Showing posts with label paddle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paddle. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2007
We need more rain!
It's been so dry all summer and fall. All the rivers in NW Vermont are all too low to paddle, and not even the rains which shut down my garage sale were enough to bring the rivers up. Here's a great you tube video of some amazing open canoeing. I don't do anything near this crazy, but man, it is sure fun to watch!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
And now for the rest of the summer ...
Wow, somehow the summer flew by without posting for the last couple months. We put the guest room to use with visits from my dad and Isaac's mom & her boyfriend. While my dad was here, we did a bunch of fun stuff. We took him whitewater canoeing on the Lamoille river
and went sailing.
Well, I actually wouldn't say that we were doing the sailing ... we drank while the owner and his assistant did all the work. It was still a nice way to see Lake Champlain, though.
While on the boat, the assistant "joked" about throwing me off because I was wearing a Yankees hat. People here are weird about their Red Sox. Really weird. It usually seems like they are more interested in hating the Yankees than cheering for the Red Sox. I won't even wear it into a restaurant out of fear of what they might do to my food.
When Isaac's mom & her boyfriend visited, we got in lots of good socializing, enjoyed some good games, and went canoeing on the Waterbury reservoir. There was probably lots of other fun stuff we did, but I don't remember because my memory sucks and I didn't take any pictures.
We got out paddling a few times - mostly just dam release stuff because this summer was really dry. We went to the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield river, and Isaac finally paddled the Zoar Gap rapid. I went with Stephanie and Andrew to the MVP Pigroast event. We paddled the Pemi and enjoyed camping at a great hippie-style festival with $20 covering camping, all you can eat side of beef, potluck, beverage, and merriment. Isaac & Ross climbed nearby at Rumney, and joined us uf the festivities. We all climbed on Sunday. Here's Stephanie paddling the Pemi and her first time in a solo WW canoe - and a C1 as well.
There was a really big bonfire, too:
We also got out for the West River release with Ross. We paddled the lower class II section - Isaac & Ross in the Caption and me in the Detonator. Isaac & Ross swam twice - which was not fun because the water is fast, shallow, and rocky. They did well working as a team to get themselves and the canoe to shore. Even though they swam, they did a great job in the tandem - it's a tricky boat to paddle. For the first time, I seriously considered paddling the Upper West. The release was a little lower this year, so it would have been a great time to try it. I was feeling strong and confident that day as well. I couldn't find anyone who I knew who wanted to paddle it, and I didn't want to rely on people who I didn't know for my safety, so I just watched. So sad.
We also got in some climbing this summer. Isaac got in lots of climbing - I think he made it out most weekends. I made it out a few times, the most memorable of which was a trip the the Gunks where I found this Copperhead:
and went sailing.
Well, I actually wouldn't say that we were doing the sailing ... we drank while the owner and his assistant did all the work. It was still a nice way to see Lake Champlain, though.While on the boat, the assistant "joked" about throwing me off because I was wearing a Yankees hat. People here are weird about their Red Sox. Really weird. It usually seems like they are more interested in hating the Yankees than cheering for the Red Sox. I won't even wear it into a restaurant out of fear of what they might do to my food.
When Isaac's mom & her boyfriend visited, we got in lots of good socializing, enjoyed some good games, and went canoeing on the Waterbury reservoir. There was probably lots of other fun stuff we did, but I don't remember because my memory sucks and I didn't take any pictures.
We got out paddling a few times - mostly just dam release stuff because this summer was really dry. We went to the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield river, and Isaac finally paddled the Zoar Gap rapid. I went with Stephanie and Andrew to the MVP Pigroast event. We paddled the Pemi and enjoyed camping at a great hippie-style festival with $20 covering camping, all you can eat side of beef, potluck, beverage, and merriment. Isaac & Ross climbed nearby at Rumney, and joined us uf the festivities. We all climbed on Sunday. Here's Stephanie paddling the Pemi and her first time in a solo WW canoe - and a C1 as well.
There was a really big bonfire, too:
We also got out for the West River release with Ross. We paddled the lower class II section - Isaac & Ross in the Caption and me in the Detonator. Isaac & Ross swam twice - which was not fun because the water is fast, shallow, and rocky. They did well working as a team to get themselves and the canoe to shore. Even though they swam, they did a great job in the tandem - it's a tricky boat to paddle. For the first time, I seriously considered paddling the Upper West. The release was a little lower this year, so it would have been a great time to try it. I was feeling strong and confident that day as well. I couldn't find anyone who I knew who wanted to paddle it, and I didn't want to rely on people who I didn't know for my safety, so I just watched. So sad.
We also got in some climbing this summer. Isaac got in lots of climbing - I think he made it out most weekends. I made it out a few times, the most memorable of which was a trip the the Gunks where I found this Copperhead:
Monday, June 25, 2007
Class II Clinic
I helped out at the Vermont Paddlers Club Class II Clinic this weekend on the Deerfield River. It turns out I know enough to provide basic whitewater canoe instruction/pointers ... who knew? It was demofest weekend, so I got to try out a Spark. Debby need. Well, maybe not need, and maybe not this boat. The canoe I paddle now is too slow, and I am ready for something different.
It was really great to see all of the students improve throughout the weekend, but I was especially happy to see the only two canoe students (tandem) doing great with communicating well and trying to catch every eddy they could. It paid off by the end of the weekend with a successful trip through Zoar Gap.
Saturday night was lots of fun, with a few of the instructors and students gathering at my campsite for dinner. Pasta with veggies, olive oil, parmesian cheese, and grilled chicken. Everyone else from our clinic who was staying at the campground showed up later in the evening for campfire and various campfire desserts. There was the usual toasting of marshmallows, but we also made a treat that I learned from my friends Andrew & Marci while on a canoe trip on the Chochocouane: wrap a piece of Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough/triangle around a stick and cook over the fire, then coat with butter and cinnamon sugar.
All in all, it was a great weekend.
It was really great to see all of the students improve throughout the weekend, but I was especially happy to see the only two canoe students (tandem) doing great with communicating well and trying to catch every eddy they could. It paid off by the end of the weekend with a successful trip through Zoar Gap.
Saturday night was lots of fun, with a few of the instructors and students gathering at my campsite for dinner. Pasta with veggies, olive oil, parmesian cheese, and grilled chicken. Everyone else from our clinic who was staying at the campground showed up later in the evening for campfire and various campfire desserts. There was the usual toasting of marshmallows, but we also made a treat that I learned from my friends Andrew & Marci while on a canoe trip on the Chochocouane: wrap a piece of Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough/triangle around a stick and cook over the fire, then coat with butter and cinnamon sugar.All in all, it was a great weekend.
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