It's been a while. Yesterday. A bright breeze out of the north. Gravelly, coarse, steep ramp. Weeds, tons 'o neoprene. Two newbies, cheerful and apprehensive. Chocolate galore. Freedom, grace, the lightness of gliding. Wind in the face. Fine pale new shoots in the mud. A lonely canoe, knocking back and forth. Elk tracks galumphing up the bank. Cattle lowing in the distance. Tame cinnamon teal. A Pygmy Arctic Tern, deck inlay and all; Carrie is new in town. Two good old boys in a twelve foot jon boat. Fifty buck special, motor and all. Strength low, some pain up high. Good. We'll do it again. [Random thoughts on resuming paddling after an 11-month hiatus, induced by a degenerative shoulder condition; old age is not for the timid ... or the testosterone-afflicted. It's easy paddling from here on out.] -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Welcome back Dave. It's been a long time for us too. :) Craig Jungers Royal City, WA On 4/30/07, Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com> wrote: > > It's been a while. > > Yesterday. > > A bright breeze out of the north. > > Gravelly, coarse, steep ramp. Weeds, tons 'o neoprene. > > Two newbies, cheerful and apprehensive. Chocolate galore. > > Freedom, grace, the lightness of gliding. Wind in the face. > > Fine pale new shoots in the mud. > > A lonely canoe, knocking back and forth. > > Elk tracks galumphing up the bank. Cattle lowing in the distance. > > Tame cinnamon teal. > > A Pygmy Arctic Tern, deck inlay and all; Carrie is new in town. > > Two good old boys in a twelve foot jon boat. Fifty buck special, motor > and > all. > > Strength low, some pain up high. Good. > > We'll do it again. > > > [Random thoughts on resuming paddling after an 11-month hiatus, induced by > a degenerative shoulder condition; old age is not for the timid ... or the > testosterone-afflicted. It's easy paddling from here on out.] > > -- > Dave Kruger > Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
You certainly have a wonderful place to paddle - not exactly ocean, not exactly river. Keep them random thoughts flowing our way. Not being able to paddle is a drag. I've been doing lots of hiking lately. I, along with my wife Yvonne, two daughters and the dog have just did 4 mini-mountain, after dinner hikes (300 to 400 meters) over the last 6 days (a personal accomplishment for me right now given health and fatige levels), including a memorable climb in the rain, breeze and mist amongst the incredible spring foliage, thick green moss and colorful flowers. I can't keep up with my daughters yet, but have been building up stamina as fast as I can. Mom and dad's knees ain't what they used to be, so I picked up a nice set of Leki trekking poles today for our 2 hour climb tonight. Yvonne said I'm the only person she knows who can make a simple activity like walking complicated and expensive, but she wouldn't give them back to me once I leant her the pair. Guess I'll get some more for myself tomorrow - maybe some carbon fiber ones - so much for a low carbon future. I wonder if folks take trekking poles kayaking. They might make good fly poles and may assist hikes on uneven beach terrain. Anyone out there use them in this capacity for kayaking-related trips? Doug Lloyd > It's been a while. > > Yesterday. > > A bright breeze out of the north. > > Gravelly, coarse, steep ramp. Weeds, tons 'o neoprene. > > Two newbies, cheerful and apprehensive. Chocolate galore. > > Freedom, grace, the lightness of gliding. Wind in the face. > > Fine pale new shoots in the mud. > > A lonely canoe, knocking back and forth. > > Elk tracks galumphing up the bank. Cattle lowing in the distance. > > Tame cinnamon teal. > > A Pygmy Arctic Tern, deck inlay and all; Carrie is new in town. > > Two good old boys in a twelve foot jon boat. Fifty buck special, motor > and all. > > Strength low, some pain up high. Good. > > We'll do it again. > > > [Random thoughts on resuming paddling after an 11-month hiatus, induced by > a degenerative shoulder condition; old age is not for the timid ... or the > testosterone-afflicted. It's easy paddling from here on out.] > > -- > Dave Kruger > Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Yes, i take them for both day and extended trips. they can also double as poles for my sun/rain shade. My knees aren't what they were thirty years ago. My walking sticks just make the hiking a bit easier. john santa rosa, ca Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca> wrote: You certainly have a wonderful place to paddle - not exactly ocean, not exactly river. Keep them random thoughts flowing our way. I wonder if folks take trekking poles kayaking. They might make good fly poles and may assist hikes on uneven beach terrain. Anyone out there use them in this capacity for kayaking-related trips? Doug Lloyd It's been a while. Yesterday. A bright breeze out of the north. Gravelly, coarse, steep ramp. Weeds, tons 'o neoprene. Two newbies, cheerful and apprehensive. Chocolate galore. Freedom, grace, the lightness of gliding. Wind in the face. Fine pale new shoots in the mud. A lonely canoe, knocking back and forth. Elk tracks galumphing up the bank. Cattle lowing in the distance. Tame cinnamon teal. A Pygmy Arctic Tern, deck inlay and all; Carrie is new in town. Two good old boys in a twelve foot jon boat. Fifty buck special, motor and all. Strength low, some pain up high. Good. We'll do it again. [Random thoughts on resuming paddling after an 11-month hiatus, induced by a degenerative shoulder condition; old age is not for the timid ... or the testosterone-afflicted. It's easy paddling from here on out.] -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On 4/30/07, Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca> wrote: > > > I wonder if folks take trekking poles kayaking. They might make good fly > poles and may assist hikes on uneven beach terrain. Anyone out there use > them in this capacity for kayaking-related trips? > > I have a difficult time walking due to a knee injury and its effects on my hips and feet so I generally walk with a cane or forearm crutches (if I expect to be doing a lot). I have not actually hiked in a long time but I have done cross-country skiing and even (gasp!) roller blading. Cross-country skiing is generally done with poles (plus you only have to shuffle your feet - a big plus) but I also use poles when I roller blade for balance and to make it more like cross-country skiing. My almost-20 years of experience walking with aids has given me some insights into what works best (at least for me): 1. I find that any walking aid needs to be lightweight and sturdy because I actually do put my weight on it. It's especially important to have a light swing-weight which means that the tips need to be light. I've found that I develop tennis elbow if I use a cane or other aid that does not have a light swing-weight. For this reason I avoid wooden canes and walking sticks no matter how classy they are. 2. When I use crutches I use the forearm or "Canadian" style as these reduce the effects of chafing under my arms, tend to be lighter in weight (and in swing-weight) and allow me to conveniently lean on them with my hands clasped together. They are also much much easier to use on stairs and uneven ground. They have the advantage of being shorter and often can be reduced in length still further making them easy to stow. 3. Canes are remarkably handy for opening doors; especially for those garbage can swing doors that are invariably too nasty to touch. They also make convenient weapons for whacking unruly children. <grin> I have one cane I use kayaking that folds in sections making it a snap to keep behind my seat in the cockpit. It's aluminum but I'm careful to wash it after every trip to keep corrosion down. It's interesting that sometimes I see someone running on TV or in a movie and wonder for a split-second, "how in the world do they do that without a cane?". Weird I guess. LOL. Kayaking is a real blessing for anyone who has any difficulty walking as long as their weight is not too far out of control. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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