Friday, February 19, 2010
Arrived at Hampshire for day 2 of rolling. Beth's feeling sick but managing to be the gritty gotta-be-here instructor. Switched boats around and I got a shorter blue job that I didn't like from the get-go. My feet curled around the edges of the foot plate and were uncomfortable but I figured I'd hang in and give it a try. Don't want to be resistant to change just because it's change. But I was still resistant to asking for help as I battled with the damn neoprene spray skirt that requires major muscles to stretch it over the cockpit coaming. I hung out doing some review of holding the side of the pool to practice flips. I felt the water leak through and was soaked before long.
It took quite a while to get through individual instructions so I decided to try what I saw Coquette doing--flip over next to the wall and if you couldn't right yourself, you can find the wall. I hadn't done this yet but I saw others doing it yesterday. I flipped. When I couldn't find the wall, it didn't take long for panic to set in. But, I got my head together and remembered that I know how to wet exit. It worked in real life and this time there was no question that I was underwater when I pulled the skirt tab off. . . can't remember if I had to push myself out of the boat or not. I popped up and saw Beth and Kate right next to me, looks of concern on their faces. "You okay? You made us real nervous." Okay, so they were busy with others but I guess their radar is always turning. But I needed to do something while waiting my turn. And now I get to yank my boat onto the deck and swear at the @#$% skirt as I try to pull it back on. The battle is a discouragement to try anything that might make me flip again and another reason to keep working out at the gym.
Eventually it was my turn and Beth started working with me. I still had good knee action and Beth got me working with a paddle so I could learn the underwater sweep motion. I wasn't getting it exactly and she said I wasn't as relaxed as I needed to be despite promising not to try drowning me again. I didn't progress much and it was the last day of lessons. So much for actually rolling. Supposedly there are lessons elsewhere before we pick up the heavy paddling courses yet to come. There was still a little time left so I decided to try a different boat. It felt more comfortable and I just paddled around in the pool, enjoying the fast response of these little boats but I wasn't about to try flipping again. Time to empty the water out of the boats and head out--next stop Bueno again.
Got back to campus and I went up to the IT department to continue working on my IP and using PowerPoint. Karen's been a great help showing me how to get links live on the slides. I had wanted to put a couple of YouTubes on it but it's apparently problematic. In the end, I'll still need to try this out in advance on the OLP laptop in the classroom.
Next week, all but a few of us will be heading to the White Mountains for the mountaineering trip which is not an actual course. I have some regrets about not going but if it were a day long experience I'd likely do it. And then there's the fact that I was short sighted and sold my winter bag thinking I only needed it for the winter trip. sigh
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Rolling
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Today our group goes with Beth and Kate to the Hampshire College pool to learn to roll kayaks. We get there about 9 and the sun pours in through the glass walls. Some start watching the video while 3 or 4 get into white water kayaks (the little bitty ones), stretch the skirts onto the boat and push off into the pool, paddling with their hands. I had talked with people yesterday when they returned from this class and Anna said to make sure I have extra clothing because she was cold and wore a long sleeve shirt and socks in the water. Ian said it was helpful to have goggles to see what was happening under water. Since I'm not at all comfortable under water, I stopped on the way home and picked up some nose plugs (Beth said we could borrow some there if we didn't have any) and bigger than I wanted goggles trying to make sure I'd get suction on my face. . .the little ones didn't seem to work in the store.
We start with wet exit reviews and Kate tells me that I pulled the skirt tab off before I was actually under water so I had to try it again. I have yet to need to push my hips out since I seem to slide right out of the boat while I'm under. Yay. Erin busts me for the goggle look but if it helps, I don't care what I look like. Generally, people are amused and tolerant of the fashion deviations I make. Age advantage. Eventually I toss the $25 goggles on the deck because they're leaking and foggy. So much for suction. Everyone's using nose plugs so no problem there.
Then we lean over and hold onto the side of the pool, relax with our head on our hands, and tip the boats over so that they're on their sides at a 90 degree angle. With upper body relaxed, we need to thrust up with one knee (closest to the water) but keep our upper body relaxed and rising only after we are righted. . . bowling ball heads should come up last. Keep repeating until we feel comfortable and then reverse it flipping the opposite direction and using the other knee action to see which feels strongest--though Beth says we'll be rolling all which ways before the paddling courses are done.
Others have been working to flip their boats and find Beth's or Kate's hands as guides since it can feel so disorienting upside down in water. They move on to T-rescues--flipping and coming up to find the bow of the partner's boat and trying to right themselves. Mike uses my boat for practice, has it down well and he and Aaron graduate to using little styro-foam floats to "lean on" with their hands.
Beth starts to work with me and I'm doing well until she nearly drowns me a few times. She apologizes but come on Beth! She was testing the styro-foam floats with me but the test failed when it sank with my head on it and I sucked in water. She got me flailing my arms a few times, too. Good thing I like her. I let her continue helping me flip. Eventually, I was flipping under, finding her hands for security and righting myself over with a pretty good follow through. She thinks I might even do a whole roll with paddle tomorrow and I'm counting on it.
On the way home we stop at Bueno Y Sano in Amherst for lunch and the Black Sheep for coffee or a treat. I leave my PB&J in the van. Back on campus I get stuff out of my car and put on my sunglasses and walk to the group. Joe asks what the deal is with my missing lens. Huh? I've walked about 1000' without realizing that the right lens had popped out. I start laughing and Aaron just shakes his head and says, "Eileeeen." I continue to blow up any possible image of cool into little shreds. "Can't take me anywhere," I laugh. Joe said he thought it was purposeful--maybe some kind of meaningful protest. Thanks, Joe. I think on it a couple of times in the afternoon and just start laughing again. I'm happy I can entertain myself and others.
Today our group goes with Beth and Kate to the Hampshire College pool to learn to roll kayaks. We get there about 9 and the sun pours in through the glass walls. Some start watching the video while 3 or 4 get into white water kayaks (the little bitty ones), stretch the skirts onto the boat and push off into the pool, paddling with their hands. I had talked with people yesterday when they returned from this class and Anna said to make sure I have extra clothing because she was cold and wore a long sleeve shirt and socks in the water. Ian said it was helpful to have goggles to see what was happening under water. Since I'm not at all comfortable under water, I stopped on the way home and picked up some nose plugs (Beth said we could borrow some there if we didn't have any) and bigger than I wanted goggles trying to make sure I'd get suction on my face. . .the little ones didn't seem to work in the store.
We start with wet exit reviews and Kate tells me that I pulled the skirt tab off before I was actually under water so I had to try it again. I have yet to need to push my hips out since I seem to slide right out of the boat while I'm under. Yay. Erin busts me for the goggle look but if it helps, I don't care what I look like. Generally, people are amused and tolerant of the fashion deviations I make. Age advantage. Eventually I toss the $25 goggles on the deck because they're leaking and foggy. So much for suction. Everyone's using nose plugs so no problem there.
Then we lean over and hold onto the side of the pool, relax with our head on our hands, and tip the boats over so that they're on their sides at a 90 degree angle. With upper body relaxed, we need to thrust up with one knee (closest to the water) but keep our upper body relaxed and rising only after we are righted. . . bowling ball heads should come up last. Keep repeating until we feel comfortable and then reverse it flipping the opposite direction and using the other knee action to see which feels strongest--though Beth says we'll be rolling all which ways before the paddling courses are done.
Others have been working to flip their boats and find Beth's or Kate's hands as guides since it can feel so disorienting upside down in water. They move on to T-rescues--flipping and coming up to find the bow of the partner's boat and trying to right themselves. Mike uses my boat for practice, has it down well and he and Aaron graduate to using little styro-foam floats to "lean on" with their hands.
Beth starts to work with me and I'm doing well until she nearly drowns me a few times. She apologizes but come on Beth! She was testing the styro-foam floats with me but the test failed when it sank with my head on it and I sucked in water. She got me flailing my arms a few times, too. Good thing I like her. I let her continue helping me flip. Eventually, I was flipping under, finding her hands for security and righting myself over with a pretty good follow through. She thinks I might even do a whole roll with paddle tomorrow and I'm counting on it.
On the way home we stop at Bueno Y Sano in Amherst for lunch and the Black Sheep for coffee or a treat. I leave my PB&J in the van. Back on campus I get stuff out of my car and put on my sunglasses and walk to the group. Joe asks what the deal is with my missing lens. Huh? I've walked about 1000' without realizing that the right lens had popped out. I start laughing and Aaron just shakes his head and says, "Eileeeen." I continue to blow up any possible image of cool into little shreds. "Can't take me anywhere," I laugh. Joe said he thought it was purposeful--maybe some kind of meaningful protest. Thanks, Joe. I think on it a couple of times in the afternoon and just start laughing again. I'm happy I can entertain myself and others.
My poor Victim
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
When Austin arrived we were all studying for the test which turned out to be open book followed by web research. Never enough time to get all the info needed.
More knots with ancillary ropes: Prusik, Kleimheist, Auto Block, Bachman and hearing, not necessarily taking in, why to use a particular knot in a given situation. All to allow the instructor belayer and rappeler to attend to rescue.
Austin demos and then we pair up, everyone needing to be the victim and the rescuer, though since I'm not taking the rock climbing course for certification, others need the experience more. But Aaron is my victim and he hangs in harness after climbing our class wall while I figure out how to transfer his weight from my harness to the anchor, then block the load, attach a prusik and a cordelette in such a way so that I can put my foot in a loop and alternately raise the leg loop and the prusik so that I can ascend the rope and get to Aaron. Besides boredom, Aaron's circulation was probably getting cut off from the harness and hanging there for an extended time is uncomfortable. (Austin told us about needing to rescue a guy who was kneeling on a 6" inch ledge and holding on with his fingers. He had been there for 4 hours and they needed to help him unbend his legs before they could move him safely.) So, thanks to Aaron for literally hanging in while I fumbled and, in general, being willing to hang in with me.
Then it was my turn to be the victim but Aaron was much quicker on the rescue. While waiting, I hung out and felt quite comfortable in terms of height and trusting the system not to drop me. I had been climbing earlier and had made it about 3/4 of the way up before Jake belayed me down. Jen and Mike coached me on holds to grab including the blue "Smurf penis". . . one of the most substantial grips unlike some others that you need to grab with finger tips. I have little strength in my fingers.
All in all, a productive and successful two days for me even though I don't have a full handle on the systems.
Injury update: Erin's heel became aggravated by her boots on the winter trip and now it's so painful that she can't wear regular shoes until it heals. She got it checked and found out that she can't go on the mountaineering trip next week in the White Mountains. She's pretty bummed.
When Austin arrived we were all studying for the test which turned out to be open book followed by web research. Never enough time to get all the info needed.
More knots with ancillary ropes: Prusik, Kleimheist, Auto Block, Bachman and hearing, not necessarily taking in, why to use a particular knot in a given situation. All to allow the instructor belayer and rappeler to attend to rescue.
Austin demos and then we pair up, everyone needing to be the victim and the rescuer, though since I'm not taking the rock climbing course for certification, others need the experience more. But Aaron is my victim and he hangs in harness after climbing our class wall while I figure out how to transfer his weight from my harness to the anchor, then block the load, attach a prusik and a cordelette in such a way so that I can put my foot in a loop and alternately raise the leg loop and the prusik so that I can ascend the rope and get to Aaron. Besides boredom, Aaron's circulation was probably getting cut off from the harness and hanging there for an extended time is uncomfortable. (Austin told us about needing to rescue a guy who was kneeling on a 6" inch ledge and holding on with his fingers. He had been there for 4 hours and they needed to help him unbend his legs before they could move him safely.) So, thanks to Aaron for literally hanging in while I fumbled and, in general, being willing to hang in with me.
Then it was my turn to be the victim but Aaron was much quicker on the rescue. While waiting, I hung out and felt quite comfortable in terms of height and trusting the system not to drop me. I had been climbing earlier and had made it about 3/4 of the way up before Jake belayed me down. Jen and Mike coached me on holds to grab including the blue "Smurf penis". . . one of the most substantial grips unlike some others that you need to grab with finger tips. I have little strength in my fingers.
All in all, a productive and successful two days for me even though I don't have a full handle on the systems.
Injury update: Erin's heel became aggravated by her boots on the winter trip and now it's so painful that she can't wear regular shoes until it heals. She got it checked and found out that she can't go on the mountaineering trip next week in the White Mountains. She's pretty bummed.
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