Life Without Limits: I Learned To Kayak as an Adult

And you can too! Push yourself beyond the excuses, embrace adventure and rediscover the D.C. area.

I learned to kayak as an adult at Calleva’s River School. Before then, whitewater Kayaking was in RedBull commercials and National Geographic magazines. I was skeptical, but envious of those plunging into huge river canyons and falling off waterfalls.

I’m adventurous. However, I thought whitewater kayaking was only for stuntmen and adrenaline junkies, inaccessible to mortals working an office job in Washington, D.C. Then, I saw kayakers paddling Great Falls, just 20 minutes away from my home.

I had no idea this kind of kayaking was so accessible near my home. So I began to look into the sport.

Learn to Kayak with Calleva

I found Calleva’s River School, spoke with Ashley on the phone about which class would be best for me. Then I joined Calleva’s paddling community. Within just months I was paddling every day.

I loved how Calleva focused on fundamentals and skills progression. In every class, my instructors helped me learn the basics. They emphasized how learning the basics were the key to progressing in the sport.

Class set up at Calleva supports this progression. For example, the six-session Beginner Class package flowed seamlessly into the Intermediate Class package of classes.

Within the first month of Calleva’s beginner classes, I was experiencing D.C. from the water like never before. Then I was paddling the Mather Gorge below Great Falls, Little Falls outside of Bethesda, and the GW Canal in Northwest Montgomery County. Not only was I seeing these new places with Calleva’s guidance, I was paddling them with the skills needed to grow myself in the sport.

After paddling Great Falls for the first time, I look back and am amazed by how Calleva River School makes the sport so accessible! The progression of skills Calleva emphasizes has changed my view of the sport. I no longer see it as something for stuntmen and adrenaline junkies. Instead, Calleva makes whitewater kayaking approachable by emphasizing fundamentals, practice, and progression.

⎯ Jesse Pulliam

The Power of the Calleva Paddling Community

The Calleva classes were engaging and the community was encouraging. Before I knew it, I had the skills to paddle things I once thought were unreachable. Within a few years of paddling, I was enjoying the committing Cheat Canyon, the technical and intoxicating Upper Yough, and the glorious and monstrous Gauley.

Each of these rivers are reachable through Calleva River School classes. What is special about Calleva is the community-building, workout style of Cheat Training in the Spring; learning the fundamentals of Class IV boating in the Summer’s Yough Training; and becoming comfortable in big water during Fall Training for the Gauley.

Kayaking is a Lifelong Journey

This progression continues. Also Calleva makes more difficult rivers available. For example, there is Green River training in the Fall as well as international trips to Mexico in the Winter.

After paddling Great Falls for the first time, I look back and am amazed by how Calleva River School makes the sport so accessible! The progression of skills Calleva emphasizes has changed my view of the sport. So I no longer see it as something for stuntmen and adrenaline junkies. Instead, Calleva makes whitewater kayaking approachable by emphasizing fundamentals, practice, and progression.

Now, I work as a kayaking instructor for Calleva. I love to introduce new paddlers to the journey they can set out on with Calleva. So I look forward to seeing you in our classes!

What are you waiting for?

• Zero to Hero– Our month long intensive whitewater kayak program including 33 hours of instruction. 
• Intro to Kayak Touring– 10 hours of instruction time focused on getting you from the river into the sea. 
• River Experiences–– comprised as 4 experiences from a moonlit to a monument kayak tour.

For more information on the Calleva River School offerings please visit our site here or contact us at riverschool@calleva.org.