Are there clubs or organizations for kayakers to join? There are more clubs in the eastern US than there are out west. Atlanta has a big kayaking club and in the Washington, DC area there is a pretty big...
There are more clubs in the eastern US than there are out west. Atlanta has a big kayaking club and in the Washington, DC area there is a pretty big club. As we get out west we are a little more married to our cars and being mobile and more willing to travel on our own or meeting up with paddlers, but not necessarily doing it as a club outing.
Also, there's not as much need for it here because we go out knowing that somebody is going to be there. For example we are three hours from Los Angeles. People drive up knowing that they are going to see somebody they know out on the water. They may call a few friends to let them know there are going, but they also get there and find people. They do what we call the breakfast circuit where they go around to the cafés in our little mountain town and see cars with kayaks on top and say, "Hey, what are you doing today? Do you want to paddle together?" It's a pretty social group of recreationalists.
One thing about kayaking is that if you want to go from Point A to Point B, you need two cars. One at the drop off point and one at the top. Otherwise you have to hike back with your boat. Another thing is the safety issue. It's just not a good thing to be out there boating alone. If you get in trouble it's nice to have somebody there to help.
Q: Can you race competitively?
Yes, there is white water kayaking in the Olympics. In fact, we had a silver medalist here in Athens. Also there are regional races all over the US. Then there is a World Cup, which is really big in Europe. There are also different types of races - white water and flat water where they race and marathon races.
Q: What is extreme kayaking?
The best way I can describe it is hurling yourself in a boat down ribbons of river that are actually waterfalls. In some places you are in a free fall. The equipment has advanced in the last 20 years to make such things possible. It's truly amazing the difficult stretches of water people can do now.
