Kayaking
I just got back from kayaking with a coworker and his wife. It was a great time. They have their own kayaks, and I rented one from REI (like a 20 mile one way drive from my house) for $25. Turns out I rented a kayak exactly like one of theirs. We went down the kinnikenuck (I think I spelled that right), which is a river that runs through Roberts WI. Turns out that Roberts is the summer home of the Kansas City Chiefs and they were practicing this morning. I didn't notice until we got back and they were gone and my friend mentioned it. Doh! Oh well, next year.
But back to the kayaking. We took their car and my truck with all the kayaks and dropped them off at the put in point. Then drove to the pick up point and dropped off a car, then drove back to the put in. All in all, probably twenty minutes of driving back and forth, after the initial forty minutes of driving to get to the put in point. I suppose that's still a lot less driving than I would have done in CA to go kayaking though.
I was thinking the river was looking pretty tame, and my friends said that it wouldn't be too bad. However, the water level was really low and that meant that I was constantly hitting rocks. A couple of times I got stuck on rocks or sand bars in the middle of the river. Very embarrassing.
I would rate the river as mainly class 0 still water, but with a fair number of class 1 (well, maybe 0.5 and some 1.0) white water. Nothing that would have worried me if I was in a raft, but a kayak isn't nearly as stable as a raft, and I'm definitely worried about tipping. On top of that, my navigation skills were demonstratively less than ideal, this being my third time in a kayak, and the first time in a kayak on a river. Moving water makes a difference, making navigation much harder. Plus, I realized that I had no skills in reading the river... At first I was heading right for the rocks because I thought the water was a little deeper there (not to mention that's where the current sucks you). Then even trying to avoid the rocks it seemed that I couldn't. Looking where I wanted to go didn't help either. Something that just takes practice I guess.
We stopped about half way down the river for lunch on a little sand bar and ate some Cliff bars and a bunch of grapes, hung out for a while and gathered up some strength. They said that the second half of the river is a little harder than the first, so I was a little worried, but figured that I could make it. Of course, the first rapid after lunch was probably the worst on the whole river. The current went right along the bank of the river, making paddling difficult, and under a tree, making navigation hazardous. My coworker was able to run the rapid without any real issues, so I was hoping that I would be able to as well. Except I forgot about that whole navigation thing... I ran into the tree. That flipped the kayak.
The things that went through my mind at that point were:
1) Uh-oh!
2) I can't Eskimo roll, get out of the kayak! Water starts to rush over me.
3) Grab the paddle!
4) You're in 6 inches of water, stand up you fool!
5) Oh crap! Grab the kayak! I then proceeded to run down the river chasing after my kayak. That must have been a sight.
6) OK, I've caught my kayak, but it's under water, what do I do with it now?
I was able to pick it up enough to get most of the water out, and my coworker came over and helped me lift it up to get almost all the water out. Back in the boat, thumb skinned and ego throughly bruised, we continued down the river. I was a little more careful about my navigation after that, and luckily the river was reasonably forgiving of my few other mess-ups. The important take away from this trip is that you never want to stop while in the flow of the river, because the river doesn't and it will cover/flip/make you very unhappy.
I'll definitely go back and go kayaking again, but maybe I'll try a river that's a little easier, or a kayak that's more maneuverable, or maybe some lessons. It's just time in water that's important.
But back to the kayaking. We took their car and my truck with all the kayaks and dropped them off at the put in point. Then drove to the pick up point and dropped off a car, then drove back to the put in. All in all, probably twenty minutes of driving back and forth, after the initial forty minutes of driving to get to the put in point. I suppose that's still a lot less driving than I would have done in CA to go kayaking though.
I was thinking the river was looking pretty tame, and my friends said that it wouldn't be too bad. However, the water level was really low and that meant that I was constantly hitting rocks. A couple of times I got stuck on rocks or sand bars in the middle of the river. Very embarrassing.
I would rate the river as mainly class 0 still water, but with a fair number of class 1 (well, maybe 0.5 and some 1.0) white water. Nothing that would have worried me if I was in a raft, but a kayak isn't nearly as stable as a raft, and I'm definitely worried about tipping. On top of that, my navigation skills were demonstratively less than ideal, this being my third time in a kayak, and the first time in a kayak on a river. Moving water makes a difference, making navigation much harder. Plus, I realized that I had no skills in reading the river... At first I was heading right for the rocks because I thought the water was a little deeper there (not to mention that's where the current sucks you). Then even trying to avoid the rocks it seemed that I couldn't. Looking where I wanted to go didn't help either. Something that just takes practice I guess.
We stopped about half way down the river for lunch on a little sand bar and ate some Cliff bars and a bunch of grapes, hung out for a while and gathered up some strength. They said that the second half of the river is a little harder than the first, so I was a little worried, but figured that I could make it. Of course, the first rapid after lunch was probably the worst on the whole river. The current went right along the bank of the river, making paddling difficult, and under a tree, making navigation hazardous. My coworker was able to run the rapid without any real issues, so I was hoping that I would be able to as well. Except I forgot about that whole navigation thing... I ran into the tree. That flipped the kayak.
The things that went through my mind at that point were:
1) Uh-oh!
2) I can't Eskimo roll, get out of the kayak! Water starts to rush over me.
3) Grab the paddle!
4) You're in 6 inches of water, stand up you fool!
5) Oh crap! Grab the kayak! I then proceeded to run down the river chasing after my kayak. That must have been a sight.
6) OK, I've caught my kayak, but it's under water, what do I do with it now?
I was able to pick it up enough to get most of the water out, and my coworker came over and helped me lift it up to get almost all the water out. Back in the boat, thumb skinned and ego throughly bruised, we continued down the river. I was a little more careful about my navigation after that, and luckily the river was reasonably forgiving of my few other mess-ups. The important take away from this trip is that you never want to stop while in the flow of the river, because the river doesn't and it will cover/flip/make you very unhappy.
I'll definitely go back and go kayaking again, but maybe I'll try a river that's a little easier, or a kayak that's more maneuverable, or maybe some lessons. It's just time in water that's important.
posted by Mark at 7:10 PM
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