Overnighters ~ Inspiration from Whitewater Symposium ’11 ~ Derewo Wrap-up

Playak News Flash - October 25, 2011
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Overnighters Evan Garcia - There are so many rad parts of our sport, it's hard to say what's the best. Surfing big smooth waves? Boofing the perfect 20 footer? Take out beers? Seeing new places? Making good friends?...Yeah all of those things do appeal to me as a long time boater, but there is still one thing that stands high above every other aspect of whitewater kayaking...Overnighters!

Inspiration from Whitewater Symposium '11 Jackson Kayak - The paddling symposium in Rock Island was the best one yet. Though I was sorry not to see more people there, I really enjoyed the format of this year's symposium and all the paddling we got to do. It was great. I left the symposium feeling really inspired and energized to put more energy into my paddling, teaching and contributions to the sport in general.

Nature Connection Dagger Blogs - Drew Eastman and I recently had the opportunity to work with photographer Tim McGuire and his project to create images of people in their connection with nature.

Packrafting the Fitzroy (5/5) Inflatable Kayaks & Packrafts - Today, our fifth on the river, we expected to break out of the clogged-up side streams of the last two days and get on the deep, open channel which led right through Geikie Gorge national park, not far from Fitzroy Crossing.

Peaceful Dam Protest Turns Bloody in Arunachal Pradesh India The Lost World - I apologize for the graphic images, but there is bad news coming out of Roing, Arunachal Pradesh, where the Dibang meets the Brahmaputra. Students who were organizing against the dam hearings were inaccurately labeled as Maoists. During the Durga Puja two days ago police shot at them. Below are some disturbing pictures sent to me following a Freedom of Information Release by Neeraj Vagholikar and Sunil Mow, one of the human rights lawyers we're working with to oppose the dam. Luckily there were no fatalities.

Rock Hopping and Trip Guiding Jim Krawiecki - Strong southerly winds have continued to entertain the storm gatherers on Anglesey throughout this weekend. I have had the pleasure of sharing guiding duties with Greenland expert Martin Rickard and Manchester based coach Richard McEvoy.

Surf Kayak World Championships 2011 Courtney Kerin - Another competition and another adventure. I took off with another Team paddler, Stephen Wright to Nags Head in North Carolina for the Surf Kayak World Championships.

Surviving Vancouver Island's North Coast: An Interview with Phoxx Ekcs Dash Point Pirate - Although I had spoken with Phoxx through Skype in June, I hadn't actually met him in person until after he completed his 28 day expedition along Vancouver Island's north coast. He called me soon after his trip and said he would be in Seattle for a couple days. I was very happy to hear that he was in town. If you know anything about his trip, you know what a crazy idea it was −− a "primitive living" expedition in a skin−on−frame kayak with no modern gear.

A Growing Interest in Offshore Kayak Fishing Austin Kayak - When I look at how far the sport of kayak fishing has grown over the years, it's pretty downright amazing. Several years ago, when I would go kayak fishing, it was a treat to see a couple of fellow anglers towing around their plastic boats. Today, I routinely find over a dozen kayak anglers getting ready to launch in hopes of catching the big one.

Derewo Wrap-up Palm Blogs - Continuing where our last blog post left off, we found ourselves at the small village of Bilai deep in the Papuan jungle. With the help from some locals, we had just taken 9 hrs to portage the our kit around 10km of mostly-unrunnable gorge, and needed to go back (or indeed send porters back) for our boats.

Sports Illustrated Kid's Sportkid of the Year Photo Shoot. Jackson Kayak - This year I was very excited to be selected as one of Sports Illustrated Kids's Sportkids of the Year.

Ultra Fit Magazine Interview Palm Blogs - I met a Uk based reporter called Caroline Sandry at the Teva Mountain Games earlier this Year and she followed my progress through the event and caught up with me again just after Worlds to write this piece for the October Issue of Ultra Fit magazine:

Clean Up The Bottom Kayaking the Mobile - Tensaw River Delta - The Clean Up The Bottom event, in reference to One Mile Creek and the Maple Street canal was as effective as someone using a squirt gun to clean a cattle hauling trailer that hasn't been cleaned in a decade. It didn't remove much sh*t.

BCU Student Safety Symposium Palm Blogs - Last weekend, I headed to North Wales to the BCU Student Safety Symposium, hosted by Plas-y-Brenin. A weekend orientation for University Canoe Club members to get a rapid education to forming, running and enjoying a club. During the weekend, topics as diverse as transport and the law to trip planning, [...]

Race Ready part 2 SUPadvisor - Your Gear Once you've decided what class you'd like to race in, it's time to get your board and paddle, or to prep the one you have. If you're buying a new board don't base your purchase on the board you are most comfortable on. You want the fastest thing you can manage to stand [...]

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Today's News Editor(s): bartw.