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.

Wilson Rocks!

Said it before, but gotta say it again.  Wilson Creek is awesome.  Good day and good people on the water!  Shoot me a message if you're ever heading that way.

10 Foot

Triple Drop

Razorback

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 Books and Paddling

The other evening when reading to my daughter, i realized how much kayaks and canoes are constantly infused into out children's stories.  If you haven't gotten your kids into a canoe or kayak before, you need to!  Chances are they're already primed to do it from bedtime stories.  :)

Here are a handful of images i scanned from books off my daughters shelf:

Richard Scary's Best Word Book Ever

I Love Daddy

Jamberry

Baby Beluga

Mama Do You Love Me?

Random Coloring Book

Paddling the lower Eno River (AKA Three Rivers Area)

I love this time of year in NC!  One day we're wearing fleece jackets and thermal underwear, the very next we're stripping down to shorts and t-shirts.  It keeps things interesting :) This time of year also typically means, rain.  Our local rivers have been blessed most of this past winter and early spring with nice water levels which has been great for my line of work.  When water levels are up it also means one of my favorite flat water paddling locations has access opened up to tons of small creeks and floodplain forest that can be paddled.  This is what i refer to as the 3 Rivers Area.  This is the lower Eno River nearing Falls Lake, and there is a great Wildlife Resources Commission Boat Ramp called the Eno Boat Ramp that is smack in the middle of a huge swath of undeveloped game land (if you want some specifics on the location, message me, and i can fill you in on more details).  Anyway, i have found this and similar areas really allow for kids and adults imaginations to run wild.  The mix of wide flat-water rivers, tiny creeks, open lake, and flooded forests, makes the perfect combination of environments to keep any flat water paddler happy.  If you decide to check out this area, a map is extremely helpful (here is a link to a topo map of the area http://www.froghollowoutdoors.com/MapThreeRivers.pdf ).  Looking at the map, every little creek you can see on the map, can be paddled (when water levels are a bit up), and are part of what makes this area so awesome.  Anywho, enjoy the Spring.  And dress appropriately for the day :) 

Coming out onto the Flat River after paddling through floodplain forest off of Cut-Through Creek

Our trash haul for the day