Kayaking

This is the “let’s get down and get wet!” approach to learning whitewater kayaking. We would call this a crash course, but we don’t want to scare you. This one-day program is just as safe as our other programs, and just as fun, but it only takes one day. You will start with an equipment introduction before you carry down to the river to a calm pool of water. Here you will practice wet exits, basic flatwater technique and get ready for the afternoon of small rapids. Once you have gained control of your boat, you will learn to eddy turn, ferry and surf. Then you can carry up the rapids for a thrilling ride down. The day will leave you tired but exhilarated! Meets at Letchworth State Park Administration Building Saturday May 15th, 9:00AM – 4:00PM (trip # 300502) $110/person includes kayaks and accessories, wet suit, instruction, lunch, safety boater, and loads of fun. To Register – Call Now! Contact the PPS office at 585-346-5597! Click here to Request an information packet

Continue Reading Quick Start to Whte Water Kayaking in Letchworth – May 15

Tags: afternoon, education / skills, gained-control, Kayaking, letchworth, letchworth state park, new york hiking trails, office-at-585, pack paddle ski, person-includes, practice-wet, river

No Comments

Tramp & Trail Club offers fun, friendship, fitness in Utica Area

Posted on February 25th, 2010 in New York

By FRAN PERRITANO, Observer-Dispatch , link to original post Debra Roberts spends most of her week working in a hospital. It’s no wonder she finds the outdoors a great escape. “The fresh air and complete lack of city traffic sounds is soothing for my mind and soul,” Roberts said. “The sounds of the birds, especially the loon, are absolutely one of the best sounds, next to the sound of a newborn baby.” Roberts, 55, works at the St. Luke’s campus of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. About a year ago she took her love of the outdoors one step further when she hooked up with the Tramp & Trail Club . The club was founded in April 1921, incorporated in 1923 and is the oldest hiking club in New York state, club President Roger Felske said. There has been a hike every weekend since 1921, he said. “We have officially offered over 5,700 hikes since that time,” Felske said. “Due to the number of members that we have, 215 from the Greater Utica area, we now offer two hikes every weekend, one each Saturday and Sunday, year round rain or shine, snow or storm.” The club offers hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The hikes vary from easy to difficult, and distances from a couple of miles to a maximum of 12 to 15 miles. Roberts literally ran into the club on New Year’s Day 2009. “I had gone to Sherrillbrook Town Park to snowshoe, and some members of Tramp & Trail were there and going to Spring Farm Cares to snowshoe,” she said. “I jumped at the chance to go along. I had heard about the club but hadn’t figured out how to join. As a single person, I didn’t dare go out to unknown trails by myself.” Roberts, who was born in Western and came to the Utica area for nursing school in 1972, fell in love with the outdoors early in life. “I began my love of the outdoors as a kid, playing in the woods and climbing trees; a tomboy I guess,” she said. “I also had been vacationing in the Adirondacks for over 25 years at Raquette Lake.” Felske said Tramp & Trail offered him a chance at something he loved but for which he never had time. “I joined Tramp & Trail in 1992,” he said. “My kids were through college, I was divorced, and Tramp & Trail offered me a chance to get back involved with outdoor recreational activities that I really enjoyed but hadn’t had time for in many years. Traveling on the road as a self-employed independent sales contractor left little time for outside activities like Tramp and Trail, especially with all the family and school activities at the time.” For the most part, Tramp & Trail offers day trips, but the club schedules several overnight trips. For example, there’s the annual High Peaks Weekend in August, camping at ADK Heart Lake property in Lake Placid for a long weekend of climbing high peaks, a biking trip to Ottawa for the Spring Tulip Festival, and sometimes a weeklong trip to Cape Cod, Bar Harbor, Maine, or New Hampshire for biking, hiking and kayaking. There also are hikes in the Lake George area and Finger Lakes, the gorges of Ithaca, and Lake Ontario. In addition to the trips, Felske said the club involves itself in other pursuits. “We do trail maintenance in a couple of different areas through cooperation with New York state Parks and Trails, Canal Corp. and the DEC,” Felske said. “We annually do trail clearing and cleaning along the Erie Canalway from Lock 20 in Marcy to Oriskany. Another one of our projects is trail maintenance in The Carpenter Road cross-country ski area in Turin.” Roberts said that on occasion she might question her decision to be involved on hikes and trips, but the feeling passes quickly. “I have asked myself why do this when I have blisters killing me or my plantar fasciitis is hurting,” she said. “But between the beauty, sounds, smells and company of ‘Tramps,’ I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Continue Reading Tramp & Trail Club offers fun, friendship, fitness in Utica Area

Tags: beauty, central ny, club, Family Hiking, felske, Kayaking, New Hampshire, Ontario, Outdoors, Parks, snowshoeing, tracks, tramp

No Comments

Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Lan Ha Bay Kayaking Tour …: Kayaking Ha Long Bay is the perfect way to explor… http://bit.ly/b0y9xP

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 in Trekking on Twitter

Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Lan Ha Bay Kayaking Tour …: Kayaking Ha Long Bay is the perfect way to explor… http://bit.ly/b0y9xP

Continue Reading Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Lan Ha Bay Kayaking Tour …: Kayaking Ha Long Bay is the perfect way to explor… http://bit.ly/b0y9xP

Tags: Kayaking, kayaking-tour, national, national park, perfect, the-perfect, Trekking

No Comments

#Adventure #Travel Ranch; #Mexico nr SE #Arizona. Pristine, Scenic, Wilderness; Hiking Canyoning Trekking Kayaking Biking http://ow.ly/19BEx

Posted on February 21st, 2010 in Hiking on Twitter

#Adventure #Travel Ranch; #Mexico nr SE #Arizona . Pristine, Scenic, Wilderness; Hiking Canyoning Trekking Kayaking Biking http://ow.ly/19BEx

Continue Reading #Adventure #Travel Ranch; #Mexico nr SE #Arizona. Pristine, Scenic, Wilderness; Hiking Canyoning Trekking Kayaking Biking http://ow.ly/19BEx

Tags: Arizona, Kayaking, kayaking-biking, mexico, ranch, scenic, Trekking, wilderness

No Comments

job opening: Kayak Instructor in Victor, NY

Posted on February 21st, 2010 in New York

Apply Today! Share your passion for the outdoors while getting paid to do what you love! The L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School is looking for talented, outdoor enthusiasts for the summer season. We are seeking individuals who are eager to share their love and knowledge of kayaking by becoming a Walk On Adventure Kayaking Instructor. These positions are seasonal, part time; the position is weekend only and the season runs from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. Candidates must be available to work a minimum of 10 weekend days and attend pre-season training. As a Kayak Instructor, you will oversee site preparation and lead participants on guided, interpretive tours. These positions may also offer the opportunity to work in our Retail Stores conducting demonstrations, educating customers about gear, and assisting with special events and promotions. Since our customers deserve and expect the best when selecting one of our Outdoor Discovery School offerings, our Instructors must have top-notch credentials. Basic First Aid and CPR certifications are minimum requirements, along with the ability to swim. Excellent technical competence and strong communication skills are needed for this position. We are looking for individuals with the ability to both explain and demonstrate basic strokes. Our Instructors have experience kayaking with a spray skirt, can perform a paddle float self rescue, and T-rescue. Successful Instructors have the ability to teach others, provide great service to the participants, and communicate well in a collaborative work environment. They have very good time management skills and can keep a group on track. They also have a keen awareness of safety and excellent group management skills. American Canoe Association and British Canoe Union certifications are a plus. Click here for more details .

Continue Reading job opening: Kayak Instructor in Victor, NY

Tags: education / skills, group-on-track, instructors, Kayaking, l.l.bean, love, opportunity, outdoor discovery school, position, retail, school

No Comments

Paddle to Eagles at Hemlock Lake – May 8

Posted on February 21st, 2010 in New York

Join Rick French of Pack, Paddle, Ski , on his annual rite of spring. Visit the south end of Hemlock Lake to search the skies and trees for the return of the eagles. In addition, you may glimpse the walleye up to 3 feet long laying their eggs in the shallows, or the huge snapping turtles mating. Then there is the occasional migrating loon, lots of nesting geese, and other birds. We will paddle up the inlet and into the lake, depending on weather. Brief instruction on how to use a canoe or sea kayak will be provided. Rick has been making this passage for over 20 years each spring and loves nothing more than sharing the experience with others. Meets at Hemlock Lake Saturday, May 8th, 12:00PM -4:00PM (trip # 300501) $59/person, $99 for all three Outing Club adventures, or FREE for those traveling on a long trip in 2010 and for Work Project Days volunteers. To Register – Call Now! Contact the PPS office at 585-346-5597! Click here to Request an information packet

Continue Reading Paddle to Eagles at Hemlock Lake – May 8

Tags: bird watching, experience, hemlock lake, Kayaking, occasional, outing-club, the-occasional, visit-the-south

No Comments