Paul started kayaking relatively late in life but was nonetheless a very enthusiastic paddler. He started paddling in a recreation kayak but soon moved up to a true whitewater boat. His favorite river was the South Branch of the Patapsco. His personal first descent for this river section was in 2015 with just one other paddler. His companion, whose name is withheld to protect the guilty, carefully counted the bridges as they traveled down the river to locate the turnout. Unfortunately, he was unaware that since the last time he had paddled this seldom-run river, the Henrytown Road bridge had been removed, throwing off the count, and they paddled miles past the Woodstock Road takeout. They were finally able to return to the takeout with the assistance of a very generous family who had been enjoying a streamside picnic.
Paul was one of the first CCA paddlers to adopt the GoPro video camera mounted on his kayaking helmet. In his videos, you can't see him, but you can hear the rapids and also Paul shouting with glee and grunting as he drives his kayak through them. For example, see his video from a high-water trip on the Cacapon in 2018. This is many paddlers' favorite river, which we do once a year, so seeing it flowing strongly in Paul's video has impressed a lot of us over the years.
Paul suffered from ataxia, a neurological disorder that damages the cerebellum. As his condition worsened, he cut back on the difficulty of trips. Our last trip with him was on Seneca Creek from Berryville Road to Riley's Lock in 2019. That was a challenge for him, but as usual he was up for it.
Paul passed away July 29 at age 63."Paul had a deep love for the outdoors and enjoyed biking, snorkeling, skiing, and kayaking," his obituary notes. "As a member of the Canoe Cruisers Association, he spent many joyful hours on the water."
—Alf Cooley, Wayne McDaniel, Tim Tilson