Distinctly Montana Magazine

Doug Ammons, a Montana native who lives in Missoula, has been a world- class kayaker for over 25 years. His book, , was voted one of the best outdoor books of 2005 by the National Outdoor Book Awards. His second book, was acclaimed by the N ewcomers to paddling learn to closely watch the snow pack, the rainfall and tem- peratures, and gradually become aware of a river's moods. At first this knowledge is purely in terms of your favorite spots — you know you can surf a particular wave when the water gets to a certain level, or a certain rapid fills in and some great move develops. Over time, your knowledge expands into hundreds of such details. Knowing each river's quirks and gestures makes them feel like old friends. Pulled along by your passion, you begin to understand a river's personality. Turned around, rivers can be used as a mirror to know oneself. as "one of the five best outdoor adventure books of all time." His next book is the story of his epic run in the . Doug has done seven TV documentaries of expeditions, four of which won Emmy Awards. Last year he co-wrote and produced the film , which won top awards in both adventure and art film festivals world-wide for its impressive cinematography, edit- ing, and story. He is well known for his poetic, philosophical, and insightful views of adventure sports and where they fit into our lives. Learn more at www.dougammons.com. What you seek in kayaking reflects who you are. You may love freestyle moves or surfing, steep creeking, or cruising. When I ask people what they get from kayaking, they mention traveling, friendship, and beautiful places. The young men usually say it's a blast, awesome, and challenging. The young women often stress that they've found confidence, overcome fear, and become physically strong. All those are important, but I'm going to propose a few other things that I've found valu- able to think about. My kayaking has run the gamut of playing, first descents, competition, expeditions, and solos. Throughout most of my career, it also has been nestled within my roles as a professional scientific editor, a father of five, husband, and running a business with a lot of employees. Because I've had to balance those different worlds over the years, I'm a strong believer that each of us should regularly examine our lives as time goes on. I believe that knowing ourselves, our weaknesses and strengths, is the first step toward wisdom. It's both a simple fact and a pro- found trth that the fun of kayaking comes in part from the potential danger of the river. You have to deal with real consequences. If there were no consequences to our actions and you didn't have to worry about getting thrashed or worse, then it wouldn't mean as much to you. Things can get ugly in Class III; you don't need to be in Class V to have a really bad experience. So the first question I ask about knowing one- self is, where does the danger fit into your life? The nature of moving water and rivers underscores every decision you make. A river is the physical flow of time, and nowhere else can you see so clearly how one decision sweeps into another. An early lesson the river teaches is that you have to be engaged at every moment because even a small lapse can snow- ball quickly into a huge problem. That's where the excitement comes from — the interplay between your skills and the river's complexity and power. When the ante is raised, anxiety and even fear may enter in. Then you get satisfac- tion from making a hard move or making the line, just right, in a big rapid — or any rapid that is challenging to you. Of course, danger has other much nastier sides and the key is finding the balance. For those people who paddle difficult white- water, a second related question I ask about knowing yourself is, what are the things you get from the sport that balance the danger? Let me be blunt: is your fun enough to die for? I think not, but some people act as if it is. Realistically, the more time we spend on something and DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL See Doug talk about kayaking and safety. www.distinctlymontana.com/kayak122 www.distinctlymontana.com 15 W ater Nymph The Laugh of the Whitewater Philosophy W Journal all Street , Grand Canyon of the Stikine Wildwater

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