2009 Pummel update

The event was started back in 1986 by Seattle kayaker Sprague Ackley, a paddler who is known more for his whitewater experience than for his salt-water exploits. Still, I suppose that’s fitting, being that there’s no river anywhere that can rival the power and the white-knuckle ride that La Push can bring during a winter storm. I have often talked with river boaters who tell me that sea kayaking is too slow, too sedate, for them. They need the thrill that comes from big water, fast twitch muscular desperation and wild rides. My response to them is usually to invite them along on my next coastal trip. (They hardly ever come.)

For more information on this year’s Pummel, contact Ken and Ellen DeBondt 206-527-2565 email debondt1@msn.com. If you send them an RSVP, they will fill you in on the details as the time gets closer.

If it’s a jolt of adrenaline that you crave, take your kayak to a Washington beach in winter. You will discover, as has everyone who’s made the trip before you, that the sea is a wild and unknowable place, that excitement and wonder can be found around every turn and that adrenaline is brown and runny.