BCU Star 2 Kayak Instructor.
Wilderness First Responder (WFR), former nurse.
Thirty+ years leading outdoor venture trips for ski centers and resorts, local college and university and most recently, Quark and Oceanwide Expeditions.
Sixteen years kayaking on all 11 Finger Lakes of New York State, Lakes Ontario and Champlain, Georgian Bay, many Adirondack Lakes and the Thousand Islands.
Five years kayak guiding in Antarctica and the Arctic (150+ day trips).
Created kayak safety teams for local community events, Women Swimmin' and Cayuga Lake Triathlon, acting as Coordinator and Team Leader, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Started Ithaca Kayak Club, October, 2007, Ithaca, New York.
First solo circumnavigation Lake Ontario, August-October 1999 (450 miles).
Most terrifying moment in a kayak: solo nighttime kayaking, fell asleep at midnight on the back deck, woke up to a dream of capsizing. OR the moment the fish jumped up and hit my paddle while asleep in kayak, same lake, different night.
Most calming moment in a kayak: When I found myself in 4.5' confused waves with a following wind and suddenly felt I could capsize at any time in a fully loaded boat at the end of a long 8-hour day of paddling. Suddenly the boat just settled underneath me and seemed to be saying, "Just relax and enjoy the ride and let me do my work." With nothing but concrete walls for 5 miles ahead I braced all the way into a tiny little spit of shoreline and never capsized.
Ideal next vacation trip. A full circumnavigation of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron (250 miles).
Really big wish list: to lead in the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, Baja, Belize, Fiji, Vanuatu.
Most recent kayak guiding jobs: The Arctic high latitudes, Svalbard Islands off northern Norway, and Greenland, August 2008; Antarctica, January 2010.
Video: How To Dress For Cold Weather Kayaking.
Kayak luminaries I've had the pleasure and privilege to work with and who have shared, taught and inspired:
Hayley Shephard, solo circumnavigated Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands. Will attempt first solo circumnavigation of South Georgia Island in the Southern Ocean. Link. Link.
Graham Charles, first team to paddle full length of Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island. Link for "Grum."
Christine Hawes, paddling with her best friend summer 2009 from Vancouver Island to Glacier Bay, Alaska. Link.
