Larry Mills wrote: > > I found it interesting that the Urban Edge team from New York had > overpacked but didn't seem to have any more appropriate cold water > gear than any of the others. And then they are the first team out > because of the hypothermia of a team member. Duh. As Debbie Reeves mentioned, she was on the phone with me on another matter when she started exclaming about the kayaks getting bashed in surf. I was watching Hornblower but later switched to catch later parts of the kayaking portion of the race. A couple of things: --as mentioned, they didn't seem to be dressed for anywhere near the water temperatures except for running tights and the like that aren't real helpful. I kept thinking on how just a shortie farmer john neoprene suit or even one made of the thermal stretch Polartec meant for watersports would have helped some of them. The latter is so light it could have done double duty for some of the cold water hiking they were doing. --they were real tired. It didn't surprise me in the slightest that a lot weren't bracing and getting flipped in the surf. Probably a combination of not a lot of kayaking experience plus being totally zonked physically and mentally. --why were they expending so much energy using hiking poles on very flat, smooth portions of the hiking? Poles are fine for up and downhill portions over rough terrain but a waste of effort in general hiking portions. And even at that, one pole would seem to do. I have a friend who uses two poles...but she is over 60 years old and has a history of falling...one broken hip, two broken elbows...so she uses the poles on anything but city hiking. --there seemed to be an awful lot of bickering. Some of the crews struck me as people I would never want to be with in any location or activity. The Mexican one was particularly wierd with the three guys who only spoke Spanish and the American (?) member who they picked up because their female had dropped out. The female replacement was constantly second guessing their judgment and decisions. The guys were doing the same in Spanish about her, a bit stronger than the translation. Some of the teams seem to have that same backbiting you read in mountaineering journals such as Everest climbing groups. Not at all like the congenial, supportive, never second guess each other environment we see in kayaking as demonstrated on this listserver. Now if I can only remove this sponson from my mouth... ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Apr 12 1999 - 14:54:21 PDT
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