CA Kayaker wrote: > > [snip] Having > begun paddling in Florida and now living on the West Coast I can tell you > that the clubs and/or paddlers I have encountered tend to be far more > independent and less structured as a group than what one would expect. In > comparison to the Sierra Club, Mountaineers or other outdoor groups > paddlers just don't seem to socialize or unify in the same manner. [snip] Could be several reasons for the difference between backpacking/climbing clubs and paddling clubs. One is that backpacking was then (several years ago, for most of us), and paddling is now. Nowadays, seems like more people are conscious of "overcrowding" issues and many are a little possessive of their paddling privacy. Another is that paddling may be more conducive to smaller, more intimate groups. Seems like I do outdoor stuff with smaller groups now than I did 25 years ago, as a climber/backpacker. Another difference is that hiking/climbing, it may be easier to find your own little privacy niche, while paddling it is tougher. I know as a hiker, I used to relish dosing out off-trail routes that no one (or, few, anyway) had done, and that route-finding was more problematic. Route-finding on the water is superficially easier, but more insidious -- the hazards are often transient and less predictable. > I believe a more active club structure would have a positive impact on the > paddling community at large and provide an excellent venue for people to > enter the sport of sea kayaking in a safer way, gain experience and skill > and generally grow as a paddler and person. Well, this raises the question of "how many" people we want to invite into the paddling realm and "whether" we want more. I suspect more folks today (than in the mid-70's) are protective of their paddling fief. I have honestly mixed feelings about it. I like sharing fun times with friends and acquaintances, but would find some of the places I like ruined if they get discovered by many others. I can't have it both ways, and that is a quandry for me. An example: in the latest SK mag, there is a nice chatty piece about a "new" area in Burma, which the writer says is "undiscovered," and which he likes for that reason. Well, duh, what does he suppose the effect of publishing his article will be? Hubris, hubris! Anybody recall what sea kayaking around Loreto (Sea of Cortez) was like before it got overrun? Anybody concerned about that happening on their home paddling area? Something to think about if you are considering setting up a club and using it to entice others into the sport. (Note: I recognize there are many benefits to a club, and that most folks do not form a club for the **purpose** of enticing lots of others into paddling. The increase in paddlers is mainly a side effect of forming a club.) -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Apr 29 2000 - 21:20:44 PDT
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