The passing of a sea kayaking legend

Written by Jason Learned on 10 October 2012. Posted in Miscellaneous

Derek Hutchinson — June 30, 1933 – October 10, 2012

Derek Hutchinson known by many to be the Father of Modern Sea Kayaking has passed away today at the age of 79. I had a rare opportunity to attend one of his last classes here in the Pacific Northwest last year. It was inspiring to meet a man who had lived his life as a Sea Kayaker and at the age of 78 still able to get on the water and inspire others to be better paddlers. It was an honor and a pleasure to have met you sir, may you enjoy fair winds and following seas.

Paddling The Inside Passage Exhibit

Written by Jason Learned on 30 September 2012. Posted in Journeys

A couple of local paddlers (Tom Jordan & Pat O'Connor) launched from Olympia, WA on May 13th 2012 and paddled for 78 days up the Inside Passage, landing in Skagway Alaska on July 28th.

Come to the University Place Library on Thursday October 18th at 7pm to watch a slide show presentation about there trip. 

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Google Doodles Kayak Salalom Game

Written by Jason Learned on 10 August 2012. Posted in Miscellaneous

Most of you have probably used google as a search engine a time or two. But have you ever noticed that the google logo in the middle top of the web page is different from time to time. Doodles are the fun, surprising and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. The different Google logos are called Google Doodles. The one displayed on Aug 9 2012 was a tribute to Kayak Slalom Racing at the 2012 Olympics.

It is a fun and addictive interactive game. To play the game go to the Google Doodles page and play the game there: http://www.google.com/doodles/slalom-canoe-2012

Packing Your Kayak for Camping

Written by Jason Learned on 06 August 2012. Posted in Gear & Outfitting

Do you want to take your paddling to a new level and try your hand at kayak camping? Are you intimidated by all the extra gear and wondering how in the heck you’ll fit it all in your boat? I was too: here are some tips on how to get it done in a quick and efficient manner.

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