It may have been Nov 2006.  Still funny today.


db wrote on Nov 16^th, 2006 at 9:02am:

I use a foot long chunk of an old blue broomstick and just grab and twist a few minutes until it feels like blisters could soon develop. It doesn't take long. I may do that a couple times the week before a trip. Just enough to inform the cells in my hands they might want to add a few thicker layers where my fingers will contact the paddle shaft. Doing that in lieu of 'actual work' must help as I don't recall blisters from paddling ever being a problem. Actual paddling or chin-ups would be much better I guess but you can't do either on the couch! :) Don't get me wrong. Being in shape as well as being strong can/will make a trip more enjoyable. It's just that it's still doable when you're not. Over the years I've seen a number of "little old ladies" in the park that were probably (marginally?) in better shape then I was on my last trip. It's about   (You need to Login or Register IMO. That reminds me of a ~15- 20 year old story I love but rarely get a chance to tell anymore so I can't remember exactly how it goes. It went something like this. I was paddling upwind with a girlfriend in the bow on a moderately windy day. Two guys were paddling downwind towards the river we had just paddled up so neither of us could avoid the obligatory nod/wave as you pass thing. At 200 yards and closing, oncoming bow paddler loudly proclaims: "Is that a chick? ... I think that's a chick! ... What's a chick doing here?" Point being it was a manly man's place and women didn't belong. Needless to say my bow paddler was a bit more 'humored' than I to put it mildly. We laughed and talked it over a bit until we passed. Once they were 30 yards or so down wind from us my bow paddler turns and at a volume way louder than she knew was required, uttered something (referring to the bow paddler) along the lines of: "Wow! Did you see the boobs on that guy?" I just think that peer pressure and self esteem mixed with a little knowledge can get a group a lot farther than raw ability or muscle. What's the old adage? You get promoted until you reach the tipping point for your own incompetence? In any case, glad to hear someone's been there before. I think it helps a lot when a group of newbies is involved.