> If I can offer any advice from what I have learned, it's to never trust >a newbie, discuss everything, and plan-not hope for the best. > >Your report illustrates a very dangerous truth about newbies. That they >don't know enough to have any concept of what they do and do not know. Ok...now I'm mad. All this talk about newbies is hitting a little too close to home. First off, I do not want to be called a newbie. It's insulting and degrading and I'd prefer to be called KSD...kayak skills deficient. You don't know the shame I've have to endure whenever I hear that word. Second it should be known that there is a big difference between being KSD and being an anal aperture. Unfortunately anal apertures frequent all walks of life, all races and creeds and all sports and skill levels. You would have thought natural selection would have weeded them all out by now but that's another story. Unless you were rolling in the womb everyone has been KSD once. It's a dangerous time for sure. Whenever your enthusiasm exceeds your skill level in anything you do it can be a 911 call waiting to happen. But at some point if you want to do something you have to push the envelope a little and do it. No one would have paddled their second mile if they didn't push themselves a little after the first....damn that's profound. I am NOT saying anyone should go out there unprepared and with no knowledge of the risks involved. But like it or not I have to start with no skills and whatever knowledge I can accumulate. Risky behavior....sure....but let's take a poll. Which of the following is the most risky behavior.... a KSD in a new boat on a lake a windy crossing riding down steep swells in the rain with ice forming on your deck carrying a loaded 12ga in the cockpit camping with bears carrying a dog in an open hatch a long paddle in a tandem with your spouse See...a KSD on a lake ain't so bad. There are KSD's among you who may not know exactly how to do it, but they do know exactly what they're doing. I know this because I've heard from them on the back channel. Many are here for the same reason I am, we want to know and there's a lot of good information to be had here. But you better be nice to us. If it wasn't for all the new paddlers all that new kayak gear you're using would be really expensive or nonexistent...and you'd have no one to laugh at. dave w/ tongue firmly planted in cheek *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> From: Phil Huck <huck_at_mhd1.moorhead.msus.edu> <snip good report on learning experience> > Chalk this up as an experience where the watergods let me off > with a slap on the wrist. I know it could have been worse. Yup. Here's an example: 8-} http://www.ckf.org/yak/September95.html#cambria Cheers, Jackie *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Phil, Been there, done that. I took a newbie out kayaking 1.5 months ago. He was great at boat handling, but had no rough water, cold water, or rescue experience. Nothing bad happened, but I realized that it very well could have. It prompted me to action, though. The past 6 weeks, we've spent going over more rough water boating skills, cold water gear, rescues, and pool rolls. Thanks to all the P'Wisers who replied to me after the post about that original trip and encouraged me to talk to him about the risks we had faced, and how to be better prepared for them next time. > If I can offer any advice from what I have learned, it's to never trust >a newbie, discuss everything, and plan-not hope for the best. Agree 100%. It's not that I don't trust newbies (period). It's that I don't trust newbies to know everything they need to know. I know, I was there 3 years ago. I wish someone would have taken me under their wing and "mistrusted" me and then fed me some good knowledge. >I know, however, that it could have been much worse. I shudder thinking >of "what if" I didn't show up and he and his friend tried it together. >I'm glad everything turned out okay. Well, that trip sucked for you, but you potentially saved his life by your presence and the generousity of sharing your gear. >Chalk this up as an experience where the watergods let me off >with a slap on the wrist. I know it could have been worse. Everyone else, listen up; learn from others' experiences! Shawn -- Shawn W. Baker 0 46°53'N © 2000 ____©/______ 114°06'W ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^\ ,/ /~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ baker_at_montana.com 0 http://www.geocities.com/shawnkayak/ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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