Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004
From: Shawn Baker
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] How Was Your Year.

>So, how was your year?  

I had a great paddling season this year.  I started with quite a few
winter outings (goal has been at least 1x/month, and February will be 4
years), and a quiet spring, followed by lots and lots of whitewater.  

Bought a big Maravia raft, which meant even more whitewater--including
non-paddling friends and family.  Rafting doesn't quite give you the
intimate thrill of smaller canoes and kayaks, but having your wife,
your parents, or her parents joining you on the water you love is also
priceless.  New respect and understanding for rafters.

Participated in a multi-stage team relay race.  The team already had a
kayaker, so I was signed on as a canoeist.  During the first 30 seconds
of the race, I swam exactly 3 times more than I have swum from a kayak
in the past 3 years.  Lots of new respect for marathon canoeists.

Whitewater this season was phenomenal.  We had a very slow, quiet
spring runoff that stretched through June, instead of peaking and
dropping quickly at the end of May.  Got two new (to me) whitewater
kayaks, a Wavesport X and a Wavesport Big EZ.  And fit my 6'-6", 185
lb, size 14 feet frame into them.  Anyone who says a sea kayak is "too
small" is lying.  Learned to bow stall and cartwheel.  Saw a griz one
day on the North Fork of the Flathead, just missed seeing a black bear
do a mystery move in a hole on the Middle Fork (of the Flathead), but
my paddling companions saw it happen--followed by a frantic climb
straight up a near-vertical 5.8 cliff.  Many happy days on the Middle
Fork in my kayak, and many happy days in the raft--some days saw a
morning kayak run and an afternoon raft run.  I twisted my back using
bad technique doing flatwater cartwheels in the Big, and missed an
incredible late season "monsoon" that brought the Middle Fork up to
mid-June levels.  Lots of respect for freestyle kayakers now.

Taught some of the best classes of my life this year.  Did a demo at
the New Zealand KASK Symposium in March--intrigued a lot of Kiwis that
a "skinny stick" actually works!  Followed by a great time under a
rescue helicopter--an exhiliarating rescue demo with 30 minutes of
downdraught and stinging sea spray in my eyes.  SSTIKS 2004 in Tacoma
in June, I had an incredible "Intermediate Greenland Rolling" class
with 7 students all in the same point on their learning curves who
progressed from a single roll to almost mastering 4-6 new rolls, chest
sculling, plus balance braces.  It's a thrill to learn a new roll, it's
a bigger thrill to teach one.  Early October saw me at the Delmarva
Paddlers Retreat, where I had two very enthusiastic sections of
Intermediate Greenland Strokes.  We had a lot of fun with chest
sculling, side sculling, some balance braces, hanging draws, bow draws,
bow rudders, and the like.  And then a Sunday morning class teaching 20
people how to make their own neoprene gloves, followed by a frantic
drive across 3 states to try to catch a plane home only to be foiled by
a 1.5 hour security line wait.  Was extremely fortunate to befriend Ken
Taylor--whose one-man expedition to Greenland in 1959 is most commonly
known for the skin kayak he brought home to Scotland which begat the
Anas Acuta--and who is a master observer and storyteller who relates
his visit as if he had returned yesterday.  Lots of respect for new
people passionate about learning old techniques, and for the seasoned
people who make the old things seem fresh and new.

Huge props this year to one of my students--a 57 year-old grandmother
who finally learned to roll this spring after trying doggedly for over
4 years.  She was with another instructor and something finally
"clicked".  I couldn't be prouder--perseverence pays off.  Dogma sucks,
sharing knowledge rules.  Passionate paddlers are all experts in my
book, no matter what their choice of craft or paddle.  I have big
respect for anyone who paddles around with a smile on their face--no
matter what anyone else thinks.

So, I've logged 47 days on the water, not necessarily a lot of touring
miles, but countless hours of smiles.  Work stinks; it's family,
friends, and paddling that put life in balance.

Shawn