For Craig Waddell, the good life is sitting in a kayak with a paddle in his hands. Waddell developed a taste for whitewater kayaking in 2002 and was so smitten with the sport that he traded his truck for two kayaks.

"It's about getting away from everything ... about leaving the cell phone behind," Waddell said. "It's about the sheer adrenaline rush and being with friends in the outdoors."

But there are some things he can't escape, like the fact that cancer is well known to his family. So, when Waddell heard about a month-long kayaking event that raises money to send people with cancer to kayak camps, it was a no-brainer.

Waddell is participating in the EddyFlower Vertical Challenge, which runs May 15 to June 15, and has paddlers across the nation collecting pledges for the number of vertical feet they run. Last year, more than 200 competitors floated more than 1.4 million feet and raised $30,000 to send cancer survivors or those diagnosed with the disease on week-long kayaking camps to promote emotional, psychological and physical healing.

"My aunt was diagnosed when I was young. My mom and I started volunteering at an oncology camp taking kids out on the lake," said Brad Ludden, a world champion whitewater kayaker and founder of First Descents, a foundation that organizes kayak camps for young adults with cancer. "I've had few more amazing experiences and I realized how powerful it can be to combine the two."

The inaugural First Descent camp was in 2001. Now the camps fill months before they are scheduled. There are nine weeks of programming scheduled in six states this summer. A camp has yet to be held in Utah, but Ludden said he's working to change that.

Waddell first competed in the Vertical Challenge two years ago. He logged 1,000 feet in his first event and bumped the total to 11,000 feet last year. He returns this year as captain of the ASK (Ant Safety Krew) team. Other members, all from Utah, include Joe Aruscavage, Keith Kostner, Marc Morger, and Andrew Stehno.

"My goal this year is to paddle at least as much as I did last year," Waddell said. "And hopefully to raise a little more money."

And of course, bragging rights also play a role in the Vertical Challenge. The top 15 money-raisers pick up awards ranging from a 7-day kayak trip to Panama to helmet cameras and sunglasses. The individual with the most vertical feet gets a kayak, and first place teams in the Open, Women's, Class V, Class IV, Class III and Weekend Warrior divisions each earn a prize package.

"It's fun to compete for the most vertical feet, but all that matters is that we are raising money for people with cancer to get on the water," Waddell said.

brettp@sltrib.com