Re: [Paddlewise] Saturation Point

I have mixed feelings about the increase in numbers of paddlers, but mostly 
I'm happy to see it happening. We - all Americans - badly need ways to get in 
touch with the natural environment. Motorboating and jet-skiing don't do this 
for us. Sailing gets much closer to "real life".

We also need to exercise more.

We need ways to get in touch with other people too - really get in touch with 
them, rather than brush by them at the supermarket or on the bus. Done 
properly, kayaking usually requires some instruction; it's also possible to 
grow in the sport much more rapidly if you're in frequent touch with others 
who share an interest in paddling - as with this online group, or with any 
local kayaking club. Even a misanthrope (that word is a refugee from another 
thread) like me makes friends through kayaking. The more people who paddle, 
up to a point, the more opportunities there are to make friends. And of 
course paddling alongside someone for several hours at a time encourages a 
certain amount of bonding.

My major misgiving about the increase in numbers of kayakers is the danger it 
could pose to wildlife and to the land. That might come mostly from the 
camping aspect of the sport, but as we all know, just paddling in an area 
where other animals live effects them adversely. The saving grace, if there 
is one, may be that a kayak is (usually) less intrusive and does less damage 
than an outboard motorboat. And those who choose to paddle rather than burn 
hydrocarbons for their outdoor experience are likely to be more aware of the 
potential damage they do, and thus are likely to do less damage.

Finally, I think there's a saturation point which will be reached fairly 
soon. For better or worse, these things are partly fads - interest in an 
activity waxes and wanes, stabilizes at a certain level. Not everyone has the 
will or the persistence to enter and stay with a sport which burns calories 
at a high rate. I think Woody is on to something here - an awful lot of those 
shiny new boats which are bought now are going to be the exercise bicycles 
and stary climbers of the future. They'll sit in someone's garage until the 
*next* milennium.

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