Paddling Tips for 06 - for your canoe and kayak paddling skills!

"Where Reality is Natural"

Do you smoke?  Try this idea and tell your friends about it!

"Field strip your butts."  Leave a little room at the end of your smoke to tear off the stinky tobacco, and white paper.  These are biodegradable.  Tobacco is from a tobacco leaf, and paper is a wood product.  The filter is not biodegradable however, thus the part that is truly bad for the environment when you throw it out the car window, or heaven forbid, in the river!  Carry a simple container for the "stripped butts", even the cigarette pack.  Continue to watch for dry conditions of course, to prevent fires, and always put it out if you can.  If that is your last littering vice, this is far better than a pack of butts a day on the ground, a step in the right direction.  No matter where you are, you are in an important "wildlife and water source important watershed".  Tell your smoker friends about this one.  It is doable, and they usually don't mind a great idea like this.  Thanks for that, from ORC, and have a great paddling trip this year and feel great about Leaving No Trace!  (This is an ORC endorsed idea only, to encourage a step in the right direction.)  

Want to know more about how the many things you can do to help with just daily habits and cool "outdoor savvy" techniques?  Try the Leave No Trace site!  It makes you feel good to have these kinds of habits!  

  What is a "J" Stroke?

(For paddling from the rear or stern of a canoe)

  It looks so cool, and makes a canoe paddler look like he knows what he is doing.  Typically, one paddles by switching from side to side with his paddle to steer the canoe.  For a J stroke, as a right hander, I would drop my paddle to the right of the boat.  I would starting with a standard paddling stroke close  to the boat.  In the middle of the stroke,  I would start to push away from the back of the boat by smoothly twisting the paddle blade parallel with the canoe as I finish the stroke.  Push water away from the stern during the last half of the stroke.  This push out results in a right hand correction in your steering.  What a right handed stroke typically does, is thrust the boat to go to the left.  With the J stroke, I push away from the canoe through the latter part of my stroke, correcting that left turn to bring the boat out straight at the end of the stroke.  You can paddle straight, repeating on one side, and adjust your direction by the amount of J stroke push out you use.  Don't forget, use full blade in the water, and pressure or thrust of water against the blade is what you feel, not speed of the blade.  Smooth pushes.  Comfortable stroke length.  Smooth looks good...

Safety tip, What is a rescue "throw rope" bag?

Ever heard of something called a throw bag or a rescue rope?  They are something to learn about if you paddle.  Throw bags are "made special for water rescue", ropes tied to a nylon bag that both rope and bag floats in the water.  Read around on the web about them, as I am sure there are many stories about them.  When thrown to someone in a rapid or any threatening water situation the rope unravels out of the bag to reach the distressed swimmer giving you a method of rescue, and the swimmer, a "hand up".  If you are with a group of friends that have throw bag rescue ropes, and you get in a tough spot, ropes will come flying at you from every direction.  It is a great feeling of safety.  They start at around $39, running as much as $79 for the waist wearable dispensing ones (for that effort of keeping it on you at all times).  Everyone should have one, young and old alike. Genius or baseball arm not required, a great paddler's tool, money well spent!

- Want help with Balance Technique? – Let’s go to paddling school for a moment, how about it! -

There is technique to balance in a canoe or kayak, for a much more enjoyable experience in lakes, rivers, even the fast rapids.  Of course it takes some internal ability, but there is also technique involved too.  Let’s do a little exercise.  As a person sitting alone in a boat, hold your paddle in front of your chest, horizontally.  Now don’t slouch.  Sit up straight and while in a slightly forward position, arch the back slightly if you can.  Keep your eyes up too and face forward, and focus on the horizon.  Don't look down while doing this. While keeping your head and shoulders square to the world, not moving your upper body at all, and rock your hips side to side, rocking the boat.  Let the hips pivot, and rock that boat without moving your upper body at all.  You will be surprised at how much you can rock the boat, and still feel totally stable!  Now let your friend, (not your enemy), rock that boat for you!  They can bounce it front to back, rock it side to side, and you are dead center in your balance spot!  Let the hips loose and keep your upper body perfectly still!  Now imagine the water is doing the rocking action to the boat.  That boat can move a lot, and not affect you one bit!  You can lock yourself in a canoe and keep from sliding off the seat by dropping to the knees; spread them against the sides of the bottom of the boat for bracing yourself with feet under the seat.  You will not slide out either, with extreme rocking action in this exercise!  This is the best position for rapids.  These are fabulous exercises for canoe balance, as well as kayak too!  For kayaks, don’t lean back on that “tall kayak seat” when it matters going through that rapid.  Lean forward a bit; butt back in the seat all the way!  Your hips will pivot with the above applied technique locking knees under or against the sides of the kayak depending on your style of kayak, and keep feet firmly planted on the foot braces.  Your balance goes way up!  Ever notice why “the more technical design the kayak is, the shorter the seat?”  Now it is no secret!  

One last thing; as we are indeed not moving our head and shoulders in this exercise. Through your paddling trip, keep your head over the center of the boat!  If your head gets off center, the boat will follow.  If you start to tip, get that head back over the center of the boat, and the boat will follow. Hold this "sense of balance" noted above and the head should stay over the center of the boat automatically.  If you have been on a ship, it is kind of like "sea legs" if you know what that means.  In the pools, kick back and relax of course. Good luck, be informed and be safe, and wear that life vest every time!  How about it!

"What Do Dirt Track Racers and Paddling Have in Common?"

Paddling on a river and going around a "rapid bend" with your canoe or kayak is pretty common on a river.  Pretend your boat is a stock car sliding around the dirt track.  The stock car breaks his back tires loose to make his car go into the slide.  He is picking his angle.  Do that first, angle your boat.  Now he holds that correct angle with good acceleration through the bend as he slides around the bend at the track.  You do the same with your canoe or kayak.  What if the dirt track racer has an angle too tight?  He spins out in the infield!  So will you.  What if his angle is not tight enough going around that bend?  He will hit the wall.  So will you.  What if he doesn't give it enough gas or lets off the accelerator?  Again, hit the wall.  So will you.  So pick your angle first.  Then accelerate the right amount around the bend by paddling, and keep adjusting that angle towards the inside the correct amount as you proceed through the bend.  Lastly, straighten out early enough to not spin out at the end.  If you spin out at the end you did 99% correct, and are safe there, but will stop you in the eddy of the river.  The race car has to straighten out early too or he will do the same, to successfully finish his turn.  Do this maneuver when you want to avoid obstacles in rapids too.  Angle your boat enough first, then paddle with thrust, then kick it back and straighten it out.  (Paddlers note: Paddle on the outside on a bend to turn inwards, paddle on the inside of the bend for best thrust or acceleration, as well as the side for straightening out your boat.)  Practice using the "time and distance" required, and you will get good at it!  Makes you want to get out and try it, doesn't it?  

Nothing is better than a campfire on cool evenings.  It warms up your bones, as well as heats anything you want to drink or eat.  Campfires are a great place to huddle.  When your fires are small, you can direct heat.  Note how the logs are stacked to create a coal hole.  Sitting in front of that coal hole, will shoot heat in that direction.  It is just like sitting in front of a directed  heater that "warms the bones"!  As the old saying goes, "White man build fire so big, he can't get close to it.  Indian build fire so small, he can sit on it."  Though I am a preverbal white man, I do enjoy sharing this knowledge from the Indians for this tip. (This is the same fire pictured, the first picture taken with a flash to show the log positioning, the second picture, how it looks at night)

"Packing a Kayak vs Canoe, but I want to go camping for a few days!"

Packing kayaks take a little planning and effort.  If you need the cast iron skillet or Hotel California tent, it might indeed be difficult.  Think small gear, like a backpacker.  Remember in solo boats, you have one boat per person!  Double the boats, share the load!  It is fun to get good at being lightweight, efficient,, yet "more prepared".  Don't forget your "tweaked first aid kits" and safety rope:   

• Think pup, bevy, or small dome tent.  My personal pup tent weighs 2 lbs 8 ozs.  Your boat strap can compress your sleeping bag down to a smaller size.

• Leave the big suitcase cook stove home, and a portable "scout type" mess kit with small camp fire works best where allowed

• Where fires are not allowed, a portable gas cook stove is best, or Sterno can works ok too,  (commonly seen under food in catering) but recommend a portable Sterno stove to direct that limited heat.  It is slow, but at the campsite, you have "time to enjoy cooking"...

• Ever see a backpacker carrying a Coleman lantern?  You can do without it.  Use camp fire light around the fire, and headlamp as you get away from camp

• For food, dehydrated is best, light weight, no refrigeration, just add water.  A food dehydrator is not that expensive for the frequent outdoorsman

• Not wanting to dehydrate?  Iced down, soft side coolers are used.  Dry ice is excellent for longer trips if available in your area.  Most cities have a dry ice supplier.  Wrap with bubble or foam wrap if you want, and do not open until you need to.  Pack 6 pack soft side coolers and date for "each day": Day one; Day two: Day four: Day six, sounding like a fun escape now!

• Freeze your water bottles solid before you pack them in the dated coolers.  To get water in the field, a filter equipped water bottle is best, combined with purification tablets if desired  A little kool-aid pre-mix with sugar is tasty.  I drink red kool-aid every day!  I personally love all red flavors!  Coffee (tea bag style" singles not 1 pound cans...)

• Motel size toothpaste, small bio-degradable camp soap bottle, kit your items up in little nylon bags for ease in finding things.  See where this is going?  

• Also, we line our boat with large dry bags and roll up the excess, rather than pack the dry bag then try to get it in the boat. It makes "more packing room in your kayak" when you do this.  

Thirsty for more?  Go to our feature, "packing a kayak".  Many of these things do not have to be expensive!  Good luck in your trip, and have fun out there!

Fishing Tip:

"Local Laws can indeed protect your favorite fishing spot.  Be informed of the rules, and have a great time!"

Have a great time when you set up your fall fishing trip.  Don't get caught ignorant to the laws by your Department of Conservation, Highway/Water Patrol, Federal Agents, or County Sheriff's office.  Many waterways have four patrolling entities.  Be informed about the fishing daily limits and fish lengths that are legal, types of bait allowed such as live bait or even the types of lures allowed.  Our Eleven Point River has different limits and fishing regulations for different sections on the same river!  Know you should not pick flowers or that beautiful natural vegetation in many state or federal areas.  For boating compliance, have your life preserver with you, (should be on you!), boat registration correct if required in your area or lake.  Do not take bottles to the waterways as a general rule, even research things like more recently proposed alcohol limits with the locals.  A regulation book is well worth reading through.  Nothing like a ticket on your first morning out fishing. It is a bit of a slap in the face when you start your weekend with an expensive ticket and a young "no tolerance attitude" enforcer.  Be safe, comply, don't litter, you'll be fine...