BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

At the 10th Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour, Greenland Bound — A Paddler's Pilgrimage won best Sea Kayak film for 2015. I can see why. It has won my heart and given me new paddling inspiration. If you haven't seen it yet, you may want to have a peek: Greenland Bound - A Paddler's Pilgrimage from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre on Vimeo . I've already watched it ten times today. It's such a wonderful story, beautifully shot and narrated. The story follows James Manke and James Roberts as they travel to Qaqortaq, Greenland, to experience the culture and participate in the 2014 Greenland National Kayak Championships. They returned to Canada with gold medals, smiling faces, many happy memories and newfound friends. Dubside is also featured. Do you have a favorite scene or clip from the video?  I certainly do. It's the rolling iceberg that tries to steal the scene from James Roberts as he's competing. Fantastic! Enjoy! You can also find more...

Yes?  No!  Maybe . . . I guess your paddle state-of-mind depends on many internal and external influences. Internal influences may be your own health --- how you are feeling mentally and physically. You come to the water with a good attitude or with pent up stress from daily life and issues you just can't let go of. You may have a sore knee, a tummy ache, or a fit body that feels good all-over. External influences may be the weather and conditions that you consider awful or totally perfect. A shoreline you'd like to land on is too rocky, or is very welcoming with a sandy beach. Many things can affect our paddle state-of-mind and influence our ability to be mindful and enjoy our paddle. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness involves being in the present moment and paying attention with openness, interest, receptivity and without judgement. Practising mindfulness on land can help us be more relaxed paddlers when we hit the water. My next story is up on the Wanderlus...

For my outdoor friends and new visitors to this blog, you may enjoy this article. Some people just can't relate to yoga - I know, it's not easy. It can be confusing and difficult to get into, and to keep up with. It's diverse, challenging, and hopefully rewarding. Sometimes, I question myself. "Why are you doing this? Why do you keep doing this?' Yoga! The answer is simple: It can be good for you. I am a member of the mindset of people who believe they can shop around and integrate a yoga practice into their lifestyle. One that suits you. Mine is very flexible. I can take it anywhere. And I do. My ears often perk up when I listen to the reasons why some people don't like yoga. They tried it once or twice. The things they didn't like are the same things I didn't like. But, I changed my perspective. I decided to explore different forms of yoga, and a variety of teachers and studios. I kept going because, even with the things I didn't like, I w...

Oh cool. I'm a guest blogger at the Wanderlust Tremblant yoga festival that runs from August 21-24 (Quebec, Canada.) You're probably wondering what the heck this is in the photo above. I didn't have a clue either. So I found out and wrote a story about it with some much appreciated help from the Wanderlust editor. I'm still just a baby in the yoga world. My first story is up on the Wanderlust Journal if you'd like to have a look. Here's the link: Let Art Be Your Guide Better yet, come join us in Tremblant for a fantastic yoga festival with indoor and outdoor classes, treks and runs on mountain trails, SUP yoga on Lake Tremblant, music, food, and yoga gear for sale! The weather is perfect and so are the vibes:) I'm not sure if there are any classes still available though. You'll have to check the Wanderlust Tremblant website schedule. Everyone loves the Tremblant resort village and surroundings. They keep telling me so. I'll be up lat...

The 2014 IRONMAN North American Championship Mont-Tremblant (Quebec, Canada) starts early tomorrow morning at 6:36 a.m. from the beach on Lake Tremblant with the 2.4 mile swim. It's a full Ironman. 2.4 mile swim (3.86 km), athletes have 2 hours, 20 minutes to complete it 112 mile cycle (180.25 km), athletes have 8 hours to complete it 26.2 mile marathon run (42.2 km), athletes have 6 hours, 30 minutes to complete it. The beauty and peace at the depart for the swim the day before the competition defies the cold front, rain, and fog that rolled in this week. This week the nights have gone down to 9 degrees Celsius 9 (48 F). The days sometimes warmed up to 15 degrees Celsius (59 F). All this, and just last week some of us were bemoaning temperatures around 32 C (90 F), with a little humidity.  The cold, rain and fog offers an ominous calm the day before the triathlon. The lake is quiet. Today I felt very lucky to enjoy a few quiet moments at the Ironman swim dep...

Yes it does. Let's blame it on a bulky belt on the jean shorts. What the hell. This is no time for vanity. I couldn't help striking a yoga pose in from of the big red M in the Tremblant Ironman village today. I call it the Ironman village, because the massive white tents and stages for the event are already set up at the base of the Tremblant resort village. You can already feel the Ironman mania and high energy building in town. Parking further and further away, and taking longer and longer to find a parking lot with space is your first clue! August is a busy month up here! The full Ironman Triathlon in Tremblant, Quebec, Canada on August 17  is fast approaching. It's what I call the totally insane Ironman. The full Ironman - not the half. How this is humanly possible in one day is beyond comprehension. Yet some 2600 athletes from over 50 countries, including Quebec's elite racers, will give it a go. Preparing for a full Ironman takes several years of hard traini...

The power of the pose. You can strike a powerful yoga pose, or notice it in something else. It can create an opening. It opens a door. You'll have to step through that door to see what's next. This morning, I stepped outside 10 minutes before my yoga practice to have a look at the day and what it might bring. Before we step into a new space we normally look down to see what we might be stepping onto. I saw a toad sitting upright, enjoying a warm, dry spot on the stone patio. He was facing North. When I came back with my camera minutes later to capture his focused, meditative sitting pose, he stood up on all fours and held this fierce, confident pose for a long time. It reminded me of several yoga poses: Table top, Plank, and Up Dog. Then I realized it was his Warrier pose. I was in his space. I've never seen a toad do this before. Usually they just hop away or sit still when they realize you've spotted them. After my own morning yoga practice, I tu...