French Canadian wilderness painter, Rejean Roy, gives a glimpse as to how he gets inspired in this video. Beautifully filmed, it features traditional gear, including wannigans and canvas packs.
Don’t worry—despite the French title, the film is narrated in English.
View his artwork at www.rejean.ca.
“We decided that with the biggest snowfall Portland has seen in a number of years, that it would be fun to go out and run some staircases with the kayak! This is some of the raw GoPro footage. Enjoy!”
From PNW Kayakers.
Stepping into the Wilderness Canoe Symposium is like joining a jamboree.
At Toronto’s annual can’t-miss paddling event of the winter season, old friends and new come together to celebrate a shared passion for the outdoors. There is a lot of laughter, music and storytelling—and more than a few tin cups hanging from belt loops.
The two-day event is an armchair adventure series for winter-weary canoeists, inspiring attendees with presentations on recent expeditions, rediscovered routes and paddler-relevant research. At times spine tingling and shiver inducing, and at others laugh-out-loud funny or sentimental, the two-dozen presentations were always captivating and thought provoking.
At the 2014 event, which took place over February 7 and 8 and celebrated the event’s 29th anniversary, topics ranged from author Ken McGoogan’s thrilling account of arctic explorer John Rae to Ron Tozer’s informative talk on the changes in Algonquin Park’s birdlife. The incredibly talented and celebrated Juno Award winning musician and adventurer, Ian Tamblyn, shared photos and song from his impressive northern escapades and performed, among others, “Chasing the North,” about a trip to Ellesmere Island, which was particularly haunting and beautiful.
While the majority of the 500 paddlers in attendance were seasoned trippers, the younger generation was well represented. In particular, Katie Tanz, a first time presenter, gave an impressive account of a seven-week canoe trip she co-lead through Keewaydin Camp, from Windigo Lake to York Factory on the Hudson Bay. This lucky group of teenage girls had the experience of a lifetime culminating in a visit to the original Hudson Bay Company post and sleeping in the adjoining polar bear-safe enclosure.
One highlight each year is when symposium founder, George Luste, opens up his extensive book collection for sale. Called Northern Books, it had more than 5,000 items on display, many for sale, including rare and antique editions, as well as titles penned by past and current presenters.
According to organizer Aleks Gusev, the majority of attendees find their way to the symposium by word of mouth and, once discovered, it becomes an annual tradition. The assembly takes place each February. www.wcsymposium.com.
Jennifer Johnson is a freelance writer. Visit her at backcountrywiththekids.com.
Beginning March 10, 2014, DeLorme will offer a new contract-free satellite subscription plan for its inReach product line of handheld satellite messengers. The flexible Freedom Plan will allow subscribers to pay for inReach satellite service only when they need it on a monthly basis. In addition, they can suspend service when not in use and still retain access to their data, such as messages and tracks from previous trips, then reactivate the service plan when needed. A minimum 30-day commitment is required.
DeLorme’s Freedom Plan will make the inReach products more affordable for boaters who only use their inReach on an intermittent basis. Service fees for the new plan will start at $14.95 per month for the safety service. Subscribers with year-round requirements can still sign up for a traditional yearly plan at lower monthly rates. The new contract-free plans are expected to make inReach more accessible and convenient for an entirely new segment of the marine market.
Introduced in June 2013, DeLorme’s inReach SE is the first and only two-way handheld satellite messenger with a built-in bright, high-resolution screen. Users can exchange 160-character text messages back and forth with any cell number or email address using the screen and virtual keyboard with predictive text – even when it’s not paired with a smartphone or tablet. In addition to text messaging, inReach SE provides remote GPS tracking and interactive SOS distress alerting. It uses the Iridium satellite network for 100 percent global coverage without any black-out zones or fringe areas.
Built to last in the marine environment, the rugged, award-winning inReach SE is waterproof, dustproof and impact resistant. It includes a color screen, virtual keyboard, slim design and internal battery with 100 hours of life between charges. inReach SE also pairs with popular smartphones and tablets to access topographic maps from DeLorme and NOAA charts.
Something valuable from my child- hood canoe trips has been lost. It’s not the Swiss Army knife my dad gave me when I was nine (that’s lost too, but don’t tell him). It’s not the oversized poncho that was supposedly the only piece of raingear a growing canoeist needed (I finally outgrew it).
What’s lost is the single portage carry. Time was we would land at a portage, each paddler would shoulder a canoe or a pack and two paddles and walk the portage trail exactly once.
Now we get to a portage and become beasts of burden. We hoist a pack full of video cameras, stoves, sleeping pads, ham- mocks, water filters, solar chargers, cameras and coffee makers. With knees about to hyperextend we bend over and collect a few handfuls of Pelican cases, water bottles and fishing rods before shuffling to the end of the portage. After dumping the first load we retrace our steps to see if the pile is any smaller. Countries have been invaded with less sophisticated supply lines than those on modern-day portage trails.
Ray Jardine would not approve. Jardine has sailed around the world, hiked the longest trails in America and once pioneered the world’s hardest rock climbs. He has sea kayaked the Northwest Passage and canoed many northern rivers including the Kazan and Coppermine.
Through it all he saw himself and others suffer from bent spines and cluttered campsites. In 1992 he self-published The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Handbook, a trail guide that tells readers not just where to hike, but how to hike. Jardine thinks if hikers are carrying more than 12 pounds of gear they are missing the point and might as well stay home. Why bother lugging around a sleeping pad when you can sleep on “leaves, pine needles, and duff” he wonders.
No doubt most canoeists would dismiss that with a snort between laboured puffs into a full-length Therm-a-Rest (the one with a fuzzy top). But it wasn’t long ago that that was how it was done. Until I was 11, when I first saw the temptress that was a roll-up drybag, everything I needed for a canoe trip would fit into a bedroll that rolled up smaller than a rugby ball.
True, it was wound pretty tight, you wouldn’t want to be nearby when it sprang open, but everything I needed for two weeks of lake-hopping north of Superior was packed in the folds of that thin sleeping bag. Taking my reliance on gear as a measure, I was more of a man then than I am now, and I hadn’t even hit puberty yet.
I’ve since been so seduced by stuff sacks full of supposed essentials I’m little more than a burro on the portage trail and an equipment manager at the campsite. These aren’t roles that lend themselves to enjoying the outdoors. Canoe tripping should be about leaving not just civilization behind, but its trappings too.
As Jay Morrison points out in his feature on shedding pounds, the ability to reclaim a fast and light style of travel in the wilderness requires just a little discipline. I’m going to take his advice and try to be more like my friend Dave. When we paddled the French River over Thanksgiving a few years ago Dave showed up with a drybag not much bigger than my bedroll of yore. I think he enjoyed the trip, but I can’t be sure; I was too busy fussing with gear to notice.
If I ever find my Swiss Army knife, I hope I have the sense to leave it behind in favour of a knife that doesn’t have a corkscrew, magnifying glass and toothpick.
This article first appeared in the 2009 Late Summer issue of Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine. Read the issue in our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it online here.
Fans of Seaward Kayaks can be forgiven for putting purchasing decisions on hold following the West Coast company’s appearance last week on the hit CBC reality show, Dragons’ Den.
If you aren’t among the 1.2 million Canadians tuning into this show every week, the concept is simple: Toss aspiring entrepreneurs and their (sometimes hair-brained) business concepts into the Den with five business mogul “Dragons”—and watch the underdogs either tame the Dragons, or fall to their fiery wrath.
In the episode that aired January 29, 2014, Seaward’s then general sales manager, Douglas Godkin, pitched the company’s plans to launch a rotomolded plastic kayaks division. Since starting the fledgling business 25 years ago out of a garage, owners Steve Ree and his wife Jacquie had grown Seaward into Canada’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass kayaks, explained Godkin, “but we’re missing that huge, $1,800-and-under market for rotomolded plastic touring boats.” Expanding their product line into a RM kayak division would allow Seaward to capture a piece of that pie, Godkin told the Dragons. “There’s 33,000 [rotomolded touring] boats sold in the U.S. alone every year, and with our name, our dealer base, and the relationships that we have, we can easily crack into that market.”
In a room infamous for disparaging remarks and deflated dreams, the Dragons were uncharacteristically encouraging, even eager. “I think it’s an interesting business, and I also thought you presented very well,” said dragon David Chilton. Three counter-offers from four Dragons followed.
After a quick, back-room meeting with Steve and Jacquie, Godkin happily accepted Chilton’s offer: $300 K for a 15 percent equity stake, plus 5 percent royalty until his capital was recouped.
But, as with so many primetime promises, all is not as seen on TV.
The episode filmed in April 2013 and in the months leading up to its January air date, much had changed at Seaward. Godkin was no longer with the company. And Seaward sold its existing thermoformed plastic kayaks division to Canadian-owned Kayak Distribution in the summer of 2013. In an interview with Adventure Kayak on February 7, 2014, Seaward’s Jacquie Ree explained how events unfolded off-camera.
“You have a five-minute window at the show to review everything and make a decision,” she says. Although, initially, the offer seemed like a dream come true, “after we got home and went through the due diligence period with Dave Chilton, we decided we didn’t want to bring him in as a partner.”
Call it entrepreneurial intuition or cold feet, but the diligence period gave the Rees time to reexamine their plans. “We decided to go back to our roots, staying with higher end fiberglass and Kevlar boats,” Jacquie continues. “The low end rotomolded market is already so flooded. With all the challenges of building boats in Canada, we did more research and decided we didn’t want to get into it.”
Still, she says, a date with the Dragons was certainly worthwhile. “Personally, we enjoyed every minute; it was challenging and exciting. I would definitely do it again.”
Jacquie says Seaward’s motto has long been “keep it small, keep it all,” and a new business partner didn’t fit into that equation. Chilton and the Rees parted ways, and Seaward, says Jacquie, went back to “doing what we do best.” —Virginia Marshall
Watch Seaward Kayaks take on the Dragons’ Den. Full episode below.
Streams and rivers in national parks that have been off limits to paddlers in the past may be one step closer to the whitewater community. The River Paddling Protection Act, which allows paddling sports in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the National Elk Refuge, passed in the House of Representatives on February 6.
If the act goes through Senate it will remove current prohibitions on paddling and will ask park services to look at the environmental and economic effects of whitewater boating in some of these sacredly held rivers.
“It’s one of those common sense bills that hopefully will be able to move through Senate,” says Mallory Micetich, for the Natural Resources Committee. She says some parks have been hiding behind old legislation for years. Now she says, there’s no reason so expect that this bill will not pass.
Whitewater boating—officially referring to paddle-propelled vessels such as kayaking, canoeing or rowing—is currently banned in some form in at least three major national parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grant Teton.
“People hike into those parks and are drooling and wanting those experiences,” says Kevin Colburn of American Whitewater. He says there are a lot of places in the parks that could provide world class paddling opportunities.
“There would be amazing opportunities, whether it’s a class I canoe float with your family or the class IV Black Canyon of Yellowstone, which is the ultra-classic whitewater run that no one is allowed to do.”
He says keeping something like Black Canyon behind red tape to paddlers would be like closing off Yosemite for all rock climbers—an unbearable thought. In a press release from American Whitewater earlier this week, executive director Mark Singleton described the importance of lifting the ban like this: “We appreciate natural landscapes, and as conservation-oriented paddlers, we can play a key role in preserving and protecting these treasured natural resources. After all, you can’t love what you don’t know or appreciate.”
Colburn says American Whitewater has been asking National Parks like Yellowstone to look at lifting paddling restrictions since the 1980s.
The River Paddling Protection Act, which passed in the House Natural Resources Committee with unanimous consent, was sent to the House of Representatives in the last week of January. It was approved as part of the larger package of bipartisan bills under the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act and is now off to the U.S. Senate.
A news release on the Natural Resources Committee website says it hopes the act will “improve opportunities by removing red tape that stands in the way of responsible, local, economic development and jobs.”
In Yosemite, American Whitewater is expecting the release of a new management plan that fully evaluates whitewater paddling in the park.
Katrina Pyne is a multimedia journalist and freelance videographer based in Halifax, NS. www.katrinapyne.com
Looking for a picturesque and relaxing slow-moving river route? Look no further than the middle section of the Susquehanna River Trail. Get the details on planning your trip below.
Destination: Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
Drive to: Harrisburg
Home base: Many hotels and motels are as close as two miles to local paddling shop, Blue Mountain Outfitters. Primitive camping is available on the Susquehanna River; no permits or fees required. Located within the Susquehanna River Trail, Middle Section.
Gear guidance: Get a detailed gear checklist for paddling trips on www.bluemountainoutfitters.net.
Access: The outfitter can also provide a detailed waterproof map guide (or can mail it) for $12.95.
Route Beta: The most popular day trips are just eight miles north of the outfitter shop and six miles south. Multiday trips range from 15 miles to 45 miles, conveniently ending at the outfitter that can assist with shuttles.
Why go? Soft Adventure. Beautiful river section includes mountain gaps, numerous islands, fishing, wildlife watching (including Bald Eagles), swimming, camping and relaxing!
Watch out for…Poison Ivy! It’s prevalent. Paddlers can avoid it but should be able to identify it. Treatment lotions are highly recommended.
Have a route you’d like to share with us? Email us at [email protected].
“Experience all the on and off-water antics with the TiTS DEEP crew in this behind-the-scenes look at the incredible Little White Salmon race, put on every year by World Class Kayak Academy and Tribe Rider.”
From TiTS DEEP.
For more great whitewater videos, click here.
Kayaking can easily expose you to injuries ranging from joint stiffness to blunt-force trauma. It’s almost inevitable to experience some type of trauma in your kayaking career. Whether it’s overuse, muscle imbalance, tightness, direct trauma or less than ideal paddling form, every paddler will complain of some level of discomfort at some point.
Off the water, there are three important modalities to train with for optimal performance in your boat and to keep you paddling healthy for years and years—mobility, stability/strength and flexibility. Let’s define these terms and take a look at a few movements specific to kayaking.
A state in which one is capable of moving readily from place to place, able to change quickly from one state or condition to another and change levels, all with fluidity and grace.
Mobility can be viewed as the basis for true athleticism—the single attribute that encompasses the body control, coordination and agility that we all strive for.
Mobility training can be used as a warm-up to begin your off-river training session. Here are a few movements I enjoy in my warm-up that emphasize mobility in the torso and shoulders.
Find these exercises for mobility training demonstrated in the video below:
Start with one set and progress to three over a few weeks.
To prevent injuries in a sport as dynamic as kayaking, mobility training is crucial. Whether it’s being able to make multiple moves from one direction to another in a rapid, or landing a big drop and feeling the force of the water crash into your body and pushing you forcefully to the back deck.
We cannot always predict the way our body will respond to powerful currents and whitewater, but with this type of training our body will be able to adapt suddenly to change without significant injury.
To improve your mobility, try Yoga For Kayakers.
The ability of a joint to properly align itself in order for connective tissue to take on less stress.
If you lack adequate mobility you will compensate by using muscles, tendons and ligaments to take up the slack. Being able to move your body without limitation is important for stability and strength in the joints. Stability and strength in the joints keeps our limbs attached correctly for proper mobility. They go hand in hand.
A total body strength training routine is encouraged for all of your major muscle groups; but just as, if not more important, is training your stabilizer muscles. These are the important stabilizer muscles for paddlers:
For proper paddling form, taking impact from big hits, powerful boofs and strokes, and much more—kayaking is all about the stabilization of the core.
Read How To Relieve & Prevent Lower Back Pain From Paddling to learn more about this common type of discomfort paddlers experience.
Your shoulder is only as strong as the stabilizing muscles supporting it. The rotator cuff muscles need some love so they can do their job of holding your shoulder joint in place. Especially for big hits, play boating and accidental, forceful high braces, your rotator cuff plays the largest role in shoulder health. It is important to use light weights for working the rotator cuff muscles, as heavy weights will automatically trigger the deltoids (the large muscle of the shoulder). Think high reps (3X25) and light weights.
Basically the muscles that pull your shoulder blades back and down. With all the paddling we do, we could easily turn into hunchbacks. The importance of working these stabilizing muscles is to put your shoulder and shoulder blades in proper form to minimize muscle imbalance injuries and aid in proper movement of the shoulder.
Find the following exercises for strength/stability demonstrated in the video below:
Strength doesn’t mean having a six pack abs or bulging biceps. Ultimate strength means having the ability to move properly and depend on the stabilizing muscles to fire before your larger paddling movements are executed.
Read How To Use Strength Training To Improve Your Kayaking Performance and get started with The Ultimate Training Program For Paddlers.
The length of a muscle. Increased length of muscle improves joint range of motion, leading to better joint mobility and stability.
Flexibility exercises are typically done at the end of your workout, when your muscles are at their warmest and ready to be lengthened. It is important to hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds (but ideally 90 seconds). Any less than 30 seconds and the muscle fibers do not remember the stretch and flexibility does not improve.
You can read our 5 Best Post-Paddle Stretches (+ Foam Rolling Routine) article to learn more. Here are a couple more stretches, demonstrated in the video below:
It isn’t until an injury happens or you experience pain in your body, that most people start thinking about off-water training. If we only kayak, we are neglecting certain muscles and creating limitations within our mobility, stability and flexibility. Creating a balanced body by being proactive in our training regimen will boost overall health and increase long-term paddling potential.
Heather Herbeck has a B.Sc. in Exercise Science and is a pro-kayaker, Certified Personal Trainer and Level 1 Crossfit Trainer with over 15 years experience. Check out her website or fitness Facebook page, Fitness and Sport Evolution.
