Ladies of the Lake

For those of you ladies who attended the LOL in Houghton Michigan, you might remember Hannah Abbotts who did a presentation of her trip circumnavigating Lake Superior with her husband Matt.  Well Hannah and Matt are at it again with plans to paddle around Lake Baikal this summer!

In June of this year,  Hannah Abbotts her husband and paddling partner Matt(Calumet, MI), and Anya Gleizer (NYC, New York) will be heading to Central Siberia to kayak more than 1,000 miles around Lake Baikal. Baikal is the largest lake in the world by volume and also the deepest and one of the oldest.  They will be traveling to the lake in June on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Launching their kayaks in Irkutsk, the largest city on the Lake Baikal, they will spend the next 50-70 days exploring the shoreline as they make their way counterclockwise around this freshwater gem.  They will see miles of remote bays and rocky shores as well as running into some of the local wildlife. Baikal is home to the world’s only population of freshwater seals and also has a thriving population of brown bears.  They will return to Irkutsk near the end of August and board a train heading across Mongolia and into China. From there, if time allows, they will continue into Vietnam to do a little more exploring and hopefully some more paddling before flying back home.

The trip was inspired by Matt and Hannah’s 2009 circumnavigation of Lake Superior. Superior and Baikal are enormous bodies of freshwater, the largest in the world by area and volume respectively, but couldn’t be more different culturally and ecologically. Matt and Hannah decided that experiencing both would not only provide for a fantastic adventure, but also give them a greater appreciation and understanding of two of the world’s most important freshwater resources.

The three adventurers will be sharing their experiences during the trip Matt and Hannah’s website www.asuperioradventure.com through short updates via SPOT device as well as daily journals and photos. They are also hoping to put together a short film project (http://kck.st/GGggMW) documenting their travels and time on the water.
We will miss Matt at our Houghton store this summer but wish the paddlers good luck and we can’t wait to hear stories of their adventure when they return home!  Feel free to contact the paddlers at asuperioradventure@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or information you’d like to share. If you’d like to become a backer of their film project visit http://kck.st/GGggMW.

Keep an eye out for updates from Matt and Hannah as well as future presentations, and film release dates.

About Lake Baikal:

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume as well as the oldest lake in the world. Located in the the south-eastern Siberia, Baikal makes up 20% of the world’s available surface freshwater. There are around 300 rivers and streams that flow into Lake Baikal, but only one that flows out (the Angara River). The lake has very clear water with high oxygen content due to the lack of dissolved minerals and the cold temperature. Due to Baikal’s position in a valley between mountain ranges causes some intense winds on the lake – it’s said that there are more than 30 named winds on the lake. Despite the heavy winds that often occur on the lake, waves as large as 8-12 feet rarely crop up.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Galapagos of the North’, Lake Baikal is home to more than 2,500 known animal species as well as more than 1,500 varieties of plants. Of these organisms, as many as 85% of the animals are thought to be found nowhere else in the world and as many as 40% of the plants are found only in the lake or its shores. One of these very exciting animals is the Nerpa, or Baikal Seal, the only animal in the seal family that lives exclusively in freshwater. More than 50,000 Nerpa live in Lake Baikal and they are a common sight in the northern portion of the lake during the summertime. In addition to freshwater seals, Baikal is home to more than 50 species of fish and 200 species of birds.

The Lake Baikal region was first explored by Russians in the early 1600?s. Russians ‘conquered’ Siberia around 1650 claiming the land as their own. The area is currently sparsely populated, the largest city near the lake is Irkutsk located about 70 kilometers east of the lake. The area’s economy is mostly based in natural resource extraction. In recent years the area has taken an interest in the potential for economic growth through tourism. The tourism industry is trying to build upon UNESCO’s 1996 decision to make Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site.

Check out Matt and Hannah’s blog post about their Russian travel plans:

http://asuperioradventure.com/2012/03/23/overview-of-our-travel-plans/

2009 Superior Trip

After Matt’s 2008 Appalachian Trail hike he returned to his home in Houghton, MI with the intention of going into the Peace Corps. However after a little while back in Houghton, Matt decided to put off the Peace Corps to stay with Hannah. This change in plans came with one condition: they needed a big trip on the horizon, so they decided to paddle around Lake Superior the following summer. They both loved the Lake and it sat right out our back door. The only problem was neither had ever kayaked before.

They both bought boats and gear, rounded up a few awesome sponsors, paddled a little, and on June 9th, 2009 they set off out of Houghton, MI and into an adventure we couldn’t have expected.

They paddled clockwise around the Lake, heading west out of Houghton, MI toward Duluth, MN and then north to Canada. About seventy days, 1,200 miles and countless adventures later we paddled back into Houghton and landed on the same beach we started from. Along the way they met some amazing people, learned how to paddle on the largest body of fresh water in the world, and saw some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. On top of that they tested their relationship in ways we could have never predicted and came through stronger than ever. Both kept a daily journal and shot a few photos to document and share their trip.

http://www.asuperioradventure.com

Good luck Hannah, Matt and Anya and safe travels!  Maybe we can book them to present at the 2013 LOL!

Hey ladies!  Arni is waiting by the phone as registration for the 2012 Ladies of the Lake is now officially open!  We are super excited to have the ninth annual Ladies Of The Lake symposium in Grand Marais Michigan! Located at the eastern end of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and with a beautiful protected harbor, Grand Marais will be the perfect location for the 2012 LOL!  So pick up the phone and give Arni a call and we will see you August 17-19th.

You heard it here first- The ninth annual Ladies Of The Lake symposium will take place August 17th-19th 2012 at……….Grand Marais Michigan! Located at the eastern end of Pictured Rocks and with a beautiful protected harbor, Grand Marais will be the perfect location for the 2012 LOL! And the most anticipated announcement is- the Werner Paddling Party. Grand Marais will be rockin’ with The Roaring 20′s! Ladies let’s celebrate with an evening of gambling for prizes, a Speak Easy, and dancing 20′s style!

The Price Is Right and The Oscar Party would not have been the same without all of our wonderful sponsors.  Ladies, if you find the time please drop these vendors a quick note to tell them how much you appreciated the support and gifts that they gave away at this years event!  We are already planning for next year with some really big surprises to be announced soon!  Thanks again for such a fun filled weekend!

Wow!  What an incredible summer for paddling.  We started off the year heading west to set up shop at the Inland Sea Kayak Symposium this June to get some early season paddling and to visit friends that we hadn’t seen since last summer.  It’s a great way to brush up on some skills and for me is truly the beginning of our selling season.  July then came around and we scrambled to get things organized for a fun filled week at Grand Marais and The Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium.  Fantastic coaches, enthusiastic participants and stellar weather provided for an electric atmosphere that was so much fun to be a part of.    August brought the 8th annual Ladies Of The Lake Sea Kayak Symposium where I am lucky enough to spend an entire weekend with 105 women!  And to think that my sisters use to call me an idiot!   All of these events draw paddlers from all over the Midwest coming to improve and test their skills on one of the most beautiful, and sometimes angry lakes in the world….Lake Superior.  Now when fall rolls around, usually this is the time where we kick back and relax a bit before the snow starts to fly and we switch gears for the upcoming winter season….but not this year.  This year we are excited to be part of a new and exciting event called: The Gales- A Storm Gathering.

What Is The Gales?

The Gales Storm Gathering event Oct 8-10 2011 which is intended to be a fun, invigorating sea kayaking instructional event for students looking to gain experience “in conditions” on the Great Lakes. We all want to know what variables change for rolling, rescues, towing, leadership, and group management once the placid waters of summer have dissipated.

The Great Lakes offer a terrific opportunity for sea kayakers to experience the beauty of lumpy conditions. Lake Superior has a variety of wind conditions, sea states, and waves in fall. Often students will seek training in far flung locales 0n the east coast, west coast, or overseas; when in fact our freshwater seas offer this exact sort of paddling environment right next door. This coupled with some very world class coaches can make for the best learning experience.

For me it is the logical next step for the person who may have attended one of the many great symposiums that have taken place around the Great Lakes over the years and is now looking to challenge themselves in “conditions”.  There is an exciting itinerary of classes scheduled that you cannot find at any other symposium including:

This summer Down Wind Sports hosted the 8^th annual Ladies Of The Lake Sea Kayak Symposium.  This five day event was organized for female sea kayakers to gather, paddle, learn, socialize and celebrate another year of paddling.  Our idea is to provide a quality paddling experience promoting “women kayaking with women for women.” This is also a unique symposium in that it is a “traveling” symposium.  We pick a new location in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula each year that offers diverse paddling opportunities and somewhere new to explore.   This year the event retraced it’s roots and revisited the site of the 1st LOL in Munising Michigan, and enjoyed the hospitality and beautiful paddling at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  Our headquarters for the long weekend were at Sydney’s  in downtown Munising, where our retail location was set up and all off water activities took place.

On Thursday August 18th the symposium kicked off with Bonnie Perry’s BCU 3 Star training program where 5 eager participants hit the cool waters of Lake Superior to gain the  necessary skills to assess for the BCU 3-star award.  Participants were treated to sunny skies, bumpy water and the opportunity to learn from one of the Midwest’s top coaches!

Other participants were treated to a day of adventure, paddling various trips along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island National Recreation Area. These beautiful destinations are recognized as world class and “must see” trips for kayakers featuring majestic arches, caves and waterfalls to experience.  During the day conditions were varied from well protected waters to more challenging conditions located along the National Lakeshore.

The upstairs of Sydney’s was transformed into a paddle sports market place with Down Wind Sports displaying the latest boats, kayaking gear, and clothing.  As the day wore on, participants weary from the road, stopped in to register themselves and gear up for what would prove to be a great  weekend.  The symposium drew participants from as far away as Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Washington State, Indiana, and Michigan. Some even traveled internationally from Canada!  We are very proud to say that we have some of the most talented coaches in the country joining us, many of whom reside right here in the Midwest. Our featured coaches/presenter; Ginni Callahan and Cindy Scherrer brought their talents from the West coast!

On Friday threatening weather was a backdrop for the instructional courses with high winds and severe thunderstorms heading towards Munising.  As a precaution the Pictured Rocks Trip was cancelled (good call) but the morning classes were held.  From forward strokes to rescues, participants learned new and exciting techniques to help improve their paddling.  For the most part the weather held off so ladies could get into the water and practice these skills before thunder and lightening chased us off the water just before lunch.  The benefit lunch was held back at Sydney’s for the Alger Parks & Recreation Department (APRD), with the proceeds going to benefit their Youth Scholarship Fund.  Thanks Ladies!

Thankfully the skies cleared and the afternoon classes went off without a hitch and many ladies commented they loved playing in the waves!

After cleaning up and finishing dinner, participants headed on over to the headquarters  and enjoyed participating in The Price Is Right Game Show!  Over $1500.00 of swag was given out to our lucky contestants and many hilarious moments were provided by “Bob Barker” and “Johnny Olson”.

After settling down from the game show participants were treated to a presentation by Ginni Callahan.  Set to beautiful music Ginni took us on a paddlers adventure from the west coast of the United States, down to the Baja of Mexico and  over to the land down under- Australia.  Her soothing style, combined with the most amazing photos, and set to John Denver’s Calypso was the perfect way to conclude the day!  Yeah Ginni!

On Saturday the weather was stellar and participants hit the water for more in depth instruction and fun.  Bracing, rolling, towing and rescues were all fun…..but the one with the most laughs was Becoming One With Your Boat Through Play!  Saturday also saw another session of boat demos.  Many participants used this great opportunity provided by the symposium to test paddle the latest boats from all of the leading manufacturers. We are proud to say that this allowed some people to find the perfect boat for them, finishing up their time with a shiny new kayak and a smile from ear to ear.

After another long day of paddling the ladies got all fixed up in their finest for The Werner Paddles Academy Award, also known as the Oscar, which is an accolade bestowed by Werner Paddles and Down Wind Sports (WPDWS) to recognize excellence of female kayakers in the paddle sports industry. The formal ceremony at which the awards were presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world and this year the ladies didn’t disappoint! The Red Carpet saw many interesting outfits including a rare Hannah BP Design!

The evenings hosts were “Tom Cruise” and of all people “Meatloaf’” who is now apparently now getting back into the movie business after a appearing in the Rocky Horror Movie Show in 1975. This year tearful acceptance speeches were the norm with the evenings surprising winners being Anne Jackson, Lori Stegmier, Kay Simandl, Elizabeth Jensen, Susan Stroebe and others.

An interesting note was that the beautiful and talented Edith Nelson didn’t get a single award despite ten (10!) nominations!   This was surely a year to remember as the evening was filled with laughter, pageantry and fun!  After the awards the paddling celebrities danced the night away at the Vanity Affair after party- too much fun!

On Sunday participants gathered at the demo beach for our annual Blessing Of The Boats- which provided a wonderful moment on a spectacular Sunday morning and a perfect closure to such a great weekend. Thank you so much Bonnie!

Sunday was also a great opportunity for participants to hop into one last class and get a little more practice in before packing up for the long drive home.

I have been involved with many sea kayak symposiums around the great lakes and with all honesty this is by far the one that I look forward to every year.  How great is it to see participants so eager to learn, coaches so willing to give so much, and to be surrounded by laughter and smiles all weekend long……how long do we have to wait until next year?

Ladies are still rolling in as we prepare for a great weekend of paddling instruction, tours, clinics and fun!  Today tours visited Grand Island National Recreation Area and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  It was a mixed bag of conditions from bouncy seas to pretty calm waters.

Looking forward to another  great day on the water tomorrow and  seeing all of our LOL friends!

Wow… I don’t know about you, but here at the shop things are coming together and we’re getting super excited about next week. Having this year’s event in Munising is like coming home for us. Every year we work with the good people at Sydney’s Restaurant to put on the Michigan Ice Fest and we super excited to be able to share a summer event with them as well. They work their buts off to help make us look good, and with this year’s theme being “The Oscars” you know we want to look good.

Anyway, we just wanted to remind everyone about one of the more important aspects of Ladies of the Lake… The Evening Socials!

Thursday Night @ 8pm –  will be hosting the Symposium Welcome upstairs at Sydney’s Restaurant. This is a great time to reconnect with all of you paddling friends, find your bearings, and have any last minute questions or concerns taken care of.

Friday Night @ 7:30pm – Game Show Night – The Price Is Right!

Friday Night @ 8:30pm – Guest Speaker Presentation by Ginni Callahan!

Saturday Night @ 8pm – This evening join us at the Werner Paddles Academy Awards. We will get things started with a small pre-party celebration followed by the awards presentation and a rocking after party! Glam is in so don’t forget to get dressed up for your walk down the red carpet!

All of these events will take place at LOL HQ in the upstairs space at Sydney’s Restaurant.

Just one more week!! Hope to see you there.

A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to paddle the new P&H Delphin. A lot of people are excited about this kayak as it has a unique design intended to do more than allow you to survive a situation where you encounter rough or moving water. The Delphin is designed to destroy rough and moving water conditions. Now, I can’t comment on it’s rough water performance as I only sat in if for a short period and the water was smooth side of calm. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not extremely excited about this boat. Now let me tell you why…

So, even though I wasn’t able to to paddle the Delphin in rough conditions the day I did paddle it there were quite a few other people out paddling and there was a bit of a stiff breeze. The first thing I noticed about the Delphin was how comfortable it was. At 22.5 inches at the beam there’s a good amount of wiggle room, yet the whitewater style outfitting made good contact with my hips and thighs providing a ton of control. As for the footrests… I can’t say I’m a big fan of the twist-lock versions that come standard on the Delphin. Even though they are super easy to adjust they are super flexy and don’t really inspire much confidence. I would much prefer the Yakima Aluminum footrests as they are much sturdier and I won’t often change their position.

Once on the water the Delphin accelerates well and feels super stable on edge. It is incredibly responsive and really does turn on a dime. I’m pretty sure I could turn the Delphin around in my bathtub.  This is expected as the Delphin has a substantial amount of rocker and a flat mid-section to help increase maneuverability. What might surprise you is how easy the Delphin is to paddle in straight line. You want to go straight… it goes straight. There’s a stiff crosswind… it doesn’t care. The volume of the bow combined with the low-profile stern make for a very neutral handling boat.

I was easily able to hold a static brace in the Delphin.

Eventually I hooked up with a couple of friends that were trying out the Impex Force 4 and the P&H Cetus MV. While paddling with them I didn’t feel at a speed disadvantage at all. Now, we weren’t pushing that hard and I’m sure those boats will outpace the Delphin on a long crossing, but I felt it was a good representation of what it would feel like to tour with this boat… you’re definitely not going to get left behind.

Before I headed in I played around a little bit. The Delphin rolls smoothly and allowed me to easily perform a static brace. I really think this is going to be a popular boat and really is suitable for just about every level of paddler. The beginner will find confidence in the Delphin’s stability and neutral handling, while the advanced paddler is really going to have a good time when the going gets rough. I think instructors and guides are also going to be drawn to this boat as it has more than enough hull speed for those group tours, it’s comfortable over the long-haul and it’s amazing maneuverability will make tending your flock that much easier.

Overall I had a great time in this boat and if I have my way I will be adding one to my fleet in the very near future.

For more information you should visit the P&H Website.

Wow!! It’s almost July. Can you believe it? Well, you know what that means… Ladies of the Lake is just around the corner. This year we will be returning to Munising, the site of the first Ladies of the Lake.

One of the greatest things about LOL is that it is a traveling symposium. Traveling allows us to explore a new area each year and one of the best ways to really get out there and see what these different areas have to offer is be signing up for one of the many tours that will be taking place during this years event.

Exploring one of the sea caves found on this tour…

This year on Thursday there will be tour designed for beginners that will be leaving from Sand Point and paddling up the east side of Grand Island to Trout Point where they will stop to stretch the legs and explore before turning around. This is a gem of a trip. The area is relatively well protected from the wind and waves and the scenery is spectacular. Here you will get to experience towering sandstone cliffs, sea caves, and some amazingly clear water.

So, here are some images from this stretch of shoreline. This is one of the nicest stretches in the Pictured Rocks area and should definitely be on your todo list whether you’re a beginner or not. So, even if you’ve already signed up there are still some spots left. It won’t be long now…

Paddling along some of the massive sandstone cliffs that protect a large portion of the Grand Island shoreline. Don’t worry, the cliffs on this trip are broken up by a fair number of places to land should the need arise…

Here some paddlers explore one of the large amphitheaters that form along the cliffs…

This is the small cove just on the other side of Trout Point which will serve as the halfway point for this trip. It’s a beautiful spot that well protected and has some great views…