Author Archives: robkesselring

Another BWCA trip with athletic trainers!

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Early in the season I guided a Boundary Water’s trip with two outstanding athletic trainers that work out of the Mi5 Crossfit “box” in Lakeville. The goal was 75 miles in 75 hours and it was advertised as a real life fitness challenge. Stormy weather made it all of that, but did not dampen spirits. All participants came back with smiles on their faces and lots of adventure stories. One of the crew even got inked up with a BWCA tattoo to commemorate the journey.

Well it is happening again. This time in bug-free,  warm-water DSC_3778August.

One of the trainers from last time, Reid Peterson is going to co-lead this one with me. In his words: Amazing wilderness, great times, big laughs, moments of clarity, memories of a lifetime.

… Continue reading →

NOATAK 2014

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Back from the Noatak River in Arctic Alaska. The Inupiat say it has been the wettest and coldest summer in seven generations and I believe them. A challenging trip, but I had a great crew and we made it. 400 miles in 15 days all of it north of the Arctic Circle and everyone home safe and sound.

The first 11 days were almost constant rain, not the occasional passing squall, I mean rain all day with nary a glimpse of the sun. All the small rapids were washed out. The bigger rapids were powerful and tricky. For much of the trip the river filled the valley with a muddy swill. It was often almost unrecognizable from 2013. And it was cold. Three nights of hard frost and stiff bitter headwinds that at one point forced us to line downstream despite a flood fueled current that hissed like a dragon. … Continue reading →

North to Alaska

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DSCN1550-300x225Pardon me for not writing sooner but tis the season for the paddle not the pen. I did experience some extraordinary Boundary Waters trips since the Bird Ecology seminars. A crew from Lakeville’s Mi5 Fitness paddled a big loop in the western BWCA. It was really a fun group and we had high water. Next week a photography seminar and another great group and we had very high water. Curtain Falls was amazing.

Since then, just local paddling and prepping for my Alaskan Expedtion. Dan Cooke helped me out with a giant mosquito netted tundra tarp. One of my pak canoes was lost by the USPS so it’s been a bit of a scramble getting everything ready to roll.

If you would like to keep track of our progress you can … Continue reading →

Bird Ecology of the Northern Forest

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I had asked my co-leader for the bird ecology tour Sue Plankis to write a guest blog for me extolling the virtues and excitement of this experience. But she did not get around to it. I do not fault her for this. Quite the contrary her priorities are welded to the woods, meadows and marsh and not by writing about them, but by being there. In fact, as I enter this blog Sue is doing just that, observing Mountain Plovers in Colorado. I admire that zest and that is one reason that traveling with her in the Boundary Waters is so inspirational and such a great learning experience. You must trust my word on that.

It is a catch-22 for me too. I expend my energy outside. Marketing is a hobby and, as a result, our two bird ecology trips are not filling up. Marketing also is an exercise in … Continue reading →

Rio Grande Dates Set for 2015

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With all the interest in the Lower Canyons and my desire to keep groups small, I have decided to lead 3 groups next summer.

The picture of the Heron at the beginning of the Lower Canyons was taken by Robby Cashman last month.

The dates are February 5-12 Feb 15-22 Feb 25-March 4. To reserve a spot on the dates you need, please touch base with me at your earliest convenience.

Back from the Rio Grande

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Wow, what a month. I just returned from guiding 2 trips through the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande and then a long weekend of speaking and reconnecting with friends at Canoecopia in Madison. The Lower Canyons are special, hard to describe, they need to be experienced. Words like solitude, spirit, astonishing, fun, unknown, adventure, dusty, warm, exciting, relaxing, just hard to describe. I had two great groups a total of 8 for each trip. It was a tale of two trips. When we started with the first group the river was flowing at almost 300 cfs at Rio Grande Village, the second trip was 50 cfs. Springs boost the flow to make paddling always possible, but certainly the water was much pushier for the first group. Group 1 had eight days of cobalt blue skies and daytime highs that twice pushed into the nineties. Group 2 had a frost … Continue reading →

Everglades Trip Report

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Just returned from an 11-day trip where we paddled 135 miles from Flamingo, Florida to Everglades City. An ocean voyage that split the heart of the Everglades. My partners on the journey were Fran Rulon-Miller and travel writer Larry Rice from Buena Vista, Colorado; veteran Minnesota paddler Darrel Foss and the legendary Cliff Jacobson. Fran and Larry paddled a 42-year-old Old Town Tripper, Darrel and Cliff were in a Dagger Venture and I paddled a solo Bell Yellowstone with a Cooke Custom Sewing cover. The January drive to south Florida is a never ending parade of strip malls and naked trees. We spent a night at a northern Florida state park where freestyle paddling rockstar Jim Mandle volunteers as a blacksmith. The state park rents out quaint cabins with massive wraparound screen porches, fireplaces and rocking chairs. But it was no time to be rocking, as the Suwannee  River flowed … Continue reading →

BWCA Permit Reminder

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DSC_0255-300x200You may now reserve BWCAW permits for the 2014 summer season on a first come first served basis. Permits are required for all day and overnight visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Permits do not reserve a campsite, but rather grant access to a particular entry point.  Booking ahead and paying a fee is not necessary from October 1 – April 30th and is not subject to a quota.  During this time you may pick up a day permit (non-quota) at designated issuing stations the day of or the day before entry.  Similarly, during the summer season, day permits can be obtained in the same fashion. However, overnight permits are required for the summer months and quotas can fill early, possibly spoiling canoeing opportunities if paddlers have not planned ahead. … Continue reading →

Out of the Everglades

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DSCN1180-300x225Just completed an 11-day 135 mile trip by solo canoe in the Everglades wilderness. My route was from south to north so I was buffeted by 4 salvos of cold fronts for very unFlorida like weather. But the bracing winds were preferred to the sultry  days that I had anticipated.

Sometimes, I wonder why I eschew the comforts of home for stints in the wilds. One reason came clear to me in a barber shop yesterday, the same day that I awoke  sleeping on a platform and listening to Barred Owls and the flat quack of White Ibis.

Arriving at a south Florida hotel I made a discovery. While on my journey, my beard trimmer had accidentally turned on in my duffle bag and its integral battery completely ran down. … Continue reading →

Way down upon the Suwanne River

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DSC_0255-300x200yesterday on the Suwanne River

Leaving tomorrow morning on a ten day trip in the Everglades. Great companions on the journey: my good friends, Cliff Jacobson, Darrell Foss, Larry Rice and Fran Rulon. It’s my first time in the Glades since 1972 and I am excited. Hope to see lots of birds, manatees, pythons, and lots of gators. Unfortunately, weather is on the cool side. In 1972 I spent the coldest day of my life skin diving off Key Largo so maybe history is repeating itself, oh well.