MY WALDEN

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." - Henry David Thoreau

It's a right turn. Another right after a block. Then down the hill and across the bridge. To my right, is the river, to my left is the lake. A left turn towards the park entrance and through the gate. A wave to the park attendant gate and then turn left into the parking lot. The kayak comes off the roof and slides into the water.
I'm on the lake now and paddling hard to cross it. Only a little further to go as I  round the bend into quiet waters. My kayak whisperers as I glide through the culvert under the bike trail. I'm there now. My own personal Walden.

Walden or Life in the Woods written by Henry David Thoreau, philosopher, and naturalist in 1854, is a reflection upon living simply in nature's surroundings. Thoreau detailed his daily experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond in the woods owned by his friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson near Concord, Massachusetts.

"In such a day, in September or October, Walden is a perfect forest mirror, set round with stones as precious to my eye as if fewer or rarer. Nothing so fair, so pure, and at the same time so large, as a lake, perchance, lies on the surface of the earth. Sky water. It needs no fence. Nations come and go without defiling it. It is a mirror which no stone can crack, whose quicksilver will never wear off, whose gilding Nature continually repairs; no storms, no dust, can dim its surface ever fresh; — a mirror in which all impurity presented to it sinks, swept and dusted by the sun's hazy brush — this the light dust-cloth — which retains no breath that is breathed on it, but sends its own to float as clouds high above its surface, and be reflected in its bosom still." -Henry David Thoreau

Some 160 years later, I find this same peace and solitude paddling in the sloughs of Lake Natoma. There is only one way in and one way out. No rush after that. Only a watery path meandering through little islands that geese, ducks, and frogs call home. Along the way, I hear the plop of turtles falling off the dead logs into the water. I can see them for only moments before they slip under the dark water. I'm just a little too close, I suppose.

There is a touch of color along the banks. Bright reds and dull yellows in the trees give notice that it is autumn in northern California. Blackberry bushes line the water's edge. Weeks ago they were full of ripe berries, but they are mostly gone now. Up and away, towards the end of the slough, cattails take over the view. Ducks and deer are common here. The deer stand motionless hoping not to be seen before escaping into the woods, while the ducks swim about used to visitors.

The kayak makes little sound gliding through the water. My paddle slides in and out methodically.  There is no hurry at my Walden.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max on October 31. 2014 

 

Seal slaps kayaker in the face with an octopus

A kayaker in New Zealand has become a viral sensation after a seal slapped him the face with an octopus last month.
Kyle Mulinder was paddling with friends off the coast of Kaikoura when he felt the big wet slap in the face and realized it was an octopus that was whipped at him by a seal.
"Out of nowhere, it literally rose from the depths, as it was mid-fight, thrashed it around, and the rest is history," Mulinder told Australia's Network 10 News. “It was weird because it happened so fast but I could feel all the hard parts of the octopus on my face like 'dum dum dum'.”
Caught on camera by Taiyo Masuda, the octopus slap has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times all over the world and made Mulinder an instant star.
"My Uber driver who just brought us here (for a television interview) just goes 'you're the guy, you're the octopus guy'."

 

ROUGH ROAD TO SERENITY

 

                                     Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations

Up until then, everything had been OK. But, then the road suddenly stopped! Being a road, that is. Huge ruts and massive rocks block our way. We sat at the point of turning around, going back and finding another way. Meadow Lake Road on the east end of Bowman Lake looked more like a mountain goat trail than a lane of travel.

In all my trips to the water, it's always been fairly simple. For trips to Lake Natoma or the Lower American River, stops signs, traffic, and parking spots are my biggest concerns. With a little luck,  I'll squeeze into a spot at the boat ramp instead of having to park further away after dropping the kayak off at the water edge. For bigger trips, I'll leave the driveway, wade through traffic to the interstate, speed along to the exit, and end up getting stuck behind a slow-moving tractor or truck on the blacktop. At the crossing, I'll turn off the blacktop and drive on gravel down to the boat ramp.

"It’s the portage that makes traveling by canoe unique." said famed paddling guru Bill Mason. He, of course, was referring to hauling canoes through the northern woods from lake to lake. That's how it's done in places like the BWCA. Canoes are inserted on to lakes and streams and then carried by hand to other lakes and streams in between. Meanwhile, whitewater extremists will hike and climb miles transporting their kayaks up mountains to attempt the first descent of a waterfall or canyon creek. The paddling is the easy part, getting to the water is always the ordeal.

Our friend Curt Hough told me, it was a place we just had to paddle. High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake Foucherie is an outdoor paradise. Clear water, mountain views, and towering pines encompass the lake. It's a hidden and remote treasure that offers more that than just tranquil splendor, but serenity as well. It's so beautiful that photographer Ansel Adams just might have switched to color film to photograph its grandeur.
We gathered in my pickup with tandem kayak on top and looked forward to what naturalist John Muir described as an inexpressible delight of wading out into the grassy sun-lake when he wrote, "Feeling yourself contained in one of Nature's most sacred chambers, withdrawn from the sterner influences of the mountains, secure from all intrusion, secure from yourself, free in the universal beauty."

The Bowman Lake Road off of Highway 20 on the northern end of California's Nevada County is bumpy but well-traveled by four-wheel-drive pickup and Jeeps. It weaves and winds, mostly on gravel in a northerly fashion past Fuller Lake and then on up to the dam site.
The Meadow Lake Road begins just below Bowman Reservoir's Dam, turning off and winding up the mountain. The road is rocky and a bit unnerving with a steep drop off at ones the side. It would be a wonderful breath-taking view of the mountains and valley if I hadn't been holding my breath at the sight of the depth chasm.
About halfway up we came to our roadblock. There was just no way my truck could clear those ruts and rocks. We regrouped, turned around and went back down to find a different road up the mountain via GPS.

The first road must have been the express lane for four-wheel drivers and mountain goats. The other road adorned with switchbacks, but they still meet together for the same view Bowman Lake. At an elevation of 5,585 feet, the lake gleams through our windshield. Its fortress-like granite rock formations line the lake buffering it between the water and sky. The north side road runs parallel along the steep lakeshore. It was slow going, but, our destination seems to be in grasp.

All the way to the end of the lake and past Jackson Creek the road went from good to bad, to worse. My wife Debbie had taken the wheel now and she compared the road to a dried-up river bed.
The washboard grooves and stones tested the truck's tires and shock absorbers while driving up what looked like an evaporated stream.
I even got out of the truck and walked ahead in spots and clearing rocks and guiding Debbie to even ground.
At the Jackson Creek Campground, the road splits and leads to Sawmill Lake and Lake Foucherie. That road wasn't any better. It was a rugged adventurous drive over a parched creek bed and along a narrow pine-lined path.
When we limped into the Sawmill Lake Campground and saw the sight of Sawmill Lake, we agreed that we would just have to save Lake Foucherie for another day and unloaded our kayaks.

After the rigorous day of travel, the payoff came softly.
Sawmill Lake cooled us off in an instant. The water gave us relief, the pines refreshed us and the majestic mountain views mesmerized us with their beauty. It wasn't our original destination, but the wilderness always seems to sing to me. You made it!  It was the journey that mattered and the adventure in just getting there. Now enjoy my serenity.

Naturalist Sigurd Olson thought of it that way. He said, "And that, I believe, is one of the reasons why coming home from any sort of a primitive expedition is a real adventure. Security and routine are always welcome after knowing the excitement and the unusual. We need contrast to make us know we are really alive."

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max September 4. 2015

CELEBRATING THE RIVERS OF AMERICAN

 Photos courtesy of Tim Palmer

Outside Adventure to the Max Guest Blogger Tim Palmer

An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often they have been turned into open sewers by communities and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts now to try to balance our river development. -- President Lyndon Johnson's remarks on signing the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968


When I need to brighten my day, I go to the river.

I walk along the shore, or sit for a while at the water’s edge and listen to the swish, or the babble, or the exciting bubbly rush of flow. Always moving when the rest of the landscape is still, the river holds me rapt, and if I stare long enough, it mesmerizes and takes me away to a special place where the rest of the world — along with its eternal complications, everyday demands, and political disappointments — seems like a thousand miles away. And floating on the river is even better, drifting with the current wherever it goes.

Part of the appeal of rivers likely has an evolutionary context: our bodies are nearly 70 percent water, and every drop comes from a river or from groundwater, which is inseparably connected to the surface flow. Rivers are essential to our lives and communities, and they also create the finest of all wildlife habitat. Their free-flow from mountains to sea makes possible the iconic runs of salmon and steelhead in the Northwest, and of other fish throughout the nation.

Montana’s Flathead River

Through the 1960s our natural rivers — and all of their attributes — were being lost at an astonishing rate by the construction of large dams. Some 70,000 had been built on virtually every major river, and hundreds more were proposed, planned or under construction regardless of their economic worthiness, their hydrologic capabilities to supply water, or their unintended but harmful effects on fish, wildlife, recreation and landowners.

Rising against this backdrop of gung-ho damming, Congress passed the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968 with unanimous support in the Senate and with a bipartisan 265-7 vote in the House. Seeking balance of federal policies that for a century had encouraged development at any cost, the law recognized that some of our finest natural streams should remain the way they are. The new law represented nothing less than a new way for a nation to regard its rivers, its landscape, and its environment.

For selected rivers, the program bans dams or other federal projects harmful to the streams, and it encourages other means of protection for fish, wildlife, water quality and historic values. Intending to go beyond the initial 8 designated rivers (12 counting major tributaries), the Act established protocols for adding rivers to the system.
Designation in this foremost program for river stewardship sets the stage for better management of recreation of all types. The resulting national prestige has also bolstered efforts to protect stream front open space, to reinstate healthier flows in diverted sections of some rivers, to develop trails, and to reinforce local communities and economies.

Pennsylvania’s Delaware River

Today, as we near the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, nearly 300 rivers have been set aside nationwide. That spells success, though, among 2.9 million miles of rivers and streams in the nation, only 0.4 percent are safeguarded in this program.

The next week's anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act on October 2, 2018, is a cause to celebrate the legacy of all who have worked for the health of America’s finest streams. It also challenges us to do more. Perhaps most important, national recognition through this federal law — enacted half a century ago — can inspire all to engage further in ongoing efforts aimed at protecting and restoring these and other waterways.

Learn more about the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by visiting American Rivers and 5000miles.org.

Tim Palmer is an award-winning author of 26 books on rivers, conservation, and the environment. He has received the National Outdoor Book Award, the Communicator of the Year Award from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Rivers. Living the life as a nomad he and his wife author Ann Vileisis traveled the country for 11 years in a Ford van while they did their research and writing before settling down on in a small town on the Pacific coast.

In his latest book, Wild and Scenic Rivers: An American Legacy, he shows us the beauty and wonders these streams that have been safeguarded under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act with 160 spectacular images. You can see more of Palmer work at www.timpalmer.org.

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

KAYAK SUMMER 2018

         Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have found that summers linger in Northern California. There are no hurricane warnings or threats of frost or snow. The mornings at the lake have a certain crispness where you just might need a sweater, at least through breakfast. Outside of my favorite Starbucks adding Pumpkin Spice Latte to the menu board and slow traffic coming from nearby Apple Hill, it feels as if summer is not all that anxious to concede to autumn just yet. But it's on way.

"There is something deep within us that sobs at endings." wrote American author Joe Wheeler, "Why, God, does everything have to end? Why does all nature grow old? Why do spring and summer have to go?"

Lake Jenkinson

Bittersweet for some. A celebration of the change of seasons for others. No matter how you regard it, this Saturday marks the first day of fall, which of course subsequently, means its the official end of summer.

To keep my memories burning bright heading fall, I like to look back at some of my favorite images I created over the summer. Some picture-perfect tranquil moments are accompanied by some fast-paced and lively shots of my time on the water. They compose the snapshots of my summer recollections. But, of course, they are not the whole story.

In a recent Paddling Magazine article title Unforgettable, Everything Instagram Won't Tell You About Canoe Tripping, writer Kaydi Pyette says that her most memorable moments aren't always perfectly lit and beautifully composed, but are the gritty and hard moments hard moments of her trips.

The American River Parkway

"What Instagram so rarely shows is the side canoe tripping not so splendidly picture perfect. There are bugs,"  she wrote, "Followers don't get to see the hours of tediousness invested in capturing this one outrageously perfect moment. we don't see the work it takes to align the gear, sunlight, smoke signals and hang those twee tinkle lights just so."

Guilty as charged. Because I'm not going to tell you how I rolled and swam in front of everyone at San Juan Rapids, ripped the seat of pants while working the boat dock at Sly Park and sliced my big toe on rocks on North Fork of American River. The same goes for loading and unloading trailers of boats, dumping kayaks full of water and long shuttle drives, they just go with the territory.

They were all outweighed by watching a shy kid learn to kayak, helping a father, in an age-old tradition of taking his children on their very first canoe ride and coaching a determined Eppies Great Race participant take on the rapids of Lower American River. Summer 2018, like all my paddling summer before, those are the memories that will kindle in the consciousness of mind.

Sly Park

"When summer opens," wrote American transcendentalist essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, "I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn."

There is something incredibly nostalgic about paddling into the fall season. The lakes are quiet. Gone are the crowds and motorboats and the only sound you will hear are those of nature. The trees are ablaze with a canvas of bold-colors reflecting on the undisturbed peaceful waters.

It was early morning on the lake last weekend. Idly in a canoe, I lingered just a bit longer, before dipping my paddle. The water is still warm enough for a swim, but the air was noticeably cooler. In the distance, a wispy veil of mist hovers over its surface. It's the ghost of summer, I suppose.

Sly Park's Lake Jenkinson

A moonlit paddle on Lake Natoma with Current Adventures.

John Weed and kids classes with Current Adventures.

Debbie Carlson's new SUP on Lake Natoma.

Paddling after dark with Bayside Adventure Sports.

Eppies training with Current Adventures .

Fall comes to Lower American River.

Want to see more photos? Follow me on Instagram

@nickayak
The official feed of Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on river trips along the American River and the lakes of the Sierra with Current Adventures as we count my paddling days of the year.

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.

TRAVERSING TRAGEDY

Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement. --Mark Twain

All my friends and family know I like to kayak and paddle. However to clarify, I don't really consider myself an expert, but paddling is a very big part of life. I've guided trips, taught classes and taken classes, and have experienced many days on the water. Like many, I think about paddling daily. When I'm not paddling, I'm either writing or reading about it.

So I was not surprised when friends and coworkers asked for my take about the tragedy that happened on Lake Superior last weekend. I'm sure many of you might have had the same questions from your non-paddling friends.

The conversation went something like this.

"Did you hear about the family that died kayaking?"

Across the country as paddling gains popularity, kayaking accidents are getting more and more common. A quick Google search right now and you would see there were several kayak accidents that were reported over the Labor Day holiday.

In Florida, a family’s kayaking trip turned into a nightmare after getting lost in the dark and a medic had to leap from a helicopter to rescue them and navigate back to shore. In Iowa, rescue crews search a man whose kayak overturned in the rain-swollen Indian Creek. While in Los Angeles, authorities are investigating after a kayaker was struck and killed by a 50-foot boat in Marina del Rey.

But the biggest news of the past holiday weekend was the loss of a father and three children while kayaking on Lake Superior. It was the banner headline on every newscast and paper across the country.

Mother is the only survivor after a family of five's kayak capsizes on Lake Superior headlined CNN. 'Utter disbelief': Loyal in shock after father, 3 children die in kayaking accident, read the Wausau Daily Herald. You get the idea. With kids onboard this kayaking accident, left many including those in the paddling community as well as outside it asking how could something like this happen?

Back to the conversation with my non-paddling friend.

"It's pretty tragic," I responded almost with a loss of words. It was such horrible news in an activity that for people like me, brings so much joy and exhilaration.

"What do you think happened?" the friend asked, "Why were they out there with their kids?"

"I don't know," I said shaking my head. I immediately thought back about the time I paddled on Lake Superior just under Split Rock Lighthouse near Two Harbors, Minn. Alone in the vastness of the big lake, I have never felt so small in a kayak. I was just a speck on a giant sea ready to be squashed.

"Lake Superior is a mean animal. It's not to be taken lightly ever. It will kill you in a second if you do. I think they were overmatched. Yeah, they took their kids and I'm sure they thought were being safe and everything would be just fine. But that lake can be a killer. You need to take the utmost precautions."

I didn't want to come off callous to my friend, but I questioned their experience in their boat and mostly their judgment. I'm sure kayakers would have been cringing if they would have watched the Fryman family leaving Madeline Island in a 13 ½-foot open-top tandem kayak on a 4-mile paddle across open water to Michigan Island. The route is not often traveled by experienced paddlers because they knew the area is prone to strong winds and waves. When their kayak capsized somewhere between Stockton and Michigan islands hours later, Eric Fryman, of Loyal, Wisconsin, and his three children tried to swim to shore.

They never made it. Only his wife, the children's mother, Cari Mews-Fryman, survived.

"Some of the places that people want to go kayaking are incredibly attractive but also deceptively dangerous," Superintendent of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Bob Krumenaker, told the Star Tribune, "This particular incident happened in a place that is not often traversed by people on kayaks, and for good reason."

Across the social media pages I follow, boaters questioned the family's boat and lack of safety equipment. Sure every family member was wearing a PFD, but area outfitters also recommend that paddlers should wear proper clothing, such as wetsuits that can help protect against hypothermia and bring along emergency supplies such as food, flares and a radio.

The family's 13 ½-foot kayak seemed to draw the most ire on Twitter and Facebook. Open and sit-on-top kayaks are great for sunny days along the shore, but don't fare well against sea like elements and can fill with water and capsize.

"That family shouldn't have been on the big lake in the kayak they were in," Grand Marais, Minn., adventurer and photographer tweeted Bryan Hansel‏, "It's tragic not only in loss of life but also because it was needless. That's a very public lesson that others need to learn."

Which brings me back to their lack of good judgment. Krumenaker told the Star Tribune that the trek would have been difficult even for even the most experienced paddlers. "We want everyone who comes here to kayak to come here a second time to kayak," he said, "Knowing that the lake is dangerous, I think, is really an important part of the experience."

"Hopefully, it happens when the consequences are small," Author and kayaker Bryant Burkhardt once told me in an interview, "But every paddler I know has some story of when things went wrong. What you learn from those experiences very much determines what type of paddler you become. For me, the important part was to always improve my judgment. That’s what makes a good paddler in my eyes: someone who honestly appraises their own skills, whether high or low; someone who thinks through their decisions and understands risk vs. reward; someone who understands that just because everything worked out, in the end, it doesn’t mean good decisions were made in the beginning."

The conversation with my friend ended up like this.

"I've been out on Lake Superior and San Francisco Bay. The ocean and big lakes can be pretty amazing, but on the other hand can feel really intimidating. Maybe, that's why I prefer rivers."

STAND UP! NOW PADDLE!

The beach is busy and the lake is dotted with what seems like hundreds of stand up paddle boarders cruising along the shoreline. The boards are colorful, the paddles are long and sleek and the paddlers ever so graceful. It's a common scene this summer as the stand up paddling craze sweeps the US and Canada. An upright view of the water offers a refreshing escape from the summer heat. The only thing you need to join the stand up paddling revolution is a board, paddle and depending on your swimming ability a PFD to get started.

"Where are you going to paddle? For most paddle board shops, that would and should be the first question they ask you," explains Bayside Adventure Sports paddling coordinator, Brian Hughes,  "Lake paddling is considered "flat-water" paddling which covers about half the boards in the marketplace.  You would not want a board suited for surfing on waves."

While paddle boards come in different lengths, widths, thicknesses, and construction, they are all designed for either flat water or surf and sometimes a little of both.  Here is an idea of type five basic boards at the paddle shop.

• Surf specific boards
• All-around/Touring boards
• Racing Boards
• Yoga Boards
• Inflatable stand up paddle boards

Surfing boards are narrower, shorter, lighter, and have a tapered nose and tail. They are designed for quick turns, high performance, and are used primarily in the ocean. They are also less stable than larger multipurpose boards that are wider, longer, have a greater volume. Their size and volume make them much more stable than wave boards.

 "As a general guideline," says Hughes, "Wider boards are more stable. Narrower boards are what we call "tippy," meaning that while paddling, you feel like you could fall off at any second. Flat-water boards do not have as much rocker as ocean boards. The rocker is the slight curve that follows the bottom of the board.  A board with a lot of rocker will have somewhat of a "banana" appearance, and when you set that board on the flat ground, the nose and tail will both be lifted off the ground.  Flat-water boards don't need as much rocker."

The all-around touring boards are ideal for beginners trying out SUP boarding for the first time.  A board with a wide tail is usually more stable. Beware of boards that have a roundness to the side to side contour of the bottom of the board. "Any roundness added to the bottom," says Hughes, "makes the board more tippy."

Racing boards designed for intense training are longer, narrower and have an extremely pointy nose and a very long fin. These boards are very unstable unless moving forward at a fast speed.  Yoga boards are wider and longer than surfing boards. They have a soft top and places to hook up various exercise tools like resistance bands and safety equipment. It is also good to have an anchor so they don’t drift away during a mid-lake workout.

If storage and transportation is a problem, consider inflatables paddle boards which are lighter and easier to transport in the trunk of any car.  However, making wave riding a challenge, they are not as stiff as a regular board. "They work," says Hughes, "but can feel "bouncy" if not inflated properly, and they don't make a high-performance inflatable board."

Newer paddlers should first choose a board with more volume until they get used to the sport. The more volume a board has the more stable it will be out on the water. A paddler's height and weight
are important dynamics in paddling the board. "It is a function of the weight of rider as contrasted with the size of the board, " said Hughes,  "A 250 lb. person is not going to be able to ride a nine-foot longboard.  They need a twelve-foot board or longer.  By the same token, a 110 lb person is going to have a hard time riding a twelve foot board, and will be much better off on a nine to ten foot board."

Below is a chart of Eastern Mountain Sports recommended weight ranges.


Beginner                                  Advanced

Beginner-Advanced Length: 10 ft. 6 in.-11 ft. Width: 28-30 in.	Weight: 120-150 lb.                                  Length: 9 ft.-10 ft. 6 in                                 Width: 26-26.5 in.
Weight: 160-190 lb.. Length: 11 ft. Width: 29-32 in.	Weight: 160-190 lb.                                 Length: 9 ft. 6 in.-10 ft. 6 in.                                 Width: 27-28 in.
Weight: 200-230 lb. Length: 11 ft.-11 ft. 6 in. Width: 29-32 in.	Weight: 200-230 lb.                                  Length: 10 ft.-11 ft.                                 Width: 28-28.5 in.
Weight: 240-270 lb. Length: 11 ft. 6 in.-12 ft.        Width: 32-33 in.	Weight: 240-270 lb.                                 Length: 11 ft.-11 ft. 6 in.                                Width: 29.5-31.5 in.
Weight: 280+ lb. Length: 12 ft. Width: 33 in.	Weight: 280+ lb.                                Length: 12 ft.                                Width: 32 in.

The SUPs come with one, two, or three fins and sometimes even four or five. The fins keep the board going straight. On flat water, a single fin works well. Fins are made of either fiberglass or nylon. The more fins a board has, the more specialized it is.  Fiberglass fins provide the best performance, but they’re stiff and sharp and can be a danger if not careful. It’s also common to snap a fiberglass fin in very shallow water or on the rocks.

Experience in a canoe or kayak will help when learning to stand up paddle board. With the right board, stand up paddling is fairly simple.  Experience will help in picking out a board. Hughes suggests renting the board a few times before taking the plunge.

"Let the person who rents the board be your guide," said Hughes, "The first time out, you are not looking for performance characteristics. You are looking to have a sufficient board underneath to have a pleasant experience. Once you have paddled a few times, and are thinking of purchasing a board, the best strategy is to go to a "demo day" and try a bunch of boards."

Stand up paddle boarding is an easy way to enjoy the great outdoors, get some exercise, and have fun. It’s also a great way to give your body a full workout. Whether the ocean or the serenity of a quiet lake, the board will offer a great time on the water.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max July 24. 2015