“A finer Folbot trip couldn’t be had”

That’s how Steve Cosner, Folbot Ambassador, described his trip to Thousand Island Lake in an email to us.  After reading about his trip, we’d be hard pressed to disagree.

Thousand Island Lake is a large alpine lake within the boundaries of the Ansel Adams Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest and Inyo National Forest and is located in eastern Madera County, California.  The lake was formed by a retreating glacier and gets its name from all of the rocky islands that dot its surface.

In 2007, Steve took a camping trip to Thousand Island Lake and was greeted with a beautiful view of the water as you can see in the picture below.

A View to Inspire…a Folbot Kayaking Trip!

I’m sure it took one look for him to decide what he had to do, plan a return trip to the area so that he could bring his Folbot Greenland II and do some kayaking in the lake. It took him close to four years to return, but Steve finally made his dream a reality last August.  He planned and completed a wonderful kayaking trip to Thousand Island Lake.

Steve’s story is below but you can also check it out by clicking here.

“I built a kayak from a Folbot kit when I was a teenager and had lots of fun using it. Then ten years ago, I bought a foldable version from the same company, the two-seater Greenland II … it sure expands the options on trips.” – We can all agree about that Steve!

“So early this spring, a friend was asking about a backpacking trip to Thousand Island Lake, so I called the Reds Meadow Pack Station. They assured me they could pack my boat in a bag to Thousand Island Lake, so I signed on. I wanted to take my wife and daughter in, too, but they couldn’t hike the ten miles, so we reserved three horses as well.

So August rolled in, and off we went. We spent two nights in Mammoth to acclimate, then showed up at the Agnew Meadows pack station with what seemed like a huge amount of gear. The packers had four mules ready to go, but one got the day off. All the gear — three kayaks, two bear-proof pack boxes, and camping gear for seven fit onto three mules!

Here’s 20-year-old Rick, with the longer boat bags.” – These long frames carry the frames for the large cockpit boats like the Greenland II

No roof racks on a mule!

“It took several hours to get the mules loaded and the horses lined up. We got a late start, but the trail was beautiful — more flowers than I’d seen on any other trail. We took the “High Trail” into Thousand Island Lake.

Fred and the mules

Water break — Charlee did well riding all the way. It took four hours.

Once we arrived at the lake, there was much work setting up our camp and building the kayaks. Here’s my reward…

Charlee and I enjoyed a quiet paddle each evening, exploring islands and the view.

On the second day, the three of us paddled out, along with Jenny in a single-seat kayak, going to the west end of the lake.

Enough Room for the Whole Family!

Great looking pair!

Here’s Marek and David. David joined the trip when I posted plans on the Folbot Forum. That’s Banner Peak in the background. Three of us climbed it on the third day.

The more the merrier!

Here’s a view of Thousand Island Lake from the summit of Banner Peak.

Well worth the hike

On the morning of the fourth day, I went out for a paddle to take pictures.

What a view!

View from the tent

Everyone wants to get out on that water!

Group picture

A good looking bunch! And the Folbots are nice too!

The altitude and sun exposure was the roughest part of the trip. It took two nights at Mammoth, and two more at the lake before I felt completely normal. Marek had to bail on the Banner peak climb half way up due to AMS — he had less than 60 hours at altitude, and it wasn’t enough. We didn’t cover every inch of my daughter’s exposed skin, so she got some burn, and we should have taken sunglasses for her. Her eyes were ok, but bloodshot after we returned. My wife had swollen hands and feet after returning home! Oh, and riding a horse… for this backpacker, it isn’t much fun. On the way out, I opted to lead my horse for a quarter of the distance. Turns out I could walk at the same speed as the horses; but eating their dust wasn’t much fun. Better than screaming feet and knees, though.

This trip was truly a memorable experience, well worth the planning and expense. The good times, the fun with friends, paddling on one of the prettiest places in the Sierra… What a trip!

All my pictures are here: Thousand Island Lake Kayaking trip 2011“

Thanks for sharing Steve!  We know your story will inspire other paddlers to take that trip they’ve always been dreaming about!

Stay tuned for more stories, pictures and anecdotes from other Folbot Ambassadors.

Happy Paddling!

Folbot Sponsors The 2012-16 Great African Expedition

We are thrilled to be sponsoring Anthropologist and modern day African explorer Julian Monroe Fisher’s 2012-16 Great African Expedition.  Mr. Fisher and the The Great African Expeditionary team will begin using fully loaded FOLBOT GREENLAND II kayaks with upwind sailing rigs and outriggers on the Upper Nile River in South Sudan and on their circumnavigation of Uganda’s Lake Albert and Lake Victoria.   

Additional details about the 2012-16 Great African Expedition is below and check out the website at: http://www.julianmonroefisher.com/greatafrica/index.htm

About Mr. Julian Monroe Fisher and The Great African Expedition:

Mr. Julian Monroe Fisher is a US citizen from Greenwood, South Carolina, currently based in Austria.  He is an explorer, an Anthropologist, an Ethnographic filmmaker, a publisher author, a Fellow with The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) in London and an International Fellow with the British Chapter of The Explorers Club in New York City. Between 2007 and 2011 he conducted five consecutive Explorers Club flag sanctioned research expeditions to the African continent (see his personal website at www.JulianMonroeFisher.com)

On February 22, 2012, Mr. Fisher announced a five year Ethnographical research project deep in the heart of Africa. Entitled, ‘The 2012-2016 Great African Expedition’, he is conducting a 21st century Ethnographical documentation of Central Africa.  The project will have him retracing the African expeditionary routes of the famed Victorian explorers including Speke, Grant, Brazza, Burton, Baker,
Baumann, Linz, Livingstone and Stanley.

The objective will be to compare the 19th century Ethnographic documentation of the tribal kingdoms along the Central African rivers and lakes gathered during the expeditions of the Victorian age with the
realities of 21st century Central Africa. For all the journeys he will implore the use of kayaks, camels, donkeys, horses, trains and on foot.

Phase One of the project took place between late February and
early May 2012, with the successful overland journey from Cairo, Egypt, to
Khartoum, Sudan. Here is a link to initial media coverage for Phase One of
The 2012-2016 Great African Expedition: http://www.julianmonroefisher.com/greatafrica/pages/media.htm

During Phase Two which is scheduled in late 2012 and early 2013 he will travel from Khartoum up the Nile and across the new nation of South Sudan to Lake Albert in Uganda. There he will circumnavigate Lake Albert, then follow the Semliki River to the Lamia River tributary that flows down from the Rwenzori Mountains. He will then follow that tributary up to the glacier on Mount Stanley.

The objectives of the expedition will be to:

• Follow the expeditionary routes of the great Victorian age explorers to compare the 19th century Ethnographic documentation of the tribal kingdoms along the Central African rivers and lakes gathered during the expeditions of the Victorian age with the realities of 21st century Central Africa;

• Conduct & document Ethnographical research in photography and film (Cultural & Physical) research;

• Gather content for a book and Ethnographic film entitled ‘AFRICA – One Man’s Search for the Heart of Africa’.

We look forward to working with “Monroe” and his team as they prepare for this EPIC JOURNEY

Introducing the Gremlin! The Newest Member of the Fleet!

Today is an exciting day for us at Folbot.  We are formally releasing the newest member of our fleet, the Gremlin!

The Gremlin is the newest addition to our Folbot fleet!

Inspired by the Citibot, the Gremlin is lightweight, ultra-portable and easy to assemble.  At 12 feet long and 27 lbs, it can accommodate larger paddlers and payloads and its length enables it to track more like a touring kayak and get up to speed quickly.  The Gremlin rounds out our offering in the Recreation category and its design incorporates everything we love about the Citibot with the added benefits of a larger kayak.

The Gremlin is beautifully designed to fit in a backpack for easy transport and storage and it assembles quickly so it’s the perfect boat to throw in a car or RV, on a boat or to take with you on a hike, bike or camping trip.

How did we come up with the name?  Well, we wanted something that captured the performance of the boat on the water but also spoke to its manageability on dry land.  It reminded us of some characters we once saw in a movie that were well behaved and fun loving…until they got wet!

To celebrate the release of our latest boat we are having a contest on Facebook.  Please check it out for a chance to win a brand new Gremlin!  

We know once you get a chance to learn more about the Gremlin, you’ll love it as much as we do.  To check out the Gremlin on our website click here.

You can also view some new videos on YouTube of the Gremlin by clicking the links below:

Coming out of the bag

Frame being assembled

Sponsons installed 

Skin put on the frame

Finished Product.

The Gremlin Specifications Are As Follows:

Length / Beam:  12’/34”

Height: 13”

Weight: 27 lbs.

Cockpit Size: 30”x16”

Maximum Payload: 250 lbs.

Assembly Time: 12 minutes

We look forward to answering any questions you may have about the new Gremlin!  Please like us on Facebook!

Best,

Bill, Eric & Scott

Happy February

Wow… February already.

With the way the weather’s been, it’s time grab some friends, get your Folbot and hit the water!

Cold

This morning in Charleston, Folbot’s home town, the temperature was 28 degrees with a wind chill of 21 — our first real cold day of the winter. In honor of the chilly temperatures, we thought we would share this photo of a paddler in Dubai:

Ahhhh…

David A.

Happy New Year!

From all of us at Folbot…

Happy Holidays

Sharing this photo has become a Folbot holiday tradition on this blog…

Folbot didn't always just make kayaks!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Folbot.

David A.

Working Hard!

This is one of the better photos from a Folbot quality control meeting.

Herb really dives into his work.

David A.

Happy Holidays Sale

Just announced… a one day Holiday Sale!

And if you order, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a $375 carbon fiber Northern Lights paddle!

Happy Holidays!

Indoor Kayaking… Sort Of

One of the traditions that exist regarding Folbot kayaks is that new ones should first be assembled in one’s living room.

But once it’s used, the kayak is usually stored in its bag in a closet, a garage or barn. Some owners, however, keep the kayak assembled and store it inside their house or apartment. At that point, there may be alternate uses for the kayak — as in this case with a Citibot.

Good kitty.

What other ways could a Folbot be used inside?

Many thanks to Terrence Wong for sharing these photos.

David A.