Kayaking isn’t always about fun you know. Case in point: Roger Frymire often takes to his kayak on the
Charles River in Boston to do his part in trying to
stop sewage from flowing into the river. His efforts are highlighted in this
Mother Jones article, especially in
regards to his nose and strong sense of “sniffing out” the dirty stuff and taking data samples of it to keep tabs on
the water quality (his data was used recently to cite four nearby towns which violated federal laws). You go
Roger…yuck.
AARP Kayaking
Getting up there in the years and wondering if an old dog can learn new tricks? Perhaps you’ve
seen those kayakers attacking rapids and thought, boy would I like to do that, but then said to yourself, naw, I’m too
old.
Well, Canoe and Kayak Magazxine has got a nice peice by Terry Busch about how to wiggle your flabby a%$ into a kayak
and hit some white-water. Just shy of his 58th birthday when he first gave kayaking a whack, Busch took some
classes and hooked up with some fogeys like himself. But rather than discovering he was too old and recklessly
ambitious, the new elderly statesman of little boats finds that the sport is addictive. Right on, dude.
Paddle Boston
It’s probably a bit too cold right now, but come springtime if you’re heading up North (or live there alraedy) you
might consider bagging on the Freedom Trail and seeing Boston by boat. Small boat.
Charles River Canoe and Kayak has, as their site itself puts it:
Kayaks. Canoes. Rentals. Lessons. Trips. Demos. Gear. Advice.
But they also have tours. Tours around the city and the Charles. So if you want to do a moonlight canoe tour or take
in the Boston and Cambridge skylines, and cap it off by a picnic at the dock catered by
Redbones…well, go for it.
Dry Suits and Winter Kayking – A Great Pair
While the photo on the right isn’t quite kayaking in Maine (it’s
Greenland, actually), the message from that and this article is:
if you kayak in winter or very
cold conditions, wear a dry suit. A pair of under dressed paddlers trying to go against the tide near a coastal
town ended up capsizing, with one nearly suffering hypothermia. The weather, while balmy, did nothing to warm the 38
degree water.
Oh, as one Maine Coast Guard officer told the reporter doing this story, also watch out for floating ice. I suppose
that fits the photo, huh?
Where Will You Go?
What will you do this year when summer (finally) rolls around? Well, as you dig around for ideas, check out
America Outdoors. The site is a clearing house for outfitters and has
tons of trip ideas organized very nicely by state and country.
There is also some good information for family travelers and links to equipment makers for pretty much every
adventure sport you can think of. The site is very nicely orgtaznied, but the information is comprehensive, with phone
numbers and Web sites for almost all outfitters. It is an sweet place to start your research.