Fifty dollars later. PHOTO: JONATHAN PRATT
NIMBUS » COMFORT FOR KIDS
The Salus Nimbus makes water play safer for children and more relaxing for adults. Designed for comfort, the Nimbus is soft to the touch, encouraging children to wear it for hours at a time. Specially contoured to hug little bodies, children will get the best fi t, mobility and safety.
salusmarine.com
[ exPert tiP ]
Portaging Made Easy EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON THIS HEAVY ISSUE
I
t’s a popular debate among paddlers: the correct pronunciation of portage. You say portudge, I say portawje. Regardless of your ver- nacular camp, you likely don’t debate the physical pain portaging can cause. Many would agree that it’s your back that suffers most. Although
my doctor and physiotherapist assure me that portaging doesn’t make my back sore. “Your [portaging] power actually comes from the legs,” says Sea-
mus McCann, of Summit Therapy in Lindsay, Ontario. “Your back is just a stabilizer.” Still, back injury can occur. “But,” says McCann, “that’s from improperly bending down to flip up or lower the canoe.” It’s why V-shaped trees are a boon to portagers—you wedge and
rest the canoe without bending, allowing you to take a much-need- ed break midway through the trail. Steven Hainer, a family practitioner, concurs with McCann. “If your
posture is good, you’re fine. The weight of the canoe,” he adds, “is on your shoulders, not your back.” Ah, yes…the shoulders. I’ve learned to pad them by taping a pool noodle to the yoke. Former Algonquin Park ranger Chris Waters may have a better
technique. He straps his paddles to the thwart and yoke, resting the blades on his shoulders. “That width distributes the weight more evenly,” he says. “And you can hold onto the paddles instead of the gunwales, which means your arms don’t get sore because they’re not spread as far apart.”—Denis Grignon
www.canoerootsmag.com 23
…
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48