What are your thoughts about responsibility when friends get together to paddle? Have you ever found yourself in an uncomfortable or even dangerous situation when there was no clear leader? I spend a lot of time in leadership roles on the water. I lead sea kayak trips on the Great […]
Tag: Lake Michigan
Top 10 Paddle Days of 2021
The Internet loves lists so I’m capping off the year with my top 10 list of favorite kayaking days of 2021. First some stats… Each year I track the “who, what, when, and where” of my paddles, plus other info such as river levels, water and air temperature and so […]
Kayak surfing at Sheboygan on a blustery November afternoon
The wave forecast looked promising and the webcam confirmed it, so John and I answered the call for some Lake Michigan kayak surfing. Air temperature was 37F and water was only slightly warmer but the waves were big and well-spaced so we had to go. With a surprise appearance by […]
Attempting to kayak surf on Lake Michigan during a small craft advisory
Strong wind out of the north pretty much blew out the waves at Sheboygan yesterday afternoon. Not good for surfing but good for an adrenaline rush. With Josh Gundlach and John Hermanson.
Paddling During the Pandemic
It’s tough for kayakers to get out to enjoy the water these days. So far this year COVID-19 travel restrictions and questions about what constitutes safe outdoor recreation during these “uncertain times” have kept some paddlers from paddling. I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of kayaking (28 times this […]
Black Friday 2018 Surfing #optoutside
It was a long time coming. While yesterday meant Black Friday shopping to many, I had something much more fun in mind. With winds out of the east and air temperatures reaching a mild 44F, it was the first decent kayak surf day on Lake Michigan that I could get […]
Kayak Summer Camp: DCSKS
The annual Door County Sea Kayak Symposium (DCSKS) is always one of my favorite weekends of the year. This year the 15th annual DCSKS — my eighth as an instructor — was once again a sold-out event, with 170 paying participants, 30 instructors, a handful of staff members from Rutabaga […]
Assessing a Kayaker’s Skill Level
Have you ever wondered how your paddling skills and knowledge stack up against other kayakers? There are ways to find out. Informally, you can paddle with more experienced kayakers. Observe. Ask questions. Emulate what they do. Maybe you want a more definitive rating of your skills. Or maybe you’re thinking […]
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 […]
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 […]