2008 - Outdoor Lafayette Year in Review

The new year is always a time to look forward to things to come. But it’s also a time to look back and reminisce about things past. I find myself particularly nostalgic for the year that was 2008. Over the last year, we've seen the Outdoor Community of Lafayette grow. Lots of new folks are paddling, kayak fishing and hiking. Others are noticing as well. Lafayette (and Pack & Paddle) was mentioned in National Geographic Adventure Magazine as a "50 Best Places to Live for Outdoors" in the country! We have enjoyed being part of this movement. Read on for some of the highlights of the past year.

If you’re not into reading and would like to see a montage of photos from trips and events, Click Here.

Watching students to make their very own alcohol stoves out of beer cans and then going outside and lightning them in the parking lot was a lot of fun. I sharpened my skills by attending our outdoor photography class. The Valentines Romance Paddle was an incredible evening that Becky and I hosted with our son and daughter in law Matt and Rebecca. Wow! What an evening! Other standout events early in the year were our Grand Isle Kayak Fishing Expedition, our Namaste Waterfall Day hike, and Michael Pears teaching Kayak Fishing the Marshes of South Louisiana. Early in the year we also were a venue for the Cinema on the Bayou film festival. The evening with Christina Melton introducing the “Atchafalaya Houseboat” film was particularly memorable.

Early summer found us paddling Buffalo Cove on a memorable high water day, paddling the Virgin Cypress for the first time on a picture perfect late spring afternoon and heading to South Texas for an incredible kayak fishing adventure. Our community screening of “The Real Dirt on Farmer John” co-hosted with Earthshare Gardens was a highlight. Ken Waldman - the Alaskan Fiddling Poet put on a great show for our first ever musical evening at P&P. Captain Danny Wray from Grand Isle captured the kayak fishing community with a great talk on tackle and strategies when fishing from a kayak.

As late summer came and fall began, we had a great kids hike at Fausse Point highlighted with playing in the fountains. One great memory for me was at our kayak fishing trip to Grand Isle, seeing Dan Selph catch a HUGE redfish from the seat of his kayak. During this time, Becky and I were gone for almost two months. The first part of the trip was a trade show. The second part was a 37 day hike of the Colorado Trail. While we were gone, Lafayette hosted 2 near misses on hurricanes. Our Bio-Fuel night was an amazing success with Tim Metcalf and a great film highlighting the night.

Fall brought a wonderful art film called “Rivers and Tides” that got a lot of response from the outdoor community. Author Pete Cooper came to the P&P venue and talked fishing to a rapt crowd that hung on every word (especially me!). We hosted Dean Wilson - the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper for a wonderful program on some of the environmental problems in the Basin.

In addition to all of the events listed above, we had many great Howl at the Moon evenings at Lake Martin, Kayaking and Canoeing 101 classes, Waterfall hikes, Backbone hikes, Indian Bayou birding hikes and paddle trips, Chicot hikes and paddle trips, backpacking clinics, demo days, food drying clinics and canoe camping seminars.

WHEW!!! If you are still reading - thank you! This was a totally amazing year. We have enjoyed sharing time with you and look forward to some incredible adventures in 2009.

Christmas Memories

As some of you may know, I grew up here at Pack & Paddle. The store was founded by my parents in 1974 in a small Acadian shack on the edge of the Vermillion river. I was 13 years old at the time. Since that year, Pack & Paddle has in many ways defined this season for our family. As you might imagine, we've built up a lot of stories over the last 34 Christmas seasons.

Our first year sales were very slow - so it was announced that everyone in the family was getting Christmas presents from Pack & Paddle. The pile grew under the tree until when, a week before Christmas, the shopping madness finally hit. That's when us 5 kids watched our Christmas presents get unwrapped and sold to customers looking for gifts!

There are lots of great memories as well. Ask anyone in our family who the "last customer of the season is" and you'll hear a chorus say "Harold Schoeffler". Harold has a tradition of coming in on Christmas eve and shopping for his whole list. We all look forward to Harold making his appearance and having fun picking out gifts for the whole family.

When Christmas eve finally arrived, we would all take a picture by the front desk and the usually go out to eat and celebrate - having survived another crazy Christmas The photo above is of our family at P&P circa 1978. I am on the upper right). We had made it through together, built some great memories and became closer as a family in spite of (or maybe because of) the hard work.

These days, many of you have become involved in our Pack & Paddle family through our trips and our in-house events. It has been a joy to join you over the last year here at the shop for films and events as well as out on the water and on the trail. These programs have allowed us to get to know all of you so much better.

There are so many memories of the last year: Watching groups struggle though the final miles uphill out of the Waterfall hike - then celebrating on the porch of the Pond General Store. The epic muddy pullover at Buffalo Cove was a huge effort that was rewarded by the beautiful views of Bayou Gravenburg and Buffalo Cove. Likewise, the first tentative strokes of students in a Kayaking or Canoeing 101 class morph into confident paddling skills as we glide through the trees of Lake Martin at sunset.

Experiences like these that you share with your family - especially the struggles - give you a common thread. A common life blood. And memories that last a lifetime.

All of us at Pack & Paddle thank you for joining into our extended family. We look forward to being outdoors with you next year and wish you a very merry Christmas!

John, Becky, Amy, Cheryll, Jamie, Skip, Joe, Kristin, Emily

Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club Conquers Dulac

Special Thanks to Keith Drouant for the photos used in this post.

Recently, I had a super great day fishing with the new Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club in Dulac.

Our day began with a meeting at 4:30am meeting at the Albertsons in Broussard. Yes- 4:30am. This club is serious about catching fish! After a quick break at McDonalds in Houma, we were at the launch in Dulac just after sunrise. I have not done a lot of fishing with other folks - so it was interesting to see how everyone had their boats rigged up for fishing.

The launch was just a wide spot in the road with a mud and rock bank. The water was quite open, with marsh grass rimming what looked like a large lake. Our revered president Greg Sonnier was in the water first and fishing hard along the bank that paralleled the road. I decided to head to the corner, and as I was passing Greg, he connected with a trout. Things were looking up!

As I fished the corner, I came to an area with a small island near a trenasse. I suddenly had a hit on the purple cocahoe minnow with a chartreuse tail. I missed (of course) and quickly cast back to the same area. I caught several small Speckled Trout in that area before continuing working the points up the bank. Just as I started up the bank, I caught a nice trout. I got him into the boat, removed the hook and turned to put him into the ice chest. That's when the trout made a perfectly timed flap of his tail, and he was airborne. I guess he earned his freedom.

I was fishing this area with club member Keith Drouant. Keith worked the opening and the island for a while - and I enjoyed watching him fish it and seeing his approach. As I moved up the bank, I got to hang out and talk to other club members. When I reached a sharp point, I heard Karl Shexnaider in a battle with a big Redfish. I was so jealous! I needed an adrenaline fix - and small trout were not going to get it done!

I moved across the lake into another area and cast towards an opening. My cork moved across slowly in the way that can only mean one thing: FLOUNDER! I set the hook and pulled in a big flounder that gave me a fit trying to get it safely into the ice chest. I can't tell you how many flounder I've done accidental catch and release for - but it's a lot. I put my foot on him, grabbed him with the Boga Grip and safely got him into the ice chest.

It was getting late, and I thought I would have to settle for a few small trout and my flounder. But my fishing adrenaline fix was still unsatisfied, so I headed back up the shoreline to fish the points.

I tried to make my mind have a positive attitude. One of the best fishing quotes I've read is by Billy Billeaud who says "You've got to will the fish on to your hook". I knew I was almost out of time, but I applied myself to willing a fish onto my hook. The first point produced nothing. As I approached the second point, I cast just off the point and started working the cocahoe back towards me, making noise with the cork. That's when the cork shot under the water in a way that can mean only one thing: REDFISH!!!

The fish shot out towards the middle of the lake - making the drag on my reel scream. I unstaked my marsh anchor and the Cajun sleigh ride was on! This fish was lively. He pulled me at least 200 yards out into the middle of the lake before tiring out. Having had my fishing adrenaline fix - I headed back to the launch site.

Most of the club was back when I got there, unloading the boats and putting them on the trailer. We all hung out waiting for Keith to come back from the Island. Pretty much everyone had been really successful on our outing. We all got together for a group picture, and headed for home.

In a way - this day wasn't a lot different than most fishing days. But since we were able to share the excitement with each other, feed off of each others energy and success - it was that much more fun and satisfying. If you've never fished with the Kayak Fishing club, I highly recommend it. This is a great group of guys and girls that love big fish, light rods and small boats - and it doesn't get any better than that.

Looking For Signs on an Uncertain Trail

One thing that's different about the Colorado Trail from other trails that I've hiked is the markings. Or should I say, lack of markings. The CT can go for miles and miles without a single mark to confirm that you're on the right trail.

I will admit to you that I tend to obsess. Here's how things play out in my head: First you get that little seed of doubt - "Hmm... it's been a while since I've seen a trail marker". Then you start to get a little upset - "why in the world don't they put more marks on this trail"; I'm sure we're right, but uggg... if I have to climb this hill, I'm going to freak". This is usually followed by full blown gnashing of teeth - "This can't be right. A major trail like the CT would have better markings than this. If this is wrong - we won't make it to our camp before dark. We could freeze out here. Did I just hear a bear?"

Today I was thinking about all the bad economic news that's out there right now. It seems like we're all feeling a little like I did on the Colorado Trail. We're asking ourselves "Where's that next trail marker?" Nothing seems solid anymore - and it's easy to second guess whether you're on the right trail or not. And right when the trail is the roughest - you guessed it: No trail markers!

I don't have an answer to the current downturn in the economy. The same can be said for other problems in life. I find that time in the wilderness teaches lessons, and the lessons I took home with me from the Colorado trail are these: Walk in clear and aware consciousness. Pay attention at every cross trail and think through each decision at these crossings carefully. Then in between, walk with purpose. Hold my head up and trust my skills. Know that if somehow I did go wrong, that I'll have the strength and competence to get back on the right trail. Like all good lessons - these are things that are easier to say than they are to live.

Obsessing over the next trail marker makes us miss out on the fun, surprises and joy that life has for us (even in rough times). So - my condolences for your 401K. It's time to lace up our boots (or water sandals) and get out there. Take some risks and push yourself out the door. Winter in Louisiana is the best time to enjoy the wilderness and the lessons it brings in its quiet way.

Clear Creeks, Small Boats, Big Fish

The cool clear waters of the Ouiska Chitto slid silently by the sand beach as we prepped our kayaks. This was a trip that I had been wanting to take since I met Jeshua Smith at Pack & Paddle. He had told me about his passion for fishing creeks that were "small and tight" in kayaks. Jeshua reinforced his talk (and my desire to go) by emailing be photos of stringers of bass they pulled out of these little clear running creeks.

I met Jeshua and his friend Cory at the Calcasieu River Bridge over Hwy 190 near Elton, LA at 6:15 sharp. Jeshua, I could tell, was serious about his fishing and I knew that I didn't want to be late. We left my car at the bridge and shuttled up to Carpenters bridge in his truck with 3 Redfish 10's in the bed. We arrived 20 minutes later at Carpenters bridge to a beautiful scene.

The water was crystal clear, gliding over the sand bottom. There was a light mist rising as we paddled down past the bridge. The light was still very low as we started down the creek. Jeshua and Cory explained to me the technique for fishing these small clear running streams. "There's two ways to fish this. The Buzz Bait is what I call the No-Brainer way of catching fish here. That's what I put on your rod." Jeshua had read me right. I will take the no-brainer way of fishing every time. "The other way is to fish plastics like you would for bass in a lake. We like to give the lure a more movement - and swim it off the bottom instead of bouncing it off the bottom like you would fishing bass in a lake". I threw the buzz bait with the ultra-light rod Jeshua had loaned me for the day. This seemed like something I could handle.

We floated quietly down the creek - looking for deeper "holes" that had a darker look to them - usually around fallen logs and other obstructions. It didn't take long for the action to begin. Jeshua and Cory had fish in the boat within minutes. My first fish came when a Spotted Bass took my buzz bait off the surface in a slow spot on the creek. I missed a couple of strikes and then landed a largemouth bass. As I fished, I could hear Cory and Jeshua exclaiming everytime they caught a bass (which was often!). The banter back and forth covered lots of topics but always came back to fishing. There was trash talking on both sides for beating their personal creek record fish of 3 pounds.

After a couple of hours, I wanted to switch to fishing the plastic creations that Jeshua was using. It took a little while to get used to the technique: Fish the same dark holes, but throw it in, then work the plastic by raising your rod tip to "swim" the bait. I wasn't catching, and started thinking about switching back to the buzz bait. That's when a largemouth bass hit my bait and the fight was on. Same result on the very next cast. Two fish in two casts had me hooked on fishing the sub-surface plastic.

As we fished, we glided past a mixed hardwood and pine forest that was often more than 10 feet above our heads on small bluffs that had been carved out by the creek. White sandbars dotted almost every bend. The water was in constant motion - with no slack pools, making it easy for us to drift without lots of paddling.

Just after lunch (on an inviting sandbar), I was watching Jeshua fish. He would flip his plastic out - sometimes only 5 or 6 feet as he worked the logs and obstructions. I was half watching, half daydreaming when I saw a splash and heard a whoop. I snapped to attention to watch Jeshua's ultralight pole bend almost in half. He worked at controlling something big that was swimming under his boat towards the brush. A few minutes later, Jeshua was holding a HUGE largemouth bass - grinning from ear to ear. You could tell - he was proud to have bragging rights between him and Cory for their personal record. The fish would later weigh out at 5 pounds 1 ounce.

We caught fish all day long - keeping our limit and throwing back lots of fish. What I think I liked most about this type of kayak fishing was the adventure of it. The creek demanded constant attention to your paddling. Boat control was of paramount importance to be able to work the baits correctly. The clear running stream water was wonderful to fish in. We didn't see another soul all day long. It felt as if we were the only fishermen that had ever fished this creek. When we were done, we had that good feeling of having worked hard and played hard. And we each had 10 of the most sweet tasting bass I've ever tried.

In summary, I wanted to say thanks to Jeshua and Cory for a wonderful fishing experience I would like to repeat very soon!

Seeing Clearly in an Election Year

Time spent in the wilderness has a way of making things a little clearer. Becky and I just returned from 37 days on the trail, hiking from Denver to Durango on the Colorado trail. Clear running streams, muscular peaks, Elk bugling through the night, Aspen trees slowly moving from green to gold to red.
While on the trail, I thought about how lucky we are that we live in a country that has a legacy of preserving places like these - not just for Becky and I, but for our son, Matt - and his future children and grandchildren. We as citizens of this great land can access and experience the wonders of these public areas. Lands available from right here in Louisiana all the way to the Artic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
As we hiked the Colorado Trail, we walked through areas in which thousands of cattle were being grazed within the national forest. Miles of trail were torn up by hooves (as well as thousands of 'gifts' being left for us on the trail by this livestock). While I still felt lucky to be hiking these areas, I was disappointed that the government was renting my public land to ranchers raising cattle. Land use issues like grazing, logging and drilling directly affect the quality of these lands now and on into the future.
I, like many of you am inundated daily with the upcoming election. Iraq, the bailout of our economy, education, health care and many other issues dominate the headlines. We all live in a malestrom of billboards, 30 second commercials, biased radio and TV personalities spewing their opinions as facts and media soundbites.
I would not pretend to be qualified to tell anyone how to vote. As a person who treasures the outdoors, I would like however, to bring forward a thought. As people who value the outdoors and the environment, we should put into consideration which candidate we feel would uphold the integrity of our public lands and will govern best for the environment. Factor this in along with the other concerns you have for the new leadership of our country. Then on November 4th, get out and vote!
Native Americans had a concept known as "seventh generation". The Seventh Generation accoring to WikiPedia is an ecological concept that admonishes the current generation of humans to be working for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. After living in the (nearly) pristine wilderness of Colorado for the last 5 weeks, I feel that I have some clarity that our environment and the use of our public lands should be an election day issue - not just for
me, but for seven generations down the line.

If you would like to research further, Patagonia has a website with great links that can help with your research:

Click Here!

Fear and Excitement

It's with a mixture of fear and excitement that I am writing today's post. For weeks, I have been debating whether to let anyone know (0utside of our family and staff) that Becky and I are taking off on another long hike. We are scheduled to start the Colorado Trail (479 miles from Denver to Durango) around the 18th of August.

First the excitement: We have the opportunity to take 5 weeks to hike one of the most beautiful trails in the world. The trail travels through 6 wilderness areas and 8 mountain ranges on it's way to Durango. We'll witness summer fading into fall as we hike. Most of all, we're going to experience the freedom and simplicity of life off the grid. Our days will be in tune with the rising and setting sun. Our comfort will be dictated by the weather and the mileage we have to cover. Our life will move away from grey area decisions to the black and white reality of life in the wilderness.

Now for the fear: At the beginning of any journey, there's always the nagging worry of problems that can arise. You know the discomforts you'll face: hunger, cold, heat, bugs, lightning and mileage. You just don't know what level each of these discomforts will rise to. My biggest concern right now (and the reason that I was hesitant to let anyone know we were going to hike the trail) is with my fitness.

Ever since we returned home from the Appalachian Trail (has it been two years already?!!) I have been haunted with pain in my right knee. As this trip grew nearer, I had two incidents with the knee that led me to getting an MRI. The MRI led me to having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This was 3 weeks ago. I am just getting up to speed for walking the neighborhood and park, but I honestly have no clue what will happen when I subject it to a backpack, mountains and miles to cover every day. My doctor only chuckled when I asked him if he thought I would be ready to hike 500 miles 6 weeks after surgery.

That said, there's no way we're not going to give this a shot. I have often told people that the definition of adventure is setting out on a journey that you cannot predict the success or failure of. For Becky and I, this journey is an opportunity that we are so thankful for. We are ready for a time of introspection, inspiration and exhilaration. Without the difficulty, I don't think these factors can root themselves fully to your core. That's what wilderness travel is all about.

We invite you to travel along with us by following our trail journal. The link is: www.trailjournals.com/johnbecky. Then scroll down until you see the "2008 CT" Link on the left nav bar.

Note that we will update the journal every 5-8 days along the way, so keep checking back. I plan on journaling our thoughts, difficulties and (with some luck) victories. Our start date is around the 18th of August. We look forward to sharing our journey with you!