November 11, 2003

Veteran's Day

There are some folks who will without hesitation take one look at conditions and say it is out of their comfort range. There are some who will show up at the launch site or call and let me know they must back out because of illness, injury, or other reasons. I have tremendous respect for these folks, as I can completely trust their judgment to know for themselves when they should go and when they shouldn't.

On the other hand, I've also had folks hold out, unable to make a decision even when conditions were clearly beyond their skill level. It left me with the sense that they wanted me to decide for them. Should they go, or not? Here's a tip: If you need someone else to decide for you, the answer is you should not go. Period.

One of the greatest kayaking skills you can learn folks, is knowing when NOT to go. What does it take to develop this skill? Experience? Or is it just something we either have or don't? What does it take for _you_ to decide "I'm not going"?

With this in mind, I relate the following Veteran's day trip report:

On Monday I added a "me too" offer to paddle from Mason Neck State park to the CPA list server. The night before I had apparently slept wrong on my left shoulder and pinched a nerve and I really expected no one to accept my offer to paddle. I figured I would get up that morning and finding my shoulder still hurting I would go back to bed if no one accepted.

But someone did accept, so I now felt obligated to go. I've wanted to paddle with Mike Aronoff for some time, and this would be my chance. Mike recently received the 'coach of the year' award from the ACA - a testament to his commitment to paddle sports and I considered it a real honor to get a chance to paddle with him.

On Tuesday morning my shoulder felt better, but far from cured. I swallowed a handful of Ibuprofen before leaving the house. At the launch I squared away all my gear without much problem, and mentioned to Mike I would paddle anywhere he wanted to go. He suggested Leesylvania and I quickly agreed while wondering to myself if it was a good idea with this pinched nerve. After getting in the kayak and taking the first stroke the pain shot through my arm, so I spent a few minutes trying to work it out while Mike finished getting ready.

I think I can do this.

I mentioned to Mike I may be slow today because of the nerve. Mike mentioned he had his tow belt. We paddled south toward Leesylvania and passing the end of the neck picked up the steady 15 MPH winds blowing in our faces. My arm was sore, but still manageable. At the halfway point we ducked in behind Smoot Island to grab a drink and catch a quick rest before heading over the rest of the way.

Mike was paddling a Gulfstream and I was in my Sirocco. I made a mental note of how often my entire bow was swallowed by the waves, while Mike's bow seemed to stay high and dry. Each time my bow plowed in it seemed to bring me to a stop and I tried leaning back before hitting a wave to try and keep the bow from submerging. It seemed to help a good bit, but was also work leaning back while paddling. We finished the 5 mile paddle on the beach at Leesylvania. I was tired and my arm ached a bit, but was more numb than hurting.

Mike and I had some good conversations as we ate lunch. It was good to hear his insights and opinions on different paddling topics. I learned several things from him during our short lunch break.

I was looking forward to the ride back. The wind would push us along, and the chop made for some fair rides. I started out moving pretty quickly, but soon found every paddle stroke on my right sent pain shooting down my left arm. Unable to pull as hard on my right side, my kayak often veered to the right, which caused me even more pain trying to correct.

At Smoot island we took another break. By the time I got to Smoot I needed the break even though it had taken very little time to get there from Leesylvania. We drifted along a bit wrapped up in conversation and then paddled back into the protection of Belmont Bay. Inside the bay we met up with Zak and Mark, exchanged a few words and then paddled the rest of the way back to the launch. I wanted to play some, but after testing my shoulder decided to just head in.

Driving home I began to feel the pain. It hurt so bad my arm felt like it was burning. *I* should have said "I'm not going"

So this ends this season's experiment. The disappointment I had been feeling about others not making the right decision ends with me also making a bad choice. For the next few days as I'm unable to lift my left hand above my shoulder without help from the other hand, I'll be reminded of my incorrect decision. And I wonder if next time I'll choose correctly...

Woody