BRT Insights - Whitewater Kayaking

Use the Buddy System for Safety Teamwork on Whitewater River Kayaking, Innertubing & Canoeing Trips.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:24:00 +0000

While talking with a kayaking friend recently he described a large kayaking group that spread out while going down the river. At some point he realized that none of the nearby boaters were paying any attention to his safety, so if he had a swim or an entrapment it would have been a very long time, if ever, before anybody would have come to help.

Safety skills & teamwork for small kayaking, innertubing & canoeing groups.

In a small paddleboating group everybody should be everybody else's buddy. Every buddy is responsible for watching out for everybody else's safety - every minute, all day, no exceptions. Even boaters who don't have the skill or strength to be primary rescuers should at least be watchful and raise the alarm as soon as they see somebody needing help. Everybody is responsible to stick together with the group, to watch out for the safety of others and to enable others to watch out for you. Solo boaters who drift apart from the group and don't participate in this teamwork for safety are simply not welcome in my boating group.

Safety skills & teamwork for large kayaking, innertubing & canoeing groups.

Big groups of paddle boaters inevitably spread out so it is not possible for everybody to watch out for the safety of everybody all day on the river. If the safety awareness of a big group or many individuals in the group is not so good, then it may not be easy for an individual to change that. Individuals on a group trip can nevertheless improve their own safety on the river by teaming up with a buddy or a small group of safety-minded individuals. If your small group sticks closely together while boating, then you can improve your own safety despite the other paddleboaters in your big group who may not be so safety conscious.

More about: Safety Skills & Techniques for Whitewater River Paddleboating.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube, kayaking technique.
Technorati Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, paddle boating, canoeing.

Stevia natural sweetener enhances the flavor of Hydration Fruit-Ade homemade sports drinks.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Stevia is the not so "secret sauce" that sweetens my natural sports drinks!!

When mixing up my recipe for Hydration Fruit-Ade homemade sports drink certain types of fruit juice taste very bland after dilution to the proper sugar concentration. In these cases I add a small amount of stevia natural sweetener to produce an excellent tasting, do it yourself natural sports drink. Many other fruit juices don't need any stevia added when making sports drinks.

• Should you switch to stevia? 'Natural' sugar substitute joins list of sweeteners - NY Daily News21april2009.
"Stevia has been used for years in Japan as a sweetener, but it’s more costly than, say, saccharin ... it’s labeled 'natural' since it comes from a plant. Prepared from an extract of the stevia shrub, it can be concoted into a sweetener that is 300 times sweeter than table sugar and has been shown to be a safe supplement for human use, says Toby Smithson, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association."

• Stevia - New Sugar Substitute Joins a Street Fight - NY Times 14april2009.
"The Food and Drug Administration agreed in December that rebaudioside A, an extract from the leaves of the stevia plant, is safe to add to food and drinks." "Because it comes from a plant, marketers can call it a natural sweetener."

• FDA Clears Use of Stevia Herb As Sweetener - Wall Street Journal 18dec2008.
"The Food and Drug Administration has declared a natural zero-calorie sweetener derived from the herb stevia safe for use in foods and beverages"

• Zero-Calorie Sweetener Stevia Arrives - US News and World Report 28july2008.
"There's a new sugar substitute on the market with a really sweet pitch: zero calories, zero carbohydrates, and zero chance of a spike in blood sugar levels. Several companies are just out with new products derived from the leaves of the Latin American herb stevia, which contain a substance hundreds of times more potent than sugar."

• FDA Approves Stevia, Ends the Era of Oppression of this Herbal Sweetener - naturalnews.com 19dec2008.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued letters of non-objection for the use of a natural, zero-calorie sweetener it once sought to wipe out from the U.S. marketplace. ... it will largely replace aspartame, an artificial sweetener chemical linked to numerous neurological disorders, including headaches, eye disorders and other problems. It will also unleash a wave of stevia-sweetened products for consumers, and that's good news for diabetics or anyone seeking healthier products sweetened with an herbal extract rather than a synthetic chemical."

• Stevia is now available in the United States - MayoClinic.com.
"In late 2008 the Food and Drug Administration declared that the artificial sweetener stevia is "generally recognized as safe" — thus allowing it to be used as a no-calorie sweetener in foods and beverages. ... Stevia is an herb, and its extract can be hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. Stevia has virtually no calories and doesn't raise blood sugar levels. Stevia has been used as a sweetener in other parts of the world for several years. Side effects of stevia are generally mild, such as nausea and a feeling of fullness. Does this mean that stevia is safe? What we currently know is that it is probably safe in moderate doses."

Stevia Products & Books.

Stevia for sweetening and flavor enhancement of do it yourself sports drinks.

In addition to its intense sweetness, stevia also acts as a natural flavor enhancer. I use about 20 drops of stevia liquid concentrate in a 2-quart batch of Hydration Fruit-Ade natural sports drink whenever the diluted fruit juice needs a little flavor boost. This homemade sports drink is helping me to prevent dehydration and maintain muscle performance while kayaking by replenishing water, carbohydrate and salt. I also appreciate the lack of calories in stevia, so I use stevia for sweetening things that I drink at home when I am not exercising. For example, just a few drops of stevia liquid concentrate are needed to sweeten a cup of tea or homemade lemonade. Thus, a small bottle of the stevia liquid concentrate lasts a long time and sweetens many gallons of natural sports drinks. I have tested both SweetLeaf and Now Foods brands of stevia liquid concentrates and was equally happy with both of them. At the low levels needed for sweetening and flavor enhancement I did not detect any off-flavors or experience any side effects from stevia consumption in my drinks.

More about stevia, natural sports drinks and preventing dehydration:
• Paddleboaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
• Avoiding Dehydration & Maintaining Fitness for Whitewater River Paddle Boating - BRT Insights.
• Stevia Story: all about the herb that's sweeter than sugar - stevia.net.
• Healthier Sweetener and Stevia Resources - holisticmed.com.
• Cooking With Stevia and Stevia Recipes - cookingwithstevia.com.
• Stevia rebaudiana - Raintree Nutrition, Inc. Tropical Plant Database.
• Stevia - The Natural Sweetener - HealthWorld Online.

Tags: fitness, hydration, stevia, sports drink.

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof digital camera - equipment review.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Great photos & videos from your whitewater river paddle boating trips.

The new Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof digital camera is a very significant upgrade from the older Stylus 720sw waterproof digital camera that I reviewed previously. Megapixels have increased from 7 MP to 12 MP. The tiny power on/off button has been replaced by a larger button that is easier to operate. A rotating dial has been added in the new model for easier selection of photo shooting modes. The buttons for changing camera settings have been reorganized into a nice system that is easier to learn.

Other Reviewers' Opinions of the Stylus Tough 8000 camera.

• Olympus unveils Stylus Tough 6000 and 8000: Digital Photography Review.
"The Stylus TOUGH-8000 features a 12 megapixel sensor while the sister model TOUGH-6000 captures 10 megapixel images. Both cameras come with a 3.6x (28-102mm equivalent) zoom lens and feature Olympus' TAP control technology for easy operation when wearing gloves, ideal for all sorts of outdoor activities."

• Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 - HotHardware.
"Stylus Tough-8000 is the first in its family to include Dual Image Stabilization. Olympus uses mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization to adjust the internal image sensor and compensate for camera movement even in low-light conditions with slower shutter speeds. Digital Image Stabilization works to freeze action by adjusting the camera’s ISO settings and shutter speeds to help prevent blurry images caused by a moving subject."

• Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 Review - Digital Trends.
"Although we certainly like the tough concept and the ability to kiss your worries goodbye if drop your camera, step on it by mistake or take it into the snow and water without a care in the world, a digicam still has to take good pictures. The Olympus Tough-8000 really doesn’t do that primary task well, sad to say, and it’s hard to recommend at nearly $400."

• Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 Digital camera reviews - CNET Reviews.
"The good: Nice design; wide-angle lens; good feature set. The bad: Soft photos; slow performance. The bottom line: For going from snorkeling to rock climbing to everyday life, the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is a good choice, though its photos and performance can be disappointing."

• Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 Digital Camera - Imaging Resource.
"Olympus really poured all the good stuff into its Tough 8000. Its combination of "tough" features and ratings outranks anything else currently on the market, and it snaps photos with accurate color and better than average detail for its category. Drop it, crush it, freeze it, or dive with it to 33 feet, and it'll keep on clicking: If "tough" is what you need, the Tough 8000 delivers it in spades."

My analysis of the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera.

A reviewer at amazon.com has complained about the soft focus of the pictures produced by the Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera. When I use IrfanView software for editing these pictures it is quick & easy to apply the sharpening tool to produce nice, crisp pictures that are perfectly fine for my needs. I'm quite satisfied with the picture quality from the Stylus Tough 8000 camera and from my old Stylus 720SW camera. See my Kayaking Photo Gallery and my Kayaking Video Gallery.

The Stylus Tough 8000 is a wonderful digital camera that will help you to get great pictures & short videos from your whitewater kayaking, IKing, rafting, canoeing & river tubing trips. Taking photos while kayaking is still quite challenging, but this new improved waterproof camera helps to make it a little easier. (**** - my rating - very good - 4 stars out of 5).

More about: Reviews - Equipment for Whitewater River Paddleboating.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube, waterproof camera, photography.
Technorati Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, paddle boating, rafting, canoeing.

Sacramento River Tributaries - California Paddle Boating Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Rafting, Kayaking, IKing, Canoeing & Innertubing Guide - northern California, USA.

Jump to: West Side Tributaries, North Side Tributaries, East Side Tributaries.

West Side Tributaries, Listed north to south:

A. Clear Creek (Shasta County), Campground to Trinity Mtn Rd (class IVp, 16 miles).
N 40.92817 W 122.58579 - Clear Creek Campground put-in.
N 40.78912 W 122.60983 - Trinity Mountain Road take-out.
Clear Creek, Whiskeytown to Sacramento Valley (class IV, 8 miles).
N 40.50936 W 122.38049 - Whiskeytown Dam put-in.
N 40.51125 W 122.52331 - Placer Road bridge take-out (A).
B. Cottonwood Creek (B).
C. Elder Creek, Lowrey Road to Paskenta Road (class III, 17 miles).
N 40.01565 W 122.53910 - Lowery Rd put-in.
N 40.03261 W 122.29217 - Paskenta Rd Bridge take-out (C).
D. Thomes Creek, Above Paskenta (class IVp, 22 miles).
N 39.87418 W 122.82483 - nr Willow Ck confluence put-in.
N 39.88313 W 122.54734 - Paskenta take-out (D).
E. Stony Creek/Grindstone Creek (E).
F. Cache Creek Wild & Scenic/Bear Creek (Colusa County) (F).
G. Putah Creek (G).

North Side Tributaries, Listed north to south:

H. Sacramento River (H).
I. McCloud River Wild & Scenic, Upper Run.
McCloud River, Lower Run (class IV, 21 miles).
N 41.11722 W 122.06126 - Ash Camp put-in.
N 40.93971 W 122.24453 - Fender's Ferry Rd Bridge take-out (I).
J. Pit River (J).

East Side Tributaries, Listed north to south:

K. Bear Creek (Shasta County), Upper Run (class IVp, 10 miles).
N 40.53363 W 121.96305 - nr Inwood put-in.
N 40.53011 W 122.10857 - Hwy 44 bridge take-out.
Bear Creek (Shasta County), Lower Run (class III, 5.1 miles).
N 40.53011 W 122.10857 - Hwy 44 bridge put-in.
N 40.48606 W 122.15261 - Dersch Rd Bridge take-out (K).
L. Battle Creek (L).
M. Antelope Creek (M).
N. Mill Creek Wild & Scenic (N).
O. Deer Creek Wild & Scenic (O).
P. Butte Creek (P).
Q. Feather River Wild & Scenic/Indian Creek/Spanish Creek (Q).
R. Yuba River Wild & Scenic/Lavezzola Creek/Pauley Creek (R).
S. Bear River (Nevada/Placer County) (S).
T. American River Wild & Scenic (T).
U. Cosumnes River (U).
V. Mokelumne River (V).

Sacramento River Tributaries map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the Sacramento River valley.
• To see the names of landmarks displayed below (A, B, etc.) - DoubleClick or point on the red markers.

Sacramento River Valley Printed Guides for Paddle Boating.

• Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike, 2001. (American River, Bear River, Cache Creek, Cosumnes River, Feather River, Mokelumne River, Sacramento River, Yuba River.)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (American River, Bear River, Butte Creek, Cache Creek, Feather River, Pit River, Sacramento River, Stony Creek, Yuba River.)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (American River, Bear River, Butte Creek, Cache Creek, Clear Creek, Cosumnes River, Deer Creek, Feather River, Grindstone Creek, Indian Creek, Lavezzola Creek, McCloud River, Mill Creek, Mokelumne River, Pauley Creek, Pit River, Putah Creek, Sacramento River, Stony Creek, Yuba River.)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, 3rd Edition 1995. (American River, Cache Creek, Cosumnes River, Deer Creek, Feather River, Mokelumne River, Sacramento River, Stony Creek, Yuba River.)
• Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific, 1994. (American River, Feather River.)
• Paddler's Atlas of U.S. Rivers West, 1993. (American River, Feather River.)
• The American River: North, Middle & South Forks, 1989. (American River.)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (Cache Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Elder Creek, Grindstone Creek, Putah Creek, Stony Creek, Sacramento River.)
• Sierra Whitewater - A Paddler's Guide to the Rivers of California's Sierra Nevada, 1974. (American River, Bear River, Cosumnes River, Deer Creek, Feather River, Mill Creek, Mokelumne River, Pit River, Yuba River.)
• Down the Wild Rivers- A Guide to the Streams of California, 1972. (American River, Cosumnes River, Feather River, Mokelumne River, Yuba River.)

Sacramento River Valley Online Guides for Paddle Boating.

• Online guides for paddleboating: California Rivers Rafting, Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.

Sacramento River Valley paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from whitewater paddleboating trips on Sacramento River valley creeks & rivers. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.

Outdoor Activities & Environmental Protection in California River Canyons.

• California River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for California river valleys. (Click on the desired river, sort alphabetically. 1=kayaking, 2=rafting, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More About California Rivers, Creeks & Streams:
• California Whitewater River Guides for Kayaking, IKing, Innertubing, Canoeing & Rafting.
• Some California rivers & creeks have been protected in the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program and/or the California State Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.

IceRocket Tags: river map, kayaking, river tubing, float tube.
Tags: Sacramento River, California, kayaking, paddlesports, river, rafting, canoeing, paddle boating, wild and scenic.

Hydration Fruit-Ade Natural Sports Drink - Oct. 2009 Update.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Homemade sports drinks help prevent dehydration and maintain your best muscle performance!

Here are my results from testing a wide range of juices for use in the Hydration Fruit-Ade Natural Sports Drink recipe.

I'm drinking a lot of Hydration Fruit-Ade both at home and on whitewater paddleboating trips. When their sugar contents are diluted to the necessary level some juices still taste fine, although the flavors are of course more subtle and less sweet. Other juices are bland to awful when correctly diluted, but all of the ones I've tried so far turn out OK with addition of a little stevia for sweetening and flavor enhancement. Be sure to follow the recipe exactly to end up with the correct sugar concentration that is critical for rapid absorption of the drink into your body. DO NOT dilute your fruit juices based solely on taste or color because you will probably end up with the wrong sugar concentration and defeat the purpose of the sports drink.

Fruit & vegetable juices that still taste great after dilution.

• V8 Splash - Berry Blend or Tropical Blend.
• V8 V-Fusion - Acai Mixed Berry.
• R.W. Knudsen - Just Black Cherry.
• R.W. Knudsen - Just Tart Cherry
• Ocean Spray - Cran-Raspberry.
• Dole - Paradise Blend.
• Santa Cruz Natural - Red Tart Cherry.
• Arizona - Pomegranate Green Tea

Fruit & vegetable juices that need flavor enhancement after dilution.

• canned pineapple juice.
• orange juice from frozen concentrate.
• Welch's - Grape Juice.
• V8 V-Fusion - Peach Mango.
• Kern's - Mango Nectar or Guava Nectar.

Tart Cherry Juice may be valuable as a natural sports drink.

Some preliminary evidence suggests that drinking tart cherry juice may help to reduce muscle pain after vigorous exercise.
• Cherry juice as a sports drink eases pain after running - Telegraph newspaper 30may2009.
• Cherry juice may reduce exercise-induced muscle pain - NutraIngredients news service 21june2006.
• Tart cherry juice: A lip-puckering pain remedy? - Los Angeles Times newspaper 06july2009.
• Tart Cherry super fruits are packed with antioxidants - health benefits - CherryPharm.
• Cornell Univ food scientists create sports drink using tart cherries - Cornell Chronicle News.

If you use tart cherry juice during exercise as a sports drink, then it should be diluted as described in the Hydration Fruit-Ade natural sports drink recipe. As a recovery drink for use after exercise you might want to use the undiluted cherry juice.

Please post a comment to say what you think of Hydration Fruit-Ade Natural Sports Drink.

What commercial fruit juices have you used in the Hydration Fruit-Ade recipe? Let us know if you have a modified recipe or a different sports drink recipe that you like better.

More about:
• Hydration Fruit-Ade natural fruit sports drink - BRT Insights.
• Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
• Fitness for Whitewater River Paddleboating - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: fitness, kayaking, hydration, sports drink.
Tags: whitewater, river, kayaking, paddlesports, paddle boating, rafting, canoeing.

Scenic waterfall videos from MF Kings River in Kings Canyon National Park, California 30june2009.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole) is an awesome sight! (Inyo County, CA, USA.)

BruceH Jr reported seeing some kayakers hiking their boats over a pass at 12,000 ft elevation and coming down to access this section of MF Kings River. Observation Creek drains the west side of Observation Peak and joins the MF Kings River just a few miles south of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole) on MF Kings River is accessible via the Middle Fork Trail just downstream from the Observation Creek confluence.

Observation Creek flowing into MF Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park.

Devil's Washbowl on MF Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park.

Kings River canyon - landmarks for Whitewater Rafting, Canoeing & Kayaking.

N 37.02092 W 118.57887 Observation Creek confluence with MF Kings River (A)
N 37.01777 W 118.58248 Devil's Washbowl a.k.a Hell Hole (B)

Kings River map for Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole).

• How to use the online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-screen road maps & topographic maps - see below.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the Kings River.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks (A & B).

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in our Amazing River Canyons.

• Kings River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for the Kings River Valley. (1&2=paddlesports-kayaking-rafting-canoeing, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

Additional Paddlesports Information on Rivers & Creeks in California:
• Kings River Wild and Scenic - California Whitewater Overview.
• Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, IKing, Canoeing, Rafting & Innertubing Paddlesports - BRT Insights.
• Nearby streams: San Joaquin River, Kaweah River.
• Kayaking Trip Reports California's Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river map.
Tags: whitewater, Kings River, California, paddlesport, river, paddle boating, kayaking.

After Sports Drinks Provide Carbohydrate & Protein for Recovery After Intense, Prolonged Workouts.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Extreme, all-day activities can deplete your body's reserves, so recovery drinks may be helpful to refuel your body.

Paddleboating, kayaking, rafting and many other sports provide vigorous, all-day fitness workouts. Recovery drinks may be helpful to replenish your body to be ready for another intense workout the following day.

• Protein Sports Drinks - Do they help athletes - Health Psychology Vanderbilt Univ.
"The two studies that researched the effectiveness of protein after exercise found compelling evidence that protein has an effect. While protein may not help you compete longer or faster, it can help you decrease muscle damage and soreness the next day."

• Carb-Protein Sports Drink Research Update - TrainingPeaks.
"Carbohydrate-protein sports drinks ... increase time to exhaustion, rehydrate athletes more effectively than carbohydrate-only sports drinks, reduce exercise-induced muscle damage, accelerate post-exercise muscle protein and glycogen synthesis and improve performance in a subsequent workout."

• Protein Sports Drinks Proven To Give Best Performance - ScienceDaily.
"drinks containing a mix of carbohydrate and protein are superior to carbohydrate-only drinks in improving cyclists' recovery from exercise."

• Adding Protein to Sports Drinks Fails to Boost Sports Performance - Senior Journal.
"Research also supports the practice of consuming protein after exercise to promote muscle recovery. However, the alleged benefit of consuming protein during exercise is controversial."

• Powering Muscles - Carb- Protein Sports Drink Better for Recovery.
"Liquid carbohydrate and protein supplements given early during a six hour post-exercise recovery period helped subjects better maintain subsequent time trial performance and power output, compared to supplements with carbohydrate alone."

Lowfat Chocolate Milk as an After Sports Recovery Drink.

• Milk - as good as sports drinks for athletes?: Consumer Reports Health Blog.
"there's been interest in the idea of using skim milk as an alternative to sports drinks. Naturally occurring sugar in milk, called lactose, gives it a similar concentration of carbohydrates to some leading sports drinks. Milk also contains electrolytes in the form of sodium and potassium."

• Chocolate Milk: Better than Sports Drinks? - NutritionData.com.
"Researchers at Indiana University are saying that chocolate milk is just as good as sports drinks in aiding recovery from intense exercise."

• Chocolate Milk: The New Sports Drink ? - CBS News.
"American swimmer Michael Phelps ... preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races." "chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles"

• Sports Drinks , Chocolate Milk & Water - spokanefitnesscoach.com.
"chocolate milk is actually a very good beverage to drink after strength training. It has the right balance of carbs and protein to help with muscle recovery."

• Post-Workout Sports Drink ? Try Cereal and Milk - medpagetoday.com.
"For refueling at home, "cereal and nonfat milk provide a less expensive whole food option as compared to sports drinks ... It also provides easily digestible and quality protein in the milk, which could promote protein synthesis and training adaptations."

Carbohydrate/Protein drinks readily available in our local grocery & drugstores.

Drinks that require refrigeration: Lowfat chocolate milk.
Drinks that don't require refrigeration: Ensure, Boost.
Powdered drink mixes: Carnation Instant Breakfast, milk powder + Nestle Nesquik.

After Sports Drinks Refuel Your Body After a Tough All-Day Workout!!

A full day of high-intensity class IV or class V kayaking, rafting, etc. will push your body to the limit! After Sports Drinks contain a higher level of carbohydrate to replenish your glycogen stores and some protein to rebuild your muscles. Intermediate and elite athletes may benefit from these rapidly-digested drinks to enable vigorous, prolonged workouts on consecutive days. If your body seriously needs refueling to be ready for another tough whitewater boating trip tomorrow you may want to start immediate refueling with a recovery drink at take-out before loading up your boats and driving to camp or to a restaurant for dinner.

Weekend warriors and occasional athletes may not have sufficient fitness to do a workout long enough or vigorous enough to require this kind of body replenishment. Although they can get sore and tired after doing more than they are accustomed to, unfit people who try using recovery drinks may only get fatter. For occasional athletes it may be best to focus on rehydration, stretching exercises, and a good, normal diet for recovery after workouts.

What recovery drinks do you use immediately after paddleboating and other extreme sports or work activities?

Please add a comment here to let me know if you use a recovery drink after prolonged workouts. What is your favorite brand and favorite flavor of recovery drink?

More about:
• Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
• Fitness for Paddle Boating on White Water Rivers - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, hydration, fitness.
Tags: river, kayaking, whitewater, paddlesports, canoeing, paddle boating, rafting.

Hydration Fruit-Ade - homemade sports drink made from natural fruit juice.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Prevent dehydration with sports drinks made from fruit juice. Great for kayakers, IKers, rafters, canoers, innertubers & all athletes who are active for many hours per day.

(Updated 19oct2009.) You can make a really high quality, natural sports drink by diluting your favorite fruit/vegetable juice to provide exactly the right sugar concentration and then adding a little salt. This recipe provides the antioxidants, vitamins and nutrition of the natural juices in a rapidly absorbed formulation that also replenishes the salts that you lose in your sweat. Of course, if you use organic juices in the recipe, then your sports drink will be organic too. See the Hydration Fruit-Ade Oct. 2009 Update for results on testing cherry juice and many other fruit juices in this recipe.

My recipe for "Hydration Fruit-Ade" uses water and salt in amounts recommended by Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. The natural sugars in the commercial fruit juices or vegetable/fruit juice blends can be diluted precisely to the sugar levels recommended by Nancy using the nutritional information on the label. If the recipe below is too dull for your tastes do NOT add sugar or extra juice because that would slow down the absorption of the liquid into your body and totally defeat the purpose of the sports drink. If necessary, you can get some additional sweetness and flavor enhancement by adding Stevia, a natural liquid concentrate (available at health food stores and online). Some fruit juices might make a better tasting sports drink with addition of a little lemon or lime juice; these don't contain any sugar so they can be added without disrupting the recipe.

Morton Lite Salt includes both potassium and sodium, the two major electrolyte salts that need to be replaced during prolonged, intense athletic activities. The salt stimulates your thirst mechanism, prevents the drink from quenching your thirst and helps encourage you to keep drinking more liquid throughout your day of sports activities. You should measure the salt carefully. If you add a little too much salt, then the liquid quickly becomes intolerable to drink. If the amount of salt in the recipe is too much for your tastes, then add less salt to the next batch of Hydration Fruit-Ade that you make. You want some salt in the recipe, but it is definitely most important to end up with a formula that tastes good enough to drink happily throughout your day of activities.

To achieve the paddleboating sports performance that your fitness level should provide you must maintain good hydration throughout your day of whitewater river boating !!!

Hydration Fruit-Ade recipes for 2 quarts (64 oz).

Fruit juices vary widely in the amounts of sugar that they contain. Read the Nutrition Facts on the label of your juice to learn how much sugar it contains per 8 oz serving. Then use the table below to dilute your choice of fruit juice to the exact sugar level that is needed in a sports drink. Add stevia or other sugar-free sweeteners or flavor enhancers if needed.

sugar per 8 oz serving	amount juice	amount water	amount salt
8g	64 oz	0 oz	1/4 tsp
12g	43 oz	21 oz	1/4 tsp
16g	32 oz	32 oz	1/4 tsp
24g	21 oz	43 oz	1/4 tsp
32g	16 oz	48 oz	1/4 tsp
40g	13 oz	51 oz	1/4 tsp
48g	11 oz	53 oz	1/4 tsp

Hydration Lemon-Ade & Hydration Lime-Ade recipes for 2 quarts or 1 gallon.

Bottled lemon and lime juices are readily available in our grocery stores. These contain little or no sugar, so sugar must be added to make the hydration drink.
2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice.
1 Gallon: 4 quarts water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1 cup lemon or lime juice.
Home version: no salt & no sugar added, just sweeten to taste with stevia.

Hydration Fruit-Ade - Home Version.

Whenever I'm not intensely exercising I don't need a drink with the electrolytes from the salt. I use this "home version" for hydration when driving home from whitewater paddleboating trips, and when I am inactive at home and at work. Many brands of fruit juices diluted in the Fruit-Ade recipe provide a light and refreshing drink that I like even better than the juice concentration provided by the manufacturer.
2 Quarts: Use the Hydration Fruit-Ade recipe above, but delete the salt.

What hydration drinks do you use during paddleboating and other intense sports or work activities?

Please add a comment here to let me know if you try Hydration Fruit-Ade. What commercial fruit juices do you like to make the best sports drinks? Let me know if you have a modified recipe or a different recipe that you like better than the Hydration Fruit-Ade natural sports drinks described above.

More about:
• Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights.
• Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters - BRT Insights.
• Fitness for Paddleboating on Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights.
• Make Your Own Sports Drink on the Cheap - Lifehacker.
• How to Make Your Own Sports Drink - mainstreet.com.
• Sports Drinks - Health & Safety - Washington State Government.
• Making Homemade Gatorade : Cheap Eats.
• How to Make a Homemade Sports Drink - The Art of Living Healthy 14july2009.
• Organic Sports Drink Recipe - Kitchen Table Medicine 23june2008.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, fitness, outdoor sports, hydration, sports drink.
Tags: paddle boating, kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, rafting, canoeing, innertubing.

C to G Run, SF American River, California whitewater kayaking class II+, 19sept2009.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Incredible kayaking & photography on a great sunny & cloudy day!!

BruceH, Hubert, Thaddeus & I drove up to Coloma to put-in on SF American River Coloma to Greenwood Run (map & guide) at a really nice flow of 1650 cfs (El Dorado County, California, USA). Nice clear air and interesting clouds made it a triple-bonus day for photography!! And yes, we did a little kayaking too!! There were many kayakers and IKers on the river, but not too many rafters or innertubers.

Old Scarey Rapid. (Click on photo to see full panorama, use back button to return.)

It was a great day for old friends and new friends. Its always great to go kayaking with Hubert & driver. Our new kayaking friend got punked time after time throughout the day. Taking everything said "with a grain of salt" is not good enough; dude you need the whole salt shaker!! We picked up some misplaced gear from BobbieH on the way to put-in. We unexpectedly met my old friend RichS from planetmango on the river and had lunch together at Henningson Park. And its always great to meet a new friend on the river who had some good feedback from reading this blog. And after blogging recently about hydration it was incredible karma to be offered some lemonade by our new friends from Feather River canyon & from Chico who we met at Greenwood Creek take-out.

Surfing upstream from Henningson Park.

Best little surfing wave on SF American River! Do you know where it is?

I got to rescue one swimmer at Barking Dog Rapid. My leading line to the eddy on river-left was just a little too far towards the center, but following me even more towards the center put you into the "hammer zone!!" You get full credit for 3 really good eskimo roll attempts. Sorry I bumped you on that second roll which otherwise might have worked. Nevertheless, you owe me a beer (or a hydration sports drink) for a quick & secure rescue! And special thanks to the other boater who helped out by pushing your kayak while I towed you & your paddle to shore.

Thaddeus kayaking Swimmer's Rapid on SF American River. Video by BruceH.

Preventing dehydration for better athletic performance.

I had no caffeine "dehydration drinks" that morning. I drank 1 quart of hydration fluid while driving to the river, finished 2 more quarts on the river, one lemonade at take-out, another quart while driving home and a big glass of water at the restaurant. This provided a really great improvement in my hydration throughout the day. Even so, I wasn't fully hydrated, since I didn't need to pee at lunchtime. It was still an incredible improvement in hydration compared to my previous whitewater kayaking trip. Maintaining better hydration allowed me to kayak a little longer and harder without being quite so sore and tired at the end of the day (and the morning after).

We stopped at Mongolian Barbecue in Cameron Park for dinner. Its always great fun picking out veggies, meat & seasoning to make my own custom recipe. After eating there many times I've got the seasonings figured out, so I was able to make a super hot mixture that was just right for me. There was a blazing sun in our eyes for the whole drive home. Maybe we should have gone next door, had a leisurely ice cream for dessert and then driven home in the twilight!!

• photos by BRT using the Stylus 720sw waterproof camera: SF American River kayaking pictures.
• videos by BruceH using the Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera: BRT playboating, Thaddeus kayaking Swimmer's Rapid, BRT kayaking Swimmer's Rapid.

Boaters please click on the Comment link below & contribute your experiences & insights from the whitewater river trip. Tell as much or as little as you like about your day on the river.

More about:
• Trip Reports - Kayaking on California's Whitewater Rivers.
• Whitewater River Guides for California kayaking, rafting & paddle boating.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube.
Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddle boating, playboating, American River, California, rafting, paddlesports.

Hydration Cool-Ade - homemade sports drink for paddleboaters and other athletes.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Preventing dehydration in kayakers, IKers, canoers, rafters, innertubers & all workers or athletes who are active for many hours per day.

Sports drinks provide water, sugar, salt & flavor. You can buy these at the store for approximately $6 per gallon, but you can make your own sports drink at home for less than $1 per gallon. Packets of good, old-fashioned, unsweetened Kool-Aid® provide a very inexpensive starting material. The artificial colors and artificial flavors in Kool-Aid provide pretty much the same stuff that you get in fancy, expensive bottled sports drinks, so its not logical to like one and not the other. The traditional Kool-Aid flavors typically available in my local grocery stores are OK, but a wider range of more interesting Kool-Aid flavors are available online. (Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Pineapple, Watermelon Kiwi, Mango, Mandarin Tangerine, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi.)

My recipe for "Hydration Cool-Ade" uses water, sugar and salt in amounts recommended by Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Use of unsweetened Kool-Aid® for the flavor was recommended in articles at helium.com and instructables.com (see below). This results in a sports drink recipe that is quick, easy and inexpensive to make from readily available ingredients.

The instructions on the Kool-Aid® package make an excessively sweet drink. The advantage of buying the unsweetened version is that we can add just the right amount of sugar that we need to make a high-quality, inexpensive sports drink. If the recipe below is too flat for your tastes do NOT add extra sugar because that will slow down the absorption of the liquid into your body and defeat the main purpose of the sports drink. You can get more sweetness and flavor enhancement by adding Stevia liquid concentrate (available online and at health food stores) or any artificial sweetener that you like. Some Kool-Aid flavors might benefit from addition of some lemon or lime juice for additional flavor. We could also try adding fruit flavor extracts from the baking section of our local grocery store (orange extract, cherry extract, etc.).

Morton Lite Salt provides both sodium and potassium, the two main electrolyte salts that you need to replenish during long, intense sports or work activities. The salt also helps to stimulate your thirst mechanism, prevents the drink from quenching your thirst and helps encourage you to keep drinking more liquid throughout your day of activities. It is very important to measure the salt very carefully because if you add just a little too much salt the liquid quickly becomes unbearable to drink. If the measured amount of salt is too much for you, then add a little less salt to the next batch of Hydration Cool-Ade that you make. You do want some salt in the drink, but it is most important to end up with a drink that is enjoyable enough to consume in large quantities throughout your day of activities.

Hydration Cool-Ade recipes for 2 quarts or 1 gallon.

2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid.
1 Gallon: 4 quarts water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 2 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid.

Hydration Cool-Ade made in bulk.

a) 2 1/2 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 10 pkgs Kool-Aid - Store in a cannister or resealable plastic bag. Makes 5 gallons.
b) Mix well to evenly distribute powder mixture, carefully measure out exactly 1/2 cup powder, add to 1 gallon water.

Hydration Cool-Ade - Home Version.

Whenever I'm not actively exercising I don't need a drink with the calories from the sugar or the electrolytes from the salt. I can sometimes trick myself or force myself to drink plain, old, boring water, but I definitely get more fluids into me throughout the day if my drinks contain a little flavor and some sweetness!!
2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid, sweeten to taste with Stevia liquid concentrate.

What hydration fluids do you like to drink during paddle boating and other intense outdoor sports activities?

Please post a comment here to let me know if you try Hydration Cool-Ade. Let me know if you have a different recipe or a modified recipe that you like better than the Hydration Cool-Ade sports drinks described here.

More about:
• Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights.
• Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters - BRT Insights.
• Fitness for Paddleboating on Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights.
• How to make a homemade sports drink - Helium.
• Make Your Own Sports Drink - instructables.com.
• Make Your Own Sports Drink on the Cheap - Lifehacker.
• How to Make Your Own Sports Drink - mainstreet.com.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, fitness, outdoor sports, sports drink, hydration.
Tags: paddle boating, kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, rafting, canoeing, innertubing.

Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Good hydration maintains your strength and endurance during a long day of paddle boating on the river.

Sports drinks are definitely better than plain water for fluid replacement and keeping you hydrated while boating. Maintaining optimum hydration helps maintain your muscle function and sports performance during a long, hard day trip paddling down the river. Here is some more information that I found online.

• Sports Drinks : Health Topics: University of Iowa Health Care.
"Sports drinks are very effective in reducing dehydration. Drink them during or after hard work or long exercise sessions, not before. Sports drinks rehydrate the body faster and more thoroughly than water alone. Thirst is prolonged by the minerals in sports drinks. This keeps people drinking until fully rehydrated."

• Staying Hydrated? No Sweat! - Cleveland Clinic.
"For events lasting longer than an hour, Mrs. Bock recommends sports drinks containing carbohydrates (not greater than 8 percent) and electrolytes. Sports drinks taste good, are absorbed quickly, provide fuel (replenishing glycogen), restore electrolytes (potassium and sodium) and help decrease fatigue. ... Steer clear of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soda, says Mrs. Bock. Caffeine acts as a diuretic and can (in)crease urine output and lead to dehydration."

• Sports drink mantra dilutes the facts - Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"there are two quite separate mechanisms for absorbing water from your gut into your blood stream: an active mechanism, as well as a passive mechanism. The active pathway can shift 10 to 100 times more water than the passive one. It needs both glucose and sodium to work, and it uses these chemicals to drag water out of the gut into your body."

• Q&A Marathon Hydration and Nutrition - USA Triathlon.
"Look for a sports drink/beverage with electrolytes and carbohydrate to help replace the electrolytes you lose in sweat, promote rapid absorption, and supply energy especially during long distance events."

• Hydrate and make sure you achieve peak sporting performance - Stand Up Paddle Surfing Magazine.
"Plain water is not particularly well absorbed from the intestines across into the body. Putting electrolytes into the fluid helps the water get dragged across the intestinal wall into the body. Putting carbohydrate into drinks can also help fluid move from the intestines into the body, but on the flip side, it slows the rate at which fluid leaves the stomach and enters the intestines."

• Lab Notes : Sports Drinks : No Swallowing Necessary - Newsweek Magazine blog.
"carbohydrates in the drinks fit into receptors in the mouth that in turn activate the brain’s pleasure and reward centers, spurring athletes to push themselves harder without realizing how hard they're working."

• Which Fluid Hydrates Best: Water or a Sports Drink ? | Active.com.
"Why do sports drinks hydrate better than water? There are three reasons. First, fluids are absorbed through the gut and into the bloodstream faster when their osmolality closely matches that of body fluids such as blood. Osmolality is the concentration of dissolved particles in a fluid. Sports drinks contain dissolved minerals (sodium, etc.) and carbohydrates, whereas water doesn't, so water doesn't reach the bloodstream as quickly. (Second,) Sodium and other nutrients also play important roles in regulating fluid balance in the body. In other words, they help determine how much fluid enters into muscle fibers and other cells, how much remains in the blood, and so forth. Again, because sports drinks contain these nutrients, they do a better job of allowing the body to maintain optimal fluid balance, which is an important aspect of hydration that few athletes consider. A third advantage of sports drinks over water with respect to hydration is that the sodium content of sports drinks stimulates thirst, so athletes usually drink more when they have a sports drink than when they have plain water."

• Sports Drinks - BrianMAC Sports Coach.
"Two main factors affect the speed at which fluid from a drink gets into the body: the speed at which it is emptied from the stomach and the rate at which it is absorbed through the walls of the small intestin. The higher the carbohydrate levels in a drink the slower the rate of stomach emptying. Isotonic drinks with a carbohydrate level of between 6 and 8% are emptied from the stomach at a rate similar to water. Electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, in a drink will reduce urine output, enable the fluid to empty quickly from the stomach, promote absorption from the intestine and encourage fluid retention."

• Sports drinks : vital for hydration or a waste of money? | Life and style - Guardian News.
"... for exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, an isotonic sports drink is recommended," says Wendy Martinson, registered dietician and sports nutritionist." "An isotonic drink ... contains a 6-8% carbohydrate solution, which is absorbed into the body more rapidly than water, as well as providing energy. A sports drink should also contain approximately 50mg of sodium per 100ml, along with smaller amounts of the other electrolytes, such as potassium and chloride, which are lost in sweat. Morgan highlights another important consideration: palatability. 'Studies show clearly that if you don't like the taste of a sports drink, you won't consume enough of it.' "

• Sports Drinks | Science & Technology | Chemical & Engineering News.
"... as performance enhancers these drinks really help athletes and people who are out there for an hour or more."

• Hydration Tips: Guide To Sports Drinks - Men's Health magazine.
Discusses when to drink or to avoid water, sports drinks, endurance sports drinks, enhanced waters, energy drinks, recovery drinks, juice & soft drinks, oxygenated water.

• Sports Medicine Advisor - Fluids and Hydration - Univ Michigan Health System.
"Researchers have found that the fluid from an 8-ounce serving of a sports drink with 6% carbohydrates (sugars) and about 110 mg of sodium absorbs into your body faster than plain water."

• Athletes & Hydration: Good Hydration Gives You A Performance Edge - The Diet Channel.
"Caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics, which cause the body to lose excess water and thus putting you at-risk for dehydration."

• Sports Drinks: Are they effective in improving Athletic Performance? - Health Psychology Vanderbilt Univ.
"... research has shown that for endurance events and athletic competitions Gatorade and other sports drinks are very effective in preventing dehydration and, unlike water, can provide carbohydrate energy to working muscles, stimulate rapid rehydration and can actually encourage you to drink enough fluid to avoid dehydration ..."

Paddleboaters need hydration, carbohydrates and electrolytes to maintain paddling power, performance and endurance during a daytrip on the river.

The USA Triathalon team and many other sources recommend that people who are active for many hours need to replenish fluids, sugar and electrolytes frequently to maintain strength and endurance. I have no illusion of beng fit enough to compete in a triathalon, but at the end of a long, hard day of kayaking I have used up most of what my muscle fitness can produce and I am almost as exhausted as a triathlete at the finish line. If there is something I can eat or drink to allow me to run more whitewater rapids, surf more waves, catch more eddies, etc. then I want to know all about it!!

Of course you can drink plain water while paddleboating down the river if you want. Of course, to maintain your best paddling strength and endurance throughout a long, hard day of paddling you will need to replenish the carbohydrates that fuel your muscles and replace the electrolytes lost in your sweat. If you stop very frequently to take a small bite of food and get a drink of plain water you could maintain good hydration and nutrition during a river boating trip. Hey, lets get real here! I don't remember anybody I've ever paddled with who stops more than once per hour to drink and eat during a river trip. Most of us don't want to be bothered breaking the seal on a granola bar, eating one bite, then carefully stowing it away where it won't get wet so we can take another bite after a half-hour or so. And who can remember to eat & drink that often when its almost your turn on the surfing wave and there is always another big rapid or surfing wave just a little ways downstream.

Sports drinks are a marvel of modern sports science!! A carefully calculated low level of sugar provides some rapid-burning fuel for your muscles that passes quickly from stomach to intestines and into your body for transport to your muscles. The flavor and sugar makes the drink taste good, or at least a little better than plain, old boring water so you are likely to drink more of it. The low level of electrolytes is cleverly designed to replace the salts you lose in your sweat and to further stimulate your thirst mechanism. Yes, its true that sports drinks are absolutely designed to avoid quenching your thirst! This helps to keep you drinking more liquid, more often to keep up with what your body needs to maintain your hydration, strength and endurance on a long paddleboating daytrip.

Drinks containing caffeine or alcohol stimulate our kidneys to pass more liquid out of our bodies. Once you understand that these are "dehydration fluids," you can plan better how these drinks fit into your daily fluid intake, if at all. It is tempting to use caffeinated drinks for a morning pick-me-up or to help improve our sports performance. If you do, then it is doubly extra critical to maintain extra high fluid intake throughout your day of paddleboating on the river to avoid losing sports performance due to dehydration of your muscles.

And I believe that we should all prehydrate by starting to drink our sports drinks while driving to the river, running shuttle, etc. Some of us will start the day already dehydrated from our previous day of activities and low fluid intake. Some of us will be dehydrated from our normal morning routine of dehydration drinks like coffee, tea or energy drinks. So if you care about maintaining optimum hydration throughout an all-day river trip, then it seems clear that you should begin your prehydration routine long before you launch your boat on the river. Lets finish that first bottle of sports drink before launching our boats!!

And when we get to take-out many of us like to share a beer with the great friends we have been boating with all day. If you are very dehydrated as you arrive at takeout, then immediately having a dehydration fluid like beer may not be so smart. Maybe you should first drink one more quart of hydration fluid and delay that beer until your group shuttles back to put-in or stops for dinner on the way home.

Home-made sports drink recipes help to prevent dehydration during & after extreme workouts!

• Hydration Fruit-Ade homemade sports drink made from natural fruit juice - BRT Insights.
• Hydration Cool-Ade Homemade Sports Drink - BRT Insights.
• After Sports Drinks Provide Carbohydrate & Protein - BRT Insights.

More about:
• Go Green with Homemade Sports Drinks - The Succulent Wife's Favorite Things 02nov2009.
• Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
• Fitness for Paddleboating on Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, fitness, hydration.
Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, paddle boating, rafting, canoeing.

Tule River Paddleboating - California Whitewater Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports Guide - Tulare County, California, USA.

This brushy little river may not be so great for boating during drought years. Best boating opportunities may occur shortly after a big storm has cleared some of the brush out of the river channel.

Tule River canyon - locations for Whitewater Rafting, Canoeing & Kayaking put-in.

A. Tule River Picnic Area to Springville (class III+p, 5 miles)
N 36.14869 W 118.75053 - Picnic Area put-in (A) See map below.
N 36.13011 W 118.81577 - Springville take-out.

B. Tule River Springville to Globe Dr Bridge (class ??, ~4 miles)
N 36.13011 W 118.81577 - Springville put-in (B) See map below.
N 36.09489 W 118.83671 - Globe Dr Bridge take-out.

Tule River map for paddle boating.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-screen road maps & topographic maps - see below.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the Tule River.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks displayed above (A, B, etc.).

Tule River Guides, Maps & River Flow Data for Whitewater Boating.

• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• River flow data & online guides: Tule River Paddlesports Directory. Sort alphabetically, see boating guides & flows in Section 1.

Tule River valley paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from Tule River white water boating trips. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.
• Tule River - Google Images.
• YouTube - Tule River.

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in our Amazing River Canyons.

• Tule River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for the Tule River Valley. (1&2=paddlesports-kayaking-rafting-canoeing, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

Additional Paddlesports Information on Rivers & Creeks in California:
• Nearby streams: Kaweah River, Kern River.
• Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river map.
Tags: Tule River, California, paddlesport, river, rafting, canoeing, whitewater, paddle boating, kayaking.

Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:50:00 +0000

Kayakers, IKers, rafters, canoers and innertubers need to hydrate to maintain power and endurance while boating.

After realizing that I am letting myself get very dehydrated on river trips I did some research and here is the best of what I found online.

• Hydration = Balance - Ke Nalu Stand Up Paddle Surfing e-magazine 11may2009.
"Dehydration slows muscle response and detunes the fine muscle control that is critical to maintaining balance. There are other reasons too – physical performance, both intensity and endurance, falls quickly as athletes become dehydrated. In the longer term, operating in a dehydrated state is bad for your immune system, hard on your kidneys, and bad for your heart and lungs."

• Why Don't Athletes Drink Enough During Exercise - Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
"Most athletes lose substantially more body fluids through sweat than they replace by drinking during exercise. This so-called 'voluntary dehydration' can have serious implications for health and performance."

• RoguePaddler - Paddle Comfortably: 9 Tips for Paddling Comfort.
"Prehydration means taking a drink before you actually feel thirsty. If you wait until you feel thirsty to drink, you're already letting yourself begin to feel dehydrated: Thirst is the first symptom. If you want to get the best out of your muscles, with less soreness and fatigue, it's important to prehydrate. That means taking regular sips of water throughout the day—usually, every ten to fifteen minutes. In fact, exercise scientists generally recommend that you drink 8 fluid ounces (one cup) of water for every 20 minutes of exercise."

• Drinking during exercise - Sports Hydration - Powerade.
"Dehydration results in increased body temperature, increased heart rate, increased ratings of effort, reduced physical performance, and reduced mental performance. Hence, drinking during exercise can help minimise detrimental effects, especially during more prolonged and/or higher intensities of exercise."

• Sports nutrition for young adults: hydration - Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
"The body can lose up to half a gallon of water a day through normal perspiration, respiration, and excretion processes. During prolonged physical activity, water losses increase due to increased breathing and sweating. In fact, during heavy exercise, an athlete can lose between 2 and 4 quarts of sweat (6 to 8 pounds of body weight) in just one hour! The body's digestive system can only absorb about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so an athlete must consume fluids before, during, and after exercise to replace fluid losses and minimize dehydration."

• Sports Medicine Advisor 2009.1: Fluids and Hydration.
"Fluid replacement is probably the most important nutritional concern for athletes. ... When you are dehydrated ... your exercising muscles do not receive enough oxygen from your blood. Soon exhaustion sets in and your athletic performance suffers. ... The best way to prevent dehydration is to maintain body fluid levels by drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout ..."

• Keeping Well Hydrated During Football - Virginia Tech Sports Medicine.
"Probably the single most important action that athletes can take is to be proactive about hydration. Just as not training prevents an athlete from improving, dehydration can actually hinder athletic performance. The body starts recognizing thirst when the athlete is 2% dehydrated; athlete's performance begins to decrease dramatically with as little as 1% dehydration."

• TopKayaker.Net: Kayaker's Guide to Understanding Hydration.
"Salty snacks + hydration fluids = good stamina / clear thinking / A great time on the water"

• HydraCoach - Education, A Few Facts About Hydration.
"The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends drinking about 17 ounces of liquid 2 hours before exercise and drinking early and at regular intervals during exercise (5-8 oz every 15-20 minutes)."

• Hydration Calculator for improved sports performance - HydraCoach.
The Hydration Calculator makes custom hydration suggestions based on your weight, activity level and exercise intensity. Try it out! Are you drinking anywhere near the recommended amount of liquid per hour on whitewater boating trips?

Improving my hydration during whitewater paddleboating trips.

How can you determine when you are dehydrated? Weighing yourself before, during & after exercise works at home, but not on the river. Noticing the color of your pee is useful, but may not work so well when peeing on sand or gravel in a river canyon. One thing for sure is that if you don't need to pee multiple times during an all-day boating trip you are almost certainly dehydrated. If you don't need to pee even once during an all-day trip, then you are very severely dehydrated! Now that you know that all of you are dehydrated while boating and that your muscle performance is reduced as a result lets take some action to improve our hydration so we all can have more fun and better muscle performance on river boating trips!!

I've definitely got to work on increasing my fluid intake before, during and after boating. I need to be more consistent about bringing something to drink while driving to the river. I've been bringing two bottles of liquid in my kayak on all trips lately, but I rarely finish them while boating. I need to finish the first bottle at lunch if not before and be sure to finish the second bottle at takeout if not before. Whenever I see another boater drinking that is a good time for me to drink also, because I'm probably dehydrated even though I never feel thirsty while boating. Getting into the habit of taking a quick small drink while waiting in line at a surfing spot also seems like a good idea. I'll start packing an extra bottle of rehydration liquid and a small cooler to have waiting at take-out for the ride home.

Dehydration of your body can carry over from one day to the next. As your activities are finishing up at the end of the day it is important that the color of your pee should be clear. You want to ensure that you have fully rehydrated to replace the fluids lost in that day's activities. If you didn't fully rehydrate after your activities of the previous day, then you will be starting the next day in a dehydrated state. Since your body can absorb only one quart of fluid per hour (see above) you can't suddenly drink massive amounts of fluid to ensure that you start today's activities in a fully hydrated state. So remember to start drinking more yesterday if you want to make sure that you are fully hydrated today for maximum muscle performance.

More about: Fitness for Paddleboating on Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, fitness, hydration.
Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddlesports, paddle boating, rafting, canoeing.

C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 06sept2009.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:41:00 +0000

What could be better than kayaking with friends on a nice sunny day!!

BruceH, Hubert & I drove up to Coloma and unexpectedly met up with my old friend BobbieH and her friends Ed and Brigett. We put-in on Coloma to Greenwood Run SF American River (map & guide) at a really nice flow of 1600cfs (El Dorado County, California, USA).

There were lots of kayakers, IKers, rafters and innnertubers on the river, but crowds seemed no greater than normal even though this was a 3-day holiday weekend. Since this was only my second river trip of the year I took it very easy and had a nice mellow day. I did a little surfing in the rapids upstream from Gremlin wave-hole and got a couple of good rides at Gremlin. My kayak paddling instincts were still plenty fine for class II whitewater, but my stamina was down because all of my paddleboating muscles were totally out-of-shape.

We had lunch on our favorite island downstream from Henningson Park and reapplied sunscreen. Then we got in a little surfing on the great little wave upstream from Camp Lotus. I just don't understand why there are not lines of boaters waiting to learn to surf on this great little wave, but I don't mind too much when it is free for me to just jump on it and surf as long as I like.

We blasted through Barking Dog Rapid with no plan to stop and play there. The funny water downstream from Barking Dog messed around with me a little. I got through it without major embarassment, but it was another little reminder of how out-of-shape and out-of-practice I am. By then the flow was starting to drop. We did just a little more surfing and eddying as we cruised down the river through Current Divider, Highway and Swimmer's Rapid. And I got to rescue one swimmer (you owe me a beer!!).

Totalling up my fluid intake during a day of boating (~1 pint) I realized that I must have been pretty severely dehydrated in the latter part of the day. In the thrill of the moment I never feel thirsty while kayaking. Muscle performance suffers when the body is dehydrated, so I definitely need to pay more attention to maintaining good hydration while kayaking. I want to ensure that I can get the full benefit of whatever level of kayaking performance that my fitness will permit.

Ed & Brigett's 55 Ton truck did a great job of shuttling all of us and all of our gear back to Coloma. Our former favorite restaurant in Cameron Park has declined greatly under new ownership, so we got dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory in Rancho Cordova on the way home.

Photos & videos by BruceH using the Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera:
• BruceH's SF American River kayaking pictures.
• BRT kayak surfing upstream from Camp Lotus - video by BruceH.
• BobbieH kayaking Swimmer's Rapid - video by BruceH.

• (Please click on the Comment link below and add your comments, insights, and experiences from the kayaking trip. Write as much or as little as you like to tell the story of your day on the river.)

More about:
• Trip Reports - Kayaking Whitewater Rivers in California.
• California Whitewater River Guides for kayakers and other paddle-boaters.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking.
Tags: kayaking, river, whitewater, paddle boating, playboating, American River, California.

Coastal Rivers of Central & Southern California - Paddle Boating Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing & Innertubing Guide - California, USA.

Paddle boating on calm water is available in the estuaries and near upstream sections. Tidal influences can extend far inland, so many miles of calm water paddling on river estuaries can be done throughout the year. Rivers and larger creeks provide some outstanding whitewater paddleboating during the rainy seasons of winter & spring.

Jump to: SF Bay Area, Pescadero Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Pajaro River, Salinas River, Carmel River, Big Sur River, Sisquoc River, Santa Clara River.

Central & South Coast CA Rivers & Creeks, Listed north to south:

A - E. SF Bay Area Overview
Petaluma River (A), (class I, 14 miles)
Napa River (B), (class II very brushy, 18 miles) (class I, 10.5 miles)
Alameda Creek (C), (class IIIp, 5 miles)
Coyote Creek (D), (class III, 12 miles)(class I, ~6 miles)
Guadalupe River (E). (class II, 12 miles)

F. Pescadero Creek (F). (Class II, 6 miles) (See river map below.)
N 37.25127 W 122.21784 - Portola Redwoods State Park put-in.
N 37.27030 W 122.27260 - Pescadero Creek County Park
(Class ??, ~12 miles)
N 37.27159 W 122.30684 - Wurr Rd Bridge
N 37.25448 W 122.37285 - Pescadero Ck Rd Bridge
N 37.26644 W 122.41100 - Hwy 1 Bridge, Pescadero State Beach
Pescadero Creek Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Pescadero Creek pg. 328-329)

G. San Lorenzo River (G). (class II, 9 miles)(class III-IV, 6 miles.)

H. Soquel Creek (H). (Class II, 7 miles) (See river map below.)
N 37.06935 W 121.92528 - put-in.
N 36.97179 W 121.95298 - take-out.
Soquel Creek Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Soquel Creek pg. 332-333)

I. Pajaro River (I). (Class I+, 15 miles) (See river map below.)
N 36.94783 W 121.51205 - put-in.
N 36.90543 W 121.67685 - take-out.
Pajaro River Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (Pajaro River pg. 206 & 211)

J - M. Salinas River (J), (class I/IIp, 9.5 miles)(class I, 49 miles)
Nacimiento River (K), (class I-IIIp, 15 miles)(class I+p, 10.4 miles)
San Antonio River (L), (class II+, 10.7 miles)(class Ip, 8.5 miles)
Arroyo Seco River (M). (class III, 5 miles)(class III, 9.5 miles)

N. Carmel River (N). (class IIIp, 10 miles)(class I-II, 13.5 miles)

O. Big Sur River Wild & Scenic (O). (class II+, 7.5 miles)

P - S. Sisquoc River Wild & Scenic (P), (class IV, 27.5 miles)(class II-III, 19 miles)(class ???, 9 miles)
Manzana Creek (Q), (class II-III, 9 miles)
Cuyama River (R), (class III-IV, 15 Miles)
Santa Maria River (S). (class ??, ~12 miles)

T - V. Santa Clara River (T), (class II-IIIp, 24 miles)
Piru Creek Wild & Scenic (U), (class I-IV-, 15 miles)(class IV-V, 9 miles)(class III+, 4 miles)(class IV, 18.5 miles)(class II-III, 4 miles)
Sespe Creek Wild & Scenic (V). (class III+, 6.2 mi.)(class Vp, 32 miles)(class ??, ~5 miles)

Central & Southern Coast California river map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the north coast California rivers & creeks.
• To see the names of landmarks (A, B, etc.) - DoubleClick or point on the red markers.

Central & South Coast California Guides for Paddle Boating.

• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Guadalupe River, Pescadero Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Salinas River, Carmel River.)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (San Lorenzo River, Piru Creek, Sespe Creek.)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, San Lorenzo River, Pajaro River, Salinas River, Nacimiento River, San Antonio River, Arroyo Seco River, Carmel River, Big Sur River.)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• Online guides for paddleboating: California Rivers Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.

Central & South Coast California paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from kayaking trips on coastal creeks & rivers. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in California River Canyons.

• California River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for California river canyons. (Click on the desired river, sort alphabetically. 1=kayaking, 2=rafting, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
• California Whitewater River Guides for Kayaking, Innertubing, Canoeing & Rafting.
• Some California rivers & creeks have been protected in the USA
National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program and/or the California State Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube, river map.
Tags: California, paddlesports, river, rafting, canoeing, paddle boating, kayaking, wild and scenic.

Fight the Closure of Marshall Gold Discovery SHP - access point for SF American River (El Dorado County, California, USA).

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:19:00 +0000

Please write emails to help maintain access to the river for the Coloma to Greenwood class II whitewater paddleboating run.

California State budget problems have led to a proposal to close some State Parks. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is a critical river access point for the popular Coloma to Greenwood Whitewater Run on SF American River. The proposed closure of this park could block access to a very popular whitewater river run that is very heavily used by class II paddleboaters and paddleboater training programs.

"Marshall Gold Park is on the closure list - and the only way we can change it is by making noise NOW. As boaters, not only will we lose general access, bathrooms and parking, but any sort of put-in will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Go to Keep Sutter's Mill Open! for who to write and some talking points. Tell the folks at the State Capital that closing Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (Yep, thats' the full name) is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Even if it wasn't a put-in, California statehood started with the Gold Rush and the Gold Rush started at Sutter's Mill. It's just wrong to close the park." (Marilyn on CFS Listerver)

Where to Send Letters. Please send letters or emails to Governor Schwarzenegger, Ruth Coleman Director of California State Parks, and your California State Legislators.

Sign The Online Petition - Save California State Parks from closure. Express your support for California State Parks!! "During these hard economic times there isn't very much the general public can do for weekend retreats or vacations. The one thing that does remain inexpensive is camping and exploring California's wonderful State Parks. Now Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to close 220 of the 279 California State Parks. Something must be done. If you want to save these wonders of nature then please sign this petition and pass it on to those you know."

More about California State Park closure and River Conservation issues:
• Fight State Parks Closures - California State Parks Foundation.
• California residents contact your legislators about State Park closure issues - BRT Insights.
• SF American River Recreation & Conservation Directory. (Sort alphabetically. 1&2=paddleboating, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)
• River Conservation & Water Supply Policy Issues in California - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: river, environment.
Technorati Tags: California, river, river conservation.

Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Kayaking, 2004 - book review.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:53:00 +0000

An excellent reference book that covers a wide range of whitewater river kayaking skills and techniques.

The Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Kayaking provides "detailed illustrations, stunning photos and literary contributions from the world's most notable paddlers. ... this manual covers everything from the most basic skills and concepts to the most advanced, cutting edge paddling techniques. .... You'll learn: to choose the right equipment, the essential strokes and paddling techniques, the art of reading whitewater, river running techniques, river safety and rescue, playboating techniques, creek boating skills, big water skills, surf kayaking technique, squirtboating, slalom and much more."

In its 288 pages this book does a great job of describing a wide range of whitewater river kayaking techniques. It includes chapters on: Equipment, Before Hitting the Water, The Essentials, Strokes, Rolling a Kayak, Anatomy of Whitewater, River Running, Big Water River Running, Creeking, Playboating, Whitewater Racing, Surf Kayaking, Squirt Boating, River Safety & Rescue, River Etiquette, Tips for Women, Travelling & Kayaking, Overnight Whitewater Trips. The book is very well illustrated with B&W photos and diagrams.

Shoulder safety principles - Power Position and Paddler's Box.

The book describes good techniques for maintaining shoulder safety (pg 26-28). It is very important for kayakers to keep their hands in front of their shoulders in the "power position" when paddling. Another way of describing the same concept is the "paddler's box kayaking technique" that I have advocated previously. The critical principle is that the hands (or elbows) should never be allowed to move behind the shoulders because this body position greatly increases the risk of shoulder dislocation when paddling a kayak.

Problems with forward sweep stroke kayaking technique.

These shoulder safety principles are totally violated just a few pages later in this book in the description of forward sweep stroke techniques (pg. 41-43). The book describes first turning head and shoulders in the desired direction of the turn and then reaching far back on the other side of the kayak to make the sweep stroke. This inevitably puts the hand far behind the shoulder in a very risky shoulder dislocation position. This may be the high performance turning method that many advanced kayakers are using to turn the modern short kayaks. Nevertheless, I don't advocate teaching this very risky technique to beginning paddlers whose shoulder muscles may not be strong enough to survive the risky shoulder dislocation position. I think that beginning kayak paddlers should be taught the traditional method of turning the head to follow the paddle blade in the water when doing the sweep stroke. This provides the best shoulder safety and helps the beginning kayaker to focus on first learning to engage torso muscles to make the boat turn efficiently.

Conclusion.

I have great concerns about the description of forward sweep stroke technique, but other than that everything else in this book is quite excellent. I rate this book as a great resource for whitewater river kayakers (**** 4 stars out of 5).

More about:
• Principles of kayak paddling strokes, The Paddler's Box - BRT Insights.
• Sweep Stroke for Turning Your Kayak, the traditional method - BRT Insights.
• Book reviews for whitewater river kayaking, rafting & canoeing - BRT Insights.
• White Water Kayaking Skills & Techniques - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking.
Tags: paddlesports, kayaking, kayaking technique, paddle boating, whitewater, river.

California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008 (book review).

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Topographic river maps and road maps for all of California. Kayakers, canoers, innertubers and rafters need good maps for GPS, trip planning and driving directions.

California Atlas & Gazetteer (Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer Series).
"This new atlas contains topographic maps and recreation information for the entire Golden State. It replaces the former Northern California and Southern & Central California Atlas & Gazetteer volumes. New in the California Atlas & Gazetteer: enhanced shaded relief for superior terrain views, larger place name fonts, improved road displays, updated roads and road names, 2-page Yosemite National Park map, updated exit numbers on interstate highways, and map pages overlap N-S and E-W to better display edge detail."

Every paddleboater shuttle vehicle needs one of these excellent books of maps!! The DeLorme California Atlas & Gazeteer is a very valuable resource for paddleboating (kayaking, canoeing, rafting & innertubing), for trip planning and for driving to your destination. Don't leave home without it !! (**** - my rating 4 stars out of 5).

Topographic river maps and creek maps for all streams in California:

Alameda Creek, Albion River, American River, Antelope Creek, Arroyo Seco River, Austin Creek, Battle Creek, Bear Creek, Bear River, Big River, Big Sur River, Black Butte River, Butte Creek, Cache Creek, Calaveras River, Cal Salmon River, Canyon Creek, Carmel River, Carson River, Clear Creek, Coffee Creek, Cosumnes River, Cottonwood Creek, Coyote Creek, Cuyama River, Deer Creek, Eel River, Elder Creek, Elk Creek, Feather River, Garcia River, Grindstone Creek, Guadalupe River, Gualala River, Hayfork Creek, Indian Creek, Kaweah River, Kern River, Kings River, Klamath River, Lavezzola Creek, Mad River, Mark West Creek, Mattole River, McCloud River, Merced River, Mill Creek, Mokelumne River, Nacimiento River, Napa River, Navarro River, New River, Noyo River, Outlet Creek, Owens River, Pajaro River, Pauley Creek, Pescadero Creek, Petaluma River, Piru Creek, Pit River, Putah Creek, Rancheria Creek, Redwood Creek, Russian River, Sacramento River, Salinas River, San Antonio River, San Joaquin River, San Lorenzo River, Santa Clara River, Santa Maria River, Scott River, Sespe Creek, Shasta River, Sisquoc River, Smith River, Soquel Creek, Spanish Creek, Stanislaus River, Stony Creek, Ten Mile Creek, Thomes Creek, Trinity River, Truckee River, Tuolumne River, Van Duzen River, Walker River, Yuba River. Ocean Surfing on the California Coast.

More about:
• DeLorme Northern California Atlas & Gazetteer 6th edition, 2003.
• Paddleboating Guides for Whitewater Rivers in California - BRT Insights.
• Reviews - Books, Videos, & Websites for whitewater river paddleboating.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube, river map.
Tags: California, kayaking, whitewater, rivers, rafting, canoeing, gps, topographic map.

Putah Creek Paddle Boating - California Whitewater Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:40:00 +0000

Kayaking, Rafting & Canoeing Paddlesports Guide - Lake County, Napa County, Solano County & Yolo County, California, USA.

Putah Creek canyon - put-in locations for Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking & Canoeing.

A. Putah Creek Upper Run (class IV+, 16 miles)
N 38.79169 W 122.56657 - Hwy 29 Bridge put-in (A) See map below.
N 38.79079 W 122.47996 - access point ??
N 38.78114 W 122.45713 - Noyes Ranch Road maybe private maybe access ??
N 38.70313 W 122.38134 - Stagecoach Canyon Road take-out.

B. Monticello Dam to Lake Solano (class II, 2.5 miles)
N 35.76100 W 120.88428 - Monticello Dam outflow put-in (B) See map below.
N 35.81308 W 120.75897 - Lake Solano inflow - take-out.

C. Lake Solano to Mace Blvd (class I, ~18 miles)
N 36.25344 W 121.43103 - Lake Solano outflow put-in (C) See map below.
N 38.53680 W 121.85115, Rd 95 Stevenson Bridge
N 38.51701 W 121.75667, Old Davis Road Bridge.
N 38.51886 W 121.69529, Mace Blvd Bridge.

Putah Creek map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen road map & topographic map - landmarks on Putah Creek.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks displayed below (A, B, etc.).

Putah Creek Guides, Maps & River Flow Data for Whitewater Boating.

• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (pg 80 Upper Run)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (pg. 193, 201-202 Upper Run)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 210-211 Monticello Dam Run)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• River flow data & online guides: Putah Creek Paddlesports Directory. Sort alphabetically, see boating guides & flows in Section 1.

Putah Creek valley paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from Putah Creek white water boating trips. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.
• Putah Creek - Google Images.
• YouTube - Putah Creek.

Outdoor Activities & Environmental Protection & in our River Canyons.

• Putah Creek Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for the Putah Creek Valley. (1&2=kayaking-rafting-canoeing-paddlesports, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

More Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
• Nearby streams: Cache Creek, Bear Creek (Colusa County).
• Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river map.
Tags: Putah Creek, California, river, rafting, canoeing, whitewater, paddle boating, kayaking, paddlesport.

Essentials of River Kayaking, 2004 - book review.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Introduction to whitewater river kayaking techniques for beginning paddleboaters.

Essentials of River Kayaking provides a brief, quick introduction to a wide range of important skills & techniques that all whitewater river kayakers need to know about. Topics include: how to be safe on the water, kayaks & paddles, getting the kayak onto the river, kayaking strokes, kayaking on moving water, rescue & safety. None of these techniques can be covered completely in this very short booklet, but the booklet does provide a foundation of basic knowledge that can help prepare a beginning paddleboater to continue learning more from other sources in the future.

I rate this book as a good resource for beginning kayakers (*** 3 stars out of 5).

More about:
• Book reviews for whitewater river kayaking, rafting & canoeing - BRT Insights.
• White Water Kayaking Skills & Techniques - BRT Insights.

Tags: paddlesports, kayaking, paddle boating, whitewater, river.

Salinas River - California Whitewater River Kayaking & Canoeing Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Including Tributaries Nacimiento River, San Antonio River & Arroyo Seco River - Monterey County & San Luis Obispo County, California, USA.

Jump to: Nacimiento River, San Antonio River, Arroyo Seco River, Salinas River.

Salinas River canyon - put-in locations for Whitewater Kayaking, Rafting & Canoeing.

Tributary Creeks.
A. Nacimiento River Hunter Liggett to Turtle Creek (class I-IIIp, 15 miles)
N 35.87486 W 121.21834 - Hunter Liggett put-in (A)
N 35.79912 W 121.10770 - Turtle Ck take-out.

B. Nacimiento River below reservoir (class I+p, 10.4 miles)
N 35.76100 W 120.88428 - Below Nacimiento dam put-in (B)
N 35.81308 W 120.75897 - Tower Rd Bridge take-out (H)

C. San Antonio River above reservoir (class II+, 10.7 miles)
N 35.98467 W 121.23937 - Fergusson Rd bridge put-in (C)
N 35.89705 W 121.08860 - Interlake Rd bridge take-out.

D. San Antonio River below reservoir (class Ip, 8.5 miles)
N 35.79912 W 120.88519 - Vista Dam Rd Bridge put-in (D)
N 35.86403 W 120.81019 - Bradley Rd Bridge take-out (I)

E. Arroyo Seco River - Arroyo Center to Miller's Lodge (class III, 5 miles)
N 36.23578 W 121.47765 - Picnic Area put-in (E)
N 36.25344 W 121.43103 - Miller's Lodge take-out.

F. Arroyo Seco River - Miller's Lodge to Elm Ave bridge (class III, 9.5 miles)
N 36.25344 W 121.43103 - Miller's Lodge put-in (F)
N 36.28095 W 121.32284 - Elm Ave Bridge take-out.

Salinas River.
G. Santa Margarita to Atascadero (class I/IIp, 9.5 miles)
N 35.40798 W 120.56817 - Santa Margarita put-in (G)
N 35.50093 W 120.65924 - Atascadero take-out.

H. Camp Roberts to Bradley (class I, 5.9 miles)
N 35.81312 W 120.75902 - Tower Rd Bridge put-in (H)
N 35.86387 W 120.81030 - Bradley Rd Bridge take-out (I)

I. Bradley to San Ardo Oil Field (class Ip, 7.5 miles)
N 35.86387 W 120.81030 - Bradley Rd Bridge put-in (I)
N 35.95939 W 120.88231 - San Ardo Oil Field take-out (J)

J. San Ardo Oil Field to San Ardo (class I, 6 miles)
N 35.95939 W 120.88231 - San Ardo Oil Field put-in (J)
N 36.01675 W 120.91252 - San Ardo take-out (K)

K. San Ardo to San Lucas (class Ip, 10.5 miles)
N 36.01675 W 120.91252 - San Ardo put-in (K)
N 36.11708 W 121.02745 - San Lucas take-out (L)

L. San Lucas to King City (class I, 10 miles)
N 36.11708 W 121.02745 - San Lucas put-in (L)
N 36.20273 W 121.13903 - King City take-out.

M. Gonzalez River Rd Bridge to Chualar River Rd Bridge (class I, 9 miles)
N 36.48649 W 121.46986 - Gonzalez River Rd Bridge put-in (M)
N 36.55564 W 121.54801 - Chualar River Rd Bridge take-out.

Float Tubing Equipment for a Fun Day on the River.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Float Tubes provide a quick, easy and inexpensive way to float down a river.

• Intex 53" River Run I Float Tube.
• River Rat Inflatable Blow Up Inner Tube Float.
• Slime 5002-A Auto Inner Tube - G/Gr 15 TR13
• River Tubes - Tube Pro Inc. provides durable river float tubes for advanced tubers and outfitter services.

PFDs (life jackets) are highly recommended and may be required by law for tubing on some rivers.

Make sure that your PFD is sized to fit your body and provides the amount of floatation that you need.
• Kwik Tek PFDT-4 T-Bag T Top Bag Holds 4 Pfd's
• Life Jacket PFD - Large
• Aviva Sports Dura Nylon PFD - Youth

More about:
• Equipment for Whitewater Boating - Critical Reviews.
• River Tubing Skills, Techniques & Safety for Float Tube Trips - BRT Insights.

River Tubing Skills, Techniques and Safety for your Float Tube River Trips.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Float tubes (innertubes) are the ultimate in economy and simplicity among personal watercraft!!

River tubing provides the first river trip experiences for many people. This generally works out OK as long as beginning river tubers stick to gentle sections of river. Even on a gentle section of river there are still things to know to help promote fun and safety in river tubing.

Equipment for River Tubing.

The float tube can be a truck innertube from a tire store or a float tube from a sporting goods store. PFDs (life jackets) are always recommended and sometimes required depending upon the speed of the river and local regulations. This equipment can often be rented from outfitters located near rivers that are popular for river tubing. (Equipment for Float Tubing - BRT Insights.)

Hats & sunglasses should be tied on securely. Short ropes can be used to tie gear on your person or on your float tube. Never tie things together with a long length of rope in between. Avoid long dangling ropes that can get snagged on various obstructions in the riverbed and cause a safety hazard. An old pair of gym shoes or securely attached sandals are important for walking in and around the river. Be sure to bring lots to drink to stay well hydrated. Sunscreen is highly recommended and should be reapplied frequently.

Skills Training and/or Experience for River Tubing.

Beginners should go with more experienced river tubers who are familiar with the river, or start with gentle rivers that are recommended for self-guided trips. Everybody who goes river tubing should have good swimming skills because there is a risk of getting tipped over and separated from your float tube.

Choosing a River for your Float Tube Trip.

Rivers are rated from class I (flat moving water) to class V (extreme whitewater) on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Beginning river tubers should stick to class I & II rivers. Rivers that flow near to a road are best for beginning tubers so they can walk out easily in case of trouble.

River Tubing in California.

River difficulty ratings for many California rivers are available from websites (California River Boating Online Guide) and books (Paddling Northern California & Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North). There are also websites that provide recent flow data (Dreamflows - Western USA) to help ensure that when you plan a river tubing trip there will be sufficient flow in the river when you get there. In northern California river tubing is popular on American River Parkway class I+, Cache Creek Rumsey Run class II+, Russian River class I and Sacramento River class I-II due to their reliable summer flows and relatively warm water.

Floating down the River in your Float Tube - Watch out for Safety.

Typically we leave one vehicle parked near the river take-out location and one vehicle at the river put-in location. When floating the river keep your group close together and make sure everybody is watching out for the safety of everybody else at all times. Even on the mildest of rivers the power of flowing water is incredible. Be sure to avoid logs and bushes in the current that can snag a boat or a boater. Don't let the currrent push you into a channel that is too narrow to pass through safely. Whenever you cannot see a safe route down the river get out on the shore to find a good route or to walk around a difficult section of the river. Don't let the current push you underneath an overhanging rock, tree or shoreline because you could get trapped underwater. Keep your feet up and swim if you get tipped out of your float tube in an area of strong current. Don't walk in the riverbed in places where the current is strong because if your foot gets wedged in a crevice then the current could push you under. Avoid the upstream side of rocks, bridge pilings or other obstructions in the riverbed. Man-made structures in the riverbed are typically very hazardous, so be sure to float far away from them or walk past them on the shore if necessary.

River Tubing Photos & Videos.

• YouTube - River Tubing Tour, Ocho Rios Jamaica.
• river tubing - Google Images.
• river tubing pictures and videos on Webshots.
• Picasa Web Albums - river tubing Search results.
• YouTube - river tubing search.
• Axel Tubing on the American River - LiveVideo.com
• Mokelumne River Trip 2006 - Tubing the River
• Saskia Tubing on the American River - LiveVideo.com
• river tubing - Google Videos

Good luck, watch out for safety and have fun out there!!

More about: Skills & Techniques for Whitewater River Float Trips.

IceRocket Tags: river tubing, float tube.
Technorati Tags: river tubing, float tube, river, whitewater, California.

California River Flow Gages at Risk from Budget Cuts

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Support full funding of the National Streamflow Information Program by contacting your representatives in the U.S. Congress.

Streamflow gages are critical for planning whitewater paddleboating trips, but also for all of the government agencies and businesses that manage, conserve or utilize our water resources.

"Dozens of critical sensors tracking temperamental Central Valley rivers could blink out next year because of California's budget problems. Some of the sensors, known as streamflow gages, have operated for more than 100 years, providing vital real-time data on river elevation and flow volume that are vital to flood safety, environmental protection and water supply." Vital Central Valley water sensors at risk from budget cuts - Sacramento Bee 04aug2009.

List of 54 stream flow gages in California that are threatened with discontinuation after October 2009. California Threatened Streamgages - Office of Surface Water usgs.gov.

ChrisS wrote "some USGS California gauges ... scheduled to be discontinued ... The ones of biggest concern to paddlers appear to be the Smith, SF Eel, Mill Creek, Deer Creek, Butte Creek, NF Yuba below Goodyears ..." Discontinued gauges California 2009 - Dreamflows Bulletin Board 02aug2009.

All whitewater boaters and river lovers should contact their federal legislators to support full funding of the National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP).

Jim Kolva, Office of Surface Water, wrote in an email to Brendan "Two of the streamgages on your list (10296000 and 11383500) are part of the designated National Streamflow Information Program. You can find out more about this program at this URL: http://water.usgs.gov/nsip/. Basically the program is designed to provide a "backbone" network of federally funded streamgages so that local budget woes do not threaten continued data collection. Currently NSIP is funded at about $20 million but full funding would cost about $140 million/year. You could contact your Congressman and Senators and urge full funding of NSIP." Discontinued gages - boof.com, the california whitewater community forum.

"U.S. Geological Survey's National Streamflow Information Program ... operates and maintains approximately 7,500 streamgages which provide long-term, accurate, and unbiased information on streamflow to meet the needs of many diverse users." National Streamflow Information Program - usgs.gov.

The link below provides information about how to contact your legislators to express your support for full funding of the National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). In the midst of a drought it seems wrong to economize on collecting the data needed to efficiently manage our precious water supplies. California residents contact your legislators about water supply policy issues - BRT Insights.

More about paddleboating trip plans and water supply policy issues:
• Whitewater River Kayaking Trip Plans & Trip Reports - BRT Insights.
• River Conservation & Water Supply Policy Issues in California - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: river, environment.
Technorati Tags: California, river, river conservation, environment, water policy, water supply.

San Francisco Bay Area Creeks & Rivers - California Whitewater Paddlesports Overview.

noreply@blogger.com (brthomas) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:33:00 +0000

Kayaking, Rafting & Canoeing Paddleboating Guide - California, USA.

Jump to: Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River.

Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River Whitewater Boating - put-in locations.

A. Petaluma River. (class I, 14 miles) Sonoma County, CA. (See map below.)
N 38.23599 W 122.64030 - Washington St Bridge put-in (A)
N 38.23468 W 122.63724 - Petaluma River Turning Basin put-in.
N 38.22861 W 122.61390 - Petaluma Marina put-in.
N 38.11511 W 122.50683 - Port Sonoma put-in.
N 38.11038 W 122.49872 - Black Point take-out.

B. Napa River Upper Run. (class III very brushy, 18 miles) (See Napa River Boating Guide.)
Napa River Lower Run. (class I, 10.5 miles) Napa County, CA. (See map below.)
N 38.32494 W 122.28390 - Trancas Street bridge put-in (B)
N 38.22476 W 122.30873 - Cuttings Wharf take-out.

C. Alameda Creek. (class IIIp, 5 miles) Alameda County, CA. (See map below.)
N 37.59514 W 121.90340 - Sunol railroad bridge put-in (C)
N 37.58615 W 121.96352 - Gauging station along Hwy 84.
N 37.57832 W 121.96858 - Old Canyon Rd Bridge take-out.

D. Coyote Creek. (class III, 12 miles) Santa Clara County, CA. (See map below.)
N 37.18094 W 121.50235 - Poverty Flat put-in for 12 mile class III run (D)
N 37.10215 W 121.47291 - Gilroy Hot Springs Rd put-in for 5 mile class II run.
N 37.07668 W 121.51274 - Coyote Lake take-out.

Coyote Creek. (class I, ~6 miles) Santa Clara County, CA.
N 37.33229 W 121.86602 - William Street Park put-in.
N 37.35597 W 121.87408 - Watson Park 2.3 mile take-out.
N 37.42362 W 121.92545 - Milpitas Alviso Road take-out.
N 37.46566 W 121.94447 - Dixon Landing Rd take-out.

E. Guadalupe River. (class II, 12 miles) Santa Clara County, CA. (See map below.)
N 37.25076 W 121.87039 - put-in Blossom Hill Road bridge (E)
N 37.39614 W 121.94103 - Montague Expressway bridge take-out.

SF Bay Area River Map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map & Road Map - landmarks on SF Bay Area Rivers.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks (A, B, etc.).

SF Bay Area River Guides, Maps & River Flow Data for Whitewater Boating.

• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (pg. 182-184 Napa River)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 40-41 Napa River, pg. 44-45 Petaluma River)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• Online guides & river flow data: Petaluma River Directory, Napa River Directory, Alameda Creek Directory, Coyote Creek Directory, Guadalupe River Directory. (Sort alphabetically - see section 1.)

SF Bay Area River paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from SF Bay Area River & Creek white water boating trips. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.
• Petaluma River - Google Images photo gallery.
• Petaluma River - Petaluma Paddlers kayak community.
• Coyote Creek - Western Waters Canoe Club.
• Guadalupe River - Western Waters Canoe Club.

Outdoor Activities & Environmental Protection in our Beautiful River Valley Watersheds.

• Petaluma River Directory, Napa River Directory, Alameda Creek Directory, Coyote Creek Directory, Guadalupe River Directory.
Websites for SF Bay Area Rivers & Creeks. (1&2=kayaking-rafting-canoeing-paddlesports, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

Additional Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
• Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports, Geographical List - BRT Insights.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river map.
Tags: Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River, California, canoeing, paddle boating, kayaking, paddlesport, whitewater, river.