Saturday, September 26, 2009

 

Scenic waterfall videos from MF Kings River in Kings Canyon National Park, California 30june2009.

Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole) is an awesome sight! (Inyo County, CA, USA.)

BruceH Jr reported seeing some kayakers hiking their boats over a pass at 12,000 ft elevation and coming down to access this section of MF Kings River. Observation Creek drains the west side of Observation Peak and joins the MF Kings River just a few miles south of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole) on MF Kings River is accessible via the Middle Fork Trail just downstream from the Observation Creek confluence.


Observation Creek flowing into MF Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park.


Devil's Washbowl on MF Kings River, Kings Canyon National Park.

Kings River canyon - landmarks for Whitewater Rafting, Canoeing & Kayaking.

      N 37.02092 W 118.57887 Observation Creek confluence with MF Kings River (A)
      N 37.01777 W 118.58248 Devil's Washbowl a.k.a Hell Hole (B)

Kings River map for Devil's Washbowl (a.k.a. Hell Hole).

How to use the online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-screen road maps & topographic maps - see below.
Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the Kings River.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks (A & B).


Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in our Amazing River Canyons.

Kings River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for the Kings River Valley. (1&2=paddlesports-kayaking-rafting-canoeing, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

Additional Paddlesports Information on Rivers & Creeks in California:
Kings River Wild and Scenic - California Whitewater Overview.
Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, IKing, Canoeing, Rafting & Innertubing Paddlesports - BRT Insights.
• Nearby streams: San Joaquin River, Kaweah River.
Hiking & Camping Trip Reports - BRT Insights.

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

 

After Sports Drinks Provide Carbohydrate & Protein for Recovery After Intense, Prolonged Workouts.

Extreme, all-day activities can deplete your body's reserves, so recovery drinks may be helpful to refuel your body.

Paddleboating, kayaking, rafting and many other sports provide vigorous, all-day fitness workouts. Recovery drinks may be helpful to replenish your body to be ready for another intense workout the following day.

Protein Sports Drinks - Do they help athletes - Health Psychology Vanderbilt Univ.
"The two studies that researched the effectiveness of protein after exercise found compelling evidence that protein has an effect. While protein may not help you compete longer or faster, it can help you decrease muscle damage and soreness the next day."

Carb-Protein Sports Drink Research Update - TrainingPeaks.
"Carbohydrate-protein sports drinks ... increase time to exhaustion, rehydrate athletes more effectively than carbohydrate-only sports drinks, reduce exercise-induced muscle damage, accelerate post-exercise muscle protein and glycogen synthesis and improve performance in a subsequent workout."

Protein Sports Drinks Proven To Give Best Performance - ScienceDaily.
"drinks containing a mix of carbohydrate and protein are superior to carbohydrate-only drinks in improving cyclists' recovery from exercise."

Adding Protein to Sports Drinks Fails to Boost Sports Performance - Senior Journal.
"Research also supports the practice of consuming protein after exercise to promote muscle recovery. However, the alleged benefit of consuming protein during exercise is controversial."

Powering Muscles - Carb- Protein Sports Drink Better for Recovery.
"Liquid carbohydrate and protein supplements given early during a six hour post-exercise recovery period helped subjects better maintain subsequent time trial performance and power output, compared to supplements with carbohydrate alone."

Lowfat Chocolate Milk as an After Sports Recovery Drink.

Milk - as good as sports drinks for athletes?: Consumer Reports Health Blog.
"there's been interest in the idea of using skim milk as an alternative to sports drinks. Naturally occurring sugar in milk, called lactose, gives it a similar concentration of carbohydrates to some leading sports drinks. Milk also contains electrolytes in the form of sodium and potassium."

Chocolate Milk: Better than Sports Drinks? - NutritionData.com.
"Researchers at Indiana University are saying that chocolate milk is just as good as sports drinks in aiding recovery from intense exercise."

Chocolate Milk: The New Sports Drink ? - CBS News.
"American swimmer Michael Phelps ... preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races." "chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles"

Sports Drinks , Chocolate Milk & Water - spokanefitnesscoach.com.
"chocolate milk is actually a very good beverage to drink after strength training. It has the right balance of carbs and protein to help with muscle recovery."

Post-Workout Sports Drink ? Try Cereal and Milk - medpagetoday.com.
"For refueling at home, "cereal and nonfat milk provide a less expensive whole food option as compared to sports drinks ... It also provides easily digestible and quality protein in the milk, which could promote protein synthesis and training adaptations."

Carbohydrate/Protein drinks readily available in our local grocery & drugstores.

Drinks that require refrigeration: Lowfat chocolate milk.
Drinks that don't require refrigeration: Ensure, Boost.
Powdered drink mixes: Carnation Instant Breakfast, milk powder + Nestle Nesquik.

After Sports Drinks Refuel Your Body After a Tough All-Day Workout!!

A full day of high-intensity class IV or class V kayaking, rafting, etc. will push your body to the limit! After Sports Drinks contain a higher level of carbohydrate to replenish your glycogen stores and some protein to rebuild your muscles. Intermediate and elite athletes may benefit from these rapidly-digested drinks to enable vigorous, prolonged workouts on consecutive days. If your body seriously needs refueling to be ready for another tough whitewater boating trip tomorrow you may want to start immediate refueling with a recovery drink at take-out before loading up your boats and driving to camp or to a restaurant for dinner.

Weekend warriors and occasional athletes may not have sufficient fitness to do a workout long enough or vigorous enough to require this kind of body replenishment. Although they can get sore and tired after doing more than they are accustomed to, unfit people who try using recovery drinks may only get fatter. For occasional athletes it may be best to focus on rehydration, stretching exercises, and a good, normal diet for recovery after workouts.

What recovery drinks do you use immediately after paddleboating and other extreme sports or work activities?

Please add a comment here to let me know if you use a recovery drink after prolonged workouts. What is your favorite brand and favorite flavor of recovery drink?

More about:
Low-Fat Chocolate Milk as a Post-Workout Recovery Drink 17april2012.
Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
Food & Drink for Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

 

Hydration Fruit-Ade - homemade sports drink recipe made from natural fruit juice.

Prevent dehydration with DIY isotonic sports drinks made from fruit juice. Great for kayakers, IKers, rafters, canoers, innertubers & all athletes who are active for many hours per day.

(Updated 19oct2009.) You can make a really high quality, natural sports drink by diluting your favorite fruit/vegetable juice to provide exactly the right sugar concentration and then adding a little salt. This recipe provides the antioxidants, vitamins and nutrition of the natural juices in a rapidly absorbed formulation that also replenishes the salts that you lose in your sweat. See the Pomegranate & cherry sports drinks, Hydration Fruit-Ade Oct. 2009 Update, Apple Juice plus Vinegar Hydration Sports Drink and Natural Organic Sports Drinks for results on testing cherry juice and many other fruit juices in this recipe.


My DIY recipe for "Hydration Fruit-Ade" uses water and salt in amounts recommended by Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. The natural sugars in the commercial fruit juices or vegetable/fruit juice blends can be diluted precisely to the sugar levels recommended by Nancy using the nutritional information on the label. If the recipe below is too dull for your tastes do NOT add sugar or extra juice because that would slow down the absorption of the liquid into your body and totally defeat the purpose of the sports drink. If necessary, you can get some additional sweetness and flavor enhancement by adding Stevia, a natural liquid concentrate (available at health food stores and online). Some fruit juices might make a better tasting sports drink with addition of a little lemon or lime juice; these don't contain any sugar so they can be added without disrupting the recipe.
Morton Lite Salt includes both potassium and sodium, the two major electrolyte salts that need to be replaced during prolonged, intense athletic activities. The salt stimulates your thirst mechanism, prevents the drink from quenching your thirst and helps encourage you to keep drinking more liquid throughout your day of sports activities. You should measure the salt carefully. If you add a little too much salt, then the liquid quickly becomes intolerable to drink. If the amount of salt in the recipe is too much for your tastes, then add less salt to the next batch of Hydration Fruit-Ade that you make. You want some salt in the recipe, but it is definitely most important to end up with a formula that tastes good enough to drink happily throughout your day of activities.

To achieve the paddleboating sports performance that your fitness level should provide you must maintain good hydration throughout your day of whitewater river boating !!!

Hydration Fruit-Ade recipes for 2 quarts (64 oz).

Fruit juices vary widely in the amounts of sugar that they contain. Read the Nutrition Facts on the label of your juice to learn how much sugar it contains per 8 oz serving. Then use the table below to dilute your choice of fruit juice to the exact sugar level that is needed in a sports drink. Add stevia or other sugar-free sweeteners or flavor enhancers if needed.
sugar per 8 oz serving
amount juice
amount water
amount salt
8g
64 oz
0 oz
1/4 tsp
12g
43 oz
21 oz
1/4 tsp
16g
32 oz
32 oz
1/4 tsp
24g
21 oz
43 oz
1/4 tsp
32g
16 oz
48 oz
1/4 tsp
40g
13 oz
51 oz
1/4 tsp
48g
11 oz
53 oz
1/4 tsp

• See also: PowerT Hydration Juice - adding tea to the Fruit-Ade recipe makes a great energy drink!!

Hydration Lemon-Ade & Hydration Lime-Ade recipes for 2 quarts or 1 gallon.

Bottled lemon and lime juices are readily available in our grocery stores. These contain little or no sugar, so sugar must be added to make the hydration drink.
2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice.
1 Gallon: 4 quarts water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1 cup lemon or lime juice.
Home version: no salt & no sugar added, just sweeten to taste with stevia.

Hydration Fruit-Ade - Home Version.

Whenever I'm not intensely exercising I don't need a drink with the electrolytes from the salt. I use this "home version" for hydration when driving home from whitewater paddleboating trips, and when I am inactive at home and at work. Many brands of fruit juices diluted in the Fruit-Ade recipe provide a light and refreshing drink that I like even better than the juice concentration provided by the manufacturer.
2 Quarts: Use the Hydration Fruit-Ade recipe above, but delete the salt.

What hydration drinks do you use during paddleboating and other intense sports or work activities?

Please add a comment here to let me know if you try Hydration Fruit-Ade. What commercial fruit juices do you like to make the best DIY sports drinks? Let me know if you have a modified recipe or a different recipe that you like better than the Hydration Fruit-Ade natural sports drinks described above.

My favorite recipes: cherry pomegranate juice sports drink, grape juice sports drink, watermelon-lime juice sports drink, apple juice sports drink.

More about:
Pomegranate, blueberry, cherry & grape sports drinks decrease muscle soreness in athletes 17july2010.
Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights.
Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters - BRT Insights.
Food & Drink for Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.
Hydration Cool-Ade - inexpensive homemade sports drink for paddleboaters and other athletes.
Sports Drinks - Health & Safety - Washington State Government.
Making Homemade Gatorade : Cheap Eats.
How to Make a Homemade Sports Drink - The Art of Living Healthy 14july2009.
Organic Sports Drink Recipe - Kitchen Table Medicine 23june2008.

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Monday, September 21, 2009

 

C to G Run, SF American River, California whitewater kayaking class II+, 19sept2009.

Incredible kayaking & photography on a great sunny & cloudy day!!

BruceH, Hubert, Thaddeus & I drove up to Coloma to put-in on SF American River Coloma to Greenwood Run (map & guide) at a really nice flow of 1650 cfs (El Dorado County, California, USA). Nice clear air and interesting clouds made it a triple-bonus day for photography!! And yes, we did a little kayaking too!! There were many kayakers and IKers on the river, but not too many rafters or innertubers.


Old Scarey Rapid. (Click on photo to see full panorama, use back button to return.)

It was a great day for old friends and new friends. Its always great to go kayaking with Hubert & driver. Our new kayaking friend got punked time after time throughout the day. Taking everything said "with a grain of salt" is not good enough; dude you need the whole salt shaker!! We picked up some misplaced gear from BobbieH on the way to put-in. We unexpectedly met my old friend RichS from planetmango on the river and had lunch together at Henningson Park. And its always great to meet a new friend on the river who had some good feedback from reading this blog. And after blogging recently about hydration it was incredible karma to be offered some lemonade by our new friends from Feather River canyon & from Chico who we met at Greenwood Creek take-out.


Surfing upstream from Henningson Park.


Best little surfing wave on SF American River! Do you know where it is?

I got to rescue one swimmer at Barking Dog Rapid. My leading line to the eddy on river-left was just a little too far towards the center, but following me even more towards the center put you into the "hammer zone!!" You get full credit for 3 really good eskimo roll attempts. Sorry I bumped you on that second roll which otherwise might have worked. Nevertheless, you owe me a beer (or a hydration sports drink) for a quick & secure rescue! And special thanks to the other boater who helped out by pushing your kayak while I towed you & your paddle to shore.


Thaddeus kayaking Swimmer's Rapid on SF American River. Video by BruceH.

Preventing dehydration for better athletic performance.

I had no caffeine "dehydration drinks" that morning. I drank 1 quart of hydration fluid while driving to the river, finished 2 more quarts on the river, one lemonade at take-out, another quart while driving home and a big glass of water at the restaurant. This provided a really great improvement in my hydration throughout the day. Even so, I wasn't fully hydrated, since I didn't need to pee at lunchtime. It was still an incredible improvement in hydration compared to my previous whitewater kayaking trip. Maintaining better hydration allowed me to kayak a little longer and harder without being quite so sore and tired at the end of the day (and the morning after).

We stopped at Mongolian Barbecue in Cameron Park for dinner. Its always great fun picking out veggies, meat & seasoning to make my own custom recipe. After eating there many times I've got the seasonings figured out, so I was able to make a super hot mixture that was just right for me. There was a blazing sun in our eyes for the whole drive home. Maybe we should have gone next door, had a leisurely ice cream for dessert and then driven home in the twilight!!

• photos by BRT using the Stylus 720sw waterproof camera: SF American River kayaking pictures.
• videos by BruceH using the Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera: BRT playboating, Thaddeus kayaking Swimmer's Rapid, BRT kayaking Swimmer's Rapid.

Boaters please click on the Comment link below & contribute your experiences & insights from the whitewater river trip. Tell as much or as little as you like about your day on the river.

More about:
Trip Reports - Kayaking on California's Whitewater Rivers.
Whitewater River Guides for California kayaking, rafting & paddle boating.

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Friday, September 18, 2009

 

Hydration Cool-Ade - homemade sports drink for paddleboaters and other athletes.

Preventing dehydration in kayakers, IKers, canoers, rafters, innertubers & all workers or athletes who are active for many hours per day.

Sports drinks provide water, sugar, salt & flavor. You can buy these at the store for approximately $6 per gallon, but you can make your own sports drink at home for less than $1 per gallon. Packets of good, old-fashioned, unsweetened Kool-Aid® provide a very inexpensive starting material. The artificial colors and artificial flavors in Kool-Aid provide pretty much the same stuff that you get in fancy, expensive bottled sports drinks, so its not logical to like one and not the other. The traditional Kool-Aid flavors typically available in my local grocery stores are OK, but a wider range of more interesting Kool-Aid flavors are available online. (Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Pineapple, Watermelon Kiwi, Mango, Mandarin Tangerine, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi.)

My recipe for "Hydration Cool-Ade" uses water, sugar and salt in amounts recommended by Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Use of unsweetened Kool-Aid® for the flavor was recommended in articles at helium.com and instructables.com (see below). This results in a sports drink recipe that is quick, easy and inexpensive to make from readily available ingredients.

The instructions on the Kool-Aid® package make an excessively sweet drink. The advantage of buying the unsweetened version is that we can add just the right amount of sugar that we need to make a high-quality, inexpensive sports drink. If the recipe below is too flat for your tastes do NOT add extra sugar because that will slow down the absorption of the liquid into your body and defeat the main purpose of the sports drink. You can get more sweetness and flavor enhancement by adding Stevia liquid concentrate (available online and at health food stores) or any artificial sweetener that you like. Some Kool-Aid flavors might benefit from addition of some lemon or lime juice for additional flavor. We could also try adding fruit flavor extracts from the baking section of our local grocery store (orange extract, cherry extract, etc.).

Morton Lite Salt provides both sodium and potassium, the two main electrolyte salts that you need to replenish during long, intense sports or work activities. The salt also helps to stimulate your thirst mechanism, prevents the drink from quenching your thirst and helps encourage you to keep drinking more liquid throughout your day of activities. It is very important to measure the salt very carefully because if you add just a little too much salt the liquid quickly becomes unbearable to drink. If the measured amount of salt is too much for you, then add a little less salt to the next batch of Hydration Cool-Ade that you make. You do want some salt in the drink, but it is most important to end up with a drink that is enjoyable enough to consume in large quantities throughout your day of activities.

Hydration Cool-Ade recipes for 2 quarts or 1 gallon.

2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid.
1 Gallon: 4 quarts water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 2 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid.

Hydration Cool-Ade made in bulk.

a) 2 1/2 cups sugar, 2 1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt, 10 pkgs Kool-Aid - Store in a cannister or resealable plastic bag. Makes 5 gallons.
b) Mix well to evenly distribute powder mixture, carefully measure out exactly 1/2 cup powder, add to 1 gallon water.

Hydration Cool-Ade - Home Version.

Whenever I'm not actively exercising I don't need a drink with the calories from the sugar or the electrolytes from the salt. I can sometimes trick myself or force myself to drink plain, old, boring water, but I definitely get more fluids into me throughout the day if my drinks contain a little flavor and some sweetness!!
2 Quarts: 2 quarts water, 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid, sweeten to taste with Stevia liquid concentrate.

What hydration fluids do you like to drink during paddle boating and other intense outdoor sports activities?

Please post a comment here to let me know if you try Hydration Cool-Ade. Let me know if you have a different recipe or a modified recipe that you like better than the Hydration Cool-Ade sports drinks described here.

More about:
Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights.
Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters - BRT Insights.
Food & Drink for Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.
How to make a homemade sports drink - Helium.
Make Your Own Sports Drink - instructables.com.
Make Your Own Sports Drink on the Cheap - Lifehacker.
How to Make Your Own Sports Drink - mainstreet.com.

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Monday, September 14, 2009

 

Sports Drinks for Hydration of Kayakers, IKers, Rafters, Canoers, Innertubers & Paddleboaters.

Good hydration from isotonic sports drinks maintains your strength and endurance during a long day of paddle boating on the river.

Sports drinks are definitely better than plain water for fluid replacement and keeping you hydrated while boating. Maintaining optimum hydration helps maintain your muscle function and sports performance during a long, hard day trip paddling down the river. Here is some more information that I found online.

Sports Drinks : Health Topics: University of Iowa Health Care.
"Sports drinks are very effective in reducing dehydration. Drink them during or after hard work or long exercise sessions, not before. Sports drinks rehydrate the body faster and more thoroughly than water alone. Thirst is prolonged by the minerals in sports drinks. This keeps people drinking until fully rehydrated."

Staying Hydrated? No Sweat! - Cleveland Clinic.
"For events lasting longer than an hour, Mrs. Bock recommends sports drinks containing carbohydrates (not greater than 8 percent) and electrolytes. Sports drinks taste good, are absorbed quickly, provide fuel (replenishing glycogen), restore electrolytes (potassium and sodium) and help decrease fatigue. ... Steer clear of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soda, says Mrs. Bock. Caffeine acts as a diuretic and can (in)crease urine output and lead to dehydration."

Sports drink mantra dilutes the facts - Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"there are two quite separate mechanisms for absorbing water from your gut into your blood stream: an active mechanism, as well as a passive mechanism. The active pathway can shift 10 to 100 times more water than the passive one. It needs both glucose and sodium to work, and it uses these chemicals to drag water out of the gut into your body."

Q&A Marathon Hydration and Nutrition - USA Triathlon.
"Look for a sports drink/beverage with electrolytes and carbohydrate to help replace the electrolytes you lose in sweat, promote rapid absorption, and supply energy especially during long distance events."

Hydrate and make sure you achieve peak sporting performance - Stand Up Paddle Surfing Magazine.
"Plain water is not particularly well absorbed from the intestines across into the body. Putting electrolytes into the fluid helps the water get dragged across the intestinal wall into the body. Putting carbohydrate into drinks can also help fluid move from the intestines into the body, but on the flip side, it slows the rate at which fluid leaves the stomach and enters the intestines."

Lab Notes : Sports Drinks : No Swallowing Necessary - Newsweek Magazine blog.
"carbohydrates in the drinks fit into receptors in the mouth that in turn activate the brain’s pleasure and reward centers, spurring athletes to push themselves harder without realizing how hard they're working."

Which Fluid Hydrates Best: Water or a Sports Drink ? | Active.com.
"Why do sports drinks hydrate better than water? There are three reasons. First, fluids are absorbed through the gut and into the bloodstream faster when their osmolality closely matches that of body fluids such as blood. Osmolality is the concentration of dissolved particles in a fluid. Sports drinks contain dissolved minerals (sodium, etc.) and carbohydrates, whereas water doesn't, so water doesn't reach the bloodstream as quickly. (Second,) Sodium and other nutrients also play important roles in regulating fluid balance in the body. In other words, they help determine how much fluid enters into muscle fibers and other cells, how much remains in the blood, and so forth. Again, because sports drinks contain these nutrients, they do a better job of allowing the body to maintain optimal fluid balance, which is an important aspect of hydration that few athletes consider. A third advantage of sports drinks over water with respect to hydration is that the sodium content of sports drinks stimulates thirst, so athletes usually drink more when they have a sports drink than when they have plain water."

Sports Drinks - BrianMAC Sports Coach.
"Two main factors affect the speed at which fluid from a drink gets into the body: the speed at which it is emptied from the stomach and the rate at which it is absorbed through the walls of the small intestin. The higher the carbohydrate levels in a drink the slower the rate of stomach emptying. Isotonic drinks with a carbohydrate level of between 6 and 8% are emptied from the stomach at a rate similar to water. Electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, in a drink will reduce urine output, enable the fluid to empty quickly from the stomach, promote absorption from the intestine and encourage fluid retention."

Sports drinks : vital for hydration or a waste of money? | Life and style - Guardian News.
"... for exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, an isotonic sports drink is recommended," says Wendy Martinson, registered dietician and sports nutritionist." "An isotonic drink ... contains a 6-8% carbohydrate solution, which is absorbed into the body more rapidly than water, as well as providing energy. A sports drink should also contain approximately 50mg of sodium per 100ml, along with smaller amounts of the other electrolytes, such as potassium and chloride, which are lost in sweat. Morgan highlights another important consideration: palatability. 'Studies show clearly that if you don't like the taste of a sports drink, you won't consume enough of it.' "

Sports Drinks | Science & Technology | Chemical & Engineering News.
"... as performance enhancers these drinks really help athletes and people who are out there for an hour or more."

Hydration Tips: Guide To Sports Drinks - Men's Health magazine.
Discusses when to drink or to avoid water, sports drinks, endurance sports drinks, enhanced waters, energy drinks, recovery drinks, juice & soft drinks, oxygenated water.

Sports Medicine Advisor - Fluids and Hydration - Univ Michigan Health System.
"Researchers have found that the fluid from an 8-ounce serving of a sports drink with 6% carbohydrates (sugars) and about 110 mg of sodium absorbs into your body faster than plain water."

Athletes & Hydration: Good Hydration Gives You A Performance Edge - The Diet Channel.
"Caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics, which cause the body to lose excess water and thus putting you at-risk for dehydration."

Sports Drinks: Are they effective in improving Athletic Performance? - Health Psychology Vanderbilt Univ.
"... research has shown that for endurance events and athletic competitions Gatorade and other sports drinks are very effective in preventing dehydration and, unlike water, can provide carbohydrate energy to working muscles, stimulate rapid rehydration and can actually encourage you to drink enough fluid to avoid dehydration ..."

Paddleboaters need hydration, carbohydrates and electrolytes to maintain paddling power, performance and endurance during a daytrip on the river.

The USA Triathalon team and many other sources recommend that people who are active for many hours need to replenish fluids, sugar and electrolytes frequently to maintain strength and endurance. I have no illusion of beng fit enough to compete in a triathalon, but at the end of a long, hard day of kayaking I have used up most of what my muscle fitness can produce and I am almost as exhausted as a triathlete at the finish line. If there is something I can eat or drink to allow me to run more whitewater rapids, surf more waves, catch more eddies, etc. then I want to know all about it!!

Of course you can drink plain water while paddleboating down the river if you want. Of course, to maintain your best paddling strength and endurance throughout a long, hard day of paddling you will need to replenish the carbohydrates that fuel your muscles and replace the electrolytes lost in your sweat. If you stop very frequently to take a small bite of food and get a drink of plain water you could maintain good hydration and nutrition during a river boating trip. Hey, lets get real here! I don't remember anybody I've ever paddled with who stops more than once per hour to drink and eat during a river trip. Most of us don't want to be bothered breaking the seal on a granola bar, eating one bite, then carefully stowing it away where it won't get wet so we can take another bite after a half-hour or so. And who can remember to eat & drink that often when its almost your turn on the surfing wave and there is always another big rapid or surfing wave just a little ways downstream.

Sports drinks are a marvel of modern sports science!! A carefully calculated low level of sugar provides some rapid-burning fuel for your muscles that passes quickly from stomach to intestines and into your body for transport to your muscles. The flavor and sugar makes the drink taste good, or at least a little better than plain, old boring water so you are likely to drink more of it. The low level of electrolytes is cleverly designed to replace the salts you lose in your sweat and to further stimulate your thirst mechanism. Yes, its true that sports drinks are absolutely designed to avoid quenching your thirst! This helps to keep you drinking more liquid, more often to keep up with what your body needs to maintain your hydration, strength and endurance on a long paddleboating daytrip.

Drinks containing caffeine or alcohol stimulate our kidneys to pass more liquid out of our bodies. Once you understand that these are "dehydration fluids," you can plan better how these drinks fit into your daily fluid intake, if at all. It is tempting to use caffeinated drinks for a morning pick-me-up or to help improve our sports performance. If you do, then it is doubly extra critical to maintain extra high fluid intake throughout your day of paddleboating on the river to avoid losing sports performance due to dehydration of your muscles.

And I believe that we should all prehydrate by starting to drink our sports drinks while driving to the river, running shuttle, etc. Some of us will start the day already dehydrated from our previous day of activities and low fluid intake. Some of us will be dehydrated from our normal morning routine of dehydration drinks like coffee, tea or energy drinks. So if you care about maintaining optimum hydration throughout an all-day river trip, then it seems clear that you should begin your prehydration routine long before you launch your boat on the river. Lets finish that first bottle of sports drink before launching our boats!!

And when we get to take-out many of us like to share a beer with the great friends we have been boating with all day. If you are very dehydrated as you arrive at takeout, then immediately having a dehydration fluid like beer may not be so smart. Maybe you should first drink one more quart of hydration fluid and delay that beer until your group shuttles back to put-in or stops for dinner on the way home.

Home-made sports drink recipes help to prevent dehydration during & after extreme workouts!

Hydration Fruit-Ade homemade sports drink made from natural fruit juice - BRT Insights.
Hydration Cool-Ade Homemade Sports Drink - BRT Insights.
After Sports Drinks Provide Carbohydrate & Protein - BRT Insights.

More about:
Go Green with Homemade Sports Drinks - The Succulent Wife's Favorite Things 02nov2009.
Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance - BRT Insights 09sept2009.
Food & Drink for Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

 

Tule River Paddleboating - California Whitewater Overview.

Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports Guide - Tulare County, California, USA.

This brushy little river may not be so great for boating during drought years. Best boating opportunities may occur shortly after a big storm has cleared some of the brush out of the river channel.

Tule River canyon - locations for Whitewater Rafting, Canoeing & Kayaking put-in.

A. Tule River Picnic Area to Springville (class III+p, 5 miles)
      N 36.14869 W 118.75053 - Picnic Area put-in (A) See map below.
      N 36.13011 W 118.81577 - Springville take-out.

B. Tule River Springville to Globe Dr Bridge (class ??, ~4 miles)
      N 36.13011 W 118.81577 - Springville put-in (B) See map below.
      N 36.09489 W 118.83671 - Globe Dr Bridge take-out.

Tule River map for paddle boating.

Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-screen road maps & topographic maps - see below.
Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the Tule River.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers to see the names of landmarks displayed above (A, B, etc.).


Tule River Guides, Maps & River Flow Data for Whitewater Boating.

California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• River flow data & online guides: Tule River Paddlesports Directory. Sort alphabetically, see boating guides & flows in Section 1.

Tule River valley paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

Please send your trip reports from Tule River white water boating trips. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.
Tule River - Google Images.
YouTube - Tule River.

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in our Amazing River Canyons.

Tule River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for the Tule River Valley. (Display options alphabetical 100. Section 1&2=paddlesports-kayaking-rafting-canoeing, 3=conservation-environment, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-websites)

Additional Paddlesports Information on Rivers & Creeks in California:
• Nearby streams: Kaweah River, Kern River, San
Joaquin River Valley Region
.
Whitewater River Guides for California Kayaking, Canoeing & Rafting Paddlesports - BRT Insights.
How to use whitewater river paddleboating guides - BRT Kayaking.

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Wednesday, September 09, 2009

 

Paddle boaters need good hydration for optimum paddling performance.

Kayakers, IKers, rafters, canoers and innertubers need to hydrate to maintain power and endurance while boating.

After realizing that I am letting myself get very dehydrated on river trips I did some research and here is the best of what I found online.

Hydration = Balance - Ke Nalu Stand Up Paddle Surfing e-magazine 11may2009.
"Dehydration slows muscle response and detunes the fine muscle control that is critical to maintaining balance. There are other reasons too – physical performance, both intensity and endurance, falls quickly as athletes become dehydrated. In the longer term, operating in a dehydrated state is bad for your immune system, hard on your kidneys, and bad for your heart and lungs."

Why Don't Athletes Drink Enough During Exercise - Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
"Most athletes lose substantially more body fluids through sweat than they replace by drinking during exercise. This so-called 'voluntary dehydration' can have serious implications for health and performance."

RoguePaddler - Paddle Comfortably: 9 Tips for Paddling Comfort.
"Prehydration means taking a drink before you actually feel thirsty. If you wait until you feel thirsty to drink, you're already letting yourself begin to feel dehydrated: Thirst is the first symptom. If you want to get the best out of your muscles, with less soreness and fatigue, it's important to prehydrate. That means taking regular sips of water throughout the day—usually, every ten to fifteen minutes. In fact, exercise scientists generally recommend that you drink 8 fluid ounces (one cup) of water for every 20 minutes of exercise."

Drinking during exercise - Sports Hydration - Powerade.
"Dehydration results in increased body temperature, increased heart rate, increased ratings of effort, reduced physical performance, and reduced mental performance. Hence, drinking during exercise can help minimise detrimental effects, especially during more prolonged and/or higher intensities of exercise."

Sports nutrition for young adults: hydration - Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
"The body can lose up to half a gallon of water a day through normal perspiration, respiration, and excretion processes. During prolonged physical activity, water losses increase due to increased breathing and sweating. In fact, during heavy exercise, an athlete can lose between 2 and 4 quarts of sweat (6 to 8 pounds of body weight) in just one hour! The body's digestive system can only absorb about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so an athlete must consume fluids before, during, and after exercise to replace fluid losses and minimize dehydration."

Sports Medicine Advisor 2009.1: Fluids and Hydration.
"Fluid replacement is probably the most important nutritional concern for athletes. ... When you are dehydrated ... your exercising muscles do not receive enough oxygen from your blood. Soon exhaustion sets in and your athletic performance suffers. ... The best way to prevent dehydration is to maintain body fluid levels by drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout ..."

Keeping Well Hydrated During Football - Virginia Tech Sports Medicine.
"Probably the single most important action that athletes can take is to be proactive about hydration. Just as not training prevents an athlete from improving, dehydration can actually hinder athletic performance. The body starts recognizing thirst when the athlete is 2% dehydrated; athlete's performance begins to decrease dramatically with as little as 1% dehydration."

TopKayaker.Net: Kayaker's Guide to Understanding Hydration.
"Salty snacks + hydration fluids = good stamina / clear thinking / A great time on the water"

HydraCoach - Education, A Few Facts About Hydration.
"The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends drinking about 17 ounces of liquid 2 hours before exercise and drinking early and at regular intervals during exercise (5-8 oz every 15-20 minutes)."

Hydration Calculator for improved sports performance - HydraCoach.
The Hydration Calculator makes custom hydration suggestions based on your weight, activity level and exercise intensity. Try it out! Are you drinking anywhere near the recommended amount of liquid per hour on whitewater boating trips?

Improving my hydration during whitewater paddleboating trips.

How can you determine when you are dehydrated? Weighing yourself before, during & after exercise works at home, but not on the river. Noticing the color of your pee is useful, but may not work so well when peeing on sand or gravel in a river canyon. One thing for sure is that if you don't need to pee multiple times during an all-day boating trip you are almost certainly dehydrated. If you don't need to pee even once during an all-day trip, then you are very severely dehydrated! Now that you know that all of you are dehydrated while boating and that your muscle performance is reduced as a result lets take some action to improve our hydration so we all can have more fun and better muscle performance on river boating trips!!

I've definitely got to work on increasing my fluid intake before, during and after boating. I need to be more consistent about bringing something to drink while driving to the river. I've been bringing two bottles of liquid in my kayak on all trips lately, but I rarely finish them while boating. I need to finish the first bottle at lunch if not before and be sure to finish the second bottle at takeout if not before. Whenever I see another boater drinking that is a good time for me to drink also, because I'm probably dehydrated even though I never feel thirsty while boating. Getting into the habit of taking a quick small drink while waiting in line at a surfing spot also seems like a good idea. I'll start packing an extra bottle of rehydration liquid and a small cooler to have waiting at take-out for the ride home.

Dehydration of your body can carry over from one day to the next. As your activities are finishing up at the end of the day it is important that the color of your pee should be clear. You want to ensure that you have fully rehydrated to replace the fluids lost in that day's activities. If you didn't fully rehydrate after your activities of the previous day, then you will be starting the next day in a dehydrated state. Since your body can absorb only one quart of fluid per hour (see above) you can't suddenly drink massive amounts of fluid to ensure that you start today's activities in a fully hydrated state. So remember to start drinking more yesterday if you want to make sure that you are fully hydrated today for maximum muscle performance.

More about: Food & Drink for Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.

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Monday, September 07, 2009

 

C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 06sept2009.

What could be better than kayaking with friends on a nice sunny day!!

BruceH, Hubert & I drove up to Coloma and unexpectedly met up with my old friend BobbieH and her friends Ed and Brigett. We put-in on Coloma to Greenwood Run SF American River (map & guide) at a really nice flow of 1600cfs (El Dorado County, California, USA).


There were lots of kayakers, IKers, rafters and innnertubers on the river, but crowds seemed no greater than normal even though this was a 3-day holiday weekend. Since this was only my second river trip of the year I took it very easy and had a nice mellow day. I did a little surfing in the rapids upstream from Gremlin wave-hole and got a couple of good rides at Gremlin. My kayak paddling instincts were still plenty fine for class II whitewater, but my stamina was down because all of my paddleboating muscles were totally out-of-shape.

We had lunch on our favorite island downstream from Henningson Park and reapplied sunscreen. Then we got in a little surfing on the great little wave upstream from Camp Lotus. I just don't understand why there are not lines of boaters waiting to learn to surf on this great little wave, but I don't mind too much when it is free for me to just jump on it and surf as long as I like.

We blasted through Barking Dog Rapid with no plan to stop and play there. The funny water downstream from Barking Dog messed around with me a little. I got through it without major embarassment, but it was another little reminder of how out-of-shape and out-of-practice I am. By then the flow was starting to drop. We did just a little more surfing and eddying as we cruised down the river through Current Divider, Highway and Swimmer's Rapid. And I got to rescue one swimmer (you owe me a beer!!).

Totalling up my fluid intake during a day of boating (~1 pint) I realized that I must have been pretty severely dehydrated in the latter part of the day. In the thrill of the moment I never feel thirsty while kayaking. Muscle performance suffers when the body is dehydrated, so I definitely need to pay more attention to maintaining good hydration while kayaking. I want to ensure that I can get the full benefit of whatever level of kayaking performance that my fitness will permit.

Ed & Brigett's 55 Ton truck did a great job of shuttling all of us and all of our gear back to Coloma. Our former favorite restaurant in Cameron Park has declined greatly under new ownership, so we got dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory in Rancho Cordova on the way home.

Photos & videos by BruceH using the Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera:
BruceH's SF American River kayaking pictures.
BRT kayak surfing upstream from Camp Lotus - video by BruceH.
BobbieH kayaking Swimmer's Rapid - video by BruceH.



• (Please click on the Comment link below and add your comments, insights, and experiences from the kayaking trip. Write as much or as little as you like to tell the story of your day on the river.)

More about:
Trip Reports - Kayaking Whitewater Rivers in California.
California Whitewater River Guides for kayakers and other paddle-boaters.

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Tuesday, September 01, 2009

 

Coastal Rivers of Central & Southern California - Paddle Boating Overview.

Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing & River-tubing Guide - California, USA.

Paddle boating on calm water is available in the estuaries and near upstream sections. Tidal influences can extend far inland, so many miles of calm water paddling on river estuaries can be done throughout the year. Rivers and larger creeks provide some outstanding whitewater paddleboating during the rainy seasons of winter & spring.

Jump to: SF Bay Area, Pescadero Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Pajaro River, Salinas River, Carmel River, Big Sur River, Sisquoc River, Santa Ynez River, Santa Clara River, San Gabriel River.

Central & South Coast CA Rivers & Creeks, Listed north to south:


A - E. SF Bay Area Overview
      Petaluma River (A), (class I, 14 miles)
      Napa River (B), (class II very brushy, 18 miles) (class I, 10.5 miles)
      Alameda Creek (C), (class IIIp, 5 miles)
      Coyote Creek (D), (class III, 12 miles)(class I, ~6 miles)
      Guadalupe River (E). (class II, 12 miles)

F. Pescadero Creek (F). (Class II, 6 miles) (See river map below.)
      N 37.25127 W 122.21784 - Portola Redwoods State Park put-in.
      N 37.27030 W 122.27260 - Pescadero Creek County Park
      (Class ??, ~12 miles)
      N 37.27159 W 122.30684 - Wurr Rd Bridge
      N 37.25448 W 122.37285 - Pescadero Ck Rd Bridge
      N 37.26644 W 122.41100 - Hwy 1 Bridge, Pescadero State Beach
      Pescadero Creek Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
      Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Pescadero Creek pg. 328-329)

G. San Lorenzo River (G). (class II, 9 miles)(class III-IV, 6 miles.)

H. Soquel Creek (H). (Class II, 7 miles) (See river map below.)
      N 37.06935 W 121.92528 - put-in.
      N 36.97179 W 121.95298 - take-out.
      Soquel Creek Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
      Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Soquel Creek pg. 332-333)

I. Pajaro River (I). (Class I+, 15 miles) (See river map below.)
      N 36.94783 W 121.51205 - put-in.
      N 36.90543 W 121.67685 - take-out.
      Pajaro River Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.
      West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (Pajaro River pg. 206 & 211)

J - M. Salinas River (J), (class I/IIp, 9.5 miles)(class I, 49 miles)
      Nacimiento River (K), (class I-IIIp, 15 miles)(class I+p, 10.4 miles)
      San Antonio River (L), (class II+, 10.7 miles)(class Ip, 8.5 miles)
      Arroyo Seco River (M). (class III, 5 miles)(class III, 9.5 miles)

N. Carmel River (N). (class IIIp, 10 miles)(class I-II, 13.5 miles)

O. Big Sur River Wild & Scenic (O). (class II+, 7.5 miles)

P - S. Sisquoc River Wild & Scenic (P), (class IV, 27.5 miles)(class II-III, 19 miles)(class ???, 9 miles)
      Manzana Creek (Q), (class II-III, 9 miles)
      Cuyama River (R), (class III-IV, 15 Miles)
      Santa Maria River (S). (class ??, ~12 miles)

T. Santa Ynez River. (T)

U - W. Santa Clara River (U), (class II-IIIp, 24 miles)
      Piru Creek Wild & Scenic (V), (class I-IV-, 15 miles)(class IV-V, 9 miles)(class III+, 4 miles)(class IV, 18.5 miles)(class II-III, 4 miles)
      Sespe Creek Wild & Scenic (W). (class III+, 6.2 mi.)(class Vp, 32 miles)(class ??, ~5 miles)
      Elizabeth Lake Canyon Creek, class III-IV, 4.5 Miles.

X. San Gabriel River.

Y. Santa Margarita River.

Central & Southern Coast California river map for paddleboaters.

Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
Full-Screen River Map - landmarks on the north coast California rivers & creeks.
• To see the names of landmarks (A, B, etc.) - DoubleClick or point on the red markers.


Central & South Coast California Guides for Paddle Boating.

Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Guadalupe River, Pescadero Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Salinas River, Carmel River.)
Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (San Lorenzo River, Piru Creek, Sespe Creek.)
West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, San Lorenzo River, Pajaro River, Salinas River, Nacimiento River, San Antonio River, Arroyo Seco River, Carmel River, Big Sur River.)
California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• Online guides for paddleboating: California Rivers Canoeing & Kayaking Directory.

Central & South Coast California paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

Please send your trip reports from kayaking trips on coastal creeks & rivers. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.
Kayaking in Pescadero Marsh photos - crimdom 09feb2009

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in California River Canyons.

California River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for California river canyons. (Click on the desired river, display options alphabetical 100. Section 1=kayaking, 2=rafting, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
California Whitewater River Guides for Kayaking, River-tubing, Canoeing & Rafting.
• Some California rivers & creeks have been protected in the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program and/or the California State Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.
How to use whitewater river rafting and kayaking guides - BRT Insights.

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