Fraser River Canoe Trip - Kid & Beginner Friendly

The "Mighty" Fraser River may be one of the most under-utilized and under-appreciated waterways (by paddlers) that I can think of and it's one of my favourites VERY close to home.

The Fraser is the longest river in British Columbia, named after explorer, Simon Fraser.  The first nations name (which I actually prefer) is the Sto:lo River and it flows from, Prince George, BC through city of Vancouver, BC to the Pacific Ocean.

Teresa and Kennedy

I was first introduced to the idea of paddling on the Fraser, by my husband, Mark and in our early dating years I thought he was crazy.  The idea of paddling down this particularly river frightened me and thankfully I got over this and ventured out with him one weekend.  I am happy to report that there have been many more Fraser River trips since then and the most recent was experienced by experienced, novice and first-time paddlers, not to mention, 2 kids (7 yrs old and 3.5 yrs old).

Our youngest paddler, Owen!

A bunch of our "motley" crew

 I love the beautiful sandy beaches and the non-technical aspect of the section between Hope, BC and Chilliwack, BC.  Hazards on the river are namely wind, power boats, immersion and some bridge pilings (all pilings are completely avoidable).  This year, the anglers in our group, happily enjoyed the record sockeye run and Mark ("Englishman") got the title of successful hunter this trip!

Mark with his catch!

Janyne trying out the stern position during her 2nd trip down the Fraser

We typically do the trip in September and October as the river is running quite high during the summer months and most available campsites will be under water.  Friends and family have an open invitation to join us particularly if they can gather a few more experienced paddlers, our goal is always to have as many experienced paddlers as possible so we can share the adventure with those that would be unable to do so on their own.

Group shot (L to R): Morgan, Owen, Mark, Liz, Mark, Kennedy, Eric, Teresa and Janyne

I hope you enjoy a few photos from our recent trip.  Thanks to Janyne, Teresa, Kennedy, Eric, Mark, Liz, Morgan, Owen and my husband, Mark for sharing the adventure and the beauty of the Fraser River with me recently. 

SUP and the Shuswap River with Eli Fischbuch

This season has been a bit different for me than last because I am not doing as many races.  I decided this year to just commit to four races over the summer and this has given me some time to do some other kinds of paddling and adventures.  I have done some long paddles on the Shuswap, spent a day paddling at Adams Lake and helped with some kids camps at Kalavida Surf Shop.

One super cool paddle that I did was on the lower part of Shuswap river (lies Northeast of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia).  This part of the river is wide and slow moving which makes it a nice relaxing time on the water. Even for the more beginner paddler you can still have a fun time on this river. 

 I started at Grinrod Park and I finished at Mara Lake, which was a total of 18 km.  This may seem like a lot but you are on a river that does have a current so it is not so bad, there are even cool places to stop along the way for a lunch break like little islands in the middle of the river.

One of the reasons we decided to paddle this part of the river is on July 27 the Lower Shuswap River Stewardship Society held a “No Wake Flotilla” and paddled this stretch of river to raise awareness about the effects of power boats on the shoreline and the river. We had planned to take part but then couldn’t go that day so went the next weekend instead.  When we were on the river we could see the effects from boat wakes – there are lots of trees fallen in the river because the banks have eroded away.  When we got closer to Mara Lake there were a few boats towing wakeboarders or tubes on the river.  So even though this is a very easy river to navigate you still have to watch out for boats. Most of them do slow down but you should still keep to the side and just keep an eye when you go around blind corners. 

Since this is a river I used an all round surf board just because it is more stable than a race board and I was in no hurry to get down.  I also used my Werner Nitro M, which I found worked perfect for this river because the paddle blade does not have a huge surface area so it would not put a lot of strain on my shoulders.  You want to be comfortable for when you are paddling for along time. 

Next up for me is the Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge in Hood River which I am super pumped about.

***we will be seeing Eli this weekend at the Kalamalka Classic in Vernon, BC hosted by Kalavida Surf Shop and we are sure we will hear all about his Columbia Gorge experience.***

Stand Up Paddling - Copper Island Provincial Park

Welcome, guest-blogger Eli Fischbuch!

Now that school is done for me we have headed back to our cabin in Blind Bay, BC. One of my favorite places to paddle here is out to Copper Island, which is just out from Blind Bay. I thought I would do up a trip report in case there are others looking for new places to paddle.

Copper Island is the only Island on the Shuswap Lake and is a Provincial Park.  This makes it a neat destination for the day.  On this island there is a small rocky beach on the north side.  You can access the 3 kilometers trail that circles the island from this little beach.. There is an awesome view on the south side of the island from the trail.  If you are up for more excitement there is also cliff jumping on the south side of the island.  There are three main jumping heights 20, 45, and 65 feet.

From the main public beach in Blind Bay to Copper Island it is around 4 kilometers and from Reedman’s Point, which is also a public beach, it is about 2 kilometers.  If you want a little bit of a longer paddle you can go to Shuswap lake Provincial Park, which is across the lake another 1.5km approx.  There is also camping at this park, which there is not at Copper Island.

We find the best time of day to do this paddle is in the early morning before all the boats get out on the lake and make it choppy. But it can be fun to surf some boat wakes later in the day too! Sometimes we pack a breakfast and paddle out, do the trail and have breakfast before we paddle home.

Blind Bay is 25kms west from Salmon Arm right off the trans Canada Hwy..

Paddling to Protect Our Precious Waterways

In the summer of 2013, I had the pleasure along with, Werner Paddles to help sponsor a group of guys with
a mission, a mission to bring awareness to protecting rivers in the Northern Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska.  As the guys said, "we didn’t want to just complete it (a massive paddling trip); we wanted it to mean something."  Paddle For The North they are Gabe Rivest, Simon Lucas, Scott Stinton, Michah Rauguth, Matt Holmes and DD aka. Alexandre Deschenes-Denomme!

On July 3rd they set out on a 1500km adventure that we take them on the Hart, Peel, Rat, Bell, Porcupine and Yukon Rivers - sometimes going UPSTREAM!!!  See the map of their route HERE.

Armed with their beautiful and lightweight Werner Carbon Bandits they had one hell of an adventure and they documented their entire trip.

In the fall of 2014, they will premier their paddling documentary in Whitehorse, Yukon and then hopefully around the world.

Here is teaser...



Trip leader Gabe, gave a presentation at the Yukon College in Whitehorse, here's the link if you would like to check it out.

We know these guys won't be sitting still for long and we are exciting about the possibility of working with them again but with more of our awesome brands!!!!

Looking forward to my next trip the Yukon!!!

Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium 2014 - Rough Water Paddling is a Team Sport by Kate Hives

Thanks to Nikki Rekman Sales team and Kokatat Regional team member, Kate Hives for this great write up of her recent experience at the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium.  

 It will never cease to amaze me how much I love packing up my kayaking gear, tying down my boat and lashing my paddles to a trailer getting ready to jump into a cramped car for 18 hours with 4 other people. With full knowledge that I will be drinking gas station coffee, eating biscuits smothered in gravy at strange roadside diners at 2:30 in the morning and traveling the same distance back not 3 days later with the same stinky boys and the added bonus of wet gear...I couldn't be more stoked!

           

The whirlwind trip down to San Francisco for the 6th annual Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium was even better than I had imagined. Traveling with coaches Rowan Gloag and JF Marleau, film maker Marty Perry and with Sterling from Sterling's Kayaks at the helm, the drive was an entertaining blur, streaking across Washington and Oregon into Northern California. This event brings together paddlers from across North America of all skills and abilities, with a stellar lineup of coaches, and then lets them loose in one of the most scenic and dynamic ocean environments around.

The monolithic icon of the Golden Gate Bridge frames the awesome ocean playground of tidal races, pounding rock gardens, surf break, kayak fishing and coastal tours of infamous places like Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Organized by Sean Morley and Matt Palmariello both dedicated to the paddling community, the Symposium offers collaborative teaching opportunities for coaches from around the world. It focuses on intensive skill building workshops for students seeking everything from basic rough water skill and rescue refinement to dynamic conditions coaching in rock gardens and surf, long boats and short. The end result is a high concentration of quality coaches and motivated sea kayakers all brought together to create a tight-knit community that rivals the enormity of it's red-gated backdrop.

            ...And all that brings me to the point...

           

 Rough water paddling is a Team Sport!!! The thing that makes all this rough water paddling possible, what allows us to push the limits of what has been done before and have more fun than should be legal while doing it, what helps us to access that deep visceral connection to 'play' is... the people who you get to do all of that with, who support you in your growth and that you trust to save your ass in a tight situation. Yes, sea kayaking can be about the freedom to pick up and leave, off on our own and in charge of our own adventures. This freedom is something that I value deeply and am so often grateful for, but when I decide to go PLAY in some big water, surfing waves into beaches or over rock shelves, I know I will have so much more fun if I know I have my team watching my back...and my boat.

             

On day two we shuttled down to Halfmoon Bay, California. This spot is said to have a great break and the right aspect for the direction of swell we had for the day. Just outside of 'Mushroom Rock' where we were surfing, is where the famous 'Maverics' wave forms up, with the right conditions, for big wave surfing. The swell report was not epic, but we hoped to catch some good waves in more moderate conditions. When we arrived, the sea state was small with a 10-15kn NW wind, creating a little chop and confusion. The waves seemed to be ghosts. One minute you were looking at a 5-6 foot face and the next it had been reduced to a tiny white ripple. As students learned about waves and how to catch even the most elusive, my favourite part was hearing the calls from a friend and fellow paddler sitting outside the surf break, hollering to paddle harder to catch that perfect wave. It's about knowing that if something goes wrong that there will be someone working on making it right. It's about solving a puzzle with the input of other experienced boaters and about the smile on your face when all the pieces finally fit together. What I saw at Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium this year was a sport reinvigorated, tonnes of new and young paddlers bubbling to the surface ready to learn from the masters in order to push this sport into the future.

 

Kate proudly paddles in #Kokatat gear, using #Werner Paddles, while in a #Seals Sprayskirt :)

          

On night two of the event I had the opportunity to present The Hurricane Riders premier screening of our latest film edit called 'King of the Beach' in front of a good sized audience. They were not all there to see me, no, they were all gathered to see what was about to be a most amazing presentation from Eric Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry about their epic journey across Baffin Island by kayak, ski and foot. It was packed with film and photo eye candy and I am glad I did not have to follow that act, but feel honoured to have been able to experience the energy of this community.  Events like Golden Gate not only bring together world class coaches and students but they also create a sense of belonging to those who otherwise enjoy the freedom and autonmy of the kayak. 

 Being jammed in a car for 36 hours is totally worth it, to then be swept up with a whole bunch of strange, usually interesting, talented and often independent people together for a weekend of inspiration, great conversation and some good ol' fashioned shredding! I'm so excited to see so many good friends and new faces and can't wait to see where we steer this ship!!!