[Paddlewise] The "W" Word

Dave Kruger said:
<snip>
<<< I wonder what it is in the psychological makeup of a Duane or a Jim
that
compels him to haul out the "W" word to apply to the rest of us?>>>
<snip>

Thanks Dave for wording your post the way you did. My pervious post sure
turned out mumbo-jumbo like (you separated the issues into two posts,
thank you). But, I sure don't want to dare try to take a walk through
Duane's head. Second guessing motives and a person's psychological
make-up isn't a game I want to play ,nor do you I see, you simply were
curious). Originally, I was simply using Duane's post as an example of
how easy it is for a kayaker to get too full of themselves -- having
"been there and done that" myself. I just didn't feel that ultimately,
kayaking should be about ego and superiority, etc. For myself and many
of the friends I've paddled with, paddling (sea kayaking, especially) is
about letting nature imprint itself on you, not trying to imprint
yourself on nature - IMHO.

I still respect and admire Duane and Jim's accomplishments. And you do
need a strong ego and sense of self to do the things they do. My
shoulder tendonitis keeps me from Duane's type of accomplishments, and I
am often jealous of him. I was especially embarrassed last summer
posting my return to the Storm Island crossing trip, knowing Duane would
be reading my "narrow" crossing report - compared to what he does.
Ultimately, I'd love to read Duane's crossing(s) story in somewhere like
SK Magazine. But he needs to change his tune. I'm sure he can walk the
talk, but sometimes it is best to stop talking and let the walking talk
for itself.  His walkings speak volumes on their own.

As far as crossing in the fog, I wasn't there and so will reserve
judgment. I'm sure Duane and Jim aren't into killing themselves. I'm
more likely to expire before these two well conditioned athletes. But
fog and crossings and shipping channels are NOT something to be flippant
about, and as stated earlier, writing about it must be handled
accordingly - IMHO. For me, not paddling in fog where avoidable is an
absolutely non-negotiable item - always has been, always will be with
me. It is one of the reasons the three of us did our inside passage trip
in April, rather summer when on can hardly see the nose of their kayak.
The Lan Nina expedition report gives a sense of what it is like to
paddle the open coast in fog. It also highlights how leadership
decisions and the consensus approach to decision making can be a little
bit more complicated than at first sight.  The team, however, lent
incredible insight into the issue in the way they covered the issue in
their official trip story.

Dave also said:

<snip>
<<<Now, I can handle some of that, and understand where is it needed to
build
group esprit, but it came into the guy's talk time and time again.  It
was a
direct put-down of other paddlers and the way they paddle.>>>
<<<I'll never go to another Tsunami Ranger talk again.  That guy cooked
it for me
(I can't recall his name -- was not Soares -- he also talked but did a
great
job).>>>

They were amongst the ones I was thinking of while writing my post about
egos and symposia. Of course, this is often offset by the likes of
humble paddlers - like Chris Duff. Eric Soares, however, IS a cool guy.
A man's man of wild kayaking, yet loves the ocean playground with
childish glee. He knows his stuff, and when to back off - including
bragging (though he does have bragging rights and makes the best of it
with the media down yonder).

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd (back to lurksville  :-)  )


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************