THE PADDLING YEAR

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

On a crisp September day in 2015, explorers Dave and Amy Freeman climbed into their Wenohah canoe and paddled off into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on an adventure that would last for 366 days. Paddling, portaging, gathering firewood and hauling water became a way of life as they sought to bear witness to the land they so deeply loved, care for and hoped to help protect from the threat of proposed sulfide-ore copper mining on the BWCA's edge.

During their year in this northern Minnesota Wilderness, they camped at some 120 different sites, explored 500 lakes, rivers and streams, and traveled more than 2,000 miles by canoe, foot, ski, snowshoe and dog team. They saw the change of the season first hand from the migrating birds, the lakes icing up and snow falling to the return of spring flowers and the golden sunsets of summer. Before they knew it the earth had made that one full rotation around the sun and it was their time to paddle out of the wilderness after a year in the wild.

"The sounds of nature are so different than those of the world of humans," Amy Freeman told National Geographic when asked what she misses most since leaving the wilderness, "After a year in the outdoors your senses of sight, smell and hearing are heightened. Back in the city, we’re bombarded with stimuli. I’ve had to desensitize to not freak out."

My paddling year, unlike the Freeman's, was broken into like most of us, mini outings and weekends, trips to the lakes and rivers in between dreaming about trips to the lakes and rivers. I could be classified more as a fanatic than just plain enthusiast and consider a day that I don't get out on to the water as a day lost. But like most of us, my jobs, relationships and just plain having the time to paddle  So the over 130 days I went paddling in 2017 is quite an achievement for me and I could never do it all alone.

French-German humanitarian and physician Albert Schweitzer said, "In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

A passion for kayaking flows through the paddling community I'm connected too, like an untamed river. I'm so grateful this past year to paddle once again with likes of  Dan Crandall, Kim Sprague, John Weed, Paul Camozzi, Jason Bates and the rest the gang at Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips and The River Store.
From first-timers to experienced veterans any outing with these guys will be a great day on the water in building skills and confidence. After paddling with them, you only have one question. When can do it again?

And speaking of the spirit, thanks to Bayside Adventure Sports for being another guiding light in my paddling world. I have many more adventures in-store for them in the coming year to some of our favorite spots and even a few new ones.

But mostly I couldn't do any of my kayaking without the support and encouragement from my wife Debbie who makes it all possible. She is always up for an adventure sharing my same passion for being outside on the water or hiking alongside it. I can't wait for our next trip.

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 to post Outside Adventure to the Max. They help to spread the word about our weekly post.

A big thank you goes out to our 2017's guest bloggers Pete Delosa, Kate Hives, Lynn Halsted, Taylor Carlson, Scott Blankenfeld,  Eric Straw and Nigel Foster 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 post from them in 2018.

And most of all, I'd like to thank the readers and followers of Outside Adventure to the Max. We hope you enjoyed our thoughts and pictures about our outside experiences in 20117 and look for to more in the next.  Happy New Year.

THE ART OF KAYAKING MEETS THE SCIENCE

Photos provided by Nigel Foster

By Outside Adventure to the Max Guest Blogger Nigel Foster

My mantra is to achieve the greatest effect with the minimum effort. I find efficiency seductive but to best achieve this I need to start again with the basics. Efficient paddling makes use of the body’s most powerful muscle groups to do the bulk of the work powering the kayak, with good posture ensuring the most effective alignment for performance.
I also try to maximize the traction from my paddle in the water so I can power forward or make smooth turns without wasting energy. I want to make my kayak move forward; I don’t want to use my energy to move water.

Edging in a turn, the blade here is in neutral

Edging into a turn. The blade here is in neutral Science can explain how a kayak moves through water, why it might turn more easily when held at a particular angle or why different turns can be more effective when you lean forward or back. It’s not like rocket science, where you need a huge thrust of energy to push you into space, and complex mathematical equations to navigate to a far off planet. Instead it’s about things like understanding how when you shift your weight a little to trim your kayak, it subtly changes the effective hull shape in the water. Some maneuvers become more efficient with this alternative hull presentation, so you need less power to make the same maneuver. You can fine-tune your skills more effectively if you not only know how to do it but also why.

Basic science can explain why in some kayaks it doesn’t seem to make any difference whether you edge into a turn or edge away from it, both seem equally effective, while in some other kayaks you can clearly turn more quickly when edged into a turn, or in others most quickly when edged from a turn.
It will also explain why you can turn some kayaks more rapidly while reversing than when you are paddling forward.
It’s a good idea to hone the effectiveness of your paddling skills on flat water where you can focus on mastering the details even if your normal playground is far from flat. It is easier to compare the effect of every nuance once you eliminate the variables of wind, current and waves. With control strokes, begin with the blade close to or in a neutral position, engaging the blade gradually and only as much as you need.

The blade is lightly engaged for steering

After paying attention to the details, the next phase is to add those variables, wind, waves and current one at a time, so you can see how each affects the moves you have practiced on the flat. Practice in wind without waves for example. Now you’ll see how one technique for turning will become far more effective for turning from the wind than another that works best for turning toward the wind.
When you understand how to get the most effective performance from your kayak in wind alone, or in waves or current alone, then the next step is to combine them, wind and waves together, or all three.

Work on your efficiency in different conditions

Your paddling can become smooth, efficient and effective without you understanding the science behind it. You can still become an artist on the water. But if you question why one move works better than another in a particular situation and understand the reasons behind each effect, then you’ll be able to push your skills into new realms of efficiency. You’ll use the wind, current and waves to your advantage instead of fighting against them.

I’ll leave you with three questions. Revisit one of them when you next paddle.

1) Can I improve the efficiency of my body movement for power? For example, can I use my torso more and my arms less? Am I using my legs and feet?

2) How much do I move water with my paddle, and when do I do this most? Can I reduce this, maybe by slowing my paddle stroke a little, or by adjusting the path of my paddle?

3) Am I working against the waves, wind, and current, or working with? If I can identify a particular situation when I have to work harder than I would like, can I find a way to use less effort in this situation?

My new book The Art of Kayaking offers a lot of detail for the inquisitive paddler, explained in a way that is easy to understand. It describes in detail the basic paddle and kayak skills, and then focuses their use toward different rough-water environments. The goal is to achieve more effect with less effort. You’ll also find help for trip planning with weather, charts, buoy age and safety.

Find The Art of Kayaking at store.nigelkayaks.com, (there is a signed copy option) Or support your local bookstore, or order on-line, perhaps at Amazon or Book Depository.

Nigel Foster is an English sea kayaker, kayak designer, instructor and author.  His other books with FalconGuides include On Polar Tides, and Paddling Southern Florida. Foster presently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Kristin Nelson. You can contact him through his web-site at  www.nigelkayaks.com.

Outside Adventure to the Max is always looking for guest bloggers. Contact us at Nickayak@gmail.com if you are interested.