NorthStar Expeditions

Northern Saskatchewan "Highway" Shuttle Service

2013-04-23T22:54:00.000-06:00

Wherever we end up going for our 2013 trip, it looks like we can rely on Churchill River Canoe Outfitters to pick us up!

Kayaking The Great Bear

2013-03-26T12:10:00.000-06:00

What do you think guys, a trip to BC and the Great Bear Rain Forest?

KAYAKING THE GREAT BEAR, a Search for Wilderness from Kayaking the Great Bear on Vimeo.

The Fishing Bet

2013-03-01T12:56:00.000-06:00

This is a great video about some friendly competition between father and son on a fishing trip. As a group of fathers, Northstar Expeditions approves!

www.loonislandoutdoors.com

The Shuttle, Explained

2013-02-28T12:23:00.000-06:00

Most of NSE's trips have been circuit trips requiring no shuttle, except that year with the infamous bike shuttle. However, we may want to expand our repertoire so this video by Paul Mason may offer some helpful tips.

p.s. Not to brag, but I met Paul on Tuesday of this week and watched him playboat in the icy Ottawa river for a while. I also met Becky Mason and Joyce Mason this week, and stayed in the home of Joyce and the late Bill Mason (OK, so I am bragging).

Scarred For Life

2013-02-19T10:59:00.001-06:00

(I suspect her dropping her paddle didn't make a lick of difference.)

Time Sequence Down Otter Rapids

2013-02-01T12:09:00.000-06:00

I love this series of photos of +Bryan Sarauer & +Jay Stark "running" Otter Rapids on the Churchill River at the end of our 2007 trip. Photos taken by Rod on shore.

So far so good....

At this point we are doing just fine, but the trough between the waves is large enough to completely hide us.

I think Jay just wet his pants.

We might have taken on a few ounces of water here.

Floating a little lower now.

You can't see it here, but there was some valiant bracing occurring in an effort to save our sinking ship.

While Jay does the "Gunnel Grab", Bryan is still reaching for water to brace with and pulling hard on that left knee.

The gunwale can just barely be seen in this photo.

Maybe a bit of extra floatation in the canoe wouldn't hurt.

+Bryan: "You got it Jay? OK, good, I'm going to leave it in your capable hands while I swim to shore now."

All participants involved in the above survived, except for +Rob Kunz's bailer which was never seen from again. Some day we'll have to get Jay to tell the story of his epic swim at the end of the rapids.

Dreaming of Summer

2013-01-31T15:30:00.000-06:00

It's -36°C outside (colder with the windchill considered) and time to dream of summer paddling. While sorting photos on my computer I came across this photo that Rod took on our trip in 2007. It's an awesome reminder of warmer season paddling.

Corner Rapids, Churchill River, SK. Rod Smith photo.

So, with those warm paddling thoughts in mind where should NSE head in 2013? Three of us are turning 40 this year so I think it would be a great year to take a couple extra days and do something more ambitious. I think I'm going to lobby for a fly-in trip on the Paull River (see here for the route description [trip 36] and here for a map) or maybe the Wapiskau and Reindeer Rivers (see here for route description and here for a topo/satellite map), or maybe the Sturgeon-Weir River (here is the route description for the upper S-W river [trip 14] and here is the lower S-W [trip 44], and here's the map), maybe we should just start at #1. Time to start scheduling some trip planning meetings.

Drope Lake Timelapse

2012-11-25T21:39:00.000-06:00

This was shot on the last night of our canoe trip this fall on the Churchill River. We were camped at Big Stanley Rapids overlooking Drope Lake in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park.

Drope Lake Time-lapse from Rob Kunz on Vimeo.

2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip Photos

2012-11-15T22:04:00.001-06:00

2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip, a set on Flickr.

Hey folks, here are the photos from our NSE Canoe trip from September 28 - October 1, 2012. We camped on Nistowiak Lake and did day trips to Nistowiak Falls and Potter Rapids. It was a great trip with great fall weather. Enjoy!

You can also check out the timelapse that Rob put together on the last night of the trip at it's own blog post.

Gnarly Sailing

2012-10-23T22:18:00.000-06:00

On the recent Northstar Expeditions trip to Nistowiak Falls from Stanley Mission, we did a little downwind sailing for a few kilometers. Our sail rig was as simple as it gets: with the canoe in the centre and a kayak on each side, we held the a tarp erect with paddles to catch the wind. Sometimes hard to hold, hard to see where we were going, and with strictly downwind capability, this tarp sail was rather limited in it's efficiency. We sailed a little slower than we would have been paddling, but didn't need to paddle (that's not to say we weren't working at it).

It looks like we could learn a lot from Mr. Gnarlydog. Check out this post on the Gnarlydog News blog to see some fantastic sailing in small paddle craft. http://gnarlydognews.blogspot.ca/2012/08/video-kayak-sailing-in-bay.html

Kayaking in Some Hairy Stuff

2012-10-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

This is way beyond NSE, but it's pretty exciting to watch. Interesting to see how they got out in the end. This is from Neptune's Rangers who are the California coastal kayak equivalent to Northstar Expeditions. (No, not really.)

Potato Gun + GoPro

2012-09-26T16:40:00.000-06:00

Don't show this one to Rod.

Where To Go, Version 12.0

2012-09-10T12:34:00.000-06:00

The 2012 NSE trip got pushed back a month, which is why you haven't seen the photos and trip report yet (not that that actually makes a difference). As every year, we have been asking each other

"So, where should we go this year?"

This year I'm suggesting we strap the kayaks to the roof of the van and head for Wawa and the Gales Storm Gathering. It would be pretty awesome to ride the rough water of Lake Superior. The cast of instructors (here & here) that are going to be there is pretty remarkable too (hey, if I went maybe I could add myself to the list).

A Fishing Tip For Us

2012-07-24T14:17:00.001-06:00

As canoeists, we don't bring minnows or live bait with us on our trips. It would get stinky real fast. Here is an article from Outdoor Canada that we could make some use of.

http://outdoorcanada.ca/22340/blogs/on-the-water-online/using-artificials-when-fishing-for-walleye

Johnny

2012-06-06T23:50:00.002-06:00

This one's for Jay. I heard this tonight while listening to Fred Eaglesmith and I thought of Jay. I was able to find this video of a couple of guys in a bar, but I'm pretty sure they're covering a Fred song, they sound like they're trying to sound like Fred Eaglesmith. Maybe they're a couple of Fredheads.

To hear Fred sing it properly, find it here: http://www.robspotter.com/jukebox2/120121_knoxville/ (21 minutes in if you want to skip the opening acts, which are also pretty good).

Friends

2012-05-30T17:16:00.001-06:00

It's Almost Time

2012-05-03T20:35:00.001-06:00

The folks at Churchill River Canoe Outfitters in Missinipe, Saskatchewan obviously have a great sense of humour. Check out this video from earlier today (May 3rd, 2012).

Don't Tell The Other Guys About This New Product

2012-03-22T08:52:00.001-06:00

I learned from our friends over at PaddlingInstructor.com about a new camping innovation. It's Coleman's Camping Oven and holds the promise of fewer instances of burned cinnamon rolls frypan cooked over the campfire. I can see a certain member of NSE either lobbying for it's inclusion on trips, or deciding he could build one himself out of 18 gauge steel.

Check it out at http://www.paddlinginstructor.com/gear/4478-coleman-introduces-a-propane-camping-oven.html. Oh, and did I mention it weighs 41 lbs?

in Cahoots

2012-03-13T20:51:00.000-06:00

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the heart.

And, sometimes, I think I am in Vincible, but life shows me I am not!

I have, however, been in Deepshit many times; the older I get, the easier it is to get there

Thanks to the folks at MyCCR.com for the jokes.

Men in Skirts

2012-02-29T11:05:00.001-06:00

Bomber Gear is currently running a contest (last day is today!) on their Facebook page asking folks to post videos or pictures of themselves wearing Bomber Gear in public. We like the following entry.

Compensating for anything?

2012-02-13T20:29:00.000-06:00

Note that none of the members of Northstar Expeditions rides a Harley.

On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together. One day the two were playing, when the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the horse whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer for help! Off the chicken ran, back to the farm.

Arriving at the farm, he searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Harley. Finding the keys in the ignition, the chicken sped off with a length of rope hoping he still had time to save his friend's life.

Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive on the shiny Harley, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmer's bike, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful bike, rescued the horse!

Happy and proud, the chicken rode the Harley back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two animals was cemented: Best Buddies, Best Pals.

A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon, he too, began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his hangy-down thingy and he would then lift him out of the pit.

The chicken got a good grip, and the horse pulled him up and out, saving his life.
The moral of the story? (yep, you betcha, there is a moral!)

'When You're Hung Like A Horse, You Don't Need A Harley To Pick Up Chicks'

Proof of Awesome Competence!

2011-12-14T18:21:00.003-06:00

I was going through the files the other day and happened to come across this certificate from when we took a kayak course a few years ago. I thought we would share it here as evidence of our certified awesomeness.

(Flatwater Skills is now called Introduction to Sea Kayaking.)

That little course and certificate eventually led to Bryan starting Coldspring Paddling Instruction.

We Never Even Knew This Was An Option!

2011-12-13T21:41:00.000-06:00

Here is another video in the category of "crazy shit people do in boats". Northstar Expeditions thinks this is some pretty cool stuff and that we could get behind this activity. We're pretty sure we can rock those speedos just as well as these New Zealand rowers.

We're No Experts But.....

2011-12-09T18:01:00.001-06:00

NSE makes no claims on whitewater expertise, but in our opinion, these guys suck. This might be the best bad kayaking video that I've ever seen.

Front Independent Suspension

2011-12-07T21:52:00.000-06:00