ThePaddler 15 Dec 2013 WW Kayak cover

ThePaddlerezine.comInternational digital magazine for recreational paddlersIssue 15 - December 2

013

The Grand CanyonGRANDESTof CANYONS

Escape from Qiemu QuCHINASYellow RIVER 2

Viva la freestyleINTERVIEWMat DUMOULIN

KayakPaddlerRegularPaddler SaltyPaddler SUPPaddler OCPaddler

contents

Not all contributors are professional writers and photographers, so dont be put off writing because you have no experience! ThePaddler.co.uk ezine is all about paddler to paddler dialogue: a paddlers magazine written by paddlers.next issue is February 2014 with a deadline of submissions on January 5th.Technical Information: Contributions preferably as a Microsoft Word file with 1200-2000 words, emailed to [email protected]. Imagesshould be hi-resolution and emailed with the Word file or if preferred, a Dropbox folder will be created for you. ThePaddler ezine encourages contributions of any nature but reserves the right to edit to the space available. Opinionsexpressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishing parent company, 2b Graphic Design. The publishing of an advertisement in ThePaddler ezine does not necessarily mean that the parent company, 2b Graphic Design,endorse the company, item or service advertised. All material in ThePaddler ezine is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission from the editor is forbidden.

Photo: Hurley Weir Freestyle, United KingdomAntony Edmonds (http://aephotos.co.uk)

editorPeter [email protected]: (01480) 465081Mob: 07411 005824www.thepaddler.co.uk

advertising salesAnne EganTel: (01480) [email protected]

coversKayak: Sam Ellis, China by Travis WinnsUP: Kiran Kumar, India by Ram Paranjapesalty: Pelion, Greece by Apostolos Kontoulisoc: Pete Richardson, Canada by Jody Dymond

additional contributor credits: Justin Miles, Rob Mazzetti, Dan Yates, Travis Winn, Tom Mclay, Ken Driscoll, Rich Young, Ben Moore,Melanie Seiler, Pete Iscara, Randy Fisher, Matt Rusher and Ram Paranjape

ThePaddler 3

Issue 15December 2013

004 Eight of the Bestthe best films from around the planet

006 News: SUP IndiaJustin miles and isF 2014

008 Testing, testingnew kit reviewed by Phil carr and tez Plavenieks

012 Coachingdavid rossetter on Fundamentals

016 United Statesrafting the Grand canyon by Hannah taylor

028 Madagascarsot kayaking the land of odd by don Pinnock

040 Canadaopen canoeing bowron lakes, bc by Jody dymond

056 Interviewmathieu dumoulin

064 China part 2exploration of western china by sam ellis

076 Hurley Freestyle 1Photo montages by antony edmonds

076 Hurley Freestyle 2by lee Parry

084 United KingdomFairy Glen by Joe rea-dickins

094 Cold water safety part 2Golden rule no.3 by moulton avery

100 United Kingdomsea kayak fishing advertorial by Jeff cross

106 GreecePelion beach hopping by apostolos Kontoulis

118 The Paddlers Planetchristian wagley

120 Interviewmatt rusher

130 Whitewater SUPGear overview by ian smith

138 Sickstick paddle reviewby tez Plavenieks

142 IndiaHimalayan sUP by april Zilg

ThePaddler 4

82 ft Salza Drop

absolute outdoors stroblaustria

2014 Airborn

sUP HQinternational T

he Other Side of the Game

ryan mcavoyinternational

First D's in Likely

andrew clinecanada

SUP in the Wilderness

nick Healeyalaska, Usa

Bulls Bridge

Hunter Pedaneconneticutt, United states M

anhattan Project

brett mayernyc, United states

Kuzi Project, EP. 1

seth warrenmozambique

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One of the aims of the Polar Bears andPaddleboards expedition was topromote stand up paddleboarding; toplay our part in putting paddleboardingon the agenda for everyone as anenvironmentally sound and accessibleactivity suitable for all ages and abilities.

It worked. Throughout the project, all of our activitiesleading up to during and after the expedition, we feelthat we really made a difference to the sport byintroducing a huge number of people topaddleboarding.

A few weeks after our return, three of the team werecontacted by a group in India who had been followingthe Polar Bears and Paddleboards project. They askedus to help them to organise a SUP festival on the eastcoast of India and develop paddleboarding across thecountry.

The Indian Surf Festival (ISF) ran last year for the second time withless than 100 paddleboards. I asked how many people attended theevent, expecting an answer of somewhere in the region of a coupleof hundred the reply was quite astonishing; Last year wasnt a bigyear because its still new and we hadnt promoted it properly so weonly had about ten thousand people over the weekend. TENTHOUSAND!

Organisers are expecting the audience for the 2014 ISF to swell toalmost ten times last years figure a whopping 100,000 people.

During the ISF, our team will be delivering presentations to the fullaudience, supported with images and video, judging races andawarding prizes.

development of sUP in indiaFor several weeks after the initial contact we talked not only aboutthe festival itself, but also about the issues surrounding thedevelopment of SUP in India and the factors impeding its growth andas a result we identified three main issues that we felt can help with.

The first issue surrounds the availability of paddleboards. Less than100 boards for 10,000 people was a bit of an unbalanced equationlast year. Importing boards is prohibitively expensive and betrays theessence of the very environmentally aware population who try to re-use and recycle wherever possible, minimising their carbon footprint.

We have provided a solution which focuses on using localworkforces working through cottage industries to create and buildpaddleboards using locally sourced sustainable and recycled materials.Not only does this address the issues of providing a cost effectivesolution to the problem so that paddleboarding can expand morerapidly, it maintains environmentally sound practises, improves localemployment and has the potential to provide communities withexportable products, reinvesting in India.

The second issue is withregards to maintainingprofessional standards. Toenable any sport to developand progress there has to be astandardised code of practiceso to achieve this we havebeen working with the ISFteam and the Indiangovernment to create anational governing body forthe sport of stand uppaddleboarding .

Under the guidance of two ofthe members of our team, wehave been writing standardsand codes of practice anddeveloping a coaching andinstructor training programmefor the new national governing

body and we will be delivering the first training sessions for coachesand instructors in February 2014.

national governing bodyA national governing body for SUP across India which peoplerecognise and can affiliate to, will help to ensure high standards ofcoaching and a standard of professionalism which can be used toexpand the sport.

Coaches and instructors affiliated to a bona-fide national governingbody will also give confidence to tourists travelling to the area toexperience paddleboarding in some new and quite stunninglocations, which is our third area of work.

We are currently working with the very passionate group of peoplein Odisha, the tourist minister and the Chilka Development Authorityto build the identity of Odisha as a destination for SUP tourism.,encouraging people to visit the region from around the globe.

Chilka lake will be the centre of the initial focus to drive SUP tourism.Chilka lake is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the secondlargest of its kind in the world. The lake is teeming with naturalbeauty; its edges and islands support habitats for an abundance ofwildlife and birds, there are many ancient monuments, buildings andbeautiful beaches.

Once we have helped to establish the first area for SUP tourism inIndia, the Ministry for Tourism will roll out similar models across thecountry.

The team are currently undertaking a huge amount of work to makeall of this happen and lay the foundations for progression. In Februarythe team will be flying out to India to continue with our work andtake part in the first ever Indian Surf Festival SUP Cup!JUstin milesWWW.JUSTFORTHECHALLENGE.COM

ThePaddler 6

SUP India

Now the cold problemhas been eliminatedcompletely. Cut awaythe underneath of yourmitten so nothingdisturbs your bare handsgrip on the paddle.

Or you can wear thinnergloves. You can set it thatall five fingers inflate beforethe breath exits through theseams and around the wrist.

The mouth piece is there forwhenever you need it.

Free head movement evenwhen it's in your mouth. Canset loop size so you can grab itwith your mouth.

The tube and mouth piece loop is asqueeze tight fit that pulls apart ifsnagged or needs to be fed througha buoyancy aid.

The hand heating system is builtin to a 5/4mm semi dry with ahorizontal rear entry dry zip.

Exterior in smooth skin(pictured) or nylon lined. Handheating system is detachable,plugs provided.

www.ianovated.co.uk

IAnOVATED WETSUITThe only wetsuit with a breath powered hand heating system The war with cold hands is over. No more cold hands.

Exhale warm breath on to your hands whilst paddling and stay comfortablein the sub 5C conditions all afternoon.

In 0 to 5C (-10C to 0C wind chill) just one or two puffs every otherminute down this system is all that is needed!

The breath tubes substantially run inside the wetsuit not onlyinsulating the breaths warmth but also boosting it. If you fallin, the water that gets into the tubes blows out warm!

IAnOVATED

2013 astralGreenjackethttp://www.astraldesigns.comBy Phil Carra personal flotation device or PFd is one ofthose essential pieces of paddling kit thathas to work effectively each and every timeyou need it. it needs to have a combinationof robustness, offer good protection yetallow you move around easily without feelingrestrictive.

Its been a long time since I have had a new AstralPFD. There was something that I really didnt likeabout the previous version. For me the fit was justnot quite right, I know that lots of people really likedthem but the design was not right for me. Roll on afew years and we have the 2013 Greenjacket.

The 2013 Astral Greenjacket retains many of thegreat features found in the original. This includes a1200 lb. tensile strength rescue harness with a quickrelease buckle and a Spectra safety loop foremergency extractions. The movable front panel akaFreestyle Tectonics allow the outer front panel tomove freely with your upper body, as the inner panelstays anchored in place. This is a great idea thatworks well.

Eight adjustment points on the Greenjacket ensure acustom fit. The points on the right hand side of thewearer are all QR which allows the Greenjacket to

be put on or taken off via the side entry or viaan over the head move. This seems to reallyhelp the Greenjacket fit a wide range ofpaddlers. I find it easier to put on over the headas reaching around to get to the fastek bucklescan be a little tricky.

FlotectionA PFD not only gives you that extra buoyancyyou might need during it swim, it can also givesome additional protection from rocks, paddlesor boats. Astral have incorporated what theycall Flotection armour plating along the sidesof the vest protect your ribs and vitals fromimpact.

I always feel that it is important that a rescue PFDlooks tough and it built strong. The Greenjacket justfeels super tough, the body is constructed from 500-denier Cordura nylon. Gaia and PE foam flotationprovide buoyancy. Gaia foam is softer than foamsfound in most entry price point PFDs for betterflexibility, fit, and superior comfort. Gaia foam isbased on an organic compound, is non-toxic and isfree of CFC ozone depleting materials. All in all thismakes the Greenjacket bombproof as well as beingan environmentally friendly life jacket.

clamshell front pocketOne of the biggest and most obvious changes in thedesign is the large zippered clamshell front pocket andto be honest its hard to miss. Inside of the clamshellare five compartments for stowing and organizing allyour rescue gear. This is just simply amazing.

There is a zipped mesh pocket on the clamshell so Ican zip my car keys out of the way and know that theyare secure. Little pouches on the body side (with clip inpoints in some cases) are ideal for bits and bobs. Theone on my right (whilst wearing the PFD) is ideal for awaterproof compact camera. You do need to becareful when opening the clamshell fully in order toprevent kit being dropped into the water.

One of the changes from the older model is that thezips on the two zippered side cargo pockets have been

Alpkit MantaHeadtorchalpkit very kindly sent methe manta headtorch inoctober. im now onto myfourth set of batteries andthat takes some doing asthey do last a long time.

Quite simply theyve been usedfor everything from night timeopen canoeing on the Thames,biking, running, dog walking andeven putting the rubbish out.Theyre comfortable and handsfree and thats ideal by me.

Its not just a one trick pony withthe light either. The dimmable120 lumen Cree LED delivers abright beam, the width of which isadjustable using the frontfocussing ring. The main highoutput Cree LED can be dimmedto any level between 10 and 100percent as well as a strobe settingfor attracting attention. The headunit is pivotable on a 30 mmadjustable headband.

Underneath the main beam arefour low-power LEDs: green formap reading without affectingnight vision; double red givesenough light to see features whenwalking but doesnt affect yournight vision; and blue, which givesa wider, less focussed beam thanthe main bulb (just 5 lumen) butwith a longer burn time.

Solid, good construction and neatstyling all adds up to one qualityand highly useful product.https://www.alpkit.com

ThePaddler 8

Testing,

gre-orientated to help prevent them opening byaccident. They are perfect for the storage of a riverknife or other parts of your pin kit.A storage space behind the front panel gives youroom to carry a small throw bag. This would have tobe a bag like Astrals own, as it would need to be flatrather than a cylindrical like most other bag systems.Underneath the storage system is a fleeced linedhand warmer pouch, its a nice touch but I oftenforget it is even there. As the year draws on and thewater gets colder I envisage using this feature a fair bit.

Front lash tabThe front lash tab is a convenient place to hookyour rescue knife but to be honest I dont likewearing a knife in that position. But I know somepeople do. Having been a raft guide for a number ofyears I prefer to keep the front of my PFD clean sothat if I do need to climb back into a raft from thewater I can do so without anything snagging. Oldhabits die hard.

I have been using the Greenjacket for all sorts ofpaddling including playboating duties and despite itbeing a full on big water rescue PFD its uber slimprofile and design has never made me feel restricted.Looking at all of the features and the fit of theGreenjacket a very capable all-rounder. It is verylight; it stays put and is unrestrictive.

ThePaddler 9

ThePaddler ezine test station. If youwantyourproductreviewedanditwillbeofinterestto

paddlers - email us: [email protected]

Testing, testin

Summaryso after all of that what do i not like? wellactually not that much. it would be great if theshoulders were padded a little more and a littlewider apart so they sat square on my shoulders(hope that makes sense). a few different colouroptions would also be nice. the new limitededition (le7: Hawkeye) designed by Pat Kellerlooks superb!

sizing is accurate. at 15st with a 42in chest iwear the m/l. the l/Xl simply swamps me.

ianovated wetsuithttp://www.ianovated.co.ukBy Tez Plavenieksthe ianovated wetsuit is a strange lookingpiece of kit. in terms of whats the norm, andwhat isnt,this definitely isnt. Protrudingplastic tubing, a retro fit and unconventionalbrand name are all talking points when yourock up at the beach.

As a concept though its simple; during bouts offreezing SUP conditions (less than 10C), the suit isdonned and your warm breath is exhaled into thetubing, finally emerging to flow across perishedfingertips hot aches should now be a thing of thepast. Heres what Tez Plavenieks found when he testedout the Ianovated winter wetsuit.

out of the boxThe suits designer, Iain Smith, was fed up with having toendure frostbitten fingers when out windsurfing duringcold snaps. In an effort to combat the problem hemasterminded the warm breath heating system integral to the Ianovated wettys performance.

Using an ingenious web of tubing, the wearers warmexhaled CO2 ensures chilly digits are a thing of the past an out of the box idea but one that intrigued me noend. I suffer in winter so anything to combat thosedreaded hot aches is always going to be welcome.

The rest of the suit is standard, if retro, in styling. Singlelined shiny neoprene with glued (rather than liquidwelded) seams, a horizontal dry zip and flexible arm,shoulder and chest areas complete the look.

into the drinkThe first time I suited up was during a bout of 6C SUPsurfing conditions at my local spot. The breeze waspuffing pretty hard offshore but the waves were up perfect for testing out the warming properties of the

Ianovated suit.

Clambering into the wetty was easy, the onlydifference having to avoid the internal tubing.This however isnt cause for concern and in ajiffy I was zipped up and ready to sweep (I didhave to ask for assistance with pulling the heavyduty zip across and securing the suit). The baggynature of the upper section did concern me alittle as Im more used to tight fitting wetsuitsand this appeared to be a cold chill waiting tohappen but I neednt have worried

During the testing period; I was confronted witheverything from waves to downwind paddlingconditions glassy and calm to choppy andblowy. All through the process I remained supertoasty and never once felt Jack Frost breakingthrough to chill either my hands or body. Havingthe tubes filter warm breath onto my glovedfingers ensured those dreaded hot aches stayedat bay while the single lined neoprene kept heat

evaporation to a minimum.

Having an unplanned dip was no drama the tubeswould fill with H2O but a quick blow would blastwarmed water out creating an odd but pleasantsensation as salty liquid coursed into my gloves.

The supplied palmless mitts ensured a secure andcomfy grip between hands and paddle shaft remainedat all times. If needed you could flip the gloves up andoff your fingers to sort yourself out.

Note: I also tried the suit with closed neoprene gloveswhich also worked well. I personally prefer thepalmless mitts for paddling others may want themore traditional option; either is fine.

waves or flat?Having warm seawater flush through the tubing ishow to experience the full benefits of Ianovatedstechnology. During sub 5C sessions flat or waves I was thankful for the extra warmth but found that aswim was necessary so as not to overheat. On dayswhen the air temperature is between 5C-10C itll beworth dropping in, just for a second, to douse theflames.

A word of warning: if you do end up in the drinkthen its worth remembering to take the mouthpiece out and not try and use it for breathing whilstsubmerged youll get a lung full of unwantedseawater if you dont!

Final thoughtsthe inaovated winter wetsuit has been acomplete revelation. i dont just have sUP asa hobby; i enjoy wind sports, surf sports andpaddle sports across a variety of disciplines. inall scenarios this wetty sits in place and hasnow extended my playtime periods massively.

Gone are those dreaded hot aches andreplaced is a warm fuzzy feeling whileeveryone is hunkering down in their vans withexcruciating hot ache pain. robocop stylingwill make you stand out from the crowd (as itwas described on a certain social media site)but when youre toasty warm itll be youhaving the last laugh this winter.

you can check out more about the ianovatedwetsuit at http://www.ianovated.co.uk/ and apaddle specific video can be found athttp://www.sitons.com/articles/stoking-fire-ianovated-winter-wetsuit-review/

more from tez is at http://tezplavenieks.comand dont forget to check in with our newstand Up Paddle mag Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/standuppaddleboardmagwhere youll find even more sUP goodness.look out for the debut issue in the new yearfeaturing more stand up paddle boarding gearand kit reviews.

AlpkitGlowe torchwhen i was a kid a torchwas a torch and they still arebut with many morefeatures and this stylishpiece of kit form alpkitnicely illustrates that.

At first glance it is a good lookinglightweight torch but take a littlelonger and you realise it is somuch more. Give it a bit a pulland it lengthens out and thetranslucent upper casing becomesa lantern very clever.

Then you realise there is afoldaway hook built into the frontend that allows the Glowe to beclipped into a tent and lastly ithas little retractable feet at thebottom, which spread out to givethe unit stability. Little things butthoughful.

The light unit has four settingsoperated by clicking the onbutton. These are the basic, highintensity, power saving and flashingbeacon modes.

Powered by three AAA batteries,the Glowe can provide thecomfort and security of light forover 50 hours. Highlyrecommended.https://www.alpkit.com

ThePaddler 10

ThePaddler 11

To be honest it is really difficult sometimes to think of something newto say about base layers, either they work or they dont. Their job is towick sweat away from the body leaving the skin dry and warm duringand after exercise. However, not all base layers are the same andsometimes something new comes along.

There are the man-made fibres such as Helly Hansens Lifa fabric,Merino wool products from sheep that have claimed to be the best andnow step forward yak wool, which is claimed to wick and transportmore water vapour through it than Merino, whilst being lighter to boot.Merino sheep live at around 1,000m altitude; yaks live at 4,-5,000maltitude. This difference in altitude and the hardiness of the yak is part ofthe reason why kora has chosen to develop what they believe is thebest all-round performance base layer fabric for outdoor pursuits.

kora's Hima-Layer fabric is made from yak wool sourced from thehigh altitude Himalayas and therefore it is not cheap at 95.00 for theleggings and 105 for the long-sleeved top and there is only the onecolour of dark blue with purple piping, which may or may not to be toyour liking depending upon your taste.

So what about the important aspect of base layers the performance.

Well firstly, I had to wash the top before wearing as the first time itseemed to irritate my skin and I came out in red blotches but it mustbe stressed that I do have very sensitive skin. In fact I washed it twiceand then it felt really comfortable and non-itchy.

One of my favourite pursuits is longer distance night cycling along avery convenient cycle track down here in Cambridge. The outsidetemperature is cold and close to freezing but going at nearly full peltsoons brings a sweat on. I have a Helly Hansen mid-layer and a Paramotop-layer to boot and its a very satisfying feeling to be so cosy warmwith the knowledge that everything is working but how?

Soon as I get home I strip off the two top layers and you can thenclearly see the reason why. Even as I stand in the bathroom, you canvisually see the sweat being drawn from my body and onto the surfaceof the kora wool it works beautifully. Its worth understanding that ifthe base layer doesnt perform then the mid and top layers areredundant and so top marks to kora for producing a wonderfullyefficient garment oh and the yaks as well.

After two bike stints and a couple of runs there is no noticeable smellbut theyre going in for a wash now anyway. It must also be noted thaton the running side of matters, the built-in zip is quite important as youcan cool yourself down quite easily once you get going.

All in all, it is a very impressive start for kora and well see how they gofrom here with widening their range and colours watch this space.http://www.kora.net

watch andlisten to thedesigner.

www.kora.net/pages/fabric/the-garment

Fundamentals for skill developmentThe skills we learn in paddlesport are all about being ableto move the boat to a desired destination, preferably in acontrolled, efficient, and economic fashion, in order toachieve this we need to:

Have an active posture, allowing the body to movefreely, with the muscles sensitive to movement andfree to act quickly. Whilst being able to effectivelytransfer our weight, changing the centre of gravityand remaining in balance.

Be connected to our boat allowing us to react to themovements of the boat, paddles and water aroundyou.

This allows us to feel / anticipate the movement of theboat through the water and efficiently transfer powerfrom the body to create movement of the boat. Thepaddler can perform strokes that generate power,turning and stability; control the speed, angle, edge andtrim of their boat; and move efficiently and economically.

Resulting in the controlled and efficient movement of theboat to achieve a desired outcome.

Regardless of the discipline being followed these fourareas keep us in control of the craft no matter what theenvironment is doing. The ability to blend them andchange them to help you is vital for any boater. Doingthis means that we dont rely on just arm power andtherefore allow us to freely perform the strokes.

This has been brought into the coach education coursesright at UKCC Level 1 as a way to help new coachesdeliver information but also as a way to observe andanalyse performance.

DrawMoving the boat towards the paddle side. Stroke used in canoes and kayaks.

PryMoving the boat away from the paddle side. Stroke predominantly used in canoes.

Draw stroke Good upright posture connected to the boat

Looking (upper body) in direction of travel

Hands over the water on the same side you aretravelling towards

Vertical/upright paddle shaft as possible

Blade in water throughout stroke

ThePaddler 12

This article is all about the use of Fundamentals for moving sideways

FundamentalsBy Dave Rossetterpaddlesport instructor at Glenmore Lodge

}Over the past years when introducing beginners to the sport and workingwith paddlers at all levels the following areas have been in my coaching:

PostureconnectivityPower transferFeel

What I perhaps didnt do in the past was label them as such however, now thisgives me a structure.

These are known as:Fundamentals

The use of Fundamentalsfor moving sideways

ThePaddler 13

This article is all about the use of Fundamentals for moving sideways

By Dave Rossetterpaddlesport instructor at Glenmore Lodge

ThePaddler 14

PostureTo have an efficient and effectivedraw stroke we need to look at ourposture in the boat first.We need to have our pelvis in the middle position.With the pelvis in this position it allows oursurrounding muscles to be relaxed. A relaxed muscleis able to contract or tense quicker, is more sensitiveand mobile than a muscle under tension. In thepicture (plate A) we can see the paddler able torotate their upper body over to the side that theywould place the paddle on. This is possible due tothe upright upper body with the pelvis in the middleposition. To aid finding this position sit on the boneybits of your bottom Sit bones or ischialtuberosities.

In the picture (Plate B) we see the paddler applyingthe upright body with the middle pelvis position.

We can observe this due to the freedom to get bothhands over the side they are paddling on/the uprighthead and the body rotation achieved.

This also allows the paddler to reach outcomfortable giving the full range of movement.

Our next fundamental isconnectivity and specificallyconnections within the boat.We use the points of the body that are in contactwith the boat; and a basic level of tension throughour main upper body (our core) to connect theboat to the body. This is essential to achievingcontrol over the boats movement.

Connections within the boat are:

Where and how we sit

Where the knees are and the points they touch

Where the feet touch

Any other points of contact

(Plate C) Knees up under the knee braces under thecockpit/feet touching footrest and side of boat.

(Plate D) Knees pressing against the side of boat/useof kneeling thwart.

Just because something is touching or in contactwith the boat doesnt mean that it is in use. By this Imean is it switched on and actively being pressedagainst to give the control. Too tight in the boat is asbad as too loose. Either of these extremes makes itdifficult to regulate or adjust the pressure that isbeing applied. This will ultimately lead to loss ofcontrol and you becoming tired.

We need to use these with a degree of tension aswe plant the paddle we are aiming to pull ourselvesup to and past the paddle.

This brings us onto our nextfundamental: power transfer.The strength of the stroke (stroke efficiency) isdetermined by remaining stable. This means that thewater is left in the water and we remain upright andin control.

Next time you are out on the water experimentwith the following: ~

Task 1Draw stroke only using arm power and try andmove the water.

Task 2Draw stroke using your core muscles and thinkabout leaving the water stable and calm.

What differences do you note?

By having a strong connection to the boat we canthen use muscles from the feet (or knees if kneelinga canoe) and up and through to the core andultimately into the arms. When we fix the effortonto the water this gives us the ability to drive theboat and having stability while we power.

Once we are this stage it is time that we startdeveloping our feel. We need to learn to work withthe water and not against it. To do this we need todevelop a feel for how the boat/paddle interact withthe water. The paddler who can do this looks likethey are working together with the water and notfighting it. Combining the other three fundamentalsand having the ability to adapt to the surroundingenvironmental demands achieve this.

Exercises that can help us improve our feel are:

Practicing draw strokes with your eyes closed.Do your reference points (points where youposition your hands/arms/pressure on contactpoints) change?

(Plate E) Practice your draw strokes on the move tochallenge your skill.

Play timetake your draw on themove and link it into aturning stroke such as thebow rudder.

How does yourposture/connections/powertransfer and feel change?

Having looked at thefundamentals within movingsideways and being able to adaptthem from static through todynamic draws and / or otherstrokes we can now apply themto other skills within ourpaddling.

By being able to recognise andfeel when something is notworking means that we canchange one of the other areas.This means that we areadaptable paddlers which willhelp us have a variety ways ofachieving tasks to allow us toenjoy different types of paddlingexperiences in differentenvironments.

Dave is the full time paddlesportinstructor at Glenmore Lodge Scotlands National OutdoorTraining Centre. He has beeninvolved in the development ofthe new awards and providesexpert advice throughout theindustry on all things to do with

coaching, safety, leadership and personal paddling. Heis passionate about all things paddling and specialisesin white water kayak and open canoe where he willmost often be found. He is supported in his paddlingadventures and coaching by Pyranha Kayaks, MadRiver Canoes and Palm Equipment.http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk/http://www.pyranha.com/http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/http://www.madrivercanoe.co.uk/

ThePaddler 15

ThePaddler 16

ThePaddler 17

CANYONEXPEDITION

ThePaddler 18Two years ago I sent Patrick, mypartner, an email with the titlePaddle Down the GrandCanyon. On the very next line Iwrote, I NEED to do this. I haveset a calendar alarm for Februaryand we should apply each yearuntil we get it! Theres somepretty big rapids.

and thats how it all started.

to apply each yearbecause only a few weeks after entering our firstUS National Parks Lottery for a non-commercialGrand Canyon permit we were told we had beensuccessful. I was grinning from ear to ear and sowas Patrick. We opened a bottle of champagne tocelebrate.

In the following 18 months there was a lot toplan not least of all finding another six people tojoin our team. Time ticked on until eventually wewere ready for the adventure. Two UK friends were joining us and we had arranged to meet four Americans from California. Its fair to

Paddlers:

Gill Mark Joseph Rick Bruce Patrick Dwight

However,we didnt have

by HannaH taylor

say we were an inexperiencedbunch when it came to oarrafting but there was a sensibleamount of white water

knowledge amongst the team.

Arriving into Las Vegas it was toodamn hot but The Strip' is a bonkers as

you'd expect. Thunderstorm floods settled on themain boulevard causing mayhem! Little did werealise at the time that the same weather patternwould also be turning our lush green river intomuddy bath water. It was monsoon season afterall and perhaps we should have done a littlemore homework.

Our team of eight had 16 days from put in totake out for our trip permit and we chose to doone of the longest variations pulling out at PierceFerry totalling 281 miles.

Once at a very hot Lees Ferry we start inflatingand rigging boats. A good job we only do thisonce. We loaded coolers full offood/ice/beer/gin/vegetables the list goes on. Weplanned to be eating fresh vegetables on day 15...and huge steaks on day five! We have a hugefour-burner stove, washing up buckets, three fullsize folding tables, chairs and umbrellas. It'scamping but not as I know it. We have a Portaloo

ThePaddler 19

camp

scouting

were ready for the adventure. Two UK friends were joining us and we had arranged to meet four Americans from California. Its fair to

of a sort called the 'groover'. Essentially a largeammunition can with a toilet seat on top.Everything that goes down the river must bepacked out... and I mean everything! Furtherdown the line we come to resent unpacking,hauling, setting up, breaking down andrepacking quite so much stuff.

A debrief by the ranger the following morningtalks about some of the issues the canyon canentail, snakes, bark scorpions, heat stroke. Atone point he reminds us... Youre going onholiday in an oven. He wasn't wrong. Althoughwe came to realise quite quickly that it was waymore of an expedition than a holiday.

We finally cut loose from the bank and drifteddown the Colorado River! The moment we hadbeen waiting for. Spirits were very high. Gill andmyself chose to paddle the inflatable kayaks(duckies) along the first stretch as there nosignificant rapids. We float down the river full ofexpectation. Im taking my lead from Gill andwere both surprised at the size of the riffles. Ifthese arent even graded I cant quite imaginethe size of what is yet to come.

The water is incredibly cold, probably 5 Celsius.It's come from the bottom of the dam about 15-miles upstream and warms up only slightly overthe 280 miles. Hyperthermia is a real issue ifyou end up accidentally swimming.

ThePaddler 20

ThePaddler 21

Our raft went down the centre and attempted tomove right but its easier said than done andweve never taken on a rapid this big. We shoutinstructions to each other but our oarsmanwasnt able to move the boat. We hit the hugewave train at its biggest wave and sideways on.The raft is shunted almost vertical and sideways.Even our 18ft and 1.5 tons are like a plaything inthese waves. The raft was practically vertical andwhat was our floor was no longer there... andneither was Patrick! He was tipped out of theboat and into the rapid.

Good fortune played a part and he wasn't farfrom the raft. One pulse of waves pushed himtowards the raft and he managed to grab thespare oar strapped to the side. He hung on fordear life as the boat and water around himpushed this way and that. With another pulse ofwater I get a firm grasp on his PFD and hemanages to haul himself back into the raft. Hesshocked and cold but ok. Joseph keeps the raftsteady until we reach safety. It was a close shaveand it all happened in the blink of an eye. Afterthe initial rush of adrenaline and excitement thepeople on our boat grow a little quiet and Imsure theyre all contemplating, like me, just howclose we came to flipping and how on earth weare going to handle bigger grade rapids.

in liquid mud soon muddies the green water of theGrand Canyon. From here on out the river is likechocolate milkshake. Full of fine brown grit thatfinds its way into everything. It will stay that wayright up until the end. Even the usual turquoisewaters of the Little Colorado run thick and brown.Well find only a few cherished places in the next16 days where spring water runs clear and we getthe chance to clean and splash around.

On the second day I get my own chance to row araft. I've no real experience and this size boat inthe UK just doesn't work but I get to sample how

an 18ft inflatable raft that weighs about 1.5 tonsfeels. Heavy but also strangely light. It turns wellwith the long oars but for now I only attempt flatwater and riffles.

Day two also introduces us to our first significantrapid, House Rock, a class 7, at 17 miles down.We stop to scout. The rapids turn a right handcorner so you enter centre and move rightavoiding the huge wave train and the canyonwall on the left. We talk through the plan and thethird boat (my boat) holds back so I can capturevideo footage of the others. Its incredible howtiny the 18ft rafts look when seen from thisvantage. It really adds a sense of scale as wewatch them bob along to the bottom.

a tributary that seems to be pumping

Far left: The kitchen

left: Steaks

The raft was practically vertical and what was our floor was no longer there... and neither was Patrick! He was tipped out of the boat

and into the rapid

ThePaddler 22

Days melt into each other. We have days ofblazing heat and quite regular thunderstorms.Patrick begins to row a little more and discovershaving a lot of grunt is quite helpful. He canmanoeuvre the boat well but has littleexperience about which lines to take and whatthe water is doing. It's a steep, wet learning curve.

Around day five we have a hellish day. We haveto run a class 7, four class 8s and a class 9 rapid,not to mention several small rapids that wevealready become quite nonchalant about. It'sphysically and emotionally draining foreveryone, not only the oarsmen and theconsequences of getting it wrong can be bad.Patrick and Joseph row our boat and take

advice on lines from the more experiencedpeople in the team. We row conservativelylooking to stay out of the big wave trains andaway from holes and obvious rocks. Alwayslooking for sneaky ways through. Its amarathon not a sprint we were once advised.

On one of the rapids we get an oar bladesnagged between some rocks, it snaps in halfand we get pushed into the worst of the rapidand all we can do is square up to the on comingwaves with one oar! We survive and the adviceof 'T-up' becomes our mantra.

We float through some of the most incrediblescenery you're ever going to see! Being there, in

We float through some of the most incredible scenery you're ever going to see! Being there, in the bottom of it, looking up, it's almost too much to take in.

ThePaddler 23

We float through some of the most incredible scenery you're ever going to see! Being there, in the bottom of it, looking up, it's almost too much to take in.

the bottom of it, looking up, it's almost toomuch to take in. The colours, rocks and sheerscale of the Canyon, provide the most awe-inspiring backdrop to our experience. But theGrand Canyon is more than just rapids andwater there are many elements to explore. Themyriad of side canyons, some accessible byboat others you'd need a climbing rack andrope to access. Little oases of cool with freshrunning water hide up steep cliffs. There's evenevidence of previous occupation andexploration throughout the ages which areastounding. Man made wonders that aredwarfed by the natural wonders around them.

It all sounds incredible and it was, but its easyto forget how much hard work is going on aswell. Cooking breakfast for eight people everymorning, preparing lunch, monitoring ourfood, filtering water, packing away the kitchenand getting it stowed on the boat all takes timeand effort. I would say that like all greatadventures it was 80% hard graft, which madeit what it was. I'd had ideas of sunbathing inthe back of the raft, perhaps going for a swimbut those ideas quickly fade. Full hat, glassesand long sleeved shirts were the order of theday. Doused with breathtakingly cold muddyriver water on a regular basis.

GoPro filming

Camp

Author bioHannah is a freelance filmmaker and head honcho ofMaia Media based in Manchester, UK. She loves tocombine her passion for the outdoors with hercreative talents and specialises in creative videoproduction with a focus on outdoor adventures, actionsports, travel, tourism, culture and lifestyle.Website: www.maiamedia.co.uk

everyone began to relax. We had proved we werecapable and the challenges ahead feltmanageable. I took to the oars again myselfsuccessfully tackling a long grade 4.

There were moments of relaxation. Patrick and Ibecame aficionados of mid-morning orafternoon naps on the back of the boat wedgedin between drybags. All valuable down time tokeep you going.

On the whole trip we only had one rest day,which was at the mouth of National Canyon.There's was fresh water running higher up and itprovided a great day of canyon exploration,shade from the heat and a sense isolation thatcan sometimes be hard to find. We found poolsdeep enough to jump into and slots tight enoughto bridge hands and feet across. It was a welcomechange to the muddy waters of the Colorado.

On the eleventh or twelfth day there was still onebig rapid left to do. The Colorado through theGrand Canyon saves the best till last it was theinfamous Lava Falls. Infamous because it canbite. A grade 9 rapid with a huge pour over raftflipping hole on river left that should be avoidedat all costs. Needless to say there are alsonumerous monster waves throughout.

Lava Falls was everything I had expected andworse. All other rapids we had encountered had away through that you could visually see, a placewhere the quieter water lay and an 18ft raft couldsneak through. Lava was different! It was big,munchy and waiting to eat us up. We scouted therapid on river right and there was a sombre feelto the group. Finally, after much pointing atwaves, routes, holes and places to avoid everyone

ThePaddler 24

after a week or so

The water reacts to obstacles like rocks, ledges andholes by becoming stacked or bunched againstthese obstacles and creates waves that stand inplace. The wave stays there and the water flowsthrough it. We were about to collide with our wave.If we got it right we could flow through withoutflipping. We crashed into the wave, a wall of waterwent over the front knocking Patrick and I down.The boat stalled but then bounced up and over theworst of it. We made it if only just!

Our two other boats we're less lucky. The oarsmanon the second boat made a good entry but waspushed hard right and got stuck spinning against ahuge rock. Pulsing up and down against the slaband being spun at the same time. Our third boatfared no better, like us they had been knocked by

ThePaddler 25

walked back to the boats. I felt physically sick. Iwas tempted to avoid the rapid under the guiseof filmmaking and clamber along the shorelineonce the boats were through...but deep down Iknew I had to face up to our nemesis or I wouldforever be disappointed with myself.

We pushed back into the current. The oarsmenwere quieter than usual. A right line was thegeneral consensus but there was going to be ahuge wedge of luck to getting through. Patrick,Dwight and I were in the lead boat. We hit thetongue first and pulled hard right before theoars were knocked out of Dwights hands. Welost the line and from there it was a case of T-upor go over. Dwight managed to get the oarsagain just in time to hit another huge wavesquare on. The pulses of water knocked the oarsfrom his grip again. A desperate scrabble for theoars ensued as we could see one of the biggestwaves at the bottom that we had been desperateto avoid was right in our path.

Lava was different! It was big, munchy and waiting to eat us up.

Favourite camping spot

SEE HANNAHS 3D GRAND CANYON FILM

the power of the first waves and had lost the gripon their oars. Whilst reaching back for his oarsMark was dumped into the water. We had a longswimmer... someone who was in the rapid. Thiswas really not good. Fortunately, Joseph scrambledto take Marks place and steered as best he couldthrough the rest of the rapid.

I can't imagine what swimming Lava Falls must belike but what I do know is the ashen, pale face ofthat oarsman as he was pulled out of the water isas close as I ever want to come to knowing.

Our second boat, still spinning and swirling intheir deceptively dangerous monster rock eddyfinally managed to get out and pushed through therest of Lava Falls to join us. Everyone had a fairlyemotional reunion. We were all in one piece andalive to tell the tale. Lunch in a shady spot enabledus to gather ourselves physically and emotionally.We had taken the worst and we had made it. Therewere still rapids to run and days to paddle but wefelt we'd put the most serious stuff behind us.

The next few days were very calm. The river wasstill flowing fast but it was deeper and there wereno significant rapids. We eventually passedthrough the Grandwash Cliffs and suddenly theGrand Canyon disappeared. We were nowessentially in Lake Mead, which is created by theHoover Dam that feeds Las Vegas miles ahead.

Early on the final morning we beached the boats atPearce Ferry and derigged. Waiting for the outfitterseveryone was quiet, tired and introspective. Itcertainly struck me that it was going to take a whileto absorb our whole experience.

ThePaddler 26

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ThePaddler 28

MysteriousislandMysteriousislandMysteriousisland

Kayaking in the land of odd things

ThePaddler 29

MysteriousislandMysteriousislandMysteriousisland

Dropping a kayak in a nameless, rainforest riverbeneath wild mountains on an island wherealmost everything is weird can be thrilling or justplain crazy, as don Pinnock discovered.

Kayaking in the land of odd things

It was the third day of kayaking the waterways ofthe densely forested south eastern region and westill had a long way to go. Rather by chance wediscovered that the river passing through the lakeknew the way, its inky stream the only movingthing among the towering fronds. But as theincreasingly rapid flow twisted us this way andthat, slamming the kayaks into the tangled rootsystems, I remembered the crocodiles.

If Madagascar were a sleeping dragon, its headwould be in Antsiranana in the north; its heart inAntananarivo, the capital, and its spiny backbonewould run down the east coast from Toamosinato Fort Dauphin. That backbone, the steep edgeof the Imerina plateau, forces cyclones swarmingin from the Indian Ocean to drop their loadagainst its eastern flanks. This creates rivers andlagoons which lattice across more than athousand kilometres of tropical lowlands,feeding dense, rich rainforest.

In the 19th century, French colonists connectedthe lagoons with a series of canals, forming a800-kilometre transport waterway, the Canal desPangalaines. They abandoned the project around200 kilometres north of Fort Dauphin, leavingthe area to lemurs, tenrecs, crocs and a sprinklingof fisher folk. That's the area we'd come toexplore. The region is wilder, the lakes and riversmore overgrown and secretive. People stared inwonder at our passing and at one point childrenran screaming in fright as we emerged from achannel.

We'd put in three days earlier at a stream that hadno name with the idea to scout a route thatothers could follow. Behind us, purple peaksdrew a jagged line across the western sky. Theonly movement was the ripples radiating fromour yellow kayaks and malachite kingfisherszipping alongside us. Besides our local guide,Ernest Adriamanarina and myself, the teamconsisted of Debby Oscroft, Dylan Kotze, BrianBerkman and JP Fluckiger all with varying skillsin a kayak. Brian and JP mounted a video cameraon the nose of their boat but, while trying towork out how to go straight, it was almostimmediately scraped off by a branch and lost.

ThePaddler 30

madagascars a strange place

But nothing not spiky tenrecs, thumbnail-sized chameleons or dancinglemurs was weirder than the lake of elephant ears. They might have beenrelated to delicious monster pot plants but almost no living thing inMadagascar is like anything elsewhere in the world. There was a huge forestof them sprouting out of the water and when they swallowed us we wereunable to navigate. We plunged into the impossible green maze and hopedfor the best.

That backbone, the steep edge of the Imerina plateau, forces cyclones swarming in from the

Indian Ocean to drop their load against its eastern flanks

ThePaddler 31

cooking upcuriouscreatures

Madagascar has 101 lemur species, more than 70chameleon species (some metre-long dragons) andseven species of baobabs. And for added oddity, lets notforget the predatory fossa and 34 species of tenrec. AndNile crocs.

How they all got to Madagascar nobody really knows.The island fled Africa 88 million years ago, shed India which drifted up to bother Asia and create theHimalayas. Then, in blissful isolation after all that tectonicruckus, it cooked up some decidedly strange creatures.

To get there they must have sailed or swum, but, with noopposition, they invented new versions of themselvesand are now all shapes and sizes. Except the crocs, whichseem happy the way they've been for 80 million years.

Figuring out fadyFady is a taboo system so complex that neighbouringvillages and even close neighbours dont necessarilyshare it. Taboos can vary from family to family,community to community or even person to person.

Perhaps eating pork is fady, or digging a grave with aspade, which doesnt have a loose handle, is fady (nottoo much contact between the living and the dead). InImerina area its fady to hand an egg to someone, itmust first be put on the ground. In many areas itsfady to work in the rice fields on Thursdays, or workat all on Tuesdays.

A close relative of fady is vintana, which is a sortof personal taboo which cuts up time into goodtimes and bad times to do things, which meanspeople might suddenly stop what theyre up toand sit down for an hour or two. Somethings, though, are generally agreed to befady, like chameleons and lemurs, thoughnot aye-ayes or tenrecs.

ThePaddler 32

the redisland

ThePaddler 33

Five hoursof rivers, lakes and lagoons later we stopped forlunch and to rest our aching arms.Curious fan palms peered down at usand a raptor circled high overhead.Other than by road, there was noconnection to the next water system(the French would have fixed that), soour kayaks were portaged while wetrudged north along the seashore.

We passed through a small village thatwas built entirely of palm poles andfronds. Apart from the clothingidentifying the century of its friendlyresidents, they could have been in anyearlier one. Beyond the village,walking through valleys and alongbeaches shaded by coconut palms, wenever saw a single person.

That night we camped in a forestbeside the beach and slept to thecrunch and hiss of waves. In the nightDebby popped out the tent with atorch and found tenrecs scuttlingeverywhere. As creatures go, like allother Madagascan mammals, they'rebest described by what they're not.They arent shrews, platypuses,hedgehogs or guinea pigs, but havesomething in common with all ofthese. Unfortunately they aren't fadyso they tend to get eaten.

On day two we walked over severalsand dunes to be reunited with ourkayaks. The sweet sound of singing ledus to youngsters tending fish trapsalong a lake shore. Some hours laterwe lunched on bananas beside crabcatchers in dugout canoes, whoproudly displayed their fearsome,snapping prey.

ThePaddler 34

Beyond a lake we entered a bay sheltered by granite rocks and ran upa beach beside a restaurant, chalets, top-class food and, above all,

hot showers

ThePaddler 35

After that some of us got lost up a narrow, muddy creek but our guide, Ernest,said not to worry because Madagascan crocs were small anddidnt eat people. After some mud wading we found ourcampsite wed been paddling for six hours. Brian floppedinto a chair and stared, glazed, across the lake towards themountains, one of the most magnificent views of the trip.Then he closed his eyed and pronounced, I'm totally @@@!

The following day, the lake of elephant ears led to a riverrunning alongside a hill of towering rainforest. It began inmangroves with their sinuous legs in the water and rose upthrough palms to high, mysterious, canopy forest. Thereshould have been a sign reading: HERE BE LEMURS ANDMAYBE DRAGONS.

Beyond a lake we entered a bay sheltered by granite rocks andran up a beach beside a restaurant, chalets, top-class food and,above all, hot showers. Manafiafy, owned by WelshmanEdward Tucker Brown, just has to be on the list of the mostidyllic resorts in the country and was our reward for all thehard paddling. There was even a pretty masseuse for wearybacks and shoulders.

Our kayaking ended in the bay 45 kilometres from where westarted, but there was one more quest ahead: lemurs. In theforests around the lodge they were high and shy, so on the wayback home we visited a lemur reserve near Antananarivo.

As a sifaka lemur bounded across an open space like a danceron steroids, Brian stared at a ruffed lemur regarding him withpuzzlement and wide-eyed curiosity.This place, he said,holding its unblinking gaze and in a tone that encompassed allof Madagascar, 'is decidedly strange.'

ThePaddler 36

location: Madagascar is situated off the coast of Mozambique insouthern Africa and covers an area of 587,040 sq km, (similar in size toKenya and France). Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island. Theisland was created when it separated from the Indian subcontinent 80-100 million years ago.

weatHer: Madagascar's climate is tropical along the coast with atemperate inland, and arid in the south. The best time of the year tovisit is probably September/November after the cool, dry winter butbefore the hot rainy season. Cyclone season is February to Marchwhen the climate is at its rainiest.

HealtH: Madagascar is a high risk malaria area, so prophylactics arestrongly recommended. Yellow fever, typhoid and cholera vaccinationsare also recommended.

sPecies: 250,000 species are found here, of which 70% are foundnowhere else in the world. Of the estimated 14,000 plants native toMadagascar, 90% are found nowhere else in the world. With 26endemic families and more than 470 endemic genera, Madagascar isone of the richest places on Earth for higher level endemism. Of the50 different kinds of lemurs, 10 are critically endangered, seven areendangered and 19 are considered vulnerable. There are sevenspecies of baobab trees in Madagascar compared to only one in all ofthe rest of Africa. The Toliara coral reef, off Madagascar's southwesterncoast, is the third largest coral reef system in the world. Recent surveysindicate that coral diversity is higher in Madagascar than in any of theEast African states or the Red Sea. The region also has the mostextensive mangrove coverage in the Western Indian Ocean.

deForestation: Analysis of satellite imagines indicates that forestcover has decreased by almost 40% from the 1950s to 2000. This forestdestruction and degradation threatens thousands of species withextinction. Experts now predict that Madagascar has already lost 90% ofits original forest cover. The exposed soil gives the island its red colour.

wHat to taKe: For kayaking take a long-sleeved t-shirt, lots ofsunscreen, a hat and a kikoi to keep the sun off your legs as youpaddle. Dont forget mozzie spray. There are coral reefs along theshore so bring a mask and snorkel .

GettinG tHere: Air Madagascar flies to Antananarivo fromJohannesburg on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Contact them onwww.airmadagascar.com.

How to booK: The adventure described here was anexploration trip for Jenman Madagascar Safaris. They're now offering iton their Madagascar itinerary. Contact them on 021 683 7826, email [email protected], web www.jenmansafaris.com orwww.travel2madagascar.com.

Price From UK: The trip costs 1,600 (a person for a minimumdeparture of four people. The price includes meals and local beverages,return international flights from Johannesburg to Antananarivo on AirMadagascar, domestic flights from Antananarivo to Fort Dauphin andaccommodation at Manafiafy Beach and Rainforest Lodge, Pavillion delEmyrne in Antananarivo and Kaleta Hotel in Fort Dauphin.

INFORMATION

Google map

Madagascar

www.jenmansafaris.com

Soak up the sun on unspoilt, idyllic beaches

Experience exotic & amazing wildlife

Kayak on an incredibly beautiful & pristine river

11 days of barefoot luxury adventure & relaxation (includes 4 nights at the 4* Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge on fully inclusive basis and 4 nights barefoot luxury camping, all other nights in up-market accommodation. Includes local drinks and all meals.)

Priced from 1,451 pp sharing (excluding flights)

Madagascar Barefoot Luxury Kayak Adventure

Madagascar Your Adventure, Our Expertise:

+27 21 683 7826www.travel2madagascar.com

:

Soak up the sun on unspoilt, idyllic beaches

Experience exotic & amazing wildlife

Kayak on an incredibly beautiful & pristine river

11 days of barefoot luxury adventure & relaxation (includes 4 nights at the 4* Manafiafy Beach & Rainforest Lodge on fully inclusive basis and 4 nights barefoot luxury camping, all other nights in up-market accommodation. Includes local drinks and all meals.)

Priced from 1,451 pp sharing (excluding flights)

Madagascar Barefoot Luxury Kayak Adventure

Madagascar Your Adventure, Our Expertise:

+27 21 683 7826www.travel2madagascar.com

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OCPaddler

Sanctuary

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SanctuaryThePaddler 41

[Middle English, from Old French sainctuarie,from Late Latin sanctuarium, from Latin sanctus, sacred; see sanctify.]

plural sanc.tu.ar.iesnoun \san(k)-cha-,wer-e\

A place of refuge and protection (2): a refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled and hunting is illegal

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We had a lynx run across the road in front of us. This was the first wild cat Ive encountered, which is always a lovely way to

start a trip

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HistoryThe Bowron Lakes are located in thenorthern Rocky Mountains 120 kms eastof Quesnel in British Columbia. Originally,hunters and trappers with several cabinsand lodges residing on the shores of thelakes frequented the Bowron Lakes andthe surrounding forests and mountains. by Jody dymond

The park covers an area of approximately 149,207hectares and within its boundaries are a set of 11 lakesconnected by portages and rivers. In total therectangular circuit covers 116kms of some of theworlds finest backcountry canoeing. The main lake wasformerly known as Bear Lake, but was established asBowron Lake in 1961 and was named for John Bowron,the first Gold Commissioner of near Barkeville. Due tothe increased number of moose and other big game inthe early 1900s, there was interest from hunters in thearea and soon hunting outfitters set up shop. FrankKibbee ran the largest game-hunting outfitter in thearea and in 1921 Kibbee Lake was named after him. In1961, the recreational reserve was purchased by theBritish Columbian Government and designated aProvincial Park.

tripAs we knew we were going to be paddling as a groupand since the Bowron Lake Circuit is a world-renownedpaddling destination, we booked our departure date inthe park and paid park fees in March 2013. While thisseems really early, good dates book up quickly,especially long weekends and it is imperative that youhave your departure date booked before you or yourgroup book flights, as was the case for us.

After picking up the group from Calgary InternationalAirport (YYC) on August 24, 2013 we made a quick pitstop at Mountain Equipment Co-op to pick up any lastminute personal trip items then headed to our firstcampground, Tunnel Mountain in Banff National Park.

The next morning we decided to get up and leave asearly as possible, knowing that the drive would be quitelengthy. From here on our journey takes us north upthrough the Rocky Mountains, passing by theColumbia Icefield, Athabasca Falls, Jasper, GrandeCache, McBride, and the northern most point of thetrip, Prince George. From Prince George we had a three-hour drive south to the Bowron Lake Provincial Park.This part of the trip takes you through a lot of forestand some gravel roads. Just before arriving at BeckersLodge (the outfitters whom we hired boats from) wehad a lynx run across the road in front of us. This wasthe first wild cat Ive encountered, which is always alovely way to start a trip. Because we arrived at BeckersLodge after hours, we had to stay in the campground asopposed to the Lodge, which was a two-minute drivetowards the lake.

The following morning, we again got up about 0600 to get ready and to get up toBeckers Lodge to organize equipment to ensure we were ready for the0900 orientation at the Bowron Lakes Provincial Park registration hut.

The briefing that everyone has before youre allowed on the circuit lastsfor approximately 30-minutes, 20 minutes of which is a video plus 10minutes of main bullet points a ranger addresses. These points are aboutsafety, attracting attention, storing food in a bear cache, andremembering to pack out what you pack in. This is a favoured saying bypark authorities in backcountry settings to ensure that people dont litteror leave food wastes allowing others to equally enjoy a pristinewilderness. This very much reminds me of a saying back in the UK, Takeonly memories, leave only footprints. If paddling as a group, the rangersare supposed to go over campsites with you prior to departure. Theranger at our orientation was new and unfortunately didnt go over theimportance of designated campsites. After the brief, every boat has thecombined kit weighed to prevent over erosion of the portage paths. Thisweight cannot exceed 60kg per boat. Now the real journey begins

The circuit itself is 116.4 km in total length with a portage total of 10.8km. From the registration centre, the initial walk into Kibbee Lake is anarduous 2.4 km. This trail is rough under foot and very steep. This is agreat initial warm up for your muscles and sets the standard for whatsahead. After about 45 minutes we reached Kibbee Lake. After a brief rest,we got on the water and paddled up through the slough and reeds,opening to the main lake itself. Kibbee Lake is quite small in relation tothe other lakes of the circuit but is very scenic none the less. This is agood place to spot beavers and waterfowl in the summer. After a shortpaddle across the lake, we arrived at campsite 2, which is a groupcampsite, and the egress for the second portage, the campsites are allnumbered 1-53 with a designation of either an individual campsite or agroup campsite. If you are paddling individually (a non- registeredgroup of seven people or less) you are entitled to stay at any of thecampsites, but if you choose to stay at a group site and a group turns up,you will be asked to move on to the next available site.

bear cachesFrom campsite 2, we loaded the boats back up with the allocated kitand had remaining kit in 90L rucksack drybags, which everyonecarried. This 2km portage begins with a long but relatively easy inclineand finishes with a decline onto Indian Point Lake. This is where youget your first true glimpse of the scale of the larger lakes on the circuit.After a 30-minute stop and some homemade jerky and trail mix, wegot the boats ready and paddled towards campsite 7, our first pit stopof the circuit. All of the campsites are equipped with a pit toilet andsteel bear caches. The bear caches themselves are for storing all smellyitems such as food, soap, toothpaste and sun cream when you arentusing them. Bear caches are there to be used and it is very prudent foryou to use them. After setting up camp (Pete, Ash, and myself inhammocks with Clive and Susie, and John and Tracy in tents) Iprepared the first group meal, a tuna pasta. My wife, Nicole, took timeto try dehydrating food for the trip as there is no access to refrigerationand she wanted creative and tasty meals. It should be noted that if youdehydrate tuna it needs to start rehydrating at lunch, not five minutesbefore dinner as we discovered. Saying that, the meal was still edibleand much needed sustenance to give us energy for the days ahead.

ThePaddler 44 The bear caches themselves are for storing all smelly items such as

food, soap, toothpaste and sun cream when you arent using them

Ash and I, we demoing tandem ferry-gliding and breaking in and out and generally playing about on

the chute rapid

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The bear caches themselves are for storing all smelly items such as

food, soap, toothpaste and sun cream when you arent using them

Wooden carving I made whilst at camp 3 with all the group members names and the date of the trip

Although notoriously windy, the snow-capped mountainsand glaciers make for an amazing backdrop and

great photo opportunities

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After dinner, a few of us tried our hands atfishing. Although we didnt catchanything, it was still a good laugh.Thats what its all about anyways,right? As it got dark, we had a hotchocolate and good natter aroundthe campfire before turning in for agood nights sleep. We all fell asleepto the howling of wolves in the area.

The following morning we got up early toget a good head start. It was decided thenight before that wed try to get as muchpaddling done as possible to make the tailend of our trip a bit less strenuous. Fromcampsite 7 we paddled the remainder ofIndian Point Lake. Just beyond campsite 8there is a small stream, which runsnortheast and will take you up to campsite9, the egress for the third portage. This1.6km portage between Indian Point Lakeand Isaac Lake is significantly more difficultthan the previous two. Paddling later on inthe season meant that the water line waslower. From waters edge to the start of theportage trail is a muddy embankment thatyou need to get all of your kit and boat sortedon. The portage is probably the worst out ofall of the portages we did, with narrow,undulating track, and steep inclines but itbecomes rewarding whenyou reach the access ofIsaac Lake.

Although our groupdidnt see a moose, thislakes edge was covered infresh tracks. I can onlyassume this is because wewere crossing at mid-dayand moose tend to bespotted more in earlymorning or twilight. IsaacLake is heavily exposed tothe elements and for themajority of our paddle wehad the wind in our faces,making for tougherpaddling. Althoughnotoriously windy, thesnow-capped mountainsand glaciers make foran amazing backdropand great photoopportunities. Wepaddled about18km from thestart of Isaac Laketo campsite 21.

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planned group site, but on arrival, there wasalready a registered group camped here, forcingus to move on to campsite 22, another 2kmdown the lake. We arrived when it was gettingdark, so we had to be pretty swift at setting upcamp. Luckily there was already a father/sonteam with a fire started so we could cook dinnerstraight away. After a quick dinner, we were allquite exhausted so we had our hot chocolate andhit the hay.

Day three we started bright and early with a quickbreakfast of porridge and hot tea. The three of usin hammocks decided to get going to secure acampsite for the night while the other four had amore leisurely pack down. Whilst paddlingtowards campsite 28, I decided to try my hand atfishing while paddling, dragging a spinner behindmy boat. To my surprise I hooked quite a few fish.To my disappointment, I didnt get any in the boatas they kept falling off the hook.

Im saying this is because you arent allowed to usebarbed hooks, and not my fishing skills. Campsite28 is pretty much the halfway point of the circuit.This campsite has a group shelter that is purposebuilt open sided log hut with a wood burner andpicnic tables inside. This is a great place to air ordry out kit and relax with a cup of tea, both ofwhich we took full advantage. There is also anemergency phone located here that is linked tothe ranger cabins and is strictly for emergencyuse as listed on the instructions located onthe phone. There is an emergencyphone in every group campsite, andthere are ranger cabins dottedthroughout the circuit.

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thiswas our original

This campsite is adjacent to one of the moving water sections of the circuit called the chute. Paddlers have the option

of running the chute or portaging around it. Thechute is class 2 with two large eddies on river leftand right. The following morning, we had a latercooked breakfast and then decided that thewhole group would run the chute. Pete, Ash, andmyself provided safety for the other fourmembers. Everyone paddled it successfully. Akilometre past the chute, you reach anotherportage. This portage takes you around IsaacFalls, an impressive 11 metre waterfall and leadsyou onto McLeary Lake.

McLeary Lake is one of the prettiest stretches ofwater on the circuit boasting many large fish andalso has an old cabin called Old Freddie BeckersTrappers Cabin, which can be camped in. Doremember that if you do decide to use the oldtrappers cabins to sleep or as shelter, they are verysmall and can be full of mice. This lake providessome of the best views of the Cariboo Mountainsand its glaciers. It is also fantastic for spottingwildlife. After a short paddle McLeary Lake turnsinto Cariboo River where the water turns fromcrystal clear to cloudy and milky. This stretch ofthe circuit is moving water and due to the opacity,it can easily hide underwater objects like gravelbanks and dead-heads. Paddlers be wary.

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This campsite is adjacent to one of the moving water sections of the circuit called the chute. Paddlers have the option

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before the Cariboo River starts to take form onceagain. This joins Lanezi Lake and Sandy Lake.Sandy Lake is shallow and has some of the bestbeaches on the circuit and if you decide to stayhere theres an optional portage to Hunters Lake,which is one of the best lakes to fish for trout.

moose This section of the Cariboo River leads to theaccess points for Unna Lake or the portage trailto Babcock Lake. If you decide to stay at UnnaLake there is an optional 1.2km hike into theCariboo Falls, which is a 24 metre waterfall, anda great place to see Osprey, Eagles, Moose andthe odd bear. We decided to head for camp 43 onthe eastern edge of Babcock Lake and in my eyesit was the best camp site on the whole trip. Thisleg of the journey winds up with a paddle downthe very narrow Babcock Creek past anotherranger cabin and onto the shorter portage trail(1.2km) leading to Babcock Lake.

Many moose have been spotted grazing along theshores of Babcock Lake and we were lucky enoughto have a cow moose graze on the shore for themajority of the evening and then again in themorning. Later that evening as we all sat aroundthe fire Tracey spotted what was first thought to bea pine martin, but I later found out was in fact afisher. This is a close relative to the pine martinand look very similar but the fisher is almost pureblack in colour. Several of the trees surroundingthe camp site had claw marks from bears. Theymark the trees to show to other passing bears thatthis is their territory and how big they are by theheight of the marks on the trees.

Day six marks our last morning on the LakeCircuit. After breaking camp, getting on the waterand waving goodbye to our friendly moose weheaded up Babcock Lake. This half of the circuitright up to Unna Lake campgrounds can be doneas a separate circuit with fewer and shorterportages and only has half of the precipitation ofthe eastern side. Families often frequent this halfso understandably our group saw a lot morecongestion on this last leg. From Babcock Lake toSpectacle Lake there are two short 0.4 kmportages, which are separated by Ski Lake, thesmallest lake you traverse on the whole circuit.

on moving water, this stretch provided somemuch needed relaxation. We could have a laughand enjoy each others company without feelingthe need to just press on. Part way down theCariboo River, we heard loud cracking and sawmovement on the riverbank but to our dismaycouldnt see the cause of the ruckus. It couldeasily have been a moose or a bear. There aremany Grizzlies and Black Bears within the area.As the Cariboo River starts to narrow, we paddledinto Lanezi Lake which is one of the larger lakeswith many evident avalanche chutes and glaciercarved cirques running down the sides of MountIshpa and onto the lakes edge.

Mount Ishpa is the First Nations Taakulli wordfor father and is the highest mountain in thewhole of the park standing at approximately8,000 feet. These huts are good places to look forgrizzly and black bears feeding due to the highsource of food types like wild berries and youngvegetation which is highly nutritious. After acouple of hours of paddling we reached campsite 34. This is a group site with a group shelter.There is also a single camp site 33 adjacent to 34but separated by Turner Creek. That eveningmany other paddlers arrived at this site proving itto be one of the busiest sites on the circuit. We all

enjoyed an evening meal of hunterssauce with pasta, another of my wifes

dehydrated meals that went down wellwith all group members. That evening we

all enjoyed a few games of cards and somehot chocolate before heading to hammocks

and tents for a good nightssleep.

The next morning after getting up,having some porridge and a coffee for

breakfast we once again loaded boats andheaded out onto Lanezi Lake. It started to rainafter we started paddling, which was bearable butto paddlers coming here, this area is stilldesignated a rainforest. Many of the groupmembers, myself included, were rather jealous ofPetes cag and shorts, which seem to be far morefitting than a pair of board shorts and a Gore-Texjacket. The kit is very well suited to this kind ofexpedition paddling due to its small pack size, itkeeps you warm even when wet and dries in notime at all.

As we paddled along Lanezi Lake we spotted manyfish jumping and swimming around the boats, apair of osprey and a golden eagle. Pete spotted abear passing across one of the avalanche chutesbut unfortunately couldnt get to the camera intime before the bear moved back off into theforest. Still he was very happy to see him even if itwas only for a minute or so. We paddled for a littleover one hour from east to west on Lanezi Lake

as the group were comfortable

We were lucky enough to have

a cow moose graze on the shore for the majority of the evening and then again in the morning

After paddling half way along Spectacle Lake wereached Pats point, where we stopped for a spotof lunch and a stretch. Here we were approachedby Park Rangers and informed that we wouldneed to paddle out of the circuit on this day asopposed to camping an additional night becauseof no available campsites. Even though we hadintentions to camp another night at campsite 53,there were many rewards with paddling out early.These included a hot shower, beer, and a hotfeast of leftover camping grub.

After leaving Pats Point we paddled theremainder of Spectacle Lake up to thenorthernmost point where the Bowron Riverbegins. As we paddled downriver there werenumerous Beaver lodges and tracks so this wouldbe the best place to spot Canadas nationalanimal. The river itself winds quite narrowly forabout 2km until you reach the opening of theBowron Lakes eastern shores. Once again westopped for a quick snack of jerky and trail mixwhere we watched a Golden Eagle bring a fishdown to the shore and eat only a few feet in frontof us.

Once we regrouped, we set off on the last paddleof our trip. Crossing the Bowron Lake itself, wenoticed many powerboats, which seemed to befishing and water skiing. This is the only lake inthe circuit that allows recreational power boats.After an hour we reached the north shore dock,where we were picked by Beckers Lodge. Luckily,we managed to just get to the Lodge before theyshut for the evening, saving us from having tocamp on the shore. And so the journey ends

authors note: There is a plethora of information available onlineregarding the circuit that is very helpful prior toplanning your trip. I can also be contacted for anyquestions. Id like to personally thank HennessyHammocks, Beckers Lodge, Reed Chillcheater, BCParks, and all the members of the group: Clive andSusie Doe, Pete Richardson, Ashley Davies, JohnBowler, and Tracey Cox. A special thanks goes out tomy wife, Nicole, for all of her help planning the tripand for all of the food preparation.

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