The last time I was in Ecuador we still went to internet cafes to send emails, their currency was the Sucre and I had been boating for about 3 years and was paddling a Wavesport X. I worked for a local rafting company as a guide and safety kayaker. This year I returned in my…Read more »
Trip/Tour Reports
Costa Rica Paddling!
Traveling has always been a passion for me and combining travel with kayaking and yoga makes it even better! This was my 6th season running womens whitewater kayak trips in Costa Rica (7 in Mexico before that) and it never gets old. The diversity of the rivers, the colorful wildlife, the lush jungle, the delicious…Read more »
Cut, Bruised and Happy
‘I wish I had started kayaking sooner,’ is something I hear from my students who are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Usually said with a heavy dose of disappointment and often because of a swim or some other challenge that arises on the path of learning. I get it. There is a feeling that…Read more »
SUP, Body Image and Empowerment
It’s not new to me to be the ‘bigger’ woman within a group of athletically talented women. Throughout my competitive career in whitewater kayaking I was usually one of the curvier women on the circuit. In my mind I had all kinds of projections and judgements about the skinny girls and that made me feel…Read more »
Main Salmon Kayak/Yoga River Trip Recap
Three days before this trip I was lying in bed at 10:30 p.m. waiting for a text that would let me know if the river was re-opening to commercial traffic or if it was going to remain closed due to the Teepee wildfire that had been burning in and near the drainage. I was…Read more »
Ladies Southeast Paddling Series Success!
From 2004 – 2012 I traveled from coast to coast offering free whitewater kayaking clinics for women as part of the Girls at Play Summer Tour. I loved visiting rivers around the country and getting to know the local paddling communities. The paddling tribe is connected by the river no matter where you are! This…Read more »
California Summer
California during the summer means sunshine, friends, and whitewater. Due to our extreme drought conditions, this spring and summer have brought less whitewater, more sunshine, and even more friends to the rivers that are running. In a normal year, California has multiple whitewater hubs that are spread all across the state, from way up north…Read more »
Grand Canyon
I was sitting here trying to think of a clever title for this blog post, but really, no other words or titles are needed – Grand Canyon is accurate. To me the Canyon is one of the most beautiful and most powerful places on Earth and I’m very fortunate that this trip in July was…Read more »
Ladies Southeast Paddling Series
Last summer Laura Farrell and I got together to brainstorm an idea she had about doing a Women’s Takeover event on the Green. Her passion and excitement compelled and inspired me to get back to Girls at Play’s grassroots beginnings. For years I traveled around the country teaching free/low cost clinics for women, but had…Read more »
Tending the Fire Within – Sweet Winter Retreat
Tending the Fire Within was a sweet winter retreat that focused on exploring the gifts of winter and tending to our inner Fire and passion. Women came from as far as New Jersey and as close as Asheville. Paddlers and non-paddlers ready to delve deeper into their passion for life. We shared our fears and…Read more »
