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Rather than saying, good luck and good fortune to you this New Year, let me say work hard, laugh often, continue to learn, be kind, help others, pray for wisdom and then good fortune will see you this coming year. -- Robert Rivers
So what’s on your adventure horizon for 2019? As we stride into the new year, here are 5 trends we will see more of in the next year and beyond. Onward.
MORE BOATS IN MORE STORES
We don't have to tell you that over the past decade, that there has been an increased awareness in healthy lifestyles accompanied by a growing number of water sports enthusiasts across the US. According to the Outdoor Foundation's 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports, participation is on the rise, with almost 22 million Americans hitting the waterways in 2014—three million more than in 2010, the first year the study was completed.
"Paddlesports are gaining a lot of steam due in part to three factors: accessibility, affordability, and approachability," Joshua Silva, the Brand Marketing Manager at Jimmy Styks SUP Boards, told the website Very Well Fit.
Expect to see more inexpensive recreational kayaks and SUPs not just at the crowded boat launch but also in the big box stores like Costco and Sams Club along with other stores like Target, Walmart and TJ Maxx as the trend becomes more and more popular.
MORE PLACES TO ACCESS THE WATER
As the paddling community continues to grow to expect to see local municipality constructing long sought access areas to river and lakes. Paddling groups and community partners across the country are working to develop sites that will provide paddlers and boaters an improved put-in and take-out along popular stretches water.
"We've heard from the community that they would certainly like to see the river access improve at that historical boat launch, and I know that the folks that own dogs will appreciate an area," City of Eau Claire Forestry Director Todd Chwala, told WEAU-TV about a proposed project on the Chippewa River.
MORE SOLO TRIPS
“I wanted to follow a drop of water all the way from the Continental Divide (in Colorado) to the Gulf of Mexico,” Hannes Zacharias told the Kansas City Star about his 2,060-mile river trip from the Arkansas River’s headwaters near Leadville, Colo., to the Gulf of Mexico last summer.
It seems that those quiet me time paddling session are on almost every paddler's bucket list. Expect to see more tales of long journeys down river or around the circumference of a big lake alone. Who knows? Maybe they will inspire us to take even a trip of our own.
MORE WOMEN PADDLERS
Ladies were born to paddle. According to the Frontenac Outfitter's website, women represent about 45% of the kayaking enthusiast population and at that rate, their segment is growing, they will soon outnumber men. Kayak and SUP manufacturers, suppliers, and outfitters will continue to take note of this trend and eagerly adapt to meet their demands.
"I started paddling around and fell in love with it," wrote world-class kayaker Anna Levesque on her Mind Body Paddle website, "The challenge of having to balance combined with the body-alignment awareness and the great workout that it provides can’t be beat. Not to mention the fact that it allowed me to take my yoga practice to the water!"
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| Courtesy of Nick Troutman via Facebook |
Never before in paddling has there been so much high tech gadgetry. Pro paddlers now use everything from fitness trackers that can count paddling strokes to cameras to them keep their competitive edge. The kayakers use GoPro cameras while practicing tricks to get insight into their body mechanics after viewing it in slow-motion
“You can really figure out, ‘What am I doing?’” Pro-paddler Nick Troutman, told Digital Trends, “Either ‘What am I doing wrong’ or ‘What am I doing right? Why did this trick go bigger or better than the other trick?’ You can really slow it down and analyze exactly the difference between the moves.”
SHUTDOWN AND THE PARKS
The partial federal government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22 last month, has forced furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal government employees and leaving many of our US National Parks without most of the rangers and others who staff campgrounds and otherwise keep parks running. Unlike shutdowns in some previous administrations, the Trump administration has left parks open to visitors despite the staff furloughs.
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| Courtesy of the Boulder Daily Camera News |
At the Grand Canyon, the state of Arizona is paying for trash collection, custodial services for bathrooms and snow removal from sidewalks and trails. Stores and restaurants that aren’t run by the government are open. Campgrounds are open, but there is no reservation and check-in and check out process.
Meanwhile in California, at Yosemite National Park, trash collection, along with visitors’ centers and the park’s restrooms have been closed since the shutdown began. Joshua Tree has been operating with some staff, but beginning this past week, it's not allowing camping because of health concerns about near-capacity toilets. Earlier this week, Volunteers have been working to keep the beloved desert jewel as pristine as possible hauling out the trash and keeping toilets stocked with supplies hoping to keep the park accessible.
In Minnesota, officials at Voyageurs National Park issued a statement saying that "park roads ... may remain accessible to visitors, but will not be plowed.
Other affected parks in Minnesota include the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Grand Portage and Pipestone national monuments, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Services at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways in southeast Missouri have also been disrupted due to the shutdown.
“We’re deeply concerned about the approach the administration has taken,” told the New York Times, "John Garder, the senior budget director at the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association. “Keeping the parks open is clearly causing threats to health and safety of visitors as well as wildlife and natural and cultural resources. We are worried about parks themselves, about park rangers who are demoralized, and the many businesses that depend on visitors.”
PADDLE DAY #141
Had a great time over the Christmas break paddling with my son Cole Carlson as I paddled to a new personal record of 141 paddling days in the calendar year. Onward to 2019.
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