It’s been a very, very busy couple of weeks and I realized that I never got a chance to write about my must recent adventure teaching onLake Superiora couple of weeks ago.

For the second year in a row, I had the pleasure of being invited up to Naturally Superior Adventures to teach a Paddle Canada Level 2/BCU 3* course.

My good friend, Erik Ogaard was also teaching a Paddle Canada level 3 course that same week so I hitched a ride with him. The journey north from Toronto to Wawa is no small trip across town. The 12 hour adventure requires CD playlist ground rules and it was quickly established that we would only listen to greatest hits CD’s by artists from the 70’s and 80’s. With that in mind we made the trip rocking to Bruce, The Zeppelin, The U2’s and Mr. Bowie. Needless to say there was a solid amount of both air guitar and drumming to keep the cars passing us entertained.

The original plan was for Naturally Superior Adventures to offer the two courses during the same week. The level 2/3* was going to be taught by Bonnie Perry, myself and assisted by Ray Boucher and the level 3 by Erik but due to some last minute participant drop-outs, we decided to combine both levels and teach everything as a level 3/3* course.

Combining courses always has potential pitfalls. There is the potential for level 2 students to be overwhelmed by the level 3 material and level 3 students to be underwhelmed by the paddling conditions. Since we had four instructors we decided to work as a group and split up into smaller groups if necessary to deliver the material at the different group’s skill levels. With very careful planning, it was a working model that ended up being quite successful.

Anyways, I had an absolutely fantastic time teaching with my fellow partners in crime, Bonnie, Erik and Ray and I pretty much spent the whole time laughing at and with them. They are both awesome people to hang out and teach with.

For teaching environments you can’t ask for a much better location then at Naturally Superior Adventures. The base is located right at the mouth of the Michipicoten River where flows into Lake Superior. If you are looking for rough water you just paddle out on the lake. The whole time we were there it was blowing an average of three foot wind waves. If you the waves get too big (as they did on day 1 with 7 footers rolling in) then just paddle up the river and find some shelter. Finally if you are looking for surf then all you need to do is get out and paddle in the river mouth. When the current is flowing and the wind is blowing against it, the surf gets absolutely huge. By huge, I mean screaming girl huge.

For me, I pretty much gauge the success of any advanced course on how much gear I lose and the number of new scratches I get on my boat. It must have been successful asLake Superiorstole both my hat and sponge as well she gave me a hole in my boat as a parting gift. I can’t blame her; I was the idiot with the brilliant idea to go rock hopping in swells with a fully loaded boat.

Here are a bunch of photos from the week:

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I’m off for a week teaching in Wawa, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Superior so I won’t be posting anything until I get back.

I’m excited to be working for Naturally Superior Adventures teaching a Paddle Canada Level 2 and BCU 3* course with instructor extraordinaire, Bonnie Perry who hails from Chicago, US of A.

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See you soon!

Browsing around on Flickr, I found these really cool series of photos from Naturally Superior Adventures. They are mainly known for their sea kayak courses and guided adventures but they also offer trips along the north shore of Lake Superior in their 36 foot Voyageur Canoe.

Think your waterproof gear is actually waterproof? Think again.

Last week two paddlers were rescued via helicopter from their tandem kayak on Lake Superior. It was a pretty serious rescue and the Coast Guard credits the fact that they are alive today due to the personal locater beacon which alerted the authorities that emergency help was needed.

The thing to remember is when the Coast Guard comes out and saves your butt; they never rescue your kayak or canoe. In those windy conditions all they care about is you. That’s what happened in this case. When the helicopter plucked the paddlers from the water, all their gear and the boat was left to the fate of the wind and waves.

The day after the accident a couple staff from Naturally Superior Adventures in Wawa, Ontario went out in a motorboat to try to find the kayak as well as any floating gear but they came back empty handed. Luckily a day or so later the boat magically washed up on shore in the wind. When the boat was finally towed back to the shop the staff started pulling the gear out of the boat to see what got lost and what was still dry.

Wawa, Ontario -- Naturally Superior Adventures is hosting its 8th annual Surf Superior Confluence October 1-3. This casual gathering of surf-seeking intermediate to advanced paddlers takes advantage of autumnal gales and late summer warm water to provide an informal, instructional and by all means entertaining way to cap off the paddling season in early October.

“There was a time when we feared the waves at the mouth of the river”, says Naturally Superior Adventures director David Wells.  “But now we embrace them and have fun with them.”

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Update: Just found out that this is Ray from Naturally Superior Adventures in Wawa coming back from a trip so yes, this is a fully loaded boat.

Here are a couple photos from a trip last week up to Lake Superior last week. I had the pleasure of being invited to teach a Paddle Canada Level 2 sea kayaking course at Naturally Superior Adventures with my co-instructor; the very funny and hugely talented Rev. Bonnie Perry. Long-time readers will remember a piece I wrote a year ago when she was nominated to be the Bishop of Minnesota.

Summer is more than half over and it’s sadly time to start thinking about fall paddling events. Here in Ontario there are several events that are shaping up to be really rock solid and worth checking out.

Greenland Style Symposium – August 26-29
Skinny stick paddlers will want to make note that the Greenland Style Symposium that takes place in Wawa, Ontario is coming up very fast. It’s an awesome weekend of low key learning and general fooling around.

They have a great line-up presenters (if I do say so myself). The gang going to be there includes Bonnie Perry, Doug Van Doren, Keith Wikle and myself as the general paddle and water carrier.

If you don’t already own your own Greenland paddle, don’t worry. Registration includes use of their paddlers. This is a good way to try out various designs and sizes before you buy or make your own.

For those who want to get more bang for their long drive, come up early and participate in their joint Paddle Canada level 2 and BCU 3* course that starts August 22 and runs right up to the starts of the Symposium.

More info: naturallysuperior.com

I dropped in to take a peek at the Wawa Webcam today and I saw a lot of surf this afternoon. It is really rippin’ it up and I wish that I was there; rather then here at my desk.

This past Sunday we discovered first hand that just because they say it is a Lake Ontario small craft wind warning on the internet, doesn’t mean that the wind is actually blowing. We rushed down to the water with boats in hand only to discover 1 foot waves. Ugh.

To make life a little bit more challenging, we practiced reverse surfing with our eyes closed. I would much rather have been out in what Naturally Superior Adventures is getting right now.

More info: Wawa Webcam

The Naturally Superior Greenland Style Symposium took place last weekend and by all accounts, it was another huge success.