Kayaking: Essential And Recreational

The following is a major GonzoPR retrospective. It features a "long been lost but now I've been found" article I wrote when my business cards read: "The Write Stuff." I was a poor, but eager, aspiring writer, and I interviewed my longtime colleague and friend, Kelly Tjaden. But enough chit-chat. Let's get this show on the road.

Dawn breaks early in the "land of the midnight sun." A lone seaway kayaker glides quietly in his craft across Glacier Bay in Alaska, a national park known as the undisputed mecca for saltwater paddlers from around the world. Suddenly, a huge wall of ice breaks off from a nearby glacier, careening into the bay below.

Sea kayaking is not new by any means. For centuries, the sea kayak was a vessel essential to inhabitants of the northern latitudes. Modeleled after the large, long-distance traveling kayaks used to transport whole families, goods and sled dogs, the modern sea-touring kayak is designed to carry its passengers safely.

"Watching the evolution of the modern sea kayak shows an ongoing process," said Tjaden. He said the number of specialty shops had proliferated.  "We have rediscovered old knowledge and combined it with new technology to produce an inherently seaworthy boat. It's basically many things rolled into one."