Adaptive Paddling

This summer I had the privilege of paddling with a fellow that is a c5-6 quadriplegic. It was a 2 hour parent + kid class and he was there along with his wife and daughter. I surely learned more that day from that family than they did for me. I look forward to continuing that learning for both of us and hope that we get to paddle together again.

He had a kayak that was adapted with a seat and outriggers much like the one that is shown in this video. In addition, he had special connectors that connected his hands (wrists, actually) to the paddle. He mentioned that the new connectors he was using were a great improvement over what he used to do, which was to duct tape his hands to the paddle.

The video, featuring a paraplegic paddler and his adapted cedar-strip kayak is very inspiring.

Enjoy!

From Kodiak to Homer Alaska by Kayak

Thanks to Philip.AK who posted on the westcoastpaddler.com forum a link to the stunning video he made from his recent paddle from Kodiak to Homer in Alaska this past July. It looks like it was a stunning trip, and he put together a brilliant video that I wanted to share with you here.

The video is 21.5 minutes long and worth every second. Watch it in HD and full screen if you can.


Sea Kayaking from Kodiak to Homer from Philip Tschersich on Vimeo.

For some reason I suddenly have a strong desire to head to south central Alaska to paddle!