I am a 45, soon to be 46 year old relatively new paddler. Old farts keep getting older, so IMHO I'm not there yet. I seem to be part of the Minnesota contingent as well. I started out in canoes when I was a kid. I enjoyed canoeing but found solo canoeing in an alumacraft to be a nightmare. The wood and canvas tubs at Boy Scout camp were not great inspiration to soloing either. The first I hear of kayaking was from a friend who in 1975 crashed a tandem into the shore of Lake Superior while attempting to escape a squall. I grew up spending my summers on the North Shore of Lake Superior and did not canoe on the big lake until I was in college. Mom had a thing about no kids on the water, it seemed to have worked, none of us drowned, despite all the temptations. I did not start paddling until 1996. As a consequence of the effects of age and gravity, I developed plantar faschitis and needed to find a activity that would keep me active and off my feet. I took a couple of short courses from the local park system and a two day course with an ACA instructor. At any rate, kayaking was what I always thought solo canoeing should be and I was hooked. I'm married and working on getting my wife to paddle with me. But things take time. I have made a Greenland storm paddle following Chuck Holst's directions. I have a blank cut out for a full size Greenland paddle and I have a fantasy about building an East Greenland skin and frame boat. Other interests include: biking, xc-skiing, photography, fishing, hunting and obedience training. The dog is getting better, I'm told I'm hopeless. In real life I'm an Industrial Hygienist, that is I work with the health side of safety in the workplace. *************************************************************************** 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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