My name is David, I am a 21 year old college student living in Bellevue, and I'm a beginning Kayaker

I've done wilderness canoe trips almost every summer since the age of 14 at a camp called Keewaydin in Ontario, Canada (http://temagami.keewaydin.org/). My last year as a camper was in 2006 with a 50 day trip through Quebec to an Inuit settlement called kuujjuarapik on Hudson Bay (Talk about whitewater!!). I've worked there for the last two summers, this last one guiding 5 day and 10 day trips with ages 10-13.
I've done whitewater in wood canvas canoes before but never in a kayak.
While working there in the summer of 2008 I was introduced to play boat kayaks and was immediately hooked. I'm 6'4'' and though I didn't fit into the kayaks that were brought up to the camp very well I had tons of fun and practiced rolling on the water whenever I had the chance between our canoe trips.

This year I got back and finally decided that I had to get my hands on one. I bought a wavesport EZG 50 on craigslist for a good price. It's a little cramped, but I'm used to that, and I took it out on Lake Washington yesterday (during the rain of course) to make sure that I still had my roll down (atleast on one side)

I'm a college student so money is scarce, so I've been scraping and scrounging for whatever gear I think I'll need. This is what I have:
- Kayak (good condition)
- Skirt (holes covered by duct tape)
- Paddle (banged on the edges but should last for a long time)
- Wet suit (hand me down but fits perfectly)
- Gloves (keep the hands warmish but are lacking in the grip department)
- Booties (two sizes too small but I get foot pain from paddling anyways so I don't see it doing anymore harm)
- Skate boarding helmet from back in the day at Tillicum Middle School

Basically I haven't done anything other than flat water in a kayak and am looking to do some whitewater before winter's cold arm crawls its way down to us.
I have decent knowledge of whitewater from canoeing though the majority of creeks had to be lined due to the fragility of the boats so that could be a new area for me.

If anyone needs an apprentice to carry their gear or just run rivers with them I'm down.
I don't know much about this area or what all the places to go are, I'm just looking to learn by doing. Don't have much in the way of money to pay for classes, so I'm looking to tag along if someone has free space. I can portage and do anything without complaint, only thing holding me back is lack of skill/experience, which I'm looking to change.

Looking forward to paddling with all y'all,


P.S. You can call me David or Camel, either one works. Everyone I canoe with knows me by Camel only.

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest. It is great to see someone out there with the stoke for kayaking and the drive and initiative to throw themselves into the sport. I have had so many friends claim that they want to learn to kayak but then when I try to get them out there it is like pulling teeth. It is good to see some one like myself who just caught the fever is willing to do whatever it takes to get into the sport. When I bought my first boat I didn't  know a single kayaker but I taught myself to roll and started hanging out on rivers and it has been a wild ride ever since.

I don't get out to the powerhouse run very often but if I ever head out there I will keep you in mind. That is probably the best beginner run in the area, it is very straight forward, it has enough pools and eddies to practice your basic skills and it is very short so you can run your shuttle if you only have one vehicle and do laps. Like James said keep an eye out for trip postings but also don't be afraid to post your own trip and see if anyone else joins.Feel free to private message me if you are looking to head out there some evening and if I am free I will head out there with you. Also, I would highly recommend keeping an eye out for upcoming pool sessions and hitting up as many of those as possible. It is a great way to build your skills, get free advice and meet other boaters.

Once again, welcome to the PNW and the sport of kayaking, you are in for a hell of a  ride. Kayaking is a great sport and the Washington is a great place to be a kayaker. There is year round boating, countless rivers with numerous options for any skill level and a great whitewater community. Get out there and enjoy!

Oops guess I missed that ... Definitely need a PFD like lanson said. When I am spacing and forget gear here is my order of preference.
1. Boat - How else do you get down the rio
2. Skirt - Hot dang it ain't easy with a boat O wata
3. Helmet - I'd rather sink then bust open my noggin
4. PFD - After my head is safe I do enjoy breathing
5. Gear to stay warm - I'd rather have freezin hands than frozen 8@%&
6. Paddle - crazy to make it last but it's just not the most critical to me

In regards to the helmet, it is important to get a paddling one like lanson said too. I had a Protec skateboarding helmet and it cracked way to easily when the water was cold because the plastic was not made to be submerged & hit at that temp. The pads are alot different too between the designs, skateboard ones will sink, paddling ones will float.

Look forward to seeing you out there!!!! 
Keep a keen eye out for the UPS pool session. We carpool from Renton and its a great place to gain some instruction in a nice warm pool!

Yeah- definitely get a whitewater helmet- it's worth it. Being a canoeist, I figured you had a PFD, even though you didn't list one.

Edited by jP - 09 Sep 2009 at 3:00pm

I have definitely paddled the sky on multiple occasions with a bicycle helmet, but only so that someone else didn't have to use it.  On that note, it is important to have a kayak helmet rather than another type of helmet.  Joe was using his ski helmet when he got caught in the nozzle.  The helmet shifted on his head, exposed his forehead and he got clunked good.  Good enough to dim the lights for a split second, get a kayak helmet.

Then there's my vintage translucent green helmet from the mid 80's- I've used it in a pinch recently, but it's really not a serious helmet by today's standards.

Great fashion though for going to a P-funk show, Critters Buggin, or somethin like that.