I know I can be a broken record about how great the CCC and paddlers in general are to be around, so it should come as no surprise that I'm here again saying blah...blah...blah. So shoot me.
I had a fantastic weekend. Chris Grindstaff (a brand new friend from CCC), Casey Carr (a CCC friend for a while) and I all took off for a French Broad, Barnard-Stackhouse run on Saturday. Neither Chris or Casey had run it before. We met a large group from the Foothills Paddling Club, including co-CCCers David Blumberg, Merridee Harper, Kirk Weir, Clayton Burton and others there for a great afternoon on the river. At 1600-1700cfs, the flow was nothing to write home about, but it was great to see old friends and get out and get a little exercise enjoying the river. We all took off and headed to Grand Asiana in Asheville for a buffet. The rains set in for the evening while Chris, Casey and I holed up in some welcomed shelter (Thank you Don!).
Sunday morning, though a little sloppy aground, showed us a sunny sky and temperate weather for our day on Wilson Creek. Jeff Dennie and Randy Welch met us a Wilson for a fine day of paddling the creek at -6".
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Gear Review: Astral Green Jacket
The Astral Green Jacket (http://tinyurl.com/6l9yoq). I've been waiting months to receive my new Astral Green Jacket. This summer, Astral ran into a glitch with Coast Guard approval of the (then) side-entry model of the Green Jacket as originally designed. Apparently, one of the test subjects couldn't satisfactorily don the jacket, causing it to be denied approval. Back to the drawing board, Astral redesigned their new flagship rescue vest along the lines of the pullover 300R we're already familiar with.
The new vest has a much more effective cinch system than the old 300R allowing you to get a really comfortable fit. The new vest provides good rib protection by lowering some front flotation in a band around the ribcage and also provides a little better shoulder and back protection than did the 300R. A new left-hand zippered pocket is added similar to the one on the 300R's right side for Astral's "Webtoe" (that's how they spell it) System. A knife patch has been added to the left side of the front pocket as well as a breakaway buckle/strap on the right side for a cow-tail/caribiner. The Green Jacket retains the capability to stow either an astral throw-rope pouch or hydration pouch behind the front pocket, now with a snap-retainer strap on the left side.
Changes I'm not too keen on include a front pocket closed now by Velcro® rather than the old zipper. I find this a more difficult entry to the pocket that I rely on for camera, snacks, lip balm, sunscreen....all stuff I'm after all day. Similarly, the lined handwarmer pouch behind the main pocket is a goner, apparently victim to the new suspension system which separates the pocket and body layers of flotation. The Webtoe pockets, already difficult to reach on the 300R are now farther to the back of the vest. While the pocket is still within reach for deployment of the Webtoe, re-stowing the webbing and caribiner in the pocket when you're finished will be a serious act of contortion.
I've now had my new vest out on a long flatwater paddle and a long whitewater paddle. It wears very comfortably and as I mentioned, solves some of the adjustment difficulties of the 300R. While it still takes me a little longer to get into and out of the new vest due to a few more adjustments, I think I'll be happy with the new model once I can work out good systems for use of the front pocket and tucking in the Webtoe. If you're interested in seeing one, drop by Paddle Creek in Raleigh
Thursday, November 6, 2008
ACA meeting
I had been working for a while preparing for last week's ACA annual meeting/First Instructors' Conference/Semiannual SEIC meeting/Quarterly Board of Directors' Meeting. Prior to the meetings, I had to prepare the Recreation Committee Report and also prepare a presentation for the Club Instructors' Roundtable Discussion.
It was a cold several days to decide to camp out for the weekend at the KOA campground south of Fredericksburg. It was also the first time I'd ever tried to dress out in a suit while camping. Quite a challenge.
The meetings went pretty well and the Instructors' Conference was well attended and energized. I prepared notes from the Instructors' Roundtable Discussion and posted it and my presentation here and here, respectively.
I'm looking forward to the coming year and planning the 2009 Instructors' conference and the addition of what they're calling the ACA Clubs Rendezvous. Attendees at this year's conference were jazzed about the possibilities of what is to come.
All that said and done though, and after sitting and watching politics for a day and a half, the old bones are getting creaky. It's time to get outside and get the paddle swinging.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Long Overdue Beach Trip
Nan and I took off for a long overdue beach trip to do a little furniture shuffling and yard work. My sister has recently moved back to Raleigh and had an extra sofa so we decided to update the furniture at the beach a little. There was still some debris from Hurricane Hannah that needed to be cleaned up as well as a whole summer's growth to be pruned and dealt with. I got in a good day of paddling the surf with a good north wind holding up some nice 3' spilling breakers. The water is still warm and a drytop with a light layer underneath was plenty to stay warm. The weather had a nip in the air in the mornings but days were nice and beautiful blue. Watching some surf fishers, it appeared the small blues were in on the schools of fingerling mullet and there were spanish mackerel jumping everywhere.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Transition
The water and air are cooling down enough that it's time to wind down the flatwater and beginner kayak instruction for the year and start looking for some water of my own in earnest. Last week's trip to the Russell Fork, New River Gorge and Yough was a good start toward that goal. It's still quite dry around here. The transition in seasons also leads me to start looking homeward to chores that need to get done. Between sessions of chainsawing up some downfall in the yard, I'm finishing up some paperwork for the ACA recreation committee and preparing for the upcoming long weekend of the ACA Instructor's conference, SEIC meeting and ACA Board meeting. I'm looking forward to chairing the Club Instructors' roundtable discussion and hope we can get some good feedback and ideas from instructors to take forward.
I've been kept pretty busy lately with a gung-ho group of sea kayakers in the Triangle who are organizing a local flatwater/sea kayak paddling club. Stay tuned to see what happens with this group. They are on fire right now and I expect to see big things come from their efforts.
I finally broke down and bought a used copy of "Deliverance" today, figuring it was a de rigeur addition to any paddler's library.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
It's paddle season, apparently
Saturday 9/27 was spent on the Eno River in Durham teaching a man and his 13-YO son the fine art of River Kayaking. Flow was up to about 2.9 feet at Hillsborough so we had fairly easy time making it down the river. The father took a few dips but the son was a hoot. After some initial instability, the young-un started bombing down the river.
Monday-Wed. I took off down the Waccamaw from Longs, SC to Conway SC, about 45 river miles, with Paul and Pete.We had a relaxing time down this beautiful blackwater coastal river. Good campsites were few and far between due to either the very low cypress swamp or heavily shrubbed higher ground. Skeeters were still bad with daytimes in the upper 70s and nights in the low 60s, but with enough DEET, it was bearable. You have to love paddling with canoeists (I was in kayak). We had a great steak, roasted garlic, baked potato and peas dinner the first night thanks to immense coolers that canoes will handle (unlike the dehydrated fare I stuffed in my yak). Thanks to Paul for inviting me to join them.
Monday-Wed. I took off down the Waccamaw from Longs, SC to Conway SC, about 45 river miles, with Paul and Pete.We had a relaxing time down this beautiful blackwater coastal river. Good campsites were few and far between due to either the very low cypress swamp or heavily shrubbed higher ground. Skeeters were still bad with daytimes in the upper 70s and nights in the low 60s, but with enough DEET, it was bearable. You have to love paddling with canoeists (I was in kayak). We had a great steak, roasted garlic, baked potato and peas dinner the first night thanks to immense coolers that canoes will handle (unlike the dehydrated fare I stuffed in my yak). Thanks to Paul for inviting me to join them.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Snoozing in the Smokies
We had a nice, relaxing weekend on the Nantahala. Fall temperatures are starting to arrive with mid-40s at night in camp. As luck would have it, we crossed paths with the Georgia Canoe Association's "Fall Fling" trip for the second year in a row and saw some old friends. Robert and Gretchen were there and we got to spend some time with them. A lot of folks spent the weekend at the Ocoee but we decided just to push the Nanty to its (our) limits. We had several folks from GCA join us on sat and Barbara only on Sunday.
Nancy, just for being Nancy, received a new purple Strutter to complete her vision of loveliness.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Runnin' on empty
Week before last saw me on the Youghiogheny River in PA. I returned and did a Quickstart Your Kayak class Saturday and a whitewater kayak class Monday and Tuesday. The Haw ran Wednesday so I HAD to catch that, of course. I went back over to Falls dam today and did a short section with Chuck, my student from earlier in the week. Today's tally: Dry gear from yesterday, go to the dump, paddle, grocery shop, dry today's gear, cook dinner, surf web, blog post.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sea Kayaking in Maine
Nan, Rich Ruhlen and I took off on an epic road trip to try out the sea kayaking on the Maine coast and get a feel for Acadia National Park. Though we started out with big plans to take either the Forester or Rich's Element, by the time we saw the pile of stuff we had, the extra hundred bucks of calculated gas for the Tundra didn't sound too bad. Rich had brought his Klepper Aerius tandem collapsible which took up the lion's share or room and Nan and I had decided just to rent boats up there.
Following a grueling 22 hour drive through the absolute worst traffic I've ever seen (never even think of driving north of DC on I-95 without a EZPass) we made it to Stonington, Maine and Old Quarry Ocean Adventures, our campsite and outfitter for the week.
We enjoyed one full day and two-half days of paddling while we were there, making the rounds of a lot of the local islands including Green, Hell's Half-Acre, Sheep Island, Whitmore Neck and Crotch Island. The number of lobster pots in the area are simply innumerable. It's hard to imagine that that fishery is sustainable. Nancy and I were renting Necky Eskia kayaks an, except for a half-day tandem, Rich used his Klepper set us for solo. In the protected waters between the islands conditions ranged from glassy-smooth to 1-2' seas in 15kn winds. It was pretty easy to route to leeward of islands and make the windy passages of 1/2 to 3/4 miles (or less) between islands pretty easily and make some good distance in those conditions.
On Thursday, we took the ferry from Stonington over to Isle au Haut's Duck Harbor and spent about 4 hours hiking trails on that island; one of the southern edges of Acadia National Park.
The area has some really tremendous scenery and still appears pretty steeped in its seafaring history. There are numerous large wooden sailing vessels moored around the islands and passing through. There is also a lot of development of really spendy housing going on. Even the smaller islands offshore are pretty ell populated, though you can find some uninhabited ones as well that would provide some excellent camping opportunities. Several large quarries and landmarks in the area point to the historical significance of Deer Isle granite to the local economy. We tried to sample a number of the local restaurants while we were there to get a feel for the fare. My observation was that, while the are seems to have a local food (i.e. lobster), there does not seem to be much in the way of a local cuisine. I think someone could do well by the area by coming in and adding a little fusion and spice to the selection of seafood available. While I did try the de rigeur lobster roll during the trip (not impressed), I opted to wait and get my whole lobster at home in the grocery store for much less dinero.
All in all (now that I'm recuperated from the drive) it was a good week while we were there and now has piqued a small interest in continuing to do some sea kayaking (after, of course I am able to get in some more whitewater boating following all the rains we just had).
Lessons learned? Beautiful place that's really hard to get to. Go kayak camping next time. Drive at night if possible and take I-81 rather than I-95. Get an EZPass. Take your own boats when you go: the extra gas is nothing compared to the rental cost. It's a good time of year- few bugs, temperature's right, water temp's right on the edge of bearable, though still cold. If the weather is right, Isle au Haut would be well within paddling distance if you could get a campsite over there, but some of the other smaller islands might provide just as good camping.
Following a grueling 22 hour drive through the absolute worst traffic I've ever seen (never even think of driving north of DC on I-95 without a EZPass) we made it to Stonington, Maine and Old Quarry Ocean Adventures, our campsite and outfitter for the week.
We enjoyed one full day and two-half days of paddling while we were there, making the rounds of a lot of the local islands including Green, Hell's Half-Acre, Sheep Island, Whitmore Neck and Crotch Island. The number of lobster pots in the area are simply innumerable. It's hard to imagine that that fishery is sustainable. Nancy and I were renting Necky Eskia kayaks an, except for a half-day tandem, Rich used his Klepper set us for solo. In the protected waters between the islands conditions ranged from glassy-smooth to 1-2' seas in 15kn winds. It was pretty easy to route to leeward of islands and make the windy passages of 1/2 to 3/4 miles (or less) between islands pretty easily and make some good distance in those conditions.
On Thursday, we took the ferry from Stonington over to Isle au Haut's Duck Harbor and spent about 4 hours hiking trails on that island; one of the southern edges of Acadia National Park.
The area has some really tremendous scenery and still appears pretty steeped in its seafaring history. There are numerous large wooden sailing vessels moored around the islands and passing through. There is also a lot of development of really spendy housing going on. Even the smaller islands offshore are pretty ell populated, though you can find some uninhabited ones as well that would provide some excellent camping opportunities. Several large quarries and landmarks in the area point to the historical significance of Deer Isle granite to the local economy. We tried to sample a number of the local restaurants while we were there to get a feel for the fare. My observation was that, while the are seems to have a local food (i.e. lobster), there does not seem to be much in the way of a local cuisine. I think someone could do well by the area by coming in and adding a little fusion and spice to the selection of seafood available. While I did try the de rigeur lobster roll during the trip (not impressed), I opted to wait and get my whole lobster at home in the grocery store for much less dinero.
All in all (now that I'm recuperated from the drive) it was a good week while we were there and now has piqued a small interest in continuing to do some sea kayaking (after, of course I am able to get in some more whitewater boating following all the rains we just had).
Lessons learned? Beautiful place that's really hard to get to. Go kayak camping next time. Drive at night if possible and take I-81 rather than I-95. Get an EZPass. Take your own boats when you go: the extra gas is nothing compared to the rental cost. It's a good time of year- few bugs, temperature's right, water temp's right on the edge of bearable, though still cold. If the weather is right, Isle au Haut would be well within paddling distance if you could get a campsite over there, but some of the other smaller islands might provide just as good camping.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monthly(?) update
How do REAL bloggers do it? Particularly those with REAL jobs? It seems like the rare occasion when I can really sit down and find a couple of minutes to write up a blog entry. This one is pretty much going to be a shopping list of the last 40 or so days since my last post. Since June 19, I've taught seven "Quickstart your Kayak" classes, 2 rolling sessions, one River course, and also did a demo-day for Paddle Creek.
July 4 week, of course the biggest week of my year, was Week-of-Rivers. We once again only had dam release stuff and very little natural flow, but I had an enormously large time, as always. I got to paddle the Pigeon (twice), Ocoee (first time Super Watauga move!!WOOHOO!), Nantahala, Tuckaseegee, and as an amazingly fun new run, (5)- count 'em, (5) low-water runs down the Cheoah from above Bear Creek Falls to the lake. The latter will surely become a WOR staple. A few pix are up and there'll be a video sampler of the week sometime in the future.
July 18-20 was an ACA Board meeting in Fredericksburg, VA including a hot-hot-hot day paddling the Rappahannock. Taking advantage of already being 4.5 hours north of Raleigh, I headed northeast to join several other friends for an "Old Farts on the Yough" trip in Ohiopyle, VA. I was able to get two runs on "the Loop" on Monday before most arrived Monday evening and then we had a full run of the lower Yough on Tues. Torrential rains EVERY night swelled local rivers to the point that the remainder of the group was uncomfortable paddling the LY on Wed. that was still rising past 3.1'(It eventually climbed to about 4.2') So, we drove a little way and did a first-run on the Casselman River near Confluence, PA. It was a really fun II-III run at about 1,000 CFS (~2.9'). I also managed to drown yet another digital camera on this trip, so it looks like it's back to shopping for me.
Once again, using my geographic potential energy, I sadly bid adieu to the Old Farts (including Joe G., who hadn't been in a boat in three years (and it was GREAT to see him on the water again)) and headed to Lewisburg, WV to see Virginia and Ginny. I hadn't been there in...damn...a long time. I had promised them and myself that once I got a vehicle I could stand the gas mileage in, I'd be there...so I went. (The Old Farts subsequently informed me, gleefully, that I had missed a rare run on Little Sandy to Big Sandy and it was schweet.)
So much to do, so little time. More fun planned. Stay tuned.
July 4 week, of course the biggest week of my year, was Week-of-Rivers. We once again only had dam release stuff and very little natural flow, but I had an enormously large time, as always. I got to paddle the Pigeon (twice), Ocoee (first time Super Watauga move!!WOOHOO!), Nantahala, Tuckaseegee, and as an amazingly fun new run, (5)- count 'em, (5) low-water runs down the Cheoah from above Bear Creek Falls to the lake. The latter will surely become a WOR staple. A few pix are up and there'll be a video sampler of the week sometime in the future.
July 18-20 was an ACA Board meeting in Fredericksburg, VA including a hot-hot-hot day paddling the Rappahannock. Taking advantage of already being 4.5 hours north of Raleigh, I headed northeast to join several other friends for an "Old Farts on the Yough" trip in Ohiopyle, VA. I was able to get two runs on "the Loop" on Monday before most arrived Monday evening and then we had a full run of the lower Yough on Tues. Torrential rains EVERY night swelled local rivers to the point that the remainder of the group was uncomfortable paddling the LY on Wed. that was still rising past 3.1'(It eventually climbed to about 4.2') So, we drove a little way and did a first-run on the Casselman River near Confluence, PA. It was a really fun II-III run at about 1,000 CFS (~2.9'). I also managed to drown yet another digital camera on this trip, so it looks like it's back to shopping for me.
Once again, using my geographic potential energy, I sadly bid adieu to the Old Farts (including Joe G., who hadn't been in a boat in three years (and it was GREAT to see him on the water again)) and headed to Lewisburg, WV to see Virginia and Ginny. I hadn't been there in...damn...a long time. I had promised them and myself that once I got a vehicle I could stand the gas mileage in, I'd be there...so I went. (The Old Farts subsequently informed me, gleefully, that I had missed a rare run on Little Sandy to Big Sandy and it was schweet.)
So much to do, so little time. More fun planned. Stay tuned.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Blazing hot spring
It's been a busy couple of weeks (not even counting yesterday's excitement of bringing home a new vehicle). Three weekends ago was the Adaptive Paddling clinic in Wintergreen, VA to add that endorsement to my Instructor's certification. Two weekends ago I taught a 3-hour course on Falls Lake that was so hot I postponed a class scheduled for the following Sunday. Took a quick day-trip mid-week to Hammock's Beach to check out a kayaking venue there.
Last weekend saw Nancy and me teaching our first (together) whitewater kayaking course on the Cape Fear, followed the next day by a 6-hour course on Lake Jordan (in more temperate weather). Starting to get a lot of calls for roll clinics so I added some info on that on the website today and almost immediately booked a roll session.
We'll probably head to VA this weekend to help out with an adaptive paddling river run and it'll be a good chance to test out the new Subie's chops with a couple of boats on top.
Hope it doesn't get too much hotter and certainly NO drier as summer's first day rolls around tomorrow. We'll have Week-of-Rivers starting at the end of next week and then the paddling REALLY begins.
Last weekend saw Nancy and me teaching our first (together) whitewater kayaking course on the Cape Fear, followed the next day by a 6-hour course on Lake Jordan (in more temperate weather). Starting to get a lot of calls for roll clinics so I added some info on that on the website today and almost immediately booked a roll session.
We'll probably head to VA this weekend to help out with an adaptive paddling river run and it'll be a good chance to test out the new Subie's chops with a couple of boats on top.
Hope it doesn't get too much hotter and certainly NO drier as summer's first day rolls around tomorrow. We'll have Week-of-Rivers starting at the end of next week and then the paddling REALLY begins.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Big Day
I've been talking about it, researching it, and working on it for a long time, but today is the big day. I finally took possession of a 2009 Subaru Forester after a long wait and a lot of looking around for one. It was overall bad timing on my part: wanting to get the newest of the new model year for this major rebuild of the Forester model and at the same time catching the purchase right at the (hopefully) peak of the latest gas-price escalations to $4 a gallon.
I had to do something to to supplement my auto choices. I simply haven't felt like I could take off by myself in my pickup to the mountains to paddle when it was taking $200 in gas up there and back. Don't get me wrong...the Tundra is still parked outside ready to go when we need to haul a load or have a good carpool of 4 or more.
It was a fairly painful process even though I used the ACA benefit of their VIP Partners program to get dealer invoice minus 2% pricing. That's a long story I might carp about in another post sometime, but I do want to give a lot of credit to Strider Subaru in Asheboro, NC for giving me what I believe to be a good bargain and up-front and friendly service. Thanks to Ricky McNeill there for helping me with this purchase, which finally entailed ordering the car from the factory to get exactly what I wanted. I got a LOT worse treatment and supposed bargains elsewhere in the shopping process and Strider and Ricky shone bright in that field.
The mileage computer was saying 29.7 MPG average for the trip from Asheboro home, so the drive was instant gratification. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of that this weekend and if the planets align properly, I might head to Virginia to help out with an adaptive paddling trip on the James with the Wintergreen folks.
I have some more activities of late to document, but I might just hold off another day and break up the posts.
Mañana.
I had to do something to to supplement my auto choices. I simply haven't felt like I could take off by myself in my pickup to the mountains to paddle when it was taking $200 in gas up there and back. Don't get me wrong...the Tundra is still parked outside ready to go when we need to haul a load or have a good carpool of 4 or more.
It was a fairly painful process even though I used the ACA benefit of their VIP Partners program to get dealer invoice minus 2% pricing. That's a long story I might carp about in another post sometime, but I do want to give a lot of credit to Strider Subaru in Asheboro, NC for giving me what I believe to be a good bargain and up-front and friendly service. Thanks to Ricky McNeill there for helping me with this purchase, which finally entailed ordering the car from the factory to get exactly what I wanted. I got a LOT worse treatment and supposed bargains elsewhere in the shopping process and Strider and Ricky shone bright in that field.
The mileage computer was saying 29.7 MPG average for the trip from Asheboro home, so the drive was instant gratification. I'm looking forward to taking advantage of that this weekend and if the planets align properly, I might head to Virginia to help out with an adaptive paddling trip on the James with the Wintergreen folks.
I have some more activities of late to document, but I might just hold off another day and break up the posts.
Mañana.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Adaptive Paddling
I spent a four-day weekend in Virginia last weekend attending and completing an ACA Adaptive Paddling instruction clinic for an ACA endorsement to my teaching credentials. It was a demanding course and taught me a lot about working with people with disabilities. It was very rewarding to be able to assist and work with these folks in developing outfitting and procedures that allow them to participate in kayaking. We had several CCC members or instructors in the clinic as well as instructors from around the country at this event, hosted by the neonatal Wintergreen Adaptive Paddling program.
Among all the other reasons I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of my recently-ordered Subaru Forester, getting back to Virginia and working with the Wintergreen program is certainly high in the list.
Among all the other reasons I'm anxiously awaiting delivery of my recently-ordered Subaru Forester, getting back to Virginia and working with the Wintergreen program is certainly high in the list.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Training Season
The weekend before last saw us off to the mountains to teach in the CCC's annual novice/intermediate whitewater kayaking clinics. This was Nancy's first chance to teach whitewater since her instructor certification.
Last weekend, we enjoyed a day-trip to the James-Balcony Falls section with several students from the N/I clinics.
This week and weekend, I'm heading to Wintergreen, VA to obtain my ACA endorsement for Adaptive Paddling instruction via the Wintergreen Adaptive Paddling Program.
Last weekend, we enjoyed a day-trip to the James-Balcony Falls section with several students from the N/I clinics.
This week and weekend, I'm heading to Wintergreen, VA to obtain my ACA endorsement for Adaptive Paddling instruction via the Wintergreen Adaptive Paddling Program.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Voyeur Prognosticators
I just opened a fortune cookie that can evidently look in on my life. Though not really telling me what my future is, it told me "You look pretty". I just wanted to document that in case I ever needed some type of proof.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Married to a Pro
Congratulations to my beautiful spouse for completing her Level IV Whitewater Kayak Instructor Certification with the American Canoe Association. I SO look forward to teaching with her.
I knew all along she could do it.
Safety Boating
After having a 3-hour course canceled yesterday I took up an offer to safety-boat for two, hour-and-a-half rental kayak trips down the Neuse for Paddle Creek. It was a beautiful day and not a lot of work except for loading and unloading boats for the shuttle for over 30 people. I ran into Kurt and Cindy on the river and had a chat with them along the way.
Talking with Nancy last night, she had a great day on the Ocoee with her instructor class. I'm so glad that came off well for her.
Talking with Nancy last night, she had a great day on the Ocoee with her instructor class. I'm so glad that came off well for her.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Guilt post
I'm making this post as remorse for not keeping up this blog. I'm frantically running around packing my boat and gear this AM preparing for a run on te lower Haw at 4.5', simply to help out a newbie I've befriended. Have to cultivate this relationship because he can paddle weekdays!
Life has been a blur of activity. I've had (2) 8-hour kayaking courses in the last week and have another 6-hour course tomorrow. Had to rewire a loaner trailer to pull all that off. I've been asked to commit to leading a Neuse River tour for some decent $$$/Hr and won't be able to pass that up. I need to finish a writeup of a conference call for the ACA recreation committee and then sneak in a grocery shopping trip too.
No time.... Gotta go. TTFN.
Life has been a blur of activity. I've had (2) 8-hour kayaking courses in the last week and have another 6-hour course tomorrow. Had to rewire a loaner trailer to pull all that off. I've been asked to commit to leading a Neuse River tour for some decent $$$/Hr and won't be able to pass that up. I need to finish a writeup of a conference call for the ACA recreation committee and then sneak in a grocery shopping trip too.
No time.... Gotta go. TTFN.
Monday, April 7, 2008
April Showers
March ended and April started off with a bang. Though we'd originally planned to take a week off to go paddle the Suwannee in Florida, lack of ny takers for that trip altered our plans to two and a half days on the Edisto River in SC. Nan and I took off for two nights on the river for about 36 miles. It was a pretty, although unexpectedly rather developed sectiono of the river with only the rare section of 2 or more bends without some form of house. A rainy spell set in that weekend and we had light showers to mist for most of the trip.
Returining to the triangle, it was nice to see that the rain fairies had visited here too, giving us 2 days in the next week on the Haw: one of which bringing 18 CCC-ers oout for a post-work paddle. Kayaking is alive and well.
This past weekend found us on Harker's Island for a weekend trip out to Shackleford Banks. Horrendous rain and thunderstorms almost stopped our passage for the 3-mile trek across Core Sound, but we poersisted for some nice scenery for a couple of hours before the rain, wind and lightning started up again and lasted all Saturday night. We topped the weekend (and the last day of Nancy's vacation) off with a stop at El's in Morehead City for a large shrimpburger. What a treat!
Back to work now. Finished our txes today and now have to start in preparing for this weekend's Falls Lake Festival (Lake's now full and started 470 cfs discharge TODAY after months at 25-30 cfs) as well as a kayak class on Sunday, an ACA conference call Sat. night, and another class the following Sun.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Annual Haw River Cleanup
This Saturday we did the annual Haw River Cleanup with CCC and the Haw River Assembly. We had a pretty good turnout considering rain was forecast. We picked up over 40 bags of trash plus odds and ends and then relaxed with a hot dog cookout afterward.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Spring Rains
Spring rains have brought us an exceptional several weeks f paddling. Starting the month off, we had a great weekend on the French Broad with some CCC and TRR folks.
Last week, the skies opened up and there was water, water everywhere. I was able to paddle the Haw 5 days in the last seven, with flows as high as 8' USGS (even had to wait one day out as flows reached 9' +). Even as of today, I was able to squeak down the lower Haw at 4' with hand-paddles, just so I had an excuse to go out there and pick up some trash and clean the access. It was a beautiful day in the 70's.
I've been working a bit on ACA stuff this week, catching up with some correspondence for the Recreation Committee and also trying to get my head around the rewite of the ACA strategic plan. There are some good ideas for Recreation coming in from universities and clubs.
This Saturday is the annual Haw River cleanup and I've been asked to coordinate CCC activities for it. Might as well....trash is my 'bag'.
Last week, the skies opened up and there was water, water everywhere. I was able to paddle the Haw 5 days in the last seven, with flows as high as 8' USGS (even had to wait one day out as flows reached 9' +). Even as of today, I was able to squeak down the lower Haw at 4' with hand-paddles, just so I had an excuse to go out there and pick up some trash and clean the access. It was a beautiful day in the 70's.
I've been working a bit on ACA stuff this week, catching up with some correspondence for the Recreation Committee and also trying to get my head around the rewite of the ACA strategic plan. There are some good ideas for Recreation coming in from universities and clubs.
This Saturday is the annual Haw River cleanup and I've been asked to coordinate CCC activities for it. Might as well....trash is my 'bag'.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Flat water: It's what's for breakfast
No rain...no rain...no rain. Might as well make the best of it. We had a good Friday last week with Paul and a couple of folks from the Lumber River paddling club on Little Contentnea Creek. It was about 15 miles and had some pretty streches. There were a couple of exposed banks with fossilized shells and many a beaver dam. With the water about 3" too low, we ended up bumping over quite a bit of lumber.
On Sunday, I had posted a flat water cruise for the CCC to Rhodes Pond to get back down there and do a little exploring. A group of 9 (with as many that backed out at the last moment) faced a windy day that turned out very pleasantly up among the cypress. It's a beautiful place that I still want to go back to to see if we can get a little further up the watershed.
On Sunday, I had posted a flat water cruise for the CCC to Rhodes Pond to get back down there and do a little exploring. A group of 9 (with as many that backed out at the last moment) faced a windy day that turned out very pleasantly up among the cypress. It's a beautiful place that I still want to go back to to see if we can get a little further up the watershed.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
An Open Letter to the North Carolina Legislature
Every month, the Carolina Canoe Club cleans the litter from each of the Haw River canoe access points that the Club uses often for paddling (Chicken Bridge Road, US 15/501, Bynum, US 64, Robeson Creek). Volunteers sign up annually for cleaning one or more acceses each month. I have been a frequent contributor to these cleanups as I deem the Haw my "Home River" and paddle it often when it flows (The Haw is among the most popular whitewater paddling destinations in the piedmont of the State).
This was my month to clean the Bynum and Hwy 64 accesses and it was a free day so I decided to follow up with an additional cleanup of the river section between Hwy 64 and Robeson Creek Accesses from my canoe. After collecting a full bag of litter from the accesses, I proceeded downriver. Three hours later, I had to stop picking up litter along the 2.4 mile section because the total weight of the litter accumulated was making the canoe unsafe to paddle in the cold February water (This is frequently the case on cleanups...there's not enough canoe space to hold it all). I proceeded to the Robeson Creek Access and bagged up two more full trash bags, two tires, a tire casing, a 55 gallon steel drum (emptied of who-knows-what) and a large piece of plastic. This was a pretty typical day of cleanup. I had only attempted to pick up the litter that was accessible from the canoe and had not wandered ashore to try to clean the trails along that 2.4 mile stretch (all of which are now in the Haw River State Park).
To add some context, this river corridor, along this small section, is blessed with an annual cleanup sponsored by the Haw River Assembly and the Carolina Canoe Club. I made several monthly trips to the accesses as well last year with similar results except for the US 15/501 access where 6-8 bags of trash (Lawn-sized bags) is the norm: that's 6-8 bags per month.
What constitutes this huge pile of trash? Disposable, single-serving beverage containers far outnumber any other category. Soda, bottled water, sports drinks all are part, but the vast majority are containers obviously left by those euphemistically termed "subsistence anglers". This is a coy term for those who spend endless hours at streamside consuming incredible quantities of alcoholic beverages, littering the stream banks with beer bottles and cans, liquor bottles, cardboard 12-pack boxes, plastic chicken liver and worm tubs, used baby diapers (parents setting a great example for the next generation), and unbelievably often; socks! It's almost guaranteed there will be socks mixed in with the other litter. I'll never understand that. More often than not, there will be grocery and/or trash bags lying right next to the piles of litter: Bags that could have easily been used to transport out everything that was brought in.
Is environmental degradation, eyesore, and growing public burden not enough to cause a change? How about if we throw in the fact that many, many of these "subsistence anglers" have now taken up the habit of creating 'fishing tackle" by wrapping yards and yards of monfilament line around these disposible bottles and cans, fishing (a.k.a. drinking) for hours and then disposing of these balls of heavy line on the spot. What happen to these nests of plastic when they are flushed (or thrown) into streams? They unravel and unroll and now leave yards and yards of veritable garrotes laying in wait for the first swimmer, kayaker, boater, or even fish to come along and become hopelessly and possibly fatally entangled. This is a public safety hazard and is an immense one for my segment of the population (whitewater kayakers) and for another sector that seems to receive a lot of lip service... children that also frequent these areas to swim. Finding these 'spools' is not an uncommon event. They are left as carelessly and as often as beer bottles and cans becuase they have no value other than that recognized on-site. Need a spool next time you're there? Drink a beer, open your new spool of line (cast away its wrapping), open a new package of hooks (cast away its wrapping), open a new package of sinkers (cast away its wrappinng), open a tub of chicken livers (cast away its tub), sit down and finish off that 12-pack, finish "fishing", leave it all there along with your styrofoam luch tray, Doritos bag and the grocery sack you bought it all to the river in and stumble away. I'm not kidding. This is how it happens.
This is not an isolated occurrence and may well represent a best case as a waterbody that is receiving specific TLC to maintain even a modicum of of temporary reprieve from burial in trash. I have begun frequent paddles on Lake Jordan and its shoreline is heavily littered: obvious and obtuse. The Lake itself does not yet enjoy the efforts that the Haw receive just a few miles upstream and down to the Lake's upper reaches. Litter plagues our mountain and coastal plain stream as well. It is a extremely rare condition any more to stumble upon a 'pristine' mountain stream untouched by human flotsam. The French Broad River, Nolichucky River, Nantahala River, the Mayo, Dan, Neuse, Lumber, New....an endless list where piles and pile of trash accumulate at any bend, any beaverdam. I spent 28 and a half years as a water quality biologist in service to the citizens of NC and I have seen a dramatic increase in this problem in the last decade all over our great state. It is now getting worst by the year.
How does a society allow this to happen? Why do blind eyes gaze away from this problem? How does social conscious sink to the depths that considers this acceptable behavior? While the 1,100 + members of the Carolina Canoe Club supported Senators Berger, Cowell, Goss, Graham, and Kinnaird in their effort to pass the Litter Reduction Act of 2007, this was apparently a flash-in-the-pan passing fancy for the remainder of the legislature. Do these other individuals not look out their windows when they are traveling North Carolina's highways and byways? Do they not set foot on, in, or near our precious water bodies and see this problem? Were they not themselves the generation at the heart of social memes including "Every Litter Bit Hurts", "Keep America Beautiful" and "People start pollution...People can stop it"? Have we all forgotten that famous tear running down the cheek of Iron Eyes Cody as he looked out on streams and highways being littered? Some of us have not forgotten. Groups like the Stewards of the White Oak River dedicate their paddling to cleanups. The CCC itself started cleanrivers.org simply to highlight the problem and thank those who try to be the solution. I paddle with the mantra "Trash Every Trip".
I urge, plead and beg the North Carolina legislature to acknowledge this problem and take action to reverse its course. It is obvious that there is a segment of the public that requires additional motivation to change their habits. Whether governmental intervention comes in the form of a carrot or a stick, that intervention must happen. We are seeing an irreversible degradation in a public resource and a related concurrent rise in a public safety hazard. The problem is even now becoming a perception that our land, once called a "Variety Vacationland", is becoming a landfill. We cannot let this happen on our watch. This constitutes my family's values and I would like to ask for my share of representation.
Larry Ausley, CPM
Water Quality Biologist, retired
Past President- Carolina Canoe Club
Whitewater Kayak Instructor
Board of Directors- American Canoe Assocation
North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine
This was my month to clean the Bynum and Hwy 64 accesses and it was a free day so I decided to follow up with an additional cleanup of the river section between Hwy 64 and Robeson Creek Accesses from my canoe. After collecting a full bag of litter from the accesses, I proceeded downriver. Three hours later, I had to stop picking up litter along the 2.4 mile section because the total weight of the litter accumulated was making the canoe unsafe to paddle in the cold February water (This is frequently the case on cleanups...there's not enough canoe space to hold it all). I proceeded to the Robeson Creek Access and bagged up two more full trash bags, two tires, a tire casing, a 55 gallon steel drum (emptied of who-knows-what) and a large piece of plastic. This was a pretty typical day of cleanup. I had only attempted to pick up the litter that was accessible from the canoe and had not wandered ashore to try to clean the trails along that 2.4 mile stretch (all of which are now in the Haw River State Park).
To add some context, this river corridor, along this small section, is blessed with an annual cleanup sponsored by the Haw River Assembly and the Carolina Canoe Club. I made several monthly trips to the accesses as well last year with similar results except for the US 15/501 access where 6-8 bags of trash (Lawn-sized bags) is the norm: that's 6-8 bags per month.
What constitutes this huge pile of trash? Disposable, single-serving beverage containers far outnumber any other category. Soda, bottled water, sports drinks all are part, but the vast majority are containers obviously left by those euphemistically termed "subsistence anglers". This is a coy term for those who spend endless hours at streamside consuming incredible quantities of alcoholic beverages, littering the stream banks with beer bottles and cans, liquor bottles, cardboard 12-pack boxes, plastic chicken liver and worm tubs, used baby diapers (parents setting a great example for the next generation), and unbelievably often; socks! It's almost guaranteed there will be socks mixed in with the other litter. I'll never understand that. More often than not, there will be grocery and/or trash bags lying right next to the piles of litter: Bags that could have easily been used to transport out everything that was brought in.
Is environmental degradation, eyesore, and growing public burden not enough to cause a change? How about if we throw in the fact that many, many of these "subsistence anglers" have now taken up the habit of creating 'fishing tackle" by wrapping yards and yards of monfilament line around these disposible bottles and cans, fishing (a.k.a. drinking) for hours and then disposing of these balls of heavy line on the spot. What happen to these nests of plastic when they are flushed (or thrown) into streams? They unravel and unroll and now leave yards and yards of veritable garrotes laying in wait for the first swimmer, kayaker, boater, or even fish to come along and become hopelessly and possibly fatally entangled. This is a public safety hazard and is an immense one for my segment of the population (whitewater kayakers) and for another sector that seems to receive a lot of lip service... children that also frequent these areas to swim. Finding these 'spools' is not an uncommon event. They are left as carelessly and as often as beer bottles and cans becuase they have no value other than that recognized on-site. Need a spool next time you're there? Drink a beer, open your new spool of line (cast away its wrapping), open a new package of hooks (cast away its wrapping), open a new package of sinkers (cast away its wrappinng), open a tub of chicken livers (cast away its tub), sit down and finish off that 12-pack, finish "fishing", leave it all there along with your styrofoam luch tray, Doritos bag and the grocery sack you bought it all to the river in and stumble away. I'm not kidding. This is how it happens.
This is not an isolated occurrence and may well represent a best case as a waterbody that is receiving specific TLC to maintain even a modicum of of temporary reprieve from burial in trash. I have begun frequent paddles on Lake Jordan and its shoreline is heavily littered: obvious and obtuse. The Lake itself does not yet enjoy the efforts that the Haw receive just a few miles upstream and down to the Lake's upper reaches. Litter plagues our mountain and coastal plain stream as well. It is a extremely rare condition any more to stumble upon a 'pristine' mountain stream untouched by human flotsam. The French Broad River, Nolichucky River, Nantahala River, the Mayo, Dan, Neuse, Lumber, New....an endless list where piles and pile of trash accumulate at any bend, any beaverdam. I spent 28 and a half years as a water quality biologist in service to the citizens of NC and I have seen a dramatic increase in this problem in the last decade all over our great state. It is now getting worst by the year.
How does a society allow this to happen? Why do blind eyes gaze away from this problem? How does social conscious sink to the depths that considers this acceptable behavior? While the 1,100 + members of the Carolina Canoe Club supported Senators Berger, Cowell, Goss, Graham, and Kinnaird in their effort to pass the Litter Reduction Act of 2007, this was apparently a flash-in-the-pan passing fancy for the remainder of the legislature. Do these other individuals not look out their windows when they are traveling North Carolina's highways and byways? Do they not set foot on, in, or near our precious water bodies and see this problem? Were they not themselves the generation at the heart of social memes including "Every Litter Bit Hurts", "Keep America Beautiful" and "People start pollution...People can stop it"? Have we all forgotten that famous tear running down the cheek of Iron Eyes Cody as he looked out on streams and highways being littered? Some of us have not forgotten. Groups like the Stewards of the White Oak River dedicate their paddling to cleanups. The CCC itself started cleanrivers.org simply to highlight the problem and thank those who try to be the solution. I paddle with the mantra "Trash Every Trip".
I urge, plead and beg the North Carolina legislature to acknowledge this problem and take action to reverse its course. It is obvious that there is a segment of the public that requires additional motivation to change their habits. Whether governmental intervention comes in the form of a carrot or a stick, that intervention must happen. We are seeing an irreversible degradation in a public resource and a related concurrent rise in a public safety hazard. The problem is even now becoming a perception that our land, once called a "Variety Vacationland", is becoming a landfill. We cannot let this happen on our watch. This constitutes my family's values and I would like to ask for my share of representation.
Larry Ausley, CPM
Water Quality Biologist, retired
Past President- Carolina Canoe Club
Whitewater Kayak Instructor
Board of Directors- American Canoe Assocation
North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine
Monday, January 21, 2008
Nose to the grindstone
You know something is amiss when your 'honey-do' list is topped with a browbeating to get you blog up to date. I guess me excuse is a combination of a busy couple of weeks followed by bone-numbing cold that just has us holed up in a wintery daze. Here's whassup.
January 6 we made a first run on the Smith River in Martinsville, VA with the Triad River Runners. It was a tame little river with class I=/II- but it was fun to see some olds friends and shake out the cobwebs.
Later the following week we closely watched some rain traipse across the northern
mountains and wound up heading to Damascus and Abingdon, VA for our first run down the lower Whitetop Laurel: a creek been wanting to do for a long time. The run only whet my appetite for doing the upper section of the creek. On Sunday a smaller group of 4 of us did a class II+ section of the Clinch River. Slightly cooler and cloudier but we drove home well sated by a weekend of paddling.
The weekend of the 19th was the annual CCC officers meeting that we sat in for most of the day Saturday followed by Raleigh's annual "Rollapoolooza". Nan and I set up an exhibit table for CCC and ACA. The event was well attended despite snowy conditions that never really amounted to much accumulation.
January 6 we made a first run on the Smith River in Martinsville, VA with the Triad River Runners. It was a tame little river with class I=/II- but it was fun to see some olds friends and shake out the cobwebs.
Later the following week we closely watched some rain traipse across the northern
mountains and wound up heading to Damascus and Abingdon, VA for our first run down the lower Whitetop Laurel: a creek been wanting to do for a long time. The run only whet my appetite for doing the upper section of the creek. On Sunday a smaller group of 4 of us did a class II+ section of the Clinch River. Slightly cooler and cloudier but we drove home well sated by a weekend of paddling.The weekend of the 19th was the annual CCC officers meeting that we sat in for most of the day Saturday followed by Raleigh's annual "Rollapoolooza". Nan and I set up an exhibit table for CCC and ACA. The event was well attended despite snowy conditions that never really amounted to much accumulation.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Ahh, the small things in life!
Sometimes you just can't tell where the great pleasures in life may come from. Today I had one of those moments of epiphany. I found a copy-cat recipe for White Castle cheeseburgers (AKA 'sliders') and had to try to replicate the gustatory nirvana I so frequently enjoy only via a box of frozen treats from the Food Lion. A pound of hamburger and a jar of dried onion flakes later, I had before me the platter of the gods: 15 gut bombs so tasty I could barely eat them for grinning. If it HAS to be winter, you may as well find a way to enjoy it.
The year begins with a BANG!
Dec 31 and Jan 1 saw two great days of flow in the Haw River and it was like homecoming day for the CCC. I'd estimate there were close to 50 paddlers there for the day and we had two beautiful days of paddling. I was absolutely giddy about it. We had 7' on New Year's eve and 5.5' on New Year's day. Let's hope the trend continues.
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