Paddle X

Incredibly proud to have made it, yet at the same time sad that it’s over.
The slowness, the vastness, the freedom, the solitude, the quiet, and the unbelievably striking experiences in the wild nature with its unique wildlife. Not just the whales—those peaceful, ton-heavy ocean giants that sometimes swam by close enough to touch, making themselves known in the middle of the night with their loud blows. No, also the smelly sea lions, impossible to miss from afar, often puffing themselves up grandly only to dive away after all, or the ever-curious harbor seals that watched me on every beach and even out in the middle of the ocean.
Orcas swimming past majestically in perfect formation, porcupines outside the tent at midnight, deer that started feeding right beside me completely without fear and even stood still for selfies, cute sea otters floating on their backs out in the sea cracking sea urchins, and the many bald eagles perched majestically every few hundred meters watching my path from above—who are actually total cowards and flee early. Not at all like the oystercatchers, always traveling in pairs, who waddle along completely fearless even when you get really close. Or the small ducks that usually dived to safety only to pop back up right next to the kayak, then touch the water with their belly again after a 5-meter takeoff attempt and flip over. And not to forget the hummingbirds, whose long, pointed beaks suddenly ended up alarmingly close to my face, checking with a buzzing motor if I in my yellow drysuit might be the jackpot among flowers.
Camps on dreamlike sandy beaches, white shell beaches, pitching the tent on grass, on shells, in the forest, in the sand—with gorgeous views and warming campfires. Many nights on my cozy sleeping pad in my little tent, incredibly quiet, with only the sound of the surf, the wind, and the occasional animal making itself heard. High and low tides that clearly dictated my daily routine, making me get up at 2 AM so the current

🌅🌊🧢

Hi, Im new to kayaking, and I got this kayak second hand last year, I am happy with it and enjoying it other than the fact that I don’t have the little dashboard piece with a cupholder etc. Is there anything I can get that would work? I found ones made for specific kayaks, but none for the one I have. This is a picture of my kayak’s cockpit (red one) a picture of what Im looking for, and my husbands (yellow one). It can be a lot simpler, like my husbands built in one on his kayak (yellow one) the main thing is having cup holder that I can reach, for my water bottle, I hate having it between my legs. Im also open to easy diy or unconventional solutions. lol

Today is my 3rd Boofday: anniversary for when I first got into whitewater kayaking

Unlike my first 2 years; where progression felt like a rocket ship, I was bagging PFDs left and right, and constantly straddling the line of comfort and safety... this past year I took the gas off the pedal some.

This was mainly due to:
1. Further progression meant gnarlier class 5s, where there’s both greater and likelier consequences
2. I had my first serious injury, reality check
3. One of the worst creek rain seasons in history

PFDs
New York:
Black
Raquette
Moshier section of Beaver
Eagle section of Beaver

Kentucky/Virginia:
Russell Fork Gorge

Alabama:
Tallapoosa

Tennessee:
Lower Crooked Fork
Daddy’s
Cain Creek

Idaho:
North Fork of the Clearwater
Kelly Creek
Black Canyon (NF of Clearwater)
Lower Lochsa
Upper Lochsa

I’m grateful for both the ups and downs, I learned a lot and found peace in enjoying where I’m at vs. looking ahead and reaching the next milestone. The dry creek season beat me down and I lost a lot of motivation. My first trip out West, however, has reignited the fire. It confirmed that I love big water and provided my first taste of far travel kayaking, and this is just the tip of the iceberg… I’m eyeing my first international trip sooner than later.

What keeps me coming back is the best community I’ve ever been a part of. We’re unified by the varying number of screws that’s missing, among other things. I’m continued to be amazed by the acts of love and generosity that this community provides.

This photo, taken by Branden Baltich, was my favorite because despite how it looks, it was candid. I wasn’t cheesing for the camera, I didn’t even realize Branden was there… that’s just genuine joy and bliss of being on the river, especially one the quality of the Russell Fork.