Kayaking the Li

by Iva Skoch on

You’ve all seen those Chinese watercolor paintings that hang in every Chinese restaurant and shop, that show the limestone karsts rising above a tranquil river. Typically, there’s a person on a bamboo raft, with a conical hat, on that painted river. Well, that Shangri-La actually exists. And it’s called the Li River.

The Li stretches between Yangshuo and Guilin, in the interior of China, in the Guangxi province.

The best place to experience the Li is starting from the village of Yangshuo (pop. over 300,000–i.e., a mere village in China), nestled in the tree-covered hills and karsts surrounding the river. It’s an hour or so from nearby Guilin (a small “town” of over 1.3 million). Now, be sure to get on the right bus to Guilin–unlike we did–because you could end up some 300 miles to the south, in Yulin, due to a slight pronunciation error. But that’s another story…

In Yangshuo, we stayed in a hotel called the Bamboo House. A double room with a view, A/C, a TV, DVD player and dozens of bootleg DVDs (why?) was only about $14 USD.

You can arrange to rent kayaks from the folks at the hotel. Early morning, they drove us deep into the country and let us off at the river’s edge with a couple of cheap kayaks and very vague directions on where we’d meet our pick-up later that day. We had the river to ourselves.

It was beautiful: white birds flew over the calm water. Water buffalo waded in to watch us pass. Storm clouds passed the nearby mountains. Occasionally, a fisherman on a skiff would pass by. There, we had the only peace and quiet we experienced anywhere in China. Just like in the watercolor paintings.

Seattle Fun

by Erik Olsen on

I have a soft spot in my heart for Seattle. Even though the city does get is share of precipitation, it is about as lovely a lace as there is on the planet, especially just about now. If you are an outdoorsy person, Seattle’s offerings to ride bikes, to kayak, to hike, to fish…well, the list is nearly endless.

So I am always looking for pieces that highlight things to do in Seattle. Sure, my friends who live there probably aren’t too happy that we bring attention to the Emerald City. It’s crowded enough already, they say. But what can I say? I miss the place and this might just be a vicarious way for me to be back there, paddling the Sound. So I direct you now to Frommer’s list of top things to do in Seattle.

From riding the Water Taxi over to Alki Beach, to Sea Kayaking on Lake Union (easily one of my favorite things to do) and, of course, strolling around Pike Place Market, the list is a strong one. It’s a bit touristy, but that’s OK. I might also recommend checking out the neighborhood of Wallingford and taking a walk around the University. The campus grounds are lovely. Oh, and don’t forget to grab a cup of coffee in Pike Place and just sit and watch the ferry come and go. This is one of my favorite Seattle pastimes.

Best Colleges for Outdoorsmen

by Neil Woodburn on

There are a variety of different reasons why one chooses a college. Academics and sports are usually towards the top of the list. Access to the backcountry usually is not.

Naturally, Outside Magazine feels that a student’s priorities should be re-prioritized and have therefore put together a rather thorough ranking of America’s best universities that are “adrenaline friendly.” The list is a couple of years old, but still very relevant.

Coming in at #1 is UC Santa Cruz. This northern California campus near Monterey Bay rests amongst redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Students ditching class can mountain bike, kayak, surf, hike, scuba dive, backpack and otherwise indulge Mother Nature in a variety of ways within just a few miles of campus.

For a full list of the other 39 campuses highlighted, click here. And in case you’re wondering, University of Colorado at Boulder took second place (which I’m sure will anger a large number of students who claim Boulder is the center of the universe when it comes to such rankings).

Gauley Fest

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure if y’all had a chance to check it out…I confess I’m late posting about it, even though I did so last year…but the 2006 Gauley River Festival took place this last weekend with raging torrents of water flowing from the Gauley Dam in West Virginia. The festival is said to be the largest river festival in the world.

I’ve never been to the festival, but I have rafted the river. It’s rather intense, depending on where you put in, with Class V rapids being rather common on some stretches. During the fest, 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 ran from September 22 to 24. 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.

Kayaking Venice

by Kraig Becker on

When you think of Venice, Italy, you think of canals and gondolas. In fact, it’s practically sacrilegious to cruise the waterways in anything but an old wooden boat powered by an opera-singing Italian and a long wooden stick.

Here’s a disconnect for you: Kayaks.

Why not? I can’t think of a better way to thoroughly explore the legendary canals than at your own speed and power (and without Pepino singing Puccini).

The problem is that there are no kayak rentals within the city. This means packing in your own gear. Men’s Journal suggests an inflatable kayak that is a bit easier to travel with.

Taking Venice by Kayak, which appeared in last July’s issue, chronicles Mark Anders kayaking adventure through the busy canals. He likens it to a game of Frogger in which he was constantly dodging bigger and faster boats on the Main Canal.

But his four days of paddling amongst some 200 smaller canals did take him way off the tourist circuit, away from the circular gondolas routes, and into the very heart of the city where he received curious stares and even a “Bravo!” applause from one local woman. Anders, for the most part, lazily floated through the city, soaking up the architecture and reveling in a truly unique form of transport.

The highlight seems to have been his nighttime paddle through eerily quite canals. Venice magically transforms at night, and thanks to his kayak, Anders managed to capture the very best of the fabled city.