Well, work and play have kept me from doing much posting recently, so here i am trying to get back on track.  I'll start with another trash record.  Needless to say since my last post i have picked up quite a bit of garbage that i do not have photographic record of or listed out... oh, well.  Let's just pick up where we left off.  Click the "Trash 2013" link above to see the on-going record.

Trashy Practice

I am constantly looking for various ways to truly work and practice paddle skills in a fun and natural way during my time on the water (and land). I find satisfaction in allowing my skills practice to be a fluid aspect of whatever it is i'm doing, as opposed to having a "workout" or stroke routine solely for the sake of skill building (however that kind of practice is good as well :).  I find on moving water this is not a difficult thing to do.  However, on a flatwater kayaking day trip i find it a bit more challenging for the natural practice fluidity to exist.   One way i have been working my strokes and maneuvers practice recently is by picking up trash.  Now, i of course have been picking up litter when hiking, paddling, or being anywhere (just as, i'm sure, all of you do) for as long as i can remember.  But i have made a conscious decision to turn it into quite the fun little game.To reach items on the water, or stuck under a tree, or washed up onto on odd bend in the shoreline, i create scenarios allowing for a wide array of strokes and maneuvers to be practiced.  As i approach a piece of garbage i begin to formulate the series of things that i will need to do to reach it, and then i go through the motions to see how my plan works out.  One example may be: Plastic bottle floating 40 feet out at 2 o'clock, 2 to 3 forward strokes, sideslip right, keep momentum with a couple more forward strokes, sideslip right again, glide right up to the bottle.  Then i give it a try.  My plans don't always come together like i think they will but it's an interesting exercise to go through.  Next time you're out on a paddle give it a try.  Our environment and your skills will be the better for it in the end. :)   

Some Litter Makes Me More Sad Than Others

Cleaning up trash along the shore at Beaver Dam and to my dismay, look at what i found.  ...i just have to believe that it was accidental.  And please keep in mind, its not ours :)  If you'd like to check out my pics and current trash tally for 2013 click on the "Trash 2013" link at the top of the page.

The Ongoing Trash Effort

Well, the trash cleanup effort continues.  I had the pleasure of getting out on the water with a small crew of kids from Cary Academy to pick up trash on the lower Eno.  We found quite a bit of the normal stuff, as well as a couple surprises.  Check out the TRASH 2013 link above to see how things are adding up for the year so far.

Richmond Love

I recently had the opportunity to get on the lower James River flowing through Richmond, VA.  I was immediately struck with the interesting juxtaposition of the natural and urban environments.  Beautiful Class III water, tall buildings, wading herons, bridge pier upon bridge pier upon bridge pier, lush vegetation, long stretches of pipes and walls, tongues of flowing water and natural rock, extreme outdoorsy types, hardened urban dwellers, and more.  It was quite a surreal contrast that i really enjoyed being in the midst of.  To add to the awesomeness of the area, when i was riding to the put-in and wandering around at the take out, i was passed by dozens of mountain bikers coming off of trails, road bikers pulling in from winding road routes, climbers toting crash pads to hidden bouldering spots, and an full array of paddlers (kayakers, canoes and rafters).  In addition to the obvious outdoorsy types, i also observed a rainbow of ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientations, ... it was a wide spectrum of people.  Clusters of spiked leather jacket wearing punkers hanging out under the bridge piers, bikini clad sunbathers on tiny strands of sandy river sides, a flock of flamboyantly dressed guys walking up a river side trail, solitary transient types carrying clothes in plastic grocery bags, smartly dressed couples holding hands enjoying each others company along the river, families with fishing gear, all were present and enjoying the beautiful resource in their back yard.  As i sat with the sun setting, soaking in my surroundings, i was also struck with how little litter there was (at least near the access points).  Now, i realize that a huge urban center and a large river interfacing will have it's share of environmental issues, but this lack of litter was surprising.  And almost on cue as the sun was dropping and this lack of litter struck me, i began noticing folks coming up from the trails leading from the river side walking by a trash can and throwing their garbage in it on their way home or to their next adventure.  I witnessed every walk-of-life i mentioned above go through this action in a very non-nonchalant and natural way.  ...i think i'm in love with Richmond.  I look forward spending more time in this gem of a location.     

Unfortunately, i didn't have my phone or camera with me, but i did find tons of photos from the exact same area on the interweb.  I pulled and posted a handful below that reflect some of what i witnessed:

Kids Expeditions starting up for 2013!

 I had the joy of working with some great kids over this past week during Frog Hollow's first kid camp of 2013.  It was an intersession camp and we had a very small number of participants, but that often means we've got a lot more flexibility doing things.  This was one of those groups that it was easy to remember why i do the work i do :) They were gung ho, cooperative, inquisitive, full of life, and committed to having awesome experiences! I wish every group we worked with gelled as well as this crew did.  We did a ton of stuff! We located about a half dozen geocaches, worked on kayak skills in an indoor pool, kayaked and canoed on the Eno, learned climbing communication skills, bouldered on Hager's Mountain, learned map and compass skills and hiked to the top of Occoneechee Mountain, picked up tons of trash (check out the tally on the Trash 2013 link above) and marked storm drains for Creek Week, went to an arbor day celebration in Downtown Durham, and more!  And all this in crazy weather swings from below freezing and rain to 70+ degrees in blazing sun, all with smiles.  It was a good week and i'm looking forward to more!

Durham Creek Week 2013

We hosted another on-water cleanup in conjunction with Durham Creek Week.  We picked up a ton of trash out of Ellerbe Creek.  Check out our trash tally by clicking on the Trash 2013 link at the top of the page. Mostly plastic bottles and styrofoam.  Why does anyone use styrofoam still?

 

 

More Trash :(

Picked up some more garbage at the Eno boat ramp.  Check out the Trash 2013 link at the top of the page to see the current running tally.

More trash :(  Check out the TRASH 2013 page link above to keep track of the year's progress.

Education in Outdoor Avdenture

Excellent couple days working with Northern High School and their Outdoor Education and Adventure Classes. And i'm looking forward to a couple more!  These kids are craving these experiences and i just can't understand why programs like this don't exist for every public school!  Yesterday we worked at an indoor pool covering safety, wet-exits, rescues, and rolls.  Today we covered basics on paddle grip and strokes on a small pond at the DPS Farm Hub (interesting idea that has some real amazing potential, check it out).

Also in between classes i got to do a little cleanup!  Check out the Trash 2013 link at the top of the page!

Trash Pick Up on the Eno

So, here i am after over a year since last trying to keep up with a blog, trying it again.  Well, we'll see.  I figure the beginning of a year is a good time to try, and why not get the ball rolling with a trash cleanup.

So, our family paddling picnic turned into an impromptu stream cleanup with some significant results for only being on the water for about and hour and a half with 3 adults, an 8 year old, and a 3 year old.  Below are some specs, and i will attempt to catalog all of our 2013 Trash Cleanup Efforts on a page that will be linked above.

The amount of trash in the Three Rivers floating around was significant.  Much more than normal.  Sure we've had an above average rain year flushing out our streams and creeks, and sure the lack of leaves this time of year exposed lots of trash, ...and sure it's winter and there has been less of a presence from the paddling community on our water ways to be good stewards,...but all of those reasons...excuses...don't make the fact that there was a crap load of garbage in our water. 

01-13-13 - Eno Boat Ramp in the Three rivers Area - Our family picnic outing ended up being a trash cleanup.  There was more trash floating around than i had ever encountered here before :(
Our Haul (exact count): 61 plastic bottles, 4 glass bottles, 6 cans, 15 Styrofoam cups (this does not include the random chunks, this is over half complete cups), 1 rolling cooler (-wheels), 1 basketball, 1 baseball, 4 fishing bobbers, 1 old school water thermos, 1 can of "engine spray," 1 empty bottle of antifreeze.
Paddlers Present: Banks Dixon, Andrea Dixon, Miles Dixon, Zella Dixon, Kendra Rosa-Nusbaum
Photos coming soon.