St Louis Canoe and Kayak Club

06/07/2026

Another paddling get-together this Tuesday evening at Simpson Lake by the Big Muddy rentals, 6:30. You will need a boat, as their rentals are not open on Tuesday evenings. Everyone welcome. You MUST wear a life jacket.

06/01/2026

The DASA (Disabled Athletes Sports Asso.) paddles at Creve Coeur Lake have started. TRR provides boats for participants. Anyone with decent paddling skills is welcome to assist. Here are the dates: May 28, June 10th, July 8th, July 22, 2026, August 5, August 19, and September 9th. They begin at 5:15 so please arrive before then.

05/28/2026

05/21/2026

Do you use any of these apps?

Best Navigation Apps For 2026 | I’m not afraid of technology, but I’ve always preferred to avoid it. Thus, my adoption of navigation apps for my smartphone has been gradual. It started with the intro to navigation course I teach for natural environment students at my local college. The curriculum focuses on using handheld compasses and physical maps, but over time, there’s been more pressure to integrate technology.

Developing new lessons for “GPS-enabled navigation tools” forced me to learn different smartphone navigation apps. The experience has made me a reluctant convert. And, when I finally upgraded my personal smartphone last year, I truly appreciated just how handy, confidence-inspiring and evolved nav tech has become. Whether it’s used for crossing open water in the fog by sea kayak, bushwhacking between lakes on a wilderness canoe trip, trekking through trailless hills or just chasing my students through the bush, these are the apps that have earned an icon on my home screen.

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4qts0eD

✍️/📷: Conor Mihell

05/21/2026

An Inflatable Life Jacket Could Save Your Life: Here’s How To Choose The Right One

"When I ask Lili Colby to recommend the best PFD for me, her answer of a belt pack inflatable catches me off guard. I’ve been paddling for over 30 years, in just about all disciplines—sea kayaking, canoeing, whitewater boating and a bit of standup paddleboarding. I’ve had a series of paddling-specific foam PFDs with pockets, quick-release towboats, and other bells and whistles. Over the past decade I’ve focused mostly on canoe tripping: multi-week journeys with a mix of lakes and down- and upstream travel, and many portages.

Colby is the industry and outreach representative at Mustang Survival and a longtime paddling professional. She also attends many industry events where she puts on presentations about inflatable life jacket operations and maintenance.

I made a confession to her: I appreciate the margin of safety my PFD affords on big water, but its bulk is an uncomfortable nuisance on hot, calm days and long portages, where it simply gets in the way. It’s a relief when Colby doesn’t pass judgment when I hesitantly tell her that on the usual flatwater day in midsummer, my PFD serves as a sunshade for the food duffel in the middle of my canoe.

“You’re not alone in doing that,” she intones. “But there’s a better solution.”

Continue reading: https://bit.ly/4diKAms

✍️: Conor Mihell
📷: David Jackson