THE LATE, GREAT EPPIES GREAT RACE

"It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."----Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

"Well guys, it's been a heck of a ride," said a hoarse-voiced Dan Crandall when leaving Sacramento's Riverbend Park in a van and trailer laden with kayaks. Eppies Great Race was days away and there was still plenty of work to do, but leaving the park on the last night of his company's kayak workout sessions for area racers his mood was a bit melancholy.

Early this year, organizers decided to discontinue the event following a steady decline in participation. The great race was on it's last and final leg.
"I hate to see it go," said racer Diane Marlow on the day of the race, "It's depressing, but I'm so excited, So excited about today, it's going to be a blast."

Diane Marlow on a Current Adventures training night.

For 45 years, Eppie’s Great Race was a summer tradition. Billed as the world’s oldest triathlons, the race was founded in 1974, using a 5.8-mile run, a 12.5-mile bike ride and a 6.1-mile paddle on along the scenic American River Parkway to raise money for Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services. Over the years, the race raised more than $1.2 million for (TRS) which specializes in treatment for those with developmental disabilities.

The kayaking portion of the race made it one of the largest paddling events in the United States, by offering a different dynamic from other triathlons with a "no swim" competition.

Training Night

While most of the participants came to the race with running and biking skills, many had never paddled the river before or even sat in a kayak. To help people get on the water, back in 1993, Crandall the owner of Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips started a uniquely designed training session to coach racers and ensure success come race day. Over the years, Crandall and his instructors have coached over 1,000 participants build their confidence, paddling skills and river reading knowledge.

"It's been a Godsend," said Marlow, "It's a been a wonderful escape. This race brought me to kayaking. About 11 years ago a couple of gals talked me into being on their team. I signed up for Dan's program about learning to kayak so I could do the race and I've been hooked ever since."

San Juan Rapids

What Heartbreak Hill is to the Boston Marathon, San Juan Rapids was to Eppies Great Race. Competitors could easily go from first to 31st by miscalculating the boil. The Current Adventures' practicing paddlers were encouraged to run the rapid a couple of times during their training sessions to familiarize themselves with its flow and circular eddy.

"Lean forward and smile," Crandall would advise before their first run, "Show the river you are not afraid of it and keep a paddle in the water."
By the end of their training and after more than a few spills, those pesky rapids were just a speed bump come race day.
"The river has been fabulous," said Marlow, "I like San Juan, I like it bumpy, I like the waves."

Race Day on the American River

On race day, the rocky beach at the Jim Jones Bridge, where participants transfer from bicycle to boat at the for the final leg of the course was a rainbow of every color and every kind of kayak prior to the race. Organizers said the final race attracted a record 2,500 people.

"Today is much more like what it used to be 30 years ago." Crandall told Fox 40-TV, "The number of people, the spirit, you know just everybody really being into it. A party atmosphere."

Encouragement from Dan Crandall

Six-miles down river at the finish line in Riverbend Park, it was a sentimental goodbye the area's annual summer celebration, as medals, hugs and high-fives were shared evenly. Racers posed together for pictures, knowing it might be the last time they all get together for this one of a kind Sacramento event.

Crandall says that everyone he talks with is hoping that someone starts a similar type of race. While he hopes other groups might take over the running and biking portions of the race, he pledges to keep the kayaking community racing on the Lower American River.

"We've always done the Eppies Pre-Race or Eppie Johnson Memorial." Crandall told his paddling group, "So even if something like Eppies Great race itself somehow manages to rise out of the ashes of this one. We're probably going to keep doing that race and just do that race every year."

OVER THE BOW: LAKE JENKINSON

A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. --- William Wordsworth

The wake of a distant motorboat gently rocks the dock and boathouse. Boompah, boompah, boompah creaks the dock as it rises and falls with each wave mildly rubbing each canoe and kayak chained to its side. It lasts for only a few moments and before the rocking subsides and lake recaptures its stillness.

Lake Jenkinson and Sly Park Recreation Area is an idyllic setting nestled in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. The lake and its fine fringe of tall pines remind me of lakes of the Northwoods similar to Wisconsin, Minnesota and far up into Canada. There are two main parts to the lake divided by a channel. The larger rounded lower lake is home to the speedboats, picnic and campgrounds and swimming beach, while the upper lake is more narrow, much quieter due to a 5 mph speed limit and nostalgic.

"Canoes, too, are unobtrusive;" wrote American writer John Graves, "They don't storm the natural world or ride over it, but drift in upon it as a part of its own silence."

In our frenzied lives, Graves warned, the chances for being quiet nowadays are limited. So it's a bargain at $20 dollars an hour for single kayak and $30 dollars an hour for a tandem or canoe to slip away on to the lake by renting a boat from Sly Park Paddle Rentals. For some the trek around the bend to a hidden waterfall is a sentimental trip to help regain their youth after not paddling for years or even decades. While for others, it's a reminder that life can be an off-line adventure when sitting in a canoe for the first time.

Working at the boathouse is like a return to summer camp as I watch the canoes and kayaks come and go across the emerald colored water of the lake with every paddle stroke leaving a twisting trail of whirling swirl of whirlpools in their wake. Down the way, I hear splashing and laughing of children at the beach, while across the lake, hikers are in their track in awe as a bald eagle swoops down over the water to catch a fish. Looking out over the lake. I couldn't find a more peaceful utopia.

"When you sit tranquillity," wrote contemporary Turkish novelist, Mehmet Murat ildan. "You set a great example to the people who rush around in panic and thus you show the crazy waves the beauty of being a calm lake!"

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

GOODBYE YELLOW TANDEM

When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known. ---Sigurd Olson

My dad used to say, there are two happy days in life with you in your boat.
The day you buy it and the day when you sell it. Of course, he was right about the day I brought my Perception Prodigy 14.5 tandem home. Back in Minnesota, it opened up my summer with endless possibilities.

I purchased the tandem with the whole idea of taking my daughter's dog Mazie camping while she was working that summer in a Boy Scout camp. I can remember taking several trips that summer. Heading off across the lake to my favorite boat in campsite, Mazie a chocolate Labrador was a great companion. Over the summer, she excelled at becoming a "water dog" with little trouble climbing in and out of the boat and not rocking it too badly.

I can recall taking friends and family boating with it over the years. It was great for family campouts and getting folks on the water for the first time. My kids could bring friends along and paddle to tour the lake without leaving anyone behind. Usually called a divorce boat, the tandem boosted in the courtship of my wife Debbie. It took only a little practice to get our stokes in sequence. It was the only boat we used when crossed the country while moving to California. On a stop in Colorado, we got stuck in a late afternoon thunderstorm while on the lake together. We ended up soak while rushing back to our campsite.

Like that storm, a deluge of memories rolled back through my head as I watched the tandem being loaded onto a couple's vehicle, strap down and tied off before driving away forever after being sold. A bittersweet day indeed.

While many people think of a kayak as a simple mode of transportation for a fun day on the lake or river, for many of us, our canoes and kayaks are connected to our souls. We give them names and almost human personalities. Your boat automatically states a lot about you as a person. In fact, they become a reflection of who we are.

"The first thing you must learn about canoeing is that the canoe is not a lifeless,  inanimate object," wrote paddling guru Bill Mason, "It feels very much alive, alive with the life of the river. Life is transmitted to the canoe by the currents of the air and the water upon which it rides. The behavior and temperament of the canoe is dependent upon the elements: from the slightest breeze to a raging storm, from the smallest ripple to a towering wave, or from a meandering stream to a thundering rapid.”

As you can see, I have plenty of great memories of the camping trips, moonlight paddles and all the fun we had in that kayak. But, the thing is, I've not been using that boat as much in these last couple of years. It was pretty much just sitting on its side inside our garage being unused and forgotten serving only has a hideout for the cat. A sad fate for a vessel of its caliber.

So it's nice to see that the tandem, now has a new home a young couple who will use it more than I did. They studied the boat with glee as I showed the different features of the boat and retold its past adventures with me. They, in turn, told me how they planned to take their dogs along and looked forward to getting it on the area's lakes. For them, to paraphrase Bill Manson, the acquisition of this boat is a way to journey back to what’s left of the natural world and a voyage of discovery.

But I was more than a little sad to see it drive away and know that I would miss it. Afterward, I told a fellow boater that I had sold the tandem, she sent a back a message of condolences, like I lost a dear friend.
"I would be sad if I were you too," she texted, But, you still have the memories. Glad the boat found a really nice home."

A nice home and a better life, where it will be used to have more adventures and make even more memories. As the couple drives out of sight down the road, Jerry Vandiver's song True and Deep serenades inside my soul.

I hope the waters you cross are calm and still and take you to where you seek.
Should the wind start to blow just where it will, May your paddle be true and deep.
I hope the skies above you are always blue and your journey will flow downstream.
Should the current rise up to challenge you, My your paddle be true and deep.

It's was a wish for the young couple of course, but mostly it was for my faithful yellow tandem kayak.

LEARN TO KAYAK: FEEL THE FLOW

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.  --- C. S. Lewis

It's the first and most common question I get from every excited, but nervous first-time kayak newcomer, usually as they are filling out the release form in the parking lot.

"We're not going to go upside down are we?"

"We'll try not to make that happen," I will reassure them, "Our boats are pretty stable."

But then I'll pause and issue caution, "I'm not going to guarantee it can't happen. If it does we'll get you right back in the boat. But, I think you'll be alright."

Kayaking is an intimate relationship with water. You can feel pretty vulnerable sitting in your boat, with only a few millimeters of rotomolded polyethylene keeping you dry and protected. Everyone who sits in a kayak for the first time, feel they're at the mercy of the water. The biggest challenge for most beginners is just getting used to the kayak during the first few minutes they’re inside of it. They've all seen the extreme videos of some kayaker blasting down some Class V waterfall and rolling in its foam only to pop up on the other side. For some, that is their thinking of what kayaking is all about.

"I’ve always been an “outdoorsy” person, and at one time I thought that I would be a forest ranger. I used to canoe when I was young and always looked forward to doing outdoor adventures when I had the time…and now I do!" said the first-time student, Joyce Molthen, "However, I was a little more nervous than I thought that I would be. But I was immediately put at ease through the guidance and humor of our instructor."

Offering the more peaceful perspective of gentle waters while experiencing the wonders of nature, our Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips class
reminds them by staying stay calm, relaxed with the flow the water and have fun. Fellow instructor Kim Sprague told the group, "We just love paddling and hope everyone else will love as much as we do."
It's our goal as instructors to take away any fear and instead instill confidence.

Emphasizing basic kayaking techniques and water safety, our groups receive dry land instruction before hitting the water. The eager newbies are shown parts of a kayak, parts of the paddle and a demonstration of the different strokes that can be used on the water. Again, with water safety being the most important part about kayaking experience, all paddlers are outfitted with PFD's.

Lakes are a great place to learn to kayak. In the comfort of Sacramento area's Lake Natoma, our paddling rookies push away from the shore and test their newfound skills of paddling. Boats steer from the rear we remind them as they bump into each other in the lagoon of the lake. I still find it amazing that after just a little practice of front and back strokes and turns that they are paddling almost like pros.

After we paddle across the lake the fun begins. We lead the group into the backwater of the lake. They find when quietly paddling along the narrow and winding channels of the slough, they get to see wildlife up close and personal in a way not possible from shore. Beaver and rivers otters can be seen peeking their heads just above the surface of the water, while turtles sun themselves on the logs before plopping into the water when we get to close. The wetlands also harbor many species of birds including a convocation of American bald eagles nesting along the high bluffs of the lake. For our student paddlers, there is a sense of stillness and solitude reminiscent of the peace found in remote natural areas.

"I’ve always enjoyed the quiet moments of life, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my day," said Molthen, "The complete serenity of the kayaking experience and enjoying nature in the midst of a large city is a dream come true for me."

On the way back the students are now relaxed and having fun.  Their paddling skills have dramatically improved since first getting into the kayak as they cruise back to the beach. And while they are a little worn out from the water workout, the experience has also sparked a new enthusiasm for kayaking.
"By the end of the 3-hour class, after we learned the basics," said 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. I’ve already signed up for another class."

But the best quote comes from another student, I overhear while I'm loading the boats back on to the trailer, "I thought I was going to drown today, but it was easier than I thought."

What to go... Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips offers an array of kayaking classes for adults in the Sacramento area. Learn to Kayak- Discover Kayak Touring is designed as the first step in learning to paddle touring and sea kayaks. Learn about proper equipment selection and basic paddling safety and techniques.

Adventure and exploration are not just for kids. Discover why kayaking is the new activity of choice for baby boomers and beyond in the popular Learn to Kayak for Boomers 50+. Kayaking is great for fitness and easy on the body on a stress-free outing that will rekindle your youthful enthusiasm for many years to come.