Gold medal-winning Olympic canoeist Tim Baillie and mountain biker Rachel Atherton compete in a downriver race, by water and riverside trail.
Leave your vote in the comment section below then watch to see who wins. Are you surprised by the results?
From Mercedes Vito Sport.
The 2013 World Rafting Championships have come to a close in Rotorua, New Zealand. It was an action-packed four days, with results on the leaderboard changing constantly.
Competitors raced the lower section of the Kaituna River in Sprint heats, where teams raced from below Tutea Falls to the takeout in a timed trial. Sweeping the Open Men’s category was the New Zealand team, setting a blistering time of two minutes and 13 seconds, followed closely by the Canadian Men’s team and Japan.
In the Women’s category, the Great Britain team took home the gold, while the Japanese and Kiwis took second and third.
In the Master’s category, the Kiwis again took the gold in both the Women’s and Men’s, with Kiwi women beating out their only competitor, Russia.
In head-to-head competitions, spectators were treated to a series of exciting match ups as teams competed against each other on the top section of the Kaituna. The most exciting race of the day was the Open Men’s final, which saw Brazil and Chile face off in a fast and pushy race. In the end, Chile regained their head-to-head championship title, leaving Brazil in second place.
In Open Women’s, Slovakia took the lead, beating out the Kiwi women and the USA. In Master’s Women’s, the Kiwis kept their lead against Russia, while the Master’s Men’s category saw the Kiwis take gold yet again.
Teams had two chances to run a clean and fast slalom course on the Tarawera River. The Brazilian Open Men easily secured a first place finish with a very fast and clean second run, inching them closer to becoming the overall winners.
In the Open Women’s category, Slovakia set the standard for best run, while in the Master’s Men’s the Czech Republic took the gold. The Kiwi women kept up their first place finish.
Rounding out the event was the Downriver race, the competition with the highest point value. Teams started with a Le Mans-style start, where competitors had to run a 20-meter distance before jumping into the raft and running 11 kilometers of Class II-III whitewater on the Rangitaiki River.
In the Open Women’s race, the Kiwis finally grabbed a gold medal, with a time similar to that of the Australian men.
In the Master’s category, the Kiwis again swept the board in both Men’s and Women’s, earning themselves the titles of World Rafting Champions.
The Brazilian Men battled it out in their category, knocking current World Champions, Japan, out of competition for the gold. As they crossed the finish line, it was clear they’ve been working hard for this day—exhausted smiles broke out across all six faces as they shouted a cheer.
“These guys have trained together for 10 years,” says Silmar Sendin, translator for the Brazilian Men’s team, “before this event, they trained everyday, sometimes at 2, 3 in the morning because of work. They have a dream, they fight everyday to get this dream, and today, it came true. “
A little bit of snow doesn’t slow down the crew at Adventure Kayak… or their long-suffering families. As winter wraps an icy mitt around paddling options, AK mom Po Marshall pulls to the only unfrozen put-in within a 2-mile radius.
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Adventure Kayak fans Alaska Kayak Academy shared this sparkling image: “Winding down another fantastic AKA day! Cruising out of Beloit Glacier fjord, Blackstone Bay, Alaska.”
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It seemed a moot point to the accused. I take the act of stealing red Lifesavers out of my candy stash very seriously. I toss these sugary rings in my mouth at every 1,000-metre mark along a portage—a personal act of rich reward and the only thing that seemed to get me to the other side of the particularly grueling, blackfly-infested trails we trudged along on that trip. He claimed I was being overly dramatic when I threatened to never travel with him again. He gave me an evil smirk and took my last one. I haven’t tripped with him since.
What gets each canoeist to the other side of a portage varies. Some, like me, treat themselves to high-grading their candy bags. Others go into a dreamscape of good first dates, movies worth seeing a second time and dirty tricks to play on their bosses. Some paddlers simply think of things happening back at home—like traffic jams and the Greek economic crisis—to give them reasons why the pain of the portage isn’t so bad.
Many of us hum or, if we know the words, sing monotonous show tunes or the last song we heard on the radio driving to the put-in. The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) is a favourite. So are Dancing Queen by ABBA, Cat Stevens’, Cat’s in the Cradle and John Denver’s Poems, Prayers and Promises.
I remember a 27-day solo trip when I couldn’t get Aqua’s Barbie Girl out of my head. Imagine I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world / Life in plastic, it’s fantastic / You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere / Imagination, life is your creation every step of every portage. It was a long month.
Where the portage is located on the trip changes the carrot I dangle from my deck plate.
In the beginning, I daydream of monster walleye, picturesque campsites and the peaceful solitude I know I’ll find deeper into the interior. Near the end of the trip, it’s the thought of a cold beer and roadside junk food that makes me dance (albeit a slow waltz) my 60-pound canoe barrel across to the other side.
Ultimately, what gets most of us to the other side—no matter when and where—is the fact that the portage, nasty or not, is the only thing that protects the places we’re portaging to.
I almost guarantee that he or she who suffers the most, will be rewarded the most. A two-Lifesaver portage with steep inclines and a squishy spruce bog will give you complete solace. There will be no crowds at the end.
If you do stumble across another canoeist—ideally not as you are belting out Come on, Barbie, let’s go party, ah ah ah, yeah from beneath your Rob Roy—be assured she’ll be just as in love with the pain and pleasure of portaging as you are.
Discover more great adventure stories in Canoeroots and Family Camping’s Late Summer 2010 issue. To read it, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Do you regularily eat your catch of the day while on your canoe trips?
This photo was taken in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and is courtesy Ontario Tourism. Want to see your photo here? Send to [email protected] with subject line Daily Photo.
What is it that makes a great campsite? Does is need to be sand or rock, possess a commanding view, sheltered from wind, facing the sunset or sunrise? Or does it merely need to be the place you stop and linger for a night. Where you stop to smell the flowers.
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The link between sunny skies and feelings of well-being isn’t just a bunch of emo hokum. In a study of more than 1,200 people, researchers found that sunshine is the single most profound weather factor affecting mood. The reason is likely physiological: our bodies produce serotonin, a hormone that promotes happiness, in response to sunlight. Enjoy responsibly.
Balmy year-round temperatures and 70 percent annual sunshine make Florida’s Gulf Coast justifiably popular with vacationers, snowbirds and sun-worshippers. Even so, Charlotte County’s 28 miles of beaches are less crowded than the keys. Find you own secluded patch of white sand and seashells on water access-only Don Pedro and Little Gasparilla islands and, farther south, Cayo Costa, a state park with campsites and a nine-mile strand on the Gulf.
Maui’s south coast offers paddlers unrivaled variety combined with a dry, sunny microclimate in the rain shadow of massive Mount Haleakala. Lather on the sunscreen for a few hours on the golden sands of Makena Beach State Park, then explore the 50-foot cliffs, bizarre volcanic formations and wild coves of nearby La Perouse Bay and adjacent ‘Ahihi-Kina’u Natural Area Reserve. Experienced paddlers can continue five miles east around Hanamanioa headland to camp on the fine, black pebbles of Kanaio Beach.
In Nevada, one thing you don’t have to gamble on is the weather. With 274 days of sunshine annually, we like the odds at Lake Tahoe. Head to the north shore for golden sands, crystalline coves filled with wave-polished boulders, and stellar views of snowcapped mountains at Sand Harbor State Park.
British Coumbia’s Sunshine Coast lives up to its name in the wild island clusters and passages of this marine provincial park, which is blessed with both warm waters and frequently clear skies. July is the driest month, with an average of just nine rainfall days. Expect rugged bedrock outcrops and few beaches, but hunt around and you’ll find idyllic campsites on the mossy headlands of the Curme Islands.
The sunniest city in the Peach State is Macon, and the Ocmulgee flows right across its doorstep. Downstream, put in at Bullard Landing and paddle 42 miles of meandering flatwater and class I rapids on the Ocmulgee River Blueway to Hawkinsville. Wending between sandy banks through undeveloped oak, cypress, gum, tupelo and magnolia bottomland forests, this is one of Georgia’s last great wildernesses.
Work on your tan lines and work out your taste buds on this wonderfully accessible island in Lake Ontario. With relatively stable, sunny summer weather and plenty of south-facing coastline, the County is home to some of the province’s most popular beaches, as well as some of its finest vineyards. From the golden dunes of Sandbanks Provincial Park to the limestone bluffs and pebble beaches of Long Point, there’s something to suit everyone, and seclusion is just a short paddle away.
According to the World Data Center for Meteorology, Yuma, Arizona, is the only place on earth confirmed to receive more than 4,000 hours of sunshine annually. Year round, the city averages 11 hours of sun a day—that’s a lot of vitamin D. Nearby, the Salton Sea is a sun-scorched, super-saline oasis in the desert. Bring your pool mattress.
This article originally appeared in Adventure Kayak‘s Summer/Fall 2013 issue. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or browse the archives here.
Fun in the sun. | Photo: Benjamin Hjort
Nothing holds the promise of adventure quite like a warm summer’s night. On your next family camping trip, before settling down around the campfire to share scary stories and roasted marshmallows, try one of these fun and unique after-dark activities.
Wait for a calm, clear evening to enjoy the memorable magic of a quiet night paddle. Gliding through the seamless union of water and sky and piercing the hearts of constellations twinkling on the still surface transforms your Evergreen Starburst into the starship Enterprise and its occupants into intergalactic explorers. Head to Quebec’s La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve—just two hours from Ottawa and three from Montreal—for comfortable campsites, 2,000 kilometres of canoe routes on over 4,000 lakes and inky night skies blissfully free of light pollution. Nine recommended two-to three-day circuits make it easy to plan a weekend away. www.canot-camping.ca.
Imagine plunging into an ocean where every break of a wave or flutter kick of a swimmer’s feet sets the ocean ablaze. The otherworldly glow isn’t harmful; it’s merely the biological response of billions of microscopic plankton agitated by the disturbance. Bioluminescent dinoflagellates occur in all the world’s oceans, but you’ll only see them when sea temperature and nutrient availability combine to spawn high concentrations of the tiny creatures. Take a late spring trip to Vancouver Island when cold, well-oxygenated water promises good plankton blooms and bring your diving mask for an unforgettable aquatic experience.
On Thursday evenings in August, park interpreters at Algonquin Provincial Park lead public wolf howls from the park’s Highway 60 corridor. The spine-tingling canine chorus frequently attracts up to 2,000 park visitors at a time. Success is by no means guaranteed, but wolves have been heard on 88 per cent of the outings held over the past two decades. Check the park website or bulletin boards to confirm that the wolf pack has been located and the howl is a go, then join the hundreds of other vehicles lining the highway and listen quietly while park naturalists deliver imitation wolf howls and wait for a response from the dark woods. www.algonquinpark.on.ca/programs/interp.html
Discover four more unforgettable adventures in the Canoeroots and Family Camping’s Late Summer 2010 issue. For more expert tips, download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
Adventurer Paul Everitt speaks with veteran expedition paddler and sea kayak designer, Nigel Foster. To read the full interview, click here, and to learn more about Everitt and other adventurers around the world, visit Going Solo.
Crossing oceans in a sea kayak. For the foolish or the daring?
Nigel – For the foolish and the daring! In my early days I was fascinated by what motivated people like John Fairfax, and others who rowed across the Atlantic solo, so I read all the books I could find. I also read solo sailing books by people like Joshua Slocum. I was intrigued by Alain Bombard drifting across the Atlantic in 1952, and then Romer, and Lindeman kayaking across. It takes some daring to set off on even a short open crossing in a kayak, but to tackle an ocean is in a different category. Some succeed but not all. Bombard’s health suffered, and Romer, and more recently Andrew McAuley both did amazing things but died. My own take on it? The kayak is the boat that excels in conditions close to shore, and it is the boat that can find a landing more easily than pretty much any other. It is ideal for daytime travel, when you can sleep on shore. There are other better boats than kayaks when you consider using sails or oars, or cooking on board or sleeping on board, and for crossing big open water. Crawling on hands and knees does work well when caving but why use that technique to scale a mountain?
To anyone who is new to the world of kayaking what one tip would you give them to aid them into being a successful kayaker?
Nigel – Get some good instruction early on so you develop good technique… it’ll save you a lot of energy and frustration. Then don’t think you have to go out to practice. Instead, get on the water somewhere and explore. Use the skills!
