[Paddlewise] Who we are

Having been away from this list for some weeks due to illness, I must say
it's such a pleasure to read these intro's, esp. of the lurkers who are
stepping out of the shadows and up to the podium. Ok, my turn: 

Hi, (hello, test...is this thing on? Can you hear me in the back ?
tap...tap...),

uh, Hi, my name's Paul and I'm a Paddleholic.

Some of you may remember me as the dimwit who nearly killed himself last
June up on the Hudson in Ossining, NY, the tale of which I posted here.
I'm lucky and I know it. Like many of you, I started out in Grumman canoes
as an eight-year-old in Scouts and never looked back. I've been in various
kinds of kayaks for about eight years now.

My passport claims I'm forty-three, though I'll be darned if I'm going to
act it. I live in Burlington, New Jersey, U.S.A., which is near to
Philadelphia and Trenton, and I can look out the window at the Delaware
River, a block away. This lets me get into a boat and on that river for a
workout at dawn or late afternoon. Right here it's big, wide, tidal and at
times full of motorheads or the occasional ocean-going freighter, though
often I'm out there alone or into the little creeks that feed it. I also
habituate the Pine Barrens, a vast wilderness area of constantly
meandering, gently flowing tiny rivers and endless acres of nothing but
pine trees, sandy trails and vanished towns, about a quarter of this state
in size. In a state that is the most densely populated in the U.S., you'd
never know it in the Pines. You can drift and paddle all day and not see a
soul. The Jersey shore and the bays down there are higher on my agenda
since last summer, when I got to finally play and explore in the marine
environment. More of that, oh yeah...

I'm lucky enough to have befriended some great people in this sport, tops
being those near to me here, including Gabriel (who posted yesterday) and
the proprietors of a paddleshop a few towns upriver to my north, who let
me lead trips of novices and intermediates on the Delaware, further north
out of tidal range, and in the Pines. I also get to sit in and mind the
shop for them sometimes, which is such a treat as I get to talk to people
of all levels of experience about boats, gear, trips, issues, etc. I've
been lucky enough to meet some name-names in the business, boat designers,
media personalities, owners of Big Outfitters, some exotic trippers, some
just-plain-fun folk. I get to revel in All Things Paddling. I've also been
lucky enough the past two years to do two week-long wilderness trips in
upper Ontario (Temagemi) and Quebec (the Rupert River), as working
vacations, shooting along the way. Canada...wow.

I plan on expanding this all through the shop this year, through the
A.C.A. connections and through training, so I can offer more to other
people. I also hope to join some acquaintences from the NYCKAYAKER
newslist for some daytrips up there and put some faces to the names. I
lived in NYC for fifteen years but didn't paddle there; now that I'm out,
it's time to go back and circle the Statue, as well as to explore the
upper Hudson when there aren't any killer thunderstorms about.

I'm a freelance photographer, which my friends will tell you means
permanently unemployed. I'm looking to branch into writing this year, too,
as an adjunct to picture stories. In small ways so far, getting some
distance from the commercial work I've been doing, I have been able to put
together my love of paddling, birding, the outdoor life in general with
the photography and get paid for doing what I love to do in multiples.
Like I said at the top, I know I'm lucky.

I'm a vegetarian and avid hiker, backpacker, sometimes climber and x-c
skier. I'm jealous of those who have posted from the northern climes, the
x-c skiers who live where snow is plentiful. Oh, I'm jealous, I have no
winter here this year.

I love my three boats, a plastic kit kayak I built- it isn't pretty but it
goes like mad and is high with the fun quotient; a 12'6" fiberglass
shallow arch canoe that lets me do the water ballet in the small rivers &
creeks here, but is also at home in the big old Delaware; a fiberglass and
composite Baltic Mari 4 sea kayak that is high-volume enough for me (6'3"
/ 175 lbs.) and my (ton of) gear, it moves like a truck compared to most,
but I don't care, I love it, too. I hope to take it on an extended trip
and really get the advantage of it's capaciousness for photo, food &
camping gear.

I met a beautiful woman recently and went to a whitewater event with her-
and got bitten by that bug, even though I just stayed dry and shot film.
Uh-oh, next for me is a w-w canoe...unless it's building that CLC that
I've been dreaming of for five years...

I've learned to roll recently, will be taking a coastal navigation class
in two weeks, & hope to get some surf training in this summer.

I, too, stand in humble appreciation of Jackie's work in maintaining this
valuable resource, of the Paddlewise members who give so freely of their
knowledge and experience, not to mention humor and opinions. I toast to
you all with my glass of carrot juice.

If anybody is going to be at the Paddlesports Expo in March here in N.J.,
look for me. I"ll be there revelling.

So, that's my story, my addiction. Hey, next week I'll make the coffee...


~Paul H.

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