[Paddlewise] who we are

Good paddlewise folks,
I have been meaning to write this all week, but have been rather busy.

Quick stats... 27 years old, paddling for six years, BS physics, MS in
geology (ALMOST). Paddle sea kayaks and whitewater up to class IV. Own a
Pygmy Arctic Tern sea kayak, a Mega Jester Rio surf kayak, a Pyranha Storm
rodeo kayak, and a New Wave Bigfoot squirt kayak.

I actually started kayaking in 1986 at my high school in Los Angeles. Five
days of river paddling on the Kern River was enough to scare the dickens
out of me. I didn't start paddling again until my junior year in
college when the outdoor program I was working for bought four whitewater
kayaks. My friends and I taught ourselves how to roll, and headed up to
Kern to learn rivers. Another friend with one year experience got the
three of us into a lot of trouble in some class IV on our second day on
the water, and I learned a lot of respect for the river and the proper way
to approach teaching rivers to others. All told, I probably have six years
of paddling experience, with the most experience coming in the last three
since I moved to the blessed state of Washington, with year round paddling
on the rivers and the sea.

Coming to the University of Washington was a blessing as well, since I got
heavily involved with the University Kayak Club
(http://students.washington.edu/~ukc/main/UKCmain.cgi). This is where I
gained a lot of experience teaching others all facets of kayaking. The UKC
also has been a great resource for friends and kindred spirits. You old
farts would be wise to send your paddling offspring to the UW. :)

About a year after moving to Seattle, I joined the Wavelength list, where
I soon became friends with George Gronseth. I remember he was getting
flamed for his stance against rudders, and I stood up for him. I thought
his ideas were so logical and intelligent, that it makes perfect sense
that we get along well as friends and teachers. I have learned much from
George. This is going to be my third season as the whitewater instructor
for his school (http://www.halcyon.com/kayak), and I am excited to
incoporate new instructional concepts that I have developed over the
winter. I think I have developed some skill at teaching whitewater, and it
is something that I truly enjoy.

I tend to get kind of bored with paddling on flat water. I want my sea
kayaking to have some wind and waves, although I am perfectly happy to
put up with a little flatwater to spend a weekend camping in the
wilderness with good friends. Sea kayaking is my preferrend way to get
some quality camping time. I really enjoy paddling trips in the San Juans
that combine strong currents with island camping.

Still, for all my interest in the sea, I find that rivers are the more
powerful attraction. However, I do believe that too much emphasis is
placed on the distinction between river and ocean kayaking. There is so
much overlap in skills and knowledge, but there is not much overlap
between the participants of each. There is much to learn from each, and I
consider myself simply a kayaker, not a whitewater kayaker or a sea
kayaker.

One last thing before I get back to work. I am currently finishing a
masters degree in geology at the University of Washington. My area of
interest is periglacial geomorphology. I am also working part-time at the
US Environmental Protection Agency, and I will be working there full time
after graduation. At the EPA, I am a computer modeling expert, and I am
currently working on a temperature model of the Columbia River. This model
will be used to help make decisions regarding the management of the river
and the protection of salmon. Once I am out of school, I plan to devote
some time to designing a surf kayak and a sea kayak, and also to writing
an instructional book on kayaking.

Hope to see you out there on the water!

Kevin Whilden

	 ___________________                                                            
	/   Kevin Whilden   \
       |Dept. of Geosciences \___
       |University of Washington \
       |kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu| 
        \________________________/                       



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