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Doug emailed me about paddling and I immediately checked to see what the ice conditions would be. The ice cliffs looked impressive from the lake cam. When we showed up at the launch spot, the usual concrete boat launch was choked with snow and ice. So we moved down a block and launched from a rocky area where the ice wasn’t so thick. The Kalamazoo River was high and moving about quadruple the normal flow.

The wind was forecasted for 10-20 knots out of the east. Offshore winds on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan are unusual. But the offshore winds were probably somewhat responsible for the bright sunshine and relatively temperate conditions.

Once out of the channel Doug and I found that the shore had stacked cliffs and caves that reached above 16-18 feet in some places. In the past few years I have paddled in the ice it has been smaller along shore, 8-10 feet at the highest. The early date of this ice paddle probably contributed to the dramatic scenery. Beards of ice cut by the wind flew south like frozen flagpoles from an obviously prevailing north wind. The caves near the pier were especially impressive.

We paddled our sea kayaks into every available nook and cranny we could, finding many icy deep caves, coves and sea stacks as we paddled. Icicles formed solid stalactites along the roof of the caves. Luckily it was calm so we could paddle into their recesses with impunity. At one point we found a beautiful isolated island that stands out as the most impressive stack I have seen to date. It had solid glistening surfaces and was easily 18 feet tall.

Doug and I paddled almost to Glen along the shore. Once we turned around we also stopped and got out on the ice for a rest break. I managed to take a photo or two from the ice before getting back in.

We spotted some Duck Hunters out along the ice and managed to attract their attention prior to being fired upon. They passed us in the channel almost as we were at our take out spot.

The trip back and up the river took four times as long as the way out. With the wind and the current against us it was quite difficult to make progress. And like a fool I forgot to pack an energy bar. So I was bonking hard from lack of food. I could feel lactic acid building up in the outside of my shoulders. Eventually we made progress up the channel. I was whipped when we got out and then immediately went to the store to buy food!

January 5th, 2009 | Category: Great Lakes, Sea Kayaking | Comments (5)

As I look back on 2008, I had it pretty good this year.

1. 10 years of marriage under my belt
2. Gabriel and Isabella are both healthy and doing well in school.
3. I finally got to do the circle tour with my family
4. I am gainfully employed, yeahh!

I think I had been focusing on some negative things since about February. Being injured and incapable of doing the things I love made me a bit cranky, and sometimes hard to be around. I did have a series of horrific incidents all in one fell swoop. Incapacitating abdominal and groin pain that led to a hernia.

I ended up having surgery for the hernia in April right before WMCKA Symposium.

And then my ultimate frisbee season began. Whoa nelly! Torn tendons and cracked ribs ensued. Leading to many weeks of inactivity in prime season for paddling. I am not necessarily giving up on frisbee, but I may be less focused on being an aggressive hucker and diver. I don’t need to be the lame 35 year old guy laying out for discs.

I got up on January 1 2009 in my mildly hungover, (ok way hungover state) and had some waffles and bacon. Tim Brady, my neighbor and running buddy came over and reminded me that we were going to do the 1:1:1 fun run. I changed in a flash and was in his car headed out to Borgess soon after. When the run started I was trying to hold down my waffles and bacon for the first 2 mile loop. But soon settled in to a good pace. While out there I had one of those epiphanies you only have while running.

I think I’ve been a little hard on myself about my training, running, and perhaps even paddling. I get in my head that I am going to go out there and push myself as hard as I can at all times. And sometimes as is the case with frisbee this gets me hurt. With paddling this leads to me breaking paddles and getting sucked out of the kayak in 12 foot surf.

My first thought for myself this year is that sometimes it is enough just to get out there. I don’t need to be out front. I don’t always have to be that lone silhouette at the horizon that everyone is watching to see if they die on the next set of waves. This isn’t to say I have backed away from taking on new challenges or from risk taking in general, but that perhaps it is time to start picking my moments. A 35 knot wind with 10 foot on shore waves isn’t going to do it anymore. But a northerly twenty knots with a clean 6 foot break around the pier will.

So thought number two thought I will share that may seem in direct conflict with the first I am going to attribute to Leon Somme. Apparently he heard from an elite athlete and motivational speaker in Bellingham Washington that their approach to competition and life is all about self-image and what they believe they can do versus what their injuries and failures have told them they cannot do. Strangely this came up when I saw Leon’s height listed on the door jamb in the Body Boat Blade shop. It said 6 feet. I looked at Leon and he is about my height. So I asked him how he got to six feet tall. And he explained that he believes he is six feet tall and therefore he is. I thought about this in terms of the number of times I thought about this a lot over the holidays when I decided not to run or bike because I was afraid of putting in too many days and injuring myself again. When in this six foot tall mind frame. I will never be able to do it if I don’t believe I can do it. I am not saying I am going to hurt myself because I believe I am invincible quite the opposite. I am just not going to sit on my ass everytime I get an ache. I am going to do whatever I can do without hurting myself. If I can only run 2 miles without pain that is exactly what I am going to do until I can run without pain. And this is because I believe I can come back from all these injuries to do whatever I want. So many people have told me I should quit running or frisbee, or whatever. Maybe I should, but it just isn’t in me to quit something I love.

I ran a slow 36 minute race over a 4.3 mile course. And for a guy with a screeching hangover and a better chance of hurling his breakfast in the bushes than of winning his age group I felt it was a fairly good accomplishment. I won the 35 year old hernia repair, torn tendons, cracked ribs, and completely hungover because he stayed up all night drinking bourbon with his wife and his best mate division of the 1:1:1 run. While there is no medal for this event, I will say the efforts are their own reward.

Oh and by the way I too am six feet tall. Check out this picture of me next to Josh, he’s six feet one.

January 2nd, 2009 | Tags: athlete psychology, Kayak Surfing, Running | Category: Blogging | Comments (2)

Savannah Canoe & Kayak will host the new ACA Surf IDW in Mar 6-8 2009.

Nigel Law owner and proprietor will most likely be one of the coaches.

It’ll be worth it for most folks to get a test drive of the Riot Ninja and Mega surf kayaks.

Also keep checking Nigel’s Blog about updated surf events in Savannah.

If you forgot who Nigel is check out this video:

How does he keep that hat on?

No one knows?

December 23rd, 2008 | Tags: ACA, icw, surf icw, Surf Kayaking | Category: Surf Kayaking | Comments (2)

Fortune smiled on me when I was able to make a trip north from Seattle to paddle Orca Island with Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme, (aka Maurice Leone Somme). Leon and I had spoken on the phone before I arrived in Seattle about the weather conditions. Leon described in dulcet tones while wearing a rosy lens-monacle the temperate clime I would be arriving to enjoy.

Ok-all kidding aside let us say that when I took the ferry from Anacortes to Orca Island, the glass was plummeting. I enjoyed 40-50 degree days for most of the week in Seattle. When I arrived temperatures were dropping into the thirties/twenties. I’m from Michigan, no problem. The forecast kept calling for a legendary snow dump over the entire Seattle area which was causing a lot of worry for most people I encountered. Washington state in the greater Seattle area apparently doesn’t have a lot of snow plows, or salt trucks.

I arrived on the first ferry Friday Morning. I drove around to the north side of the island. The island reminded me of a tree filled version of some of the smaller islands near Ireland. There were horses and sheep grazing in low valleys between small mountains. Mist and rain shrouded these craggy peaks. I had definitely left the bustle of corporate streets and machinations far behind.

I met Shawna and Leon at Body Boat Blade in the small village of East Sound Orca Island. I had a look round the shop and bought some Body Boat Blade apparel to bring home. Leon showed me the charts and the tide tables and offered a few suggestions for my first day’s paddle. Leon and Shawna as good stewards kept asking me what I felt comfortable with, and how I felt about the weather. While I had paddled with them once on textured water it was right after my hernia repair, and therefore I didn’t have much gas in the tank. So they were rightfully cautious about sending me out on the Pacific with no advice.

After an hour or so going over the charts and the tides, I was driving the Body Boat Blade van towards Deer Harbor. I gleefully borrowed a Valley Nordkapp LV for the day. I’d demoed the kayak a few times at symposiums and really liked it, so I was happy to take it for a spin.

The tide was going to ebbing at 1:00 at .5 knots from the North where I intended to paddle. The wind came out of the Northeast in solid gusts building into a more steady gale around 25 knots. I launched at a small marina in Deer Harbor and paddled South. I followed the east part of the sound along steep rocky cliffs and bundles of bull kelp. The wind pushed me along and I enjoyed doing side slips and hanging stern draws to keep myself off the rocks. As I neared the end of the harbor, I rounded the point and then ferried across the channel to Jones Island. I stopped and used the bathrooms at the state park and then hopped back in my boat. I kept moving out and around Jones into a horrific headwind. I dug deep and hard to paddle on towards Reef Island. I made the western tip of Reef Island with some difficulty, and then began to swing back into the harbor. I came back in to the harbor amongst gulls riding high against the wind. I pulled in to the dock and ate a bit of lunch. It had taken me about two and half, three hours to make the trip. It was cold, but obviously the drysuit and the pogies kept me pretty warm. The Nordkapp LV performed really well. The Nordkapp LV does need the skeg in flat water high wind conditions, but it is really excellent. quite fast and very maneuverable. It has some comparable handling capabilities to the Silhouette, but perhaps even more nimble, and alas a little slower.

I drove back to town to drop off the van and go for dinner with Shawna and Leon. We gathered some groceries in town where I learned one of my three most important lessons of the trip.

Lesson One: you CAN judge the quality of the beans from how much liquid is in the can.

Leon and Shawna decided to make chili and I offered to make salsa. Shawna and Leon live in an off the grid undisclosed location near East Sound. Their undisclosed location is really quite beautiful. And their entire lifestyle admirable in that their footprint in life is very minimal. Food and water, and wood for the stove. We got through the door and much to everyone’s amazement and ultimate regret I began chopping all my tomatoes, peppers, and garlic for salsa. I don’t think anyone realized that I would mince so fine when I offered to make salsa. Also I usually make it in a food processor, which mills the vegetables evenly and liquefies the tomatoes to make the taste a little milder. Once it was all made it was quite hot. Everyone kept eating to keep the heat on rather than surrender to the intense heat of the habanero I included. Leon made some excellent chili and salad. Another friend Lisa joined from the mainland right before we ate. The chili and the salad was terrific fare after a cold day on the water. I felt very warm and full as I tucked into my bag.

I was bold enough to ask Shawna and Leon about my November kayaking trip and the leadership questions I raised about the trip. I did get some really good information and guidance about this developing skill (or deficit) area of mine. I will be posting more about this later.

As I woke on the second day, the temperature had dropped again. The wind picked up to around 25-30 knots out of the northeast. Shawna and Lisa wanted to paddle together in slightly more protected waters together. Leon and I agreed to paddle down the western side of the island with the wind to meet up with Shawna and Lisa at the end. I was excited to be able to ride with the wind and see the outside coast of the western end of the island. We drove down to the beach to check the conditions. It was a bright clear cold morning with solid white caps as far as the eye could see. My kind of weather!

We all loaded up and got dressed to paddle. Leon and I dropped off at Kimple Beach and began our paddle. I paddled an NDK Explorer for the second day. I had never paddled one for more than demo, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I have to say I prefer something with less free board. Stable, but not as exciting as the Nordkapp LV. And I would have paid real money to be able to paddle my Nigel Foster Silhouette under those same conditions. We paddled out into the main flow of the wind to catch the best ride and began our downwind hunt for steeper waves. Right as we were leaving Leon pointed out to me a pair of harbor seals I would have surely missed in my determination to head downwind. Right away we started making miles. It was easy going. I was plenty warm already and began to sprint for anything I thought I could surf. It was not as big of a sea state as the Nov 15th trip due to the fetch, but the scenery was gorgeous, the mountains off on Vancouver Island were clearly very snow from last nights cold weather. Their peaks were packed with snow and the trees below were brushed with dusty beards of snow.

Leon as one might expect seemed able to catch just about anything and would stern draw to keep himself from broaching on fast rides. He was paddling an NDK Romany which was a bit nimbler, and would also not get caught up between waves in the trough quite as easily as an Explorer. Side note that Leon let me borrow an Explorer with a skeg that was maybe going to be sold. I remember the words be careful with it. So of course right as I am heading between two rocks I can tell I am not going to make it and that the nose will collide with the sea stack. So I went over to slow myself down, hit my helmet on the shallow bottom and then rolled up to avoid the rock. I don’t think I could afford to ship home a broken NDK Explorer.

I got one or two rides where I would ride up and over the top of the wave in front of me and then down into the trough of the next and just keep going. On one such ride I spotted what I think was a Marbled Murrelet. It dove quickly and then another flew off. Leon came over and gave me a stern lecture about killing protected sea birds with kayaks. I took him seriously for about a minute.

As we rounded the tip of the west side towards Jones Island the tide began to kick in. The .5 knot tide was again ebbing and against the wind. So it sort of made the boat go all sluggish where it was rushing over an especially shallow spot on the bottom. When we broke free we ran into Lisa and Shawna right in time for lunch. We landed on a beach near the northern end of Jones Island. We broke out a great lunch in the lee of the island. Here Leon demonstrated some ballet moves on slippery rocks with a storm cag as a ballet tutu.

Lesson Two: save boiling water for your gloves, pogies, or booties.

It got really cold really quick. As we finished up, I was getting really cold almost immobile so I threw on another layer and hopped in my kayak to get moving. The wind really picked up as we came into Deer Harbor. We managed to get everything all ferried back in the dark and cold with limited difficulty.

I would really recommend heading out to Orca Islands to get some coaching. Shawna and Leon are the best at what they do, and that is Sea Kayak expeditions. I would hasten to add that their experience and coaching is second to none. I’ve seen some questionable coaching in my time paddling, and these two really can demonstrate everything they teach and have dedicated their lives to paddling. I would love to have them come back to WMCKA, but with the economy we’ll see.

When seeing how well Shawna and Leon live without a lot of modern conveniences, I found myself calculating the amount of time I waste on the computer at home. How much do I dork around with this, that, and the other gadget. Certainly there is a convenience factor to consider for electricity and modern conveniences, but I found myself continually asking, what do I really need?

Do I need a brand new Macbook? Do I need a big refrigerator, or a lot of other things-the simple answer is no, I just sort of want them. Where I work there is a lot of focus on mobile devices, gadgets, and computers. It’s an internet advertising agency, it is what it is. To my own detriment from time to time, I find myself getting caught up at times in the gotta have it syndrome too.

As an example does anyone really need an iphone? No not really. Sure they’re cool, but what would I do with it that I don’t get from other devices I already have? Nothing. It’s just convenience. Granted convenience means a lot when you are lost in a big city. But I tend to enjoy getting lost, it’s part of the adventure. Besides with a map and a compass you can get anywhere on earth. iphones aren’t waterproof either!

Seeing two people live a very rich life, off the grid (at home) made me think more about what is important. It’s getting on to the nutty Holiday time in the year where everyone is worried about gifts. With the economy the way it is, I would encourage you to think about what is important? Stuff, or relationships and experiences. I am not a Luddite though which anyone that has met me can tell you. I am just drawing the line in the sand. Make do with the stuff that works. Laura and I are pretty decent for the most part, no cable tv, no fancy cars, no big tv. Just my kayak and bike habit! I think that will be my year end thought to leave you with.

Oh and Lesson three: keep track of your possessions when traveling, use as much of your own gear as possible so you make a visual checklist of everything you came with. I left three or four items in Washington.

December 17th, 2008 | Tags: Kayaking Instruction, Orca Island, Sea Kayaking, Waves | Category: Great Lakes, Sea Kayaking | Comments (3)

Mentally Preparing to Roll a Kayak

At a very basic level rolling is an entry level skill that allows a margin of safety for paddlers looking to paddle in textured water. Having an unplanned swim can be life-threatening under the wrong conditions. Cold water is the number one reason for a kayaker to learn to roll. Having a nasty swim in cold water can be the end of you. Hypothermia even when dressed for immersion can debilitate a paddler within a few minutes enough that they cannot perform basic motor functions. In addition to this, there are other obstacles to be wary of when dropped in the drink, breakwalls, rocks. In whitewater add strainers, drops, retentive holes, and so on. In the ocean tide races, or rip currents can really move you into places you do not want to go as well.

Learning to roll a kayak can be very easy. Some can learn in one or two sessions with a gifted instructor. Others may take longer. I learned the physical part of rolling in three or four sessions, but it was over a year before I could mentally hang on underneath the kayak when knocked over in surf and then reliably roll up.

For paddlers interested in moving water rolling is a foregone conclusion. If you head out to paddle on the river, or in the surf, you will have to roll sooner or later on any given day.

When learning to roll, these types of paddlers are preparing for immediate application, where as Sea Kayakers, or flat water paddlers seem to be preparing for an unlikely and unwanted event. This is also true in the case of some traditional style paddlers who may over-prepare flat water practice routines, but fail when in conditions.

What this difference ultimately describes is a delineation in mindset of the two types of paddling. Before anyone brands me as anti sea kayaking I will say one is not better than the other. But what we find is a lack of ability to roll from those that do not mentally prepare for it.

A rather heated post got started by Brian Schultz over at the Qajaq USA forum. Brian has some interesting ideas that he expressed at the forum. What Brian tried to outline that we as coaches might be able to train paddlers to roll mentally as well as physically.The gist of the idea is that learning to roll a kayak is one step in a long process towards being a competent paddler in conditions.

Some at the forum jokingly pointed out that paddlers are not trying out for the Navy SEALS. Well that’s true, but taking a page out of their book for mental toughness couldn’t hurt. How can you prepare for your regulator ceasing to function and your mask filling with water on a dive if you’ve never practiced for it? Kayaking has certain inherent risks involved. Teaching someone to roll on flat water and teaching someone to roll because they will get knocked over really are two different things.

An example of this: In Justine Curgenven’s This is the Sea III, Freya’s Hoffmeister’s swim in the Falls of Lora (a Scottish Tidal Race). Freya who is a Greenland Champion roller swam in a nasty tidal race. She can roll every which way AND Sunday, but failed her roll. Question is why? Broken paddle, no? Ejected from cockpit, no? She was most likely not mentally prepared for the event of a nasty, awkward capsize. I’ve been there, we’ve all been there. I am certainly not picking on Freya, it does happens to all of us.

So the question is what can we do about it as paddlers and coaches? Brian suggested a few interesting drills to practice on flat water at the forum. Keep in mind these are best practiced in the pool where it is warm and well lit.

1. Play Games in the pool, such as polo. Pushing the limits of your balance and your reach for a polo ball or an opponent will most likely cause a few capsizes and rolling up will seem easier than having to dump and swim. I learned a lot about my ability to hang on from polo.
2. Capsize in an awkward position with your paddle tucked under your arm or decklines
3. Toss your paddle a few feet away from you, capsize on the opposite side and then swim to it and roll up.
4. Have someone standing next to you hold your paddle for you, capsize then setup and bang on the hull when you are ready for them to hand you the paddle, then roll up.
5. My favorite and this requires willing friends and brave students, have people sit on your kayak and knock you over, see if you can roll them up. I do this with my kids in my surf boat in the pool. Practicing it with and without a paddle is fun too. Make sure to be careful you don’t hit anyone with a paddle.

A few other thoughts are that students have to get it into their heads that rolling is infinitely easier than swimming. They have to hang on, wait for the boat to settle, set up, and then roll up. Most often the biggest reason for failure is a rushed setup.

I love paddling moving water, and rolling has become more or less a non-issue. Being able to focus on what I am doing rather than worrying about survival has been a great boon to my paddling.

December 5th, 2008 | Tags: Eskimo Rolling, freya hoffmeister, kayak instruction, kayak rolling | Category: Kayaking Instruction | Comments (13)

In the spirit of the end of the year and best of lists, I am trying to jump the gun. For most of these bands, I either saw them this year, or the album came out this year. Except the Jam, gotta have an oldie. I really just needed to get my list out before Pitchfork Media. That way I have my vote in.

1. Fake Empire-The National
   Album: Boxer


2. Too Drunk To Dream-Magnetic Fields
   Album:Distortion


3. So Everyone-Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
   Album:Lie Down In The Light


4. Curs Of Weeds-Horse Feathers
   Album: House With No Home


5. From The Top Of The World-My Brightest Diamond
   Album: A Thousand Shark’s Teeth


6. Used to Be-Beach House
   From: Used to Be – Single


7. All the Old Showstoppers-The New Pornographers
   Album: Challengers


8. Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe-Okkervil River
   Album: The Stage Names


9. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur-Sigur Rós
   Album: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust


10. Drops in the River-Fleet Foxes
    Album: Sun Giant [EP]


11. Talking Bird-Death Cab For Cutie
    Album: Narrow Stairs


12. Do What You Can Do-Constantines
    Album: Kensington Heights


13. I Like That-Daniel Lanois
    Album: Here Is What Is


14. Meet Me By The River’s Edge-Gaslight Anthem
    Album: The ‘59 Sound


15. Undeclared-The Dodos
    Album: Visiter


16. The General Specific-Band Of Horses
    Album: Cease To Begin


17. Churches Under The Stairs-Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning
    Album: Something For All of Us…


18. Lucky Ones-Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew
    Album: Spirit If…


19. Let’s Not Pretend (to Be New Men)-Crooked Fingers
    Album: Forfeit_Fortune


20. Searching For The Ghost-Heartless Bastards
    Album:All This Time


21. London Girl-The Jam
    Album: This is the Modern World


22. Death Take Your Fiddle-Spiritualized
    Album: Songs in A&E


23. A-Punk-Vampire Weekend
    Album: Vampire Weekend

Have A listen to the Keith Wikle Playlist Best of 2008 here.

December 4th, 2008 | Tags: indie, music best of 2008 | Category: Music | Comments (1)

This new band Horse Feathers has a certain panache. It is certainly a Red House Painters panache, but I am buying what they are selling. I like the strings and the instrumentation.

To add insult to injury, I think that is my dream Volvo Wagon in the background. A Silver Volvo SL 1990’s wagon! Put a Thule rack on it with a kayak stacker, and a bike stand, and call it good. I could play this tune between Kalamazoo and Santa Cruz for a two week kayak safari and be very happy.

December 2nd, 2008 | Tags: horse feathers, Music, Video | Category: Music | Leave a comment

This man has been able to say everything that ails a man in his quiet subtle way for as long as I care to remember. I remember first hearing the Horses/Stable Will 7” in 1993 and quietly going mad in my small room in East Lansing thinking, this guy gets it! I’ve seen Will Oldham about 4-5 times and enjoyed each performance.

I will leave you with this tune for the weekend:

take however long you want

I will be here when you haunt

you can wait here forever

by the trees alone

and I won’t be sorry when you’re gone

take however long you need

as times will wait around to be

something tall and black and glamorous

like about what you would dream

but you won’t be hanging round with me

when you’re about to go away

lie when they look you in the face

laugh and make jokes

like the others do

and at night I will be hanging out with you

I will be here

when you need to leave

and I won’t be sorry when you go

Take However Long You Want.mp3

November 26th, 2008 | Tags: Bonnie Prince Billy, Take However Long You Want | Category: Music | Leave a comment

In my life I have counted myself fortunate to have many longstanding meaningful friendships with a number of extraordinary people. Granted there is some geography to deal with, whether it is Norway, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Grand Rapids, or Clarkston.

In this world there are few true friends. Often the world is populated with people who will smile at you, but secretly loathe you. I guess that’s life.

“Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch’d, unfledg’d comrade.” – William Shakespeare

November 26th, 2008 | Tags: friendship, shakespeare, thanksgiving | Category: Family | Comments (2)