Every Person is Unique by Connor Cole

Throughout these last 3 weeks I’ve gotten to know a little bit about each of my fellow keeners and leaders. Every one of them has some unique qualities and interests that they’re passionate about. To name a few, Becca enjoys crocheting and embroidery floss, which I’ve started trying. Aaron used to be in a UK band where he played bass before the 2020 pandemic shut them down, and also is in a dual kayaking YouTube channel called “Chasing The Flow”. David helped a lot in the designing process of the Jackson. Steven showed us the ins and outs of designing a carbon boat, which I found very interesting. Tyler, a barista, and skateboards. Jasper, going to a hockey school. Jackson, a wrestler. Cole, is training to be a nurse. Cooper, used to play a lot of guitar. All that to say it was so fun getting to know this group of people from around America,(and a little of Europe, don’t worry I didn’t forget Aaron and Wolfy innit) over these last 3 weeks. I am SURE I forgot many other things about yall as i kind of feel on the spot just doing one blog post. All that said all of yall are cool, and It was nice just getting to talk a little about your experiences and what yall enjoy doing with your free time. Thanks to all of Keeners session 2, love yall.

Last Day by Jasper Vollmerhaus

Approaching the last day on the water all as a group I am both excited and extremely sad that it is almost over. I had so many different days, sometimes the most fun day ever with very little struggle, and other days you’ll be so exhausted and tired that you cannot even roll properly. Every day was also different even though many had the same theme, everyday had its own set of events whether they are good or bad. The one thing you can always count on is your cabin mates to make you laugh. If you are exhausted and just want to go to bed after a shower, you can expect to see your boys wrestling on the floor with the furniture moved out of the way. Or the constant teasing about something you said, did, thought about saying, or thought about doing that seemed annoying in the moment, but looking back is just really funny. The truth I learned after Keeners is while I won’t remember every moment at keener, everything that happened, I will always remember how happy my cabin mates made me feel.

Milk by Tyler Jams

It is the last day of keeners and the Robertsons have way too much food. In particular, like the title suggests we have way too much milk. Today we have 8 litres of milk left and we could give that to the next keeners but they didn’t grind for that milk so I am gonna drink it all. I’ve finished 2 litres this morning and we are going to go out soon ,therefore this afternoon is gonna be rough but the grind doesn’t stop until either I: A. Finish the milk B. Throw up all the milk C. Become allergic to milk D . Gag at the sight of milk One of these things must have to happen before I quit drinking all the milk. (Access to said milk was removed before any of these things could happen)

Inflatables by Cole Kissner

Did you ever think about doing a gainer off of the inflatables? I also thought that too. Today I’ll be taking you step through step on how to under rotate your gainer and land on your face. First you get a good running start on the inflatable. Second run straight towards the edge and jump. Make sure to throw all of your weight backwards and keep looking back. The inflatable is not tall enough so you should expect to take the brute force of the water straight to the dome. Now you know how to botch a gainer on the inflatables.

Swiftwater Rescue Training by Wolfbert Everett

During swift water rescue training we learned proper throw line usage, and how to make a second throw after we fail a first. Also learned how to swim and kayak under and over logs in the safest possible way. But the highlight of SRT was live bait training and swimming in the poorover. This is applicable in normal rivers when rescuing paddlers.

Master the Roll: An 8-Step Guide to the White Water Kayak roll by Rowan Gartner

Step 1: The Setup The Tuck The moment you flip, stay calm. Lean forward and tuck your chest toward your front deck. This protects your face from rocks and centers your weight. Position your paddle parallel to the side of the kayak, with your dominant side blade near the surface of the water. Step 2: The Reach and Orientation With your body tucked, reach your arms and the paddle out to the side, perpendicular to the boat. Ensure your power face is facing the sky. Your blade should be resting just under the water's surface before you begin. Step 3: Set the Climbing AngleRotate your wrists slightly so the leading edge of the paddle blade is tilted upward. This creates a climbing angle. When you begin your sweep, this angle allows the blade to climb to the surface of the water, providing the lift necessary to pull the boat upright rather than diving deep. Step 4: hip snap, snap your hip so the boat not you but the boat is as upright as possible. Step 5: push on your blade thats in the water hard climb your way back then pull on your knees than you will be fully upright. Sweet you have done your first roll now go out and roll in moving and swirly water to challenge and grow your skills.

My Goals as a Kayaker by Zade Hatton

Kayaking has always seemed awesome. My whole life I have watched my family and friends kayak. There was a race on my local river called the Nordhighmer race. My dad would always participate while my mom would take me and my sister to watch from pullouts high above the rapids and it seemed like an impossible feat for me to one day run the same rapids. Both of my parents have always been very nervous to get me into kayaking. They had heard many stories of people passing away from the sport. One of their worst fears is me becoming an extreme kayaker. On the other hand we have always lived by the river and I always wanted to kayak. Finally last year I went to another camp and got my roll. Since then I haven’t done much but go to school and spend time on the river. My dream is to one day be able to run all of the bigger runs around my home alongside my dad.