't really my thing. Ever heard the term "been there, done that". Yep, that was me.

Saco River - Summer 2011

The trip plan was to put in at Swan's Falls Friday July 15th and take out at Brownfield Sunday July 17th. Total miles including our venture up the Old Course would round out about 22 miles. Now, if memory serves me correct, without checking dates or stats, I need to tell you it's been at least 15 years since paddling the river in the summer. Or, better yet, the last time I pulled off this river in the summer was the weekend Princess Diana died. I know this because when I called my then girlfriend when I got off the river, she asked me if I had heard about it. WHAT? I had been drinking and partying for four days straight NON STOP (just like these chuckleheads did this weekend), and she's asking me about Princess Diana? No shit.

Now that we got history out of the way, all I can say is it was loud. We drop Doug's car off in Brownfield on our way through to pay $10.00 per night parking to a parking attendant that works for the State of Maine. Good guy that charged us for two days rather than three. The dude at Swan's Falls where I parked my truck charged us for three full days. Also had to park my truck in the overflow lot by the Fairgrounds as the main lot was FULL. We put on the water as Doug said to many cops around and invasive species investigators checking for wood. No problems putting in, just many people. Friday night as we're paddling downstream, a police boat from Fryeberg police is patrolling the river and Fiddlehead beach is being patrolled by who I would guess to be recreational patrol on four wheelers, and of course the long arm of the law at the put-ins.

As Doug said, our camp site Friday got ousted by a few decent guys with a lot of tents. Eight to be exact. They apologized, we accepted and moved on. They were hungry and we were feeling no pain from a hot day on the river with plenty of cold beer. 9:30 pm Friday lead us to a full moon paddle up the Old Course. Struggling to find our way against current, it was slow moving, but peaceful and quiet away from angst of youth. 12:30 am rolls us off the river and into our respected bunks among the many other tents that invaded us. But before bed, I speak to a guy whose voice I recognize but face I can't see. We make small talk, make a connection to the fact we're both from Concord and he mentions Doug's mumbling and hurry to get to his tent. See, Doug got off the river before I did as I paddled upstream to take one last look at the mayhem of the beach above us. After my small talk with my friend from Concord, I knock on Doug's tent to make sure he's still alive, and all is good. He mumbles to me, then is out for the night. I can rest now.

We awake 6 am Saturday to say "lets get the hell out of here". Before we leave, I speak to the guy I spoke to the night before, and its a face I recognize from my early days in my career at Concord Litho. He remembers me, I remember him and we're like "no shit", the world gets smaller man. It does indeed! Al and I talk, Doug leaves, I leave. We make a pot of coffee down stream on a beach with a small family and a quiet setting. Here, we make our decision to get the hell off the water.

Nothing eventful for the day other than trying to stay ahead of the chuckleheads partying for the day. Of all the boats we see on the water, only two, YES TWO canoes have children in them with family.  One Eagle and a family of Canada Geese on the water. A few trout and nothing else. Summer scares the wildlife away. But yes, the river is cleaner and the presence of the authorities help this. Regardless, its not a river I want to paddle in the summer again. WE'll stick to our late season November trips on this on this one. Doug, thanks for paddling this one with me.

Doug's first paddle

I had a chance to get on the river with Doug and Scott last week. I've been out with Scott already, but Doug, man, he's a work in process. Broke his back over the winter and has been out of paddling commission since, until last week that is........

Packed up and ready for the river

Weather called for "shit", but we paddled anyway. 50% chance of rain / t-storms. And for me, as long as rain forecasts are below 50% (maybe 60%) I'll take my chances and put on the water. As Doug say's, "rain sucks! paddling is better, so let's paddle!" And we did. We met at my place around 4pm on Friday and packed our boats on my truck. Headed upstream a whopping 5 miles and put-in at Welch Park. Kids, parents, gawkers, talkers and anyone else watching a little league game were there not only watching the game, they were looking at us meander to the launch like we don't belong. "Huh? Dudes in boats? Here in our ballpark?" Yeah, whatever! I'm amazed at how interested folks are with us paddlers and a bunch of boats tied to one vehicle. It aint that big a deal, right? But then again, we do bring a bunch of beer with us, so that might be the problem.

Clay texture on the river bank

Anyway, slow paddle downstream. No hurry. I paddled my new (old) Mad River Malecite which I still need to tell you folks about, Scott in his Bell Wildfire and Doug in his OT 158, THE HOGBACKED SAINT. We get to Cretes and setup camp. Surprisingly enough, the rain holds off (which actually stopped before we got on the river). Tents and tarps are flying first thing in the event of rain. Doug's setup. I'm setup. And Scott saves his setup for the bivy sack he so often camps in to simply put below the tarp. I'm envious of the simplicity in that sucker, and maybe someday I'll get one. But for now, the tent will do. I think Scott's got it figured out though.

Wild Spring growth on the river bank.

Once camp was setup, Doug had shit figured out. I mean figured out, and today was his demo day, and it shined. I'm talking fire starters man. He brought flares from an emergency kit Karen had picked up for him. Those suckers burned hot, and started some gnarly oak logs for our heat.  Well done Doug (for once).

Scott and Doug looking for our spot on the beach

Uneventful night for the most part. This was suppose to be a full moon paddle, but with overcast skies and rain, the moon wasn't up until clearing skies late in the night. Scott and Doug made dinner. We sat by the fire. Doug went to go "find some stuff" in his tent to never return for the evening around 8:30 (a late night for him) and Scott and I hung out by the fire to watch the sky clear. I put myself down around 10:45 and saw the moon still behind the trees to the SE. Never saw the full moon but got a good nights rest. Awoke at 5am to rest until 7am and get out of the tent to a steak breakfast compliments of Scott and his trusty skillet.

Doug's fire starter

Paddled off and enjoyed the day. Was good to have a trip with the boys again and see Doug in his regular spirits.

Who Knew?

Selling (or buying) boats isn't always an easy thing. Those you figure will sell quick never do, and those you don't, do. You know what I mean? If not, I'll tell ya.

Kineo 158 (still for sale, anyone?)

Here's the deal. I'm selling three canoes so I can purchase an aluminum v-hull with a motor. A local dealer was going to take my canoes in trade for that v-hull I'm looking for, but they bagged out at the last minute. Go figure...... Can't really blame them I guess. If their not moving used canoes, its a bad business decision for them. I can probably move used canoes faster than they can, and as a matter of fact, I did. And the least suspected one at that.

Disco 169 (still for sale, anyone?)

The canoes I'm selling are my OT Kineo (yes, the pinned boat in 2004). Thought for sure this would be first to go. NOPE. Next, my OT Disco 169 (too damn heavy at this point in my life). NOPE. No one wants that heavy beast. Lastly, my last livery boat, the 17' Grumman. And YEP, the Grumman is the first to go. I tried selling this beast last year AND the year before, but no takers. Then, I post the ad last night, and POW, like a Brook Trout on my Black Fury, I got an email an hour later, and a dude named Xavier is picking the thing up tonight. DONE! Boat is gone and on its happy way to a water world in Putney Vermont. Really, Xavier drove all the way from Putney Vermont tonight to pick the thing up. That's determination. I also think he had some fortitude in the cooler stashed in the front seat next to him. Good guy though, and hell, its a long ride. Fortitude is good.

Grumman (gone like the wind).

The moral to this story kids? Don't ever judge a book by its cover. The reason this canoe sold so fast was quite simply, the right buyer at the right time. Matter of fact, Xavier has never paddled another canoe in his life and he knew no different than what he bought. And sometimes, nostalgia has a lot to do with it. He remembered paddling a boat like this as a kid in upstate New York. So his roots brought him back to a boat he was familiar with. There is no substitute for child hood memories (good or bad). And those memories purchased my boat. Now, all I got is memories of how those heavy Grummans gave me gray hair and a bad back from carrying so many of them, but at least I don't have to carry them anymore.

Nature Photography 101

After 5 years of living where I do (on a river), I finally decide to explore this small pond just upstream from my landing. Literally, a 5 minute paddle from my home. The thing is, the river has to be high enough (almost flood) to be able to get back into the pond from the river and avoid the only other put in, as the only other access to the pond is off of Shoestring Road and a crappy walk through poison ivy. My way is better, trust me.

Always having expectations of finding something to photograph, but usually returning with nothing to say for myself, today was the exception and not the rule, and it didn't disappoint. Matter of fact, it was one of my most productive days shooting wildlife from a canoe, in high water, in wind AND with a heavy lens. Yes folks, I'm bragging (with good reason) as I pulled off some pretty incredible shots today.  Like this one.

Red Tail Hawk - 80-400mm lens

My paddle was no more than a mile, but it wasn't measured in quantity, it was measured in quality. Putting in from my landing at 3:45pm, the sun was still high and the light still contrasty, but who cares, I'm in a boat and I have my camera and a four pack of beer. How much better can it be, right? Well, I'm not in this little pond more than 20 minutes and I spook a Red Tail Hawk from a tree top, as you see above.

So I'm thinking this is pretty cool and start ripping some shots. At 8 fps I start cranking through some memory on my card.  Well, one thing leads to another and I hear a second screech, and not only do I have one Red Tail, I now have two, which I'm assuming are mates as I continued to share nature with them for the next two hours. Holy crap this is cool. Here, check this one out.

Not one, but two Red Tail Hawks

The photo above capturing two Red Tails as they fly by one another was sheer luck, but regardless here's the photography tip of the day. The number one most important item about nature photography is putting yourself in the field. Get your ass out there, because if you're not there, you'll never capture the shot. The second most important tip is maintain your patience and pay attention to your surroundings. So remember folks, there is no substitute for showing up and being ready.

As I've said before, shooting in a canoe is a tough thing to do, especially with a big lens such as my Nikon 80-400, and even more difficult when having to maintain a shooting position in the wind. Now, the above shots were taken looking practically straight up with my camera set at f5.6 at 1/1000 second, ISO 400. Shutter speed was important here as the hawks were crossing the plane of the sensor (left to right and right to left) and I needed to freeze their motion. The consequence of a faster shutter speed is the shallow depth of field rendering the hawk in the background out of focus.  Regardless, the shot is still a winner because of content and subject matter. Something I try and teach my students at PPSOP.

Great Blue Heron

After shooting about 450 frames today, which I didn't expect to encounter, I do have some solid images to add to my portfolio and archive. And what you're looking at here is the best of the best today. A few more from today's encounter below.  

Painted Turtles

Painted Turtles - Same log, different turtles than above

Great Blue Heron in flight

Spring Cleaning

Ahhhh. Two 70+ degree days in a row will kick your ass in to spring, and man it feels good. Although I've already been paddling a few times, the fleet haven't seen their spring cleaning yet. Scrubb'n the decks, mopp'n the floors and getting things ship shape for the season.

The yak with paddle collection

So I figured today after the rain cleared I'd at least get the yak and Envy off the racks and give em a good scrub down. Envy has over 50 miles on him without a bath and the yak just sat to collect dust over the winter. I think the yak will be coming with me Friday night for some miles, so it needs to be dressed to impress.

Beloved Envy in the foreground

So, two out of six boats are at least clean and the paddles are ready to go. The girls helped and they got wet. Time for them to take a shower and for me, well, man, all this hard work cleaning boats make me thirsty for another Shandy, so don't mind if I do. Besides, its time to put them back on the rack......

Shandy in Handy

New ride

So........ after 12+ years with the same mountain bike, I decided to upgrade this year. Been riding the same Giant Iguana that has treated me well, which has also seen many upgrades over its life. Been a good bike, but felt it was time to retire it, at least to a part time position. The Giant doesn't quite want to jump into retirement, just kind of wade into it. So, I have to say I am the proud new owner of a 29er. Gary Fisher series, X-Caliber. And I like it.

Picked it up a couple weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to ride it yet, until today. And of course, my ars is riding into a headwind, both ways. WTF? That shit usually happens when I paddle, not ride. I guess for me and my out of shape ars from winter hibernation, its a good thing it was a short ride. A simple four miles with the half hour I had to spare. Check this Sweet Thang out folks........




I'm not feeling quite intimate with the ride yet, as I'm still trying to find my way with the 29er Geometry, but I'm digging the bike for sure. Looking forward to putting some miles on this sucker this year to supplement my paddle addiction. I see this one bringing me a dozen or so years of joy also.

The Mack is open for business and I am there

One word, folks. One word.... Refreshed! Ah it feels good to be in a boat again. I've had the spring itch since ice in back in December, and DAMN has it been a long winter. I've been watching the river from my kitchen window for weeks now and then suddenly, I awake yesterday to find open water up past welfare beach. And I'm like "no shit", thinking to myself can be this be it??

Needless to say, I go about my days business to return home at 2pm to find the ice gone. GONE! I take a drive up to Welch park scouting the river and it is free of ice. I give the wife a call to tell her I'm paddling and I head for home to pack my gear for an overnight trip. And pack did I do, fast!

Boats on the water at 4:30. However, I took a wet entry into the river trying to get my inaugural photo of the boat which packed, prepped and ready for action. I had my Neosports on so walking in water usually isn't an issue, however due to my excitement I failed to remind myself that this is still winter and the river bottom is still icy. Canon 5DMII in hand I hit that sheet of ice below the waters surface and frigging down I go. SPLASH! On my ars! I saved the camera though, so no big deal. Now kids, don't try this at home. I am a trained professional and had my neoprene wet suit on, so damage and cold averted. Laughing to myself, I say screw this and hop in the boat for my adventure down stream.

Paddling with the breaking ice is pretty cool. The above is one of the many ice sheets that either I passed by or passed by me at my campsite. This shot was taken just above Cretes beach and just after my attempt at photographing an Eagle with a 24-70mm lens. You noticed I didn't post any photos of eagles, right?



I camped at the high water campsite. A pristine site high on the bank river left that overlooks Cretes farm. Farther out back is a sandpit, but this is the spot to find when there's risk of rising water on top of already high water. My buddy Doug was checking the river gauges for me so I heeded caution this time and choose a high bank. The photo above is a view of the river from my campsite Sunday morning. Another ice sheet passing by with a beautiful view of Cretes farm across the river.



A view of my tent and campsite. I think I managed to find the only dry spot on the river to pitch my tent. Everywhere else was 3 feet of snow, which I had to walk through towing my boat to even get here.

Weather conditions for the day and overnight were mild. When I set off, the gauge was at 12 and rising which made for a surface speed of 3 mph or so, which to anyone else means easy, fast paddling. I had a couple sprinkles overnight but nothing to severe. Temps did get low and felt very cold just simply due to the moisture of the snow around me.



My trusted Mad River Explorer, affectionately named Envy.



Another view of Cretes field from my campsite which I'll conclude with this. One hell of a great 5 mile paddle and overnight trip, and I feel relatively confident I was the first guy to paddle the Merrimack River in 2011. Take that suckas!