RE: [Paddlewise] Who We Are

>In that vein, here's my "profile:"

  I'm Dave Seng.  I just turned 37 (right in the middle between Mel's
"old farts" and the "kids" on the list), am single and generally not too
PC, and have been playing with anything that I could get into the water
for 22 of those years.  I spent my youth as a "water rat" on the shores
of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph river.  I swam competitively for ten
years and worked as a lifeguard for 5 years. 
  I took a three day whitewater canoeing class 6 years ago, experiencing
and learning more in three days about handling a canoe than I had
previously dreamed possible.  A once entertaining pastime became a focal
point in my life.  I began paddling a sea kayak to provide myself with a
"fix" when I couldn't get away to paddle whitewater; eventually sea
kayaking proved to take over most of my paddling time.  (It was a lot
easier to trundle the yak down to Lake Michigan than it was to drive 6
hours to the nearest whitewater river)
  I currently live in Juneau, Alaska - I moved here 18 months ago.  I
left the big city (Chicago) and a high paying job in the software
development field for the wilds of Southeast Alaska and a low paying
network consulting job (SE Alaska is not exactly a hotbed of
technology).  It is proving to be one of the best decisions that I ever
made in my life.
  I try to paddle year-round, although right now the kayaks and canoe
are buried under 30 inches of snow!  Most of my paddling is solo day
tripping, but I managed to get in a few extended trips in last year.
Paddling solo in remote areas is frowned on by some, but for me the
rewards out-weigh the hazards.  During our long summer days I usually
manage to get a kayak in the water every day after work - the short
daylight hours of winter usually preclude anything other than weekend
paddling.  I'm too in love with life and not confident enough to paddle
our frigid waters in the dark by myself, besides, it's almost impossible
to spot whales and seals and sea otters in the dark.
  I currently paddle a Seaward Ascente and a VCP Skerray and
occasionally take my Dagger Encore out to play in the surf.  I'm leaning
strongly towards buying a folding boat (Nautiraid Raid 2) to make
travelling around Southeast (Alaska) with a kayak easier.  Because we
don't really have a road system (the road in Juneau stretches 40 miles)
in Southeast my trips "out of town" with a kayak are taken by skiff.  I
think that it will be a lot easier to toss a folding boat in the skiff
than it is to "rack mount" the kayak(s) on the boat.
  I tend to be very safety conscious and conservative in my paddling and
boating although there may be some who opine that solo paddling is the
opposite. The waters and land of this area can be very unforgiving to
the careless or unthinking.
  A tip of the hat to all of the great folks who make this list such an
entertaining and enlightening place.  Thanks!

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska
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