BIOS

Andy Putnam

Andy first sat in a kayak in 1983 on the San Juan river.  Naturally, it was a dark stormy day and paddling gear consisted of swimsuit, wool sweater, and rain jacket. One frayed fiberglass kayak (no seat or foot pegs), wood paddle, spray skirt with holes, Mae West lifejacket, and semi-helmet. He quickly learned the art of self- rescue and swimming with gear. Shards of glass from the boat made sleeping in a nylon sleeping bag a little scratchy. The second experience in a boat was in the ocean in southern California. The boat was plastic and long. Here he was introduced to cart wheeling (unintentional) which planted the seed for future squirt boating moves he would later find out. After these intros to boating he was hooked believe it or not.

While pursuing an Outdoor Education degree in college he continued to paddle ferociously and supported his kayaking habit through raft guiding in the summers on the Arkansas River. Teaching skiing in winters keeps him busy to this day. He has made several first descents in Colorado and Ecuador. Paddling in South America was a highlight. Exploring the rivers of Chile and Ecuador in the nineties provided a new  take on adventure paddling.

He began teaching kayaking in 1990 and went on to open his own school which he ran for six years. He developed a paddling program for kids, which involved day trips and overnight camping and also had strong focus on helping adults move through the intermediate doldrums keeping him busy on the river. After pursuing other interests for several years, the call of kayak teaching has returned and cannot be denied.

 

MORE TO COME!