Kayaking

ADIRONDACK KAYAKING

ENJOY THE FLAT WATER PADDLING OR RAPIDS

Kayaking

For kayaking the Adirondacks, your hosts would like to recommend Loon Spirit Kayaking.

LOON SPIRIT KAYAKING

PROFESSIONAL ADIRONDACK FLAT WATER KAYAKING INSTRUCTION SINCE 1995

IS LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTHERN ADIRONDACK WILDERNESS PARK

SPECIALIZE IN SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION FOR A QUALITY WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE

OFFER GUIDED 4 HOUR ECO-TOUR LESSONS

OFFER PADDLING TO FAMILIES, GROUPS, AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

PRIVATE LESSONS ALSO AVAILABLE

PACKAGES

LOON SPIRIT BASIC PADDLING ADVENTURE

4 HOUR (HALF DAY) CLASS

One hour on shore paddling safety instruction, 3 hour wilderness tour

(Kayaks, life jackets, and paddles included)

$60.00 per person

LOON SPIRIT INTERMEDIATE PADDLING ADVENTURE

4 HOUR (HALF DAY) CLASS

Learn intermediate paddling skills, equipment buying tips, distance fitness techniques, tour trip planning, and in-water safety skills

(Students must take Loon Spirit Basic Paddling as a prerequisite)

$60.00 per person

BRIAN WETMORE

4 BAKER STREET

JOHNSTOWN, NY 12095

UP A CREEK

KAYAKING BECOMING A POPULAR WAY TO TRAVEL LOCAL WATERWAYS

This review was published in The Leader-Herald newspaper online

Monday, July 26, 2004

By Gregory G. McNall

There are 44 lakes in Fulton County alone. The Great Sacandaga, West and East Caroga Lake, Nine Corner Lake, Rockwood Lake, Canada Lake, the list goes on and on.

Hamilton and Montgomery counties offer the same kinds of waterways, with not only lakes and ponds, but also innumberable rivers and streams that make their very own aquatic pathway webbing through the tri-county area and the southern Adirondacks.

So why not get out on the water and enjoy it?

Over the last few decades, canoeing and kayaking has blasted on the scene as a different way for lovers of the outdoors to see the countryside. The Adirondack Mountains as a whole have more than 3,000 lakes and 6,000 miles of waterways, and some of the most scenic are literally right in our backyard.

It's only natural that the area should attract plenty of people interested in experiencing the area from the water. Dave Wiltey of Rockwood has been gliding around in a kayak for more than three decades. Both a competitive and recreational kayaker, he has seen the sport grow rapidly.

AREA ABUNDANT WITH WATERWAYS SUITABLE FOR KAYAKING, CANOEING.

"Probably the biggest explosion in recent years has been in kayaking," said Wiltey. "There was a time when if I drove down the Thruway and saw a kayak, I'd know whose kayak it was. But now it's just exploding. Now you go through Johnstown and Gloversville and see all these boat racks.

It's a fun sport. There are a lot of lakes in Fulton County, so there are a lot of places to go. And maybe the biggest draw is to be able to be on the water in the summertime."

Wiltey, along with others like Jack Cridland, have known about the area's liquid jewels for a long time.

"There are lots of opportunities around the area to take advantage of," said Cridland, who was a canoer in his days on the water.

"There are several spots along the Sacandaga River where it's easy access along the banks to get a boat in. And you also have all the lakes in the area."

While these early pioneers did as much racing as sightseeing, canoeing, and kayaking in the Adirondacks are a perfect way to sit back and relax without the roar of an engine and see everything Mother Nature has to offer.

Kayaks specifically have become much more user friendly with time and technological advances. The sport has also spawned business success in the form of JAG Manufacturing. Started by Joe Galea, another original kayaker, it has grown from a one-man operation to a business that supplies kayak fabric covers, or spray skins at an international level.

JAG Manufacturing specializes in custom-sewn products ranging from spray skins to tote and equipment bags.

"We started the business with a much broader product line in mind," said Galea, "but we found a niche in the spray decks, and it's created a worldwide distribution for us. Since 1984, we've helped supply the kayaks that are in the Olympics, right up to the ones in the Athens Games this year."

The growth of the sport has led to easier access for the simple camper, outdoorsman or nature lover. Look at a kayak on the water as it glides along and you wonder how a simple rowing motion could keep a very small, seemingly unstable boat above water. That might have been the case in the past, but now kayaks are made for all types of water and all levels of experience.

"The quality of the equipment has really improved," said Galea, "Now you have kayaks based on an indivdual's need. People hunt and fish using kayaks. Deep sea fishing is popular with them, especially on the West Coast."

"A lot of the change, too, is the change in the boat design," added Wiltey. "They're a lot more forgiving for a new paddler. You could take someone and put them in a relatively stable boat and in 15 minutes they could actually be kayaking. It's become a user-friendly kind of sport."

Another local business to spring from the popularity of kayaking and canoeing is Loon Spirit Kayaking. Owner Brian Wetmore, a licensed New York state guide, teaches, gives tours, offers rentals and gives lessons to beginning kayakers up to the intermediate level. He also runs a workshop on kayaking safety for younger children.

"Over the last eight years, kayaking has become one of the most popular of all the watersports," he said. "The learning curve is such that anyone can do it, and once you're out on the water, you get a sense of independence."

And once a person becomes comfortable on the water, the opportunities are just about limitless. Many campers today depend on kayaks as important pieces of camping equipment, along with a tent and cooking utensils.

But the key is finding the right kind of boat for your hobby, whether it be sightseeing, fishing or racing.

"The boats today are also a lot more versatile," said Wiltey. "You can use them on a lake, you can go out in windy conditions. There are hundreds of companies making and designing kayaks, and you can get one for every need. They have some where you can put things in the bulkhead of the boat. They have ocean kayaks and obviously whitewater kayaks, along with flatwater kayaks."

The main investment in the sport is pretty straight forward. Kayaks, canoes, and accompanying equipment like oars and protective devices can be found in many larger sporting goods and outdoor stores.

While there are numerous types of kayaks on the market today, it's important to find the right one for a person's needs.

"The hardest part is finding and getting the right equipment, getting the right boat for what you want to use it for," said Wiltey. "If you have a short squatty kayak and take it on the lake, it doesn't track properly and it's hard to maintain straightness, but if you wanted to go into whitewater, that's where it would come in. Once that's taken care of, you can go anywhere."

After the initial investment, the right kayak can be used just about anywhere there's water to send it along.

"The expenses are reasonable because once you have the equipment, then everything else is free," said Wiltey. "There are several different reasons why a person can do it. You can fish out of a kayak, you can explore out of one. You can get into places that are hard to get into. And then there's kind of this fitness boom too, where poeple are looking for good exercise. A lot of people will go camping and throw a couple of kayaks on their car and have some fun."

Above all, kayaking and canoeing brings together every positive you could be looking for in outdoor activity. There's the chance to get exercise in a unique way, you can get out into the wilderness and go wherever the boat takes you. And it's a sport that a person can enjoy for a lifetime.

"I think a lot of them are the baby boomers who are looking for exercise and really buy into the idea of a sport," Galea said of kayaking's new breed. "It's low impact, and you can go along depending on your age and physique and comfort level."

"The Adirondack area is so conductive to what kayaking is meant for," added Wetmore. "This is one of the best areas to learn the sport. You don't have to go very far to find somewhere to go out."