Mike McDonald
Mike teaches both contemporary and traditional paddling techniques. He first paddled canoes as a Canadian Boy Scout in the Algonquin wilderness in Ontario. Later in life, he discovered the joy of the wilderness all over again by kayaking small creeks and rivers in Illinois and Wisconsin.
He has been kayaking and mentoring others for about 10 years. He took training in whitewater kayaking through the ACA Pro school at the University of Minnesota’s Outdoor Program and through Wisconsin’s Bear Paw programs and spent a good deal of his early kayaking years eddy hopping down whitewater rivers as well as paddling lazy creeks and streams.
He decided to try sea kayaking and has been enjoying rough water paddling, surfing and exploring beautiful shorelines ever since. Mike teaches both contemporary and Greenland styles at many of the sea kayak symposiums around the mid-west and enjoys guiding trips on Lake Superior, introducing beginners to the sport and helping kayakers of all levels improve their skills.
He is also a mentor at the Qajaq USA’s Michigan Training Camp for Greenland paddlers and enjoys sharing about traditional paddling skills: strokes, rolling and bracing, and maneuvering techniques. He also gives rolling demonstrations, both contemporary and Greenland styles at local special events.
- ACA Level 4 Open Water Instructor
- Wilderness First Responder
- Greenland (Traditional) Style Mentor