All things paddling

First thing I thought of when I saw the the thread title. Well done.

 

Haven’t been to the whitewater center in Charlotte, but I think this is supposed to be something similar. I have a hunch these will start popping up in more and more cities, the way aquariums were the hot thing a generation ago.

Work to begin on 120-acre, $50 million Montgomery Whitewater park

 

I love this guy.

Pungo 120

 

We took a single-day 10-mile raft trip on the Delaware last summer and it was fantastic. First time rafting in decades.

Above the Water Gap, I was impressed with how clean it was. I guess 50 years of conservation and enviornmental measures will do that.

 

Back on the river today for the first time since Memorial Day. Apparently I’m doing something right because what normally is a 3.5-4 hour float trip took me right at three hours, even with the dam on the lowest release level. Hit nearly all my marks too, which was a big improvement on May.

The skill I probably need to work on most is being able to successfully beach the kayak mid-trip. The Coosa has several “islands” (really just rocky outcroppings) where we are encouraged to stop and enjoy the view, have a bite to eat, watch other boats go through rapids, etc. I got the boat to nose into the rocks and stop, but I did not see a way for me to maneuver myself onto the algae-slicked rocks outside the boat and walk up to shore without completely wiping out and/or having the boat work itself free without my weight and go chugging down Moccasin Gap about 50 feet to my right.

Not sure if this is just a mental block thing or how I can even practice for it short of taking another trip down (which probably won’t be before Labor Day.) But with my sunscreen tucked away in the front hatch and inaccessible on the trip, I could feel my legs starting to cook again, which also may have inspired my record time.

 

Banjos will inspire too.

 

Had a great paddle this past weekend. Even dumped it (though technically I mostly just fell into the water than capsized. Nothing lost except my pride. I could give you the details, but mostly it was trying to show off my skills to impress some of the females on the trip and well, it did not happen. On the plus side, my SUV looks fierce with my canoe atop it.
A hint for cleaning canoes and kayaks. Leave them on your car, in the racks and go to a local do it yourself carwash. Most have brushes and soap for the nasty stuff.

 

I'm tall, so this is easier for me .... But with my sit in, I'll beach the nose, and then one leg over each side and stand up until I've got my balance. And then just walk up the nose of the kayak.

 

Please, bow and stern your kayaks on roof racks. I saw a young couple on the side of a highway today trying to figure out what to do after their kayaks caught enough wind to snap the towers on the off-brand rack on top of their 4 Runner. Get some extra-long NRS cam straps, they make it really easy to do.

 

Son of a .... I'm pretty bad about doing that.

Leaving on vacation on Saturday with two kayaks on roof racks and a paddle board on a second car. Maybe you've scared me enough to do it.

 

One of my co-workers (she works in clothing and footwear, not gear and bikes) forgot to bow and stern her Crescent UltraLite last summer. She was driving home from the Buffalo and crossing one of the huge bridges on 540 when it ripped her Yakima rack off her car. Well, actually, it ripped the factory siderails that ran front to back (and the rack was attached to) off her car.

The kayak was unrepairable. So was her rack and a SlimShady awning. We salvaged her bike rack off the system. In all, it was about $4,500 in damage including getting the factory siderails replaced and the car repainted due to the scratches.

 

Annnnnnnnnd that's why you have a truck and plenty of ratchet straps.