Wondering what’s going on at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply right now? Well, the skis and snowshoes are gone, and in are the canoes, kayaks and (new for this year!) stand up paddle boards. Also new this year are Big Agnes sleeping bags and Mountain Hardwear tents, plus the latest in outdoor clothes, boots, shoes and sandals.

Melissa's "Tower of Power"

Along with the new, great gear you will also find some of your old favorites – perhaps just displayed in a different way.  We have three carousels of boats and a “tower of power,” which is Melissa’s masterpiece. Come in to the store to see some of the great clothing she has on display there!

Another area we’re putting together right now is the fly fishing department.  The steelhead trout are starting to run in this neck of the woods (so I guess the real question is, can we fish and still get the store pulled together?)  We have gotten in a great selection of Tenkara and St. Croix rods, Pflueger and Redington reels.  I see boxes from Cortland and we are trying to get our fly case set up so that it is easier to find our locally tied flies.

We’re also putting our final preparations together for tours! We anticipate starting our kayak tours over Memorial Day. We are increasing the tour fleet and getting our guides certified and recertified. Next week, we are once again putting on a Wilderness First Aid class for our staff and the public. You can feel safe going on any tour with Stone Harbor as it is a requirement that all guides be trained and are a holder of at least a Wilderness First Aid certificate.

Finally, if you have access to the Cook County New Herald you may have seen the article about the Hudson Bay-Bound ladies.  We are donating a canoe to their cause of being the first women to paddle Eric Sevareid’s route from Fort Snelling to Hudson Bay, which he chronicled in his book Canoeing with the Cree.  This is a 2250-mile trek and will take them all summer.  When they return, we will have the canoe in our shop for a short while, and will then have it auctioned off by Camp Menogyn with all proceeds going to their camper program.

There’s a lot going on this spring – stay tuned to this blog and our Facebook page for more updates. We hope to see all of you soon.