Java Jive: The Ch’i of Coffee

Java Jive

The Ch’i of Coffee

Coffee. For some of us, breakfast’s not worth the bother without it, and a campfire without a coffeepot on the boil is incomplete. But while we’ll all agree on coffee’s allure, we can still fall out over the best way to brew it.
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by Tamia Nelson | July 19, 2005

A Tamia Nelson Article on Backinthesameboat.com

What’s the most evocative aroma? The pungent perfume given off by the forest floor after a gentle rain? The spicy mist that swirls around a falls on sultry summer evenings? The sharp tang of a salt flat at low tide? The electric rasp of ozone hanging in the air after a lightning strike? Or is it the fragrance of fresh-brewed coffee, rising from a fireside pot as tendrils of fog drift across the cool waters of a mountain lake at daybreak?

I know which one gets my vote. Of course, many paddlers begin their day with a hot cup of tea. Others favor orange or grapefruit juice — or at least a reasonable facsimile. And a dissipated minority crave something cold and cloying and carbonated. No matter. Each to his own, I say. But I remain adamant. Until I have a mug of coffee in … Read more »

Dispatches from Our Readers: A Few Words From the Texas Hills

Dispatches from Our Readers

A Few Words From the Texas Hills

At last! Summer’s come to North America, and paddlers are making the most of it. But in the midst of all the hubbub and hustle it’s sometimes hard to keep our eyes on the prize. That’s why we need to take a break every so often, to step back and remind ourselves what it’s all about. This week, in “Our Readers Write,” Tamia and Farwell do just that, with a little help — make that a LOT of help — from a Texas paddler.
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by Tamia Nelson and Farwell Forrest | May 31, 2005

At last! Summer’s come to North America, and paddlers are making the most of it. As departure dates loom nearer, routes are scrutinized and tweaked, travel arrangements finalized, and piles of gear crammed hastily into bulging packs and bags. It’s a hectic time, and in the midst of all the hubbub and hustle it’s hard to keep our eyes on the prize. That’s why we need to take a break now and then, to step back and remind ourselves what it’s all about. This week we do just that, with a little help — make that a lot … Read more »

Smoothing It: Secrets of a Happy Camper

Smoothing It

Secrets of a Happy Camper

Camping can be great fun, but the fun fades fast if you’re soaked, bug-bitten, hungry, or tired. A few days of misery like that, and you’ll find yourself daydreaming about the traffic jam on the way to the office. You don’t have to rough it when you hit the trail, though. Here Tamia tells you how to smooth your way in the wild.
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by Tamia Nelson | August 10, 2004

A Tamia Nelson Article on Backinthesameboat.com

We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home.…
—Nessmuk (George Washington Sears)

Some folks like roughing it, or think they do. I did, once. My dream of a good time was hanging like an addled bat from the flank of a knife-edged ridge and snatching forty winks in a gale-buffeted tent, while waiting for the next avalanche to sweep down off the towering heights. So when my first long camping trip proved to be a never-ending ordeal of sodden clothes and blood-sucking flies, I shrugged off my misery, comforting myself with the thought that I was preparing for bigger and better agonies to come. But … Read more »

The Lady’s Not for Turning: The Extraordinary Story of Mina Hubbard

The Lady’s Not for Turning

The Extraordinary Story of Mina Hubbard

There were woodswomen long before “Woodswoman,” and one in particular stands out. In 1903, Mina Hubbard’s husband starved to death in Labrador. Two years later, his widow was leading an expedition along the same route, determined to finish the job her husband had left undone.
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by Tamia Nelson | November 12, 2002

Mina Hubbard on the Trail - 1905 - A Tamia Nelson Article on Backinthesameboat.com

Some of my happiest hours have been spent in library basements. Dark, dank, and neglected, they often house unexpected treasures: government reports describing the natural history of remote regions, bound volumes of nineteenth-century magazines, old books slated for “weeding” (librarians prefer to call this “de-accessioning”) … . What with one thing and another, trips into these dusty catacombs are always fascinating. Many turn into voyages of exploration among forgotten literary landscapes, with every shelf promising something new — and often delivering.

On one such expedition a few years back, I spotted bound volumes of Harper’s Monthly Magazine. Here was a find, indeed! Though not known as a sporting periodical — today’s Harper’s takes its job as a guardian of high culture very seriously — its turn-of-the-(last)-century counterpart occasionally printed articles about canoeing and kayaking. Ever hopeful, I lost no time … Read more »