Sabastian, our Rotary club’s 16-year-old exchange student from Denmark, was introduced to whitewater kayaking on the Red River, which was running at a low, beginner-friendly level on June 12. He did great! A natural on the water. No capsizes other than premeditated ones for safety training purposes at the beginning […]
Category: kayaking
Kayakers Take Their First Plunge Into Whitewater
Northeast Wisconsin Paddlers (NEWP) annual whitewater student outing was held this past Saturday on the Red River. For most of the students it was their first experience kayaking on a whitewater river. It was great to see them challenge themselves by practicing what they learned in the classroom and pool […]
Lester River Race 2018
Held each spring to coincide with the start of the snow melt runoff, the Lester River Race marks the unofficial start to the whitewater kayak season along Minnesota’s North Shore, drawing expert kayakers from across the region. Uniquely situated within the city limits of Duluth on the Lester River as […]
Last Ice Paddle of the Season
Last evening (April 30) I paddled on Green Bay with kayaker friends Mike Stone and Jacob Tarlton. We wanted to paddle around the last big ice sheet remaining on the bay — right in front of my house — which required launching at Volks Landing down the street and paddling […]
An Unsettling Follow-up
This morning I received unsettling — but not completely surprising — news about the identity of a deceased kayaker from Appleton, Wis. Before I tell you about it, let me take you back to March 4 of this year. On that date, NEWP board member Bill Merrick sent an email […]
The Myth of the “Experienced” Kayaker
We’re now in the most dangerous time of year for paddling. Air temperatures are rising. River and lake ice is breaking up. River levels are high. The desire to get on the water in marginal conditions — possibly without proper equipment and training — inevitably leads some people to the […]
Adaptive Paddling with Team River Runner
The first time John Fritzell picked up a kayak paddle he was only 11 years old. Because of a rare neurological disorder, he was physically unable to hold a paddle for the next 39 years. Last Saturday at Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesports expo held annually in Madison, WI, John […]
Grand Canyon this September!
It’s official! I’ll be joining the Team River Runner 2018 Grand Canyon Trip as a kayak safety boater, helping guide five blind military veterans in their kayaks down the mighty Colorado River! I am beyond stoked! Follow the link for more information about the trip, the people who are going, […]
2017 Images in Review
It’s New Year’s Eve so it must be time for a Liquid Adventuring year in review. Three outdoor themes stand out for me in 2017: 1. Stepping up my whitewater kayaking skills on new-to-me rivers out East; 2. Mary and I becoming motorhome owners; and 3. Being named a brand […]
Sesh on the Pesh: 3D Motion Capture with Video
I posted before about 3D motion capture using a Xensr device. Here’s my most recent demonstration, a kayaking session (or “sesh” as the cool kids say) recorded Sunday, Nov. 5 on the Peshtigo River in Wisconsin. To create these videos on my computer, I overlay Xensr moving map and motion […]