db wrote on Aug 15^th, 2013 at 9:09pm:

JJ - I think I know what you mean by "trophy paddlers" but I've been going to the same place for years so ... maybe not.

I think you just know what you like and are happy with that. It's all relative, to some Q is a trophy, or soloing someday. I'm always excited to meet a well traveled paddler and ask what one trip they do again besides all the rest. There's also some curious social dynamics some assume based on what they've done or where they've gone. The whitewater tales, travels, or the races.



db wrote on Aug 15^th, 2013 at 9:09pm:

Local, personal experience is why guides can charge strangers money for something they'd probably do for free if they could afford to.

For me it's also the benefit of getting schooled by instructor level paddlers as we go, i.e. whitewater river tripping or kayaking, rolling, and sea conditions.