Paddle perfect

WASILLA — Tried of the headaches and expense of modern engines? Try exploring Alaska’s many waterways under a more ancient type of power.

As the native cultures found hundreds of years ago, the 49th State is the perfect place to kayak, said longtime proponent of self-propulsion Lisa Jaeger. All the rivers, bays and lakes are open to kayakers without worrying about fuel costs or breakdowns.

However, like any Alaskan sport, the necessary skills and equipment are a huge prerequisite for kayaking. To help people get started, Jaeger offers classes that teach the basic strokes, rescue techniques and equipment requirements.

“My main goal is I want to teach people how to kayak safely and get them to want to do it. It truly is a lifetime activity,” Jaeger said.

What sounds and looks like a simple activity soon becomes more complex once inside the boat. There are traveling strokes, steering strokes and safety strokes. Proper adjustments have to be made to make the kayak fit the paddler just right. And then there’s what happens when the kayak flips over.

Upside down in the water, paddlers have two options. Simply swimming out of the kayak into the water is called a wet exit. This is what most beginners do, but it requires the paddler to then turn the kayak over by hand and re-enter the boat. The rider is soaked without a drysuit, and water usually has to be bailed or pumped out.

“In Alaska, it’s pretty key to get out of the water as soon as you can,” Jaeger said. “Then, it’s a matter of getting the water out of the boat.”

The alternative to the wet exit is called the Eskimo roll. The Eskimo roll is a very difficult maneuver, Jaeger said, dating back to when the Alaskan Natives used kayaks to hunt seals. The hunters sat underneath waterproof skins sewn onto their boats, so when they tipped over, a wet exit was not an option.

While upside down, the rider turns the paddle parallel to the boat, then sweeps the paddle perpendicular to generate sideways motion. The key, Jaeger said, is to snap the hips powerfully enough and at exactly the right moment to flip the boat back upright.

“I find I have people learn the fastest when the water is really cold,” she said. “Women are usually more successful than men because men are relying on their arms and women are using their hips.”

Paul Gray signed up for the class with his wife because they both regret not taking kayaking classes in college. Now, 15 years later, he said he’s mad he wasted so much time.

Kayaks are much lighter and agile and than his old aluminum canoe. He remembers a canoe trip down the Yukon River and how they had to start paddling a half-mile away if they wanted to get to shore.

“With a kayak, I feel like I could run right over there,” Gray said.

Kayaking is much harder and less stable than he thought. However, without a rack on his pick-up to hold his canoe, Gray said he is planning to buy a small plastic kayak to throw in the bed for his fishing trips.

Jaeger said kayaking is open to everyone of reasonable fitness. She compared it to cross-country skiing, saying it can be as challenging or relaxing as you want.

The cost is also not prohibitive, she said. The two most important things are investing in a good paddle and a personal flotation device that is comfortable. Beginners should always buy used boats until they know exactly what make and model they prefer.

Jaeger said the best compliment she ever got was when a woman told her she was selling her jet ski to buy a kayak.

“She said she was tired of loading the jet ski and buying fuel,” Jaeger said. “With a kayak, you just load in the back of your truck and go.”

The current series of Jaeger’s classes ends next week, and she was unable to book time at the Wasilla Pool for a spring class. However, she guided future paddlers to the Alaska Kayak Academy for classes that start this summer.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.