I recently read a post on one of the many Facebook paddling group sites from someone who said that flatwater paddling sucks, which prompts me to ask the following question? Is flatwater paddling boring?
My immediate answer is no, flatwater paddling does not suck; it is...
While the information I present in this article is useful to those doing multi-day trips using canoes, I wrote this article more for those planning on doing multi-day paddling trips using a kayak. The shear carrying capacity of a canoe makes most of this information un...
Forget the 120 Rule, so says Moulton Avery, whose cold water safety presentation I had the pleasure of attending. Avery used the May 16, 2010 tragedy of Irina McEntee and Carissa Ireland in Casco Bay, Maine, as the driving force to start the National Center for Cold Wa...
I've been paddling for decades. I lead paddle trips in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound. I've also paddled in the Salish Sea that surrounds the San Juan Islands. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca, I have encountered paddlers paddling inexpensive kayaks, not u...
I had the opportunity on Monday, October 16, to attend the very first Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit at Oregon State University (OSU). The summit is a result of House Bill (HB) 3350, which passed the Oregon Legislature and which Governor Brown signed into legislation...
It's an early fall day; you set out in the morning; the water is calm and as smooth a sheet of glass; there's not a cloud in the sky; the sun has started to creep above the ridge behind you, bathing the water ahead of you in amber light. You think to yourself, "With wa...
After a breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries and fresh fruit, and after washing up a small load of dishes, we packed our gear we had bagged up before breakfast into our kayaks and set out for Roche Harbor. This time we paddled out of...
We broke camp early and, after a breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries, began making our way to Stuart Island. Today would be our longest paddle of the trip. There were places where the current was strong that required some serious paddling, especially crossing between...
I don't sleep well when camping, so I was up somewhat early.
Day two started out with me taking a short hike in search of wildlife. During my walk, I came across a pair of black oystercatchers on the west side of Jones Island.
I was joined on this four-day sea kayaking expedition by my best friend, Stephanie Cowles, and trip leaders from Next Adventure in Portland, Michael Bowersox and Dan Numbers. We set out just before 3 p.m. and headed out of Friday Harbor. Our paddle took us northwest pa...