I was asked about a pivotal role that paddling or teaching rescue has played in my life’s landscape. Funny enough, becoming a paddler is the pivotal role in my life’s landscape.
I grew up in Lubbock, Texas, where there are no mountains or rivers. Outdoor activities were pretty limited, but I had a hankering for adventure and somehow became interested in rock climbing. In 1984, Climbing Magazine featured New River Gorge on its cover, and I really wanted to check it out. So, when I found myself free to leave Texas, I headed to West Virginia. It turned out the article was right—the gorge was stunning, the climbing was amazing—but I needed a job if this was going to last.
In late ’80s West Virginia, there were only two job opportunities for someone like me: coal miner or whitewater raft guide. I chose the latter. I’m the only person I know who became a river guide for the money. Spring guide training was cold and exhausting—and I loved it. I was hooked.
By chance, the outfitter I joined taught multiple river rescue classes each season to a wide range of organizations, including paddling clubs, outfitters, first responders, and the military. Because I was a climber, I was considered a “rope guy” and became an assistant in those trainings. In my second season on the river, I joined the ACA to become a certified river rescue instructor. That chance beginning changed the course of my life.
River running and teaching rescue became the perfect combination to fulfill my desire for adventure. It has quite literally taken me around the world—from being part of a first descent expedition in Tibet with National Geographic, to conducting guide training at a whitewater center in the middle of the UAE desert, to guiding and teaching in places like New Zealand, China, Alaska, India, and Italy, to responding as a rescuer to floods across the U.S. with Search & Rescue task forces. Too many places, rivers, experiences, and amazing people to include in a short article.
While struggling to wrap this up, my wife Christine helped by asking, “What is your favorite part of what you do?” My favorite part of paddling is the sensation of tapping into the flow on a great line—whether it’s big or small. My favorite part of teaching is hydrology. After learning to read water, a person will never look at it the same way again. So I joke that I teach people to read for a living. Features like eddy lines, pillows, and boils are the ABCs. The rapids are the sentences, the section is the paragraph, and the river is the story.
Thank you to Mike Mather for contributing “Paddling’s Pivotal Role” to the ACA Story Project. Mike’s story reminds us how a single decision can lead to a lifetime of purpose, adventure, and service.
About the Author
Mike Mather of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, has been paddling for 36 years and joined the American Canoe Association in 1990. A nationally recognized expert in river rescue and instruction, Mike has taught and guided on waterways across the globe—from first descents in Tibet to flood response missions across the U.S. His work has earned multiple honors, including the ACA Excellence in Instruction Award and the Higgins & Langley Special Commendation and Incident Awards. When asked to name his favorite river, Mike always says: “The next one.”
