Conference turris::womannotes-v1

    There's a conference on this (naturally!) - SAGE::RIVERRAT.
    Quite a crowd of people from my group, women and men, go
    canoeing and kayaking frequently.  (I haven't had the nerve to
    try this yet!  All the talk about "wet exits" gets me nervous!)
    They do seem to enjoy themselves, though.
    
    				Steve

    
      I did the Penobscot over the 4th of July and plan to do more,
    its a great time, especially with a group of friends.  You can
    also get more info in the MAINE notesfile.
    
                                             Mark
    

    I'd love to give it a go.  One group in DEC make a yearly trek
    to West Virginia/Penna. area for group therapy...camping, the whole
    bit..one should see their unifying spirit when they return to work..
    
    .0 I'm game...when?  Think we can pull off a Womannotes group
    [female/male]? 
    
    Cheers
    

    Well, I'm back.  No Bob [Holt... Bob's your first name, yes?], I
    am interested in kayakking any way I can.  I'd prefer to go alone,
    being a rather solitary person, but I don't have equipment, and
    until this weekend it wouldn't have been safe, even on flatwater.
    My class had five people and two instructors; I was the only woman.
    Hmmph.

    As to rafting, I didn't enjoy that so much because I was not in
    control of the boat.  Very little of the success or failure of the
    run had to do with my individual skill.  And I've never been much
    into developing brawn -- more into skill, as I find that easier.
    
    We went on the headwaters of the Kennebec on Saturday and the West
    Branch of the Penobscot on Sunday.  Mostly class II and easy III.
    The water was VERY low, there was a bit of rain, and tho the water
    was very warm, there was an awful wind:  I almost prefered being
    upside-down to being rightside-up because being in the water was
    so much nicer than being in the air.
    
    I bring it up as a women's "topic" because running rapids is a
    WONNNderful way to work on your self-confidence when facing something
    you aren't all that sure you can do right.  I am a perfectionist,
    and the better I get at something (for example whitewater canoeing),
    the harder I curse at my mistakes.  You can see it in my face: the
    beginning of the clinic I ran my first few sets of rapids with a
    totally blank face, forgetting to paddle in spots because I was
    so terrified, whereas by the afternoon of the second day the
    instructors were laughing at my face: they said I looked furious
    at the water.  In fact, I was furious at myself for the mistakes
    I was making.  But I paddled hard the whole time, and stopped messing
    up in a big way.
    
    It may sound like a pile of clich�s but I felt an incredible sense
    of accomplishment at what I did this weekend.  I flipped over and
    got dragged over a few rocks when working on "side surfing" at a big
    eddy -- shook me up pretty badly.. I was the first person to flip
    in an uncontrolled situation.  The instructor wanted me to try it
    again.  "Right.  sure.  Get back on _that_ horse?!  You gotta be
    out of your mind!"  [when I was learning horseback riding, I went
    several years without ever falling.  When it finally happened, I
    got up, washed my face, got back on, and fell flat on my face again.
    Got up, washed my face, got back on, fell flat on my face yet again.
    I lost track of how many times I fell off that hour, but we finally
    gave up because I was getting pretty rattled.  About a year later,
    I got on a horse again, really nervous, and did just fine.  Later
    tumbles didn't get my goat like the first time(s).  So when I'm
    told to get back on some proverbial horse, I think, maybe another
    day...]
    
    Well the guy looked so disappointed (I thought, "tatistcheff, you
    are such a Wimp!!!") that I went back and tried again.  Did it right
    this time.
    
    What to say?  Pride at my unexpected courage.  Pride at my newfound
    skills, my quick learning.  Happiness at being back in my homestate.
    Glad to meet some of the people.  A long-time desire I have finally
    started to fulfill.
    
    Lee

Lee,
	Have you ever considered boardsailing? Your the only person
	on the board, your success or failure depends entirely on your
	skills and equipment. For me, there is no thrill quite like
	planing a shortboard in a 20 knot wind, hanging back in your
	harness, and trying to keep at least some of the board in the
	water. It seems to be an endless learning process - I've been
	sailing for 3 seasons now and only feel halfway competent on
	my board. Also, contrary to popular opinion, boardsailing is
	NOT a sport that requires brute strength - it helps to be in
	decent shape, but if you try to muscle the sail, your gonna
	lose it. As for confidence building - every time you carve a
	decent jibe, or pull off a successful waterstart, you feel
	GREAT, in complete control.

	You can always tell who the boardsailors are where you work -
	they're the ones whose eyes glaze over and keep looking out
	the window when the wind starts	hitting the 12 knot range!

	Sorry for the interruption, I just thought you might be
	interested  in hearing about a sport that has a lot qualities
	similar to those you like in kayaking. (besides, it gives
	me a chance to plug my favorite sport - my (non-sailing)
	friends think I sound like a broken record :^))

			In the wind,
				Robert.

P.S. - an awful wind you say?!?! Sunday was GREAT!!! :^)

    re .4
    
    I'll bet camping makes great therapy.  I dunno, tho: see enough
    of my office friends at and after work.
    
    As far as a group of us... the kayak clinic cost $145 for two days
    and rafting costs $80/day.  Kayakking is _tough_work_ tho, especially
    in rapids.  If you consider that I spent _years_ doing class II
    and III in a canoe and was still scared silly...  From what I
    understand, there are clinics when the water is really tough everywhere
    and people get flipped _every_single_rip_.  Can be really discouraging.
    There were a couple of points where I almost wanted to quit.
    
    For groups, rafting might be better: bigger rips, a little less
    confronting.  Certainly less of a _personal_ challenge.
    
    re .6
    
    Windboards, eh?  Hmmmmm.... sounds interesting.  
    
    Lee

    Lee,
                        
    As an ex-kayaker, I feel I must point out that there are a whole bunch
    of kayakers who don't feel the kind of program you went through is a 
    that good a teaching method. It forces you to progress at the clinic
    or instructor's level of comfort, instead of your own.
    
    Going into the wave because the instructor wanted you to (not
    because you wanted to) is an example of this.  An alternate method
    is to go out on rivers with a group of people of your level and
    support and help each other.  You choose what is too easy or too
    difficult for you within the limit of the trip.  You will receive 
    immediate feed-back from the river about your decisions.
    
    One of the things kayaking teaches is to be responsible for yourself.
    If you flip (and don't manage to roll back up), other kayakers will
    help you.  If you never learn to self-rescue (roll a kayak or swim
    effectively to shore), eventually you will have no one to paddle
    with because you are not a contributing member of the trip.  If
    someone else needs help, you wouldn't be able to help them.
    
    If you are interested in pursuing the sport, try connecting with
    a club in your area (I don't know where you are, Arizona or New
    England?)  In New England try the Appalachian Mountain Club, the
    Merrimack Valley Paddlers, or the Kayak and Canoe Club of Boston.
    The AMC tends to be a bit over-organized for my taste, but they
    have many members who are very happy with it.  All of these clubs
    have many active female paddlers.  Keep meeting people until you find 
    your peers.  The AMC also rents equipment;  I am not sure about
    the other two.
    
    Also since you are a solitary person, I can reassure you of this:
    kayakers tend to be individualists.  You can be as social or as
    solitary as you want.  No one will be offended; they want to do
    their own thing too.
    
    

    re .8
    
    I can see the point about comfort levels; I'll bet a lot of people
    who start in such a clinic never try a second time.  And for me,
    yes much of what I did was not at comfort level.  On the other hand,
    now I know it is do-able, and I am looking forward to quietly pursuing
    it on my own.  When I feel ready for learning to roll back up, I'll
    go back for another clinic.
    
    "Ex-kayaker"?  Why ex?
    
    Lee

    
    I'm an ex-kayaker for a lot of conflicting reasons.  Mostly I
    reassessed the priorities in my life and kayaking lost.  It really
    had nothing to do with the sport.
    
    

I've been on three 1 or 2 week raft trips out west, two on the 
Colorado River (Cateract and Grand Canyons) and one on the Snake 
River (Hells Canyon).  The Scenery was spectacular and the rapids 
were awesom.


	BUT

The best part of these trips was what I learned about myself.

Sleeping under the stars with the silouette of the canyons and the
roar of the rapids.  Doing things I didn't know I could do, relating
to a great group of people I was with constantly, appreciating my
place in the universe.   Learning who I am. 

Ten percent of these trips was the scenery, ninty percent was
maybe the most positive (introspective) experience I have ever had. 

I get high just thinking about it, let alone viewing the hundreds of 
slides.  

Find a good outfitter.  Ignore what you always thought were your
limitations.  Ride on the emotional experience for the rest of your
life! 

	~Mike

P.S.	I'd be glad to share some more.

    RE: .10   I strongly agree that the rapids are only a part of the
    total experience. I spent 4 years as a raft guide in the rockies
    from Montana to Arizona. I did both day trips and one week trips.
    
    I've taken hundreds of people (tunas as we call you) down a dozen
    or so rivers and by far the most profound effects come from those
    5-8 day trips. It's amazing seeing the changes in some people as
    the days go on. Sure there are always the macho 'give me more
    WHITEWATER' people but I think they miss the big picture. Sure it's
    the rapids that drew me into the guide profession, but it's the
    things I continued to learn about myself and my interactions with
    people, and NATURE that kept me coming back again and again.
    
    It is things like the absolute quiet and solitude of the canyon , when
    you are floating around a 180 degree bend with the wind whipping your
    hair,    when all of a sudden a golden eagle, or osprey makes a dive
    for a fish, or a herd of desert bighorns complete with babies are
    grazing on a hillside not 50' feet away with neither them nor us making
    a sound or a movement. 
    
    It's watching the canyon walls mutate from bleached out pale red to
    reflecting the blazing glory of the of the blood red furnace of the
    late afternoon sun.
    
    It's taking a solo side canyon hike  and finding Indian Ruins or
    Pictographs a thousand years old accompanied by that tingle of DEJA VU
    running up and down your spine. 
   
    It's listening the the screaming exhaltation of a paddle crew that
    threaded the needle at Granite Falls on the Snake, or Satan's Gut
    on the Cataract, or missing the BIG hole at Crystal on the Grand.
    
    It's watching your paddle crew evolve from a bunch of misfits, who
    can't remember their right from their left ( NOOOOO your other left)
    in the heat of the rapids, to a precision machine that can rock pivot
    on a dime a give me 9 Cents change.
    
    It's watching people come out of their 'flatlander' shell to find
   unity with nature or their god. It's not having to explain that feeling
    because you know the person next to you is feeling it too.
    
    It's climbing to the top of the canyon walls only to find no sign
    of civilization as far as you can see, and no sign that's it has
    EVER been here.
    
    It's about SHARING, and GROWING, and TRUSTING, and EXPERIENCING.
    
    [set verbose off - I guess I kinda forgot how much I really miss
    it out there]
    
    PS. I Always found it easier to train women guides. They never tried
    to out macho the river god, to 'conquer' the river. They learned
    to row/paddle smart. I think women intuitively know they can't
    overpower the river, a fact which most men (Including myself) usually 
    learn the hard way, often by some totally embarrasing/humbling
    experience
    the same for most of the men I trained.
    
   
    
    
    
    

    Janice and I spent our honeymoon on the Colorado River. Thirteen
    days through the Grand Canyon on a 18 foot rubber raft. It was
    glorious, "living on river time".
    
    I'll be posting a trip report someday (maybe soon). I'll put a pointer
    here.
    
    	-- Charles