THE LEGEND OF TWO PADDLES

Albert Bierstadt, Indians Spear Fishing

                        

It was a day on the river I would like to forget. Mostly due to the result of some nameless rapid and its churning eddy. It happened so fast. The river went one way and I went the other. Spilling out of my boat like cereal into a bowl. Submerged and floating, I reached for the bow only to have it slip away out of grasp. In disbelief, I watched as it quickly ran away through the boulders constricting the river.

"Isn't a little early in the day for you to be quitting?" called a voice from the side of the river. " It was the grizzled old Storyteller who I always seem to find along the river.

"I lost my boat," I told him gasping as I swam to the shore.

"I can see that," he sighed, "Looks like your afoot now. Sit down for a spell and catch your breath before we go after your boat."

I sat down looking glum. Embarrassed about the swim, but just too tired to start the hike down river.

"Cheer up," chuckled the Storyteller, "You're not the first and I'm sure you won't be the last to walk out of these mountains.

"They called him "He Who Wanders or Wandering Spirit," he began, "He would walk everywhere exploring the mountains, canyons and rivers. It's said he heard the song of the tree fairies. These fun-loving forest creatures would only appear to humans when they wanted to be seen. They would sing and laugh, and when He Who Wanders got to close to their music they would call him from a different direction. It was said, they would often take the form of a rabbit or deer and lead him to the river only to suddenly disappeared, with no apparent hiding place.

Because of this, He Who Wanders had a habit of disappearing for days and weeks at a time before turning up unexpectedly, hence his name."

George Catlin, Leopard Hunting in Brazil

The Storyteller looked at the river and then the path narrow path alongside it.
"It was probably a path like this, He Who Wanders was walking when he came upon the bobcat on fire," the Storyteller speculated, "You see after a raccoon was treed by the wildcat and knowing it had no escape. Legend says, the old coon or maybe it was a rabbit, somehow convinced the bobcat to build a fire. As the fire grew, the wind scattered the burning embers onto the poor cat setting it ablaze and screaming with pain."

"His crying tore at He Who Wander's heart," exclaimed the Storyteller, "Seeing the bobcat's struggle he quickly gathered up the animal and tossed it into the river saving its life. The soaking wet cat emerged from the river his fur singed with dark brown and black spots. His raccoon meal had escaped, but he was grateful to be alive. Ever since I'll his kind have been covered with spots."

"Thank you, He Who Wanders, you saved me from certain death," the Bobcat gasped, " the Storyteller continued, "We are now and forever allies," the Bobcat told him, "But I'm a creature of the forest and my place is here. I will offer this guidance. Go forward with courage, follow the river and discover your heart and spirit. When you need me, I'll be near."

The Storyteller then paused, straightened his hat, while studying the river.

"The great cat then disappeared into the evening fog," the Storyteller went on, "Leaving He Who Wanders alone on the river's path. Now let's go find your boat."

While we started down the river trail the Storyteller resumed his story.
"He Who Wanders followed this same trail all the way to the ocean. When he got there he was amazed by the sight of the great water," speculated the Storyteller, "But over the rumblings of the waves, he heard a cry for help. A young female killer whale was beached and dying in the sand."

"Her crying tore at He Who Wander's heart." conceited the Storyteller, "Stranded near the waterline he knew had to get the orca back to into deeper waters and could not wait for the tide. By then it would be too late."

"He comforted the sea creature by covering it with wet blankets and then fashioned a shovel to dig a trench behind the mammal then made a towing harness dried seaweed," the Storyteller divulged, "And began pulling with all his might"

"The Blackfish screamed in pain and told He Who Wanders it was no use she was just too heavy," confessed The Storyteller, "She was right, He Who Wanders could not make her budge an inch."

Baleen Whale Mask

"Then out the sky came the raven," the Storyteller, interjected, "He brought special mushrooms from a place in the forest where the moonbeams fell just right. He told He Who Wanders if he ate them it would grant him Superman strength to carry the whale back to the sea."

"As the raven flew off, He Who Wanders, quickly devoured the charmed mushrooms," guessed the Storyteller, "Giving him the strength of ten men. He grabbed the tow line and with ease pulled the orca back into the surf."

"Thank you, He Who Wanders, you saved me from certain death," the Killer Whale said with " the Storyteller continued, "We are now and forever soul mates," the ocra told him, "But I'm a creature of the sea and my place is here. I will offer this guidance. Go forward with courage, follow the ocean and discover your heart and spirit. When you need me, I'll be near."

The Storyteller then paused, straightened his hat, while studying the foam of the whitewater waves of the river.

"The great orca then disappeared into the sea" the Storyteller went on, "Leaving He Who Wanders alone on the beach path. Hey, I think I see your boat."

We started down the rocky trail where we could see my bobbing kayak in quiet eddy along the river as the Storyteller picked up his tale.

"He went north following the migrating seals and whales by day and the Northern Lights by night. The lights then were thought to the spirits of the animals: the seals, salmon, deer and the great polar bear," told the Storyteller, "After crossing over into a land of snow and glaciers he heard the whimpering of a tiny shivering polar bear abandon on the ice."

"His crying tore at He Who Wander's heart." pleaded the Storyteller, "Without his help, the little cub would surely die. He comforted the bear by covering it with warm blankets and took it to a nearby village. Where he found a woman who had no sons to care for her. She adopted the young bear cub and it quickly grew and became the villages' best fisherman providing fish daily to all."

"He Who Wanders found a home there too," emphasized the Storyteller, "He became fascinated by the villager's use of their- kayaks. Constructed with whalebone-skeleton frame and animal skins stretched over its hull, the boat had a covered deck with only a small opening on top. Unlike the canoe, they used a double-bladed paddle."

William Bradford Arctic Invaders

"Life in this cold climate was extremely difficult. Those who kayaked knew a single miscalculation could lead to death in freezing water," the Storyteller declared, "It took, He Who Wanders several seasons before mastering kayaking learning all its strokes and rolls."

"But the day came when He Who Wanders needed to wander again," reminded the Storyteller. "And as he was about embarked, the now giant Polar Bear came to him and said, "Thank you, He Who Wanders, you saved me from certain death. We are now and forever brothers, But I'm a creature of the arctic and my place is here. I will offer this guidance. Go forward with courage, follow all the world's waters and discover your heart and spirit. When you need me, I'll be near."

The Storyteller then paused, straightened his hat again, while studying my half submerged kayak floating against the shore.

"The great white bear then disappeared back to the village" the Storyteller went on, "Leaving He Who Wanders alone in his kayak. Look it's your boat safe and sound."

I grabbed the boat with relief and pulled it on to the rocks tipping it over spilling out all the water from its hull back into the river.

"So what happened?" I asked while climbing back into the boat, "Did he ever get home?"

"Like you, I think he found his way back to the water. There were more challenges, of course," replied the Storyteller, "On the third night out, while camping on a beach he heard the howl of wolves. Surrounded by the pack showing glaring teeth, He Who Wanders had little hope for survival. But a giant roar came over the ice and snow. It was his brother the polar bear driving all the wolves away."

"You have discovered your heart and spirit. I will always be with you, like the stars at night and the sun in each dawn," the polar bear proclaimed to him before vanishing into the snow," reassured the Storyteller.

"Twenty-one days later a sudden storm-tossed his kayak around violently just off the coast. He Who Wanders was about to crash on the rocks when a blackfin popped out of the ocean foam. It was his soul-mate, the killer whale. She put his kayak on her back and safely and brought him safely to a protected hidden cove."

"You have discovered your heart and spirit. I will always with you, like the waves in the sea and the ripples of the world's great rivers," the killer whale declared to him before breaching away under the sea," expressed the Storyteller.

William de la Montagne Cary

"Two months later, He Who Wanders was paddling upstream," the Storyteller, concluded, "He was tired and hungry having not eaten in several days when he saw a flash of the spotted coat. It was his friend the bobcat who had caught some game. Seeing He Who Wanders was hungry, he dropped along the side of the river and then saying to him."

"With your new boat and paddle, the river people will celebrate your return and welcome you to a place at the council fire. They will forever tell stories of your paddling journeys honoring your courage and speed, your strength. You have discovered your heart and spirit. From now on you will be known to the world as Two Paddles."

I felt the current of the river give my boat a gentle tug. And just like that, I drifted away from the Storyteller and the bank of the river. Turning down river, I thought of the opening lines of Longfellow's epic poem The Song of Hiawatha.

Should you ask me, whence these stories?
Whence these legends and traditions,
With the odors of the forest
With the dew and damp of meadows,
With the curling smoke of wigwams,
With the rushing of great rivers.

When I glanced over my shoulder one last time and over the rumble of the rapids saw the Storyteller waving goodbye and calling out, "Go forward with courage, follow all the world's waters and discover your heart and spirit. When you need me, I'll be near."

THE OVERNIGHT KAYAK TRAVEL GUIDE

 

By Outside Adventure to the Max Guest Blogger John D'Amelio

If you plan this kayak packing trip well you can pop out late on a Friday afternoon and still be back in time to make the kids pancakes on Saturday morning. The beauty of an overnight kayak camping trip is that they don't have to be all that complicated. Fair warning here: once you make this initial trip you'll likely be hooked.

With a limited window, the first step to a successful S24O (Sub 24-Hour Overnighter) is locating a body of water close to home that has decent chance of a place to camp. This 'Start from the end' method is a proven winner and will get you well on the way to answer almost every other question that you might have about such an enterprise. In fact, the only things you need to know will all be driven by this first and most important question.

Where To camp & How Far You Should Go?

The answer is largely going to depend on how much time you have and your relative skill level.  Generally speaking, +/-3-5 mph is a comfortable pace in a touring kayak. If this is your first overnighter then go for the sure win - 3-7 miles.  3 is enough to make you feel like you've gone somewhere and 7 is not so much that you'll get lost, exhausted or overwhelmed.

Locate your campsite on a topo or bombsight it on Google Maps and do some simple distance measurements.  Keep in mind a few things as you make your estimations.  Wind plays a bigger factor than you'd imagine in how much time the distance will take so factor in the prevailing winds for your location as well as the weather forecast.

If you are planning your adventure on a flat water river or coastal body then current and tides will also come into play. Best advice here is to start easy, short, and well within your skill level. You'll have enough on your plate without having to deal with too many external factors.

Where Should You Put In?
 
This is really one of the more fun parts of planning an overnighter. For me, its a little like releasing my inner Lewis & Clark or Marquette. With the knowledge of your camp sight in mind start referring back to your map, looking for overpasses, State DNR boat ramps or dirt roads that border your water.  Local kayaking clubs will also be a great resource.

A good alternative to planning your own would be to look for a paddle trail. The American Trails National Water Trails System has, as of this writing, 49 trails that include predesignated camping platforms or locations.

What Should You Take?
 
Besides some basic kayak safety gear – your PFD being the most important – you'll need less than you think.

1.  Water or a means to purify it,
2.  Food and a means to cook it if needed,
3.  Shelter pretty much round the list out.

If you are already geared up for backpacking or, with little exception, car camping, then with the addition of a few 15-20L dry bags you are probably all set to go. Some budget items are linked below if you are looking for recommendations. 

Gear List:
Cook stove
Fuel
Cook pot
  Cup
Lighter
Spork
Knife
Garbage bag
First Aid Kit
TP + Trowel
Bandana

Shelter:
Tent or Hammock
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping pad
Headlamp

Dry Bags
2-20 L
1-10 L
Map Case

Food + Water
H2O - 1g/person/day (Platypus 2L)
Dinner (Freeze Dried)
Breakfast (Oatmeal)
Snack

Optional
GPS
Bag Liner
Flashlight

Packing Your Kayak

We can't stress enough here the need to practice packing your rig prior to your departure.  Modern touring kayaks can hold a lot of gear so you'd be hard pressed to max your weight or storage space out on an S24O.  If you are transitioning in from car camping your most likely candidates for gear replacements are going to be your camp stove and maybe your tent.

Rule number one of kayakpacking: everything is going to get wet. Thankfully not everything that gets packed in the kayak has to first go in a dry bag. Really, it's just the stuff that would be unusable or ruined if it gets wet. If you have room for the essentials and can also put everything else in a dry bag – go for it.  But it's not a necessity of kayakcamping.  My kit usually contains 2 or 3-20L dry bags.  Everything else goes in a bulkhead or securely in a hold.

Clothes:
One of the really simple pleasures of kayakpacking is getting to camp, setting up the tent and slipping into some nice dry clothes. Going from wet paddling gear to wet camp clothes just isn't an option.

Don't take much on an S240 but do take a change of clothes for camp and/or sleeping. 

Sleep System:

You can get by for one night without sleep – by why risk it.  Reserve your other dry bag for your sleeping bag, and camp pillow if you like (I always take one). Your tent or hammock is optional here.  They dry fast and are usually wet by morning anyway. I usually just stuff it in the far end of the forward bulkhead and it stays mostly dry even in the worse weather or water conditions.

Electronics:
Not much to add here other than if you are taking a computer, iPad, smartphone or camera I'd double bag those items and test my solution in a more controlled environment like a bathtub or sink.  There are some commercially available products for all of these items but none that we have tested thoroughly enough to warrant an endorsement.

This is by no means the only way to go about planning a successful overnight kayak camping adventure. One of our contributors has a YouTube video on the subject that we highly recommend. Check out Trip Smith's "How I Plan Overnight Kayaking Trips - TIPS and the PROCESS" on his wildly popular channel "Out There".

 John D'Amelio serves as the Executive Editor of Kayakpacking.co.  When he's not dreaming about, planning or editing kayak adventures he is a freelance designer and writer. He calls central North Carolina home where he lives with his wife of 28 years.

Launched in late 2017 kayakpacking.co  is a resource specifically devoted to longer distance kayaking adventures. Their goal is to give paddlers the tools and materials you need to follow published routes while inspiring you to seek out and plan your own adventures.

Kayakpacking.co's route system has grown in a very short time to over 600 miles of documented flatwater (0-II class) trails and counting with over 400 more miles currently in development. Check out their getting started series. It walks you through everything you need to know to plan a simple overnighter to a full-blown multi-week kayak packing adventure.

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

THE LATE, GREAT EPPIES GREAT RACE

"It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."----Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

"Well guys, it's been a heck of a ride," said a hoarse-voiced Dan Crandall when leaving Sacramento's Riverbend Park in a van and trailer laden with kayaks. Eppies Great Race was days away and there was still plenty of work to do, but leaving the park on the last night of his company's kayak workout sessions for area racers his mood was a bit melancholy.

Early this year, organizers decided to discontinue the event following a steady decline in participation. The great race was on it's last and final leg.
"I hate to see it go," said racer Diane Marlow on the day of the race, "It's depressing, but I'm so excited, So excited about today, it's going to be a blast."

Diane Marlow on a Current Adventures training night.

For 45 years, Eppie’s Great Race was a summer tradition. Billed as the world’s oldest triathlons, the race was founded in 1974, using a 5.8-mile run, a 12.5-mile bike ride and a 6.1-mile paddle on along the scenic American River Parkway to raise money for Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services. Over the years, the race raised more than $1.2 million for (TRS) which specializes in treatment for those with developmental disabilities.

The kayaking portion of the race made it one of the largest paddling events in the United States, by offering a different dynamic from other triathlons with a "no swim" competition.

Training Night

While most of the participants came to the race with running and biking skills, many had never paddled the river before or even sat in a kayak. To help people get on the water, back in 1993, Crandall the owner of Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips started a uniquely designed training session to coach racers and ensure success come race day. Over the years, Crandall and his instructors have coached over 1,000 participants build their confidence, paddling skills and river reading knowledge.

"It's been a Godsend," said Marlow, "It's a been a wonderful escape. This race brought me to kayaking. About 11 years ago a couple of gals talked me into being on their team. I signed up for Dan's program about learning to kayak so I could do the race and I've been hooked ever since."

San Juan Rapids

What Heartbreak Hill is to the Boston Marathon, San Juan Rapids was to Eppies Great Race. Competitors could easily go from first to 31st by miscalculating the boil. The Current Adventures' practicing paddlers were encouraged to run the rapid a couple of times during their training sessions to familiarize themselves with its flow and circular eddy.

"Lean forward and smile," Crandall would advise before their first run, "Show the river you are not afraid of it and keep a paddle in the water."
By the end of their training and after more than a few spills, those pesky rapids were just a speed bump come race day.
"The river has been fabulous," said Marlow, "I like San Juan, I like it bumpy, I like the waves."

Race Day on the American River

On race day, the rocky beach at the Jim Jones Bridge, where participants transfer from bicycle to boat at the for the final leg of the course was a rainbow of every color and every kind of kayak prior to the race. Organizers said the final race attracted a record 2,500 people.

"Today is much more like what it used to be 30 years ago." Crandall told Fox 40-TV, "The number of people, the spirit, you know just everybody really being into it. A party atmosphere."

Encouragement from Dan Crandall

Six-miles down river at the finish line in Riverbend Park, it was a sentimental goodbye the area's annual summer celebration, as medals, hugs and high-fives were shared evenly. Racers posed together for pictures, knowing it might be the last time they all get together for this one of a kind Sacramento event.

Crandall says that everyone he talks with is hoping that someone starts a similar type of race. While he hopes other groups might take over the running and biking portions of the race, he pledges to keep the kayaking community racing on the Lower American River.

"We've always done the Eppies Pre-Race or Eppie Johnson Memorial." Crandall told his paddling group, "So even if something like Eppies Great race itself somehow manages to rise out of the ashes of this one. We're probably going to keep doing that race and just do that race every year."

OVER THE BOW: LAKE JENKINSON

A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. --- William Wordsworth

The wake of a distant motorboat gently rocks the dock and boathouse. Boompah, boompah, boompah creaks the dock as it rises and falls with each wave mildly rubbing each canoe and kayak chained to its side. It lasts for only a few moments and before the rocking subsides and lake recaptures its stillness.

Lake Jenkinson and Sly Park Recreation Area is an idyllic setting nestled in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. The lake and its fine fringe of tall pines remind me of lakes of the Northwoods similar to Wisconsin, Minnesota and far up into Canada. There are two main parts to the lake divided by a channel. The larger rounded lower lake is home to the speedboats, picnic and campgrounds and swimming beach, while the upper lake is more narrow, much quieter due to a 5 mph speed limit and nostalgic.

"Canoes, too, are unobtrusive;" wrote American writer John Graves, "They don't storm the natural world or ride over it, but drift in upon it as a part of its own silence."

In our frenzied lives, Graves warned, the chances for being quiet nowadays are limited. So it's a bargain at $20 dollars an hour for single kayak and $30 dollars an hour for a tandem or canoe to slip away on to the lake by renting a boat from Sly Park Paddle Rentals. For some the trek around the bend to a hidden waterfall is a sentimental trip to help regain their youth after not paddling for years or even decades. While for others, it's a reminder that life can be an off-line adventure when sitting in a canoe for the first time.

Working at the boathouse is like a return to summer camp as I watch the canoes and kayaks come and go across the emerald colored water of the lake with every paddle stroke leaving a twisting trail of whirling swirl of whirlpools in their wake. Down the way, I hear splashing and laughing of children at the beach, while across the lake, hikers are in their track in awe as a bald eagle swoops down over the water to catch a fish. Looking out over the lake. I couldn't find a more peaceful utopia.

"When you sit tranquillity," wrote contemporary Turkish novelist, Mehmet Murat ildan. "You set a great example to the people who rush around in panic and thus you show the crazy waves the beauty of being a calm lake!"

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

GOODBYE YELLOW TANDEM

When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known. ---Sigurd Olson

My dad used to say, there are two happy days in life with you in your boat.
The day you buy it and the day when you sell it. Of course, he was right about the day I brought my Perception Prodigy 14.5 tandem home. Back in Minnesota, it opened up my summer with endless possibilities.

I purchased the tandem with the whole idea of taking my daughter's dog Mazie camping while she was working that summer in a Boy Scout camp. I can remember taking several trips that summer. Heading off across the lake to my favorite boat in campsite, Mazie a chocolate Labrador was a great companion. Over the summer, she excelled at becoming a "water dog" with little trouble climbing in and out of the boat and not rocking it too badly.

I can recall taking friends and family boating with it over the years. It was great for family campouts and getting folks on the water for the first time. My kids could bring friends along and paddle to tour the lake without leaving anyone behind. Usually called a divorce boat, the tandem boosted in the courtship of my wife Debbie. It took only a little practice to get our stokes in sequence. It was the only boat we used when crossed the country while moving to California. On a stop in Colorado, we got stuck in a late afternoon thunderstorm while on the lake together. We ended up soak while rushing back to our campsite.

Like that storm, a deluge of memories rolled back through my head as I watched the tandem being loaded onto a couple's vehicle, strap down and tied off before driving away forever after being sold. A bittersweet day indeed.

While many people think of a kayak as a simple mode of transportation for a fun day on the lake or river, for many of us, our canoes and kayaks are connected to our souls. We give them names and almost human personalities. Your boat automatically states a lot about you as a person. In fact, they become a reflection of who we are.

"The first thing you must learn about canoeing is that the canoe is not a lifeless,  inanimate object," wrote paddling guru Bill Mason, "It feels very much alive, alive with the life of the river. Life is transmitted to the canoe by the currents of the air and the water upon which it rides. The behavior and temperament of the canoe is dependent upon the elements: from the slightest breeze to a raging storm, from the smallest ripple to a towering wave, or from a meandering stream to a thundering rapid.”

As you can see, I have plenty of great memories of the camping trips, moonlight paddles and all the fun we had in that kayak. But, the thing is, I've not been using that boat as much in these last couple of years. It was pretty much just sitting on its side inside our garage being unused and forgotten serving only has a hideout for the cat. A sad fate for a vessel of its caliber.

So it's nice to see that the tandem, now has a new home a young couple who will use it more than I did. They studied the boat with glee as I showed the different features of the boat and retold its past adventures with me. They, in turn, told me how they planned to take their dogs along and looked forward to getting it on the area's lakes. For them, to paraphrase Bill Manson, the acquisition of this boat is a way to journey back to what’s left of the natural world and a voyage of discovery.

But I was more than a little sad to see it drive away and know that I would miss it. Afterward, I told a fellow boater that I had sold the tandem, she sent a back a message of condolences, like I lost a dear friend.
"I would be sad if I were you too," she texted, But, you still have the memories. Glad the boat found a really nice home."

A nice home and a better life, where it will be used to have more adventures and make even more memories. As the couple drives out of sight down the road, Jerry Vandiver's song True and Deep serenades inside my soul.

I hope the waters you cross are calm and still and take you to where you seek.
Should the wind start to blow just where it will, May your paddle be true and deep.
I hope the skies above you are always blue and your journey will flow downstream.
Should the current rise up to challenge you, My your paddle be true and deep.

It's was a wish for the young couple of course, but mostly it was for my faithful yellow tandem kayak.

LEARN TO KAYAK: FEEL THE FLOW

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.  --- C. S. Lewis

It's the first and most common question I get from every excited, but nervous first-time kayak newcomer, usually as they are filling out the release form in the parking lot.

"We're not going to go upside down are we?"

"We'll try not to make that happen," I will reassure them, "Our boats are pretty stable."

But then I'll pause and issue caution, "I'm not going to guarantee it can't happen. If it does we'll get you right back in the boat. But, I think you'll be alright."

Kayaking is an intimate relationship with water. You can feel pretty vulnerable sitting in your boat, with only a few millimeters of rotomolded polyethylene keeping you dry and protected. Everyone who sits in a kayak for the first time, feel they're at the mercy of the water. The biggest challenge for most beginners is just getting used to the kayak during the first few minutes they’re inside of it. They've all seen the extreme videos of some kayaker blasting down some Class V waterfall and rolling in its foam only to pop up on the other side. For some, that is their thinking of what kayaking is all about.

"I’ve always been an “outdoorsy” person, and at one time I thought that I would be a forest ranger. I used to canoe when I was young and always looked forward to doing outdoor adventures when I had the time…and now I do!" said the first-time student, Joyce Molthen, "However, I was a little more nervous than I thought that I would be. But I was immediately put at ease through the guidance and humor of our instructor."

Offering the more peaceful perspective of gentle waters while experiencing the wonders of nature, our Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips class
reminds them by staying stay calm, relaxed with the flow the water and have fun. Fellow instructor Kim Sprague told the group, "We just love paddling and hope everyone else will love as much as we do."
It's our goal as instructors to take away any fear and instead instill confidence.

Emphasizing basic kayaking techniques and water safety, our groups receive dry land instruction before hitting the water. The eager newbies are shown parts of a kayak, parts of the paddle and a demonstration of the different strokes that can be used on the water. Again, with water safety being the most important part about kayaking experience, all paddlers are outfitted with PFD's.

Lakes are a great place to learn to kayak. In the comfort of Sacramento area's Lake Natoma, our paddling rookies push away from the shore and test their newfound skills of paddling. Boats steer from the rear we remind them as they bump into each other in the lagoon of the lake. I still find it amazing that after just a little practice of front and back strokes and turns that they are paddling almost like pros.

After we paddle across the lake the fun begins. We lead the group into the backwater of the lake. They find when quietly paddling along the narrow and winding channels of the slough, they get to see wildlife up close and personal in a way not possible from shore. Beaver and rivers otters can be seen peeking their heads just above the surface of the water, while turtles sun themselves on the logs before plopping into the water when we get to close. The wetlands also harbor many species of birds including a convocation of American bald eagles nesting along the high bluffs of the lake. For our student paddlers, there is a sense of stillness and solitude reminiscent of the peace found in remote natural areas.

"I’ve always enjoyed the quiet moments of life, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my day," said Molthen, "The complete serenity of the kayaking experience and enjoying nature in the midst of a large city is a dream come true for me."

On the way back the students are now relaxed and having fun.  Their paddling skills have dramatically improved since first getting into the kayak as they cruise back to the beach. And while they are a little worn out from the water workout, the experience has also sparked a new enthusiasm for kayaking.
"By the end of the 3-hour class, after we learned the basics," said Molthen, "I was confident in my basic skills, so much so that I wanted to go right out and buy a kayak and go to the lake every day. I’ve already signed up for another class."

But the best quote comes from another student, I overhear while I'm loading the boats back on to the trailer, "I thought I was going to drown today, but it was easier than I thought."

What to go... Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips offers an array of kayaking classes for adults in the Sacramento area. Learn to Kayak- Discover Kayak Touring is designed as the first step in learning to paddle touring and sea kayaks. Learn about proper equipment selection and basic paddling safety and techniques.

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SOLSTICE SOLITUDE

Thus situated, many hundred miles from our families in the howling wilderness, I believe few would have equally enjoyed the happiness we experienced...You see how little nature requires to be satisfied. Felicity, the companion of content, is rather found in our own breasts than in the enjoyment of external things; And I firmly believe it requires but a little philosophy to make a man happy in whatever state he is. This consists in a full resignation to the will of Providence; and a resigned soul finds pleasure in a path strewed with briars and thorns. ---Daniel Boone

Legendary early American trailblazer and famous woodsmen Daniel Boone was constantly exposed to daily dangers and perils of frontier life. Survival meant living off the land and evading Indian attacks. He would often disappear into the forest for weeks and even months on long extended hunts before returning home to his family. According to author Robert Morgan, "Boone sought oneness with the wilderness as a mystic seeks union with the creator or a lover yearns to merge with the beloved."

There is a story about how a hunting party heard an odd sound coming from the woods. Upon investigating, they came across Boone, lying on his back in a little clearing singing to the clouds, trees, and passing birds. Singing for joy. Singing for nature. For Boone, life in the wilderness was a sublime combination of fear and delight mostly experienced by traveling alone.

My solo kayak trips have bestowed that same familiarity for me. In the far off distant land of Minnesota, I use to strap my kayak on to the roof of an old Chevy van packed up my camping gear, some freeze-dried food along with a notebook and pen, then escape for an overnight, maybe a weekend or if I was lucky enough an extended trip lasting several days. Of course, the dangers were minimal, outside on falling off the roof of my van while unloading my boat.

I would slip off into some corner of the wilderness just around the bend from the boat ramp. Like at Lake Bronson State Park in northwest Minnesota for my first solo trip to a boat in camping site on an island. Paddling on the lake that first trip I had a great feeling of exhilaration, followed by terror coursing through my body. The dreaming and planning finally turned into a reality outside of my so-called comfort zone. Still, it wasn't long before I was feeling those mystic powers of the lake exercising my self-doubts.

"There is magic in the feel of a paddle and the movement of a canoe, a magic compounded of distance, adventure, solitude, and peace," wrote canoe guru Sigurd Olson, "The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness and of a freedom almost forgotten. It is an antidote to insecurity, the open door to waterways of ages past and a way of life with profound and abiding satisfactions. When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."

I brought my daughter's chocolate Labrador the next summer for a trip to Scenic State Park, near Bigfork, Minn. I had been dog watching Mazie all summer while my daughter was working at a summer camp. She was a natural water dog and enjoyed riding in my tandem kayak. I had brought her along for a few over-nights already. She would scare off any raccoons just by being in camp, kept my feet warm at night, and ate my leftovers

We paddled around the esker, a long ridge of sediment left behind by ice age separating Coon Lake and Sandwick Lake. From this point, I could see that the park lived up to its name. A group of black and white patterned loons was fishing nearby taking turns diving and disappearing into the water. The silence was then broken by one's tremolo, a wavering call of alarm announcing our presence on the lake.

Campsite #6 overlooks the Sandwick Lake. Several large pines had fallen into the lake camouflaging the site's boat entry. It was a spartan site, to say the least, equipped only with a fire ring and grill adjacent to a grassy spot to set up my tent. It would be my base-camp for that next couple of days while staying at the lake. My home away from home.

“To wake up on a gloriously bright morning," wrote American geologist and explorer Josiah Edward Spurr, while leading an expedition mapping the interior of Alaska, "In a tent pitched beneath spruce trees, and to look out lazily and sleepily for a moment from the open side of the tent, across the dead camp-fire of the night before, to the river, where the light of morning rests and perhaps some early-rising native is gliding in his birch canoe; to go to the river and freshen one's self with the cold water, and yell exultingly to the gulls and hell-divers, in the very joy of living."

"You alone?" questioned came from a group canoeists floating by my campsite on the next year's solo trip on the St. Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"Always," I said. Which wasn't really true. I would take my kids along on lots of camping trips all the time. I loved sharing my adventures with my family, but my solo trips were special. They were my chance to get-away, to feel the joy of a vision quest and to be a modern-day Daniel Boone.

By day I would paddle around the lakes or rivers, exploring hidden coves and bays. I'd follow streams until my path was blocked by a beaver dam or stop just before the rush of some rapids and contemplate paddling on to the sea.

While at night, with the kayak beached, the tent set and campfire burning, I would enjoy some freeze dried stew with a bottle wine and watch the world come to a standstill, as the sun would either burned up in the black silhouetted pines or dissolved in a fiery glow into the lake. There I would melt into the warmth of my campfire under the stars, listening to the haunting reverberation of the loons. My thoughts of past and worries of the future would fade into the peace of the present.

"One day I undertook a tour through the country," said Boone, "And the diversity and beauties of nature I met with in this charming season, expelled every gloomy and vexatious thought."

Because being alone wilderness you can find the silence and solitude that can fill your heart and soul.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max June 9, 2017.