Re: [Paddlewise] safety police

We've been over this ground (water?) before.  However, it's good to rehash it. 
My two cents, as one of the graybeards.

1. Safety gear is good.  Knowledge and skill in how to use it is better.

2. Deep Trouble (and other anecdotal supportive info) is very good. 
Translating the written word into "... what I do (don't do) next ..."  is
better.

3. Good skills are important (but see below).

4. Judgment is the best.  Knowing when it is "safe"  to paddle (conditions are
within one's own skill envelope, and are likely to stay that way **for a
while**) takes time and effort to learn.  (Kevin W. maintains judgment can be
taught;  I aver, because of some 30 years of teaching lab safety in chemistry
courses, and because I am an old curmudgeon.  I think our own bad experiences,
if we survive them, are the best teachers.  But, I do not wish to argue with
Kevin on this one -- he may be at least partly right.)

5. Despite our best efforts to "reduce our risk," all of us (research shows)
have a level of **perceived** risk with which we are comfortable.  The net
effect of adding another piece of safety gear or paddling skill to our quiver
is that ... we then feel comfortable tackling paddling that is a little riskier
in some objective sense than what we did before. [John Winters has some good
URLs for this research -- read it -- it is well done, and very convincing.]

My bottom line:  stay within your comfort zone, and work hard to assess whether
your assessment is realistic ... meaning:  practice those skills and rescue
methods/maneuvers in the conditions where you might **need** them and work on
developing good judgement (Kevin has some good, practical tactics for how to do
this).

--
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
strictly an armchair paddler, now, unfortunately
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