[Paddlewise] Who Are We

          Reply to:  [Paddlewise] Who Are We
This thread has been so much fun that I am finally getting in there to keep it going.

Hello everyone, my name is David Wick, I am 30 years old and live in Saint Paul, MN.  I came to sea kayaking recently when a friend, Patrick Maun also on this list, convinced me to make the investment and commitment.  He sold me on the fact that sea kayaking is an ideal addition to my outdoor activities of hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, backpacking, canoeing and camping.

Now it has been two years since I purchased my used, fiberglass, Necky Arluk II.  As I started sea kayaking in the wintertime in Minnesota my first experiences were in a swimming pool learning to get in and out of the kayak, roll and brace.  Once I had a fairly good foundation in those techniques and was getting the hang of a roll the ice thawed and I went on my first trip down the Saint Croix River, I was immediately hooked.  My kayak and I have now gone on many trips to Lake Superior mainly to the Apostle Islands and the North Shore.  I have also explored the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Mississippi River and other smaller Midwestern rivers and lakes.  I have done some paddling further afield in places such as Glacier National Park and around Corpus Christi and Padre Island National Seashore (with Ken Johnson whose gracious offer of showing the sites made for a wonderful week in the salt water for two of us from MN and two from IA).  My most exotic trips were short excursions in  Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords in Alaska.  I look forward to upcoming sea kayaking trips to the Florida Keys, Pictured Rocks, Voyagers National Park and Isle Royale.

As a recent convert to sea kayaking I have learned a lot in two years and been exposed to a great variety of conditions such as wind, waves, currents, tides and cold water.  Each time I go out I learn more and develop further.  This list has been a big part of my education as a paddler as the issues, ideas, techniques, conversations and jokes all keep me thinking and broadening my knowledge.

I work as a Project Manager in a Design and Web Development company to support paddling and my other interests such as contemporary dance, choreography and improvisational performance and foreign language conversation and reading groups for French, German and Hungarian.

Happy paddling,

david wick
d.wick_at_larsen.com


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************