I love to paddle and probably do even more paddling than hiking, although lightening my load has certainly helped to let me strike a good balance between the two.
Although I have a 16.5' touring kayak ( P&H Capella 166) and enjoy using it, I still prefer canoeing. I have a Bell Northstar 16.5' tandem( Kevlar, weighs about 48-49 lbs.), which I've also paddled quite a bit solo (leaning it and paddling on one side) and love this boat. Last November I picked up a second hand pack canoe, a Bell 12' Bucktail in a combination fiberglass/kevlar layup. It weighs about 28-29 lbs., which isn't as light as they're making these boats now, but still a big improvement over my Northstar for carrying. Just had it out for the first time on an overnight trip in the Adirondacks a week ago, and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to getting out more with it. Am planning to do a through trip in the St. Regis canoe area (for those familiar with the Adk's) at the end of June with some others. If my wife decides not to come, I'll be in the Bucktail, which should be perfect for that area of small and medium sized lakes and ponds with lots of carries.

I do most of my wilderness paddling in the Adirondacks, but have done several 7-8 day trips in Algonquin and one last year in Temagami. This year we're planning a 7-8 day trip all in the Adirondacks, partially in areas newly acquired for the forest preserve by the state. We should have at least one 3 mile carry in there and several other pretty good sized ones. For those familiar with the Adk's, it looks like we'll be going from Lake Lilah to Lows Lake to the Oswegotchie and out to Inlet, with maybe some side hikes or other stuff thrown in.

Lightweight techniques have definitely helped me with making portages more manageable, especially on the longer trips.

Steve--I've noticed that you started out in the Dak's. Do you get back there much?

Gerry Magnes
Schenectady, NY