In the last six weeks, I have paddled seven times, and for six of these times, I showed up to the river alone. For four out of those six times, I have managed to find a group of paddlers at the put-in who went down river with me or at the minimum helped me to set shuttle. That is a pretty good record considering it is winter, and most people don’t consider winter the most ideal time to paddle. I have found, however, that through rain, wind, snow or sunshine, you can always count on boaters to be at a river paddling if there is water.

This is just one of the things that makes the paddling community so different from all other communities in the world.

In most situations, paddlers don’t have any objections to someone just tagging along with them down river. If they do turn me down, it is usually for a good reason, so I never take it personally. For example, the only times I have ever been turned down by anyone is when I have attempted to tag along with private groups of paddlers who are in workshops they paid to attend.

The paddling community is more than just a group of folks who will pick me up when I’m hitchhiking, but I have yet to go to a river and not get picked up while hitching to set shuttle. In fact, I am still good friends with a group of guys that picked me up about a year ago. It is a community that has your back on and off of the river. It is such a great feeling to know that while I am going down a rapid on an unfamiliar river, there are people at the end of the rapid waiting with ropes to catch me if I take an unplanned or potentially dangerous swim. The person that throws the rope is not always someone in my group or even someone I have met before.

Keep in mind that most boaters don’t want someone who can offer nothing on the trip or who will be a liability. It is important to give back to the community by being that person on the other end of the rope every once and a while. Believe me, I have been that person on the throwing end of the rope, and it is a great feeling to know that you just saved that person a lot of time and possibly pain by doing the simple deed of tossing them a rope.

There are those who standout in the community who are known for their friendly personalities and deep knowledge of paddling. These gems are the old grizzled paddlers who have been paddling for a long time and are happy to pass their knowledge on to the next generation of the paddling community. As I go down river, they throw little bits of helpful hints at me to help me improve my form or technique.

This is just one of the communities that I have chosen to be a part of, but there are so many out there waiting for people to join. Communities are vital because they build strong bonds. So if you find a community you fit in with, accept it with open arms and dive right in.