Burning Time with Scott Lindgren

by Nino Marchetti on

Award winning adventure travel film producer Scott Lindgren is
out to document kayaking in some of the best places on the planet, according
to a recent San Francisco
Chronicle article. Through his documentary company’s website, he tells
the premise of his new film “Burning Time” as an adventure in which he has “spanned the globe with the best athletes in
the world, seeking out the most radical whitewater challenges ever captured on film.”

Due in April, Burning Time covers, among other things, big-water kayaking in Africa, wave surfing in New Brunswick,
kayaking waterfalls in Mexico and skydiving stunts in a kayak.

In his interview with the Chronicle, Lindgren talks about his other films, kayaking in the Himalayas and a few other
interesting tidbits.

Build a Canoe and Tyler Too

by Erik Olsen on

The ultimate how to.

Here’s an article in this month’s Canoe and Kayak Magazine about
how to build you’re own cedar strip canoe out of
strips of western red cedar. No, this is not for everybody, as the process can take upwards of 200 hours, but
admit it, it would be pretty excellent to paddle around the nearest lake in a canoe of your own construction.

This is not something I’m rushing out to do, but I post it because it struck me just now as one of those things you
might want to bookmark so that when the whole office cubicle thing gets you down, you can bail with your head held high
and a real sense of purpose.

New Zealander Smells Whales

by Nino Marchetti on

Have you ever wondered what a whale’s breath smells like? Dan Hawthorn got the chance
to find out first hand while recently kayaking off the coast of Northland, New Zealand.
According to an article in the New Zealand Herald,
Hawthorn spent nearly two hours being amongst a pod of “either Bryde’s or minke” whales, taking photos and watching
them splash around.

Some of the whales, said Hawthorn, even got close enough that he was able to smell their “whale breath.” He
described it as

Their breath smelt like “animal and shrimp and some indefinable spice that is not cinnamon but akin”.

Well, we now know the truth – there is no need to offer whales a breath mint.

Forget Oceans 12, See Oceans 8

by Erik Olsen on

Jow Bowermaster is a hero of mine. For years I’ve read his articles written for the world’s best adventure mags and dreamt of taking trips like his. His current project is called Oceans 8 and seeks to explore the world’s oceans from the seat of a sea kayak.

I mean, how simple an idea, and yet, how cool? Last spring, he did an expedition to western equitorial Africa. Accompanied by photographer Peter McBride and two Gabonese eco-guides, they circumnavigated Gabon Loango national park. They kayaked and portaged more than 200 miles around the park’s perimeter, and saw river-swimming elephants, manatees, tarpon, surfing hippos, gorillas and more. Check out details of Bowermaster’s amazing trip here.

Kayaking LaJolla

by Erik Olsen on

So Cal beaches have a good rep for surfing and sun bathing, but what is not so well-known is how good they are for sea kayaking. Down south in San Diego, the La Jolla cove (I used to live about five minutes from there) is a great place to dive and swim, but also, as this article suggests, to kayak.

In particular, the La Jolla Cove Ecological Reserve is a legally protected area with a high concentration of sea life including tribes of sea lions who will swarm around you looking very faux menacing like a fight scene from West Side Story. Anyway, if you know California, the cove will be well known to you.

If you do not, put it on your itinerary.