A State of Extreme Unwinding

Pressure junkies, he says, are "setting up situations that will make them anxious. They seek self-affirmation all the time."

Restak worries that extreme-pressure junkies are more interested in performance than in interaction. "These guys don't necessarily do very well in retirement."

The pressure junkies who are drawn to the edgier, more adventurous opportunities in Western Maryland are usually intelligent, says Michael Logsdon, executive director of Adventuresports Institute, an offshoot of Garrett College, the local community college.

A physics professor at Garrett and a former guide on Cheat River, Logsdon says, "They are problem solvers -- whether it's a rock face or a white-water river or the slickness of the snow. They like to solve problems, whatever the challenge is. Here the challenge is coming from some force or action of nature." The athletes "have to understand what's going on and work with nature -- not try to defeat it."

The new adventurers are also gearheads who use state-of-the-art equipment. "They love gizmos, new gadgets," Logsdon says. For example, they carry global positioning system technology for backcountry navigation, not the age-old maps and compasses.

And pressure junkies love the supreme bursts of adrenaline. "The outcome is unpredictable," Logsdon says. "That is one of the definitions of adventure sports. That unknown is an attractive aspect."

Though they enjoy putting themselves on the spot, he says, "they are very safety-oriented. Some look crazy, but they have gotten as good as they are through technical skills." It takes a long time and a lot of practice before going over nearby Swallow Falls in a kayak, he says.

Instructors at the institute have included Susan Haywood of West Virginia, a past member of the U.S. Mountain Biking Team, and American Canoe Association-certified kayaker Nancy Zbel.

Nancy and her husband, Roger Zbel, are good examples of folks who revel in the pressure. A former Washingtonian, Roger, 50, is a world-class kayaker who was among the first to paddle an uncharted river in Peru in 1986 and was on the ill-fated 1998 National Geographic-sponsored trip down the Tsangpo in Tibet when another American kayaker capsized and was killed by wicked whirlpools.

In the 1970s, Roger owned a contracting company in the Washington area. In 1981 he opened Precision Rafting in Friendsville. He and Nancy, 36, lead rafting and kayaking trips along the region's rivers when the water is right. Roger still likes the pressure. "I end up in some pretty tough spots and don't want to fail," he says. "I like to test myself. Make sure I'm still up to the challenge."

On a recent Friday afternoon, a large group of rafters and kayakers is just coming in to the Zbels' shop at the corner of Maple Street and the Upper Yough river. Roger, who led the trip, is the first one ashore. He hurries to the outdoor grill to flip burgers for his clients.

Kayaker Ken Redfern walks up. For 18 years, Redfern, 55, ran a pressure-washing business in Washington. Eventually he moved near Deep Creek Lake to be closer to the white water and the downhill slopes. Now he kayaks about 50 days and snow-skis another 80 days a year. Today he has shot the Yough with the Zbels' group.

Redfern, standing in the sun on the sidewalk near the Zbels' shop, is still dripping wet. His voice is tired, and the kayak at his side has been banged up and severely scratched. As has Redfern.

"I took 15 stitches in my face a few years ago," he says. "And my knuckles look like a boxer's." His fingers are scraped raw from rolling among rocks.

But he is smiling. Again he has pushed himself and met the challenge. Like any self-respecting pressure junkie, he has moved from one pressure-washing endeavor to another.