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About 13 years ago I was introduced to whitewater kayaking. I had rafted down whitewater, but this was different, since with a kayak you are on your own.  Kayaks are also much less sturdy than rafts.  I realized that I did not have time to devote to learning  the kayak roll, (the task when your kayak tips over with you pinned inside, and you need to get the kayak right-sided so you don’t drown), so I opted for just renting an inflatable kayak, sometimes called a duck, or another recreational kayak, to get down a river.  This happens mostly when I am away for a few days and near water, which does not happen often enough.

A few weeks ago I decided to consider getting a little more serious  with this kayaking.  I spent a weekend near Bryon City NC, and paid for a  kayak lesson to learn the paddling techniques, still in a duck, down the Nantahala River in Western NC.  Juliette at Endless River, my favorite outfitter,  tried to talk me into going to the lake to learn the rolls, but I knew I was not quite ready to make that committment. The person who would be traveling  the river with me is the current World Junior Freestyle Champion,  a college student named Rowan Stuart, young enough to be my daughter.  She suggested a helmet, but arrogant me, “No, these kayaks don’t tip over, I don’t need a helmet,” I said.  Well the water was really high on the river that day, perhaps from  the spring rains. I mentioned to Rowan that  coming to the Gorge and being on the river was very relaxing, and that I tend to daydream.  I have a stressful job so I enjoy being away from traffic and the constant need  to be “on”.

Now from my experience, I know that I am a rock magnet.  And when I did not maneuver around a big rock that suddenly appeared before me, my kayak  tipped  to the right and stuck on the rock, but  the force of the water threw me from  the kayak and I found  myself flying down the river in a strong current, wearing a PDF, still holding my paddle, the kayak far behind me.  I was able to turn around eventually  and saw and Rowan with my rescued  kayak.  She caught up with me and helped me get back in, not an easy task.

Ok, so maybe relaxing and daydreaming is not a good strategy for kayaking whitewater.

Rowan then explained to me that I need to look ahead and watch how the water ripples and the extent of those ripples and how they looked. And I need  to scan the river  for the larger rocks that are obstructing my path. From that information I could plan my strategy and get “the line” to how/ where I wanted my kayak to go.  So daydreaming on the river was not going to cut it.  And it won’t cut it in life and with your career either.  You have to get the line, and determine where you want to go.  You have to look ahead  for potential obstacles and make adjustments in your course.  You have to increase your skills to help you to navigate that path without being thrown overboard.

The rest of the trip down the river went smoothly.  I was able to navigate the whitewater, avoid the rocks, and then when  I got to the class III whitewater at the end of the run, “The Falls” they call it, I went down with ease.  Success!  And a hard lesson learned.