2007 paddling

Elora Gorge, June 30 2007

• Posted on July 2, 2007 at 10:07 PM
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Here's a question: this is how I transport my paddle. Does anyone else do anything to get their paddle out of the way?

Other than my easy paddling day on the Don River, I hadn't managed to get out paddling this year. Hey, cut me some slack, I had to jet down to Chile for a while. Life is hard, I know.

Anyway, I decided that since it was a long weekend and we were spending it close to home without a whole lot of plans, this was as good a time as any to go paddling. The catch, of course, is that since I'm such a cautious paddler, I wanted it to be something dead easy -- just getting my paddle wet, if you know what I mean. And I didn't want to go all the way to the Ottawa Valley to do it. Which pretty well decided the issue for me: I was going to do an easy float down the Elora Gorge.

Now, the next hitch: could I find someone to paddle with, both to make it more interesting and to make it that much safer.

I dropped an email to someone I had once encountered at the Gorge, from the Guelph kayak club, and through that hooked up to a couple of good guys, Brendan and Mike, who it turns out are OVKC members just like me.

We put in at about 10:30 and had a leisurely run down the river. Bit by bit I was getting my confidence back, until I flipped just after the chute and had to be rescued by Brendan. A real bummer, because the rapids were nothing and I was more than capable of rolling out of it and continuing like any self-respecting paddler. But that's the rust for you: my confidence was just that little bit shaky, and instinct kicked in -- the instinct that tells you you should be breathing, not strapped into a boat with your head underwater. Oh well. It sucked, but at least I got that out of the way. I practiced a roll after that and of course had not the slightest trouble. Sigh.

One thing I was wondering: I carry my paddle on the roof rack -- I pad it with some foam pipe insulation, and lock it into place with a zip tie. It stays great, and that way I don't have to have it in the car with me. I worry a bit that the wind might strain the plastic and lead to a break some day, but so far so good. Anyone else do anything like this?