New Horizons

I'm finally starting to feel recovered from the weekend and having completed my ACA whitewater kayak instructor's course. It was a mentally and physically challenging pair of weekends with long days (and a few nights) in class and on the river. We ran the middle Ocoee last Saturday as a challenge to look "competent and confident" on Class III (+, in this case) whitewater even though we can now only teach on Classes I and II. It was my 3rd run down the Ocoee and, though I had the added strain of trying to look good for the instructors, I felt really good about the run and had a great time even though we spent 7 hours on the river and I was whupped by the time we took off. Sunday was another long day on the Tuckaseegee. While the river itself wasn't much of a challenge, we had the added tasks of presenting 'model form' while paddling and presenting both prepared and impromptu teaching topics. I ended the day (another long one with 7 hours on the river) feeling good about what I had accomplished and resigned to the fact that I'd done my best and had hung in there with a mostly 20-something crowd in the class.