Under the Red Oak

If you've been in lately you've probably noticed a few things happening on the boat room end of our parking lot. This past summer we built a privacy fence along the property line. Constructed of Cedar and corrugated metal, this unique fence makes our yard cozier and will provide a backdrop for everything else that we plan to do in this area.

The next thing that made an appearance were some 4ft wide culverts set on their ends. The tall one serves as a base for the Cypress Cistern that now sits on it. The rest of the culverts will become planters.

All of this activity will create a nice outdoor space for events such as our Outdoor Gear Garage Sale (Sept 26th - see calendar of events) and other things that we are currently working on. All of this is being created in the shadow of our beautiful Native Red Oak. Jay Branch of Bob's tree preservation said that this is one of the few (and largest) Native Red Oak that he's seen in Lafayette.

If you haven't noticed what's going on, take a quick look next time you're in the shop.

Father, Son and Wilderness

Recently, our son Matt and I spent a memorable 5 days in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico. The trip was a few weeks in advance of Matt setting off on the adventure of pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Georgia. His pending move is what sent us to that dusty trailhead northeast of Santa Fe - looking for adventure and memories together before he moved.

The Pecos Wilderness is a prisine and beautiful Wilderness area that contains 13,000 foot peaks, trout streams, incredible wildflower displays and miles of amazing trail. One of the crowns of this Wilderness is the Truchas peaks - which were our goal for this trip. We hiked in, climbing steadily past Pecos Baldy Lake, across the incredible Trail Riders Wall, and then into the basin below the towering Truchas Peaks.

Over the next few days, we had some unforgettable adventures climbing peaks, camping out, fly fishing and hiking trails. On one memorable day, we attempted to climb Truchas Peak. We climbed up off the trail and reorganized into a single pack. Over the next couple of hours, we ascended a sub-peak of Truchas and decided that was high enough for that day. The time we spent on the peak soaking in the views was amazing. As we sat behind a rock on the edge of the peak sharing a powerbar, an Osprey rocketed by at mach speed. We both took this bird as a good omen for the future and headed back down the mountain.

That night we spent at Beatty's Flats after hiking through head-high wildflowers all afternoon. Later I got to watch Matt catch his first native brown trout on a fly rod near our campsite as the sun dropped out of the sky. The next day brought more fly fishing at Beatty's flats and then on the Pecos River. We waded in our hiking shoes - letting them dry out on the trail as we walked. All too soon we found ourselves back at the trailhead sign and our trip was over.
I've been thinking a lot about our trip during the month that has passed since we stood together at the trailhead in New Mexico. I've struggled to put my finger on what it meant to spend those days with my son in the wilderness. Life is changing for both of us. Matt and his wife are on to a new huge adventure in Georgia. Becky and I are even more like empty nesters than we were before. None of us know what the future holds. The thing I do know is that I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend with Matt before they moved on.

One thing that occurs to me in all of this is that the Wilderness is one of the threads that ties our family together. Wilderness serves as a backdrop for us to be together, enjoy each other and build memories for the future. It allows us to accomplish something that we can be proud of and remember. Wilderness cuts through the clutter of life - no work stress, no cell phone, no email.

Nothing to do but to experience life together. And what would be a better way to send a son off to new adventures than to have one with him?

First Time Outdoors Students Visit the Gates of Narnia

Introduction from John:
As a parent, it's always gratifying to see your kids "give something back". Our son Matt and his wife Rebecca just finished their first year teaching high school in Opelousas. To culminate the year, they gave 8 students the trip of a lifetime. Four days and three night floating the Buffalo National River in Arkansas was the backdrop to an amazing experience for this group of kids. These students had no canoeing, camping or other real outdoor experience before this trip. Matt is my "guest blogger" for this email. I think you'll enjoy experiencing the river through this blog entry.

First Time Outdoors Students Visit the Gates of Narnia

My wife Rebecca and I have been teaching high school at the Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts in Opelousas, LA for the past year and all of our hard work finally paid off with the opportunity to take eight of our students on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. It was their first real outdoor experience and well worth the work we put into it. We spent four days and three nights on the river, and they experienced many of the joys and miseries that make the outdoor experience so special. They slept on the ground, ate food off of rocks, made s’mores (a first for several), paddled until they got blisters, swamped canoes, rescued their swamped canoes, skipped rocks, hiked in their rain gear, jumped off of rocks, swung from ropes, and visited “Narnia”.

Our trip began with the obstacle of finding enough decent gear for eight first time campers. Rebecca and I sent emails and made calls to all of our friends who we thought might have gear to borrow. We had lists of who offered what and who needed what. It was really a big mess to try and figure out. Luckily, my parents have tons of leftover gear from an adventure crew they used to lead, and Rebecca’s brother Loren also had a lot for his group of students at Hope for Opelousas. Before we even left for the trip we had spent many many hours working with organization, planning, and gear.

When we finally got on our way we were definitely ready for a vacation. The river was spectacular, the first two days provided crystal clear water and beautiful warm weather. With all of the trials trying to get eight students onto the Buffalo we were not able to start our first day’s paddle until 5:00 and still had several miles to paddle. By the time we got to camp everyone was tired and hungry. We collected an enormous amount of fire wood and burned it all up to have a bed of coals on which we cooked our first meal. We made pizza inside of pita pockets and cooked them in foil packets. The kids were so hungry they were using rocks as spoons to eat the extra piazza sauce from the can. We then played music, made s’mores, and hung out around the fire. From there it was straight to bed.














Our second day was much more relaxed, we were able to pull out art supplies and skip rocks. Somehow it is just more fun to draw on each other than on paper, oh well. For the students, one of the very frightening things about spending several days away from modern amenities was going to the bathroom. The students coined the term visiting “Narnia”, and in order to insure privacy they went in groups and left several brave friends at “the gates of Narnia”. For each of the challenges of life in the woods they were able to come up with their own unique way of coping.















On the morning of the third day we planed to hike from our camp to a knife edge ridge (a narrow ridge about the width of a sidewalk with cliffs on either side). We woke up to dreary, drizzly weather and contemplated skipping the hike, but it is always the somewhat miserable experiences that you remember the most, so we had them all put on their rain gear and get ready for the hike. To begin you have to walk quite a ways through waist high grass then along a dirt road. We then climbed from the road up the side of a hill and onto the ridge. As it was still rainy most of the kids were not up for walking across. Two of them did though; it really is scary especially in the rain. Afterward when we asked them if they were sacred they said “No you wouldn’t have let us do it if it was dangerous.” It’s a little disconcerting to have that kind of trust from someone.

When we got back from the hike we packed for our longest day of paddling. The weather in the morning was beautiful and we were able to jump off of several rocks into the river and do a couple of rope swings. It was really a fantastic day for a while. After lunch we had an experience which really made the trip memorable. There was a bend in the river where the entire flow passes through a fallen tree. When approaching it you can tell that it will be bad but as hard as you can paddle to get away from it the current is strong enough to overcome. It swept all five of our boats into the tree and flipped three of them, we had gear everywhere, three boats floating down the river and six people trying to swim to shore. By the end of it we were able to recover almost all of the equipment, but everything and everyone was soaking wet, even our dry boxes containing our sleeping pads, stove and cooking equipment, and tents were sloshing with water. To make matters worse it started raining; but even this could not dampen our students' spirits. One of our students confessed, “I wouldn’t want to do it again but it was really exciting.” We finished the last several miles and set up our wet equipment on a wet, sandy gravel bar in the rain then we settled in for our last night. In order to stay warm we had to get everyone dry, so we all sat facing one direction and let the kids dry off and change in the back of the tarp. Finally once everyone was in dry cloths the rain stopped and we cooked our last meal. Needless to say we were all exhausted and we made it an early night.




















We woke up early on the last morning and paddled out 9 miles in the rain to Gilbert. We all changed into car cloths and headed to a restaurant for an early lunch. Even after a real difficult last day and a half, all of the kids were in high spirits. Many said it was the best senior trip they could imagine and all hoped to have more opportunities to do things in the outdoors in the future.

When we returned home at 9:30 p.m. Rebecca and I laid out all of the equipment in our garage to dry. Then headed to bed after deciding to deal with the mess in the morning!
We would like to give a special thanks to Pack & Paddle, John and Becky Williams, Donna and Nathan Carriere, Loren Carriere and Hope for Opelousas, Wes and Kris Franciol, Jason and Jenny Cohen, Ashley Carriere, Jamie Gondron, Jessica Howell, and all of the parents. Without your help our trip and this amazing experience for our students would not have been possible.

Spring 2009 Highlights

It's already almost June, and spring has most certainly slid right into summer. The spring season at P&P has been busy, busy, busy. Over the last few months, we have hosted over 30 events and trips. Early in the season we endured rain, rain, rain. But to the credit of all of our great participants - this didn't seem to dampen spirits. We had so much fun and we as a staff would like to thank all of you for that.
For this blog entry, I decided to hit a few of the highlights: (click the photo if you would like to see more pictures of a certain event)

The season began with a trip to the Backbone trail. Wet weather did not dampen the spirits of the people on this trip.

Our Valentines trip was wet, but memorable. We arrived at Lake Martin in the rain, but undaunted, pressed on. After the paddle tour, we headed back to the shop for beautiful music, fun and amazing food.


Our sunrise paddle at Lake Martin is always special - and this trip was no exception. Cool and misty weather treated the group to a view of Lake Martin that you can only get if you rise early.

In late February, we led a corageous group for an overnight canoe trip down Black Creek. We had rain, cold, sun, and even snow during our time on the river. The group did a great job and had a memorable time on the river together.

March brought us on a great kayak fishing trip down in Grand Isle. We all enjoyed the hospitality of Danny and Kristin Wray as well as the beautiful weather and good fishing.

The spring migration took us out to the northern Atchafalaya Basin to Indian Bayou. We enjoyed a paddle trip and a hike to this unique area on the same weekend. We enjoyed good weather and wildlife watching.

Michael Pears hosted his ever-popular kayak fishing seminars this spring. Both sessions were well attended as Michael gave lots of good fishing advice and gave away his favorite 30 spots to kayak fish across the state.

Our Canoeing 101 class was a lot of fun - as students learned proper technique for forward strokes, back strokes, Draws and J-Strokes. A good time was had by all!


Our marquis event of the spring was a talk and slideshow by Jon Bowermaster. His tales of paddling all over the world allowed everyone to live through the lens of his camera. His photos were awesome. His stories were amazing. Jon commented that this was the largest and most enthusiastic crowd he has spoken to in this type of setting and was very impressed with the outdoor community of Lafayette.

The first ever P&P trip down the Wild Nezpique was a big success. The group was aided by a good current and favorable winds - getting them in to the landing just before the skies opened up.

Buffalo Cove is always an adventure - and this year was no exception. We floated high water, battled through water lilies enjoyed every minute of it. We saw a pair of Osprey on its nest, snakes clinging to trees and even the illusive Prethonotary Warbler.

These are just a few of the trips and memories that we have of the first half of 2009.
If you would like to see photos of all our events and trips, click here.

Yes - it's been a busy time. We are so thankful that we can be part of the Lafayette outdoor community and look forward to the summer and fall!

Jon Bowermaster to Speak at Pack & Paddle Venue

I wanted to give you, my faithful blog readers, the first heads-up on a VERY exciting event coming up in May. Through months of phone calls and emails, we have been able to arrange to bring National Geographic author, adventurer and living legend Jon Bowermaster to Lafayette for a talk and slideshow.


The date for the event is Wednesday, May 6th.

We being with an open house at 6pm where you can meet Jon in person. We'll have food from Great Harvest Bakery and live music with Jane Vidrine. The slidshow and talk begins at 7- but get there early for good food, good friends and a good seat.

This very special event has been made possible through a partnership with Mountain Hardwear. Representatives of Mountain Hardwear will be on hand at the event to answer questions about gear and for give-aways.

This event will benefit the Basinkeeper program which works tirelessly to protect our local wilderness wonderland - the Atchafalaya Basin. (http://www.basinkeeper.org/) In keeping with all events at the Pack & Paddle Venue - this will be a free event. We are asking that all attendees consider donating $10 or more per person that night to this worthy cause. All donations collected will go directly to the Basinkeeper program.

Here's a little background on Jon:

For more than 20 years, writer and filmmaker JON BOWERMASTER has explored the environment and exotic corners of the world for a variety of national and international publications, primarily for the National Geographic Society and the New York Times.

Author of eight books, three with renowned polar explorer Will Steger, his travels have taken him to seven continents and included two-person sledging across Antarctica, sailing a 60-foot sailboat across the Atlantic, and first descents of rivers from Chile to China.

His expeditions have been supported by six grants from National Geographic’s Expeditions Council.

Begun in 1999, Jon’s OCEANS 8 project is a series of expeditions launched to explore the world’s oceans from the seat of a sea kayak. Used as both transportation and as floating ambassadors, sea kayaks allow Bowermaster and his teams— comprised of some of the world’s top photographers, filmmakers, scientists and navigators—to reach corners of the world rarely seen.

To see a full bio on Jon, go to http://jonbowermaster.com/pdf/jb.pdf
For more info on Jon Bowermaster go to: www.jonbowermaster.com

About our event:
Jon will present a slideshow about his Oceans 8 project. This will give you a unique opportunity to hear about his adventures sea-kayaking around the world from the adventurer himself.

These trips have taken him to the Aleutian Islands, Vietnam, French Polynesia, South America’s Altiplano and the wild coasts of Gabon, Croatia and Tasmania and the Antarctic Peninsula. The goal of each expedition was adventure crossed with an assessment of the health of the seas and the lives of the people who live and depend on them. Around the planet more than 4 billion people live within 35 miles of a coast and depend on the seas that surround. Meanwhile, impacts on marine ecosystems have compromised the relationship between the world’s oceans and humanity. The OCEANS 8 project allowed for a unique exploration of this profound connection.

Besides his work for periodicals such as The New York Times and National Geographic, Jon has the following book and film credits:
Books
GOVERNOR,
University of Iowa Press, 1987
SAVING THE EARTH,
Alfred A. Knopf, 1990 (with Will Steger)
CROSSING ANTARCTICA,
Alfred A. Knopf, 1991 (with Will Steger)
THE ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES
OF PETER BEARD IN AFRICA,
Bulfinch Press, 1993
OVER THE TOP OF THE WORLD,
Scholastic Press, 1995 (with Will Steger)
BIRTHPLACE OF THE WINDS,
National Geographic Adventure Press, 2001
ALEUTIAN ADVENTURE,
National Geographic Society, 2001
ALONE AGAINST THE SEA,
Lyons Press, 2004
Films
Birthplace of the Winds (Aleutian Islands), 1999
The Dangerous Archipelago (French Polynesia), 2002
A Slowboat to Somewhere (French Polynesia), 2002
Into the Altiplano (Chile/Argentina/Bolivia), 2003
The Lost Coast of Gabon, 2004
Borderland (Croatia), 2005
Around Tasmania, 2006

How to Attach an Umbrella to your Pack

I've been asked a number of times how to attach an umbrella to a backpack. This allows your hands to be free for using trekking poles. Read on to see how simple this is:

1) Get 2 cordlocks and 2 pieces of bungee cord about 6 inches long.
2) Loop the bungee cord through webbing that is mounted on your shoulder strap. Do two bungees - about 3-6 inches apart.
3) Put both ends of the bungee cord through the cordlock and tie an overhand knot to keep the cordlock on.
4) Place the handle of your umbrella through the bungee cords.
5) Tighten the cords.

That's it! The umbrella rests on the top of the pack behind your head and the cords control the umbrella in the front. This system got us through the entire Appalachian Trail and the entire Colorado Trail. We find that it works in almost any weather. If you have a strong crosswind, you may have to hold the handle with your hand and point the umbrella slightly into the wind. If you have any questions - just email me at john@packpaddle.com

Cold Water, Warm Smiles - Our Adventure on Black Creek

Becky and I just returned from a memorable weekend that was shared by 16 hardy souls on Black Creek. Just south of Hattiesburg, Black Creek runs clear and cold through DeSoto National forest. Our route was to take us from the small town of Brooklyn down to the USFS take out called Cypress Creek. This trip was our first time to lead a group down this beautiful section of river.
Our adventure began as we approached DeSoto National Forest and made one last stop in civilization in the small town of Wiggins. With 5 cars following us, Becky and I circled this tiny town several times trying to find the Whistle Stop Cafe where we had planned to eat with the group before hitting the woods. The townsfolk must have thought it a very strange procession to see a car with 7 canoes on a trailer followed by 5 other cars circling over and over again. We finally found the restaurant and enjoyed all you can eat catfish and shrimp.

Thirty minutes later, we were at Moodys launch and our campsite for the night. Thick clouds obscured the sliver of moon above us as the group set their tents up in the dark. A few folks explored down to the edge of the creek, but most decided to turn in.

The next morning everyone was bustling under very threatening skies to pack their gear while the rain held off. We had a quick breakfast and headed for the put in. While on the way, the rains commenced in earnest. We unloaded the boats under the shelter of the bridge as the torrent continued to fall. But luck was with us as the rain had quit before the drivers of the cars returned from running our shuttle down to Cypress Creek.

Once on the river, the group quickly fell into a rhythm. Unfortunately the rhythm was one of those erratic jazz compositions nobody can understand. The upper section of the river is littered with stumps, logs and strainers - all of which are great opportunities to flip your canoe. The group dipped, cut, and dodged its way down the river. We did have one flip over on the first section, but survived it amazingly well.

Six miles down the creek found us having a wonderful lunch on a creek-side gravel bar. We enjoyed wraps with home-made black bean salad, ham, cheese, turkey and hummus. After lunch, we passed several small creeks that flow into Black Creek from either side of the river. Before we knew it, we were at our campsite at the 12 mile mark. Tents were quickly pitched, a kitchen set up and firewood collected. It was getting cold quickly now - but we felt safe and secure on our sandbar along the side of the creek.

That evening, with a fire roaring, we were treated to Becky's hot gumbo and french bread with home-made brownies to top it off. We stayed up till paddlers midnight (8:00pm) telling ghost stories and enjoying each others company. The wind was roaring, making the fire twist and turn in the darkness. That’s when we noticed the tiny snowflakes flying in the flashlight beams.

Right before bed I noticed that the creek had risen a couple of inches. This meant a long night ahead of getting up every couple of hours to check the rise to make sure that camp would be safe. By midnight the creek had risen another 15 inches making our big sandbar quite a bit smaller. By 2am, it had only risen a couple of more inches and I could see the creek had nearly crested and that we would be safe for the night. Back in the tent, we could hear the ice and sleet hitting the top of the tent, driven by the heavy winds. Finally nodding off, I knew that tomorrow would be very interesting - and very cold!

It was a little harder to get everyone out of their warm dens Sunday morning, but we finally got everyone on a roll. After a breakfast of Muesli and Cinnamon bread from Great harvest, we were on the river paddling again. The group resembled the Michelin Man with everyone putting on nearly every layer they had in their bags. Over the last twenty four hours, the group had transformed from an erratic stump dodging jazz improv to a coordinated and smooth symphony. We glided along through forests, bluffs, riffles and gravel bars making amazingly good time with the high water and tailwind. By 11, we were only a few miles from our takeout.

We all enjoyed Rosemary Almond Chicken Salad sandwiches with Kettle chips for lunch. Finally, the sun made its first appearance as we ate. With everyone in great spirits, we headed off to a fine finish. Unfortunately even a symphony can hit a sour note.

I came around a bend to see our group stopped and trying to rescue an overturned canoe. We quickly paddled up to find two of our group swimming in the freezing water. They made it to the shore where Becky helped them with changing to warm clothes while Frank and I headed down to see if we could stop the swamped vagabond canoe. We cornered the canoe against the bank, pulled it partially out of the water and quickly flipped it upright. After bailing it out, we towed it back up to the group where our unfortunate friends were trying to catch their breath from the cold water. Soon we were on our way again and minutes later we had reached the end of our trip.

I would like to say thank you to this group for reminding me of how game a group can be under adverse conditions. We had rain, sleet, snow, cold water and much more. This group always had a great attitude and great smiles - making it all worthwhile. Meagan, Eddie, Grant, Steve, Linda, Jim, Roger, Anthony, Lauren, Emily, Gaye, Danny, Duke and Frank - I want to say - that ya'll are awesome and Becky and I cherished the chance to be with you for this adventurous weekend!