HEADWATERS

 Rivers must have been the guides which conducted the footsteps of the first travelers. They are the constant lure, when they flow by our doors, to distant enterprise and adventure, and, by natural impulse. --- Henry David Thoreau,

Ask anyone why they started paddling and you will likely a hundred different answers. Some are like Thoreau are seeking that cosmic connection to nature and "all her recesses.'' While others like whitewater paddling coach Anna Levesque, say it's a way to face your fears and the perfect scenario to learn about yourself.
"That’s what I originally loved about kayaking," Levesque told Outside Magazine, "You have that exhilaration from being scared, but you have to act in spite of that fear. It’s a great way to cultivate courage, which is being afraid of something and doing it anyway.”

Parks closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kayaking is a sport that can have profound impacts on folks and can indeed be a life-changing experience. Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips' Dan Crandall says most folks come into kayaking with some element of fear and intimidation.
"But with good instruction can easily overcome that," said Crandall, "And in so doing develop a strong sense of self-confidence that carries through all chapters of their lives. It's my opinion that those who choose to get into kayaking are often subconsciously looking for that self-understanding. And as their confidence builds, they become a better and happier version of themselves."

As a kayak instructor, Crandall has seen this rebirth over and over again in his paddling pupils. They discover the joy of paddling and the intoxication of the water, especially on bucket trips, like going down the Grand Canyon.
"An adventure like kayaking the Grand Canyon is the epitome of self-discovery and reflection," said Crandall who leads annual trips down the canyon, "Removing all semblance of a regular routine and choosing to place yourself in the heart of nature and adventure allows a person to truly come to a recognition of what is most important to oneself."

Face masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

From paddling the turbulent waters of the Colorado River thousands of feet below the Grand Canyon’s rim to just about any other river with a bit of current, Levesque says the key is accepting that you can’t control the river, but you can control your kayak.
"Kayaking becomes fun when you learn to navigate your kayak (the only thing you can control) in a dance with the water (what you can’t control, but can learn to navigate)," she wrote in blog, Mind Body Paddle, "Uncertain times and situations can be approached like navigating a river. You don’t always know what’s around the bend, but you can keep looking ahead knowing that you can control your own boat."

In many cases, misadventure always leads to the best adventure as people often surprise themselves by finding themselves.
"Return to routine often puts into full relief the distinction between what you really enjoy and who you envision yourself to be." said Crandall, "The social nature of a Canyon trip or most kayaking outings gives positive support and affirmation to those who allow themselves to open up and be themselves to others because everyone else is there for similar reasons."

South Fork of the American River

Rivers are no longer unknown waters, but still, as Thoreau said they are a constant lure to the desire for adventure, self-discovery, and changing one's destiny.
"Kayakers as a group," said Crandall, "Are amazingly real, appreciative, positive, and fulfilling the natural inclinations that "good people" bring to life when they escape routine and constraining elements in their life."

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

 

New Year's Day paddle with Bayside Adventure Sports on Lake Natoma

Lake Clementine

Lake Natoma

Carting in past Lake Natoma's locked gates

John Taylor on Lake Natoma with wheels & paddle

Lake Natoma

Sailor Bar & The Lower American River

Lake Natoma

Sailor Bar & The Lower American River

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

CAPSIZED TILL FURTHER NOTICE

I remember one of the first times I capsized while kayaking. The very moment when everything was going so well and then slam I'm upside down in the icy Otter Tail River thinking, oh no! What should I do?

There's is no doubt about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has certainly capsized everyone lives. As of this writing, the US has the most confirmed cases at more than 245,00. More than 6,000 people have died in the US. Those numbers continue to rise as officials tell us to brace for what will likely somewhere between 100,000 and 240,000 dead Americans.
To slow the rate coronavirus cases down, public health officials have extended the stay-at-home order till the end of April. The practice of social distancing is now the norm, recommending that people shelter in place and stay more than 6-feet away from each other they must leave their homes. For millions, the world has come to a halt with orders to stay in place.

While outdoor activities such as walking, running, biking and hiking are still allowed while practicing distancing guidelines, the threat of the coronavirus has certainly extinguished many outdoor enthusiast's pursuits. In March, the ski season came to an abrupt halt even as spring snows blanket slopes as resorts closed due to the outbreak of the virus.
As the ripples of the outbreak spread, popular paddling events like Canoecopia were canceled also.
“We had to call it, there’s just too much at stake,” organizer and Rutabaga Paddlesports owner Darren Bush told Paddling Magazine, “We saw the COVID-19 develop so rapidly, we decided to do the right and safe thing. The paddling community is so supportive, I’m confident we’ll recover quickly. We wanted our customers and staff to be safe, full stop.”

Deemed non-essential, the coronavirus outbreak has led to a tsunami of temporary store closings of major outdoor retailers like REI and Dick's Sporting Goods.
"I believe it is our duty," wrote REI's president and CEO Eric Artz in the company's CO-Op Journal, "To do all we can to help keep one another safe in this unprecedented moment."

While small business paddle shops across the country that are usually kicking off their spring season have been left floundering in the wake of the outbreak.
"We hope to be able to reopen when the shelter orders are lifted," wrote Northern California's The River Store on their FaceBook page, "These are tough times for everyone and virtually all businesses and their owners and employees."

Kayak and canoe manufacturers are also feeling the impact of coronavirus as some have suspended operations to comply with mandated "shelter in place" orders.
"We are still working to understand this mandate and we have decided to extend the temporary suspension of our Old Town, Maine operations through at least the week of April 6." wrote Johnson Outdoors Watercraft's Larry Baab in an email, "Current and future unfulfilled orders will ship once the temporary suspension has been lifted."
While Minnesota based Lighting Kayaks made the switch from making paddling gear to face shields for medical personal.  
"I got a call from my friend in Australia who owns a kayak accessory business and he had switched production to making face shields," Lightning Kayaks CEO Stuart Lee told KARE 11, "He said, 'I'm getting hundreds of requests from the U.S., you should think about doing this.' I hung up and I started calling local suppliers that we get materials from to see if we can source the materials and sure enough, we could."

The COVID-19 outbreak has cast uncertainty on how the paddling industry will proceed into the summer. Outfitters at whitewater rafting destinations have been forced to canceled trips through May 1 at many locations across the country.
“Like we’re not going to have a season?” asked Bob Hamel, executive director of Arkansas River Outfitters Association in an interview with Out There Colorado, “I don’t think we want to go there yet, that’s for sure. We can deal with high water or low water but, well, coronavirus is not in the playbook. It’s a wait-and-see situation.”
The Grand Canyon National Park has already suspended all river rafting trips through May 21, which includes all commercial, administrative, and private trips washing the plans of many would-be rafters.
“We start planning these trips up to a year in advance,” Professional River Runners' manager Beth Roeser told National Parks Traveler, “And we’ve already lost about 17 trips so far. But, we’re all in this together, and we're doing right by both our employees and our clients.”

Still is Spring enteral and optimistic flowing as paddling groups, companies and even individuals try to balance their desires to get out and paddle with the realities of the world as the pandemic spreads. Whether on the lake or river, experts say paddling remains a safe and great way to just get away from it all, as long as you act responsibly.

Before getting on the water, you should choose trips that are closer to home to avoid the need to make stops where you may encounter more people. Remember also that many of the public water access sites such as state parks have been temporarily closed. So be sure to check ahead to see if paddling on the waterway is not prohibited.  
On a river trip, limit or avoid shuttling. Look at a shorter run, where you can walk back to your vehicle. If unavoidable, consider facemasks and opening windows in cars, separating drivers and passengers in front seats and back. Use standard measures of handwashing and sanitizing.
At the put-ins and take-outs, keep a 6-foot distance between others and avoid large crowds.  Once on the water, it should be easier to keep a distance, but those rules still apply.
While paddling always carries some risks, boaters should shy away from more difficult conditions such as high water, heavy winds or difficult rapids that could lead a rescue situation and lessen the burden on an already stressed emergency medical system.

As any paddler can attest, being upside underwater is not where anyone wants to be. However, as each day goes by, we are left swimming in a confusion of endless restrictions and financial woes accompanied by isolation and lockdown all while we continue to struggle with this major overlying health concern that threatens our family, friends and even ourselves.

As it has been said and repeated over and over ever since this global pandemic began, we are certainly living in interesting times. Stay safe everyone. We hope to see you all out on the water soon, from a distance of course.

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SLOUGH MAGIC

We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground. – Henry David Thoreau

"Stay back," she whispered, "I want to take a picture." My wife Debbie likes all creatures great and small. It's like being married to a fairy tale princess the way all animals are drawn to her and her to them. Often while kayaking, she used her quiet voice reassuring the ducks, geese, and deer that they are safe and they need not be afraid while she passes by, while at the time warning me to give them a little more space as I draw near in my boat.

She paddles quietly ahead through the narrow section of water, while I stay back quietly watching. She inches forward, barely using her paddle and hoping not to scare off the duck sitting transfixed on a log coming out of the water. It doesn't move.

"You're alright.'' she says assures the waterfowl as she brings her camera phone to her eyes, "You're alright." It is the same for me. Everything is perfect.

"The shore is an ancient world, for as long as there has been an earth and sea there has been this place of the meeting of land and water," wrote Rachel Carson environmental activist who alerted the world to the impact of fertilizers and pesticides in the environment, best know for her book the Silent Spring, it is easy to picture her out gathering water samples in the old wooden canoe as she illustrates her passion for waterways when she said, "Yet it is a world that keeps alive the sense of continuing creation and of the relentless drive of life. Each time that I enter it, I gain some new awareness of its beauty and its deeper meanings, sensing that intricate fabric of life by which one creature is linked with another, and each with its surroundings."

Like for Carson, these waters are my sanctuary. I don't get much time to reflect, except out here.  These are quiet waters of tranquility that have been filtered through my life. On a fast-moving river or the ocean, I'm looking for eddy lines, currents, and tides, but in the calm of the backwater, I do some of my best thinking out there as I float along. These are the places that inspired Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir. Sometimes, I conjure up deep thoughts about God and the universe but mostly inner thoughts are simple ones as I paddle around the marsh. How are my children doing? Could I have handled that better at work? Should I buy another kayak?

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature," observed, Carson,  "The assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life."

I lose track of the time, I lose track of Debbie. She has gone out of sight into another cove. The water on Lake Natoma's depth is always fluctuating. Today, we caught it at a high level offering more slough coves to explore. The water imbibes a feeling of magic. It takes on an art form of textured richness that no photograph could convey.  The sky and pond flow in a collision of reflection. Time seems to slow and stand as still as the glassy water surface. In the sunlight, turtles lounge on rotting tree branches, while fish make sudden boils below my bow and the waterfowl stand like statues. Across the bow comes the fragrance spring flowers intertwined with the earthy scent of the lake's aquatic garden. Before long I find Debbie again in the watery maze. Our bows break the stillness of the water sending small ripples carrying dancing flecks of light back toward the shore and ahead of us the lake glistens.

"When I would recreate myself, " penned writer Henry David Thoreau "I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and the most interminable, and to the citizen, most dismal swamp. I enter the swamp as a sacred place–a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow of nature."

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max April 8, 2016

Sierra Snowpack at 162 percent

California received some good news on Tuesday for the state's water supply: The Sierra Nevada snowpack is well above normal, at 162 percent of average. That's good news for the California water supply. The snowpack will provide about 30 percent of the state's water supply.
“The snowpack is nice and cold. It's a little different than 2017, where it was warmer winter … and [the snowpack] melted quicker,” California Department of Water Resources' Chris Orrock told Capitol Public Radio.
The abundant snow also shows a strong indication of a promising whitewater rafting and kayaking season on area rivers this spring and early summer. It could last even longer as hydrologists say snow could stick around at high elevations into late July or August.

Whitewater Summer 

It's not just California rivers that will be offering a long, exciting and historic whitewater this summer.
The Idaho Outfitters & Guide Association announced that snowpack levels were above-average in basins that feed many of Idaho's whitewater rafting rivers.
"It just looks tremendous," Barker River Expeditions owner Jon Barker said in a prepared statement to the Boise Weekly. Barker's company leads river trips in southwest Idaho and four- to six-day canyoneering trips in the Owyhee Plateau. "We're really excited about this year."
While in Maine, still buried in up to 11-feet of snow, Jeremy Hargreaves, founder of Northeast Whitewater in Shirley Mills, Maine is anticipating an amazing season on three Maine wild rivers this year.
“Early season we are absolutely going to get some big water,” he told the Boston Herald“ But it is the long term we are really excited about. We should have really good water well into October this year.”

150 Anniversary of John Westley Powell's Trip Down the Grand Canyon 

In 1869 John Wesley Powell set out to explore the Grand Canyon region. Now, 150 years later you can make your own history as you journey down the Colorado River.

To celebrate the anniversary of Powell’s historic expedition, OARS, which specializes in whitewater rafting and other outdoor tours will retrace portion of 1869 expedition from the launch point at Flaming Gorge to take-out on Lake Powell with plenty of Class III and IV whitewater rafting.

Departures are June 5 and 17, Sept. 9 and 15. For info:bit.ly/powellanniversarytrip

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OVER THE BOW; SOUTH FORK OF AMERICAN, VALENTINE'S DAY EDITION

Photo Courtesy of Julie Mitravich

 Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere. -- The Shape of Water

When we saw Julie Mitravich's wedding photo entitled, "Nothing like getting married in your Pyranha!" on Facebook this past summer, We knew, we wanted to share on Outside Adventure to Max in our Over the Bow series telling the story behind the image. We were hoping to share funny tidbits about being in long term relationships with a paddler, aka, too many boats in the garage, it doesn't matter that it's raining, every day a great day to paddle and the smell of wet neoprene that permeates from the back seat of their car.

But when we reached out to Mitravich, a former employee of Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips,  about sharing the story behind the picture, we received a distinctively different view. She shared her story of two people not only in love but also connected by a strong bond to a sport that brought them together.
We weren't surprised. As Ashley Woodring wrote in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, "This kayaker species certainly has its idiosyncrasies, but what becomes evident very quickly is that they are also some of the most passionate people alive. They have reverent relationships with the natural places on our planet, and that passion for life and nature is only magnified in their relationships with people around them."

So for our Valentine's Day message this year, we are sharing Mitravich's letter as she echoes that same love and passion for her husband, her friends and family and those wild places of the water.

For those who paddle, its a passion beyond simply enjoying the sport. We love to paddle- we always paddle on the weekends, sneak in paddles before and after work, our garages are filled with gear, our cars embody the essence of booties and polypro, and we watch kayaking videos whenever possible. Our friends do the same, and even better, our significant others do as well.

As Ken Kastorff from Endless River Adventures once told my husband "When you meet a girl kayaking on the Grand Canyon, you have already answered the first five questions." I was lucky enough to meet my husband on the Grand Canyon. For those who have been on the canyon, you understand the magic of the canyon.

It changes lives, some more than others, but you definitely never come out the same person. For me, the canyon has always been a treasured place, I believe it is one of the "thin spaces", the veil between heaven and earth.

On my first trip down, everything fell in place and I knew that I wanted to live on the river. After I dropped into Lava Falls and paddled into the eddy to celebrate with the dearest of friends, I had decided to quit my job and move up to Lotus, California. It is that powerful.

A few trips later, I met my husband. In the canyon, you see the real person, how they handle stress and situations, how they act with friends and strangers, how organized they are and how they help out around camp or on the water. Beyond that, the first five questions are answered. We may not all have the same questions but a good guess are that they kayak, they love the outdoors, they enjoy hiking, they have a thirst for adventure and that they can do it all over again for 15 days with the same smile.

People always ask if I knew he was the one or how do you know they are the one. The first part is easy, yes- I knew. The second part is harder to describe but after 15 days there are so many experiences both on and off the water, so many highs and lows, and within all those moments you simply know.

You know how someone handles those highs and lows, how they support you and yet can understand that you may need space. The time spent with each other is invaluable but they also appreciate time learning about others on the trip. It is not about you or the other person, it's about the entire experience that is enhanced by the characteristics of the other person.

Once I knew, there wasn't even a doubt in my mind and I never second-guessed my decision to leave Lotus and move to Virginia. When we were married this year, we did it twice. Once in front of our immediate family, at a place that was special to both of us but more importantly it was a place that signified home for him. A place that he loved, a place where he built his house that looks across the lake at its beauty.

Then we were married at Camp Lotus, back in Lotus, California amongst all of my dearest friends. It gave him the chance to see the place that will always be home for me. He finally learned about the Gorge and Barking Dog- my two absolute favorites. He met my friends and put a face to the story that probably started with "no s**t, there I was ..." 
 
We all paddled together and shared stories for one glorious week. The one thing that he will always remember is that up until a couple hours before the ceremony, we were surfing at Barking Dog.

More importantly that it wasn't even his idea, I had started the day saying- "The water is up (it was No Water Wednesday) and if we get our set up done by 1, we can surf for a few hours!"

Then we were married on the river by one of our best friends, Mary DeRiemer. 
It had a perfect start when few kayakers were behind us in the eddy practicing a roll, we all paused and watched, mumbled about his head coming up too quick, then after the second attempt we all cheered his success. 
Mary spoke about the importance of each individual in the marriage, never overshadowing the other person but a continued appreciation for who they are. At that same time, all of the paddling couples that were there looked at each other and smiled.

We all have our stories, each of them beautiful, weaving together another river, a river that it is sacred to all of us and brings us all together for the rest of our lives.  
                                                                                                     Julie Mitravich

Disclaimer - Photoshoot only, no whitewater involved, flat water only with safety team and equipment inside the boat.

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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THE FAITHFUL STRAP

The strap. It is a simple thing. A strong canvas, leather, or woven fabric nylon webbing that offer strong results. Used in place of a rope, its fasteners or buckles hold things in place. A mere two-inch-wide strip nylon can tow a car or truck. They come in a variety of lengths and colors. And when it comes to boating, its overlooked and often forgotten both in our thoughts and literally at the boat access.

You will never see your favorite boater's magazines with headlines like these... New Straps for 2015... Boater's Guide for Straps 2016.... or What Your Strap Color Say About You.  That would just be silly. Canoes and kayaks will always get the glory. Those sleek, majestic and noble crafts that put us on to the lake and stream filling our paddling dreams. But, we ought to realize we would never even get close to the water without our faithful strap.

It was invented before time. Our prehistoric ancestors lashed their supplies together while trekking through the snow across what is now Europe chasing the woolly mammoth.
Needing provisions all tied together all tied together would, of course, help then to inspire travois, dogsleds and then the wheel. If a man would travel he would need a strap.

The buckle came later. The Romans would develop it for their soldier's helmets and body armor.  Made out of bronze, these buckles were functional for their strength and durability for the centurion. The concept is still used today in our plastic helmets and buoyant PFDs. But it was the strap that helped conquer the world. To carry a sword, the soldier wore a belt and buckle diagonally over his right shoulder down to his waist at the left holding a scabbard. Therefore, the strap and its buckle became important an element to the campaigning Roman army.

Throughout the ages, the strap and the faster became tools of war, peace and taming the wilderness. When the voyagers were portaging from stream to stream carrying packs laden with pelts while pulling their canoes along through the shallow water, the strap was there of course. Rough work and back-breaking work to say the least. Furs were in 90-pound bundles. If they couldn't be transported by canoe they had to be carried the men through the shallow waters. The standard load for a voyageur on a portage was two strapped bundles or about 180 pounds. There are reports of some voyagers carrying more five or more bundles and legends of them carrying up to eight. A physically grueling lifestyle not nearly as glorious as folk tales make it out to be and there helping shoulder the load was the fearless the strap.

Sometime in the age of automobiles, someone thought instead of carrying our canoes over our heads lets carry them over the tops of our Ford. It was revolutionary! No need to rent a boat at the lake when we could take our own trip down river. Tie the canoe down in the truck bed and drop it off at the access. Boundary Waters, Grand Canyon, or the Allagash River. No trip was too big or small for our friend the strap. Since we began carrying our boats with our vehicles, much the gear has had some wholesale changes. Roof racks now come with saddles, rollers and load assist. Trailers equip outfitters to haul numerous stacked boats everywhere. However, the new technology for boat transportation the strap has stayed the same. You can't change perfection. Its job has been, what it has always been. Hold it and secure it tightly.

We will either carefully tie down our kayaks or yank down on the strap, binding them with all our might. We all do this while taking the strap for granted. We lend them, we toss them and never seem to have enough of them. At the access, we will gently lay our canoes into the water while wadding up our straps into balls spaghetti throwing them into the back of the truck. We pay little concern as they become faded and frayed under the strain of our use. When loading up, one is always invariable left behind to another boater who doesn't have enough of them. Saying to us, "Use me till you lose me. I'll make the sacrifices to get you near the water. I know my time is short."

As you can see the strap is an ageless wonder, however its only a matter of time before your helpful strap is either lost or worn out and left behind in the access dumpster. So I give this tribute to the strap. The guarding of our paddle sports world, forever embracing our wandering.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max April 16, 2015 

 

No River Permits during the Government Shutdown

The federal government partial shut down going for almost a month could potentially sink river rafting trips on US Park Service waterways where a permit is needed to run the river.
Typically, rafting trips like through the Grand Canyon are scheduled a year in advance. But due to the shutdown, no new permits are being issued and canceled trips are not being reassigned to other parties. This disruption could affect bookings and travel plans for boaters.
Routinely in February, the annual permit lottery opens and the Park Service begins taking applications. However, with shutdown ongoing, it seems likely that the permit process would be disrupted.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see when February 1st comes and there’s no email saying ‘Hey! The lottery’s open for next year.’ It’ll probably be delayed,”  the spokesman for outfitter Ceiba Adventures based in Flagstaff Arizona, told Snews, “As we all know there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight on this.”

Fake Canoeing

 

According to locals, the billboard featuring the smiling canoeing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his family has been there for years at the intersection near the national park in Cave City, located about 90 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky. And why it would just make sense for Mammoth Cave Canoe & Kayak to showcase Canada's most famous paddler visiting the Bluegrass State's Green River.
Well not quite. First.
"I didn't know who it was," Ralph Skrovan, the owner of Rock Cabin Camping across the street from the billboard, told the Courier-Journal, "I wouldn't know Trudeau if he walked in here."
And secondly,
"For the record: This was taken in Yukon in 2013. A spectacular part of this country to explore." Trudeau to tweeted.
 OK. It seems like the paddling prime minister never did paddle on the Green River after all. It all came to light after a Reddit user posted a photo on Jan. 16 of the billboard with the caption, "Did you ever hear about our Trudeau billboard down here in Kentucky. We haven't quite learned not to steal pictures from the Internet yet."
We just can't figure out if Trudeau should more upset about someone using his family picture for advertising or that fact it took years to notice it was him.

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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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"WHAT FALLS THERE ARE"... A GUIDE TO RIVER SCOUTING

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and fields, and we ask that they teach us and show us the way. -- Chinook Blessing

In 1869, ten men and four boats embarked on a journey through almost 1,000 miles of uncharted canyons trying to map one of the West's last great wildernesses and forever changing our view of it.

"We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore," said one-armed Civil War hero leader John Wesley Powell, "What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! we may conjecture many things."

The party experienced calamity after calamity. One of the boats sank in a rapid, taking with it all their scientific instruments and a quarter of the party’s provisions. Another near-sinking of a second boat took the remaining food through spoilage. Morale disappeared as party members gave up and abandoned the expedition. After three months, only five of the original company would emerge from the depths of the Grand Canyon. Although hailed a hero, Powell's first trip into the unknown was a disaster.

"The relief from danger, and the joy of success, are great." wrote Powell in Down the Colorado: Diary of the First Trip Through the Grand Canyon, describing the perils of the trip, "The first hour of convalescent freedom seems rich recompense for all—pain, gloom, terror.”

Photo by Roger Peka

There is an old whitewater kayaking adage that says, "When in doubt, scout." If Powell's trip down the Colorado River teaches us anything, it's that the party didn't know anything about what they were likely to face. Today's whitewater paddling experts give us several reasons why you might want to scout a rapid first before running it.

"The first is just to make sure it has an exit. If I’m paddling on an unfamiliar stretch of river and no one in the crew knows it then it’s crucial that there is a way out of a rapid before you commit to dropping in." said Current Adventures Kayak School & Trips instructor Pete Delosa, "In California it’s not uncommon for the river to run into and under a pile of boulders. In the Northwest, it might end in a pile of trees. If you can’t see the exit from the top, you don’t really know."

The California-based kayaker Delosa sponsored by Immersion Research and member of Team Pyranha, recommends that if you know it’s going to be a hard rapid to paddle, to study the flow and get an understanding of what the water is doing. Look for hazards you want to avoid and the line you want to make. See how much of the water is going into the hazards versus where you want to go.

"Are there certain features that are going to flip me?" said Delosa, "Maybe there is a feature like a small eddy that I can use to get to where I want to go, or maybe there’s a really big hole that I need to avoid because it feeds into a sieve."

Rafa Ortiz via Facebook

Red Bull athlete Rafa Ortiz never runs anything too stout or dangerous without a proper scout. Ortiz is one of whitewater kayaking's superstars and the focus of “Chasing Niagara," a film produced by Red Bull chronicling his pursuit of being the first person ever to go over Niagara Falls in a kayak. However, he says, when he is guiding someone down a river they've never paddled, he finds it tricky choosing when to get them and scout it.

"I often find that too much information doesn't necessarily result in them having a good line, " Ortiz wrote on Facebook Messenger, "When you scout a rapid, for example, with a bad hole on the left, as you get in your boat and paddle into it, all that is in your mind is the dimension and apparent stickiness of the monster on river left. Your mind is often blurred by fear."

On the other hand, he warns, not to make someone drop into a rapid their first time without enough information. He says it would be neglectful on his part if they ended up in the gnarly hole on the left, swim and get body recirculated just because he didn't emphasize its dimension.

"What I do nowadays is an in between," wrote Ortiz, "I suggest people scout a rapid that in my opinion does have a life-threat in it and even something that could result in a negative enough experience for them to want to quit kayaking. Otherwise, let them enjoy the pleasure of the one chance they have to run it blind."

Photo by Ethan Howard

After you've made the decision to run the rapid, start at the bottom and work your way back up to your boat, suggested DeLosa. He says to find landmarks that you will be able to spot from the water.

"Landmarks are really helpful for knowing where you are in a rapid when you can’t see the entire thing from the entrance." said Delosa,  "A good example is Skyscraper (rapid) on South Silver Creek in California. There are two really tiny standing waves right at the lip of the drop. From the pool above you can’t see anything past the horizon line, but if you go off between those two little waves with a slight left angle you’re in good shape to start."


Sacramento paddler Gavin Rieser agrees and thinks the biggest reason, is being able to see a pool at the bottom of the drop. 
"If I can't see what looks like a pool below," said Rieser,  "I have no idea if what I'm about to run is a huge monster drop or not."
Rieser also does his homework by reading up on the rivers he will be running and checking in with area boaters on what to expect.
"Another big factor is how much I've heard about the run or not." said Rieser, "If I know it's supposed to be a Class III to IV run, then I'm not likely to scout it much. If it's a Class V run, I will be scouting a lot more"

If you’re on a longer mission day to save time, a good habit to develop is to always take your rope with you whenever you get out to scout. Delosa says by doing this you won't have to go back to your boat and then back downstream if someone in your crew asks you to set as the safety.
"Also, while you’re scouting," said Delosa, "Another crew might come along and paddle into the rapid without scouting and you’ll be well positioned to help them should someone get in trouble."

In 1871–1872, Powell again retraced part of his ill-fated expedition down the Colorado River. This time, he would be fortified by knowledge instead of folklore. His scientific expedition filled in the blanks left behind on the previous trip and produced the first reliable maps of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Wanting to be more comfortable, Powell acquired a sturdy armchair and tied it to the middle bulkhead of the pilot-boat. From there, he could view the river ahead of him, but this time, he had seen it before.

If you want to learn more and practice some advanced skills contact us at Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips and ask about private advanced classes.
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
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USPS:Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
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owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com