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Some days are simply unsuitable for paddling. When the temperature plummets and the wind picks up (in this case to 8 degrees with winds gusting to 48 knots), the boats stay home. But we cautiously venture out to explore the transformed landscape. We are especially fond of the fumaroles that form on the ice shelf at the edge of the lake. OK, they aren’t really fumaroles, technically speaking. But they are the closest thing to volcanic vents we see in our area. These gape-mouthed cones form when on-shore winds push almost-frozen waves and spray through cracks in the ice shelf. Water and brick-size pieces of ice splurt up and freeze where they land, building up the cone. Our gift to you this sub-freezing morning: Watch a Lake Michigan fumarole gush forth without leaving the comfort of your home. Just don’t tell a volcanologist. http://havekayakswilltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Fumerol.mp4...

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We just had the pleasure of providing a much-needed five-day stop for Sarah Outen on her human-powered circumnavigation of the globe. Sarah set out by kayak from London in March 2011. She paddled to France, bicycled across Europe and Asia, paddled to Japan, bicycled down Japan, rowed across the Pacific, kayaked along the Aleutian Islands, and is now bicycling from Alaska to Cape Cod. Then she’ll row across the Atlantic back to London. She and her bike, Hercules, were due for some maintenance and general TLC. It takes a village to provide for a weary traveler, of course. Jay Jones of Copper Oven Pizza picked Sarah up in Elgin and drove her to our house, delivering Hercules on a roll-out shelf in the back of his truck. (Snow and presentation dates kept her from riding all the way here.) Jay Shefsky of WTTW produced a live segment about Sarah on Chicago Tonight. Bonnie Perry of All Saints Episcopal Church hosted Sarah’s presentation. Gina Kolk of Integrity Physical Therapy worked on her body–Sarah proclaimed her one of the best three physical therapists she’s ever met–and Kevin of Dan’s Bike Shop worked on Hercules. We had the pleasure of taking her out for Indian and Vietnamese food–Saigon Sisters made the top restaurants list–making and eating waffles and bagels, paddling at the Y and being tourists together in our own city, before driving her back to Elgin to continue her journey. We love hosting and being hosted. There’s an implicit exchange of something far more valuable than currency: home-cooked meals and hospitality for stories and a connection to a great adventure. Everybody emerges enriched. It was a little hard to say good-bye to Sarah. But our paths will cross...

The Art of Winter Awaiting dawn of day upon a chiaroscuro world I gaze drawn in dark and light pencil on paper white. – Day brings luminous sight dots of pure color, predominately white pointillism on display paint on canvas grey. –Mark...

We’ve often called our home a “free bed and breakfast for paddlers.” Lots of remarkable kayakers and canoeists have stayed here over the years, and we feel privileged to be able to offer them a place to stay. At the moment, we’re awaiting the arrival of Sarah Outen, who is circumnavigating the globe under human power. She has paddled down the Thames, bicycled across Europe and Asia, kayaked to Japan, rowed across the Pacific, kayaked along the Aleutians, and is now in the process of crossing North America on bike–in the winter! There’s a serious winter storm watch tonight, but we expect her some time on Tuesday. Local paddlers are eagerly anticipating a talk she’ll be giving at All Saints Episcopal Church on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. (please note that we’ve changed the date due to weather). Chicagoans will be surprised and impressed when they tune in to Chicago Tonight on Thursday, where she’ll be making a live appearance with her bicycle, Hercules. And we’re simply looking forward to being a way station where she can get her muscles and her bike brakes back in shape for the rest of her journey.  ...

Thoughts Aurorian In late January, grey cloaks the blue of day and black of night hides sun, moon and stars shades snow and ice dulls all matter, outside and in darkens thoughts even as daylight moments lengthen, grey preponderates O, blue and black uncover sun, moon and stars… icebows, lunar halos and meteor showers morning star and aurora borealis days and nights phenomenal –Mark Hochmuth, Poet in Residence for Have Kayaks, Will Travel...

Kayaking has redefined the way we look at a map. We still care where the mountains and green spaces are, but we pay special attention to bodies of water: rivers, lakes, and especially oceans. If there’s an opportunity to paddle, we try not to miss it. As an added benefit, bodies of water often include communities of paddlers. Wherever we go, we’re generally able to find people who are happy to paddle with us. Exploring unfamiliar waters with people who know them well is one of the great pleasures of traveling. We just returned from San Francisco, where we spent two days on the water with some of the instructors from California Canoe & Kayak. CCK Program Director Sean Morley invited us to tag along as the staff participated in workshops on rock gardening, stroke refinement, rescues and navigation. We chose the rock gardening session, since that’s an activity we don’t have opportunities to do much on our own home waters. For those who are unfamiliar with rock gardening, it involves maneuvering in, around and sometimes over rocks and other features. It may include poking into caves, paddling under arches, catching pour-overs, and threading through rocks and boulders. It requires timing, control, confidence and, ideally, a plastic boat. Depending on the size and period of the swell, a spot that is fun one day may be hazardous the next. We were fortunate to venture out with experienced rock gardeners who are familiar with the area, including Bill Vonnegut and Lily Kelsey, both Neptune’s Rangers as well as CCK instructors, and Bryant Burkhardt, ACA Instructor Trainer and all-around paddling enthusiast. With them and the other welcoming CCK instructors, we paddled under the Golden Gate Bridge and explored the features along the scenic coast of the Marin Headlands. The next day, there was nothing to see. Fog blanketed the entire Bay. We could barely see the seawall on the south side of Horseshoe Cove. If someone had removed the Golden Gate Bridge and the entire city of San Francisco, we wouldn’t have known. Paddling in fog is much like flying through clouds. It’s hard to discern how fast you’re going and nearly impossible to tell what’s around you. One minute you feel alone on the ocean, and the next you’ve come upon a creepy-cool yacht named the Galeocerdo anchored off the Sausalito seawall ($33 million, according to one source, in case you’re wondering). But you should know where you are through a combination of chart, compass, watch and tide tables. Again, we were fortunate to be paddling with new friends who knew these waters well–Bryant and Lindsay Burkhardt–as well as our longtime friend Chris Hoffman, who recently moved to this area....

Doesn’t every paddling blog have a poet in residence? Well, we do. We met Mark Hochmuth at the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium two years ago, when he was a student in our one-coach class (in which a group of students stays with the same coach or coaches for the entire weekend, instead of taking part in the a la carte symposium classes). His enthusiasm and his questions were inspiring, and we had a great weekend with him and nine other participants. He signed up again the next year. In between symposia, Mark sent us poems. Some were about seasons, some about paddling. At one point, he sent us a collection of poems inspired by the Beaufort scale. He doesn’t submit his poems for publication or read them at public events; he just shares them with people he thinks will appreciate them. Which includes us. After much thought, we asked Mark whether he’d be willing to be our poet in residence, and allow us to publish some of his poems on our blog. And generously (not to mention modestly), he agreed. So here is the inaugural poem of Mark’s poet in residence program–a poem about a young Arctic explorer from Kalamazoo–that reminds us how fortunate we are to be able to get out in the cold and return safely home. Thank you, Mark, for agreeing to share these with the paddling public.   For Edward Israel, Arctic Pioneer; b. 1849 d. 1884 Sergeant, Signal Corp, U.S. Army; 1881 Arctic Expedition A writer’s ink flows in the warmth of home As his thoughts drift to a snow covered hill In the old cemetery called Mountain Home An obelisk endures another winter’s chill Where it has stood one hundred thirty years For Edward Israel who perished in arctic cold Scientist and explorer, age twenty-five years A monument to bravery and suffering untold One of eighteen men who starved to death A national tragedy, an arctic expedition On Ellesmere Island in Canada’s far north Another executed for stealing food rations Relief ships in ice, three years no resupply Desperate 500 mile retreat, six men survived Including commander Lt. Adolphus Greeley Only body of  Edward Israel not cannibalized A historical marker commemorates his short life The museum has last letter written to home In pencil with calm resolve explaining plight Though all experienced history will never know… We, who seek the out-of- doors in winter, empathize Whether by foot, skis, snowshoes, kayak or canoe Hopefully, like hardships none shall ever realize And always return to comfort of hearth and...

Another year, another round of kit we’ve put to the test. Here’s what we tested and what we liked in 2014: North Water Dynamic Sea Tow Pro North Water’s newest tow system, developed in consultation with Leon Somme and Shawna Franklin of Body Boat Blade International, features a bag that opens completely (rather than into a pouch) for swift deployment and packing. We love the interchangeable parts and the adjustable shock absorption system. The bag is also more flexible and less bulky than the Sea Tec Tow Line, enabling it to wrap against the body. $100 Kokatat Icon Women’s Rear-Entry Dry Suit  The flat, flexible waterproof zipper makes the drop seat on this dry suit unnoticeable — until, that is, you’re happy to be able to relieve yourself without taking off all your gear. The Icon zips across the back of the shoulders instead of diagonally across the chest. This dry suit also has the features that make the Meridian great: reinforcement on high-use areas, neoprene cuffs over the latex gaskets on wrists and neck, and excellent customer service for the lifetime of the garment. $1,150 Peak UK Open-Palm Mitts These fantastic 2 mm. mitts are perfect when it’s too cold for bare hands but not quite cold enough for pogies. Unlike gloves, they allow contact between your hands and the paddle shaft. Stitching between forefinger and middle finger make them stay on when you want, but allow you to easily slip them off your fingers when you need to do things requiring more dexterity. $32 Snap Dragon Designs Hot Hands Pogies When the weather is one notch colder, these 3 mm. pogies are ideal. The neoprene is stiff enough to make entry and exit easy, and the 1.5-inch velcro strip keeps them secure on the paddle shaft. A canoe version has a hole in one pogie for a paddle grip. On a recent canoe trip, they prevented some serious misery. $35 West Marine Stainless Steel Serrated Rigging Knife   We’ve experimented with all kinds of rescue knives and hooks. This one holds up well to fresh and saltwater, is easy to open and close with one hand, and is cheap enough that it’s not a tragedy when you lose it. $22 Kokatat WoolCore We wear Kokatat’s WoolCore top and bottom alone under a dry suit on cool days, and under another layer on truly cold days. It wicks well, dries quickly, doesn’t get stinky after multiple days of use, and doesn’t chafe. $80 MSR Twing Two-Person Tarp Shelter Super light, super compact, the Twing provides protection when you or your gear need a dry spot, even in wind. You can pitch it quickly and easily with a paddle and wait out a storm in comfort....