Wayfinder Ali

It's Sugar Plum Season!

Sugar plums, AKA American Persimmons are ready, right now, if you live in the south. Now is the time to go out and harvest them. I'm in North Carolina and have been harvesting for the last week.

I love the taste but hate the texture of fresh persimmons, so I have figured out a few different ways to eat them to avoid that snotty texture.

How to Harvest

I head over to a Persimmon tree armed with a large pot with a bail handle for easy carrying, a tarp and an arborists throw ball (get the 12 oz ball)

The ripe persimmons are SUPER squishy. If they're firm at all, they aren't ripe yet. You can split one open and put it to your tongue if you aren't sure. Less-than-ripe persimmons make your mouth pucker and get super dry. Trust me, it's REALLY obvious if it isn't ripe.

First, I hunt around on the ground, stepping VERY carefully to find all the perfectly ripe persimmons that have just fallen that day. Once I'm satisfied I've gotten the good ones, I spread a tarp out and get out my throw ball.

How to get more persimmons with an arborists throw ball:

Processing the Sugar Plums

If you have zero time for processing and want to eat them, but also hate the texture, just smash them onto your fruit trays in your dehydrator. I love THIS dehydrator because it has a timer- no more getting up in the middle of the night to turn off the machine. Smash them so that each persimmon is an even thickness. I just throw the dried whole fruits in a bag and eat around the seeds.

You'll need a food mill or a blender with plastic dough blades to separate the pulp from the seeds. I use THIS food mill which is turned by hand.

I do one of two things with the pulp- I either freeze it to bake with later or I spread it on fruit trays in my dehydrator and make fruit leather.

Here is a video tutorial:

Happy Harvesting!!

Pimp your PFD -What a kayaking guide puts in her PFD- a video update for 2025

Way back in 2010, I wrote this post on what I kept in my Stohlquist kitty PFD while leading sea kayaking expeditions. When I wrote that post, I had led around a thousand miles of trips. Now that mileage has grown significantly, and what I carry in my new Kokatat Hustle PFD has changed a little bit too. Here is a video update, and more info below the video if you would like to read more.

Here is what is in my Kokatat Hustle PFD in the video:

Fox40 Micro Whistle - little and LOUD

NRS Co-Pilot Rescue Knife - the blunt-tipped knife with a quick release sheath designed to integrate into a PFD knife holder

Petzl E+Lite Ultra Compact Headlamp - the tiny waterproof headlamp that lives in my PFD so I always have a light

Black Diamond Storm 500 Lumen Headlamp - I carry this when I plan to be out in the dark. It is VERY bright

Petzl Djinn Bent Gate Carabiner - Totally rust-proof. The bent gate makes it smoother to use.

My favorite reef-safe sunscreens:

Sky & Sol Mineral Tallow Sunscreen - the best sunscreen for your skin

Badger Mineral Sunscreen - clean ingredients, super effective sunscreen

Blue Lizard Face Stick -this fits REALLY well in a PFD pocket

Badger SPF Lip Balm - clean ingredients

But what about your phone?

Because I paddle in salt water, I keep my phone in the Nite Ize Runoff Phone Case that allows me to still use it while keeping it safe. Unfortunately, in the bag it doesn't fit in my PFD, so I wear it around my neck, and tuck my phone between my body and my PFD

What I'm adding in 2025

I've always kept my water bottle in my cockpit, which is awful when I'm in choppy conditions and wearing a spray skirt. Leaving my water on the deck of my boat means that it gets really hot in the sun. I've always hesitated to put a hydration bladder on my PFD, but this year I'll be leading 6 weeks of trips and I have decided to try it out.

NRS makes the Swig PFD Hydration pack, which fits most of their PFDs, but I am unsure whether it will fit mine. I plan to order it and see if it fits. If it doesn't I guess I'll be making something myself.

Triangle Mountain Biking Resources

I get asked this question SO much, so I decided to put all the info in one place for you. If you're a mountain biker who recently moved to the North Carolina Triangle or you already live here and new to riding, here's all the info you need for getting the most out of this area.

We are lucky that we have a TON of places to go with a good bit of variation in terrain.

Places to Ride

First, download a couple of apps dedicated to mountain biking. The two I use are Trail Forks and MTB Project. I usually prefer Trail Forks, but I have both because the data detail can vary between the apps. They are both free.

Trail Forks

MTB Project

Here's a list of legal places to mountain bike within an hour of Raleigh:

Lake Crabtree - flowy beginner and intermediate trails, advanced loop, skills sections, jump area and pump track
Forest Ridge - very flowy and great for beginner and intermediate riders
San Lee - most people love it or hate it, located in Sanford. Lots of rock gardens and technical sections. It also has a gravity park
RTP - 4 miles of trail, flowy and fast. No amenities
New Light - pretty views along Falls Lake, difficult, black diamond trail
Beaver Dam- intermediate and advanced loops. $4 fee per car memorial day through labor day
Wake Forest Reservoir
Legend
Harris Lake - very flowy and great for beginner and intermediate riders, has a super fun flow trail
Briar Chapel - a few trails for beginners but mostly for intermediate and advanced riders. Lots of rock gardens
Brumley- Nice large preserve with a few rock gardens. Something for all levels of rider here
Carolina North Forest
Little River Park
Sarah Williamson Preserve

People to Ride with

Triangle Off-road Cyclists (TORC) This group leads trail rides, hosts events and does a TON of trail building and maintenance in the triangle. If you're looking for people to ride with or learn from, you'll want to join. You can find them on their website, Facebook and Meet-up.

Trail Status

Trails in the triangle are very susceptible to erosion and damage if ridden while wet, so expect closures during and after wet weather. Use Triangle MTB to check the status of a park before you head out. This website is updated by users and the status for each location shows when it was updated. If it was updated several days ago, it may be useful to call the park.

If the park you want to go to hasn't been updated recently, try calling their main office. Typically their answering machine will tell you if trails are currently open or closed even outside of office hours.

Know Before Your Go

Helmets are required in all managed parks. Most parks have fines for not wearing a helmet and/or will kick you out
Some parks have bike tools, bathrooms and other facilities (Forest Ridge and Crabtree, for example) and other parks have only a porta-potty or no facilities at all (RTP and Brumley for example)
San Lee asks that all riders sign in at trail head. Proven trail use is how they keep their funding.
Riding alone isn't the safest, but if you must, share your ride plan with a friend
Electric bikes are not allowed at some parks, so check with the park if you have one

How I became an outdoor instructor and educator [video]

How I became an Outdoor Instructor [video link]

My Favorite Paddling Shoes

Links to the shoes I talk about in the video:

Women's ZX2 Chaco

Men's Z2 Chaco

Keen Women's Newport

Keen Men's Newport

(Vibrams no longer in production so no links here)

Women's Astral Loyaks

Men's Loyaks

How to Fix a Roto-molded Plastic Kayak with a Hole in it

While working as a sea kayaking guide, I had to repair some enormous holes in plastic kayaks. One of our trailers was built for canoes and didn't have fenders over the tires. Unfortunately someone wasn't paying attention when loading it with kayaks and the sides of a few boats sat on the tire for a 2 hour trip. We had 3 boats with gaping holes in them.

It isn't very likely that you'll have a kayak with such a large hole, but whatever the size, here's how to fix it.

What you need:

Heavy duty gloves

Heat gun (propane blow torch works in a pinch)

Metal spoon / spatula

Patch (made from spare boat, 50 gallon plastic barrel, etc)

Water bottle for temperature regulation and safety

Safety glasses

Pliers

Clamp (depending on the type of repair)

Rough grit sandpaper

Well ventilated space

Prepping the kayak and the patch

If the hole is next to the seat or any rigging or anything that would either get in the way or catch fire, remove it. For the boat pictured, we had to take the seat out, take the paddle holder off, and move the rudder cable.

Sand the edges of the patch and the edges of the hole. I used a grinder for the patch to make things go faster. Some people will tell you to sand the side of the patch that will stick to the boat and the plastic of the boat around the hole the patch with attach to. I don't know if this helps the patch stick or not because I didn't bother doing it. It's probably worth trying.

Attaching the patch

This is truly the hardest part. I needed assistance because you have to move very quickly.
set up your work space so that everything is accessible.

Put on your gloves
Turn on the heat gun or ignite the torch
With the pliers, hold the patch at a corner
Using the torch/gun, melt the patch to the point that it is droopy but be careful not to burn a hole in it. Its easy to burn a hole through it with a torch. A little harder with the gun. I use slow sweeping motions across the body of the patch
Sweep the torch across the outer edges of the hole enough so that the plastic starts to turn a different color. This boat turned yellow when it was ready, others turn white. be careful not to stay in one place for too long or you'll have two holes instead of one!
You have to work EXTREMELY quickly, while both the patch and the boat are still hot. The patch needs to be pretty droopy and the boat sticky. you'll have to hold the patch in your hands and press it to the boat. Even with gloves on it gets hot!

Smoothing things out

Now that the patch is on, you need to make sure it'll stay on, hold water and look a bit better. This means you'll need to smooth things out. this part is really all about trial and error. It took me a good 15 minutes to get the technique down. Here's what to do.

Get your torch and metal spoon or putty knife
Frequently the edges of the patch won't be stuck to the boat even if the patch is staying stuck to the boat, I held the torch so that the flame went between the edge of the patch and the side of the boat until both turned yellow then I pressed them together using my gloved hand or the spoon.
To smooth things out: heat up a small area (4 square inches) at the edge of the patch until it turns a color but not to the point that it catches on fire
With small sweeping and frequent strokes, sweep the melted plastic of the patch out onto the sides of the boat. move quickly. as the plastic cools, or if you press too hard, the plastic with stick to the spoon. I would frequently wipe the hardened plastic off the back of the spoon using the cinder block
It is best to heat up a small section and focus on it until you are satisfied with the smoothness and then move on. don't heat up a long section and try to work because it cools too quickly
I turned the boat over and propped it up on a cinder block for better access to the bottom of the patch

Sand and check for leaks

Watertight but still needing sanding

Put the boat up on some saw horses if you have them and pour water into the cockpit. Watch for drops of water to come out of the patch. Work these areas over again with the torch.

Now if you want to, you can use the torch on the inside of the boat to transition the plastic of the boat to the patch. This time you're smoothing the plastic of the boat onto the patch. I think this step isn't very necessary unless your patch is leaking.

Now all you need to do is sand the patch smooth.

What about repairs in the field?

The repair above is a reliable, secure and permanent repair, but requires lots of equipment you wouldn't have with you out on a trip. What do you do if you put a hole in your kayak while out on a trip?

Triage paddler safety Keep the paddler safe by either landing or keeping the kayak afloat using a paddle float and improvised flotation made from dry bags filled with air. I always have two paddle floats and an empty dry bag with me on my trips.

Choose repair method Both JB Water Weld and Flex Tape will work underwater. Flex Tape is a great general purpose option, and best for larger holes. JB Water Weld works well for punctures and in places where curvature of the boat won't work as well with Flex Tape. Flex Tape won't work on plastic kayaks that have a dimpled or textured surface.

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