Meet the Paddler

Meet the Author

I first met Aaron Stander at a QAJAQ summer camp in Michigan when he let me try a static brace in his Yost SOF (it was to be my first successful static brace). I was immediately drawn to this soft spoken, gentle man. Perhaps it was that we were close in age. Perhaps it was his keen, intellectual and understated humor that made him so pleasant to be with.

I had the pleasure of joining him as a trip escort during this past Grand Marais Symposium where he gifted some of us with a copy of one of his book.

I've just finished reading it, and give it 5 stars. The book is well crafted (what do you expect from an English professor?). The way Aaron makes his characters so real is beyond my writing skills. From an academic stand point, it is first class. But wait:

It is a great read, a murder who-done-it with word pictures of the Michigan dunes area and the forests around them. Without giving anything away, the sheriff is the main character, and an interesting one at that. He has eclectic tastes in food and wine, is obviously educated and...yes, you've guessed it...he kayaks. I swear Aaron would have to play the part if a movie is ever made of the story.

Get this book and enjoy it as much as I have. Better yet, at the next QAJAQ or Grand Marais affair, seek out this man and introduce yourself. You will have enriched your life by doing so. Just tell him that Silbs sent you.

Paddle safe...

DS

Memories

I was looking at the hoards of picture files I have on my PC and couldn't help reliving some memories. Doing so reminded me of the wonderful times I have had paddling these past few years.Like my first QAJAQ camp in Michigan, or...building my SOF and, then...hitting the first roll I tried during her maiden voyage. Then there was my first experience with winter paddling, an experience that opened a whole new world for me.

And, sometimes, the scenery during a quiet paddle on a river:

Build your own memories.

Paddle safe...

DS

Dumb & Dumber?

or

Am I my Brothers' Keeper?

or

Do I worry Too Much?

The other day, while paddling outside the breakwater, I came upon two husky men in boats like this one. They were clearly recreational boats not made for open water and, after watching them for a bit, it was obvious that they knew nothing about paddling. I did not know if they had any pfd's aboard. I made small talk with them before going on my way. After all, it was a calm day, and they could always swim to the breakwater if worse came to worse...if they could swim. A few days later I came ashore after playing in 3 footers outside the wall, and whom do I see?

The two dare devils were getting ready to launch. I wandered over to them, made a brief introduction and, after some small talk, asked where they had gotten their boats (they were Pelicans). The shorter of the two tensed up and asked me where I'd gotten mine. So, I told him. Then I asked if they knew they were in recreational boats and not sea kayaksthat were not designed to handle the waves presently outside of the wall. Shorty insured me that they did this all the time and that they enjoyed it. In response to another question, they assured me that they had pfd's stored below.Last seen, they were at the gap, and it looked as if they were headed outside. I got in my blazer and left. After all, I was out of toe tags.

Paddle safe...

DS

One For The (History) Books

Yesterday, Sunday, Sherri Mertz (center holding paddle), assisted by three of us in safety boats, led 20 new paddlers on a historical paddle of the Milwaukee River.An armada of assorted recreational boats headed south making stops to listen to Sherri's well rehearsed talks about the history of this building and that bridge.This, of course, included the history of Usinger's Sausage Co which has been here for ever. We were, after all, a city settled by Germans and Poles. It was a delightful way to spend a relaxing 3 hours on the water.It was a wonderful event, and no one died. All went well...that is, until the last man, while getting back onto the dock, fell into the river.

Paddle safe...

DS

That Fall Feeling

Soon many of the blogs will be sporting the token fall foliage photo or two. There will be discussions about whether the leaves turn lovely colors v. the color is always there but masked by the chlorophyll during the growing season. And, all the time, the clock will continue to tick away time as leaves and brain cells gradually die off. Getting old can be a bitch.

Oh, I can't complain (like hell I can't complain), I'm still holding my own. I do, however, note some erosion of flexibility and the ability to heal aches and pains. Sometimes, the hardest part of paddling is getting out of the boat. Some days the Romany seems to have gained weight as I lift it off and onto the car. All in all, I am luckier than most my age.

In 1986 I went to the twentieth year reunion of my medical school class only to discover that about 12% of the class were dead. I haven't been back to a reunion since. My high school colleagues have seemed to fair better, and hundreds have already responded to an invite to our 50th reunion next year. Apparently, being a doctor is not good for one's health...unless the doctor paddles.

So, I simply awaken every morning (so far) and bathe in the sense of amazement that I have made it to another day on the right side of the grass. I then get up, more slowly each day, and do my routine, just as if I was 20 years younger. Any time the day (weather and appointments) permit, I shoulder the Romany onto the Blazer and head to one of the local launch sites. Sometimes I dress as if it were colder than it is and do some bracing and rolling...always on Lake Michigan.

And somewhere during each day I take time to look up and say "thank you".

Paddle safe...

DS

Sutton's Law

When I was doing my residency in internal medicine I had a wonderful mentor in the form of the chief of pulmonary diseases. When ever those of us in training were unsure about which tests to order he would always say, "Remember Sutton' law." Willy Sutton was, as you may know, a famous bank robber who finally was captured and brought to trial. When the judge asked him why he robbed so many banks, Sutton is reported to have answered, "Because that's where the money is." The chief was implying that we order the test that is most likely to give us a definitive answer.

All this is by way of introduction to a discussion about the millions of dollars we kayak instructors make annually. Not. The fact is that, aside from someone who owns a shop and/or a guiding business, I know of no one who makes their living teaching kayaking. Sure, some famous paddlers are paid to appear at various gigs, but I speak here of the great unwashed (explains that neoprene smell, doesn't it?).

The main reason most of us teach is because we love the sport and we love to teach. It even goes a step further for me. When I see a paddler who has progressed to a certain level I encourage him or her to take instructor training. I really don't care if they ever teach, but I know the training will make them an even better paddler and a safer paddling partner.

Back to the hard, cold cash end of this mercenary business. Teachers' pay varies depending on whether it is a private lesson, a lesson sponsored by a shop and so on. In most instances, kayak instructors, like myself, never realize a significant gross profit. One needs to remember that we have to buy equipment (more than the average paddler), pay for training (IDW) and testing (ICE), take wildnerness first aid courses and belonging to the ACA safety what ever committee. Then, too, there are re certification costs and, most of all, the cost of gasoline (classes in Madison mean a 160 mile round trip for me). On the asset side is the fact that the shops often give their instructors a favorable discount on equipment. In fact, I doubt that many pay checks make it out of the store.

Remember, too, that many of us give freely of our time and do presentations for groups and local paddle shops. We do this as a give back for what we have gotten from the sport (and I'm not talking money here).

You may want to know that most teaching assignments are done on a hand shake. This is true for classes with a shop or private lessons. I agree to be there, They agree to be there, I show up, they show up, it's all good.Kayak not follow through on their obligation?

Any way, if you want that big mansion, the big car and the expensive clothes, become a kayak instructor and use what little you make to buy lottery tickets.

Paddle safe...

DS

Partying

Old Guy Style

Saturday was our annual block party, and everyone showed up for talk, food and a quiz. someone has prepared a questionnaire about things like, "What famous person once lived on the block," (Brewer's pitcher Teddy Higuera from whom we bought our house). Ansel won as the "most walked dog" on the blockThe presence of more and more children and grandchildren each year has made this a joyful event.

On Sunday, Lady Linda prepared a wonderful brunch for our paddling friends.

Sorry I don't have more shots. Enough to say that there were about 20 paddlers of all ages and all levels. Discussions were going on all over the place while paddling DVD's played on the HD TV. Maybe I should open a sports bar for paddlers.

Paddle safe...

DS

ERRATA
This image of me, which appeared a few blogs back did not have the correct credit. The pic, in fact, was taken by John Browning as we paddled just off Milwaukee
DS

Rx

I have written myself a doctor's excuse and won't be in today to write a blog. In a way, it's a day off for you as well. Be thankful.

Paddle safe...
DS

Get Out And Howl

The moon is kinda like our appendix. We all know it's there but, unless we are song writers, mystics or paddlers, we aren't sure what it does. At his time of the year, as Robin Williams says, the moon hangs "like a testicle" in the sky...but I digress.

Some folks who rarely paddle will be out in the evening to watch the full moon loom over the horizon where it appears ten times larger than when over head. At the same time some song writer will get inspired to pen a love ballad while a mystic or two will "OM" away the evening hours. It's all good and, around here, that's about it.

But those of you who dwell on the coast know how this unplayable ball in the sky can really mess with your trip plans by making the entire ocean move with or against you. So forceful is this movement that they named a laundry detergent after it.

Tides on Lake Michigan are minuscule and virtually never mentioned. In fact, I've never seen a tide table show up around here, even at an after-paddle coffee meet. On the coast, however, it is a big deal and a huge element in planning times of launches and all sorts of things. When these tides oppose a major current unique standing waves are produced which, in turn, lead to wonderful DVD's of kayaks playing in them being produced.

So, hat's off to that little ball of Gouda in the sky and, remember, don't forget your moon screen.

Paddle safe...

DS

OPP

You've heard that the best way to invest is with opm...other people's money. Well, we photographers, concerned with higher art, invest in good images. Some of us produce an enormous body of work and, after we die, no one knows what we looked like because there are no pictures of us. Well, here is one of me, submitted by Doug. In fact, here's another scenery

shot of his which I think is worth viewing: Nice, yes? Still, the best pics that I receive are the one's of my grandchildren. Like the one my daughter took of my grandson's first haircut:And, most recently, the one daughter #2 sent of my next grandchild:It's good to get OPP, and it doesn't matter whether or not I am in them.

Paddle safe...
DS

I Missed It

I didn't make the QAJAQ training camp this year, and I miss it. I also haven't been rolling much, but I hit the vast majority of my rolls when I do. Thing is, it doesn't feel quite as easy as it did in the past. I attribute this to not enough practice. I especially do not get enough practice in my SOF's.

I am not comfortable alone on the big lake in a SOF since it would be difficult, and possibly impossible, to make a wet exit. I want the company of a trustworthy paddler to offer a bow rescue should I lose my paddle and norsac and miss my hand roll. Unfortunately, and not to my credit, I have never practiced the Pretrussin maneuver.

Another factor in my practice is my reluctance to put the SOF in the lake at all. Doing so means having to do intermittent bleach rinses to prevent mildew. Perhaps, then, there is something good to be said about winter coming.

It means I will be headed to the chlorinated waters of the pool and will have no mildew worries. There will also be the presence of other fine paddlers to offer a bow rescue and to stand by when I try the Pertrussin maneuver. There may be hope or us all.

Paddle safe...

DS

Mixing It Up

Finally have gotten back into the gym and doing core work, stretching and treadmill workouts. I am sore. I had, for some time, forgotten to mix it up and work the different muscles of my body. I have also forgotten to mix it up with my interests.

My photography has suffered as I've busied myself with paddling and working on some professional presentations. So, I took the camera, a tripod, a polarizing filter and Ansel to one of the near by rivers and did some simple shots of rushing water. Pretty run of the mill stuff, but it got me out there and thinking imaging again. I better start looking for my gloves.

Paddle safe...

DS

I Feel It In My Bones...

...and I don't much like it. Maybe it's about getting older. Maybe it's about liking my creature comforts too much. What ever, I feel the chill in my bones as fall approaches. Last Saturday, I and some of the students actually put on Farmer Johns after our first wet exits, and the temp was about 70F. The wind was just enough to cool us off.

Maybe, on the other hand, it's a water thing. I still enjoy camping in the fall. In fact, I look forward to being ensconced in a cozy sleeping bag or sitting around a camp fire. In the end, on the water or off, it's all about proper clothing. Or, should I say Layering? Still, as soon as I get wet I easily chill.

I would rather be on freezing water in a dry suit (with fleece underneath) than be wet on a 60F. day. Freud would say it has to do with the wetness in the womb, but he was crazy as hell and never touched a paddle. Perhaps I should put on pounds (instead of always trying to lose them). After all, adipose tissue makes for a wonder insulating layer and increases survival time in conditions that can lead to hypothermia.

I know that when I am done grumbling about it, I will simply dress as if it were 10 degrees colder than it actually is. I would rather feel overheated in a dry suit than slightly chilled in anything else.

Paddle safe...

DS

Teaching Bliss

I have often written about the joys of teaching and, as the season winds down, I am happy to report that I was able to get a session in at 'Baga this past weekend. The air was a bit cooler, and the pond had given up some of its caloric content. The day was made warmer by this delightful family from Iowa (and a few dry suits).

I especially enjoy families, and I especially enjoy them more the younger the youngest might be (I pause while you figure out that last sentence which I am too lazy to rewrite). Lauren is 13.

We all did it all including wet exits, self rescue and T-rescues. Along the way, everyone was open about discussing their concerns and what ever fears they had around water. This, in turn, allowed me to properly (I hope) pace things so that everyone had time to step up and meet their challenges.

They had all paddled before and had some skills. Dad had himself a very nice forward stroke in no time at all and took to the rescues like a fish takes to....you know.

Mom, a dietitian, showed real spunk in dealing with her discomfort with the wet exit and, from then on, got into everything. She obviously enjoyed watching her daughter who, in turn, handled herself well.
Especially when she rescued Dad.

All is well that ends well, and I am glad I had the opportunity and privilege to work with them.

Paddle safe...

DS

Paddling for Fitness

(NOT me)

I was a marathon runner before suffering nerve damage to my left leg. I still miss running and still think it is the ideal sport and exercise. It requires virtually no equipment, other than shoes, and can be done anywhere, anytime and in any weather. Go out the door, and you're off. After a few miles, my mind would slip into a blissful state, and I would put in at least an hour at 8minute/mile pace. I would get in a groove, get exercise, control my weight and feel good. Then it was lost to me as an option, and I eventually found paddling.

Like running, paddling gets me out in all kinds of weather. To be sure, it offers moments of pure joy as I brace into a wave or hit a roll but, when it comes to exercise, it just hasn't done it for me. I used to run "for ever" and I've been known to sit motionless in meditation for a period of time. but I just cannot get into the groove of a really long paddle.

I do know that to do so I need to paddle alone. Nothing upsets my inner Buddha more than having to constantly adjust to the pace of others...which is usually faster than mine (I paddle a 16 foot Romany and am a fragile old fart). Yet, even alone, I just have not been able to find that good place for a long paddle.

A few weeks ago I began trying out other people's paddles. They were, generally, higher angle ones and the blades had larger surface areas. Even though I did not use them in a pure high angle attitude, I did have a different sense of grabbing the water, a sense I do not get with my present blade (Camano). Could it be that using a "heftier" blade might give me that sense of work that is part of the long distance exercise experience? I don't know yet, but it is what I will try next. If you have a solution for me, please don't keep it to yourself.

Paddle safe...
DS

I Gotta' Learn More

(Clinical Judgement)

There is stuff I kind of know a little about, and there is stuff that I really know. Take this EKG for example. To most folks it looks like a bunch of squiggles. Well, actually, that's what it is, however the pattern of this 12 lead EKG tells a story. When looking at it, it takes me about one millisecond to know that this is an inferior wall infarction (heart attack) in a person who has most likely occluded his/her right coronary artery. (There is also a minor right bundle conduction delay, but that is not clinically important). I see the whole thing in a flash...and it only took decades of study and repetition to do so.

Now, let's do the same exercise with this wave which I rode this past winter. I looked at it for a lot more than a millisecond and decided it was a good one to catch. Never mind that I was in a dry suit, the water was at freezing levels and the wave was headed into a small cul de sac full of chunks of ice. So out I went, turned, caught the sucker and began a thrilling ride. Unfortunately, I did not have decades of experience in such situations. Unfortunately I did not notice the crest of the wave catching up with me. Unfortunately I did not appreciate the significance of the bow going under. Unfortunately I pearled and was nearly ground up by the ice. Bad clinical judgment.
Reading EKG's is safer (and pays better) than surfing, and each can be life threatening if done improperly. In the case of the EKG some patient would suffer. With the wave only I could hurt myself. I really don't like either idea very much (although I could "live" with hurting myself a lot easier than I could with harming a patient).

So? So, I need a mentor and instruction and a lot of time "reading" waves. I need that clinical judgment that will help keep me out of trouble. I need to do a residency in surfing. I gotta' learn more about this stuff.

Paddle safe...
DS

Cramming It In

It is cooler today than yesterday, and each day brings a fresh breeze that whispers "fall is coming." Labor day, here in the US, has come and gone, and children have returned to school. The symposiums have come and gone...and were wonderful. Many of our paddlers have used up vacation days for this yearso that their freedom is limited to weekends. Summer has more or less ended. Still, there is the possibilities of many fine days, even weekends (which are always a crap shoot).

What to do? Well, personally, I have my ears open for a few weekend camp outs in Door County coming up this and next month. It will likely be car camping so tents can stay up while we paddle day trips. I also have people to see in other parts of the Midwest. I have Daughters and son in laws in Illinois and Ohio, and fall is a good time to take a little road trip. Now, I need to plan a winter trip to somewhere warm enough to paddle. The calendar be damned.

Paddle safe...

DS

If You Could Have Heard

What We Saw

One of the many possibilities when going for a paddle is to find serenity. On some days the water lays down a soft carpet and makes little if any noise, and there is only the sound of water that drips off the blade during recovery. Attending a big ten football game, on the other hand, is anything but quiet.

Last Saturday Lady Linda, her brother, his wife and I joined along with 88,000 of our closest fellow alumni and students of the U. of Wisconsin (big red) for its first foot ball game of the season. Had you been there, you would not have been able to hear the sound of water dripping off your paddle or, for that matter, a piano falling ten stories and hitting the pavement. The collegiate-alumni crowd was, to saw the least, loud, while atop of all this noise was the magnificent sounds of a huge, and probably the best in the world, marching band.

It started with a pregame concert at the south union, then a parade to the stadium. Then there was constant music, wandering tuba players serenading each section and, of course, the half time show...
...which consisted of the full marching band, the freshman marching band and the alumni marching band. There was, to be sure, no shortage of musicians, instruments or sound. The second half of the game also had a constant sound track with music and silliness going on all the time. And, when it was finally over...
...all the bands, the pom-pom girls and the cheer leaders took to the field for more traditional post game mayhem. You may notice in the above photo that some are doing a polka. They played the Budweiser song (When you've said Wis-consin...you've said it all) along with the Chicken Song and other operatic classics. Finally, when I was sure everyone was too drained to move (remember many of these are college students), the band formed outside the stadium for a parade back to home base.

When I got home I went for a quiet paddle.

Paddle safe...

DS