Mom at home! Dad and Son in the Wilderness !

This group have been our guests several times-All from the same company and the manager arrange almost every year a Father and Son tour at Nordmarken Canoe Center. The Company have had training for the staff and different families have been here in our Wilderness House Bockudden several times.  The young ones is now so good canoers so they paddle them self with a good experience it´s learning by doing- Well done. Sorry about all the rain.

Third generation on wilderness tour.

This early morning four young men came to Nordmarken Canoe Center. One of them was the third generation on tour in Nordmarken His father and grandfather have been our guest since 1980 and the father of one of the party will be back later in august with some friends to a wilderness tour.

We gave them a warning because very bad weather is coming in with lots of rain (you can deal with that) but also extreme hard wing, so they was told to go to camp early this afternoon. Some have been and the same tour to remote area before so they know the drill.

Summer will come to the canoe area.

Sometimes ago it was winter in Nordmarken. Right now they call it summer but as far as I can see we haven’t got so much warmer this summer. But it will some in a few days. We are looking forward to a fine month of August. Picture is taken two winters ago north of Nordmarken Canoe Center  

Börjar man bli gammal?

I söndags hände det en del roliga och trevliga grejor på Nordmarkens Kanot Center. Först kom det en bil med en äldre herre som frågade om han fick gå runt och titta, Givetvis sa vi. När tittningen var klar tog han fram ett album med bilder och visa nr han var här för 35 år sedan med sin skolklass.

Medan vi pratade kom ett par och sa att de var för sig för ca 40 år sedan var våra kunder till kanottur i Nordmarken här hos oss. Sedan har de träffats och kommit på att de varit här tidigare var för sig. Det har hänt liknande förut ett par gånger med just par.

Personligen tycker jag att det inte var så läge sedan de var våra gäster, det är kanske minnet som spökar lite.

Många av våra gäster även denna vecka är tidigare kunder. 

Stora träd eller ?

I går måndagen den 20 juli körde vi en av våra programpunkter. ”Skogshuggare för en dag”- 8 deltagare var med, en del vuxna  och ett par ungdomar deltog under dagen. Meningar är att lära folk hantera skarpa verktyg och att fälla träd, såga upp, klyva och stapla. Meningen är att man lär sig hur farligt det är att inte hantera verktygen på rätt sätt. Nu är det inte meningen att våra gäster ute på kanottur skall praktisera, det får vänta tills man kommer hem till sommarstugan, eller får lov av en markägare.

Bilden visar ett av träden vi fällde! nej jag skojar , vi fällde ganska små träd som ungdomarna kunde hantera.

More animals in the canoe area,

When you paddle in small groups 1 or 2 canoes you can come to remote areas where you can see a lot of different animals. One of our guests went on a solo tour for the fourth time and he found on a small island a large beaver cut. On some places in the lake system large bus groups arrive or go home and all going out almost at the same time with a lot of noise, and they see nothing, and we who live here can show point of high interest. That’s the advantage dealing with local canoe outfitters with many years of professional experience, Canoing is not sitting around a campfire making food, drink and make noice adn disturbe nature and others . But it happens, sorry about that.

You always learn something in the Wilderness.

This father was her for tour number six with his children. They made a long tour but the last day they run into severe storm, all waves was white on the top. From Bufjorden ca 8 km south of the Canoe Center in Risviken there was no possibilities to paddle with 4 people in one canoe.

Long-time experience after several tours in Nordmarken and a good deal of information from us during the years, they made a very good decision. They went to Bottnane, put the canoe on the canoe wheels and start walking the 8 kilometres to Base Camp. Had a quick lunch on camp 2 and a hot shower before take-off to Denmark.

That’s the way of common sense in bad weather. There have been some situation this year with groups and private people run into problem and the main thing has been, going out in wind condition with little experience and you will capsize.  So stay at shore when it’s windy.  “No Indian never drown on land”. Well done Fleming and crew.

Deep Respect.

After more than 50 years as a canoe outfitter I met today a father with his little daughter of 10 years. Several weeks ago the store 4 package with food and some equipment and told us they will be on a 45 days canoe tour in the area of Nordmarken and a bit of eastern Norway. The came to day to our Base Camp for one night and to get supply after  they have made a distance of 430 km, 22 portages where one was 18 kilometres and it was made in heavy rain. Tomorrow they will continue paddling to Vänern via Dalslands Canal adding more distance and I think they will made more than 500 km in the canoe.

This is the longest tour ever made by canoers in the area the last 50 years.  Long time ago there was a young boy on his own paddling from Stockholm to Bergen in Norway. At Lake Foxen he found my wilderness hat I have forgotten the year before.

There are many stories to be told at the camp fire after so long time as a canoe outfitter but this tour have my deepest respect and will be told several times when guests talking about “long “ tours and difficulties. 

Small problem, but everything was OK at the ending,

The group with two adults and six young one was here for the second time. They had a hard time due to very bad weather with storm. They had to stop their tour south of Töcksfors and we got the canoes at Västra Fågelvik and took them back to the Canoe Center where they stayed some extra days,

The other photo are a family who have been as our guests the last 11 years since the daughters was very young and they will come back next year we were told. They had paddle against the wind almost the whole week but had a good tour. Some complain about fresh fire wood on some of the camps. At arrival they had a flat tire on the car but we got some help in Årjäng and when they returned to Base Camp in Risviken the tire was fixed.

STAPELEN

Det finns ingenting bedrägligt med en vedstapel. Den förlorar inte i värde på börsen. Den rostar inte. Den tar inte ut skilsmässa. Den bara står där och gör en enda sak-väntar på vintern. Ett kapitalkonto som påminner om dig om arbetet du lagt ned på den. Gråkalla januaridagar kommer klamparna att väckas till liv de vardagarna du sågade, klöv, staplade och ordnade inför kylan. Du minns den vresvuxna kubben som vägrade att låta sig besegras av yxan. Där är det där vedstycket som hamnade snett så att hela stapelen rasade. Där är du. Men nu är det snart vinter och du ska in i eldstaden.

(citat från Lars Myttings bok VED) och jag håller med till 100% 
Det är en del av vår tid när vi inte arbetar med kanotuthyrning och friluftsliv för våra kunder.

Kul familjeäventyr.

Det nya för året med B&B fungerar bra. Vi hade en far med två tonåringar på ett kombinations äventyr i 3 dygn. Dag 1 gick åt till fiske och man fångade abborre i viken vid Kanot Centret i närheten av en risvase vi gjort för ett par år sedan. Nöjda killar trots att det var fadern som fångade fiskarna. En som var för liten släpptes tillbaka i vattnet.

På kvällen älg safari och vi såg ensam älgko + en älgko med en liten kalv, Ett par rådjur och en jagande räv var skörden denna kväll.

Vi hade också några timmar med överlevnadsteknik och uppgöraande av eld med primitiva metoder,

Sista natten blev det övernattning i vindskydd med en värmande eld framför som tändes med eldstål. Klart godkänt

Bra med B&B så kan man ha det lite bekvämt, få en rejäl frukost och ägna dagen  till olika aktiviteter.

Return after 39 years WOW!

39 years ago this couple was at Nordmarken Canoe Center in Risviken for a 10 day Canoe tour with their two daughters. They return yesterday evening in a camper and just want to see where they have been so many years ago. We do have a VIP camp where they could park a few meters from the lake where they paddle so many years ago. It’s so nice to meet guests who have been hare so many years ago. It happens often now a days.   

Early bird take of

Early morning when the sun is a little bit over the horizon this small group to off from Nordmarken Canoe Center.  One in the party has been our guest 4 times and the other two times. They like to start early and are happy that they don’t have to wait in line for getting the canoes and equipment and that we have time for give proper information on their canoe tour with a cop of coffee before they stat I fine weather.

They like our Homepage and our Facebook and are following it almost every day we were told. Nice information for us.

13 is a bad number

Number 13 is a bad number. This family has been our guests twelve times before since 1968 and now back for tur number thirteen. On arrival after a fine tour from Danmark in a car they got a flat tire, air slowly got out of the tire. When we have small groups to go, we have time and can give service right on and had to do so. The father had no tools to remove the flat wheel of and no tools to lift the car, he got it only a few days ago. We spend some minutes with our tools to help and on Monday I will take the wheel to a repair shop to get it fixed. So they got out on the canoe tour after a short while. This is the advantages with small groups. I have permission to tell the story.

Man kan fundera ?

Nu när sommaren äntligen har kommit har vi haft lite udda gäster. Pappa med son eller söner på 3-5 dagar kanottur i Nordmarken- De på bilden var ute och kom hem lite undrande varför att kanotister från ett sydligt grannland till Danmark ockuperar lägerplatserna. Det är två personer vid ett vindskydd.  De har spänt upp en lång lina nära stranden hängt upp kläder, handduker och spridit ut sin utrustning så att det verkligen är BESETTS. Man förstår inte att lägerplatserna och vindskydden är till för alla, och att man måste ge plats för kanotister som inte lägger till redan på förmiddagen för att få vara ensamma Efter nu mera än 50 års paddlande årligen i området tycker jag att detta är oacceptabelt och hoppas att de som gör tillsyn förklara för folk vad som gäller. Man är inte på Kanarieöarna och markerar sin solstol kl. 0600 på morgonen med handdukar som vissa gör.

Då det varit några fina kvällar med fullmåne tog fadern en del fina bilder som vi får tillgång till senare och han har även del i en del bilder på vår hemsida www.nordkanot.se och mera kommer.

One step ahead.

Members of SCOA. Scandinavian Canoe Outfitter Association, are often out on tour by canoe or boat in the region Dalsland - Nordmarken. We want to focus on service to guests who have hired canoes from the members of the Association SCOA. You can recon us by looking on our jacket in red and with the logo on the jacket. We can provide service to our guest but also help others who need assistance. We do all live in the region for ages and know a bit more than temporary guides. So talk to us if you see us. We do keep an eye on the nature  for benefit to the landowners and other guests.

Now it hot in the canoe area and very nice weather.

Right now some of our canoe guests are returning to Base Camp at Nordmarken Kanot Center in Risviken, They tell me that there is a lot of space on camps in the eastern part of the Canoe Country, Nordmarken. But in the western region north of Lennartsfors on Foxen Lake there are a lot of canoers occupied almost all camps. We who live her and are professional Canoe outfitters for more than 50 years, can show you to remote area where there are good chances to be almost alone in the wilderness. On picture one of the camp sites waiting for you.