JUMP INTO SUMMER 2018

Courtesy of Deborah Ann Klenzman

Brace yourself, place yourself and pace yourself! Summer is upon us. Memorial Day Weekend, the Official Unofficial Start of Summer is here. Load up the boat, pack your swimsuit and get outside for a summer of adventure and fun. Not sure where to start?  We have some great tips on ways to make this summer unforgettable. So as Dr. Seuss said,“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way.”

 

Make Memories
Social media essentially took over our lives and the selfie is now part of every outside outing. But, shooting a good Instagram photo with your camera phone is harder than it looks. Photographer Deborah Ann Klenzman suggests shooting from different angles. "Don't settle for just an ordinary shot," said Klenzman. "Try a photo from above looking down on your subject or lie on the floor and shoot up. Experiment with your filters on your camera phone or on Instagram.  She also suggests catching all the events of your vacation, even the difficult moments. "If your car breaks down and you have to hitchhike, take a photo of the guy who gave you a ride. If your ride from the airport falls through and you end up on a city bus take some pictures of the unexpected adventure. These are memories we don't normally think to take pictures of,  but they can be fun things to share and look back on." Progressive Portraits

 

Kayaking 101
What's not to love about gliding across a glassy stretch of the lake as your kayak knifes through the water as you escape the hustle and bustle. It's true anyone can rent a kayak and begin to paddle right away. However, most don't even bother to take a class to learn the basic skills needed to bravely and safely paddle a kayak.
"By the end of the 3-hour class after we learned the basics," said Current Adventure Kayaking School & Trips student Joyce Molthen, "I was confident in my basic skills, so much so that I wanted to go right out and buy a kayak and go to the lake every day. The complete serenity of the kayaking experience and enjoying nature in the midst of a large city is a dream come true for me. I’ve already signed up for another class." Current Adventures

Ride A River
From big water rapids to calm lazy flow, a river experience is a summer must for those seeking adventures, recreation and wildlife viewing along a watery trail. It's said, you cannot step into the same river twice, so expect something different each time.
"I love river paddling so much because it is never the same experience," said Aqua-Bound's and Bending Branches' Brian Boyea, "Because of all the variables that change from trip to trip (weather, water levels, scenery, paddling buddies, etc.) Each trip out on the river is a new and exciting adventure." Aqua-Bound, Bending Branches, American Rivers.

Courtesy of Dave Gieseke

Time Travel
 You don't need a time machine to take a blast in the past. By visiting State Historic Parks and National Historic Sites you can charge at Gettysburg, head westward along the Oregon Trail or look for gold in Calfornia. Understanding history is best done by walking the ground of where it happened. "History isn’t always pretty. In fact, America’s past is pockmarked with warts" said My National Parks Project blogger Dave Gieseke, "But if you really want to know why life is how it is today, go to a historical park. Every time I visit a historical site I learn something new, something that has a direct influence on today’s world." My National Parks Project, US Park Service 

Pedal Off The Path
"It's very exciting and kind of intimating," said Any Mountain's Richard Chapman when you turn your bike off the pavement for the first time. You’re on a bicycle riding now on dirt and rocks and over all types of terrain which can be nerve-wracking and terrifying all at the same time. "But it's always fun," added Chapman, "You can increase your fitness, lose some weight and live a healthy lifestyle." So brush on your bike repairs in case of an untimely flat, strap on your helmet and hold on tight, it's going to a bumpy ride. Any Mountain


Rock The Rock
Looking for fitness, fun and along with a rush of adrenaline? Look up and never look down. Rock climbing is a perfect fit. Rock climbing or bouldering as some of the daredevil climbers call it is enjoyed by clans of everyday adventures across the country.  "Climbing is not only an exercise for the body but an excellent exercise for the mind." said climber Chris Waller-Bennett, "Not only do you have to climb, you have to create a plan in your head executing a sequence of moves you want to make. It's like piecing together a puzzle"

Courtesy of Bayside Adventure Sports

Waller-Bennett says the best way to get started to try out at your local climbing gym where you will get outfitted with the proper equipment and instruction. GRAGS 


Walk To A Waterfall
"Twisting through the thorn-thick underbrush, scratched and exhausted, one turns suddenly to find an unexpected waterfall, not half a mile from the nearest road, a spot so hard to reach that no one comes. A hiding place, a shrine for dragonflies and nesting jays." is how American poet Michael Dana Gioia described his trek to a hidden waterfall. Whether on a long hike or a short walk there is no better reward at the end of the path than the spectacular sight of a waterfall. State and national parks from the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains to Yosemite offer beautiful and inspiring views of cascading water. Stay on the trails and observation decks, watch your footing rocks can be slippery and never lean over the ledge at the top of the falls. Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, Explore Minnesota, Tahoe

Snack On S'mores
Don't rough it. Glamp it by topping of your campfire with the perfect s'more. "S'more are crucial for any campout. What's a good good camp out without the best dessert?" said camping mom Christy Harris Bryant, "You have three ways to go with your marshmallow combinations, (Graham cracker, Hershey's Chocolate Bar or get wild and crazy and use Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) raw, toasted, or the third option is where you can put on all of the combinations together in a foil packet, put it on your campfire and cook it up. But you have to pay close attention because the golden rule with s'mores is. Never burnt, never burnt, Nobody wants a burnt s'more." Canoeroots 

Get Star Struck
Staying up late sprawled out on the ground and taking in the night sky has become increasingly harder to do from the comfort of our own backyards. It’s estimated that two-thirds of the country can’t see the Milky Way anymore. Only wilderness areas offer the luxury of stargazing with boundless dark skies to truly see the constellations,  The Northern Lights and Perseid Meteor Shower.
"Experience the Perseid Meteor Shower and a glowing Sierra Full Moon from your kayak." said Current Adventures' Dan Crandall, who offers an annual trip to California's Loon Lake during the August peak of the meteor shower,  "No light pollution, no crowds, only nature’s sounds and a huge sky above you." Current Adventures

SEEKING THE STRAITS OF ANIAN

Darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. -- J.R.R. Tolkien

It's a gray day along the coast. In the distance I can see a pair of sea kayakers, just specks silhouetted against the silvery sky and water, dipping in an out of sight with each heave of the ocean.

“A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it," wrote American writer Stephen Crane in his classic tale The Open Boat.

Kayaking in La Jolla Cove

Closer to shore, waves one after another pound the rugged rocky coastline in a rhythmic display of rolling crashing curls, foam and spray. It's pure reverie to watch from my panoramic view from a seaside cliff overlooking La Jolla Cove north of San Diego, California.

At low tide, this rocky beach reveals fascinating pools of water with full of strange and mysterious sea life. Nearby is the Children’s Pool, a seawall built to protect kids from incoming waves, but now it has been taken over by the local harbor seal population during annual seal pupping season. They rest on the beach with little interest to the tourists taking cell phone pictures. I'll walk out along the well-worn path of the seawall for a close-up view of this marine world.

The Children's Pool in La Jolla

It's a crossroads in a way. A place of safety and trust inside the protected cove, while just to other side of the seawall there is an inspirational and yet formidable view of uncertainty where the future rises and falls with each wave. It's almost summer and big adventures are what lay ahead, but only after leaving the security of the cove. The journey awaits. You can look, but there are no shortcuts.

In June 1542, Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo departed from the West Coast of Mexico and sailed northward along the coastline of the Pacific in search of the Strait of Anian, the mythical all-water route across North America, a cousin in sorts to the legendary Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Since Columbus' voyages, Europeans had hopes of finding a shorter route to the Orient. Once, realizing that North America was not India but an entirely different continent, the explorers still thought that an elusive all-water navigable route through the New World might be found.

Hugging the coastline and repeatedly sailing east into any promising bay or cove that would hopefully lead to the Strait of Anian, Cabrillo became one of the first Europeans to explore what would become California's coastline. He is credited with the discovering San Diego Bay, Santa Catalina Island, San Clemente, San Pedro Bay and Monterey Bay, yet totally missed the fog encased San Francisco Bay. He got as far as the Russian River before turning back.

Portaging on the American River

Cabrillo died after a wound became infected by gangrene on the return voyage and
his discoveries went unnoticed because all of the expedition records were lost after his death.
Of course, he failed to discover the Strait of Anian. That southern shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans would never be found.  It would take another 363 years before an Arctic explorer would make the first all-water crossing over North America. Cold and far too treacherous it was hardly a shortcut to the Orient.

I look out over the horizon of the ocean at the end of the seawall. From this point, I can feel the ebb and flow of the sea run through me. The salty air kisses my lips and the ocean spray licks my feet. I imagine Cabrillo expedition sailing past me and exploring the bay. I know the magic of travel by way of water. It’s that time of year again. The water is calling, beckoning us to come on out and explore and search for the quickest route. But beware, as J.R.R. Tolkien, warned, “Shortcuts make long delays.” Until then, be smart, have fun, and be safe!

The American River

Here is a look at some of my favorite images from this year so far. 

We are always looking for guest bloggers to share their adventures stories and pictures. Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max on our Facebook page and Instagram.

Lake Natoma

North Fork of the American River

The River Store

Stumpy Meadows

Paddling with Current Adventures

A sunset paddle on Lake Natoma

BORN TO PADDLE, KAYAKING WITH KIDS

The first river you paddle runs through the rest of your life. It bubbles up in pools and eddies to remind you who you are. --- Lynn Culbreath Noel

"Can I fall in?"

That question is usually unheard of in my adult classes. Just the thought of rolling upside in their kayak would strike terror into them. But, this query came from smiling freckled-face ten-year-old girl with boundless energy and little fear.

"Sure if you want to," I replied.

The girl and kayak in one motion capsize with a plop, gurgle and splash. An instant later, in textbook maneuver, she lowers her head to the bow, pushes her legs and feet clear of the kayak and then drops them to the bottom and brings her still smiling face up alongside her kayak.

It's an annual rite of summer on Lake Natoma near Sacramento Ca., as nearly dozen kids were taking part in Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips youth kayaking classes. There students learned paddling skills and water safety while developing a deep appreciation of nature.

"Kids love kayaking and most take to it almost instantly," said Current Adventures' Dan Crandall, "We get them smiling at the beginning of class and have them laughing by the end."

Anyone who works with kids regularly knows they come with have short attention spans and aren't to focused on learning the technical aspects of the forward, back or sweep strokes. The key for instructor John Weed is to keeping paddling exercises fun, short and interesting. He used a game of keep-a-way to get the students to paddle and steer their boats. From the shore, it looked like mayhem of bumper boats crashing about the lake, but before long the students are discovering how to propel and turn their boats while chasing a green ball.

Another game Weed used to help kids practice boat control all while having fun was called Sharks and Minnows. He is instructed one kid to be a shark while all the other kids were all minnows.

"I'm hungry!" called out the shark.

"And I'm a little minnow," cried the scattering minnows trying not to get tagged by the shark, because once tagged they become a shark. It kept going until every paddler became a shark. By using these active games the young kayakers were soon making new friends and having fun all while building paddling skills that they can be used on the lake or river.

2018 Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips Summer Schedule

Kids Kayaking Lessons
Ages: 8-11 yrs.
Prerequisites: none Location: Lake Natoma
Cost: $169 (Includes 10% State Park fee.  Parking is extra.) Time: (3 days) 9:30am – 12:30pm
2018 Dates: June18-20 ( M-W), July 9-11 ( M-W)
July 31-Aug 2 (Tue-Thu)

Junior Beginning Kayaking 
Ages: 10-14 yrs.
Prerequisites:  No prerequisites for beginning classes other than age appropriate.
Location:Lake Natoma & Lower American River (on day 3).
Cost: $169 (Includes 10% State Park fee.)
2018 Dates:
June 18-20 ( M-W), July 09-11 ( M-W)
July 31-Aug 02 (Tue-Thu)
Time: (3 days) 1:30pm – 5:30pm
Progression:  Teen Camp, Touring Classes, Private Classes and for ages 12 and up consider Eppie’s Junior Training program.

Next, it was off to explore. Across the flat-water, the lake offers some special hideaways like “Swampland” and “Berry Pond". As the kids toured the hidden backwaters occupied by turtles, tadpoles, deer and other critters, the wonders of nature came alive to them. Quietly paddling along they became naturalists as they explored and made their own discoveries in the lush wetland.

On day three the Junior class ages 10-14, moved on to the easy moving waters of the Lower American River. On the river, the young paddlers after two days of paddling lessons tested their new skills on moving water. While a little apprehension came over the group at the sound of rushing water, but it was all smiling at the other end after they punched through a series of fast water. Before the day was over the youths are immersed in river reading, river signals, and moving water paddling maneuvers.

"This class leaves them begging for more, said Crandall, "The kids always leave these classes super excited and many come back year after year."
Meanwhile back on the lake, I had pushed the kayak up on to shore and dump all the water out of it with help from the still smiling and a dripping wet ten-year-old girl. I was going to get plenty of practice doing over the next couple days when she asked, "Can I do that again?"

 If you want to go

Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max July 7, 2017. 

And from the want to get away file
I'm sure all of us wonder if anybody really sees our social media post amidst the constant bombardment on the internet. I'm sure that is what Oakland California's Kevin Wagter thought when he created a Facebook event entitled “Kayaking with Baby Otters,” this past March.
“I’ve been doing this for years and years. I essentially have between eight and 12 people that join me,” he told the Monterey Herald.
The event went viral with over 7,000 had marked themselves as “Interested” in the event, and 273 actually clicked “Going.”
Discussion on the page quickly exploded with excited kayakers and concerned environmentalists, catching Wagter off guard for the leisurely afternoon in Moss Landing with just a few friends he had planned.
He shut down the public event and put up a new, private event after explaining the situation and apologized for the confusion.

Lost and Found
Ever catch yourself saying, "Hey, I'm having such a great time, let's stay out a little longer."
I'm sure that is what James Matthew Soltis of Illinois thought when he extended his already 10-day kayaking trip in Everglades National Park in Florida this past March.
However, his daughter did not. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, she reported him missing when he didn’t return as planned from the Everglades Wilderness Waterway.
The search was quickly launched and Soltis was found camping by a helicopter crew circling from above the next morning.