HomeTrails Club Kayaking for 2010
Our season starts off with a bang in March. The kick-off meeting on Mar 16 will get things rolling. See the event calendar below for details on this and other events.
We’ll be adding more trips shortly. Look at the rating for a trip you are interested in, then refer to the Trip Rating System and Guidelines for Participants documents in the Kayak Documents section of this page to see if you have the experience, skills, and gear required for the trip.
When you find a trip that fits your skills and interest, contact the leader. Trips are open to anyone, Trails Club members and non-members, unless the description specifically states otherwise.
If you would like to improve your paddling skills, check out the Kayak Safety & Training section. And get out on the water, as experience on the water improves your confidence which often helps to refine your skills.
Contact any of the committee members if you have questions.
Boat Permit Required Starting in 2010
Oregon has a new program to protect 
waterways from the aquatic invasive
species. Boaters are required to purchase a permit to use their boats beginning
in 2010. The fees from the permits funds inspection teams and aquatic invasive
species prevention efforts.
For the canoers and kayakers of the Trails Club, the operators of manually powered boats 10’ or longer must carry a permit when using their boat in 2010. Permits are transferrable between people and can be used on any manually powered craft. If there are multiple people in a manually-powered boat, only one of them is required to carry a permit.
Permits cost $7 ($5 permit plus $2 agent fee) and can be purchased at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife license agents, ODFW offices that sell licenses (www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/licenses), and online at ODFW's website (www.dfw.or.state.us/online_license_sales/index.asp).
Boaters should carry their permit whenever they use their manually powered boat, and should be sure to clean their boat after every use to keep it free of aquatic species.
The fine for operating a boat without a permit is $142. The fine for launching a boat with aquatic species visible on or in the boat is $242.
A more thorough explanation of the program can be found here.
Kayak Events 2010
| Date (Day) | Where / What | Class | Leader |
| Mar 9 (Tue) | Slideshow by Ken Campbell | NA | Portland Kayak |
| Mar 13 (Sat) |
Leader Training through Tualatin Riverkeepers Page 4 |
1 | Tualatin Riverkeepers |
| Mar 16 (Tue) | Trails Club Kayak Kick-off Meeting | NA | Rich Fuhs / Portland Kayak |
| Mar 27 (Sat) | Sterling Kayaks demo day | NA | Portland Kayak |
| Mar 27 (Sat) | Trails Club Refresher Safety Course | NA | Bill Savery & Rex Silvernail |
| Apr 3 (Sat) | Current Designs Kayaks demo day | NA | Portland Kayak |
| Apr 24-25 (Sat-Sun) | Alder Creek Kayak Demo Days - Vancouver Lake | NA | Alder Creek |
| May 15-16 (Sat-Sun) | Hanford Reach Kayak Overnight | ??? | Bill Savery |
| May 15 (Sat) | Seaward Kayaks & Nigel Foster Designs demo day | NA | Portland Kayak |
| May 23 (Sat) | Trails Club Skill Refresher Course | NA | Bill Savery & Rex Silvernail |
| Jun 5 (Sat) | Salmon River / Cascade Head Kayak | ??? | Bill Savery |
| Jul ??? | Lewis River North Fork Kayak | ??? | Rex Silvernail |
| Sep 13-16 (Mon-Thu) | San Juan Islands | 3 | Susan Saul / Guide |
| Oct 9 (Sat) | Nisqually Reach Kayak | ??? | Bill Savery |
San Juan Islands Kayak Outing - Sep 13-16 (Mon-Thu)
Paddle through the beautiful San Juan Islands for four days from our base
camp on Sucia Island. You provide: transportation to and from Orcas Island
(including ferry crossing), kayak and gear, food, water and camping equipment
for a 3-night/4-day expedition paddle trip (that means you carry all your
gear in your boat between Orcas and Sucia islands). Cost includes: Guide
services and local knowledge of tides, currents and campsites; one dinner;
TCO trip fee. Difficulty: TCO ratings range 2B-3C (see TCO website for
descriptions). You will be paddling in wind and currents. Immersion wear
(drysuit or wetsuit) required. TCO safety training required.
Group Size: 12 Cost: $76 (12 people) - $220 (4 people);
final cost will be determined by the number of people signed up.
Deposit: A $76 deposit is required to reserve your space.
Contact leader to register. Balance will be due August 1.
Start & End: The trip begins and ends at North Beach, Orcas Island.
Contact: Susan Saul 360-892-5643 or sunr1s3cr33k@gmail.com
Kayak Safety & Training
Portland Kayak offers classes on basic skills (Essentials, Introduction), rescues, and rolling.
There are also women-only classes and advanced clinics.
Check out the Instruction section
of the Portland Kayak web site (Kayaking Classes and Clinics) for details, dates, and prices.
Contact Portland Kayak Co. directly
503-459-4050 to sign up for classes.
If you sign up for a basic skill class, tell them you are with Trails Club for a 10% discount.
Trails Club members also get reimbursed $20 of the cost of a basic skills class with evidence
of class completion.
Classes and training are also available from Alder Creek and other locations.
Kayak Rentals, Sales, & Classes
Kayak Documents
| Document | ||
| Boat Permits | Word | |
| Guidelines for Leaders | Word | |
| Guidelines for Participants | Word | |
| Instructional Videos | Word | |
| Put-In Checklist | Word | |
| Trip Planning Worksheet | Word | |
| Trip Log (TCO) | Word | |
| Trip Rating System | Word | |
| Trip Report Forms | Word |
All documents are available in MS Word and PDF format.
Kayak Planning Information Websites
Weather forecast (NOAA)
Stream Gage Height (water depth)
It helps if you are somewhat familiar with the river to know what the depth means on the river.
Use the map to select a location for which you would like the information.
Kayak-related Websites
Lower Columbia Canoe Club (LCCC)
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
Lower Columbia River Water Trail
Oregon Ocean Paddling Society (OOPS)
Kayak Committee Members
| Name | Phone | |
| Rich Fuhs (chair) | (503) 690-5077 | Rich.Fuhs@Verizon.Net |
| Susan Saul | (360) 892-5643 | sunr1s3cr33k@gmail.com |
| Bill Savery | (503) 295-5868 | saveryw@comcast.net |
| Rex Silvernail | (360) 263-7225 | humshwha@pacifier.com |