Whitewater Kayaking

[Jwimmer 2,835]

Whitewater Kayaking

 

Hmm, seems like Jwimmer has lost it! Why is he writing about a… physical… activity?? Tanki is supposed to be a game that involves not even thinking about moving!

           

Well, you are right, Jwimmer has lost it. But not because he is writing about physical activity - it is because he likes to go risk drowning for the sake of some adrenaline running through his body.

           

I have, throughout my years, found that I really enjoy to do stuff outdoors. The fact that I have been working at a summer camp where I am constantly outside for the last month proves that point. One of my favorite things to do outdoors is whitewater kayaking. So, I have decided to share why I love the sport so much.

           

I got into kayaking a few years ago, as a camper at the summer camp I now work at. My dad used to be really into it in his prime, and a few of his friends stuck with it, and so I was quickly accepted as another member of the whitewater kayaking community. At the camp, we learned the basics of kayaking - how to wet exit, t-rescue, and roll. I won't bother explaining any of these, but if you are interested, there are plenty of videos on YouTube. After learning these skills for a few days and practicing in the pool, we made our way out to a nearby river. We spent two days on the river, and made three runs down it. The rapids were not all that big, but I still had a tremendously fun time. Because the river was dam-fed from the bottom of a lake, the water was ice-cold. However, I managed to not flip, so my whole body never had to be submerged. All in all, this camp is what sparked my interest in kayaking, which I still hold to this day, two years later.

           

Upon arrival home from the camp, I was antsy to get a boat and gear of my own, and have started to build up my collection from then. I started with getting a boat - it is one of the shorter kayaks - called play boats, that is only as long as I am tall. The reason it is called a play boat is that they are meant to be surfed in. Since most of you are foreign to the concept of surfing in a kayak, I will explain it to you. Surfing is, unlike what you picture, where you get your boat stuck in a hole, and spin around and try not to flip. Wait what's that? You don't know what a hole is? Well, I will explain that as well. A hole is a piece of water where the water goes over a rock, and then crashes back onto itself, making a nice little pocket where you get trapped, and hammered on both sides with water. Example below:

 

I got flipped in this one

 

So, back to the point. My boat is a play boat, so it is meant to get trapped in holes as best as possible. I am not a very advanced paddler yet, so I cannot do flips or anything crazy like that yet, but the feeling of getting in a hole is still exhilarating.

           

At this point, I could nerd out and start explaining all of my other gear, but I'm pretty sure that I have lost any attention that I did have at the start of this article.

 

If you are wondering, there really is no point behind this article. I just felt like writing something, and am running a river tomorrow, so this is the result. Anyways, I love whitewater kayaking, and would recommend trying it out if you get a chance.

 

-@Jwimmer

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Don't worry, if you're sideflipped, you can just point your turret to the ground and unflip yourse-

Oh wait, this isn't Tanki. :mellow:

Edited June 25, 2016 by Marc

[Quarks 2,255]

I could, but this chair is so comfortable. *struggles in vain to move*

[ToHoYoNTaDa 1,147]

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