Labor Day River Kayaking weekend
In a whitewater kayak, learn river-running boating including eddy turns, peel-outs, and using waves and current to have fun.
Saturday, 9/3: Meet in South Austin at Lynne Andrus’ home to fit whitewater kayaks and to get a brief classroom talk. Then, we travel to a flat spot on the San Marcos River (hopefully when the majority of tubers are gone) to practice wet exits and apply our strokes and maneuvers to whitewater kayaks.
Sunday, 9/4: Plan on an early start to run a moving water/class 1 section of the beautiful San Marcos River. This run will focus on maneuvering the kayaks while catching eddies and small waves. As always, we will also learn to avoid any real or imagined hazards and to read water and scouting.
Below are ACA's sample skills outlines for the class covering the first two days and for all three days:
Level 2: Essentials of River Kayaking (moving water/class I rapids)
Level 3: River Kayaking (up to class II rapids)
Note from Lynne:
The best way to have fun in a kayak is to increase your skills while having fun. I find that my river and whitewater kayaking skills enhance my sea kayaking and vice-versa.
The waves and currents in rivers allow kayakers to quickly become comfortable in tidal currents and surf. Whitewater kayaks – which like to spin – force us to apply strokes for optimum kayak control. In addition, decked kayaks offer advantages in both sea and river kayaking. Use of our knees and hips really allow us to move as one with the water.
I started kayaking in whitewater and have taught ACA river and whitewater courses for 35 years. When I last updated my credentials at Nantahala Outdoor Center, I thought a lot about how to change my teaching approach. I also waited for more water in our rivers. Now, I’m looking for a few HASK folks who not only have basic kayaking background but also will provide honest feedback before I offer the course again commercially.
Accommodations
Several hotels are located near I-35 in the Austin - San Marcos corridor. There are 2 or 3 campgrounds on the river that have to be accessed by back roads but signs and GPS are accurate. A generally quiet and conveniently located campground that caters to kayakers and scouts is Tom & Paula Goynes’ San Marcos River Retreat (http://sanmarcosriverretreat.com/). Be sure to read and abide by their rules.