Arriving at the launch area, one pilot steps out of his kayak onshore and carries it off one-handed against his shoulder. Energetic paddlers jump out of their crafts and quickly team up to help those who are disabled or less nimble exit their boats and load them onto their vehicles. It’s more than good sportsmanship for these members of Central New York’s Ka-na-wa-ke Canoe and Kayak Club.
“I’ve been in this club for more than 20 years and some people have been here longer than I have,” says Pat McCooey. “It’s almost like family. It’s a family you’ve mixed with for a few months every year.” Founded in 1962, the club emphasizes socialization, recreation and appreciation of the nature encountered out on the waters of Central New York.
While paddle-powered water sports may summon images of Eskimos shooting frigid rapids or Iroquois migrating through piney woods, this may actually be the perfect activity for modern times. Propelling the lightweight crafts through water requires only energy provided by the boaters, leaving the waterway untouched, spewing no gas fumes, skimming whisper-quiet across the surface and creating no wake to batter shorelines. The pace is left entirely to the discretion of the paddler, who derives heart-healthy aerobic exercise and some muscle toning from the smooth, steady strokes.
Kayak attack: Pat McCooey and Chuck Abbey bring their watercraft out of the Oswego River near Phoenix on a recent summer evening. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTOS
Members relish a different view of the world, one afforded by their aquatic adventures. “You feel the river underneath you,” says Colleen Drenckhahn of Phoenix, the club’s Commodore. “You feel the water. You’re one with nature. It’s so quiet. You don’t have a motor with the noise and the smell. You can go as fast or as slow as you want, take pictures, watch the birds and turtles and fish. First-time kayakers usually fall in love with the sport.”
The club’s diverse membership is open to all ages and includes men, women, couples and children. “We’ve had babies on trips,” Drenckhahn exclaims. “It just depends on the parents. Bring the kids along. We have a good time. Right now our paid membership is 72, but that’s family memberships. I really want to stress that this is family-oriented, recreational kayaking and canoeing. We generally pack picnic lunches and have wonderful outings that are very family-friendly.”
Ka-na-wa-ke, which is a Mohawk term translating to “at the rapids,” is also a welcoming body when it comes to novice members. “If you’ve never been in a kayak or canoe before, it doesn’t matter,” Drenckhahn explains. “Everyone looks out for everybody else. That’s where this club really shines among others. We don’t leave people behind. If they’re struggling, very new to the sport, we just help them out. We make their outing a fantastic one.”
A lack of skills, experience or even a craft are no barrier to becoming a valued member. “When new members come into the club and say they don’t have a boat, there’s so many of us who have numerous boats that we tend to share,” Drenckhahn emphasizes. “We suit them up with what they need and give them a good idea of different boat styles. We try to educate them on if you’re looking to do this or that, this is the kind of boat you should get. That way they can pick from experience. It really helps to get up-front user information.”
More club information and an application for new members are available on the group’s Web site, www.kanawakecanoe.org. “We do have a creed that’s on the Web site,” Drenckhahn says. “We believe in fostering and perpetuating canoe lore, art and appreciation and cultivating the spirit of conservation.”
Age limitless: Participation and membership in the Ka-na-wa-ke Canoe and Kayak Club have no restrictions, and all ages are welcome. Brian Hudson (above) takes his kayak for a spin while Anne LaPiccirella and Colleen Drenckhahn prepare to venture forth in a canoe.
Tips on Trips
Canoeing and kayaking are sports that are accessible to most people, easily learned and often mastered. Some Ka-na-wa-ke members do enter competitive events, but the club’s essence is as a social organization. “Basically we’re a recreational club,” Drenckhahn explains. “We accept anyone as a member as long as you have a desire to paddle safely and enjoy life. We do a lot of flat-water trips. Some members do get into the white-water trips, but it’s not as predominant anymore. Mainly it’s easygoing, novice skills for most of our trips.”
Club members gather frequently for outings to the Adirondacks, Lakeview Wildlife Management Area near Pulaski, the Tully area and occasionally the St. Lawrence River, as well as to navigate various nearby waterways, such as the Oswego and Seneca rivers. “We do evening trips, weeklong camping trips, weekend trips, all different lengths,” Drenckhahn says. “When we head up to Canada for a whale-watching trip, if you don’t want to be there for the entire week, you just go up for a couple days and then leave.” Long-distance voyages have included visits to Minnesota and Alaska.
No matter the travel destination, all members can participate. “A lot of the camping trips are very relaxing, very easygoing,” Drenckhahn asserts. “No one is really pushed past their limits. We don’t go out for these grueling trips: They’re just enjoyable outings. On camping outings you learn an immense amount of knowledge from the people there. Everyone basically contributes to the program when we’re out there camping.”
Closer to home, a favorite annual event is the club picnic hosted by longtime member Bob Gang at his Otisco Lake home. “Bob Gang’s picnic has been going on since 1964,” Drenckhahn raves. “Every year we meet down there and it’s a lot of fun. We go out and paddle on the lake. He has a lean-to down by the water where we grill up hot dogs and hamburgers. People come out and we do the overboard work.”
Gang’s role is more than that of founder and respected member. He’s a club icon, still active at age 91 and showing the benefits of the active life he’s led with a quick wit, lively sense of humor and amazing memory. “He’s one of the originals, a very interesting fellow,” says member Chuck Abbey. “He’s had quite a career. He was mainly a lawyer in the city.”
Gang is impressed with the development and energy level of Ka-na-wa-ke. “They’ve got a full schedule,” he marvels. “They’re really busy. Every weekend there’s at least one trip going somewhere. There’s a very good spirit in the club. We do our share of partying, believe me. People that do outdoor activities are more friendly than those that don’t.”
The club’s history has sparked Gang to be optimistic about its future. “The picnic has cycled with the club,” he recalls. “I’m a charter member. It started out with a young group. Then we got older and a little older. Then more young people come in and finally they take over and run it. Then your membership goes up again. So you go up and down through the years. Same with the Onondaga Ski Club. I was a charter member of that, too. Your numbers go up and down. You get a new crowd in and they take over, win the vote and we’re revived for a while.”
Boat People
After purchase of the craft, paddles, life jackets and maybe a car rack, additional expense is rarely necessary. You sure won’t go broke paying club dues. “We charge $15,” Drenckhahn says. “Each membership generally has from two to five or six people on that one membership. We include family members, whoever is living in the house with the signed member. We’re very easygoing on that. They get their newsletter with the trip schedule. I think we’re one of the least expensive recreation clubs out there.”
Those new to paddling can depend on the veterans for advice in purchasing gear. “You can go anywhere from $300 up to three grand,” Drenckhahn says. “Average cost is usually about $1,800 to $2,000. It depends on what type of paddling you’re going to be doing and what type of boat you’re looking for. We are up at Paddle Fest in Old Forge every year. We try to get people to go up there to look at the boats and try them out. We take new members under our wing and show them the type of gear that we have and recommend. Once you progress and you want to do a lot of touring where a nicer, good-quality touring boat makes the trip easier. It’s not mandatory, but it’s like the people who really get into biking and go for those ultra-light bikes; it just makes your experience that much more fun.”
As novices get their feet wet, experienced members make sure they learn to keep the fun safe. “We used to teach with the Red Cross,” Drenckhahn says. “We teach the rolls and the wet exits. With a canoe, if you tip over, they teach you how to upright the canoe. We do instruction on overboard work for canoes and kayaks. We normally do that at our annual picnic at Bob Gang’s on Otisco Lake.”
Teaching and avoiding problems on the water are always club priorities. “We are very safety conscious,” Drenckhahn points out. “We ask the members to please wear personal flotation devices {PFDs}, just for safety. On some of the outings, for some people, as long as they have the PFD in the boat, that’s acceptable. But we do push for wearing vests. If a person’s skill level is not up to where it should be to do a trip, we’re very upfront with the person. It helps newer members get weaned into the club. We want a fun, safe sport.”
Although the club name mentions specifically canoe and kayak, the onset of cold weather doesn’t send members into hibernation. “We do everything, all year-round,” Drenckhahn says. “The canoe and kayak trips usually end in October or November. Then we get into hiking. Then we start the snowshoeing and cross-country ski season. We start paddling in early April. We do biking—just everything, every type of sport we basically get into. We try to get people out and about. That’s our big goal.”
Action organized during the cold months is highlighted by trips to parks and woods near and far, including moonlight snowshoeing at Beaver Lake Nature Center. “Winter is one of the best times to be out,” Drenckhahn contends. “The winter is so beautiful. It’s nice to get people out. Cabin fever can set in pretty quick. We try and eliminate that.”
The enthusiasm is infectious for members like Abbey. “I’ve been kayaking off and on forever,” he says, while stowing his cell phone in two layers of plastic sandwich bags. “I’ve been in the club for about 1½ years. There’s some organized events going on to get you motivated to do it. Otherwise, it’s, ‘Oh, I’ll do it next weekend.’ But if you’ve got something going on with some nice people, now we’re going to do it.”
After stepping onto shore, everyone gathers around to chat. Ann LaPiccirella passes out her home-baked oatmeal-zucchini cookies, conforming to another club tradition. “Last year she made a birthday cake for me on a snowshoe trip and we had it after,” Drenckhahn says. “A lot of our members do this, bring things to eat.”
The sun pushes through the overcast, but by now everyone has loaded their crafts to prepare to leave the river’s edge. The friends and comrades then turn to another urgent matter: the best place to gather nearby to share food and conversation. It’s common for outings to conclude with fellowship over a sweet treat. “There’s always an ice cream parlor out there someplace with our name on it,” Drenckhahn confesses.
