River: Other

Participants: Rick Steeves, Mark Kieran, Garrick & Alyssa Taylor, Kathryn McNeal, John McDonald

USNWC Shamrock Smackdown 2013

This Smackdown had a different vibe. Sort of a See and be Seen thing. Just you and me and 10,000 of our closest friends.

Reminded me of the Oscars. Yep, that's it. I am already a notorious name dropper (Paddled with Dennis Huntley) so maybe this is the format.

Wilson Creek laps 01/20/13

Participants: There was a green boat, two yellow boats, two red boats and one orange boat.

The water was almost too cold for swimming. Almost.

The End.

JMB

Sometimes opportunities come in bunches, and in this case we’re talking mistletoe bunches. As I was perusing the calendar, I noticed that several events were falling into line: a concert in Chapel Hill, then the Sprig Outing trip Saturday morning , another social engagement that night, and finally the club’s annual Winter Potluck/Meeting. I decided the Sprig Outing needed to be part of my itinerary.

USNWC  Losers at the Park. November 10th 2012 edition.

Lorraine Burnham (K1), Jeff Hatcher (K1), Daniel Richardson (K1), Elliot Mintzer (K1), Dennis Ashford K1)

Shane Brown (OC1) Joe Berry (C1)

Paddlers :-

Paul Clawson (k1 – Mega Megatron)

Paul Scrutton (k1 – Mega Proton)

Mike (9'2" longboard)

On the second weekend in June, 19 youth and teen paddlers descended on Bryson City for a paddling clinic held by the Foothills Paddling Club and Carolina Canoe Club.  The students ranged in age from 7 to 18, with almost every age in-between.  Skill levels ranged from, “what’s an eddy?” to “why aren’t we on the Ocoee?”  The students were divided into three groups – beginner, novice, and intermediate, with 2 instructors for each group. 

The only thing better than seeing my kids’ smiling faces after a fun run on a river is seeing the faces of over 30 kids and 40 moms and dads after a day on the river making new friends and sharing days outside in the fresh air and cool river water. That is what Families Paddle Too! is all about – it is to encourage the enthusiasm and joy of our next generation of whitewater paddlers.

May 19, 2012 – Upper Meadow

When I posted this trip back in April, I was hopeful that there would be water in West Virginia on the weekend of the trip.  On the Monday before the trip, West Virginia got a pretty good rain, but as the week wore on, many of the West Virginia creeks started dropping out.  First the Back Fork of the Elk dropped below minimum, followed by the Cranberry.  I was starting to worry.  But by Thursday, it looked like the Meadow would hold, so we headed to West Virginia on Friday afternoon.