Meet the Paddler

Derrick Mayoleth

(Mr. kayakwisconsin.net)

You may have seen this wonderful man and not known it as he is usually in this, or a similar, position:

Well, I am proud to be able to have captured a rare moment in his life when he was actually just sitting in his boat:

That's because this non-stop, perpetual motion, perpetually creating man is always in action. He sleeps little and is a slave to his right-brained conceptual mind. As a blogger, he is brilliant, prolific and courages (you must see his blog today...but I digress). As a speller of English words...well...he sucks (in real life, spelling doesn't count).This is the man with whom JB and I enjoyed Irish Whiskey and stories-into-the-wee-hours. during the Door County Symposium. He is our friend, and he is an accomplished and progressive paddler who is always pushing himself to learn something more. He worships the goddess Freya, and just might permanently dislocate something if he doesn't stop trying to act like a German gymnastics.It is probably no accident that Derrick exists in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the home of the circus, because that is what his life (at least to me) appears to be. And I envy him.

He is a daddy with a delightful son and a wife who paddles. He white waters, sea kayaks (during which time he is never without his Optio waterproof camera), and he does all the Inuit stuff...and he does it all well.

I cannot get enough of his creative, impulsive and wise thinking and always look forward to his next..often self-effacing-quip. His openess and willingness to share his personal foibles is a testament to his courage.

Meet Derrick, the paddler and blogger and daddy and husband. A man among men.

and you...

Paddle safe..

DS