I love summer time because it means more opportunities to go paddling. Outdoor
site GORP RUNS a piece on paddling the
“Finger Lakes of the South,” that is, the “sapphire necklace” that makes up the numerous reservoirs across
the region. They cover a million acres of mountainous forests between Asheville, North Carolina, and Knoxville,
Tennessee, and are superb paddling destinations. Among the places mentioned are Santeetlah Lake, Fontana Lake (where
the unfortunate film Nell was filmed), and Calderwood.
Gauley River Festival
They call Gauley Fest, on the
Gauley River in West Virginia, the largest river festival in the world.
Thousands of people converge on the river to enjoy a weekend of paddling, gear-gazing, music and food and to celebrate
the raging sluice tubes at the gauley dam. This year’s Gauley Fest runs from September 23 to 25. I’ve never been to
Gauley Fest, but I have rafted the Upper Gauley, and can attest to it’s rep as a sweet place for paddlers to enjoy
serious whitewater.
The river offers two sections, the Upper and Lower Gauley. For intermediate and expert boaters, the upper, middle, and
lower sections of the Gauley offer some serious whitewater with class IV and V rapids. But there are also ample
opportunities for beginners and intermediates to paddle sections of class I-III whitewater. If you’re looking to make
it Gauley Fest, you might want to check in with a few of the outfitters there. A few of the notables are
Gauley.com, and Rivers Resort.
You can also get some good information from the National Park Service’s Gauley
site.
Kayak Rescue Techniques
This last Sunday I took a stroll down to Manhattan Kayak, and took a
sea kayak rescue course. I’d done self-rescues in the past, but have never learned specific techniques like the
T-rescue, and I felt it would be a smart thing to get some professional instruction. Granted, dumping in a calm
off-shoot of Hudson River may not have presented me with the typical conditions in which the average kayaker would find
himself – you typically go over when the water is rough – but it was helpful none the less.
All this is a preface to an article on water
rescues I found on Sea kayak Magazine on over-the-side sea kayak speed rescue. It gives a blow-by-blow description
of how to get a kayaker back into his boat by pulling along side and stabilizing the boat as he climbs in. It’s a
satisfyingly informative piece, although nothing beats actually being in the water. But you can learn enough to head
out with a friend and try some of the techniques on your own.
Kayak Fishing, Small Boats, Big Fish
Sea Kayaks offers one of the best opportunities in the world to see a places from a different perspective. There is
nothing quite like circumnavigating a desolate nook of Alaska or paddling around uninhabited Pacific islands by kayak
to affect your outlook on just about everything. But kayaks also offer a suburb way for fisherfolk to reach spots where
the fish are plentiful and the challenge of landing them surpasses that of landlubbing anglers. So we’ve covered kayak
fishing a bit here, finding the sport a cool mix of two popular sports.
Paddler Magazine has got a page dedicated
to kayak fishing that is worth a look if you, too, find kayak fishing appealing. The sites they mention here cover
everything from “how tos” and gear to boat reviews to photography and video.
One of the richer sites is Big Water’s Edge, a site loaded with
videos and photos of people landing magnificent fish from
the seats of their kayaks. Big fish, small boats. Another site called
Yakfishing.com covers the sport for Southern California-based
boater/fishermen. Altogether, the sites here provide lots of solid information about the hybrid sport, as well as links
to outfitters should you want to give it a try.
Paddling the San Juans
Everyone has their travel fantasy. Some want to climb the highest peak, others to sip fine wine in an Italian villa.
Then there are those who want to see their favorite fauna in the wild. Well, if you’ve ever wanted to see an
Orca, you’re best bet is to paddle the San Juan Islands in Washington State.
Three large pods (whales, you know, travel in pods, as opposed to lions which travel in prides, and lawyers who travel
in cheats), um, three large pods ply the channel here, in a wilderness filled with an assortment of wildlife that will
make you proud to be an American.
The best time to head to the San Juans is right now, when the weather is good. You can paddle around
the San Juans on your own. Rent a kayak at an outfitter like
San Juan Safaris, and bring a map. Or you can go with an
outfitter like Sea Quest Expeditions or
San Juan Kayak Expeditions, and friendly guides will point out local flora
and fauna and tell you a bit of the history of the place.