First Aid

You may recall Abraham Maslow ‘s hierarchy of needs from ninth grade social studies. Maslow says, you…

We’ll take a look at the kit that I often choose to carry that I can access while afloat. This setup is…

Spring is here and the air is warm.  But just because the day is beautiful doesn't mean the water…

Dungeness Spit from above, with the New Dungeness Lighthouse in the distance Dungeness…

What's the difference between Rafa Ortiz and the rest of us? While we'd reach for a fire extinguisher,…

Learn how to stay comfortable on the water when fishing in the cold. When you stay warm and…

If you have been seasick then you know how it feels. If you haven't, you may think you know how it…

Recent annual high water and flood events in North America sometimes provide kayakers and canoeists with…

A Note to the Reader  This is a book review. It is not a guide to diagnosis and…

I just got back from my "end of the season" paddle, which ended up this year to be in Ontario's…

A kayaking buddy, we'll call him "Ben", is one heck of a paddler. He's got years of big, blue water…

One day, it's bound to happen: your attempted beach landing in the surf fails and your boat is swept…

Only once have I suffered the ill effects of hypothermia. Once was enough, however, for me to quickly…

My wife and I were portaging in the far north when our dog, Bailey, disturbed a nest of wasps and…

Have you looked through an outdoor gear catalog recently? We are a highly specialized society – even…

A good first-aid kit perhaps falls into the same category as a rain jacket, an automobile spare tire,…

I feel it’s very important that kayakers who tend to paddle in groups have at least one person who is…

It's late on Sunday, and you've been out on the water for nearly four days, paddling through country…

Creekboating is as much a game of strategy as it is a sport. Half of your time on creeks is spent…

A month before paddling on the surreal clarity of the Caribbean Sea just off the island of Roatan, I had…

I am a firm believer in the multiple utility of gear – getting the most out of each piece of equipment,…

Kayakers need to know how to treat blisters and, more importantly, how to prevent them. Blisters are…

When I began teaching, I taught my students to get to the capsized boater quickly to affect a speedy…

Any paddler who has suffered the green-gilled demon of seasickness, with the dizziness, nausea,…