TRIP REPORT: Pictured Rocks Symposium -- Fortune Bay Expeditionary Team Campfire

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Subject:

TRIP REPORT: Pictured Rocks Symposium

Author:
Government

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Date Posted: 17:02:06 07/21/04 Wed
In reply to: Wapiti 's message, "Re: Pictured Rocks Symposium" on 17:51:06 07/14/04 Wed

Like the Manitou Island tour, the limit chatter is way overblown. The trips did have a bazillion paddlers on them, but we broke into groups of less than a dozen. Then, the paddles moved at a snails pace because everyone wanted to gaze at the rocks, which were indeed impressive. Moving faster would have just ended the trip too soon. If you haven't paddled there I HIGHLY recommend it. Great sea caves, beautiful cliffs, and killer beaches and day-hikes if you treat it as a multi-day trip from one side to the other.

The classes weren't really limited to # of paddlers. Nor were they crowded. They usually had ~15 paddlers show up. For classes like rolling or deep water rescue, there were always several certified instructors on hand to keep things organized. By the third day most people were so cold that the classes were lightly attended anyway. A word about the instructors: they were truly awesome, they were all "certified" and absolutely first rate. One unexpected thing I learned is the value of warm clothing, and the importance of practicing rescue techniques before you need them. Oh, and I also learned that if you suck enough water in your nose you can actually have it come out your ears.

Then there were the demos if you wanted to kill time. You could demo dozens of boats at your leisure w/o any pressure to buy. BTW, if you doubled the value of my boat, it was STILL the cheapest boat that I saw the whole weekend.

Let's not forget the nightly speakers. The one I went to was given by the first woman to circumnavigate Iceland on a kayak. Her presentation was absolutely gripping. One of the best talks I've heard, ever.

Oh, yea, there were ~200 paddlers there (read: coolest people anywhere). I BORROWED a dry suit for the whole event from somebody I didn't even know. I had beers w/ a guy I knew off the paddling.net board. The Great Lakes Brewery is walking distance from the campground. I made many friends from all over the Great Lakes.

All for the low, low price of $190 at the door, $150 advance. Choke.

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