SUMMER NIGHTS

The moon is Swimming naked, and the summer night is fragrant with a expectation of relief. ---Leonard Cohen

Summertime comes in June to places like Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is not in hurry to get there. Sometimes as cool temperatures can linger for a while. In California, summer can seem almost endless. As the western states sizzle again in another historic drought, we continue to watch our reservoirs drop to all-time lows and unprecedented heat. We dream that next winter will longer and bring in more snow and rain.
Short winters or extended ones are a matter of seasonal and climatic change. And as the old saying says, you can talk about the weather, but not much you can do about it.

Length of winters aside, it's those long summer days that I have come to love. Starting in late May and lasting through August, I have spent many paddling evenings exploring and revisiting my area's lakes and rivers. A couple of weeks before the summer solstice through mid-July seem to be my favorite time of year. When it is the peak of summer when the sun is beaming at its brightest into the evening. Most of the sun-worshipers have already exited the lake leaving it in relaxing and lonely bliss.

Paddling out across Lake Natoma, last week with my wife Debbie, it is easy to why poet William Wordsworth penned, “A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable.” We have the lake all to ourselves. But meandering through the back channels of the lake, we discover we are not alone. Not at all. A much too friendly duck approaches looking for any kind of handout. Sorry duck, we have no food to give. It shuffles off disappointed with us as paddlers who did not offer something tasty.

Around we soon catch sight of three bobbing beaver heads foraging the aquatic vegetation. Excellent swimmers, the beavers are nocturnal creatures who remain partially submerged as we quietly paddle toward them. Sensing our presents, they scoot away before using their flat, scaly tail to signal danger with a giant slap of the water.
Otters are a common sight while on the Lower American River in the evening. Known for a renowned sense of play, the semiaquatic mammals seemed to be more curious than scared as they circled around our kayaks, voicing chirpy barks.
The highlight of our paddle on Lake Natoma, however, was catching sight of small baby deer. It was staring down a flock of geese along the shore. Prancing back and forth, it gave us two paddlers little mind as it challenged the flock of geese. It ran back and forth toward them in a game of tag before seeing that we were only yards away and hopping away.

"It’s good to be lost in this wild land for a while," wrote Minnesota blogger Greg Seitz, "One of the biggest benefits to spending time in nature is how it can pull all your attention toward its wonders and beauty."

My summer evenings can evoke a few memories of days on the Red River and on Minnesota lakes. Paddling into the sloughs, my nose is filled with that same earthy aroma I smelled on those distant nights long ago. It's funny how I can remember that smell. While just around another bend is the sweet smell of riping blackberries. Don't bother with those tempting ones that are bright red. They are still much too tart. I'll have to look for the fat black ones. But how come the sweetest and blackest berries are just out of reach for my reach? I pull myself in close. carefully holding the prickly vines, and reach up and pull down only a couple. I pop them into my mouth for instant deliciousness joy.

"Don't even try to talk to me when I'm watching the moon," wrote children author Wendelin Van Draanen, "That's my moon, baby."

It is no surprise. The full moon can make even the most ordinary spots on the lake beautiful after the sun gave up its bright status in the sky. The glowing orb gives me a rush of adrenaline as I spot it rising out of the trees. Mesmerized by the night sky Debbie and I paddle back to the access as the light of the sunlight fades and the stars appear.

Every paddler I know loves the summer season for their endless opportunities for kayaking adventures. But the long and warm summer days, offer even more bonus time for us to enjoy enormous sunlit sky, balmy breeze, warm fragrance of the air, and lots more while enjoying our favorite waterways.

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

OVER THE BOW: THE RED RIVER

With all great journeys, the seed of adventure is planted long before the first step on a trail or the first stroke of a paddle. Looking back, I think a part of my soul was always searching the river. ---Leslie Warren

Back in 2011, the Red was my hometown river. The meandering ribbon of reddish-brown silt-filled water weaves, winds and snakes around for some 390 miles between North Dakota and Minnesota, rarely going the same place twice before entering Canada on its way to Lake Winnipeg. When paddling in the river's oxbows, North Dakota can sometimes be on the east. While Minnesota appears on the west along the river's corridor. Dropping at about a foot a mile, it's remarkably flat, to say the least. I've played on pool tables that have a worse slant. Formed in an ancient lake bed after the glaciers melted away 12,00 years ago, the river still practices the remnants of its glacial past. With a history of significant flooding, the beauty and nature of the river are usually overlooked. It's not uncommon to bald eagles, wood ducks, and deer along the tree-lined banks of the river.
Ten years ago, as it does today, the river ran right through the middle of Fargo and Moorhead. I would spend about any summer evening kayaking up and down the wandering the river sections. Access locations near my home made it the perfect retreat for my paddling fix after a day spent as a photographer for a local television station.
So when I heard about Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho's Minneapolis to Hudson Bay Canoe trip, retracing the route Eric Sevareid made famous in his classic Canoeing with the Cree, I knew I wanted to meet them and share their story.
Their 2,000-mile voyage started by paddling up the Minnesota River before heading downstream on the Bois de Sioux River, followed by the Red River. Fargo would be a pit stop for the duo. They still had miles and miles to go for their journey. Although they were just young college graduates, they were both season canoeists while attempting to make history as the first women to paddle this historic route.
"That confidence led us to believe that we could survive or even thrive, paddling together for three months through unknown territory with only each other, a canoe and our gear," Warren wrote in her recently published book, Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic. It's an account of their epic trip together, highlighting the ups and even downs of their adventure.
It had been an easy sell to talk my assignment editor into meeting up with two canoeists. Canoes, two women paddling on an epic journey, and it was right down the street. They were coming to us.
The Red River that summer of 2011 was running high and out of its banks. I can remember standing in the partially flooded campsites along the river with my tripod and camera in tow in Fargo's Lindenwood Park. If we had timed right, I wouldn't have to wait too long.
Watching downstream, I spotted their canoe moving quickly in the fast-moving current under the I-94 bridge. I panned my camera along with them, keeping the canoe in the frame. The women were all business as they moved through the swirling flow until they paddled out of the current into the calmer water. That is when they could smile for my camera. They pulled up onto the muddy shoreline. At the time, they had been on the river for 27 days were tired and more than a little bit ready to head to a hotel for a shower and a comfy bed. But they were more than gracious to do a quick TV interview with me. After that, they headed off with their family support crew.
They took me up on my invite to entertain their et rouge at a local Fargo winery later that evening. They would be taking a break from the river to re-supply, recharge and attend a family member's wedding before heading downriver.

You can get Natalie Warren's book Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic at her website at natalie-warren.com and on Amazon.   

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, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

                                                                            

CANOEING WITH DAD

Cuz, I'm canoeing with Daddy, And it's just like magic. When he hands me my paddle, get a great big smile on my face. ---Jerry Vandiver

On some lake, somewhere, this weekend there will occur the long-established and age-old tradition of a father taking his son or daughter canoeing for the first time. I've seen it many times at Sly Park Paddle Rentals, where I have run the boathouse during the past several seasons.

Young children will come bouncing down the dock with the excitement and wonder of Christmas Day. They will be followed by a just as excited adventuresome Dad hoping to relive some of his memories from his days at summer camp. While Dad fills out the rental forms, the kids are exploring by looking over the dock at the fish swimming by below. Not before long, the family wiggle into their PFDs and board the canoe. One takes the bow while the other sits on a pad in the hull canoe. Paddles are handed out. They're ready.
Dad, I'm sure, is holding his breath as he pushes off from the dock and as smiles break out among the crew. The lake is calm. The only disturbing it is the bow cutting way through the water.
"Bye," they call out as they paddle away on their new adventure, "We'll see you later."

"Maybe my most indelible canoe memory," the current Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau recalled in an essay in Cottage Life about canoeing with his father the long-serving Prime Minister of Canada (1968–1979, 1980–1984) and celebrated canoeist, "Was one of the rites of passage for the Trudeau boys: When we hit five or six years old, our dad would put us into the canoe and we’d shoot the rapids on the stream that went down into Meech Lake. With much trepidation, we’d sit in the front and go down the drop. I look back on it now and laugh because my father was sterning, and there was nothing I could do from the bow to aim it right—but it was very, very important for us to do it. To get into the bow of a canoe with my father for the first time, to be the bowman for the first time, and to go down this big, scary rapid."

Via Twitter

As one can see, Trudeau has fond memories of canoeing. In 2016 he said, "You elected a paddler as your prime minister."
He routinely shares Twitter pictures of him and his family canoeing and says every year he still tries to get out for at least a few days or so in the summer and take a canoe trip. And to think of it all started with a canoe trip with his dad.

There are so many benefits to canoeing with your kids and families. From spending time outdoors together to learning a skill, canoeing with your children is a great way to get active on the water at any age. Canoeing is something the whole family will enjoy in the many years to come.

Tips For A Successful Canoe Trip With Kids

PFDs, PFDs, PFDs. Everyone should be wearing one. In California, every kid under the age of 13 must be wearing while on the boat. And to be a great example of safety for them, you should have one on as well. How else can I expect my kids to follow that rule if I do not?

Don't plan for a long trip. The first few trips are all about fun. Remember your first trip in a canoe and how it set the stage for your love of the outdoors. Those future trips that the joy will come. But right now, you're helping your kids build a foundation of life on the water and planting a seed of recreating outside. A short trip around the lake is a great way to get your kids paddling. In your float plan include a good lunch/ swimming spot. Breaking up the paddle and tiring the kids out with some good ole fashioned playtime is essential.

Keep calm and paddle on. Most of the time, your little tykes will enjoy sitting up front in the bow, between your legs. Give some instruction on not s to stand up in the canoe and how to paddle but keep it simple. We're having fun. If you crash into the bank. It's OK. Laugh about. Paddling skills will get better throughout the day. And remember, no yelling or scolding.

Plan on getting wet and dirty. It’s scientifically proven fact canoes attract murky water to the bottom of the canoe. What is more fun than mud and water? So wear water shoes and clothes that will be OK to get a bit soggy. That might include your backpack too.

Pack lots of snacks and water bottles. Who doesn't love snacks? But please keep those kids hydrated too.

Sunscreen and hats. It's pretty simple to protect the kids from getting sunburn.

And don't forget the camera. This a one of those memories you might just want to remember for a while.

You don't have to wait for Father's Day to take your kids canoeing. Traditionally summertime into fall is the best time to go.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

Adiós and Vaya Con Dios

      

                         I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
                         Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
                         Life is good today, life is good today --- Zac Brown

 

We lounged there under an umbrella gazing at the unmistakable aqua splendor of the Caribbean Sea. The salt spray of the breaking surf hung in the air gave our lungs an instant feeling of ease. The snow-white sand sifted between our toes when we dared to rush toward the curling waves. The rhythmic waves seemed to leaves in a hypnotized state. It was hard to not look away. Not to peer out and wonder. I can't quite explain it, but there's just something so magical about spending a day by the ocean. 

Cancun paddling

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.'' said underwater explorer and conservationist Jacques Yves Cousteau.

The trip to Cancun, Mexico, was the kickoff to our summer. And after the last 16 months of living in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was a pure pleasure to sit in the sultry sun relaxing at a luxury spa. I know I could get used to this all-inclusive lifestyle. We even got to kayak one day, where I looked down into the clear water and saw dozen of starfish just below my boat.
Our days in Cancun floated by quickly. Before long, we high in the sky, heading for North Dakota to see our granddaughter and attend to some family matters. It was followed by a cross-country trip in a U-Haul truck back to California back to reality.
There was little time for a return-to-trip hang-over. A day after unloading the truck, I packed up my camping gear and headed up to Sly Park and the pine-lined views of Lake Jenkinson and running Sly Park Paddle Rentals for a long weekend. I never had it so good. 

Sly Park Paddle Rentals

“Travel changes you," celebrity world traveler Anthony Bourdain said, "As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”

 

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

Slab Creek Reservoir

Lower American River

Lower American River with Bayside Adventure Sports

Rattlesnake Bar

Snowshoeing the China Wall with Debbie Carlson

Folsom Lake

The Lower American River

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

PADDLING WITH SLY PARK PADDLE RENTALS

 

Sly Park Recreation Area is an idyllic summer setting nestled in the Sierra foothills near Pollock Pines, California. Offering something for everyone the park is the perfect spot to visit for a day trip or kickback for a long weekend.
Surrounded by a fringe of tall pines and rocky shores, Lake Jenkinson is reminiscent of those coming of age movies about summer camp. Certainly the jewel of the park, the lake provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, and boating. In other words, it's a perfect spot to paddle away the day.

Divided by a narrow channel, the lake is divided into two components. The larger lower lake is home to speedboats, picnic, and campgrounds and a swimming beach, while the upper lake has an old-fashion feel being a bit narrower and much quieter due to the 5 mph speed limit that is strictly enforced.
The upper lake is home to Sly Park Paddle Rentals which offers canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards throughout the summer on weekends in the park. For the past two seasons, The River Store & Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips has been operating the boathouse rentals.

The boathouses hours
Fridays 9 am-5pm

Saturday 9 am-5pm 

Sunday 9 am-5pm

To help you enjoy the paddling experience of Lake Jenkinson, while at Slay Park Recreation Area here are a few tips to get you on the water.

Before you go
Plan early. While Sly Park Paddle Rentals does take walk-ups, it's best to make a reservation to ensure you get the kayak, SUP or canoe you want for an hour, all day and even overnight. You can book online at Sly Park Paddle Rentals or call 530-333-9115 or email at info@CurrentAdventures.com.

Entering the park requires a day-use fee. Camping is also an additional fee and requires a reservation. You can book that through Sly Park Recreation Area.

Standup paddling boarding is extremely popular on the lake and the boards are always being rented on busy weekends. Tandem kayaks and canoes are also very popular for families to get their young children out on the water. Single kayaks are great for those who want to get out and explore while perfecting their paddling technique.
Boathouse staff recommends booking at least two hours on the water to keep having fun.

What To Bring
Sunscreen, sunglasses, snacks, and beverages (no glass containers), small ice chest(s), shoes, or sandals will make your trip more comfortable, and a COVID-19 face covering. PFDs are provided by the boathouse for both children and adults. Remember paddling even on lakes comes with inherent physical risks that can be minimized by wearing a PFD. California boating law requires every child under 13 years of age on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a PFD.
Also, Sly Park Paddle Rentals is implementing a few new protocols on the dock area to help keep the staff and the visitors safe and they are asking everyone to wear masks while on the dock area for everyone’s protection including our employees.

When You Are Here
Best advice, come early and stay late. The park is extremely popular on weekends and day-use quickly fills up fast. Expect a line to get in the front gate anytime after 10 AM on up to 2 PM. Beat the crowd by getting to the lake early to enjoy the best time on the lake.
Boathouse manager Nick Carlson says the lake is calm right at opening and in the evening.

"Early in the morning the wind is coming from the east, but a little after 9 it stops and the lake is like glass. It's my favorite time of the day and the best time to get on the water. Towards mid-day the wind starts up from west coming through the narrows." 

Beat the crowd all together by going on a sunset paddle on Friday evening when the boathouse is open till 8 PM. On both Fridays and Saturdays, you can rent your canoe, SUP or kayak after hours and return it the following morning. Check at Sly Park Paddle Rentals or call 530-333-9115 to check the availability of the paddle craft. What could be better than having a sunset paddle before returning to your campsite?

Parking is available at the Stonebraker Boat Launch, 2.3 miles from the park entrance. Sly Park Paddle Rentals is located near the ramp.

When You Are on The Dock
To help keep staff and visitors safe, Sly Park Paddle Rentals is asking everyone to wear a mask while on the dock to meet the State and local health requirements. Hand sanitizer is also available at the gate.

The staff will only allow one family or a group of friends on the dock at a time. Others will be asked to wait just outside the dock area until other parties left the dock to ensure safety.
Every adult has to fill out a liability waiver for themselves and their children. You can streamline this by filling out the form online when you make your reservation at Sly Park Paddle Rentals.

When on the Water
Getting on the lake is a great place to relax and have fun. Maybe take a trip up toward Sly Park Falls or just float around the narrows. However, during the current health guidelines please consider keeping a 6-foot distance between others and avoid large crowds.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

 

This article was originally published Outside Adventure to the Max on June 26, 2020

We are always looking for guest bloggers to share the stories and pictures of their adventures.

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

THE FIVE MOST COMMON THINGS FOUND AT RIVER CLEAN-UPS

Just out of reach from my hand, the last beer can of our clean-up lay sunken in the clear water of the Lower American River. We were under the old Fair Oaks Bridge along the upper part of the American River Parkway the Saturday before Earth Day. I had organized a clean-up paddled on this popular stretch of river to help celebrate the week.
I maneuvered my kayak about above the submerged Aluminum can and reached down with the end of my paddle to lift the can to the surface. No luck the drown can only fell further away. I grumbled to think how many more cans just like this one litter the river bottom.
"Looks like I'm going to get wet," I told my paddling John Taylor as I paddled toward shore.
"You're not going to be best by a beer can, are you," he said, as I got out the kayak and waded waist-deep into the chilly waters of the river.
"No, I'm not," I said, as I reached down and pulled the mud and water-filled can to the surface like it was a valuable artifact or treasure. But, my prize quickly lost its luster. I drained away the slit and water and tossed it into John's canoe full of other junk and garbage we had collected that morning, ending our clean-up battle.
When I paddle, I usually pick up trash along the way. I'm in the habit of steering toward a floating plastic bottle or fishing a beer can or plastic bag out of a tree. As a steward of the lake or river, I try to pick up and pack out litter along the waterways. However, when I'm taking part in a river clean-up, I will put in a little extra effort to make these waterways trash-free by removing unique and common items alike.
According to American Rivers, a conservation organization aimed at protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water, here are the 5 most common items found in river cleanups.

Cigarette Litter
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year. And if that doesn't choke you, think about this. The chemical carcinogens of discarded cigarette butts are capable of leaching into surrounding water where they can harm and kill aquatic life. A study found that one cigarette butt can kill half of the fish in 1 liter of water. That is if they don't eat them first. Wildlife often mistakes the butts for food making them another threat.
Still, cigarette butts are the most littered item on the whole planet. It's estimated that over 120 billion have been discarded into the environment and washed into our rivers and the ocean. The Ocean Conservancy’s 2018 International Coastal Cleanup Report stated that 2,412,151 cigarette butts were collected worldwide in 2017. This is an increase from the 1,863,838 butts collected around the world in 2016.

Plastic bags
The good news. Consumers in both the US, Canada, and Europe are doing a great job curbing their use of plastic bags. Fewer are ending up in waterways around the world. Several countries, states, and cities have already banned their use. We have changed our habits by taking previously used bags with us on our trip to the supper market. Plastic bags are not seen as much as they use to, hanging from the branches of trees, flying in the air on windy days, and floating on our rivers. But that does not mean they have gone entirely.
Plastic bags are still amongst the most common items found in river clean-ups. Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic bags that they mistake for food.
“Death from eating any of these items is not a quick one and it is not likely to be painless,” marine ecologist Dr. Lauren Roman told the Guardian, “It’s a pretty awful way to die.”
The plastic bags, over time, break down into microplastics and drift throughout the water column in the open ocean and become virtually impossible to recover.

Plastic bottles
The bad news, more and more plastic bottles are now clogging oceans and rivers. According to Healthy Human, Americans buy 29 billion water bottles a year. For every six bottles people buy, only one is recycled and U.S. landfills are overflowing with 2 million tons of discarded water bottles, that is if they even make it to the landfill. Plastic bottles tossed into a river will head downstream and eventfully end up in the ocean. Rivers are a one-way conveyor belt of material," Ocean plastic pollution researcher at the University of Plymouth, UK, Richard Thompson told New Scientist, “They connect the sea to people that could be thousands of miles inland. And their actions can have an influence on the accumulations of plastic in the oceans.”
Once there the bottles can float on the sea surface for years, if not centuries, taking a long time to break down. Currents, winds, and waves can, after a journey of several years, bring them to the center of ocean basins, where they accumulate in 1,000km-wide circulating systems known as gyres. The vast garbage sea patches resemble an island of trash.

Food Packaging
“Mother’s Cantina is located steps from the Atlantic Ocean and the number one piece of trash we see on the beach is Styrofoam containers,” Ocean City, Maryland Tex-Mex Restaurant's Ryan James told FoodPrint, last year after before Maryland became the first state to enact a ban that prohibits restaurants, cafes, food trucks and supermarkets from packaging foods in foam containers. Styrofoam food containers and disposable coffee cups are big culprits in that are why several cities from New York and Seattle to Freeport, Maine, and Encinitas, California, have passed similar legislation; other bans on single-use plastics, including straws, have gone into effect.

Aluminum Cans
This brings us back to that aluminum beer can in the river. According to Ecowatch, almost 100 billion are used in the U.S. annually, and only about half of these cans are recycled. The rest go to landfills or into the environment and much of that is washed into our waterways. While Aluminum also come with their own eco-price: the production of each can pumps about twice as much carbon into the atmosphere as each plastic bottle.

Paddling back to the access with our garbage bags full of many items above included all of the above. We were amazed as well as disheartened by the amount of trash we found in and around our little river sanctuary. Cleanups like ours, are critical to ensuring that lakes and rivers remain beautiful places for us all to enjoy, yet they are only part of the solution. Ultimately if we want to protect our lakes, rivers, and waterways we need to create an awareness to others to reduce the amount of trash being littered into our environment by encouraging everyone to pack out their trash and dispose of it properly.

Act Now! Make the River Cleanup Pledge
Outside Adventure to the Max and American Rivers is asking for you to take action and clean up and protect the rivers in our own backyards. We need your pledge. The premise is simple. Every year, National River Cleanup® volunteers pull tons of trash out of our rivers. By picking up trash you see around you every day, you can prevent it from getting into the rivers in the first place.

 Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.

 

WHITEWATER PADDLER'S SAFETY GEAR CHECK LIST

 

During a recent safety meeting at The River Store, a paddle shop within earshot of one of Northern California's popular whitewater venues the South Fork of the American River, boaters sat circled in lawn chairs on the store's front deck.

Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips' Dan Crandall leans in holding a rescue throw bag and tells them this about a group of paddlers at the access before getting on the river.
In his story, the more experienced paddler asks everyone if they have a throw bag?

Courtesy of the River Store

 The rookie to group shrugs it off saying he doesn't have one, but tells them, he'll be OK without it.
The veteran paddler quickly offers him his saying, "You'll need to be ready in case I need rescuing, but however," the veteran paddler warned, "If it's the other way around you just might be out of luck."
The story got a laugh, but Crandall's point should be well taken. You should be prepared for any situation when whitewater kayaking. The life you save just might be your own. 

El Dorado County SAR Swift Water training officer Tim Cannavaro says it's appropriate to bring basic safety gear on every outing down the river. All your equipment should be in excellent condition to avoid untimely failure and additional items may certainly be relevant or necessary depending on the individual's responsibilities and abilities.

"Accidents happen," said Cannavaro, "Even on easier local runs. Maybe not to your group, but someone else may be unprepared."

Current Adventures and The River Store recommends this safety gear checklist before getting on the river.

• Proper river running kayak with "high" volume and enough length to provide for ascending moves and quick response/hull speed in fast or high water situations. Good "grab handles for swimmers to access. Good Inner floatation. (Float bags or similar.)
• Personal equipment:
• "Rescue" style PFD with quick release tow tether, good flotation. (Less than 3-years-old or newer depending on previous use and UV exposure.)
• Dress to be "Wet" in case of a sustained "In-Water" rescue attempt.
• Float bags.
• Breakdown paddle in the boat.
• High pitch waterproof whistle. (Such as Fox 40 Classic Safety Whistle.)
• Rescue throw bag & rope. (70' Spectra recommended.)
• Waist belt. (tubular webbing)
• Four carabiners. (At least one locking)
• "Rescue" knife with secure but easy access sheath of pocket storage.
• Good footwear for shoreline activity, to be worn at all times both in and out of the boat. (Open-toed sandals are NOT a good option in most cases.)
• Two or more prusik loops.
• Cell phone in a waterproof case.
• Small waterproof flashlight w/ Lithium battery and spare battery.
• Egress Map with personal/local phone numbers. (Family, friends, CHP, Heli, 911, Shuttle Service, and area outfitters. Even without cell service, a text may go through.)
• Well-stocked First Aid kit.
• Including, face shield or similar CPR aid, bandages, sling, rescue "blanket" SAM splint, aspirin, glucose, cloth tape, shears, first aid "book" or cards. pencil and waterproof paper, Tincture of Benzoin, gauze pads, waterproof tape.

While all boaters should have proper skills and paddling abilities for the water they are paddling in, Cannavaro reminds us, that you should also bring along a healthy respect for any river that you're going to kayak to despite any familiarity with it.

"Especially on sections often paddled or local." said Cannavaro, "Comfort leads to complacency."

By being well prepared with these tools and knowledge to help in any rescue situation you encounter, Cannavaro says, it will make you a well-rounded member of your paddling team.

If you want more information about their recommended gear list contact The River Store at info@TheRiverStore.com

This article was originally published Outside Adventure to the Max on May 6, 2020.

 

Keep up with Outside Adventure to the Max, on our Facebook page and Instagram and now on Youtube.