The Houston Canoe Club
is a Paddlesports Risk Management Club Sign the Waiver HCC
"Why Your River Is Worth More Than The Sum Of Its Parts" "Longtime readers will recognize two themes occupying this space: risk and reward and the valuing of our rivers. Lately it has been more of the former and less of the latter. My pessimistic self senses paddlers today collectively value our rivers less than we did in the past and less than we should..." Complete story: Rapid Media "How to Canoe in Waves and Swell" Most canoeists know that a cold swim is often preceded by a wave taken at a bad angle. Depending on your skill level, paddling in large waves can be either frightening or fun. Follow these simple tips for paddling in waves to keep your experience positive..." Complete story: Canoeroots "How To Teach Your Kids To Love Canoeing" "Enjoying wilderness canoe trips together means juggling the roles of protective father, knowledgeable wilderness guide and goofy camp counselor. We sing songs, play games, and bake birthday cakes for no reason. We get down on our hands and knees to look at tiny seedlings and insects on the forest floor..." Complete story: Canoeroots "Your Guide to Kid's Life Jackets" "Of all the safety gear used by those who enjoy on-water sports, none should be scrutinized more than the family of life jackets/PFDs available. And, speaking of family, those devices designed for infants and youth are the most critical. Let’s take a closer look at several aspects of life jackets available for the youngest members of the paddling community..." Complete story: Paddling.com "Why A New Boat Won’t Make You Happier" "On a scale from one to 10, how much happier would you be if you could buy any boat in the 340 pages of this magazine? I know the answer, and it’s going to shock you. Not much happier at all. Let me explain..." Complete story: Canoeroots "3 Tenants Of Portage Trail Etiquette" "Some paddlers just don't know the meaning of portage etiquette. I've witnessed a camper poop right in the middle of a portage trail. I've seen someone pee on a patch of blueberries at the take-out..." Complete story: Paddling Magazine "Open Canoe Technique: Power Steering" "The forward stroke is enjoying a renaissance as more open canoeists use it as not just a method of propulsion, but as a means to steer their canoes. A proven skill that harkens back to the earliest C1ers, power steering is the ability to control your solo boat while using nothing more than basic forward strokes..." Complete story: Rapid Media "Remedies For The Post-Trip Hangover "Trips to the wilderness are supposed to revitalize us. That’s why they call it re-creation. So why, after a week of paddling, do I feel so restless and irritable the moment the trip is over?..." Complete story: Adventure Kayak "Why You Should Take More Canoe Day-Trips" "Too often, paddlers focus on one or two big trips for the year, gorging themselves for 10 days and then starving the other 354. In comparison to traveling remote glacier-fed mountain rivers, urban paddling sounds boring—but it’s not. Yes, it’s a wondrous experience to paddle where few humans have been before. Yet, I’ve found there’s magic on the quiet waters a stone’s throw from a buzzing metropolis..." Complete story: Canoeroots "How To Change Places In A Canoe" "Like any maneuver in a tandem canoe, switching paddling positions on the fly requires good communication. The key to a smooth, dry transition is ensuring only one person is moving in the canoe at a time..." Complete story: Canoeroots "Study confirms this method of repelling ticks really does work" "Outdoor enthusiasts: Here's a bit of good tick-fighting news just in time for Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. A new U.S. government study confirms that insecticide-treated clothes marketed for preventing tick-borne ills do, in fact, thwart the pests..." Complete story: CBS News
"Longtime readers will recognize two themes occupying this space: risk and reward and the valuing of our rivers. Lately it has been more of the former and less of the latter. My pessimistic self senses paddlers today collectively value our rivers less than we did in the past and less than we should..."
Most canoeists know that a cold swim is often preceded by a wave taken at a bad angle. Depending on your skill level, paddling in large waves can be either frightening or fun. Follow these simple tips for paddling in waves to keep your experience positive..."
"Enjoying wilderness canoe trips together means juggling the roles of protective father, knowledgeable wilderness guide and goofy camp counselor. We sing songs, play games, and bake birthday cakes for no reason. We get down on our hands and knees to look at tiny seedlings and insects on the forest floor..."
"Of all the safety gear used by those who enjoy on-water sports, none should be scrutinized more than the family of life jackets/PFDs available. And, speaking of family, those devices designed for infants and youth are the most critical. Let’s take a closer look at several aspects of life jackets available for the youngest members of the paddling community..."
"On a scale from one to 10, how much happier would you be if you could buy any boat in the 340 pages of this magazine? I know the answer, and it’s going to shock you. Not much happier at all. Let me explain..."
"Some paddlers just don't know the meaning of portage etiquette. I've witnessed a camper poop right in the middle of a portage trail. I've seen someone pee on a patch of blueberries at the take-out..."
"The forward stroke is enjoying a renaissance as more open canoeists use it as not just a method of propulsion, but as a means to steer their canoes. A proven skill that harkens back to the earliest C1ers, power steering is the ability to control your solo boat while using nothing more than basic forward strokes..."
"Trips to the wilderness are supposed to revitalize us. That’s why they call it re-creation. So why, after a week of paddling, do I feel so restless and irritable the moment the trip is over?..."
"Too often, paddlers focus on one or two big trips for the year, gorging themselves for 10 days and then starving the other 354. In comparison to traveling remote glacier-fed mountain rivers, urban paddling sounds boring—but it’s not. Yes, it’s a wondrous experience to paddle where few humans have been before. Yet, I’ve found there’s magic on the quiet waters a stone’s throw from a buzzing metropolis..."
"Like any maneuver in a tandem canoe, switching paddling positions on the fly requires good communication. The key to a smooth, dry transition is ensuring only one person is moving in the canoe at a time..."
"Outdoor enthusiasts: Here's a bit of good tick-fighting news just in time for Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. A new U.S. government study confirms that insecticide-treated clothes marketed for preventing tick-borne ills do, in fact, thwart the pests..."