ON THE EVE OF 60

                   Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ---Helen Keller

Back in the 1970s, John Denver recorded his hit record celebrating the Colorado Rockies Mountain called Rocky Mountain High. It was seemly an autobiographical song about one finding one's self in their own special place, they're own Eden that they have been called too and now call home. The opening verse I really like goes like this.

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Coming home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door...

The genesis inquiry. It's a question I'm most often asked. When did you start paddling? Or it's sometimes asked this way. What made you start paddling?
My answer is usually trite. Something like it's been a while now or I don't know I just started and fell in love with the sport, you know, like Forest Gump, "I think I'll paddle now."

Kayaking can truly be a life-changing experience. It's that feeling of being on the water conjoined with the sensation of freedom and adventure. And for many, that feeling can become in ways highly addictive.
"When one is completely immersed in the elements, experience is heightened as increased awareness is demanded and dulled senses are rejuvenated," wrote the founder of Werner Paddles, Werner Furrer Sr.

Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips' Dan Crandall who leads annual trips down the Grand Canyon has told me of folks who just up and quit their jobs or their relationships and totally changed their lives after just one trip down the canyon because they were so intoxicated by the river and paddling.

Mine is a different story, but still much the same. Paddling, like for many, had made a few entrances into my life early on. As a teen, I paddled as much as I could while growing up in Nebraska in the 1970s. I took some great canoe trips down the Niobrara River and Missouri River with science trips offered by my public schools. It usually featured long school bus trips, Grumman canoes, along with red licorice and beef jerky.
At 14, it was pretty exciting to finally get on the water for an overnight canoe trip. We would arrive just before dark to a campsite hopped up on sodas, candy bars and the buzz of anticipation and try to get to sleep.
The next day, the excitement would build as outfitters arrived with trailers of canoes, PFDs, and paddles. We tried not to laugh when the first few inexperienced paddlers capsize, knowing it could just as well happen to us. When finally on the river, water fights and canoe dumping, along with developing paddling skills and new friendships entailed over the journey downriver.
I'm still kicking myself for not signing up for the 10-day summer trip to the BWCA and highlighted with a visit to the Rootbeer Lady cabin. If I had only known what I was missing.

For most, outside a few lucky ones who would make it their business AKA, Dan Crandall would be engulfed in life's eddy of education, career, and family. I was lucky to paddle only a few times a year or not at all. I'm sure there were a couple of years where I didn't even come close to a canoe or kayak. But, when I joined my kids at Minnesota summer camps, where swimming and canoeing are part of the daily programs, it reinvigorated my love of the water.

After the long illness and death of my wife paddling took over. I was alone, yet not alone. After the death of his daughter, writer Roger Rosenblatt sought the same therapy.
"I have taken to kayaking," he wrote in Kayak Morning, Reflections on Love, Grief and Small Boats, "They say people in grief become more like themselves. I have always been a loner, so going out in a kayak suits my temperament."
For the few years after her death, I to did seek the solace of nature and the healing powers of the water.
As Rosenblatt concluded in his meditation, "In this boat, on this creek, I am moving forward, even as I am moving in circles. Amy returns in my love, alive and beautiful. I have her still."

In his philosophical novel, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, writer, and pilot Richard Bach wrote, "The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure."

In 2013, with a new bride and five kayaks loaded on to a Chevy van, I came to California. It was a homecoming of sorts, to the places I had always dreamed about being. I wanted to see natural places with tranquil clear cobalt lakes and rushing wild whitewater and mountain vistas. I wanted places to unplug from the day to day tension of reality to reach out for the universe.

From my window, I now look east to the Sierra. Just down the road from Lake Natoma and the Lower American River. While up the road is South Fork the whitewater and crystal blue lakes of the Sierra. It astounds me how significant these destinations have become to me. For ones I have visited and paddled often, I know every rock, tree, and feature of the setting that they have become a part of me. 
It's the same with the friends and even the strangers that I've joined with on the water. I've found that everyone is pretty much your friend when they have a paddle in their hand. I guess that why I counting down the days till I'm out with staff and crew of Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips and in charge of the weekend paddle rentals on Lake Jenkinson at Sly Park Recreation Area this spring and summer.

On the eve of my 60th birthday, I still have the urge to find a home in even more locales both near and far. Even if I don't go far. I still have a quest to load my boat on top of the truck and journey down the road like Jack London's character Canim the Canoe, wanderer and far-journeyer over the earth.
"You know nothing of the sea," he boasts to wife in London's The Children of the Frost, "So let me tell you. As the lake is to the island; so the sea is to land; all the rivers run to it, and it is without end."

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

A STORY FROM THE PARKWAY

Since it's creation in 1983, the American River Parkway Foundation has been striving to protect and sustain one of Sacramento County's most valuable natural resources, the American River Parkway. Following along the Lower American River, the Parkway offers equestrian and hiking trails, a first-class bike trail, and most of all a great paddling venue.

In conjunction with Sacramento County Parks, the ARPF coordinates programs and works with volunteers to foster environmental stewardship, facilitate volunteer opportunities, as well as fund and implement many Parkway projects.

This past month, the folks from the ARPF asked me to share my experiences of paddling along the Lower American River in their Stories from the Parkway series in hopes of increasing awareness, use, and support of this amazing river trail.

Sliding my kayak gently into the water, it’s not hard to grasp why in a few short years how this river has become so significant to me. I’ve come to know this river’s fickle moods. Its high water winters and early spring rush, its summertime playfulness, and its autumn bounty when the native Chinook salmon swim back upstream to spawn. I’ve paddled its slumberous wide curves and through its fast water rapids. I’ve watched its water roaring like thunder pouring its last dam and followed its a clear and bright emerald ribbon of water all the way to its end to dip my bow in at its milky confluence.

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure.” I heartily agree. For me and many others, Northern California’s Lower American River is a rare jewel to behold. Fed by the melting snowpack of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the river is an essential source for the area’s drinking water, a productive provider of irrigation and hydroelectric power, and recreational highway for paddlers and fishermen. In its final twenty-some miles before pouring into the Sacramento River, it dispenses a peaceful serenity and magic to every creature along its wild banks despite being so near urban complexities of the city. And yes, to a certain extent it seems to be a living being in itself.

I often tell people paddling with me that after we push off onto the river they will be experiencing a totally different world even though we are in the heart of a densely populated urban area. Paddling down the river never ceases to amaze me of how I can escape into a backyard of nature just a few minutes from the buzz of city traffic. Where the only sound you will hear is that of birds, the wind and that primeval summons to our primordial values, the call of distant rapids coming from downriver.

As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “He who hears the rippling of rivers in these degenerate days will not utterly despair.”

“A river seems a magic thing,” declared photographer Laura Gilpin, “A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.”
Sitting alongside the Lower American River earlier this week, the river does seem alive as it moved steadily to the sea. Flashes of Chinook salmon among the river’s ripples, scores of gulls, ducks and turkey vultures soar and flutter above, while I catch sight of black-tailed deer bounding through the stream. A large beavertail splash serves as a warning that I’ve come a just bit to close to his domain while chattering otters bark at my passing. The trees, vegetation, and even the rocky pilings that extend all the way along the stream add to the inspirit to this living essence.
It’s nature’s age-old symbiotic relationships between the river and all of its creatures. As long as the water keeps flowing, the river and the life it nurtures will continue to exist.

As humans in the era of climate change, we need to recognize this natural world around us and make our duty to care for it, protect it, and pass it on to generations to come.

This article was originally published as part of the American Rivers Foundation's Stories from the Parkway Series. The series is about people and their experiences while on the American River Parkway in hopes of strengthening the understanding of the American River Parkway and the value it brings to the community. We encourage all of you to support the American River Parkway Foundation and its mission. And if you have a story you would like to tell about your experience using the parking, you can share it with the ARPF Newsletter.

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

OVER THE BOW: SAILOR BAR & THE LOWER AMERICAN RIVER

American River Parkway's Sailor Bar has always been a local favorite spot for me to paddle. Conveniently located near my home it not much trouble me to get on the water in a timely fashion. With good flow, I can paddle back and forth to the Sunrise River Access about two miles downriver in a little more than an hour including three portages that aren't too long. Making a very enjoyable afternoon or evening on the water and still home at a reasonable time.

Named after gold-seeking sailors who had reportedly jumped ship to stake their claim along the banks of the river. The park's area and the river were later dredged for gold. The bucket line dredges churned up the riverbed. The gold was filtered out and the leftover rock tailing was cast aside, texturing the park with piles and piles of rock.

Over the years, those rock pilings have been put to good use. Since the Nimbus Dam upstream from Sailor Bar prevents the salmon and steelhead from reaching their spawning grounds, construction crews funded by federal and state agencies have to periodically restore habitat for re-establishing a crucial spawning area for hundreds of native fish. The latest project was completed last fall after heavy machinery moved and placed thousand tons of rock and gravel into the river before the salmon run.

Another part of the project was to create a new side-channel that runs a parallel to the river for a little less than 200-yards. Shallow with sections of both fast and slow-moving water, it was created as a protected area for juvenile fish. But, the extra benefit is a creek like an environment with ripples, eddies, and waves perfect for an afternoon of paddling

Full disclaimer, by no means, am I an expert whitewater paddler. I'm not even average. I know paddlers who can make their kayaks dance over waves doing somersaults and spins in a stylish river ballet repertoire. They are amazing athletes who go over huge drops and surf big waves.

As for me, I just like the feel of the movement of water beneath my boat. The opportunity of learning and reading the river's flow and eddy lines. But mostly, I just like spending time on the water.

"There's always something new waiting for you on the river some new kind of challenge," slalom champion Jana Dukatova, told Red Bull, "White water is never the same, and there are so many features you can play with: surfing a wave, playing in a roll, dropping into a waterfall. As you improve, there's always more new fun stuff you can learn. You'll never get bored."

The smell of death and decay still lingers as skeletons of salmons dot the river banks with turkey vultures and gulls fighting over the leftover bones. Underneath the white ghostly corpses of giant fish slowly decompose at the bottom of the rivers icy waters.

I slid my boat in just above where the narrow channel turns and feeds back into the river. The current there is moving fast with water pouring over rocks providing a nice little standing wave and place to practice my surfing.
Once in place by pointing my bow upstream, I'm was able to skim on top of the water on the front of the wave.

"It's a lovely sensation," wrote kayaking adventure author Peter Heller, "Like flying, with all the river hurtling beneath you as you skip and veer down the front of the wave, held in place by its steepness."

In my little playboat, I was able to surf the wave back and forth with no real threat of rolling back and forth back and forth. Using forwards stokes, I attempted to keep the boat pointing upstream and carve and edging around the wave, that is until my strength wore out and I was flushed out downstream only to ferry back and try it again.

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

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
 

2020 VISION

New Year - a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. -- Alex Morritt

Three days into the year and ugh, bam, A##!, and geesh! I had hit the wrong button on the computer and my brilliant yet un-substantiated pros were capsized into my computer and swept away like leaves in high water. What a way to start 2020 for Outside to Max. So our a bit behind with this post.
So what’s on your adventure horizon for 2020? As we stride into the new year, here is a list of 5 things of what we think will be influencing what we see on the water this year and beyond.

Kayaks on Demand
There is no doubt about it paddling sports participation will make a big splash in the new decade. Outdoor minded retiring boomers will be seeking both the health benefits of low impact fitness and peaceful and meditative of nature while kayaking. Kayak manufacturers, gear & clothing suppliers, and outfitters will have to take note that women are now representing about 45% of the paddling population and soon will outnumber the men. In turn, kayaks will be lighter, shorter and more versatile stressing stability but mostly comfort.

Places to Paddle
Canoeing and kayaking launch sites, take outs, and destinations are just a few clicks away as paddling apps help you plan the perfect place to kayak, canoe, or paddle near you.
Local municipalities will do their part by constructing long sought access areas to rivers and lakes in conjunction with paddling groups. Using the model build it and they come, forward-thinking water managers will propose whitewater parks like the one in Fort Collins, Colorado on the Poudre River to promote tourism and restores the river's banks to a more natural state.
Of course, that means to pay to play for many like in Oregon where paddlers using non-motorized boats will now need to purchase a new Waterway Access Permit, which will cost $5 for one week, $17 for a year or $30 for two years.
The switch went into effective Jan. 1, though officials won’t be enforcing the new permit until August 1.
The fees will help fund an aquatic invasive species prevention program, as well as new waterway access for non-motorized boating projects.

Safety Zone
We can only hope water safety awareness increases going into the new decade, but as inexpensive recreational kayaks float out of the big box stores like Costco and Sams Club, paddling instructors can't stress enough that kayaking and paddleboarding can seem leisurely at first, but a few small mistakes can turn them deadly quickly. First-time paddlers should take a training course and always wear your PFD.
And to answer the question, can you see me now? All commercial canoes and kayaks will have safety flags for the 2020 boating season on New York's Lake George in response to an increasing number of kayak and motorboat collisions on the lake.

Kayaktivism
In 2015 thousands of boaters in Seattle and Portland, as well as smaller gatherings throughout the country, came together to protest Arctic drilling giving us the new term of Kayaktivism.

At the time, the Sierra Club’s Alli Harvey said, “The kayak is now a symbol for demanding a sea change in our approach to energy use and development.”
In this era of climate change, conservation advocacy groups and paddlers are forming alliances to work together to promote and protect waterways, restore damaged rivers and reduce carbon emissions.
Already, English paddler, Rob Thompson is doing his part. He collects discarded plastic from the ocean, along with used fishing nets. The plastic and nets are used to make kayaks, and the kayaks are used to help harvest even more ocean plastic. His company, Odyssey Innovation, sells kayaks made from recycled marine plastic for a small profit.

Future is Now
Innovations in technology will be thrown over the bow as kayaks and kaykers will be equipped with GPS touch screens powered by solar panels infused into the gel-coat of the boat. Boats designed for angling will be faster more maneuverable and hands-free. Folding kayaks and pack rafts will help us explore waterways thought to be inaccessible.
At the take out, your self-driving vehicle is already parked and your kayak load assists roof rack takes away all the heavy lifting.
For longer incursions, solar-powered lights and hands-free navigation to compact tents and tough cameras make that roughing it camping trip not so rough after all. Even your reliable Swiss Army Knife now comes with 41 functions including a built-in digital alarm clock, altimeter, barometer, thermometer and LED light.

So let us all start the year and new decade off with the challenge to persevere, even if our computers drive us crazy and our phones run out battery power. As Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Paddle #151

Taylor Carlson on Lake Clementine

I had a great time over the Christmas break paddling with my son Taylor Carlson. I paddled to a new personal record of 151 paddling days in the calendar year.  I started on California's Lake Natoma and finished the year on Lake Clementine. 
Onward to 2020.

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram