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.

SEEKING THE STRAITS OF ANIAN

Darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. -- J.R.R. Tolkien

It's a gray day along the coast. In the distance I can see a pair of sea kayakers, just specks silhouetted against the silvery sky and water, dipping in an out of sight with each heave of the ocean.

“A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it," wrote American writer Stephen Crane in his classic tale The Open Boat.

Kayaking in La Jolla Cove

Closer to shore, waves one after another pound the rugged rocky coastline in a rhythmic display of rolling crashing curls, foam and spray. It's pure reverie to watch from my panoramic view from a seaside cliff overlooking La Jolla Cove north of San Diego, California.

At low tide, this rocky beach reveals fascinating pools of water with full of strange and mysterious sea life. Nearby is the Children’s Pool, a seawall built to protect kids from incoming waves, but now it has been taken over by the local harbor seal population during annual seal pupping season. They rest on the beach with little interest to the tourists taking cell phone pictures. I'll walk out along the well-worn path of the seawall for a close-up view of this marine world.

The Children's Pool in La Jolla

It's a crossroads in a way. A place of safety and trust inside the protected cove, while just to other side of the seawall there is an inspirational and yet formidable view of uncertainty where the future rises and falls with each wave. It's almost summer and big adventures are what lay ahead, but only after leaving the security of the cove. The journey awaits. You can look, but there are no shortcuts.

In June 1542, Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo departed from the West Coast of Mexico and sailed northward along the coastline of the Pacific in search of the Strait of Anian, the mythical all-water route across North America, a cousin in sorts to the legendary Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Since Columbus' voyages, Europeans had hopes of finding a shorter route to the Orient. Once, realizing that North America was not India but an entirely different continent, the explorers still thought that an elusive all-water navigable route through the New World might be found.

Hugging the coastline and repeatedly sailing east into any promising bay or cove that would hopefully lead to the Strait of Anian, Cabrillo became one of the first Europeans to explore what would become California's coastline. He is credited with the discovering San Diego Bay, Santa Catalina Island, San Clemente, San Pedro Bay and Monterey Bay, yet totally missed the fog encased San Francisco Bay. He got as far as the Russian River before turning back.

Portaging on the American River

Cabrillo died after a wound became infected by gangrene on the return voyage and
his discoveries went unnoticed because all of the expedition records were lost after his death.
Of course, he failed to discover the Strait of Anian. That southern shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans would never be found.  It would take another 363 years before an Arctic explorer would make the first all-water crossing over North America. Cold and far too treacherous it was hardly a shortcut to the Orient.

I look out over the horizon of the ocean at the end of the seawall. From this point, I can feel the ebb and flow of the sea run through me. The salty air kisses my lips and the ocean spray licks my feet. I imagine Cabrillo expedition sailing past me and exploring the bay. I know the magic of travel by way of water. It’s that time of year again. The water is calling, beckoning us to come on out and explore and search for the quickest route. But beware, as J.R.R. Tolkien, warned, “Shortcuts make long delays.” Until then, be smart, have fun, and be safe!

The American River

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

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

Lake Natoma

North Fork of the American River

The River Store

Stumpy Meadows

Paddling with Current Adventures

A sunset paddle on Lake Natoma

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.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A USED OR NEW KAYAK

This the season for looking for a new or used boat. Dan Crandall of Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips gives tips on what you should look for.

Figure out WHAT it is you want. Sounds easy but you would be surprised how many folks we see coming in looking for a new or used boat after they have bought something that didn’t suit their purpose or just straight up doesn’t fit. Knowing what you want, can take a bit of educating on your part. You should first consider where it is that you would like to go in the boat.

Ocean, river, calm & protected, calm but potential winds and whitewater. This is important because it shorten the list of boats that will work for you, if you share this information with folks who are knowledgeable about boats they will be able to pin-point a good starting point for you to begin your hunt. Think widely on what it might be you would like to do now and what you might want to do later. If you limit it too much you may end up with a boat that is great in one type of circumstance but not in another.

That being said, no boat will do everything well. You will need to make some compromises. Start with reading about types of kayaking you might want to do, checking out some of the manufacturer's websites where they describe kayaks that you think might interest you. Ask your buddies and other paddlers you see out what they like and dislike about the boats they are paddling.

All of this you should take with a grain of salt, as your friends may still be in the process of figuring out what they are looking for or have a bias, and as for the Manufacturers, they will tend to give wide and generous spec ranges for paddler weight and boat description trying to entice a bigger demographic.

An example of this would be a boat that has a weight range of 110-230 is going to paddle very differently for the folks on either end of the weight range. In general you want to be in the mid weight of a boat unless you don’t mind the boat being over sized or undersized and that will depend on your comfort and skill set.

When looking for a used boat fit is paramount, many kayaks have adjustable seats, thigh hooks, back bands and foot braces. However deck height and foot room is not adjustable so if a boat doesn’t have enough room it's NOT the boat for you. If you fit into the boat with enough space for the feet and legs, but it isn’t 100% comfortable that is usually adjustable by adding foam or upgrading a seat or back band.

You should ask questions if you are not sure if modifications can be made to make the fit better. To test fit, sit in multiple boats of the same category most companies make a boat to fit each niche… “recreational”, “touring boat” , “river running”, “expedition touring boats”, “creekboats”, “playboats”, “crossover kayaks” etc…

Most boats within a category will paddle similarly but the fit may be radically different, if a boat fits well on the show room floor definitely keep it in mind to test it out on the water to make sure it still fits well when in use.
Testing a boat on the water is always a good idea. If you can borrow, rent, demo, or take a class to try out the kayak if at all possible prior to purchase you should. Boats within a category will paddle similarly BUT there are slight nuances that may make a difference to your paddling style.

If you are newer to the sport or the type of paddling going out with a instructor or working with a shop that has a demo program can really improve your chances of picking a boat that will be right for what you are planning to do. Instructors and shop employees who paddle can help you determine what type of paddling you might want to do, they can assess whether the boat fits right, help you adjust it to optimal fit for performance and give you feed back that can be invaluable as you decide what to get.

Also, as stated above fit can vary on the show room floor to when you are actually using it on the river. When you test the used kayak on the water you will have a chance to compare the fit on the show room floor to the fit during performance. You can also get a better idea of what adjustments you are going to use most and you can take a look at the design and see if those moving parts are going to hold up to your standards of performance.
When you take a boat out to test it try and test it in the type of water that you are wanting to paddle. Trying a boat out on water that doesn’t resemble the conditions you will experience will give you a false idea of how the boat will perform.

By choosing the correct water you will eliminate boats that aren’t designed for those conditions narrowing the field to the right boat. We often see folks try to test boats in sub-optimal conditions for the design of the boat. For example taking a creekboat (designed for tight technical moves), out on a wide, higher volume river with minimal technical moves.

This person is likely to have a disappointing experience on the water as the boat may have great performance but there is no good way to test it, however if this is the type of water they want to paddle… well they probably got the feedback they wanted which is this isn’t the correct boat for this.

Another example would be testing a touring kayak for rock-gardening on flat-water… where it might be better to test it in light class I or II whitewater if you aren’t able to get it to the ocean tide pools. The balance of this boat may not be tested in the calmer conditions, and you won’t have the obstacles to try and test maneuverability.

Also consider going out in the boat for a bit of time, 15-minutes in the boat won’t tell you the same as 2-3 hours. If the boat is 10-ft-long and you are paddling for 15-minutes you may not notice how tired you will be if you decide to take it across a large body of water.

Once you have determined the type of paddling want, tested some boats on the water that fit the bill the last step is to look at the condition of the equipment to determine if it will hold up for the future.

Here are some tips:

• Find out how the boat was stored. Ultraviolet light is the #1 damaging agent to a plastic boat. If the boat has been stored inside it will be in much better condition.
• If the boat had been stored outside press the plastic listen for cracking or creaking. UV makes the plastic more brittle. Also look at the handles, decking straps, seat, & back band for sun damage these may need to be replaced if UV damaged.
• Look for repairs to the boat, you ideally want a boat that has not been patched or reheated to fix a nose dent or bend in the plastic. Plastic generally turns white stretched out of shape so take a good look at the nose of the boat and along the sides, if you see white or plastic that looks out of shape you should be concerned.
• Folds around the leg area of the boat and behind the cockpit are extremely dangerous and should be avoided as the boat could easily fold again in that area pinning your legs or you body in the boat. Nose damage can be patched and the boat can be used again but the boat is less likely to retain is shape if it hits another rock and your feet will be less cushioned against hits.
• Other cracks in the plastic can be a problem anything that could cause the boat to leak is a bummer, anything that can cause the boat to break or fold is a concern. Look inside the boat at the outfitting if it is a whitewater boat you should know if the boat is designed to have front and back pillars of foam or plastic….
• IF it is designed this way (most are) then those pillars need to be there or the boat won’t hold its shape in a pin. On touring boats you also should look at the condition of the foam bulkheads in the boat. This is the foam that partitions off the front or back of the boat creating a storage chamber accessed from a hatch on the top of the hull.
• If these bulkheads are not attached well then that storage area will leak. A minor leak will be a bummer a major leak can be a safety hazard causing that area to fill with water making it harder to re-enter when capsized mid lake.
• Look for scratches on the underside of the boat, there will be scratches lots of them, probably most are very shallow and won’t affect the boat at all. However if you find deep scratches that go into the plastic more then a 1/8 of a inch in a high wear area on the boat like under the seat there is a chance this spot will crack under constant high use.
• Look for oil canning of the underside of the hull. This is where the underside of the boat may have undulations and look wavy. This can be fixed in some cases by adding foam under the seat or putting the boat out in the hot sun and pushing the surface back out.
• Oil canning can make the boat handle differently then intended on the water having more drag. Oil canning can be caused by over tightening the boat on a roof rack or storage rack on a hot day, or over time if the foam under the seat compresses.
• It's recommended once you own your own boat on hot days if you do not have cradles on your roof rack then flip your boat over and tie it upside down as this side is structurally stronger and tends to resist oil canning.

With any luck you are on your way to finding a boat that is right for you and getting out and paddling soon. Should you find that optimal boat on a steal of a deal and need some additional outfitting check out The River Store’s selection of foam, spare parts, back bands and more.

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

PETE'S RIVER TIPS

Photos provide by Pete Delosa

Tuesday tip: When you're headed out to the river, make sure you're getting in your boat for the right reasons. You will have to decide for yourself what the "right reasons" are. For me it's about sharing the experience in a beautiful place with beautiful people. What are the "right" reasons for you?

California based kayaker Pete DeLosa is headed back to school this month. This time as a full time high school instructor teaching introduction to engineering to the next crop of students. DeLosa writes that he is very excited about his road ahead and looking forward to great many opportunities to inspire our next generation.
Here at Outside Adventure to the Max ,, where Delosa is often featured as a guest blogger, we are not surprised that Delosa, a Current Adventures Kayak School & Trips  instructor will be sharing his knowledge with future engineers. The guy loves to teach. We know this from his love of paddling and his desire to instill that into others. Whether you are an experienced paddler or brand new to paddling, DeLosa is always willing help you as a boater develop that edge you want to make you a bettet kayaker.
"Pete is hands down one of the most awesome human beings I've met," said  paddler and The River Store empolyee, Ethan Howard, "Along with mentoring me in the game of whitewater, he has also taught me valuable life lessons that I will never forget."
So as we send DeLosa back to classroom, we look at some of his wit and wisdom he has shared with us in his Tuesday Facebook posts offering insight, protocol, and civility for your next time on the river.

Tuesday Tip: If you're headed to the river with out a crew of your own and just hoping to meet up with someone who you can tag along with and get a shuttle, don't go to put it and wait there. This is generally considered bad form. Instead, go to the take out and wait for others to show up. This way when you are talking to people you can offer to participate with the shuttle. You may get lucky and not need to but people will appreciate the offer and you won't be making them choose between squeezing you in and leaving you stranded.

Tuesday tip: We all know we're supposed to point positive on the river. What about talking positive? It can be loud and hard to hear on the water. Recently while kayaking I heard a buddy behind me say "left." That was the only word I caught. I thought I knew where I was going, but he did know that run better than I did so I changed course and went left. Turns out, what he said was "don't go left." Well, all's well that ends well and it worked out OK. I just missed a sweet boof and instead beatered through a janky crack. For future let's all get in the habit of talking positive as well as pointing that way.

Tuesday tip: If you're carrying your boat on a narrow path with a wall on one side and a cliff on the other, don't carry your boat between you and the wall. Keep it on the cliff side. This way you won't accidentally bump the wall with your boat and send yourself flying off the cliff.

Tuesday tip: When you're surfing a wave and you're at the top trying to stay on, leaning forward will help you slide down the wave. Similarly, if you're at the bottom and you want to get to the top, leaning back will drag you up the wave.
Tuesday tip: When doing stern squirts don't throw your body back as you take your stroke. This actually keeps you flatter. Instead, concentrate on squeezing your knee to your chest.

Tuesday tip: Have you been working on flat spins or cartwheels lately? Make sure your keeping your head and your shoulders ahead of your rotation.

Tuesday Tip: When taking your boof stroke, do not throw your body backwards. Throwing your body back drives the bow of your kayak down which is the opposite of what you're trying to do. It is bringing your chest to your knees that will keep your bow up. Keep your core engaged and imagine you are doing a sort of sit up as you take your stroke.

Tuesday Tip: If you're headed to the river with out a crew of your own and just hoping to meet up with someone who you can tag along with and get a shuttle, don't go to put it and wait there. This is generally considered bad form. Instead, go to the take out and wait for others to show up. This way when you are talking to people you can offer to participate with the shuttle. You may get lucky and not need to but people will appreciate the offer and you won't be making them choose between squeezing you in and leaving you stranded.

Tuesday Tip: You know that hole you paddle around on your local run? The one you never go in because you're a little scared of it. We have one somewhere. Next time you go by it, consider floating into the hole sideways. If you continue kayaking sooner or later you're going to get caught in a hole by surprise and you're going to get worked a little. Nobody ever thinks to practice this but if you do get a little stuck on purpose every now and again, you'll be much more ready for it when it just happens.

Tuesday tip: If you're going to keep your kayaking gear in your car consider getting a dog such as a pit bull with rabies to keep watch over it while you're away. Another good option may be a vehicle that explodes during forced entry. This will go a long way to prevent your stuff being stolen, or at least if it is stolen the thief won't steal from anyone else, ever.

California based kayaker Pete Delosa is a member of Team Pyranha and sponsored by Immersion Research and Shred Ready. You can catch up with Pete on his blog River-Bum.com and watch his videos on You-Tube. 
Outside Adventure to the Max is always looking for guest bloggers. Contact us at Nickayak@gmail.com if you are interested.

STORM SURGE

The first thing one notices is the sound of rushing water coming off the hills.  In some spots, it's a muffled refreshing gurgle while in other places it's a downright roar. Once dry, ditches, gullies, and creeks beds are now hydraulic jets of rushing of water that carry just about anything downstream in a debris-strewn torrent of eroded soil, rock and trees. Area rivers have swelled out of their banks, beat up levees, brimmed over reservoirs and buckled some dam's spillways while bursting over others.

Localized flooding has been commonplace in Northern California this winter, all thanks to a drought-busting parade of storms that are setting the stage of what could be the state's wettest winter on record.  Atmospheric rivers, a weather phenomenon of a long and narrow bands of water vapor formed over an ocean, carrying enough moisture to roughly equaled to the average flow of the mouth of the Mississippi River have dumped massive amounts rain and snow across the state once reaching landfall.
“After several years of drought, now we’ve got too much all at once,” Jeremy Hill, a civil engineer with the Department of Water Resources flood operations team told the Los Angeles Times.

Nevertheless, this conveyor belt of storms has created what many call “once-in-a-decade” conditions for many area paddlers on the South Fork American River. Flows estimated as high as  30,000 cubic feet per second compared to a normal pace of anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 cubic feet per second have fashioned some of the biggest rapids anyone has seen on the river.

"It's been super fun." said Jeff Venturino of Davis, Ca., "It's been nuts, way too much fun. People have been getting on it at huge water. The biggest I have done it was like 10,000 to 12,000 (cfs), but people have been on it as big at 30,000 (cfs). The features are bigger, the holes are bigger. Most of the lines haven't changed much at this (6,000 cfs) flow."

Venturino and his group of paddlers were at local paddling shop The River Store to pick up a few things before taking on the South Fork this past weekend and like all groups on big waters, safety was on their minds.

"We're seven today," said Venturino,  "Like I wouldn't do an after work for a two-man lap today, because if somebody swims which is not really an option, but if it happens you need extra people around. It's so continuous you might not be able to grab an eddy so now you've got to get them to the bottom. I have heard a couple of stories of people losing boats or having to hike out. So it's still worth scouting if the flow is anything different from what you have regularly seen before."

Meanwhile, just up the road at Marshall Gold Discovery Park, Melissa DeMarie and her group were dropping off vehicles and loading kayaks in the rain shower while getting ready to shuttle up to Chili Bar put in for one their group member's birthday paddle. Across the way, they could see the South Fork flowing fast and yellow tape blocking off piles of flood wreckage from the weeks before, heaped up along its banks.

"It's been amazing. It's been huge, it's been brown" said DeMarie,  "There has been a ton of debris in the river. Things are definitely shifting around a little bit in there. Big trees, big logs and just a lot of other stuff floating down, so you definitely have to keep your head on a swivel and make sure you are looking around and see if there is a tree that is going to come and breach up next to you. But there were definitely days that I have chosen not to paddle like Chili Bar or the Gorge because there is like extra debris in the river. It adds an extra element to it and you gotta be really careful.

Local paddler Demarie with the California Women's Watersport Collective from nearby Cool has been out on the river several times this season and says the high water of the South Fork is a treat for her and other strong confident paddlers, that been offering new looks after enduring years of drought.

"The water on the really high days is super silty and it just reacts differently and there features where there weren't use to be features before, " said DeMarie, "I definitely pick and choose the days. It is really cool to go on the huge days because it hasn't really happened in a really long time and who knows when it's going to happen again."

And with the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack well above 100 percent, water officials expect area reservoir to recharge and rivers will be rocking providing more big water fun all the way into summer.

RK1 BASICS

I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam, smooth to green glass over sunken rocks, shatter to foam again. I was fascinated by how it sped by and yet was always there; its roar shook both the earth and me.
- Wallace Stegner

"Swimming is part of the sport." said whitewater paddling instructor Dennis Eagan, "Every paddler, even the good ones are in between swims."

That was a shot of reassurance for the class, that everyone starts out the same, paddling skills are learned and developed over time and being able to swim in fast water is always an essential part of whitewater kayaking no matter what your levels of abilities. It's the basis for Whitewater River Kayaking 1 (RK1) with Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips. A class to develop a foundation and skills necessary to paddle fast water. In talking with the class participants, I learned most had some experience with fast water and one had even rafted down the Grand Canyon. However, the reason they were there was to learn the fundamentals by getting back to the basics of paddling.

"I want to do the Grand Canyon next year, " said student Scott Billups, "I've done quite a bit of sea kayaking in Alaska and have a SOT on my sailboat which I use quite a bit for diving and coastal touring. I've always thought that it (whitewater kayaking) would be fun but never lived close enough to whitewater to make it worthwhile. Sea kayaks want to run straight and cover a lot of ground as effortlessly as possible. Whitewater kayaks just want to turn and play."

It was a typical summer weekend on the South Fork of the American River atHenningsen-Lotus Park in Northern California.
Flows and the river traffic were high. It seemed like an endless parade of river rafts, kayaks and tubers floating down the stream while we unloaded and fitted the class up with their kayaks. "The fit it really important," Eagan told the students, "You want to be snug and your boat. That is really important. It gives you more control. You want to be snug like the boat is a part of you. Snug but comfortable.

After sliding into their kayaks and into the river, one by one, the students are literally submerged into the world of kayaking with wet exits and bow rescues.

In the bow rescue, Eagan capsizes each student as they hold the bow of another student's boat forming a T and progressively tips the kayak further and further over until they can complete a roll from upside down. Two different skills are practiced by the students, Staying in your kayak while using the support of another kayak to bring you upright and learning stability for the rescuer. Also, the students, get a boost of confidence in overcoming any fears of being upside down underwater. "No issues really." said Billups, "I do a lot of diving and am very comfortable in the water."

The South Fork is known for its dependable flows of whitewater. Popular rapids like Barking Dog, Troublemaker and Meatgrinder are just some of the rough waters that make the river attractive to the area kayakers. However, on the first day of the class, Eagan started with an easy moving section of the river to introduce some basic paddling strokes and techniques. "Most people do not spend enough time on flat water when they are learning to kayak." Eagan told the class, "I see lots of kayakers paddling down the gorge in Class III whitewater, but they still haven't developed a really good stroke technique. And even though they are paddling Class III they still haven't got that good foundation, because everyone is in the rush to get into the excitement of the white water instead of working on the drills."

For the rest of the session, the paddling students practiced integrating and completing their strokes and edging ability while working on an assortment of river maneuvers. "Once you get edging down you won't tip over very much," Eagan told the boaters. Edge control is a skill used for balance and control of the kayak. It involves holding the kayak tilted on one side (edge) or moving it from side to side (edge to edge) in the oncoming current, while at the same time as performing bracing strokes. "In any paddling, there are only three problems that you have." said Eagan, "One is momentum. You don't have enough speed. Two, You don't enough edging, and the other is boat angle. The last your going to working for the rest of your (paddling) career."

 

With increased confidence later on that afternoon, the paddling students were weaving and gliding through rocks and ripples along the South Fork while practicing ferrying, a maneuver to get across the river, along with eddy turns and peel outs. It was a day getting back to basics and learning some new skills over again. "It's not thinking about any text-book stroke, " said Eagan, "But, blending them all together."

Whitewater kayaking is an ongoing journey. As the poet Herman Hesse said "The river has taught me to listen; you will learn from it, too. The river knows everything; one can learn everything from it." It's consequential that kayakers keep listening, learning, and holding true to their paddling basics.

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 October 10, 2015.

CHRISTMAS FOR KAYAKERS

The usual calm waters of the American River just before into pours into Lake Natoma are a torrent this week as the outflows at Folsom Lake has more than doubled from 3,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 8,000 cfs according to officials at the Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region. This is a rare event in recent drought years to release water from Folsom Lake after last week's series of rainstorms.
Another pre-Christmas storm with rain, wind and mountain snow will affect much of the western United States is forecast this weekend. It will bring another dose of drought-denting rain and dump more snow onto the ski slopes.

The gift of the rain and snow will benefit us all by supplying our reservoirs with a steady supply of water for the year ahead, which is good news for area paddlers after a few lean years of drought. It's is what we at Outside Adventure to the Max are thankful for this holiday season. The gift of water in our area lakes, reservoirs and rivers. We like all of you hope it just keeps flowing in.

OAM would like to thank guest blogger Pete Delosa and Kate Hives for their insights and views this past year. They have certainly made OAM better by providing a different voice in the world of paddling. We certainly look forward to a future post in the upcoming year.

We would also like to thank Dirt Bag Paddlers & DBP Magazine Online, The River Store. Bayside Adventure Sports and Rapid Magazine for sharing our post on their social media pages. They help us so much to spread the word about our weekly post.

Most of all, we'd like to thank our readers and follower who check us out every week. We hope you enjoy our thoughts and pictures about our outside experiences into 2017.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Outside Adventure to the Max.

Swift Water Rescue Clinic

"If your buddy doesn't have a throw bag, give him yours," said the River Store's Gigi McBee, "In case you need it."

That was good advice,  I thought looking out over the South Fork of the American River. The river was running fast.  Kayaks and rafts kept coming by, bouncing in the pillow of waves just upstream from Henningsen Lotus Park.  Smiles and fun were the order of the day.  But, rivers are like that. Your friend one day... Over your head and gasping for air the next.  It's good to be ready for whatever it dishes out.

I recently took part in the Swift Water Rescue Clinic for Novices conducted McBee. The clinic was set up to teach fundamental skills for kayak based rescues, rescue throw bag techniques (throwing & retrieving) and swimming self-rescues. The exercise was designed to improve our skills along with bolstering our awareness and confidence on the river.

The rescue/throw bag is an essential piece of safety equipment used to rescue a swimmer and in some cases,  help unpin trapped boats. There should be a minimum of one per kayak on any trip.  I got mine a few years back after capsizing in icy Otter Tail River and not having one. I ordered it the next day and now it comes on every trip. It is a little faded but still holds up well.

We were instructed to practice softball or sidearm style pitches, trying to get the float bag as far as we could into the stream. Soon bright float bags and yellow ropes crisscross the river like spaghetti.   When re-stuffing the bag we were advised to, coil the rope directly into the bag. Coiling it first and then putting it into the bag can cause a tangle that prevents the rope from smoothly flowing out of the bag when tossed.

Soon we were ready for practicing being both swimmer and rescuer.  First, swim across the river through rapids. After some pointers, our instructor dove in to demonstrate.  She took a couple of strokes, gracefully rolled on to her back in the boil and swam out to another side with ease. Two others followed before it was my turn.

There are two ways of swimming through a rapid. Swim defensively or offensively.  Swimming defensive involves floating downstream in a protected position, lying on my back, feet downstream, arms out to the side and with my body floating on the surface as possible. But, in order to get through the rapid and cross the eddy line, I adopt the offensive swimming technique. Swimming freestyle hard through the boils and whirlpool.

I dove into the current and was washed downstream quickly. The chilly water took my breath away as swam through the rapid to the eddy. I took a quick breath and oriented myself before continuing across.  Misjudging the speed of water  I was quickly being carried away from the group.
"Rope!" was called from shore.
A rescue bag was tossed out to me in a softball style pitch. I instinctive swam toward the lifeline and grabbed the line.  Clinging to it the rescuers will swing me toward the banks of the river. I'd was the first rescue of the day.

I would play both swimmer and rescuer several more times that afternoon.  As a rescuer, I quickly realized how the rope becomes very taut with the pull of swimmer on the end.  Pulling and swinging the swimmer to safety takes some muscle even done correctly using a climber's technique of belaying the rope across my back and hips while another rescuer can assisted me by grabbing the back my PFD and helping with the brace.

The skills taught that weekend was invaluable.  Always have a rescue bag handy, and practice using it.  Also, make sure the folks you boat with have them too. The life that gets saved could be yours.


The River Store offers a variety of clinics and workshops throughout the paddling season. For more information, visit them online at www.theriverstore.com