LoCo Roundup

Second Annual
Lower Columbia Kayak Roundup
Of We-Kayak-Em County, Washington
Aug 18-24 2008

A fun, community-minded, BCU skill-based sea kayak symposium
hosted by Columbia River Kayaking and Skamokawa Center
in Wahkiakum County, WA.

Skill levels:

Novice 1* Build good foundations and review the basics.
Beginner/Intermediate 2* Develop understanding of how body, paddle, boat, and water interact. Build confidence with steering, edging, rescues, bracing, rolling.
Intermediate/Open Water 3* Improve performance in dynamic water.
Sea Paddling 4* Explore the edge of the continent with some of the best coaches on the planet.
Greenland courses are offered for a variety of levels. Most other courses are not blade specific, and sticks are welcome.
Coach courses prerequisites--New BCU 2* award, first aid, stamped C-1 form

Lower Columbia Kayak Roundup 2008 class schedule link

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Who's puttin' on the party?

Columbia River Kayaking LLC. The talented and motivated guides from Skamokawa Center teamed up with CRK's founder Ginni Callahan to create a new worker-owned cooperative based in Cathlamet, WA. Columbia River Kayaking, LLC offers lessons and tours for all levels on the Lower Columbia River and in Baja, Mexico. CRK is a BCU-endorsed center.

Skamokawa Center , gateway to the islands of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge! They specialize in historic and natural history tours, Elderhostel programs, and provide kayak rentals and lodging.

Slow Boat Farm is a 21-acre former dairy farm on Puget Island with water access. The farm's mission, "deepening the human connection to the natural environment through recreation and sustenance," is uniquely fitted to the place--the access to a network of remote sloughs leading to the Columbia River, the exuberant garden and productive fields. Camping is available in the summer.

Top notch BCU coaches, ACA instructors, Greenland instructors, and local guides include: Jen Kleck, Karl Andersson, Jonthan Walpole, Shawna Franklin, Leon Somme, Mark Whittaker, Axel Schoevers, Cheri Perry, Turner Wilson, Matthew Ross, Jeffrey Briley, and more!

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Daily schedule

7:00-8:00 Yoga
8:00-6:00pm Registration/retail open
8:30 General Meeting
9:30-12:00 Morning Classes
1:30-4:00 Afternoon Classes
5:00 Games/ Farmers Market/ Gnld Roll Competition
7:00 Dinner (except Weds-dinner at 5:30 before night paddles)
8:00 Evening Program

Schedule subject to change.

Evening programs

Date	Presenter	Presentation
Tues Aug 19		Yoga & Kayaking
Weds Aug 20		Evening & night paddles
Thu Aug 21	Theresa Doffe	Kayaking as a Tool for Therapy -- Insights for the Coach's Toolkit
Fri Aug 22	Ginni Callahan	The Magic of Baja
	Tim Mattson	The Science of Kayaking
Sat Aug 23	Tim Mattson	Applications of Kayaking Science

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Where to circle the wagons

Matthew and a We Kayak 'um kayak rack

The LoCo Roundup is held about 40 minutes west (downriver) of Longview, WA on the Columbia River.
Classes launch from Skamokawa Center, Cathlamet's Elochoman Marina, and Slow Boat Farm on Puget Island, all within 11 miles of each other. Dynamic Water courses may travel 1-2 hours for spectacular coastal venues.
directions to Slow Boat Farm

The Columbia River and its tributaries and sloughs provide a varied venue for all levels of paddling instruction. Protected inter-island passages open to the broad channel, which widens to 8 miles across some 15 miles downriver. Tides govern the direction of the river current and its strength. Summer afternoon wind is fairly reliable. An hour and a half west is the mouth of the Columbia, which is closed to freighter traffic on occasion due to its legendary roughness.
more detailed maps and charts

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