It has been 30 years since my best friend, climbing buddy and amazing outdoor leader extraordinaire died on a tragic winter climbing ascent in the North Cascades. I have carried Kathy Phibbs in my heart and through my work as an outdoor professional supporting women and girls in the outdoors in celebrating being spunky, brave and curious. Miss Dish Lives On! For more information on Kathy and her legacy, click here: https://www.opb.org/news/article/mothers-day-climb-mount-st-helens-kathy-phibbs/ —— Kathy Phibbs was a prolific and talented writer. Here’s a piece she wrote to me just before…
Gorge Downwind Championships: Highest Female Race Participation on the Globe
On race day this year, westerly winds howled up to 30-35 mph, churning up frothy waves on the Columbia River Gorge. Perfect conditions for the 2018 Gorge Downwind Championships, a 13 mile paddle race, attracting over 750 racers, including top notch elite athletes from around the world. A ride, it was, flying eastward along fast moving wind waves from Home Valley to Hood River. As I surfed my outrigger canoe, I scanned ahead for the next set of waves to drop into for the next ride while I kept my…
California 100 – Going the Ultradistance
Below is an article I wrote, published in Sea Kayaker Magazine in October 2013. This 100 mile paddle race, will be hosted again in 2019 under a new name, the California River Quest. For me, the past five years have been a huge learning curve in training for paddle endurance races. The keys to improvement and progress are to be consistent, set goals and keep it fun. Introduction The California 100, California’s first paddle sport ultramarathon, is a 100-mile paddling race on the Sacramento River from Redding to a takeout…
Motivation Tips for an Active Life
Today, a good friend who wants to be more active, asked me, “how do you stay motivated with training?”I responded with this reflection. Five years ago, you would not have found me rising by 5:30am to get an early morning work out before going to work. I would do it later in the day and sometimes skip it because I was too tired after work. Now I do get up early and prioritize my workout that I regard as self care. Currently, almost everyday, I start my day with either…
Adventures Beyond Cookies: Crumbling the Girl Scout Stereotype
“In the late 1960s, as a school-age girl and tomboy, my experience with Girl Scouts was short lived. My troop leader was interested in teaching us crochet and macaroni art when I wanted to get outdoors, camp, hike, and do what the boys were doing. I was seeking “something with a little swagger in it.” I crossed the bridge from Brownies to Cadets to never return until surprisingly, decades later, after having pursued a long career in outdoor adventure education. In 2011, I arrived at Girl Scouts of Northern California…
Curve Balls: A Lesson in Self Care
Over the past two months, I have been tending to an inflamed cornea in my left eye, related to my Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), that was triggered by the smoke from the Napa/Sonoma County fires, north of San Francisco. I have had eye related flare ups two other times in recent years. My first eye incident was in spring of 2013. I was preparing to depart for a long awaited ocean paddle training camp in Hawaii. I had to cancel. I had an infected ulcer on my retina that was serious.…
Girl Scout Adventures-Bold Not Bossy-part 1
My Girl Scouts are bad-ass backpackers who are motivated, skilled and a high functional group. I met my Scouts at the Chilnuaina Falls trailhead to begin an eight day trip to Chain Lakes, an alpine basin located in the SW corner of Yosemite National Park in July. This Backpack Interest Group is a year round, girl led and volunteer adult supported backpacking program. Once a month, throughout the year, they go backpacking to build their outdoor skills and fitness, preparing them for their summer expedition, “The Miler”. Every summer, I…
An Epic Odyssey- part 2
The morning I had been waiting for, the Ka’iwi Channel Relay, a 40 mile outrigger canoe race, crossing from Molokai to Oahu, had arrived. This relay race is paddled in a one person outrigger canoe where you switch out with your partner every 30-45 minutes, requiring an escort boat. The Ka’iwi channel is notorious for its reputation of being one of the toughest ocean channel crossings in the world because of its strong winds, currents and large swells. Situated in the middle of the Pacific ocean, with exposure to thousands of…
An Epic Odyssey- part 1
I returned home humbled, inspired, and with a full heart from an epic odyssey in Hawaii. After months of consistent training and planning, my vision and goals came to fruition. I competed in three outrigger canoe races, two solo races and one solo relay, in three weeks. Two of these races were significant channel crossings ranging from 26 miles to 40 miles. I felt welcomed by the paddling community (ohana) and am forever grateful for that support of aloha in practice. My first weekend, I warmed up with Kanaka Ikaika’s State…
Ocean Inspired-Training Tips
In less than two weeks, I will be in the final hours of preparation for a long awaited race day in Hawaii. This will be my second time to participate in The Pailolo Channel crossing race, a 26 miles, solo outrigger canoe competition that begins on the Northwest shores of Maui, crosses the Pailolo (“Crazy Fisherman”) Channel, to finish in the harbor of Molokai. A week later, with my buddy, James, we will compete in a 41 miles relay across the Kai’wi channel, paddling a solo canoe and switching out…