I am a recent (8 months) T12 Para and was a very active outdoors person.

I am working hard to gain that sense of a adventure by trying to get out there and do as much as possible. Kayaking, Paragliding, handbiking etc..

but every different thing i try it feels like starting from scratch and having to work out new systems, equipment and technics.

I have tried contacting those paras who are out there doing it so that i dont have to reinvent the wheel every time i try something but unfortunately i havent had much in the way of useful replies to my emails. They dont seem to give me the time of day.

Can anyone recommend inspiring active outdoor paras who will give me the time of day to explain how they get around the challenges of there chosen adventure sports. namely paragliding, kayaking (sea and WW), expedition camping, .

I'm not so active outdoors now so am out-of-touch with others I could refer you to but I'm sure you'll find the right people once you get involved. You're not entirely on your own. You will find extremely helpful and keen people among instructors, etc.

I'm not surprised you've had a poor response from other paras. I suspect they're uncomfortable being faced with going over old struggles they've just overcome.

I've been into sea kayaking, boating, camping, and trying to capture the solitude of the bush and tops that I once enjoyed as a tramper. But I've not been part of the adventure sport craze such as paragliding.

So I can't help much with practical stuff but I'm wondering if you might benefit from reappraising your approach. I accept you want to get involved as fully as possible and now. But in many of these events the real challenge is not going to be the event itself, it's going to be you pioneering your own way to adapt to it. That's got a big buzz factor when it's your own work.

And you've got to make your own mistakes. I pursued with kayaking for years but eventually gave up cos as a T4 I had poor stability and couldn't power-paddle to my satisfaction. I did a lot of camping. People go camping to relax and feel free. I went for the challenge and hard work. When I came back from camping, I needed a holiday.

I'd suggest you push aside seeking information from other SCIs and pursue your interests through normal channels using conventional instructors ($$$) who can be remarkably accommodating (it's a fresh challenge for them, too). And the contacts with the right people will happen.

Well, i'm about as active a para as one can get and i'd be more than happy to give you the time of day...er...night...It's 12:43am! LOL, but in all seriousness, drop me a line when you have a chance and we'll talk for sure!

BTW, I have started a new web site and BLOG
www.quentinsmith.co.nz

hopefully it will help others in some small way get out there.