Urban Oasis and the Outdoor Project.

First day in the States and we ended up on a new adventure. Pulling up at Montlake park in Seattle Tara and I meet Tyson and Tyler who are part of the Out Project, and online adventure guide website. OP and TRAK had paired to promote Sea Kayaking on the site and the benefit of using TRAK kayaks for Urban adventures or more wild ones.

Today was about me making sure they were comfortable with the boats, and also to discuss how I could help them create the content they needed for the website, and along the way that meant we ended up on an Urban Kayak adventure at the same time. All four of us put on the water and paddled around the corner to a crazy little place called the arboretum, a place where idyllic Lillie pads and ducks swam about on the glassy serene waters, while busy freeways ran over top, held above the water by concrete stilts.

The place was a contradiction to the senses and extremely surreal, you eyes computed to your brain, tranquil japans garden style lake, yet your ears at some places where screaming you’re in the middle of a freeway junction, and over all you felt like you where in a part of a city that was being taken back by the wild. Tara could not handle the conflict and paddle back to the park, while the boys and I explored a bit more. I was totally fascinated by the whole situation, so bizarre yet so great for those who cannot escape the city easily to find wild beauty. It almost seemed an “ideal” situation to me... Tara scoffed at this suggestion though what I mean is “ if you are going to have a city, this is a great way to incorporate nature in to it, if we could do this to 90% of each city... we would be a huge leap further ahead towards living in tune with nature”.

It also became apparent there were some reasonably challenging waters to deal with in the urban waterways of seattle.. as we paddled through a canal between lakes, the boats where big and did not slow for kayaks, rapidly the water went from calm, to boat wake swell and rapidly shifted again to a confused sea state as waves refracted of the walls and merged with the swell making some solid calapotiss waves, your average beginner paddler could struggle with these conditions for sure.

18 August: Return to the Grand, the Year so far and Moving Madness

 

I have let this blog slide! It has been a super busy year of adventures and work (both which have sent me traveling all over the world) and I have struggled to keep posts coming onto the blog, despite half writing a bunch. So I am now getting back to my old ways , to the “sketches from the road” concept, That is ......publish it as I write it in the field, full of errors and for real, not worrying too much about spelling and Grammar and just posting. Hopefully some good pics will make it tolerable.

Anyway!

Project Grand Canyon New Years Day 2013 (more on the trip here)

This year in a nut shell: New years day had me and a group of kayakers coming off the Colorado river after successfully paddling self supported with sea kayaks (and other paddle craft) through the Grand Canyon, soon after I was in Costa Rica kayaking around the Osa Peninsula, hiking into the heart of its Tropical forests full of monkeys big cats and crocodiles, and helping run a client trip. By May I found myself in Norway kayaking the snow lined coast with Jeff Allen from Sea kayaking Cornwall in the UK, for two weeks, then straight from there I flew to Namibia to run two Client overland adventure trips for World Wild Adventures Ltd. I will write more on these adventures soon.

                         Playa Carate Costa Rica                                                            Jeff and Jaime Norway

Stars of the Southern Hemisphere, Nye Nye Namibia

Scattered through this “world travel” there was much paddling in great destinations near home in the Pacific Northwest, Jordan River BC, Surge Rapids BC, Pacific City Oregon,Deception Pass and of course flat water paddling and Greenland rolling. I learnt some new rolls, under the deck sculling roll. Forward finishing hand roll and the elbow roll, Surfed some epic rides and I also re discovered K1 paddling which has lead to a new joy in flat water paddling because of it.

Chris Bensch Paddling out at Pacific City in the TRAK Seeker.

  Upside Down at Surge Narrows BC                       Greenland Night Ninja Paddling with James Manke

Amongst all of this my work with TRAK Kayaks has also sent me on many journeys around North America to work paddle expos, the Chicago and Vancouver boat shows, Canoecopia, Vancouver and Victoria “MEC” paddle Fests, and the epic OR Summer Market in Salt Lake City. All these journeys have lead to meeting some great people, many of who have become good friends; they have also lead to struggles with my life, struggles with balance and energy.

I write this as I sit on a plane yet again, this time bound for Phoenix Arizona; I am returning to run the Grand Canyon for second time in 9 months, this time in the summer for 16 days and this time with rafts and 16 people. I feel exceptionally lucky to be able to indulge in adventure like this, to have it part of my work and after waiting since I was a kid to run the grand to get to run it twice in 9 months is unfathomable; though as this last week has built to this moment I got wrapped up in stress and a loss of direction. This week I had to pack up my room (my first rented room not tied to work contracts in 8 years) and move everything into storage (yet again), on top of this I had to pack for the Grand Canyon and I had to organise the coming months of work and finish what I could of work obligations before flying out. Through all this my emotional self required down time, social time with friends and “brainless moments”, plus indulging in my sports and passions.

Through this week (and due to the last year and a half, and possibly because I am maturing with age) I have come to appreciate a base, down time, time with friends, and I have always appreciated doing nothing and indulging in whims. Much of this has struggled to exist in my life this year it feels, I question the benefits of how I now live my life (compared to my simple guiding days) and I now explore the thoughts and feelings of what is sustainable in my life and what new objectives I wish to shoot for.

Looking forward from here I know I will always travel and always explore, though I need more time to slow and appreciate. I reflect on one of my Business’s core pillar motto’s “time to slow, time to grow” and I know I need to find this again in my life and not get so wrapped up in possibility and wanting to do it all, all the time. I can hardly remember individual trips I have taken this year, they all merge, and I desire more time to digest them, and more time to share and process the film and imagery from them. Yet at the same time I release attachment and burden I find myself piling on myself, yes I have chosen a different life than others choose and this means I need to do things differently to be productive; So now to find the balance and to find the base (emotional and physically) to explore from effectively.

Greenland Fun with James Manke and Kayak Ways

After the Grand Canyon, I am home (living in my bus) for a week, I then fly on to Nova Scotia for the Bay of Fundy Sea Kayak Symposium, from there I head to Germany with TRAK Kayaks for the Kanumess expo. Shortly after that I head to the UK for Jeff Allen and Simon Osborne’s Sea Kayaking Cornwall Symposium, Calgary beckons on the way home to work on TRAK’s new prototypes. Then with the same objective in mind end of November looks to find me in the Philippines working for TRAK, and as I am in the southern Hemisphere I will head back to NZ for Christmas (after all it has been three years since I was back).

So adventures still beckon and I still travel, yet now I am really seeking to slow and grow through them, not bite off to much (it helps now I know how big my mouth is) and practice un attachment to stuff and more attachment to great people in my life and the quite time with them. The best thing about this upcoming Grand Canyon trip is.... I get to share it with my dad, and with some old university friends from New Zealand, and with some good paddling friends from USA, Sweden, and Canada, this will be a very nourishing trip in spectacular place I am stoked to be able to share with them.

My Dad and I in Arizona

I am blessed to live this life and to have the opportunities and ability to act on those opportunities that I have, I have worked hard to get to this point and have made many sacrifices. Thank you all who are a part of it and have tolerated my vagrancies, and the large amounts of time that can go by without spending time with me, or even hearing from me, thank you for those who have opened their hearts to me, dared to share their dreams with me, have indulged in a laugh or ten over a bottle of beer or wine (or while simply gazing across a wilderness landscape), and mostly thank you to the ones who accept me when I am down, when I am at my worst and most vulnerable and have helped me talk myself back onto my feet again.

Any way stay tuned for more “Sketches from the Road Less Travelled” and Keep dreaming everyone, for what are we without dreams?

Jaime

The "Project Grand"

Stoked to be leaving on an epic adventure down a section of river I have been dreaming of running for years....... and we are doing it in Sea Kayaks ! we will also be with a team of 5 white water boater and one OC1 Canoeist! It will be a memorable trip and no raft support!~

In August 2013 we have another permit to run the Grand again, this time with Rafts, friends and family! Man I get to go on the Grand twice in 10 months I feel super privileged! Stay tuned for awesome footage and photos when we return.

Follow the spot locater up dates on facebook at
 http://www.facebook.com/YakAboutAdventures?ref=ts&fref=ts

~ J ~

ROAD TRIP USA 2012.

 

I am loaded up with 3 TRAK kayaks, one has custom white water thigh braces that where made for Ken Whiting when he ran the Ottawa river a couple of years back. This should improve the surf play abilities and the river running abilities of the TRAK, I will test it out in the coming week during a 6 day raft supported Journey Down the Salmon River in Idaho………….IF I GET THERE!

The bus is loaded up and I am now stuck in the car park f Goodyear Tires just south of the border, as I got a flat tire and I do not have a jack or spare ( I am still figuring out what i need for this strange vehicle). thankfully I have CAA and they towed the van for me here for free last night.

I slept in the bus in the car park and now I am getting a new tire fitted as the old one exploded. $200 USD later I will be on the road with a day and a half to get to Stanley Idaho, which is about a 12 hour drive still. Ahhhh! the adventures continue with the bus. I am little stressed, hopefully she (the bus) will get me to the river and back?

The goal of the rest of the  TRIP is to Head to Tahoe after the Salmon River, do some Filming there for TRAK Files, then heada out to the Coast and paddle and explore the coast back up to BC before the end of the month. We will see if this happens I hope the Bus does not let me down.

 

Stay Tuned

The Grand Canyon Beckons

Excitement fills my heart as I read that I Have secured a permit to run a non commercial trip on the Grand Canyon for August 2013. I pay my $400 deposit and that is that, it is official. 16 months from now, all going to plan, myself and 15 others will be kitting up rafts and kayaks to embark on an epic river adventure of a lifetime down the Grandest Canyon on dry land.

As a child in New Zealand I read of the journey along the Colorado river; 3 years ago I finally stood on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and dreamed of being on that river Below traveling the massive and stunning landscape. Now, after years of wanting waiting I just entered into the lottery when it felt right and two days later I have the permit. woo hoo! Starting this summer I must get back into some rafting and paddle more white water in Prep. As the trip logistics progress I will publish insights and prep adventures, and then give the great insight into our personal journey down the canyon in 2013.

.J

Pan America Trip

The Trak atop the Taurus in Seattle

I sleep tonight in the back of my Station wagon, outside the ferry terminal to Vancouver island and it is near freezing, as the recent snow fall, still has remnants on the ground. With my folding Trak kayak atop the car, and I, a ferry boat ride away from a comfortable sleep in a house, am jammed amongst the boxes of my stuff I retrieved from my ex's place in California.
  The last couple of weeks have been spent journeying south along the length of the USA, to clear up and finalize some unfinished business with my best friend and ex fiancé, who now lives in Merced California. It was an emotional time, raising issues of me leaving her for my “crazy dreams of adventure”, I feel I can’t do while staying with her, and my desires to be with her and live our love.

Read More Here http://onayakabout.blogspot.com/2010/12/pan-america-trip.html 

or check out the Kayak Down Under New Zealand Blog site