EARTH DAY 2019

NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon

This Monday, April 22, marks Earth Day’s 49th birthday. The annual holiday has come a long way since its inception in 1970. According to the Earth Day Network that first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. Paving the way for many groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act.

Twenty years later, Earth Day is like a name global celebration, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Communities big and small have stretched the celebration into seven days’ worth of eco-focused activities such as river clean ups and tree plantings.

“For millions of people," said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network on their website, "Cleanups foster a sense of practical pride in their local environment while serving as an entry point and a springboard for many people—young and old—to become environmentally engaged and delve deeper into what is happening to our world, its nature, and its environment,”

Earlier this month, Rogers was excited to help kick off India’s River Ganges Initiative 2019, a landmark citizen-led cleanup of the iconic river. The River Ganges is being launched by the Earth Day Network as part of worldwide effort to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

According to a 2014 article in the Syndey Morning Herald, experts estimate that more than 3000 million liters of untreated sewage from these towns along the Ganges is pumped into the river every day. By the time it reaches Varanasi, whose untreated sewage (or most of it) is also pumped into the waters, it becomes a sewer and the sixth most polluted river in the world.

Photo courtesy of New Delhices

The initiative, which got underway last week ago as part of Earth Day 2019, will begin on Vaisakhi—the Hindu New Year for many in India —high in the Himalayan mountains at Devaprayag where two glacier-fed streams meet to form India’s most famous and sacred river. The first phase will evolve over the next 15 months to encompass 100 cities and towns close to the Ganges—known as the Ganga in India– as it meanders to the famous Sunderbans Delta.

“The project on the Ganges will serve as a lightning rod for many more countries and communities to get involved worldwide," Roger said, "As we transition into Earth Day 2020, we will mark the anniversary with a myriad of events including what we are calling the Great Global Cleanup—so watch this space”.

Closer to home. American Rivers a national advocacy group dedicated to the preservation of rivers released their 2019 report of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. It spotlighted how climate change is impacting our rivers and water resources. New Mexico’s drought ravished Gila River, named the #1 Most Endangered River in the country.

American River President and CEO Bob Irvin hopes this report will raise awareness of how our nation's rivers are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, pollution, and other threats.

“Climate change is striking rivers and water supplies first and hardest,” said  Irvin, in a statement. “America’s Most Endangered Rivers is a call to action. We must speak up and take action because climate change will profoundly impact every river and community in our country."

For the whole list click here: AmericanRivers.org/EndangeredRivers2019

Happy Earth Day 2019

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OVER THE BOW: LAKE NATOMA

The world of life, of spontaneity, the world of dawn and sunset and starlight, the world of soil and sunshine, of meadow and woodland, of hickory and oak and maple and hemlock and pineland forests, of wildlife dwelling around us, of the river and its wellbeing--all of this [is] the integral community in which we live. --- Thomas Berry

I often tell people paddling with me that after we push off onto the water of Lake Natoma we will be experiencing a different world even though we are in the heart of a densely populated urban area. Kayaking through the sloughs never ceases to amaze them of how they can escape into a backyard of nature just minutes from the buzz of city traffic.

The narrow and popular 5-mile lake, part of the California State Parks' Folsom SRA located just east of Sacramento is a haven for wildlife viewing. On just about any day, paddlers can get a close-up view of black-tailed deer, river otters, egrets, herons, hawks, pelicans, beavers and pond turtles. A convocation of eagles just in the past couple of years has taken to nesting on the lake's high banks offering a treat to anyone just to see them soar.

It's no secret that kayaks are an amazing way to view wildlife in their natural habitat. Recently, paddling through the lake's sloughs across from the Negro Bar access it was easy to imagine I was on safari. The early spring season guaranteed me quiet solitude through the trails of slough channels and ponds. I moved along in stealth-like silent around each bend and cranny. Down low just inches off the water if I would see anything it would be almost eye to eye.

"Don’t just look for animals on the water," wrote photographer and paddler Galen Leeds in his blog in 2011, "Look on the immediate shore, but also a little distance onto land. Some of my best wildlife images of raccoons, deer, bobcat, elk, and coyotes all came about while I was kayaking. They don’t necessarily watch the water for dangers and might not notice you if you stay quiet and fairly still. If they do notice you, you are such a different creature from the person that is walking and stomping around, that they generally aren’t as frightened, and can be more curious as to what you may be."

It was late in the afternoon. The warm sunlight had just broken through a thin layer of clouds as I paddled through the narrow ponds and dredge pilings of the lake. I rounded a bend into a large lagoon surrounded by tall horsetail, blackberry bushes with a lone grassy rise overlooking the water when I saw the top of its head and ears. I couldn't believe my luck. It was a bobcat.

Bobcats are one of the four native wildcats to North America. About twice the size of the average house cat, they can be distinguished based on its long legs, large paws and a distinctive black-tipped tail that appears to be “bobbed” or cut off. A stealthy and solitary crepuscular hunter, they primarily prey on rabbits, birds, small game and rodents during dawn and dusk hours.

Although bobcats prefer to inhabit environments with a dense vegetative cover or steep rocky terrain, they are highly adaptable to both wild and urban landscapes. Due to the ever-expanding human population and the destruction of their habitat, their numbers are steadily decreasing each year as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

I pulled my camera out of my PFD while I silently glided closer to where the cat is sitting. It was partially hidden by the knoll and I couldn’t get a clear shot. Quietly and slowly I paddled one stroke. The momentum of the stroke pushed me carefully toward the animal.

As I moved ever closer, the sunbathing wildcat awoke from its solar nap and sat up in a proud posture focusing its attention on me and my moving kayak. Its distinguished jowl-like ruffs on its cheeks and black spotted coat glistened in the sunlight, while its large ears with slight tufts of hair at the tips stood upright giving the wildcat a magnificent regal appearance. Its eyes were gleaming without blinking as it stared back at me with such a powerful look as if the creature was looking deep into my soul.

My 12th paddle day of the year must be my lucky day. You can read about last year's Paddle Day 12 encounter with a bobcat at Lake Clementine in Outside Adventure to the Max.

In Native American mythology, the bobcat is an important character in many of their legends. Rarely seen, these cats took on a mystical quality and possessing great spiritual energy. Because of their elusiveness bobcat alongside the coyote, in their stories are symbolized as the fog and the wind. Mysterious creatures difficult to both see and catch.

I held my breath and my body tighten with pumping adrenaline as gazed upon the big cat through my viewfinder and over my camera willing the moment to last a bit longer. But I was getting too close, the bobcat whole body was now attuned to my presence. As I'm stalking it, it soon was stalking me with its body is low to the ground and hind legs coiled and ready to pounce.

The faceoff ended as quickly as it began. The big cats' predatory gaze at me and my orange kayak faded as it decides, I'm more of a potential threat than I am prey. It quickly vanishes into the safety of the underbrush, while I turn my kayak around and paddle away happily in absolute gratitude for experiencing this lasting wilderness effect in my own backyard.

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

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SLOUGH MAGIC

We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground. – Henry David Thoreau

"Stay back," she whispered, "I want to take a picture." My wife Debbie likes all creatures great and small. It's like being married to a fairy tale princess the way all animals are drawn to her and her to them. Often while kayaking, she used her quiet voice reassuring the ducks, geese, and deer that they are safe and they need not be afraid while she passes by, while at the time warning me to give them a little more space as I draw near in my boat.

She paddles quietly ahead through the narrow section of water, while I stay back quietly watching. She inches forward, barely using her paddle and hoping not to scare off the duck sitting transfixed on a log coming out of the water. It doesn't move.

"You're alright.'' she says assures the waterfowl as she brings her camera phone to her eyes, "You're alright." It is the same for me. Everything is perfect.

"The shore is an ancient world, for as long as there has been an earth and sea there has been this place of the meeting of land and water," wrote Rachel Carson environmental activist who alerted the world to the impact of fertilizers and pesticides in the environment, best know for her book the Silent Spring, it is easy to picture her out gathering water samples in the old wooden canoe as she illustrates her passion for waterways when she said, "Yet it is a world that keeps alive the sense of continuing creation and of the relentless drive of life. Each time that I enter it, I gain some new awareness of its beauty and its deeper meanings, sensing that intricate fabric of life by which one creature is linked with another, and each with its surroundings."

Like for Carson, these waters are my sanctuary. I don't get much time to reflect, except out here.  These are quiet waters of tranquility that have been filtered through my life. On a fast-moving river or the ocean, I'm looking for eddy lines, currents, and tides, but in the calm of the backwater, I do some of my best thinking out there as I float along. These are the places that inspired Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir. Sometimes, I conjure up deep thoughts about God and the universe but mostly inner thoughts are simple ones as I paddle around the marsh. How are my children doing? Could I have handled that better at work? Should I buy another kayak?

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature," observed, Carson,  "The assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life."

I lose track of the time, I lose track of Debbie. She has gone out of sight into another cove. The water on Lake Natoma's depth is always fluctuating. Today, we caught it at a high level offering more slough coves to explore. The water imbibes a feeling of magic. It takes on an art form of textured richness that no photograph could convey.  The sky and pond flow in a collision of reflection. Time seems to slow and stand as still as the glassy water surface. In the sunlight, turtles lounge on rotting tree branches, while fish make sudden boils below my bow and the waterfowl stand like statues. Across the bow comes the fragrance spring flowers intertwined with the earthy scent of the lake's aquatic garden. Before long I find Debbie again in the watery maze. Our bows break the stillness of the water sending small ripples carrying dancing flecks of light back toward the shore and ahead of us the lake glistens.

"When I would recreate myself, " penned writer Henry David Thoreau "I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and the most interminable, and to the citizen, most dismal swamp. I enter the swamp as a sacred place–a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow of nature."

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max April 8, 2016

Sierra Snowpack at 162 percent

California received some good news on Tuesday for the state's water supply: The Sierra Nevada snowpack is well above normal, at 162 percent of average. That's good news for the California water supply. The snowpack will provide about 30 percent of the state's water supply.
“The snowpack is nice and cold. It's a little different than 2017, where it was warmer winter … and [the snowpack] melted quicker,” California Department of Water Resources' Chris Orrock told Capitol Public Radio.
The abundant snow also shows a strong indication of a promising whitewater rafting and kayaking season on area rivers this spring and early summer. It could last even longer as hydrologists say snow could stick around at high elevations into late July or August.

Whitewater Summer 

It's not just California rivers that will be offering a long, exciting and historic whitewater this summer.
The Idaho Outfitters & Guide Association announced that snowpack levels were above-average in basins that feed many of Idaho's whitewater rafting rivers.
"It just looks tremendous," Barker River Expeditions owner Jon Barker said in a prepared statement to the Boise Weekly. Barker's company leads river trips in southwest Idaho and four- to six-day canyoneering trips in the Owyhee Plateau. "We're really excited about this year."
While in Maine, still buried in up to 11-feet of snow, Jeremy Hargreaves, founder of Northeast Whitewater in Shirley Mills, Maine is anticipating an amazing season on three Maine wild rivers this year.
“Early season we are absolutely going to get some big water,” he told the Boston Herald“ But it is the long term we are really excited about. We should have really good water well into October this year.”

150 Anniversary of John Westley Powell's Trip Down the Grand Canyon 

In 1869 John Wesley Powell set out to explore the Grand Canyon region. Now, 150 years later you can make your own history as you journey down the Colorado River.

To celebrate the anniversary of Powell’s historic expedition, OARS, which specializes in whitewater rafting and other outdoor tours will retrace portion of 1869 expedition from the launch point at Flaming Gorge to take-out on Lake Powell with plenty of Class III and IV whitewater rafting.

Departures are June 5 and 17, Sept. 9 and 15. For info:bit.ly/powellanniversarytrip

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BEST ADVICE WHEN IT COMES TO PADDLING IN FLOODWATERS: DON'T

Provided by NOOA

Record-breaking flooding has submerged parts of the Midwest this past month. According to reports, the flooding along the Missouri River and its tributaries have caused at least $3 billion damage and forced thousands from their homes as floodwaters penetrated or flowed over several hundred miles of levees.
Though some of the floodwaters are receding, the forecast for significant spring rains and snow runoff continues to put flood fighters on alert.

“The flooding this year could be worse than anything we’ve seen in recent years, even worse than the historic floods of 1993 and 2011,” said Mary C. Erickson, deputy director of the National Weather Service, in a conference call with reporters. The major flooding this month in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and elsewhere is “a preview of what we expect throughout the rest of the spring.”

Flood waters are very unpredictable. Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm related hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water.
Most people underestimate the force and power of water. A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It only takes a foot of rushing water to sweep away a small car, while 2-feet of rushing water can wash away most vehicles along with the road under it.

Last week, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission sent out a plea to urge the public to stay off of rivers affected by recent flooding. Those who wish to canoe or kayak should wait until water levels recede or plan a trip on water bodies that did not experience flooding.

Our best advice we can give when it comes to paddling in flood waters is: DON'T!
Why would you even consider boating in a river, creek or any other body of water is at or above flood stage? You are not only risking your life but the lives of search and rescue crews, not to mention the possibility of arrest and fines if law officials issue orders banning all nonofficial watercraft in the flooded areas.

NRS listed eight dangers in flood stage boating in their web page article entitled Riding the Flood, that should always be considered before paddling in inundate waters

• Debris in the water. The rising water pulls streamside debris into the flow. Banks get undercut and trees, fence posts, and structures fall into the water. You can find yourself sharing the run with all sorts of foreign objects.
• Strainers. Trees and logs get lodged and create severe hazards. Water flows through and around them; you and your boat won’t. In larger streams, you may be able to avoid them. In a smaller stream, a strainer can completely block it. Undercut rocks and boulder sieves are also severe entrapment hazards that can be created or accentuated by high water.
• Low head dams. A low head or “run of the river” dam is used to raise the level of a stream. Water flows over the lip of the dam and creates a perfect reversal on the downstream side that can go from difficult to impossible to get out of. They are dangerous at any flow but can be particularly strong at high flows.
• Bridge abutments. They can catch debris and even block off the channel. Even without debris catch, they kick off big swirling side-curling waves.
• Turbid water. The muddy flow hides hazards that would normally be visible.
• Water out of its banks. The stream can flow out into the surrounding countryside, taking you into trees, brush, fences and other entrapment obstacles.
• Cold water. Especially in the spring, cold water significantly increases the risk of hypothermia.
• Fast current. Normally, the higher the water, the faster it is flowing. Things happen fast, you have much less time to react to conditions.

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STOP, BREATHE, RELAX, AND LISTEN AGAIN, AN INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL FOX

Photos courtesy of Daniel Fox

As explorer, photographer, and storyteller, Daniel Fox looks to the power of nature to energize the mind and soul. Over the past decade, he has preached his mantra of STOP. BREATHE. RELAX. LISTEN to help us all reconnect to the natural world around us. As the founder of WILD.ECO, a group offering mentorships and opportunities for young adults from a disadvantaged background to experience nature as a framework for personal transformation and empowerment.

As FUJIFILM X-Photographer, his work has been appeared in Outside Magazine, Canoe Kayak Magazine, Adventure Kayak Magazine, Sea Kayaker Magazine, along with many others. His inspiring talks on FEEL THE WILD have been given at the Commonwealth Club, REI stores, universities and schools across the country.
Outside Adventure to the Max first caught up with Fox back in April of 2015 for a very insightful Q/A. But after Fox announced last month his book FEEL THE WILD has been acquired by RMB | Rocky Mountain Books, a publisher that is unique in the world of Art & Photography and would be released in Fall 2019. We shared our excitement of the news by reposting our archived interview with Fox and congratulating him.
Fox emailed back words of thanks and approached us about updating our interview. We, of course, said that would be really cool.

OAM: You seem somewhere between a modern-day Thoreau and adventurer Daniel Boone always looking over the next horizon. You said "Nature is more than a destination. It is a teacher, a meditation, it is food for the soul and the body, inspiration for the arts, a healer, a mentor, a lover." What drives you in your pursuit of finding nature?
DF: First of all let me thank you for referencing my work to both Thoreau and Boone - what an honor! I did use to watch the TV show when I was young - I still can remember singing the intro song!
About your question. We are a product of nature. Our species is just one of many that has inhabited this planet. And we won’t be the last. It is believed that the Neanderthal was around for 200 000 years before being ousted by the Homo Sapiens. It is fair to expect that one day in the future, the Homo Sapiens will be regarded as a past and extinct species, ousted by a more adaptable and new one.
In the grand scheme of the universe, we are nothing more than just a footnote in the history of evolution. We haven’t even proved our worthiness as a species. We have been around for what, thousands of years? That is nothing compared to others.
Sometimes I contemplate the thought that perhaps intelligence will turn out to be a counterproductive evolutionary tool. It is amazing what it can create and accomplish but it is also incredible to see how unsustainable it can be.
But again, isn’t life’s goal to expand, evolve, reach out to new worlds? We migrated from Africa for some reasons. Our species spread over continents. We risked everything and crossed oceans trying to escape what we had created, to start anew. Perhaps it is part of life to mess things up so that it forces the future generations to seek new places and the old ones to wise up. We learn through the consequences of our actions - and right now we are learning about the fragility of our species and that the act of totally disrespecting the environment is a strategy that will backfire and blow up in our face. Spending time in the wilderness reminds me that there is a world beyond ourselves.
That I am not at the center of everything. It brings me perspective and puts me back in the right place, giving me the gift of humility. It is so easy to think of ourselves as gods when we live in cities, disconnected, in awe of our prowess, but out there in the wild, you realize that there is so much more to life.
How can we look up to the stars and believe even for one second that we are special? It is that feeling of vulnerability that I seek that drives me to explore the wilderness and spend time in nature.

OAM: Tell us about W.I.L.D. Wilderness, Immersion, Leadership & Discovery to help make the wilderness accessible to underprivileged youth. Why did you start this cause?
DF: We consume nature the same way that we consume everything else - with ease, quick and in quantity. We want the benefits delivered instantly and in the shortest time possible. We want that adrenaline rush. We want to conquer that river. We want to finish that hike. And then go back to our houses and computers. It is hard in that way to truly connect with nature and receive the big lessons and insights it has to offer. It is hard to get that deep transformative experience when you are only skimming the surface.
It is like trying to experience the richness of the ocean only by swimming at the surface. Impossible! You need to dive in. Going camping for a weekend is great, but you don’t get to disconnect. Your mind and body are still attached to the conveniences of our modern world. We experience the wilderness through senses that are not in tune with nature. There are many studies that have proven and showed that it takes a minimum of 2 weeks for your senses to tune in with a new environment.
So with that in mind, I believe that immersion in nature is an important part of our development, especially during our early, formative years when it is so critical to discover who we are, develop strong self-esteem, begin to adopt leadership skills, challenge our physical well-being and acquire the capacity to live a balanced life in a world dominated by technology.

OAM: Sounds like your trying to save the world one kid at a time. What impact do you think it will have on their future?
DF: I am convinced that once you have experienced a month-long wilderness immersion camp, your life is changed forever. And knowing the importance of today’s youth in shaping the future, I want to give them, especially the underprivileged teens, the opportunity to experience first-hand the positive impact nature can have on their lives through wilderness immersion camps.
That immersion is a powerful first step that can help trigger a desire to explore and discover the natural world and to begin to understand how experiencing the beauty and ultimate challenges inherent in nature can lead to enhancing their self-confidence and help them develop valuable leadership skills. Read more about WILD.ECO

OAM: What is the FEEL THE WILD? How long have you been working on it and what has it taught you about nature and yourself?
 DF: I started the FEEL THE WILD (previously the Wild Image Project) back in 2008. It is a bit of a long story, but to summarize it, when I was a kid, my dream was to sail the world and study whales. I wanted to explore the planet. See what Cousteau, Fowler and Attenborough had shown me on the television. I was that kid who would leave in the morning, disappear in the forest and complain when it was time to come back at sunset. In High School, I got the feeling that I needed to get serious with my life expectations and was told to grow up. So I tried. I went to business school, moved to New York and attempted to make it in the corporate world. It was a failure. I was incapable of justifying my future doing something that my heart was not into. So after an unfortunate life episode (it is a longer story), I reassessed everything. If there was time for me to go back to my roots, this was the time. So I sold everything and headed south. I went to Argentina for 6 months and found myself again. I found and connected to that joyful boy I once was. I started to write and do photography and for the first time in my life, I felt like I had a purpose, a reason to move into the future and believe.

OAM: You said, that you want to create a dialog between yourself and your wildlife subjects while photographing them in nature. Why is important to you that they know of your presence?
DF: In some ways, I don’t want to take the photograph, I want to receive it. In the early age of photography, it was believed that a photo stole a piece of the soul. I don’t literally believe the statement but I do feel there is something of an invasion when you capture a moment without the subject knowing. So if I am going to capture these animals on film, I want it to be on their terms, I want their consent.
Also, I don’t want to be a visitor, I want to connect and be present. I want to meet their gaze and share that deep ancestral sense of commonality we have. That is what I seek, that is what I long for.
Importantly though, I don’t want to humanize and beautify them, I want to honor and recognize their spirit. Every single species on earth is exceptional in the sense that it has achieved mastery of its survival by adapting and acutely occupying a specific niche within the planet’s ecosystem.
Everything and everyone, including us, has evolved and survived by becoming the best at one thing. The indigenous cultures understood and honored this way of looking at the world. They didn’t see themselves better or above anyone or anything, but alongside all the others, part of life’s complex cobweb. Animals, plants, and insects were respected, honored and recognized for their particular abilities.

OAM: Your first attempt in 2014 to kayak 1,000 miles from Victoria, on the Island of Vancouver in Canada to San Francisco was unfortunately ended in very harrowing ordeal at Cannon Beach in Oregon as featured in Canoe & Kayak magazine article ALIVE & STRONGER What did you learn from that experience?
DF: There are certain things in life that are not meant to be accomplished on the first try. They demand commitment and failure is part of the experience. A 1,000 miles of solo kayaking along the Pacific Coast is not something to be taken lightly. I am actually glad that my first attempt was unsuccessful. I was extremely fortunate and I didn’t hurt myself and that is the most important thing. Had it been too easy, I would have lost the respect that endeavors like these deserve. Looking back, there are obviously lessons that I learned. First one is that I should have not forced my departure. I was pressured by time and left Astoria knowing that bad weather was coming. Also, I should have never attempted to lend in Indian Bay at night. I didn't know the place and it was obvious that the conditions were way too dangerous for me to maneuver my way into these unknown waters. That first capsize changed everything. Had I just paddled into the night, against the wind, it would have been extremely exhausting and dead tired, but at least I would have not ended up in pieces on the beach crushed by the ocean.

OAM: Are you going to attempt it again?
DF: I won’t say no, but right now it is not a priority. That long paddle had a specific purpose, to fundraise for WILD.ECO. My creative process though is more about immersing myself for 2 to 3 weeks at a time in the wilderness. At the moment, I am focused on preparing for my book launch, set for Fall 2019, published by RMBooks and an upcoming North American Tour with Arc’teryx.

OAM: You travel light and by yourself for long periods of time do you find comfort in the solitude?
DF: I do. I see myself as an artist and the wilderness is my studio. When I go out, my goal is to create something, to capture the spirit of a place and share it with the world. A painter can’t paint when there are other people around. They need that empty space where their mind can get lost and create. It is the same for me. Out there, by myself, I have to face the silence, my mind goes to places that are not always fun, but from these depths, magic happens. I will be honest though, it can be extremely challenging and tiring. There is no one to motivate you. You are responsible for everything. There is no peer pressure, no one to cook while you set up camp, no second opinion, no help if something happens. I wrote about this solitude in this story S2 = C + P (Solitude & Silence = Clarity + Perspective). You can also read my recent trip to the Pemberton ice field, where I wrote about the change.

OAM: What is the most essential item you always bring along while on these odysseys?
DF: My brain! My sanity and optimism! The answer might surprise you but nothing is more important than keeping your calm when you are on solo expeditions. No gear can replace good judgment. No gear can save you unless you know what to do with it. You can survive with very little and through insane and crazy situations if you succeed in not letting the events take over you. Aside from the philosophical answer, my Fujifilm camera is always with me. And if I had to choose the most essential item it would be my SOG multitool.

OAM: Ansel Adams said, "A good photograph is knowing where to stand." You have traveled throughout the world. What was your favorite place so far and what made it so appealing?
DF: There is so much of the world I haven’t seen!!! So many places to visit. So much to discover and explore. Adams’ quote reminds me of Proust’: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” The truth though is that we are social species. We are wired to connect with others. And in all my traveling, it is the people that I meet along the way that I remember the most. Connecting with the wild places I visit is impossible to do unless I connect first with the people that live there. I am passing through. I am a visitor and they are the ones who hold the key to so many secrets. Their stories and their experiences are priceless and full of treasures.  

OAM: Any place on your list you haven't been yet?
DF: At the beginning when I started, I was attracted to exotic destinations. But to be honest, now I only focus on North America. There is so much right here, in our backyard to discover. From Alaska, the Arctic Circle, the Northwest Territories to Baja California.
From Newfoundland to British Columbia and California, the mountains, the deserts, the rivers, the Pacific and Atlantic Coast, our American and Canadian National Parks are truly some of the most beautiful places on earth.

OAM: One last one... Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." What will be your legacy?
DF: We are not a bad species. We are learning. There is so much guilt and negativity in our culture that is is really hard to be hopeful. There is this constant deadline over our head telling us that if we don’t fix everything in 5 years, life on earth will literally end. There is this arrogant and righteous sense of duty that we must save the planet. People are overwhelmed and feel powerless and consequently stop caring or listening. There is, of course, a pressing need to change but we have to believe in ourselves. We have to inspire each other and see the beauty within us. We are a species that rises when facing challenges. We are experts at adapting. Yes, we have done mistakes. And we won’t stop making new ones. That is life. But by accepting responsibility, by finding humility and believing that the strength of our spirit is intertwined with the natural world, I believe that together we can lay the foundations to a world we can be proud of.

I want to make people STOP just for a second. I want them to take a deep BREATH, RELAX, LISTEN and look at the world and nature in a new way. I want them to think. I want them to believe. I want them to be proud. I want them to believe in the power of nature to Nurture, Awaken, Transform, Uplift, Restore and Elevate the human spirit. I want them to understand that we are from nature, that nature is not something disconnected from us. If I can do that, if that can be my legacy, then I will be happy.

Daniel Fox is an artist, solo wilderness explorer, Fujifilm X-Photographer, & SanDisk Extreme Team Member. Through his photography, videos and stories, he seeks to inspire the public to experience nature as a framework, mindset and mentor for personal transformation. He believes in the Power of Nature to Nurture, Awaken, Transcend, Uplift, Restore and Elevate the human spirit.
He is the founder of WILD.ECO, a nonprofit that mentors and raises funds to send disadvantaged students to wilderness immersion camps. Its mission is to foster resilient, empowered, adaptable, curious, and empathetic students of life, using Nature as a framework.
Fox lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife Tristan and their dog Kobe.
You can learn more about Fox on his website and follow him on Facebook, Linkedin, and Instagram.

 

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DYING OUT HERE IS NOT AN OPTION, AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN CONNELLY

Photo courtesy of Brian Threlkeld

“Yea, and if some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep, even so, I will endure…For already have I suffered full much, and much have I toiled in perils of waves and war. Let this be added to the tale of those.” ---Homer, The Odyssey 

Anybody else might have been having second thoughts. Nine days out after launching from Old Forge, New York in the spring of 2016, John Connelly had already patch dried his canoe after hitting a rock, was enduring freezing rain and suffering from a bit of a nasty stomach bug.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Gallo

It was an undeniably tough start for Connelly's Paddle Quest 1500 expedition, the first ever 1,500-mile solo canoe and kayak trek across the four major waterways in northeastern North America: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail, St. John River, Bay of Fundy and Maine Island Trail.
But for Connelly, there was no turning back. That simply wasn't an option.

"Despite falling ill and having to push myself through 20 mile days and frozen nights, I find genuine joy and spiritual uplifting when descending rapids I had never seen before,"  Connelly wrote in an update on the Paddle Quest 1500 website, "It is a journey of a lifetime with something new and may things unexpected around every bend. The people and places add to who I am and I will be much richer for this time well spent. New York is behind me, Vermont and the rest are in front. Bring it!"

Over the next 66 days, Connelly would paddle pristine whitewater and placid still lakes and survived violent sea storms all while being tracked in real-time by satellite and followed by thousands online. His personal trip was a call to inspire others to increase their time outside, citing research that suggests both physical and mental health benefits while in nature.

He completed his trip with triumph on June 24, 2016, when he arrived at Kittery, Maine joined by a flotilla of supporters and media to in with paddle him.
"My mind was blown right in half. It was amazing!" wrote Connelly on the Paddle Quest 1500 website, "I was overwhelmed by the reception I received and am eternally grateful for all the support I have experienced from friends, family, sponsors, media partners, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and Maine Island Trail Association."

In his new book Dying Out Here Is Not An Option, he chronicles that epic 1500 mile solo canoe and kayak adventure across the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada.
We caught up with Connelly a couple of weeks ago to asked him about his new book, his epic paddling trip and his mission to get people to experience the outdoors.

OMA: The title of your book, "Dying Out Here Is Not An Option" is a pretty gritty statement. Why did you come up with that title?
JC: There were two conditions for my taking on this first-ever expedition. They both came from my incredible wife, Nicole. #1. She needed to know that I was safe at the end of every day. #2. I wasn’t allowed to die. Fair enough, right?! It got very real out there and there were a few times where I needed to remind myself of my promise not to die.

The route of Paddle Quest 1500

OAM: In your book, you chronicle your Paddle Quest 1500, a 1500 mile, 75-day, solo expedition linking 4 major waterways in the Northeastern US and eastern Canada. 2 Countries, 4 states, 2 provinces, 22 streams, 54 lakes/ponds, and the North Atlantic Ocean. Why did you pick this route and what would you do differently if you could do it over again?
JC: I had always wanted to canoe the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and I’d always wanted to kayak the Maine Island Trail, but never managed to be able to carve out the time. My 60th birthday was coming up and everyone, including my incredible wife, Nicole, urged me to do something special. Given the green light, I decided that “special” wasn’t good enough; I wanted to go for “epic.” Nobody had canoed the Northern Forest Canoe Trail AND kayaked the Maine Island Trail, so that would have been a first, and pretty special. But how about connecting the two with the Saint John River and the Bay of Fundy? Now, nobody has done that and it truly would be epic! That’s how I picked the route!

OAM: That was a long time on the water to be alone. What kept you going? Did you ever want to give up?
JC: I love living out of my boat for days and weeks on end. It’s where I find myself truly at home. That’s one reason why I row rafts on 16-day, 280-mile whitewater trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. But the alone thing made this trip very different. Thankfully, I had quite a following, a community, watching my progress in realtime on my website where my tracking feed was displayed. I also posted on social media and blogged, so I felt like I was sharing the experience with others. I felt “alone,” but I never felt “lonely.”

Photo courtesy of Brian Threlkeld

OAM: You began Paddle Quest 1500 to inspire an outdoor desire in others after studies confirm both physical and mental health benefits that come by communing with nature. It shouldn't be a tough sell, but it seems like more and more people seek the safety of the great "indoors." What's it take to motivate more folks to get outside?
JC: Yes, you only save what you love, so my lifelong mission has been to get people outdoors to experience the life-enriching experiences and benefits that can only be found outside. When people have these experiences, they care about resource conservation and stewardship for future generations. I have found that if I can inspire people to take those first steps and try something new in the outdoors, they’re likely to get hooked. With this expedition, at age 60, I heard from a surprising number of people of all ages that they were motivated to get outside, even if it was a mild adventure activity near to home. I continue to hear that my story is inspiring and makes people think that they shouldn’t wait; they should get out there too!

Welcome home. Courtesy of John Connelly

OAM: You have paddled around the country, but where can you paddle in your neighborhood?
JC: I live on Maine’s Casco Bay, so I don’t have to go far; just outside the door and launch from the dock. But I also have two whitewater rivers that dump into the tidal waters of Casco Bay; the Royal and Presumpscot Rivers. Both have great playboating features and can be pretty challenging runs with decent flows.

OAM: If you take anyone living or dead on an adventure with you, who would you take and where would you go?
JC: President Teddy Roosevelt, for sure. I would take him back to the Brazilian Amazon, to the River of Doubt, that he pioneered on a dramatic, well-documented expedition. He would be pretty stoked to trade wooden dugout canoes, fairly primitive gear and food challenges for inflatable rafts, state of the art NRS gear and Good To-Go dehydrated gourmet foods. And we would run rapids that he took days to portage around!

OAM: Once again back to the title of your book, "Dying Out Here Is Not An Option." We have to know did you ever come close to dying out there?
JC: There were three times in particular that tested my mettle as a canoeist and kayaker. I found myself using all my years of experience in difficult whitewater and surf to work my way through some treacherous conditions that, all too often, materialized in an instant. I definitely did say out loud to myself on those occasions, “Dying out here is not an option.”

A former member of the US Canoe and Kayak team and leader of LL Bean's Outdoor Discovery School, Connelly now works as an outdoors consultant.
You can get his book Dying Out Here Is Not An Option at his website Paddle Quest 1500 or on Amazon or Kindle.

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SAFETY AND PREPARATION FOR WINTER TO SPRING KAYAKING

Courtesy of The River Store

While watching it rain and snow this winter we can all perceive it's going to be a fantastic spring season for paddling your area rivers and lakes.  Surely the excitement is there. For most of us who have had our boats locked away this past winter, there would be nothing better than grabbing our gear and heading back out on to the water as if nothing had changed since last season.

But with safety being the top concern Dan Crandall owner of Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips wrote on the CA website, "Don't just “Fling” into spring paddling! Think about the important stuff before going? Remember, days are still short, water is cold and the weather is unpredictable! There are also way fewer paddlers and rafters out in the winter to be of help if needed and many new potential hazards to be found."

It's great advice for us all. As Crandal states, "A lot of paddling safely is based in common sense."
Here is a list of Crandall's reminders that you need to take care of before venturing safely out to the water this season.

South Fork of the American River 2017

Two weeks or more before your first outing

• Check all gaskets and put the dry tops/suits on to make sure they aren’t cracked and ready to rip out. Gaskets tend to last two or three seasons at best and fail when you can least afford it. A failed gasket at the put in or on the run has ruined many a paddling trip! If they are questionable, get em replaced. FYI, The River Store (info@theriverstore.com) offers quick turn around service whenever possible on gasket repairs.
• Check out your boat for cracks, frogs, or spiders before they surprise you. Tighten all of the bolts, replace missing or worn pieces of your outfitting and make sure your float bags hold air!
• Stretch your skirt onto the boat and repair any rips or badly frayed areas (check it thoroughly on the inside of the skirt as well!)
• Get your cold water gear together, with , booties, neo socks, pogies or insulating gloves, skull cap, Capilene and fleece underlayers and spare fleece in your boat
• Good 1st Aid kit along with firestarter, hand warmers, energy bars, duct tape, space blanket, flashlight and a few thin plastic grocery bags as emergency “socks”, “mittens” or skull caps.
• Use a “new” Drysuit in a pool or easy water and try swimming in it BEFORE you take an unwanted test on a river. Air and the restrictiveness of a drysuit can really affect your swimming ability if you are not familiar with how to “bleed” the air and with what it feels like to swim in a drysuit.  

Courtesy of Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips

First Tracks

• Paddle familiar runs first, and a step below what you were paddling at the end of last season.
• DON’T fall into the common trap of getting a late start- especially on unknown or higher than normal runs. ALWAYS plan in a margin for error. It only takes one unexpected portage or a swim or two by members of the group (or other groups you run into) to throw your timing way off and create a series of new issues and potential risks or epics.
• Paddle a familiar and comfortable boat the first time or two out. Not the time to jump right into a new boat or a new demo boat! A river running boat with more volume and hull speed will help offset any sluggish timing or lack of practice and conditioning on your part, especially on new, high or faster water runs.
• Paddle runoff (vs. Dam release) rivers on their way DOWN! Rivers on their way up can be VERY unpredictable in terms of how high the water is or will get, and for the debris and in some cases chemicals or bacteria and sewage they pick up on their way UP! Running rivers on their way up have likely been a prominent factor in more unwanted ramifications or dangerous scenarios for kayakers than any other single element.
• A breakdown paddle should always be in everyone’s boat, for your use or more likely to save someone else (and their group) a much longer day or a walk out.
• Check LOCAL weather for the area you‘ll be paddling before you go, since Spring weather can be much different due to microclimates or be spotty and cause things like flooding or snow in one area and nothing an hour away. Bad access roads can sometimes get you on the way OUT even if you were able to get in, so a shovel, chains, plenty of gas are all worth having. Low snow melting into the rivers on a sunny day or dams reaching their spilling point and adding a large surge to the existing flow can be very misleading and really catch you off guard in terms of the unexpected rise of rivers. (Slab Creek Reservoir on The South Fork American is a classic for this and can add thousands of CFS to the flow almost instantly once it spills) .Do your homework and know the dams and diurnal flow timing for the run you’ll be on!
• Realize that the gauges you are reading on flow sites are not always at the put in where you plan to go, and can over or under-represent the flow you’ll find when you get there (Chamberlains on the North Fork American has a gauge that is miles downstream of the put in for instance). Look at trends on gauges ( rising or falling, etc.).
• Paddle with people you know and whose skills you are comfortable with on a given run or under expected conditions. Qualify new paddlers to you or your group THOROUGHLY before getting on the river with them. Don’t be afraid to decide not to run if you are not comfortable with the group, or tell someone else you do not think they should be there. Any one person can put all others in a group at risk if they are not prepared. Ask the same questions of others you would ask of yourself: Are they dressed well enough, paddling a familiar boat, been paddling at that level already this year, SOLID roll, etc.?? Have their own throw rope and SWR training so they can rescue YOU if necessary?
• Consider some Winter or early Spring cross training by getting out surf kayaking or even out on the lake just to work the muscles and conditioning a little. Better yet, get an early lesson with a qualified instructor to help start your year off right and take away a bit of the anxiety associated with first runs out on the year or after a lay-off.
• Got questions?? Anxiety?? Call up the local shop or instructor who knows you or the local runs and get some more input/advice before you make your decisions. 

"Think of Spring paddling as a new performance," Crandall wrote in conclusion, "You are in with a cast of characters, and that you all need to get your costumes and props ready, and then do a dress rehearsal before you really get to the main show. One person can destroy the whole show if they did not get things ready on their end."

The Atmospheric River Flows Again

Nimbus Dam

Heavy rains from a weather system known as an "atmospheric river" the latest in a series of storms to pound Northern California earlier this week. It caused flooding that inundated a town north of San Francisco, along the Russian River and forced thousands to flee.
As the heavy rains moved in dam operators also have opened their gates to make room for the expected run-off in the days and weeks ahead. Releases at Folsom Dam accompanied by releases at Nimbus Dam downstream have impacted low-lying areas along the American River Parkway with flooding.
Our best advice we can give when it comes to paddling in flood waters is: DON'T! Remember flood waters are just very unpredictable and littered with debris.

Forest Service To Relaunch BWCA Permit System March 4

Just like an overloaded canoe, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area reservation system was swamped with technical glitches causing it to crash when it first went live back on in January. Only a few people were able to reserve permits before the system failed.
Area outfitters warned U.S. Forest Service officials that the crush on the new first-come, first-served reservation system that replaced the lottery system for BWCA permits could overwhelm to its capacity. Permits for an area where motors are allowed are especially coveted.
Officials say the technical issues with the software have been addressed and additional testing has been completed. Permit registration will begin March 4th and may be reserved through September 30th. To make a reservation the new website is recreation.gov.

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