Playboating Class, May 16th
Playboating is an attitude, along with a set of skills, which opens up fun new dimensions of paddling. No longer is going downstream just about going downriver. A playboating attitude is one where a paddler tries to eke out every opportunity to catch eddies, surf waves and try to challenge his or herself to try new things and as a result improve skills and, most importantly, have fun! Tom Foster, the one-time director of New England Outdoor Center, wrote a book (which I recommend) titled “Catch Every Eddy, Surf Every Wave”. That’s “playboating” in a nutshell.
Saturday afternoon, after the Spring Bash, I conducted a “playboating” clinic on the Club Stretch of the Snoqualmie River with participants Ben and Chris.
Helping me with support were Chris, Erich, and Ned, whose support was both invaluable and appreciated. We also had the pleasure of having Don and Jen-Shen accompany us part of the way. As we paddled downstream, we discussed what makes a good surf wave and best practices for catching them. Everyone got to practice some forward surfs on gentle waves while practicing static stern pries and draws which are essential skills for surfing.
One or two tricky waves resulted in some swims but that’s part of the playboating game and how we learn. At lunch we found a good spot to cover bracing and practiced some high and low braces.
It’s hard to judge what stretch of river will provide a good experience for a particular class and group of students, but at about 1600 CFS on the Tanner gage the Club Stretch was as good as I could hope for. It wasn’t too pushy and provided enough features for students to learn on. I was hoping to find some small wide hydraulics introduce “side surfing” and have time for more skill building but with an early morning for me, a late start on the river and questionable weather (overall it was great), we played and paddled down to the takeout and were off the river just after 5:00.
Solo Canoeing Class II Rivers Class, May 30 – May 31
On the weekend of May 30th and 31st, five Paddle Trails members; Jeff, Clay, Ben, Ray, and Aden took part in our Introduction to Solo Canoeing Class 2 Rivers class. While water levels could have been better to provide more options, what we were left with was great. We were blessed with perfect weather (no wind!) on Saturday morning on Lake Sammamish and the Cedar Landsburg “Park and Play” section had just enough water and the level at the Powerhouse was just right for the “graduation” trip on Sunday.
Saturday morning on Lake Sammamish, we worked on some stroke fundamentals to help establish baseline strokes technique for getting onto the river. For solo canoeing, just getting the canoe moving forward in a straight line can be a challenge and a really solid forward stroke combined with effective correction strokes is foundational in that regard. We threw out some buoys in the water and then practiced hitting a buoy from 20 feet away using only two strokes.
We also worked on carving onside and offside circles then we went over braces before lunch.
After lunch, we made the short trip to the Cedar River Landsburg “gates” section to practice basic river maneuvers such as o-turns, peel outs, eddy turns and ferries. We got some good work in below the bridge and then went upstream and had some fun playing there in the stronger eddies and currents. Everyone had the chance to get in lots of reps practicing their skills and building their confidence.
On Sunday, we paddled the Powerhouse. I was delighted to find that the tubing concession that plagues this section was not yet in operation and aside from some other kayakers and people enjoying the riverbanks, we had the river to ourselves. We did some ferries at the top but quickly moved downstream to the big eddy where we reviewed and re-baselined strokes from Saturday. We also practiced some figure-eight drills. There was also a really nice mid-stream boulder in a spot where we could do reps practicing eddy turns.
I had great support from Carl, Chris, and Steve! Carl and Chris came both days and Steve helped on Sunday. Carl also took lots of photos (see photo album “Introduction to Solo Canoeing Class 2 2026”) and Chris drove over from Wenatchee both days!
Special shoutouts to Ileana Areiza and Aden. Ileana co-taught the class with me and whose assistance was very much appreciated. Aden made the drive up from Eugene, OR for the class. Thanks to both for your dedication!
ACA Swiftwater Rescue Level 4 – June 13th and 14th
For the second year in a row, Paddle Trails Canoe Club sponsored an ACA Swiftwater Rescue Level 4 class by subsidizing registration fees for members. The class filled completely, with 18 participants. Several current members enrolled, and a number of new paddlers joined the club to take advantage of this opportunity.
The class was co-taught by Lee Baker of Gradient River Essentials in Eugene, Oregon, and local instructor and club member Kyle Thomas. Their experience and expertise provided students with an outstanding weekend of learning, hands-on practice, and confidence building.
The weather certainly cooperated. Both days were sunny and around 80 degrees, making the time spent in the water both refreshing and enjoyable.
On Saturday, students practiced throw rope techniques, rescuing swimmers and boats, and several methods of wading through moving water. Participants discovered that some techniques were considerably more effective than others, with side-by-side wading proving to be one of the most successful ways to cross current. Everyone also had the opportunity to swim "Mother Hole" at Powerhouse, helping transform what can seem like an intimidating rapid into a familiar training environment.
Sunday focused on mechanical advantage systems, beginning with setting up 3:1 hauling systems among the trees at Sandy Cove Park before returning to Powerhouse. There, students practiced live bait rescues, foot entrapment scenarios, and a variety of mock rescue situations, applying the skills they had learned throughout the weekend. During the final debrief, the instructors noted that communication during rescues was the area with the most room for improvement, but overall the rescue scenarios were handled successfully.
There is far too much valuable material from a course like this to summarize in a single article, but it's safe to say the instructors did an excellent job covering a broad range of rescue and safety topics. Everyone had fun getting in the water while developing skills that could one day save a life.