2014 Week of Rivers First Timers Report

River:	Other
Skill:	All
Trip Date:	06/28/2014

Written by: Joan & Marlow & Greta Durbin Monnig, Posted: July 9, 2014

A proud tradition continues. The First Timers Board is put up every day at Week of Rivers for paddlers to post their achievements. There are many First Time trips, deeds and acts that are sung and unsung during our 9 days of paddling together. While this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the Firsts at Week of Rivers 2014, it will bring smiles to your face to read through it and remember. Special thanks goes to Greta Durbin for helping to decipher all the scribbles. If there is a mistake, you can blame the Cruise Chair…All the best, Joan Monnig

Week of Rivers 2014

First Timers List

First WOR:

Nicole Bernardin

Jennifer Brock

Mike Carter

Marcy Fleeharty

Chris Holladay

Walt Hummel

Henry Jackson

Martha James

Nancy Kell

Max Kuttnus

Raul Medina

The David Peeks

Aaron Pyrenberg

Chris Serenar

Matt Thomas

Kristian Underwood

Anna K. Wallace

Howard Wallace

Angela Wiseman

Michael Wiseman

Alison Zdan

Anonymous

Boofed Kayaker’s Ledge on the French Broad for the first time. Great fun!

Blew my radiator in Nantahala Gorge!!!!

Went to Walmart for a river access pass

Anita

Ran Nanty falls on the 1st run

Rachel Arrington

Lower Pigeon

Larry Ausley

First time shredding! (On Ocoee)

Evan Bate, Age 6

Kayaked the entire Tuck Gorge by myself and had a dry hair day

First roll ever

M&M Blackbain

High Falls Trail, got soaking wet and had to wring out our trousers in McDonald’s parking lot

Jennifer Brock

Middle Ocoee

Paddling in Ten

Swimming in Ten

Mike Carter

First day of the rest of my life

First swim Cheoah

Pete Chapelle

First time on Noli. Great and Fun Group

Sheila Chapelle:

First time I paddled with both legs on one side of the my center wall (during a rescue – which included getting out of my boat and then back in *very* quickly* when boat wasn’t stable

John Claub

First time as Trip Leader

Jack Conrad

My first time leading anyone down the Nantahala Falls. Lynn Abrams and Christina Taylor down the race line.

Paula Conrad

First swim!

Brittany Dargis

First NOC wave surf!

Ken Dubel and Alicia Jahsmann:

1st time OC-2 on the Nolichucky Gorge and Chattooga section IV

Susan Eda

First time I ever led a novice trip on the Lower Pigeon that had 6 canoe and/or kakak instructors on it and a beginner kayak who had paddled his boat only 3 times before the trip.

Kaelin, 11, Middle Tellico:

Corbin Fawley

First Class 3 swim!

Allen Freeman

First time dry hair Upper Ocoee

Kaelin Friedenson:

Loop Nantahala Hole

Upper Nantahala

Middle Tellico

Ben and Mame Fleming

First tandem canoe run of Upper Nanty

Sam Fleming, Age 11

1^stsolo run of the Nanty Falls

Jack and Ford, 5 years

First time on Nantahala

Michael Graham

First whitewater!

Did 8 whitewater rolls successfully on the Pigeon and only one swim!!! J

Jeff Hatcher

First time seeing a bald eagle while paddling in North Carolina

Henry Jackson

First Nanty Roll

Richard Judy

First time tubed Deep Creek

Charley Kemp

Dislocated left shoulder at the NOC wave L 2 stern squirts – combat – roll – side surf – climb out on road side – visit Bryson City Hospital.

Mark Kieran

PFD Wilson Creek

Max Kuttrus

Tuck River First time

Pigeon River First time

Ocoee First ime and Ender in Double Suck

Wendy Krause

First Time running Tellico Ledges (after a helpful push from a friend!) Way to go Prez! J

Pamela Maynard

7/2 OC1 in the Rumba on the Nantahala

7/3 OC2 in the Prowler on the Pigeon – tandem team of Dale Briggs/Pam Maynard

Annika Markoff, 12 years old

First river roll J

April Maya, 18 years old

Nantahala

First time in a shredder

Pigeon

Pirate trip

First wet exit

John McDonald

Upper Ocoee

PFD of Cheoah

Michael Metzbower

First time running the Tellico River at 3’

Phyllis Miller

First time Lower Pigeon (1 “Dip”)

First time Nantahala in a raft

First time Tuck (Barkers to Whittier)

Ron and Phyllis Miller

First time GETTING MARRIED!

Eliot Mintzer

First combat roll after shoulder injury from WOR 2013. All Felt Fine!!

Joan Monnig

First Time Running the slalom gates in Canoe Club Challenge

First Time getting First Place in anything kayaking related.

Donna Murphy:

First solo canoe on Nanty including the Falls

First time on slalom gates

First time on Upper Nantahala and I got stuck in a hole but made it out upright!

First time getting into Surfers on Nanty (this saved me when I got stuck in the hole – above!)

Nicholas & Daughter

1st trip on the Nanty and Pigeon

Paul Nitz

First Water Rescue (of someone else)

Noah

First ever river run!

Frank Ohrt:

First (very) combat roll on Upper Nanty

Brian Parker, 12 years old

Flipped at Nanty Falls twice in the same place.

Finally did the Nanty Falls today~ J

David Peek

First WOR and First Record….9 straight days of paddling

First epic hole beatdown on Cheoah

David Pope:

First time French Broad, Section 9

First time Cheoah ELF

Dennis

First time blowing an air horn!

Ian Pond

First wildwater I’ve run through Nanty Falls

Judy Ranelli

First OC1 Slalom

First Tuck trip in an open boat

Emily Richter

ELF Cheoah (dry hair)

Ocoee (another day of dry hair) J

Harriet Rollins

First time running Jared’s knee on Tellico Ledges cleanly. J

First time vomiting because of the smell of the river

First Pigeon trip

Linda Sanders

First time tubed Deep Creek

Chris Serenar

First attempt (successful) on Nanty Falls

Nathan Staples

First time on Nantahala in a kayak and made the Falls

Tovias Robles: Upper Tellico Ledges 7/1

Alyssa Taylor

First descent Upper Ocoee! 🙂

Christina Taylor:

Finally made it through Nanty falls upright.

First Combat roll

Adah Thompson

First Tuck trip! (Duo with papa)

Mark Thompson

First Pirate Trip

Miles Thompson

Paddled First Class 2 Rapid

First River Trip w/Skirt

Kristian Underwood

First WOR Birthday!!!!

Liz Underwood

First Time Nanty and Eaten by a Raft!

Anna K Wallace

First swim!

David White, age 9

First time paddling the Tuck Gorge in a kayak

First time paddling the Nanty in a kayak

Sophie White, age 13

First time paddling the Tuck Gorge in a kayak

First time paddling the Nanty in a kayak

Got roll in one day! J

Tucker Willenborg (Age 9)

K1 on a section of the Nanny.
K1 on Tuck Gorge and dry hair too.
First "Ed-venture", K1 on French Broad section 6.5 (part of 6 and part of 7)

Elise Windus

First Run on the Cartecay

First time stayed up on the Shredder tube all the way through the Nanty Falls

Bonnie Wisdom

Ran Baby Falls for the first time Backwards!

(The photo looks like attainment to me! J

Robert Womble:

Found a really cool glass insulator for a power line on the Tuck Clean up

Tom Womble

Got to drive Zeus’ River Wagon

First time a woman gave me a lot of money

Sara Wysong

First river clean up in raft on Tuck “Trash Baron” loaded canoes.

Nik Young

Eddies out in Double Drop

Second time down

Alison Zdan

First Time Upper Nanty. What a ride, what fun!

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