OVER THE BOW: LAKE JENKINSON

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. ---Hal Borland

Strapped together like double-stacked freight cars on a train, I pushed each kayak off the dock into the water one by one. The floating caravan gently rubbed against the dock frame until Current Adventure's Dan Crandall circled back in his kayak and lashed the lead kayak to his PFD.
With his first stroke, the kayaks went nowhere. It took two more powerful stokes before the Dan could build enough momentum causing the parade of boats to lurch forward. Several more heaving strokes to pull the straps tight and line up the kayaks in a single file. Then slowly they began to inch forward across the water on their not so arduous trek back to the boat launch.

After a busy summer season, Sly Park Recreation Area's Lake Jenkinson was an eerie quiet like an abandoned playground in the first week of school with all of its inhabitants nowhere in sight. Our small boathouse and dock where we quarter Sly Park Paddle Rentals on the upper part of the lake was the only remnant left to remind us of summertime. And with all the boats now leaving, it would be even a lonelier sight on the water.
The flotilla of kayaks lumbered along in pursuit of Dan. It was not more than 200-yards back to the boat access on what would be their shortest and final trip of the season as we were closing down the boathouse for the season.

Living in the northern tier for most of my life, I learned to play the doleful game of rotating between seasons. In spring and summer, I usually had my kayak, paddles and camping gear accessible and ready to pack, but with the inevitable approach of winter, which included iced-over lakes and streams, my boats were locked away in hibernation until the springtime.
That made for a sad goodbye to summer, its memories and to the lake. Back in Minnesota on our last family campout of the season, my daughters slipped away while packing at the end of the fun weekend. I had just finished loading up the van when they returned and I asked them where they had been? And much like a scene from On Golden Pond, they explained to me they were just saying goodbye to the lake and the loons till next year. 

“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away," wrote Swiss writer and philosopher Pascal Mercier, And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”

I told Dan a collection of my summertime memories after we had loaded up all the kayaks on to the trailer and filled the van with paddles and gear. I told him about the quiet mornings and the busy afternoons. About leading sunset paddles, and the trips to the waterfall. But, mostly I told him how amazingly successful the summer was and how I couldn't wait for next year to do it all over again. 

As we drove along the meandering road out of the park, the lake flickered in the late autumn sunlight. And silently, I said to myself, goodbye Lake Jenkinson. See you next year.

Sly Park Paddle Rentals is open May through September.
If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
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

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

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SUMMER NOTES FROM THE BOATHOUSE

 

Give me solitude – Give me nature – Give me again – O Nature – your primal sanities --  Walt Whitman

Walk back into nature, bring on the serenity and embrace the solitude.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau embarked on an odyssey living simply on the shores of Walden Pond. Decades later naturalist John Muir would travel into the Sierra and while writer Jack London would head to the wilds of Alaska. All of them sought something in the spirituality of nature and wanted to inspire others to do the same. As Muir wrote, “In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

Now, I'm the first to admit I'm nowhere near as profound as Muir or as gifted with the prose of Thoreau, but for the second straight summer season, I was in charge of the weekend paddle rentals at the small boathouse on the upper part of Lake Jenkinson at Sly Park Recreation Area.

As I have described before, Lake Jenkinson is an idyllic summer setting nestled in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. Like a souvenir from my childhood memories, a feeling on nostalgia rekindles upon seeing the placid lake surrounded by a fringe of tall pines similar to the Northwoods. In other words, it's a perfect spot while away your day paddling.

Divided by a narrow channel, the lake has two components. A larger rounded lake that is home to speedboats, picnic, and campgrounds and a swimming beach, while the upper lake has an old-fashion fell being narrower, much quieter and home to the boathouse. Over the summer, again I would rent out a boatload of kayaks, canoes, and standup paddleboards all while keeping a series of notes recounting events and my daily, observations of my days on the lake.

May 18...Dan and I had hopes of opening Sly Park Paddle Rentals this weekend, but the rain and cold have washed out most, if not all of our plans.
We met there any way to prep the boathouse for next week's Memorial weekend opening. The first thing to do was empty all the rainwater out of the canoes.

 May 25...The lake glistens with majesty when I first got here today. the emerald-colored water was still and quiet and unbroken. I brought some PFDS up from the warehouse and staged them with my Necky tandem at the boat ramp across the way and paddled them across. with everything else, I would have to make a couple trips back and forth.
Not much traffic on the lake. Only a couple of fishing boats, but they were gone by noon after the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. The only company I have is a little flycatcher who has set up a nest over my boathouse window. She has a little brewed up there I found out last week. She flies back and forth tending her babies. She has got used to me yet.

May 27...Memorial Day. We were rained out yesterday. It a bad week to start the first days of summer with rain and snow falling. After opening up I spent the first part of the morning dumping rainwater out of the canoes and kayaks. It's always a chore.

 June 2...I can attest to the lake still being very cold. A couple a weeks ago the flag we use to promote the business rolled off the dock and sank below it. It was roughly 15-feet below. I brought my wet suit and fins today to see if I could get it. 
In getting ready for the cold water I had to work up the courage to jump in. When I did it, it took my breath away. I dove to the bottom grabbing the flag and then bring it back up to the surface and tossing it on the dock. If were not for my fins I would not have made it to the bottom.

The first several weekends of being open I was hampered by cool and rainy weather.  A series of two impressive thunderstorms kept many potential boaters away and off the water. The only benefit however to the snowy winter and wet spring was that Sly Park Falls continued to gush and rumbling in a marveling display of water and power.

June 15...I have always said my favorite time of day on Lake Jenkinson is morning. However,  last evening while leading a group for Current Adventures we had an amazing time on the water. The wind was gone and the moon was glowing over the pines making for a beautiful experience on the palicid lake. 
It's a scene right out Tolkien's Middle Earth, as we paddle under the cover the pines against the gentle tug of the creek flowing into the lake. Before reaching the walk bridge we could hear the roar of the falls. Beaching our kayaks, it's was only a short walk from there. The water cascading over the ledge was a foaming white stream. It was magic for everyone. They don't whether to cheer or just stand in awe in the fading primeval light.
 
June 22...A good crew for last night's Solstice Paddle. I love the light on the water as it changes from its burning orange to a subdued glow of pink, blue and green.. The trees in distance flicker in the long summer day as we paddle past. 

June 23..Folks are excited to get to the water today. They always come in three stages. The first show up after opening around 10 A.M. Then at noon, followed by another rush at 2 P.M. But no one is in a real hurry.  Everyone is very patient with the process of getting on to the water.  But what is so amazing to me is all the different languages I hear. Today, I heard English of course, but also Farsi, Spanish, Madraina Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, and Russian all my boat dock. They all came together to experience the song and language of the paddle.

My customers are not the only one who drop by the boathouse. The lake is home to an assortment of wildlife that I observe throughout the summer including, deer, ducks and geese and a congress of ravens, and two eagles who have set up a set across the lake from the boathouse.

June 28...The eagle pair sit side by side in the trees to my southeast near the entrance of the creek. It's always a thrill for me to see them. It takes my breath away to watch them fly over with their white heads and tails glistening as the flyover searching the water for fish. yesterday the two were out and caught the eyes of two harassing crows intend on pushing them back to their side of the lake. It was natures dogfight as the crows pushed them back into their own territory.
 
 July 4... It's been a busy holiday on the lake for me today. Lots of boats going in and lots of boats going out. My friend Paul showed up toward the end of the day. After closing up we paddled up to the waterfall and enjoyed the sight of my eagle friends perched high in the tree.

 
July 14...I never mention the drive through the park, but it's a highlight of my day both arriving and leaving. Its the only time I get to see the rest of the lake. on cool mornings driving through the tall pines, I almost feel like I'm going back in time when I pass the campgrounds. The smoke from their fires filters through the trees silhouetting their modern-day wigwams and teepees.

 July 27...had a big group from Bayside Adventure Sports come out to the lake this evening to take part in an after-hours paddle. We toured the lake. visited the waterfall all while enjoying the stillness or evening on the water. For many, it was their first visit to the park.

August 4...We were sold out for a time being. It's is a mark for a hectic few hours and a very long clean up. 

People always ask why I'm not opened during the middle of the week. My response is because it's pretty much a ghost town around here then. Other questions like, what's like what's a canoe? And how many people can fit in make you make me cringe while questions like last week's, I kid you not, can you load a tandem kayak inside your car? Give me a chuckle.
When opening during the weekend there is always plenty to do in dealing with the business end of the boathouse by keeping all the paperwork in order and tending the boats, however, I do enjoy that time in between, when I study the lake and trees.

August  10...I spent the night up the road and when I got here early to find one of our tandem kayaks missing. It had been stolen overnight. I called the rangers right away to report. I had hoped that someone just took it on a joyride and it would be recovered quickly, which proved to be the case when a paddler found it ant towed it back to me.

 August 11... Yes, I do enjoy the quiet times on the lake before the crowds arrive along with their boat chatter. I like to slip away in canoe for of course, to a brief of time to just float in the palicid stillness of the lake. The soothing sensation of gliding silently takes me away to another world to study the beauty of God's creation. 

August 18...I do swim a lot at this job. Often after boats that break away or when I get busy and have pushed the boats off the other side of the dock and I have to jump in to retrieve them. 

September 2...Labor Day, It's fair, bright and still warm to start the day. I'm a bit melancholy on how fast the summer season has slipped away. Time is so fleeting like a wave on the water. As warm as it is it certainly doesn't feel like summer is ending.

As long as the people keep coming and the weather stays nice, we'll be keeping the boat rentals going into the fall months of September. It's "soothing employment" as Thoreau called it to bask in the warmth of the sun, overlooking the pond while shoving boats and canoes around throughout my days. I couldn't find a more peaceful utopia. As Muir wrote in his classic, My First Summer in the Sierra, "Weariness rested away, and I feel eager and ready for another excursion a month or two long in the same wonderful wilderness. Now, however, I must turn toward the lowlands, praying and hoping Heaven will shove me back again."

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
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

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2019 GREAT AMERICAN TRIATHLON TRAINING

This weekend they will be running, biking and paddling again on The American River Parkway as the Great American Triathlon on kicks off its inaugural event. Following the same course as Eppie’s The Great Race which called it quits last year after 45 years, The Great American Triathlon includes all the Eppie's ingredients of a 5.82-mile run, a 12.5-mile bike and the final leg a 6.10-mile paddle down the American River.

Last year it looked like the end of the traditional summer race when Eppies organizers decided to discontinue the event following a steady decline in participation. For many like Dana Thompson-Maker, they thought their kayak racing days on the river were over for good.

"It was sad, it was bittersweet," said Thompson-Maker, "It was wonderful doing it but, it was also sad because we were hearing it was going to happen anymore."

But earlier this year, co-founder of Innovations Health Systems Ken McGuire took up the mantel to keep the race alive.
“I felt it was too great a tradition to let die,” McGuire told The Carmichel Times, “People came here from all over the USA to compete. Eppie’s was a boost for our national profile. For all sorts of good reasons, keeping Eppie’s alive seemed critical.”
In the same spirit of Eppies, the new race will also be a philanthropic drive to support the American River Parkway Foundation and local children’s health charities.

It's good news to Thompson-Maker who enjoys the fun and comradery of race day.
"We were thrilled. Absolutely thrilled! " said Thompson-Maker, "I think it's smaller number right now, but the more people hear about it, the more they will want to it."

With the new race also containing kayaking portion like before, it provides a different dynamic from other triathlons with a "no swim" competition feature. To help people get on the water, Dan Crandall the owner of Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips offered an array of training nights and one clinic during the last couple of weeks to get participants familiar with the river, learn the fastest and safest routes on the water to ensure success come this weekend. Over the years, Crandall and his instructors have coached over 1,000 participants build their confidence, paddling skills, and river reading knowledge.

"Keep those hands loose and drive your feet into the footpegs to get your power,' Crandall calls out over the water to the group of boaters while preparing to leave the Sunrise access, the starting point for the kayaking section of the race.

"I was a little apprehensive at first I've never on the river," said first-year participant Mary Closner, "I've normally just putz around the lake, but my group needed a kayaker so here I am."

Like Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon, the kayaking portion of the race runs right through San Juan Rapids, a place where racers can lose valuable time and easily go from first to 31st by miscalculating the boil. During the Current Adventures' practicing sessions the paddlers were encouraged to run the rapid a couple of times during their training sessions to familiarize themselves with its flow and circular eddy.

"Keep smiling and lean forward. It more about finesse than muscle here," warns Crandall while approaching the rapid. "Let it push you around a bit, but just get through it,"

During each training night, there were more smiles than swims as the boaters navigate the troublesome rapid and then head downriver to the finish line at River Bend Park.

"I'm so glad I took the course from Current Adventures," said Closner, "I learned quite a bit with this being my first time on moving water. Now to turn it into a personal victory."

Current Adventure 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

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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.

"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 a 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.

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.

2019 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: June 24-26 ( M-W), July 1-3 ( M-W)
July 23-25 (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 24-26 ( M-W), July 1-3 ( M-W)
July 23-25 (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.

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 smiles on 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 of 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.

Deliverance II
For a group of teens, a kayaking trip down an Alabama river ended up resembling the 1972 movie Deliverance when a teenager says his friends being beaten and threatened with sexual assault.
According to Alabama news outlets, 18-year-old Collins Nelson of Huntsville says he and other friends were on the Flint River in northern Alabama on Sunday when a man paddling behind them began heckling the group.

Collins Nelson of Huntsville

Nelson said the taunting included a threat to sexually assault a female who was with his group and continued further downstream when he says the man and other adults attacked his group.
“It was just chaos from there,” Nelson said in a story told  AL.com, “Flipping our kayaks, flipped my kayak, some man put me in a headlock and proceeded to beat my face.”
Nelson suffered a broken nose and fractured eye socket, among other injuries in the attack. Huntsville police are investigating and said the suspects have been identified and could face second-degree assault charges.

Kayaking NYC For Free
Think you can kayak for free in New York City? Well, then I have a bridge I can sell you too. OK, the bridge isn't really for sale, but you can kayak for free in its view while visiting the Big Apple.

Photo Courtesy of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse

  According to the web site InsideFlyer, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse with the goal of providing human-powered boating to everyone has been providing free kayaking on the East River since 2010. Their mission statement says, "If you’re willing to provide the human power, we’ll provide the boat, life vest, and paddling instructions. Simply walk up, fill out a waiver and we’ll handle the rest."
It must be working, over the years their program has grown from a couple of boats and a single day program to over 7,000 paddlers over the course of the 2018 summer season. Each 20-minute kayak session allows amazing views of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and, of course, the Brooklyn Bridge
Besides regular kayaking, they also offer kayak polo games every week; they’re the only organization in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area that offers that for free.

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THE ABC'S FOR YOUR SUMMER 2019

After a long cold winter and very wet spring, the days of summer are finally here. This weekend kickoffs the official unofficial start to summer.  It's time to organize and alphabetize yours for summer list of adventure and fun near the water. Not sure where to start? We have some from great tips A to Z  on how you can make this summer unforgettable. So you waiting for, as Van Morrison said, "Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly."

Abandon your phone Ok, not for the whole summer, but at least day or two. Writer Michelle A. Homme says, "The quietness we encounter will allow us to hear the birds sing and to hear the wind whip lightly through the trees as the seasons begin to change.  We can recharge without feeling like we’re being pulled in so many directions."

Blast to the Beach Whether crowded or remote, sandy or rocky the beaches rules are always the same. Breathe the sea air, rest, relax and reflect with no shoes required. "I feel so lucky to know the magic of travel by way of water," wrote kayak adventure Kate Hives in her blog At Home on the Water, "To intimately feel the ebb and flood of the ocean as it caresses the rocky shores and sandy beaches of this coastal playground. Sometimes I feel like I have been told a great secret of the mystery of the natural world and my – our – connection to it."

Catch a Wave  All of that white snow from this past winter means a summer of whitewater for rafters and kayakers as they anticipating a longer season than normal with rapids. “There’s nothing better than spending a great day in nature, on the river with some friends," said Whitewater Excitement's Phillip Schoenhoff, "If you’re looking to smile all day, laugh until your abs hurt, and experience the excitement and thrill of the rapids, come on out and join us!”

Demo Your Dream Ride You wouldn't think about buying a car without a test drive, so why would you want to do that with your kayak? Many shops have demo programs for people who are in the market to buy a kayak. The River Store
 
Escape the City Did you get outside today? No, really outside, away from the noise, traffic and the endless scurrying about. Scientific research has long documented how just spending time in the great outdoors can have numerous mental and physical health benefits for rebooting your body and mind. As John Muir reminded all of us, "Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Feast on Your Float Tired of the normal river food being peanut butter sandwiches, simple freeze-dried packets, and oatmeal? Check out Lacey Anderson's Camp Cooking WITHOUT Coolers cookbook series.  She has developed menus that are nutritious, good tasting and easy to prepare, that is also lightweight and does not require refrigeration.

Go

Live

Incredible

Delights

Experience

Intimacy

Natural

Wonders

Experience

Tranquill

Lush

Amazing

Nature

Delta

Serenity  Paddler and operator of Delta Kayaking Adventures Kathy Bunton loves her experiences on California's waterlogged delta so much she put in the form of an acrostic poem to encourage you to come to glide along.

Help Clean Your Waterway Last year, cleanup organizers and volunteers spend a lot of time outside getting dirty as according to American Rivers the National River Cleanup registered cleanups at 3,166 sites, mobilized 57,228 volunteers and removed almost 2,000,000 pounds of trash. American Rivers
 
Indulge in S'mores What's a good camp out without the best dessert? Who doesn't love chocolate, marshmallow and Graham crackers? But as camping mom, Christy Harris Bryant points out pay close attention, "Because the golden rule with s' mores is. Never burnt, never burnt, Nobody wants a burnt s' more."

Journey Down A River "I love river trips," wrote outdoor educator Jeff Jackson in Paddling Magazine, "The whole trip though, not just the exciting bits or the paddling parts. I love the early possibilities and preliminary ideas, finding the maps and digging for the info I need to connect the dots."

 

Kayak a Lot That needs no explanation. Just go do it.

Love Your Parks "National parks are the best idea we ever had, wrote Wallace Stegner, "Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." We heartily agree. Whether it's a national park or state park visiting these national landscapes of beauty and history shouldn't just be done in the summertime, but all year round. National Parks State Parks

Mix and Mingle at Water Festival These gatherings celebrate the river community and its history. Some are well-funded mega-fests while others are grassroots efforts led by volunteers with a universal love of showcasing their river. "These unique assemblies of river enthusiasts, first-timers and nomadic paddlers produce intense challenges, excellent learning opportunities, and unforgettable memories," wrote Kalob Grady in Paddling Magazine, "While non-kayaking friends will love the live music, vendors, silent auction and wild party."

Navigate Your Neighborhood When you live somewhere long enough, it has a tendency to stop being interesting by being too familiar. "Throughout my life, I fell in love with places other than where I was living. This feeling is common in many adventurers," wrote Natalie Warren in her paddling town series for Canoe and Kayak Online, but, after exploring the beauty, and history and the attractions she had second thoughts as she treats her hometown as a new destination and recommends you do the same, "While I don’t doubt that you would love it here, remember to love where you live. Explore your home."


Open a New Window "Summer means promises fulfilled, wrote naturalist Sigurd Olson, "Objectives gained, hopes realized. The surge of doing and achieving, of watching and enjoying is finally replaced by a sense of quiet and floating and a certain fullness and repletion, as though one cannot absorb any more."

Plunge into Boating So what's stopping you? If you been thinking about learning to kayak either whitewater or just want to know how to tour the lake lets just say there are boatloads of ways to get on to the water. "We all know adventure and exploration are not just for teenagers," writes Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips' Dan Crandall, "Learning to kayak is an easy activity that will rekindle your youthful enthusiasm for many years to come." Current Adventures

Quiet Your Mind It's summer. It's time to stop stressing. Chase away those negative thoughts and take advantage of your precious time. Writer Michelle Maros said, "Sometimes we even forget that the whole point of going on vacation is to relax and have fun! This week, let’s leave all the stress behind and focus on how to really enjoy your time away, no matter where you’re going or who you’re with."

Race on the River Whether you want to support a great cause, get in shape or awake your gladiator spirit. Whether with solo or with a team there are divisions and courses for everyone using almost anything that floats. “If you’re in a competitive class you’re gonna go and go fast pounding down the river to beat your neighbor," The California River Quest race director Emily Matthews told the Chico Enterprise-Record about this weekend's event, "In the adventure class you’re out there to play and have fun. But in both classes, you pretty much paddle the whole time.”Race the Red  Great American Triathlon

Swim in Nature I don't mean skinny dipping but then again, why not. Adventure athlete Sophie Radcliffe‏ tweeted, "There’s something about swimming in nature that makes me happy and relieves stress; I love watching the world float by and gliding through the water with the sun on my back."

Time Travel in a Canoe Go back in time this summer. No special effects needed for this odyssey. All you need is paddle and canoe to feel like a voyager discovering the lake for the first time. "We need to be more aware of where we are headed and from whence we came," said famed canoeist Bill Mason, "An appreciation of the canoe and acquisition of the necessary skills to utilize it as a way to journey back to what’s left of the natural world is a great way to begin this voyage of discovery.” Sy Park BWCA

Unwind at Sunset  English Novelist Pamela Hansford Johnson eloquently paints this description of dusk while on the water, "The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire." Who can argue? The sunlight flashing in each droplet from our paddles as the water glows in a golden glitter. How can you resist the sight of tranquil lake basking in the dimming light?

Vow to Wear Your PFD "We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: when you’re on the water, wear your life jacket, also known as a Personal Flotation Device or PFD." states the NRS website, "Year after year, dozens of people lose their lives while boating. And year after year, statistics show that many of these tragedies could have been prevented by wearing a well-fitted, properly-adjusted life jacket."

Wander Like Your Lost  It's the perfect quote for summer from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings that says, "Not all those who wander are lost." It encourages you to slow along the way to the lake or river. Stop in at the paddle shop to get some advice, hike that trail that you have always paddled or stop at that scenic vista. Summer days go by so quickly, you should make them last as long as possible.

X-Out Your Own Adventure "Let’s celebrate that we had our own adventure," writes Pete Delosa in his blog River Bum suggesting in these Instagram days of big water and even bigger drops there is no reason to count out your triumph. "If you went on the water and had fun then you won today and that is worth celebrating. Other people might have been looking paddleboarding kind of day today than we were and that is ok. I hope they found what they were after, but that doesn’t take anything away from our success."

Yoga on Your Paddle Board We get it. Just standing up on the board is challenging enough for some, but as the founder of Stoked Yogi, Amelia Travis told Yoga Journal, "Before you write off stand up paddleboard (SUP) yoga as impossible, here’s what I tell all first-timers: “If you can breathe, you can do yoga. If you can stand on one foot, you can paddle."

Zigzag a Water Trail Whether you want to go the distance or simply float to the next landing there is a water trail just waiting for you. Featuring public water accesses, campsites, rest areas and miles and miles of best paddling anywhere you can spend the day, week or the entire summer just like John Connelly did when he took his epic 1500 mile paddling adventure across the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. In Dying Out Here Is Not An Option, a chronicle of his trip he wrote, "Seeing the canoe loaded with all I require to survive for the weeks to come," he wrote, "Makes me think. this canoe and I are going to forge a relationship over the next 800 miles. What will that end up looking like? What will be the story?" US Water Trails

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SAFETY AND PREPARATION FOR WINTER TO SPRING KAYAKING

Courtesy of The River Store

While watching it rain and snow this winter we can all perceive it's going to be a fantastic spring season for paddling your area rivers and lakes.  Surely the excitement is there. For most of us who have had our boats locked away this past winter, there would be nothing better than grabbing our gear and heading back out on to the water as if nothing had changed since last season.

But with safety being the top concern Dan Crandall owner of Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips wrote on the CA website, "Don't just “Fling” into spring paddling! Think about the important stuff before going? Remember, days are still short, water is cold and the weather is unpredictable! There are also way fewer paddlers and rafters out in the winter to be of help if needed and many new potential hazards to be found."

It's great advice for us all. As Crandal states, "A lot of paddling safely is based in common sense."
Here is a list of Crandall's reminders that you need to take care of before venturing safely out to the water this season.

South Fork of the American River 2017

Two weeks or more before your first outing

• Check all gaskets and put the dry tops/suits on to make sure they aren’t cracked and ready to rip out. Gaskets tend to last two or three seasons at best and fail when you can least afford it. A failed gasket at the put in or on the run has ruined many a paddling trip! If they are questionable, get em replaced. FYI, The River Store (info@theriverstore.com) offers quick turn around service whenever possible on gasket repairs.
• Check out your boat for cracks, frogs, or spiders before they surprise you. Tighten all of the bolts, replace missing or worn pieces of your outfitting and make sure your float bags hold air!
• Stretch your skirt onto the boat and repair any rips or badly frayed areas (check it thoroughly on the inside of the skirt as well!)
• Get your cold water gear together, with , booties, neo socks, pogies or insulating gloves, skull cap, Capilene and fleece underlayers and spare fleece in your boat
• Good 1st Aid kit along with firestarter, hand warmers, energy bars, duct tape, space blanket, flashlight and a few thin plastic grocery bags as emergency “socks”, “mittens” or skull caps.
• Use a “new” Drysuit in a pool or easy water and try swimming in it BEFORE you take an unwanted test on a river. Air and the restrictiveness of a drysuit can really affect your swimming ability if you are not familiar with how to “bleed” the air and with what it feels like to swim in a drysuit.  

Courtesy of Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips

First Tracks

• Paddle familiar runs first, and a step below what you were paddling at the end of last season.
• DON’T fall into the common trap of getting a late start- especially on unknown or higher than normal runs. ALWAYS plan in a margin for error. It only takes one unexpected portage or a swim or two by members of the group (or other groups you run into) to throw your timing way off and create a series of new issues and potential risks or epics.
• Paddle a familiar and comfortable boat the first time or two out. Not the time to jump right into a new boat or a new demo boat! A river running boat with more volume and hull speed will help offset any sluggish timing or lack of practice and conditioning on your part, especially on new, high or faster water runs.
• Paddle runoff (vs. Dam release) rivers on their way DOWN! Rivers on their way up can be VERY unpredictable in terms of how high the water is or will get, and for the debris and in some cases chemicals or bacteria and sewage they pick up on their way UP! Running rivers on their way up have likely been a prominent factor in more unwanted ramifications or dangerous scenarios for kayakers than any other single element.
• A breakdown paddle should always be in everyone’s boat, for your use or more likely to save someone else (and their group) a much longer day or a walk out.
• Check LOCAL weather for the area you‘ll be paddling before you go, since Spring weather can be much different due to microclimates or be spotty and cause things like flooding or snow in one area and nothing an hour away. Bad access roads can sometimes get you on the way OUT even if you were able to get in, so a shovel, chains, plenty of gas are all worth having. Low snow melting into the rivers on a sunny day or dams reaching their spilling point and adding a large surge to the existing flow can be very misleading and really catch you off guard in terms of the unexpected rise of rivers. (Slab Creek Reservoir on The South Fork American is a classic for this and can add thousands of CFS to the flow almost instantly once it spills) .Do your homework and know the dams and diurnal flow timing for the run you’ll be on!
• Realize that the gauges you are reading on flow sites are not always at the put in where you plan to go, and can over or under-represent the flow you’ll find when you get there (Chamberlains on the North Fork American has a gauge that is miles downstream of the put in for instance). Look at trends on gauges ( rising or falling, etc.).
• Paddle with people you know and whose skills you are comfortable with on a given run or under expected conditions. Qualify new paddlers to you or your group THOROUGHLY before getting on the river with them. Don’t be afraid to decide not to run if you are not comfortable with the group, or tell someone else you do not think they should be there. Any one person can put all others in a group at risk if they are not prepared. Ask the same questions of others you would ask of yourself: Are they dressed well enough, paddling a familiar boat, been paddling at that level already this year, SOLID roll, etc.?? Have their own throw rope and SWR training so they can rescue YOU if necessary?
• Consider some Winter or early Spring cross training by getting out surf kayaking or even out on the lake just to work the muscles and conditioning a little. Better yet, get an early lesson with a qualified instructor to help start your year off right and take away a bit of the anxiety associated with first runs out on the year or after a lay-off.
• Got questions?? Anxiety?? Call up the local shop or instructor who knows you or the local runs and get some more input/advice before you make your decisions. 

"Think of Spring paddling as a new performance," Crandall wrote in conclusion, "You are in with a cast of characters, and that you all need to get your costumes and props ready, and then do a dress rehearsal before you really get to the main show. One person can destroy the whole show if they did not get things ready on their end."

The Atmospheric River Flows Again

Nimbus Dam

Heavy rains from a weather system known as an "atmospheric river" the latest in a series of storms to pound Northern California earlier this week. It caused flooding that inundated a town north of San Francisco, along the Russian River and forced thousands to flee.
As the heavy rains moved in dam operators also have opened their gates to make room for the expected run-off in the days and weeks ahead. Releases at Folsom Dam accompanied by releases at Nimbus Dam downstream have impacted low-lying areas along the American River Parkway with flooding.
Our best advice we can give when it comes to paddling in flood waters is: DON'T! Remember flood waters are just very unpredictable and littered with debris.

Forest Service To Relaunch BWCA Permit System March 4

Just like an overloaded canoe, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area reservation system was swamped with technical glitches causing it to crash when it first went live back on in January. Only a few people were able to reserve permits before the system failed.
Area outfitters warned U.S. Forest Service officials that the crush on the new first-come, first-served reservation system that replaced the lottery system for BWCA permits could overwhelm to its capacity. Permits for an area where motors are allowed are especially coveted.
Officials say the technical issues with the software have been addressed and additional testing has been completed. Permit registration will begin March 4th and may be reserved through September 30th. To make a reservation the new website is recreation.gov.

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UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES

 

Today we stand at the threshold of the unknown. Before us lies a new year, and we are going forward to take possession of it. Who knows what we will find? --L. B. E. Cowman

 

My friends who have gone down the Grand Canyon say it's truly a life-changing experience. From its breathtaking beauty to its adrenaline-pumping rapids, navigating the canyon is an exhilarating adventure.

“It’s still just reverberating in my brain and coursing through my soul, everything I felt in there,” paddler Steve Baskis told The Colorado Sun, "That place, it changed me. It washed away some things, … and it gave me so much. It tested me, and I came through energized, empowered, revitalized, invigorated., ”Everything you can think of. I want to do it again.”

This past September, Baskis a US Army veteran who was blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2008, kayaked the Grand Canyon with four other blind veterans with support from Team River Runner.

Think about that. Paddling the Grand Canyon is an amazing achievement in itself, but running it blind is just not just inspiring but extraordinary.

“They kept telling me I took the hero line,” Steve Baskis told The Colorado Sun, “I tell you, I was nervous about this whole thing, but then I got thrown into that washing machine and came out all right. I was like, ‘Wow. Let’s get this thing going!’”

After a breathtaking 12 day and 226 miles journey down the canyon, Bakis and crew emerged transformed.

"It makes you think about life and the different things you can do," Bakis said his interview, "Things really aren’t that impossible. If we can work together, we can figure out a way through anything."

Like the Colorado River, the year 2018, has had its share of both serene flat water and turbulent rapids for me. But, surrounded by my solid foundation of love support and community I have once again been able to ride out those unexpected bumps and challenges and come out all right on the other side.

I'm was so grateful this past year to once again paddle with likes of Dan Crandall, Kim Sprague, John Weed, Paul Camozzi, Thomas Bauman and the rest of the gang at Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips and The River Store. Any outing with these guys is always a great day on the water.
We gave a sentimental goodbye to Eppies Great Race the area's annual summer celebration, however, added Sly Park Paddle Rentals on Jenkinson Lake to our lineup. In 2019, we're hoping to expand that service even more at its scenic venue. As for kayak racing on the Lower American River, Dan has pledged to somehow keep it going.

One thing leader Greg Weisman and  Bayside Adventure Sports can always guarantee at being a guiding light of faith and hope to those who take part in their many outside activities. With the manta, GOD created the Earth. RIDE IT. CLIMB IT. CATCH IT. EXPLORE IT. PROTECT IT, the church-based outreach put a special emphasis on protesting by taking part in several Earth Day events this past year, including a special one of their own. I only hope for many more adventures with them in the coming year.

A big thank you goes out to our 2018's guest bloggers, John D'Amelio,
Lacey Anderson, Tim Plamer, and Kate Hives,  for their insights and views this past year. They have certainly make OAM better by providing thoughtful and compelling views into the world of paddling. We certainly look forward to future posts from them in 2019.

I would also like to thank, Dirt Bag Paddlers & DBP Magazine Online, Canoe & Kayak Magazine, Paddling Magazine, AquaBound, American Rivers and NRS Web, for sharing my posts on their social media pages. It's always a fun Friday for me when post Outside Adventure to the Max. Thanks for helping spread the word about our weekly post.

My biggest thanks, of course, goes to my wife Debbie. I couldn't do any of my kayaking without her support and encouragement. Here is hoping she will finally get to stand up on her new paddleboard, after a mostly just be able to sit on it due to a foot injury.

As poet T.S. Eliot wrote, "What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from."
I'll finish 2018 with a little over 140 days of paddling days spent on the water, a personal best for me. Broken up mostly into mini outings and weekends trips to my areas' lakes and rivers the year proved to be a never-ending journey of both planned and unanticipated trials and tribulations on the water that took my paddling into a new dimension.

“It’s one thing to pursue challenges," Baskis told The Colorado Sun, after his trip down the fabled canyon,&nfabledut it’s the unexpected challenges that really try us and change us and ultimately make us better. And there were a lot of unexpected things going on in the Grand Canyon.”

That's good advice going into the new year. Be ready for anything. The good and the bad. The stretches of rough water and the calm seas. Outside Adventure to the Max will be with you along the way.  Happy New Year.

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BOATHOUSE DAYS

        I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately -- Henry David Thoreau 

On a July day in 1845, Henry David Thoreau embarked on a two-year odyssey of living simply in a small house on the shores of Walden Pond. Nine years later after revising his manuscript, he published his classic Walden, or Life in the Woods recounting his time on the lake.

While I have to admit I'm no Thoreau, but through a series of events this past summer, I found myself embracing the charm, beauty, and tranquility of the lake, much like he did at Walden Pond, while running the small boathouse and rentals operation on Lake Jenkinson at Sly Park Recreation Area during the weekends.

Lake Jenkinson is an idyllic setting nestled in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. Surrounded by a fringe of tall pines that reminded me of lakes of the Northwoods of my past. Divided by a narrow channel, the lake has two main parts. The larger rounded lower lake is home to the speedboats, picnic, and campgrounds and swimming beach, while the upper lake is narrower, much quieter and home to the boathouse. Over the summer, while renting out a slew of kayaks, canoes and standup paddleboards, I kept a series of notes recounting events and my daily observations of the lake.

June 17...It's Father's Day at Sly Park. Dan Crandall and The River Store took over the Sly Park Boat this season and so far it seems business is good. We have four canoes, a dock full of kayaks and seven paddleboards ready to rent. It's all fun stuff on one of the area's most beautiful lakes.  
Dan has two other employees working here, one doing the paperwork while other loads and unloads the people into the crafts to get them on their way. I'll be training most of the day to learn the operation. 

June 24...It was the summer solstice a few days ago. The long hot days of summer days, at last, sparking my memories like lightning bugs as each dazzling thought of summers past flickers in my head. If you would have told me I would someday be in Northern California running a boat rental house and dock on pine encompassed lake I would've never have believed it. How could I be so lucky? But, here I am, renting kayaks and canoes on the lake.
  

July 6...The sounds of children laughing and the waves rocking the dock is the soundtrack of the lake. It's my perfect world as the neighborhood eagle soars overhead. 
My wife Debbie is working with me today and it was a little slow at the start, but business picked up later in the afternoon. Single kayaks and SUPs are $20 dollars an hour while tandem kayaks and canoes are $30. It makes for a fun day for folks wanting to get out on to the water.

July 14...The lake is busy today. At one time, we had all the boats rented out on the water. The pace is brisk for me. Checking folks in and getting them outfitted to be on the lake. 
The canoes look fine, but I've not been able to paddle them yet. They're Old Town canoes and they look right out of my memories of Minnesota. We can get a family on the water with little problems with them. The big sit on top ocean kayaks are like the ones I paddled in LaJolla. The tandems kayaks are long, wide and mostly heavy.

From here on, my time at the boathouse turns into a more solitary experience outside a few visits from my wife Debbie. The two other employees who started off the season quit for one reason or another leaving me alone much like Thoreau 173 years ago on banks of Walden Pond.

July 27...A misty haze covers the lake and trees of Lake Jenkinson. There are fires burning all over California pushing their streams of smoke into the hills and mountains. I can see only the dark silhouetted shadows of tree points showing through the milky cloud. By the way, it looks I would think it would be cooler because it's more similar to the appearance of a marine layer's cold wet fog. But it's not so. Temperatures here have been boiling. Even an escape by jumping into the lake isn't as refreshing as it should be, being it's almost like bathwater at 78 degrees. 

August 3...A return to my roots today as I take the Old Town Discovery canoe out on the lake before I open up the boathouse. I can't go far. Just across the lake and back. Canoeing is how I got into paddling I told Dan when he dropped off a load of kayaks and PFDs that afternoon. That's when I learned to paddle by taking trips on the Missouri and Niobrara rivers. I'm still kicking my self that I didn't take the trip to the BWCA when I had the chance.
Like riding a bike, I remember. The bow slightly raised out of the water as I paddle from the side to side from the stern.

August 5...Finally a clear morning. Waking up the boathouse, I'm always taken in by the pine and aroma of the forest. Each prickly needle and cone giving off the unmistakable fragrance of the woods and lake. It stops me for a moment to breathe it all in.

August 10...It's one of those Thoureu like mornings. It's started off a very quiet morning on the lake only a few fishermen gently motoring by otherwise it's pretty much like it would be a 100 years ago. As I float in the stillness I think everyone should appreciate an escape to a quiet lake.
So it's more than little upsetting when loud music rap interrupts the silence from the upper campground. At times like these, as Sigurd Olson said, "All noise is sacrilege."

August 11...I think back on all the times I thought about how hard it was to roll a canoe, but with two people rolling over today within sight of the boat dock losing a shoe and cell phone in the process. I have to say some folks find a way.

As summer continued I followed a uniformed routine at the boathouse that usually consisted of getting up early on Fridays, Saturday, and Sundays and driving the 45 miles to the lake. Upon arrival, I would zigzag down a steep trail and open the gate and unlock the house floating on the dock.
The cumbersome part of the day was removing the heavy but sturdy paddle boards that I had locked away inside the house on my last visit and stow them alongside on the house. From there I would get all release forms and cashbox ready and wait for customers to come walking down the trail.
On command, the wind from the east dies just after nine turning the lake into glossy reflective paradise. It's only for a couple of hours before the west wind comes gusting back through the narrows.
This was my opportunity to take out a canoe or paddle board and float idly in the emerald green of the water a short distance from the dock. It's was time to reflect and observe. It's was my favorite time on the lake.

August 19...A rocky red bathtub ring emerges around the lake between the trees and the water. Without rain, it's common in the summer months as the lake is slowly drained away. The boat patrol guy that drops by daily says it's at 85% capacity.  But, he says he has seen much worse. 
How far to the waterfall? The customers will ask. It's not far, but it's not flowing, I'll tell them sadly. You will have to come back in the spring.

August 24...Paddle day one hundred this year spent in a canoe. Thoreau, Sigurd Olson, and Bill Mason would be proud. These guys will live on forever with every dip of the paddle. Not for showing how to canoe, but a thousand reasons why to canoe.
It's a nice way to spend a summer morning across from primeval pines silhouetted in mist and smoke on perfectly still water. with a mug coffee and brief bible lesson. In a canoe, I float in the stillness within an earshot of the boathouse. People are in such a hurry these days. They have little interest in the power of the paddle. We do have a motorboat at the boathouse that people ask to use. They're always disappointed when I say it's not for rent. 

August 26...I find it amazing how sound travels over water. While in the middle of the lake I can hear the clatter coming from campgrounds, kids yelling on the beach and each jogger footstep as they thud, thud, thud down the trail around the lake with theatre like acoustics.
The lake being an oasis for everyone,  I also listen to the many languages the coming from around the water. There is Spanish, German and Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and varieties of Chinese languages. I can't help thinking this what it would have sounded like during the Gold Rush. Now instead gold they are seeking the treasure of the water and the outside.
   

August 31...Other than visiting customers, my boathouse neighborhood consists of darting minnow and fish swimming in the dark shadows beneath the dock, two sunning turtles on stumps just out of the water and couple of lizards that quickly hide when I climb up the steps to the parking lot. In the sky two ravens and a hawk circle above. I haven't seen the eagle in several days, but he likes to sit in the high pines from across the boathouse. There are also a couple of forging ducks who hope I will drop a corn chip or two into the water.

September 2...It's Labor Day weekend and one of my busiest days of the whole summer season. At one time, all my boats except for a few were being rented. I did my best to keep everyone moving on and off the water with surprisingly good efficiency. But, when a lady rolled her kayak after getting bumped into by another, I told her to swim to the ladder and I'll retrieve the upside-down boat.
Quickly into the water, I got a hold of the kayak and hooked it to the dock. But, somewhere in process of the boat rescue, I  ripped a six-inch tear in my favorite pair of shorts. The only problem was I didn't notice it till a bit later when I was sitting on the aluminum dock steading a canoe for young lady when I noticed a burning sensation on my bare buns. Of course, I could change since my dock was so crowded customers providing some challenges. Let's just say I didn't turn my back on any of them.

September 8...We are going into extra innings at the boathouse. In the past, under the old management, they have always closed up on Labor Day. But, Dan thought let's just see what happens by keeping the place open for two weekends after the end of the summer holiday.
It turns out to be a good day renting mostly canoes and tandem kayaks Saturday afternoon as people want to try and get as many people as they can into each craft. How many does it fit they will ask? My answer is not as many as you would hope for. 

This weekend I'll wrap up my summer season at the boathouse. It's been as Thoreau called it "soothing employment" to bask in the warmth of the sun, overlooking the pond. Even though I had to push boats and canoes around throughout my day the time always seemed to go quickly. Every day brought smiling customers, visionary delights and solace on the water.

"How peaceful the phenomena of the lake." Thoreau would write of Walden Pond.

Indeed.