Hello All! I'm not sure, but from my calculations at 28, I'm pretty near being the youngest one on the list. That means I have all your experiences to learn from ;). I guess that's why I mostly just lurk (listen and learn). 3 to 4 years ago, when living in bay area, CA, I found myself growing up and needing a new, healthy experience. I decided to try kayaking. My first summer was spent taking basic, rescue and surf classes. I also did numerous trips in the bay and along the coast. Every week the local kayak shop had a night paddle which I participated in and thoroughly enjoyed. I was in a boat at least 3 days out of every week that summer. Since then there has been no stopping me. This last year I moved north and now live east of Seattle. I've since taken a 6-day WW course and have paddled all around the local area. This summer I'll be taking a month-long Outdoor Educators Kayaking course in BC with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). I'm hoping that it will help me better my instructing and expedition skills. My partner, Heather, just started paddling last summer. I've encouraged her to take a rescue and bracing class with other people, like her, that are convinced that every survival instinct which one possesses is strictly against capsizing on purpose. We'd like to head down and paddle Baja to celebrate the Y2K bug (New Years). Anyone want to join us? It seems the prices for all the guided trips are extremely inflated. A group of self-sufficient paddlers could probably do it for a lot less. I've just begun working for a nearby kayak shop where I'll be instructing this summer, hopefully guiding the next. When I need to, I just use their boats -- my favorite being the Necky Looksha IV. I use a Looksha Sport for surfing and a Perception Arc for WW. If I need expedition volume, I use NW Kayaks Discover. Oh yeah, when I'm not in a boat, I do the web development for the Windows NT Server site at MS: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver. I also do freelance web work on the side <wink, wink>. Shoni Blue Redmond, WA The only thief of dreams is Fear. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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