Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with kayaking

Suggestions for kayaking spots around Chicago

sk381 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:58:18 -0800

Need suggestions for places to kayak around Chicago. Having tried kayaking on the Chicago river in the city a couple of times, I'd like to explore spots that are out in the wilderness, more scenic and ideally no more than a 2-2.5 hr drive from the city. Also I would need to rent a kayak.

Thanks!

Tell us everything you know about the San Juans!

amanda — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:47:54 -0800

The Mister and I are planning to head to the San Juan Islands in Washington for an extended outdoor adventure in September. Tell us what you know about visiting the San Juans! We are pretty avid hikers and campers and bikers. We'd like to get on the water, too, though we've only been on a kayak once or twice. We're considering doing a multi-day guided kayak tour. This seems a little namby-pamby for diy backpackers but, well, it is open water and there may be whales and they do all the bivouacking and cooking for you. Has anyone done a kayak tour either with or without a guide? Any recommendations on a company -- there's at least 6 to choose from.

Also, we're torn between camping and lodging and may try to do a bit of both. I love the idea of waking up in the early morning and being able to wander out of my tent, make some coffee on my little stove and look out to sea. The lodging there is very expensive so we may do one or two nights lodging as a splurge and camping the rest -- any advice on either of those options. Right now, we're thinking of staying on either San Juan or Orcas island.

Lastly, we're having a bit of a conundrum as to whether to bring our own bikes, rent bikes and/or bring our car with us. The upside to the car is simply hauling our gear around and if we get a crazy ass rainstorm (crossing my fingers that this does not happen) it would be nice to decamp and head to the car. September is usually glorious here in Oregon -- total paradise -- but the coast is something else. If we were just planning to stay at a hotel the whole time, I'd totally bring my bike and leave the car because we could just ditch our stuff at the hotel, take a cab or two as necessary and head out. But, because we're thinking of mixing it up, a car just sounds so much... easier.

Oh, lastly lastly, should we bike on Shaw Island? Is it awesome or would we be better off hiking around somewhere else?

Inflatable Canoe/Kayak recommendations

jjsonp — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:55:10 -0800

Inflatable kayak/canoe recommendations & tips? I want to do some placid river-running along the Haw (near Chapel Hill, NC). I think there is some mild white-water but it's mostly pretty calm.

I like the idea of an inflatable kayak or canoe, but given the prices I'm seeing I'd like some advice.

Are these things worth the money? I don't have a truck or a roof-rack, nor anyplace to store a rigid canoe/kayak. Also, what sort of inflator is best?

I've been in canoes on lakes and have tubed down rivers but that's the extent of my experience. And I'm really anxious to get out on the water ASAP. Thanks for any helpful hints.

What do you know about Tofino?

dolface — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:10:17 -0800

I'm getting married this summer, and my partner and I are looking at the west coast of Vancouver for our honeymoon. We've found Tofino and specifically La Picola cabin and I'm looking for any information folks might have about the cabin; good, bad, indifferent, any. (I read the other asks about Tofino, but none of them had as much detail as I'm looking for) We'll be up there in the first week of August for about a week, and figure we'll stay in the cabin for most of the time, with maybe a night at one of the schmancy hotels nearby for a hot shower and room service.

In general I'm looking for ideas about where to kayak (and rent them for a few days), run, hike, whale-watch, fish, eat, and generally lounge around, with an emphasis on down-scale and cozy. Things like hot springs and where to shop for groceries and good wine would be welcome as well.

Suggestions about other places to stay (not necessarily in Tofino, but with similar recreation opportunities) would be great!

Legal recourse for neighborhood denied access to coastline?

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0800

Hi. For my mom. In New Hampshire, is there any sort of recourse for a neighborhood that has recently been denied by a new homeowner a "traditional path" down to the water, where all kayak and canoe? More inside. For time immemorial (maybe 15 years, about the age of the neighborhood), all the neighbors enjoyed access to the small inlet at the bottom of the street, by using a path along the edge of one neighbor's yard. Everyone enjoys kayaking etc. This is a very pricey, upscale neighborhood on the NH coast. My mother especially is absolutely addicted to kayaking with her two dogs. She has serious back and shoulder issues, and is unable to lift her kayak onto her car, nor is she able to kayak in MOST of the waters around here because of current -- the proximity to this little inlet was one of her primary concerns when she moved here.
Anyway, this summer, the old owners of this house and patch of land that the path runs through moved on or died (not sure which) and it was sold to a new owner, who resides in a town a few miles north of here. She plans to rent it out. When my mother came in from kayaking the other day, my mom attempted to nicely introduce herself to this woman. Please note that my mother is the nicest kindest person on the face of the planet. This new owner was pretty darn rude, leaving my mother to think this woman must have formed a bad opinion of her before even meeting her. She said to my mother, declining to shake hands "I know who you are, and I'm going to be the nasty neighbor and deny you access to the water." She told my mom that the property was to be rented and the water access would be solely enjoyed by the new tenants. Other neighbors have received similar news from her, but NOT in the same mean way as my mother, and other neighbors were given until Sept 15th to cease use of the pathway.

Anyway, my mother offered to pay a lawyer to draw up papers releasing the owner or tenants from any liability as a result of neighbors' use of the pathway, and this woman declined.
Now, as upsetting as the loss of water access is to my mother, she can basically understand why. It is private property, and the woman can do whatever she wants...right? However, she questions whether there is SOMETHING that can be done about this woman denying the whole neighborhood access to something that was generally treated as public for the entire history of development on that plot of land. There is no "deeded right of way" on file in town hall for this path. It's just generally accepted. And in this town, where my mom lives, there are dozens of similar situations - land owned by someone privately, but treated (respectfully) as public access to the water. We thought maybe there was something like...eminent domain, but for private citizens versus the government? I don't know. We're not lawyers...my mom is willing to consult one but only if it seems like there is ANY hope of doing so. Had this woman not been so awful to my kind, respectful, sweet mom, my mom wouldn't think about pushing the situation...but she's also losing a major outlet in her life and alternatives are not readily presenting themselves.

(FYI we've investigated other nearby access points to the water, joining a kayak club such as Portsmouth Kayak Adventures, kayak lifts for her car, trailers which are prohibitively expensive etc. Her car is a new SUV with built in racks that are incompatible with systems such as the Hullavator by Thule. She can't lift the kayak higher than waist height. She may decide to get a trailer, but she'd have to save up till next season for that and miss out on the rest of this year. Also of primary concern is a kayaking location where there is land nearby, such as small tidal islands, for the dogs to run/swim to. Her current location matched this perfectly.)

Any advice relating to legal recourse or maybe alternatives we haven't considered would be welcome. Thanks in advance!

Enjoying the Apostle Islands and Superior Lakeshore

sararah — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:02:55 -0800

Trying to take a long weekend trip to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. We've only got about 3-4 days up there, so we want to make the most of it. Are we missing out by camping on the mainland? Besides kayaking, any must-do activities in the area? (Especially decent hiking that is easily accessible?) We are trying to keep this trip simple and we don't have overnight backpacks, so we want to car camp on the mainland and do some day hiking/day kayaking/touristy exploring in the area.

The problem is that most of the National Park campsites are on the islands themselves, and transportation to and from the islands is very limited. I have found a few more tent-friendly sites on the mainland, we are looking at Point Detour. Although we'd like to do a day kayak trip, I don't think we've got the gear/endurance to do a multi-day island-to-island paddle. (Someday!) If anyone has been to the area and has suggestions, I'd appreciate it!

Some questions I have:
-Are we missing out by camping on the mainland? I think we are going to try to do a sea caves kayak day trip, or would it be more worthwhile to kayak to an island and hike?

-Are there are any decent hiking trails on the mainland? (Or even south of the area that we could hit on the way down or back?)

-Good restaurants or tourist attractions in the Bayfield area?

-Recommendations for a kayak outfitter? I have found a couple on the web, but I'd welcome personal recommendations.

Kayaking in L.A. area?

slopepheasant — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:04:19 -0800

I took a trip up to the pacific-northwest and tried kayaking for the first time (and second, and third) and became hooked. Can anyone recommend some good kayaking spots (river or ocean), tour companies that do camping trips etc with kayaking involved, or other nifty ideas that I haven't thought of in Southern California? I live in L.A. but a few hours drive seems reasonable.

Where is a good place in Colorado to take a kayaking/camping trip?

JPigford — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:59:37 -0800

Where is a good place in Colorado to take a kayaking/camping trip? Me and a few buddies (all of whom have limited kayaking experience but do have a lot of camping experience) are looking for a place this summer to do a 3 day kayaking/camping trip.

We'd like to possibly go the river route and kayak down portions of the river, camp, then kayak again, etc etc.

Where in Colorado would be the best place to do this? We're all in Denver, so some place within a few hours of driving would be preferable.

What's new in Canoeing/kayaking or woodworking?

drezdn — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:24:27 -0800

What's new in Canoeing/kayaking or woodworking? My father-in-law is really into canoeing/kayaking and woodworking and I'd like to get him something that is the "next cool thing" in one of these two areas (or it could be the thing any canoer or woodworker would love to get but probably doesn't have).

Bonus points if the item in question costs less than $50.

Ow...

RandlePatrickMcMurphy — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 08:13:51 -0800

My hands hurt. I've been kayaking a lot this summer, and probably gripping my paddle shaft too tightly.

And my hands -- or more precisely my fingers -- have been sore and tender. Like I can't make a tight fist or a firm handshake. Its a dull and unchanging soreness and tightness, not a shooting or burning pain, and its in the fingers, the joints and the pad of the palm rather than the wrist.

Any suggestions or thoughts about how to address both the short-term need for relief and longer term need to avoid recurrence? (Besides loosen up your grip, which I'm trying to do.) Analgesics help a little but not huge. The mentholated cremes like Ben-Gay just smell bad. Is this what arthritis feels like?

What do poor people wear when kayaking?

unknowncommand — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:41:33 -0800

I'm going kayaking for the first time on Sunday. I am poor, and I do not own any synthetic clothing except for running shorts and a bathing suit. What on earth can I do? It will be in the Hudson River (we are going to Bannerman Castle), and the weather is supposed to be sunny and mid-to-upper 80's*F. What is the bare minimum of clothing that I can buy? Where can I get it fast and cheap/free? Am I overlooking some kind of synthetic clothing that everyone already owns? I have Cuddl Duds, but that seems ridiculous.

Where should I go kayaking near Boston?

david1230 — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:40:34 -0800

Where should I go kayaking near Boston? About six friends and I want to go kayaking within an hour or 2 drive of Boston. We'd need to rent equipment and maybe want a guide. I'm thinking salt marshes, not big waves. Does anyone have experience doing this? Any suggestions for places to go or companies to rent from?

Best PFD for a beginner sea kayaker on a week long trip?

cast4321 — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:44:32 -0800

What is the best PFD (personal flotation device) for a beginner sea kayaker? Is it an essential to try on before buying and is a used PFD something to avoid? I'll also be using it, hopefully, for mellow whitewater canoeing. The REI in Salt Lake has put away the water sports stuff and I can't find a close store to try on a nicer quality PFD.

I'm planning on buying a type III PFD.

Thanks!

Help me get into good paddling shape

Alpenglow — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:16:37 -0800

Know of any good conditioning exercises I can do at home in preparation for an upcoming sea kayaking trip? I will be sea kayaking and camping in the Virgin Islands in about 2 months. I have very little kayaking experience, which is just fine because this trip is geared toward all levels. I'm in good shape, and I'm fairly active. I would like to know if there are any conditioning or strengthing exercises I could do until then that would help work the same muscles used in paddling. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

How to get a job sea kayaking?

myodometer — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:45:08 -0800

Where can I get a job as a Sea Kayak guide with little/no previous experience? When I was living in Northern Virginia, I did a short seasonal stint as a white water river guide on the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers in Harper's Ferry, WV. And I loved it. At the time, the company that I was working for also did a lot of kayak trips that I was always interested in, but never got the opportunity to get involved with.

So, now I'm living in Orange County California and have been missing those days of having fun working in the great outdoors. Does anyone know if there are any good sea kayaking outfits in the area and, if there are, what the best way to go about getting the training and experience necessary to act as a guide for them might be?

Good Kayak for Both Lake and Ocean Near Hawaii, with Storage?

maceo — Thu, 13 May 2004 13:22:22 -0800

Kayak recommendations... I have never been in a kayak, but have had a lot of experience in canoes. I want something that would be decent for a lake, but I plan on moving to Hawaii in about 2 years, so I would want it to be good for the sea too. Also storage would be nice to have too, so I can carry some equipment for some over-nighters. What about Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 or 140?