Ah, that’s the great puzzle!
Published December 18, 2007 | 
I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down:
but I can’t quite follow it as you say it. – alice
Hemingway once said, “The real reason for not committing suicide is because you always know how swell life gets again after the hell is over.”. Well, suicide may be an over statement, but the idea is certainly a good one. An idea I keep tacked on my forehead in that place normally inhabited by darts. Experience teaches you of course that all bad things & good things for that matter come to an end. Where our souls are tested is on the cusp of each change. Our sanity depends on the ability to see the end of the darkness and cope with the end of the light. We can really only continue on with either an inculcated understanding of life’s cycles or a blissful unawareness that leaves us living so tightly in the "now" that there is no past to regret and no future to fear. Of course, Hemingway decided in the end that life was not going to get swell and ended his life with a shotgun. So apparently all hope is eventually lost. Unless of course you believe in a happy hereafter. In which case you don’t mind the thought of digital tombstones with a 25 year life of their own.
Like all mad individuals, I often see the world through a perspective of isolation. You live within your mind, trapped inside a frail body held separate from everything around you. I’m sure that’s why in many ways I love the sensualities of the natural world. Sensory perception is after all, the only reality we have. Rain, sleet, wind, mist, and even darkness can, for a moment, lift you from your container of skin and bone. Even racing a 17 foot kayak down a big wave can for a time, take you outside your shell and merge you with the larger world. I do love those moments.
Many days I’d give anything to be one of those folks who just wakes up and move through their day with no complications of the mad mind. It seems like it would be such a grand thing to just “live”. Take each day as it is, and bounce from moment to moment with little thought or argument from a crazy head. I certainly have days like those, where everything just flows. Yet most days, I tend to see everything that passes through a multifaceted kaleidoscope of options and possibilities. All the while my brain screams for simplicity. Although everything in life seems to be complex, the complexity seems obvious, therefore the reaction to it seems simple. How’s that for confusion?
Alice (in Wonderland) said once, “but I don’t want to go amongst mad people”. Yet, she was the one down the rabbit hole. Therein lies the contradiction. . .
2008 Canoecopia Presenters
Published December 17, 2007 | 
Speak the truth, or make your peace among the way, oh yea, yea
I never knew, but I believe that you trust in me
Speak to me!
- godsmack
Happy Monday! Can you believe we’re talking about Canoecopia again already? Well it’s Winter and all over the mid-west and beyond many paddlers set their eye to Canoecopia to release the cabin fever of the frozen north. Not to mention the presentations of course AND great deals on everything “Paddling”. Many, many thanks go out to “you know who” at Rutabaga for providing us with an advance look at who will be presenting this year. Now keep in mind that this early on everything is subject to change. Now later in the week I’ll share a look at what will be going on in the pool as well. So without further rabbiting on from me, here is the 2008 Canoecopia Presenters List. . .
- Anna Levesque – Women in Paddling & Recreational Kayaking for Women
- Adaptive Paddling Panel – Paddlers’ Perspectives
- Ben Lawry – White Water Paddling in Ecuador, Kayak Rolling
- Barry Simon & Phil Cotton – Wabakimi and Beyond – Extending Protection of its Canoe Routes
- Blayne Hall – Paddling Trips for Teens – Scouts & Youth Groups, Catch the High Adventure Vision
- Brain Cooke – The art of traditional and pain free Portaging
- Brent Reitz – Forward Stroke Clinic
- Bryan Smith – Pacific Horizons: Exploring the Northwest Coast by Kayak
- Canoe County Bulletin Board – Boundary Waters for Newbies
- Capt. Charles Wright – Kayak Fishing – The State of the Industry Today and it’s Future “Catch the Experience”
- Center, Henry & Kimbler – A Midwesterner’s Adventures on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
- Cindy Scherre – At Waters Edge – Women’s Approach to Paddling
- Cliff Jacobson – How To Choose and Critter-Proof a Campsite, How to Dress Right for Canoeing
- Dale Cox – A Northwoods Journey
- Dan York – Family Paddling: Big Adventures Start Small
- Danny Mongno – Low Angle Paddling Vs. High Angle Paddling, Boat & Body Control
- Dave Pancoe & Kaitlyn Laurie – Canoeing Manitoba Wilderness Rivers
- David Freeman – The Superior Waters Project
- Dean Juntunen – The Pukaskwa: A Paraplegic Percepctive
- Derrick Mayoleth – Your First Expedition
- Don Easley – Fishin’ the Boundary Waters for Dummies
- Door County Sea Kayaking – Continuing the Community for Past and Future DCSKS Participants
- Dubside – The GreenLand Games – A Living Heritage
- Dwayne James – Early Season on the Thelon River
- Ed Vader – Creating Memories – The Art & Science of Coordinating after Work Paddle Trips
- Eugene Buchanan – Brothers on the Bashkaus
- Gail Green – Beyond the Rivers Maya: Paddling Mexico’s Sian Ka’an Preserve
- Grant Herman – Treasures of the Apostle Islands: A Gift to Sea Kayakers
- Greg Lais – Beyond Barriers- The Impact of Inclusion
- Jared Seiler – Life as a Pro-Paddler
- Jeremy Harrison – Trans-Arctic Canoe Expedition
- Jerry Sparks – Paddling Through the Decades
- Jessie Hadley – Lake Huron’s Les Cheneaux Islands, in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula
- Joanie & Gary McGuffin – Artists Paint & Paddle to Protect the Boreal, Traveling with Children
- John Grace – Making a film about your next Kayak Adventure
- John Van Den Brandt – Improving Your Image: 20 Tips for Better Wildlife Photography
- Kelly Blades – Rescues: Some days you’re the bug, some days you’re the windshield
- Kevin Callan – Kopka River – Ontario’s Unsung Canoe Route
- Kim McCluskey – Paddling Through the Decades
- Laurie, Saulsbury & Friends – Paddling Through the Decades
- Lena Conlan – Arctic Scandinavia – Land of the Midnight Sun, trip planning & the 7 p’s
- Lynne Diebel – Canoe Camping on Minnesota’s Rivers
- Marty Koch & Larry Ricker – Nature and Outdoor Photography 101, Paddling the Ozarks (Marty)
- Nancy Moore – Southern Exposure
- Peter Mather – Yukon Wild
- Peter Veng-Pederson: Non-Coastal Kayaking: Efficient and comfortable traveling through the wilderness by kayak
- Phil Peterson – Prince William Sound Alaska at 70
- Rick Kark – The Rarely Paddled Little Nahanni: The Hard Way
- Robert Salzer & Mark Cupp – The Lower Wisconsin State Riverways
- Russel Farrow – An Artic Vacation To Hell
- Sam Crowley – Ireland: Circomnavigation by Sea Kayak
- Stephanie and Darren Bush – Paddling with Glaciers & Whales
- Steve Scherre – Understanding Boat Control
- Tom Lindblade – Wildest Africa by Paddle & Pole
- Terry Prichard – Winter Paddling in Baja: Whales, Cacti and Tequila
For More Information visit; Canoecopia.com
Je suis une légende
Published December 15, 2007 | 
In the end the vampires were the normal ones. (well, they weren’t actually vampires, and not actually "normal". . .but as Silbs says, “I digress.”) Robert Neville, our hero, was actually the monster of death who came to kill you as you slept. Thus the title, “I am Legend”.
You could say “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson is just a book about vampires. . . Or it could be a moral play where we become monsters in the name of “normal”. As they say, "It’s all in how you look at it." Interestingly each time the book "I am Legend" gets remade, a new screenplay has to be written to conform to the culture of the day. I’ll admit I’m excited to see the new film. It certainly can’t be as screwed up as the 1971 version; "The Omega Man" that ended with our martyred, yet well armed last man, dying in a perfect crucifixion pose in a pool of blood. (It had to be Heston!!) Hopefully we’ve moved a bit past that 1970s world view!
I grew up on classic science fiction that used the cover of fantasy to talk about social issues that may not have been to popular in the light of day. Many of us today easily see the shadows of HG Wells, Huxley, Heinlein, Bradbury, Orwell and many others come to darken our doors. Not surprisingly, movie-makes often run to these guys for ideas and profit. Occasionally a movie will come out that was fairly true to the authors message. The timeless and brutal classic, A Clockwork Orange is a great example. However more often then not, the stories are re-written to produce some sort of car smashing, gun flashing, action flick. A more recent example was Robert Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” which was so stripped of it’s message, you were never quite sure if it was pro-war, anti-television or just splatter fest with lots of bugs in it.
It will be interesting to see what they do with the new release of “I am Legend”. I mean, If you’re going to strip the soul from a book. . a vampire story (that really isn’t a vampire story) seems like the perfect victim.
Brit different??
Published December 14, 2007 | 
So here is how the BBC is trying to entice us Yanks to visit on BBC America. It’s pretty sad when you see a kayak in an ad and start wondering what kind of boat that is. Well, I think the blue one’s a Valley Skerry. . . Is he bracing with his paddle from the famous "upside down and backwards" position? Oh, if you’re interested here’s the link.
By the way Kayaking is NOT on their list of 11 Unique ways to connect with Scottish culture. . .
the suck zone
Published December 14, 2007 | 
Ev’rytime I get hot
You wanna cool down
Ev’rytime I get high
You say you wanna come down
You say it’s enough
In fact it’s too much
Ev’rytime I get a
Get down get down get down . . .
- queen
Well, I have to say I find big surf a bit scary. But this little bit of joy looks down right terrifying. This is the Naruto Straits in the Tokushima prefecture in Japan. The straits between Naruto and Awaji island have a total width of about 1.3 km. Through here the Pacific Ocean is sucked in and out twice per day producing the 3rd fastest tidal current in the world reaching around 20km/h. (averaging 13-15km/h). If that’s not scary enough massive whirlpools are produced 4 times daily on each side of the high and low tide, that expand and disappear constantly within the flow and often reach 10 to 20 meters in diameter. The funnel of a 10 meter whirlpool can sink 1 to 2 meters below the surrounding water and can last around a minute or so before breaking up. However, when the funnel disappears on the surface the vortex can continue much longer. Ok, who’s first??
*top photo from the WikiCommons
seven days, third shelf from the left
Published December 13, 2007 | 
I live in America
With a pair of Payless shoes
The upper penisula
And the television news
- sufjan stevens
In the background of writing this little blog each day are the many emails & contributions I get from all over that I don’t always get around to addressing. I try mind you, but between paddling and work and the fact that I’m a tad daft anyway I don’t always get a chance to respond as I’d like. I’m sorry about that. One email I received recently was pretty funny. He started out telling me how he had been following my blog for some time, but had to tell me he probobly wouldn’t much longer. Why? Well, he finally got a job outside!!! Wonderful! That’s the way to lose a reader. (although I’d hope he finds time for both!!)
I also get a lot of email from folks who have a new product, blog or trip to share. That’s cool too. If it weren’t for those emails I’d have to write about sex and politics and who wants that!? Some of the recent notes I’ve received include;
- An invitation to visit VashonKayakBook.com by Biffle French. Biffle has a nice blog about paddling the waters of Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest, and has written a book on kayaking in the area. Certainly worth checking out.
- I’ve received a couple emails from folks who have joined Playak.com’s new social networking website. It’s sort of like MySpace for paddlers. You can check that out here.
- René Seindal (who by the way just got his brand new Rockpool Manai) has started a new site called Paddling Planet which collects RSS feeds from all the paddle bloggers in one spot. Nice idea. You can just bookmark his site and see what everyone’s chatting about each day from one spot.
- Oh, and I don’t want to forget that great story about a recent night paddle from Thomas Duncan in North Carolina. Thomas really should start a blog. He’s a talented writer. I think I’ll ask him if I can post his story for you guys in the next few days as well.
- I should also tell you about an upcoming expedition by Andrew Hughes. Andrew is from Hobart, Tasmania and is planning an expedition to Papua New Guinea for 2008. His trip promises to be one of top expeditions for the new year. His goal is to take advantage of all the online stuff we’ve been learning to use over the last year or so to run an "adventure learning" project. There will be weekly newsletters, podcasts & Google mapping to keep everyone up to date of course. In addition Andrew will be focusing on sharing with us all he can about PNG as well. His trip is sponsored in part by the Australian Geographic Society so I’m sure we’ll hear much more as we get closer to the launch date.
Oh, and lastly for today I should tell you about that photo! In 2008 I have no plans to go too far from home other than the symposiums I attend and such. I have a 2009 trip in the works which means I have start saving my bucks. Still, as we know we don’t have to fly across the planet or spend months away to find our adventures. Adventure can be in your local river or lake or maybe just across the street. Paddling adventures are accessible to anyone with a bit of imagination and a free spirit. With that thought in mind I am planning to launch out from Rowley’s Bay in Door County Wisconsin on July 3rd for a 7 day , 130 mile (ish) trip around the Door County Peninsula and a couple of the outer islands. The goal is to complete the trip and end up back in Rowley’s Bay in time for the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium which begins on July 11th, 2008. This little adventure is part of a project I have in the works for 2008, but I can’t share that with you yet. LOL!
Wow is it Thursday already??
i be strokin’
Published December 12, 2007 | 
Have you ever made love on the back seat of a car
I remember one time I made love on the back seat of a car
And the police came and shined his light on me, and I said:
‘I’m strokin’, that’s what I’m doin’, I be strokin”
- Clearance Carter
Winter pool sessions also give you time to work on some other skills that may not make your summer priority list. In my opinion learning to swim proficiently with your paddle in hand is one of those skills every kayaker should have. I try to do a few laps each time I go to the pool. Yeah, it’s a workout! The trick here is to figure out how your paddle moves through the water. My Werner Ikelos moves differently than my old Lendals did which means my swimming stroke also changes. When swimming with your paddle you need to figure out the most proficient way to propel yourself and to get a clean exit with the other blade. (just like being IN your kayak). I’ve noticed a high angle blade is still a high angle blade when swimming as well. Kick your feet. You’re body moves through the water differently than swimming normally. I noticed I have a tendency to let my body sink more since the paddle stroke has some lift. Being mindful of keeping your back straight and kicking will help with that. Once you figure it all out you can really fly through the water, which can be a good thing for that time you actually DID let go of your boat.
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