tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960739132230774024.post3022332301743890552..comments2020-07-28T15:44:29.291-04:00paddlingOTAKUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215628711923335166noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960739132230774024.post-88804815575142064462011-10-14T20:15:15.874-04:002011-10-14T20:15:15.874-04:00Anon hits it on the head! We did run into two groups - though none were kayaking - of &#39;at risk youth&#39; and it makes perfect sense that this is what was going on. That said the lesson stands for the rest of us. protect your gear from the tide. And I will look into AyeTides. awesome tip. I wish there were more kayaking related apps. thanks for the comment. <br /><br />POpaddlingOTAKUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215628711923335166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960739132230774024.post-68306779187930401232011-10-14T17:19:03.859-04:002011-10-14T17:19:03.859-04:00You raise great points. Tides and large animals command respect. That said... I can shed some light on what you saw, though I don&#39;t know if it applies to the group camp you saw.<br /><br />Several non-profit organizations in Southeast Alaska take &quot;youth at risk&quot; (kids who&#39;ve been having trouble with the law and/or substance abuse) on extended wilderness trips. One of the big features of those trips is personal responsibility and natural consequences. No better place to teach than in the wilderness with back-up systems in place for emergency. Instruction is given, tie your boats, put away your gear, ... but leaders do not do these things for the youth, they simply provide instruction and then role model. Gear left may be gear lost and discomfort experienced, possibly for weeks at a time. It is a tough love model but can do amazing things for some kids. And, with a large group, there is a lot more latitude for staying safe while teaching these lessons.<br /><br />And, many of us work around the tides with a fair degree of familiarity. I&#39;ve been known to camp at the very edge of the expected tide and then set my alarm to be sure I&#39;m awake and checking things out before anticipated high tide. Or, to camp below high tide line if I&#39;m in a jam and know when the tide will be back to my tent spot. If the high tide is before I&#39;m planning to be asleep I may leave camp set up and boats on the beach before high tide line while I sleep, knowing the water won&#39;t be back again before I&#39;m on my way. I do ALWAYS tie my boat if I am leaving it for any time or sleeping. <br /><br />I now use AyeTides, an iPhone ap, graph view to determine exactly what time the tide will be at a certain level. I find this especially helpful if I land at a steep beach that flattens out at low tide. I&#39;ll know I need to be off the beach again by a certain time or stuck with a long haul or wait.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960739132230774024.post-273436980123060672011-10-14T11:14:24.023-04:002011-10-14T11:14:24.023-04:00It absolutely does. I am always amazed wheb I see drift wood the size of a tractor trailer on a beach. Thanks for reading.<br /><br />POpaddlingOTAKUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215628711923335166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2960739132230774024.post-64495338603177940052011-10-13T21:28:07.262-04:002011-10-13T21:28:07.262-04:00Great post! It reminds me of the time when my wife and I were camping on Haida Gwaii and came across hundreds of moon snails about 100 feet into the forest. The power of the tides and winds need to be respected.Mark and Robyn Byrnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02609870010147809567noreply@blogger.com