your first rapid : Seneca breaks ...
skills you now want to understand : how to boof , what strokes to take to paddle with style , how to work the river . At the end of the month you can go on a weekend river trip to the Lower Yough . This is an incredible run just a three-hour drive from home in Ohiopyle , Pennsylvania . You are a real kayaker now .
Over the winter you practice your roll in the pool and maybe invest in a drysuit and pogies to keep your hands warm so you can practice your strokes at Slalom for River Runners . The following spring all of your paddling buddies are signing up for Cheat Lite . You think Why not commit to paddling twice a week in March and April ? Skiing sucks this year around here . So you sign up .
It has been just about a year since you started kayaking . Some of your friends have stuck with it , some have taken the winter off and are trepidatious about getting back in their boats . But you are feeling strong . You paddled in the snow that day this winter after all ! There have been times that you have felt afraid but you are proud of yourself for looking at that fear and listening to it and choosing what challenges you want to take on . Your new confidence and enthusiasm spills over into everything you do . You find yourself talking about boofing and giving a brown claw to other kayakers .
But the biggest gift that kayaking has given you , can give you , has given me , is an amazing , unique community . Age and job title are superfluous on the water . We are out there to have fun , to challenge ourselves , and to keep each other safe . Out on the river these are the things that matter . And suddenly you realize those are the things that matter most to me .
Ashley McEwan is the Adventure Logistics Director for Calleva ’ s River School , in the Ag Reserve . When she ’ s not in the office helping people figure out their adventures , she out on the river teaching kayaking and sharing her enthusiasm for the outdoors with people of all ages . A native of Maryland , Ashley has also spent time living in Hawaii and California . She also enjoys skiing and hiking long distances . www . calleva . org
28 plenty I summer growing 2023