As I mentioned, I came out here to the Grand Pacific Northwest in order to find a new life. My intention was to recover from my mothers death, and deal with my life as an abuse victim, while paddling a kayak on the ocean.

To do that I needed competent instruction So... My first class was in the kayak that I bought during a snowstorm in Michigan! The lesson was with Nigel Foster [a man of some repute] at Desolation Sound. That is, very near the Tacoma Narrows bridge, a place where, should one stray too far from shore, would find out what excitement a 7 knot ride in the sea can be!

It was there that I learned how to do a "wet exit" and a number of paddling techniques. I also learned what a day on the water can do to ones body. I was tired... but I had learned so very much! Eventually I purchased my Northwest Kayaks Pursuit. The Pursuit is made of fiberglass-so is the coming that the spray skirt fits around. One sunny day soon after that purchase, I was practicing turns when...

I was upside down! "Well, time to rip off the skirt and get out..."

"Ahem-time to get the spray skirt off, and swim..."

" REALLY-the spray skirt HAS GOT TO COME OFF OR I'LL DROWN!!!..."

Finally of course, I got the skirt off... Closest I'd come to that amount of fear was off the coast of a once beautiful town called Beriut... For the next couple of days I thought about taking the boat out again, each time I lost my courage. I was nearing a point where I'd either put the boat up for sale or... Hire a professional to teach me how to escape my glorious new boat.

George Gronseth happened to have some time, and I had [at that time] the money to hire him. He taught me far more than proper escape maneuvers. I was close to learning how to roll-but I was, after nearly an entire day under his tutelage, exhausted---I kept my new boat! <G>

I went on to take a class in navigation and one in rolling at Gig Harbor... Nooo I still didn't learn how to roll... but I was working at it!

Via the Internet paddling list, I was made aware of a nice young man north of me who was good at "fitting out" a kayak to suit the paddler. I drove up to visit him, purchased some essentials, and [our winters are nothing like brutal Michigan or Illinois winters] I spent some happy time installing foam and gearing up for when the weather became pleasant enough to paddle again. I did exactly that, testing out my fitting-out... it was a quiet joy...

March came, now basically flat broke, I went in search of a job...

Then it happened...

A bad choice to leave a van-while unbeknownst to me, it was still moving, lead to surgery and that lead to being in a coma. During that time I had a discussion with God and my Mother <!> and I was full of complaints... finally God said, "Oh for heavens sake-you can't come and be with us-go back..." I said something like, "And do what???" Gods reply was a rather direct, "Do whatever you want..." "-Like what?" I asked. "Oh... I don't know-go kayaking..."

So I did...!

I paddled my kayak on Lake Washington. I rolled my kayak on Lake Washington. I had my eyes wide open the whole time-I even enjoyed rolling my boat... Over and over I rolled it... Of course it was a long paddle-28 days until I woke up and... when I did, there was no boat, no life jacket, no paddle, no Lake Washington...

There was however, a view of water from my hospital room, there were rules [designed to keep me alive...] and there was this helmet... UGH, a helmet designed to protect my now incomplete skull...

I wanted so badly, after waking up... to go paddling... but to do that, I'd have to gain permission from my health care team and they quite rightly-put kayaks on hold for some time. I'd also need a partner, I'd need a rack on a vehicle, and for heavens sake-a drivers license would be necessary too-if I was to drive... Finally permission came to paddle-if I could find a partner... It didn't happen... I grew angry and frustrated-"why does God say to do something-and then everyone gets in the way," I wondered...?

Then one day I had a thought-and that thought leads me to another series of pages I hope-if you've made it to here, you may find interesting...

The collageThe kayak menuThe Kayak trip