Letters ......................................7 Forum ...................................... 4 r Blame by Bob Gedekoh Briefs .....................................76 r Membership Maniacs Wanted Portrait of a Whitewater r A Beginner Dream Come True r North American Water Trails COnferenCt! Artist... Meet Movt Reel r Watauga Gorge Race by Bob Gedekoh 38 r Ocoee Double Header River Voices ................................... 64 New River DrysY by Tim Daly 46 r A Letter from Rosl r First Swim r ~i~~ingHer softly ... r The Wet Ones CotingI u with Cabin Fever r The Lek Hole by Rick Danis 49 r Waller's Rules of the River r Whitewater in Belgium? A Rite of Friendship... Conservation .................................. 16 r Director's Cut Paddling the Rocky Broad r Profile: Kevin Lewis r Smell the Flowers Remembering Pablo Perez V r Rivers: The Future Frontier by Leland Davis 52 Safety .................................... 62 Cover: Painting donated to American Whitewater by Hoyt r Who We Are, and What We Do Reel ... to be sold at Gauley Fest 1998. See story inside. by Rich Bowers Publication Title: American Whitewater Access .................................. 25 Issue Date: July/ August 1998 Statement of Frequency: Published bimonthly r Girl Scouts Towed While Rafting Authorized Organization's Name and Address: r Oregon Rules American Whitewater Nature Lovers vs. Developers P.O. Box 636 r Margretville, NY 12455 r Help the Grand Canyon Events .................................. 32 r AWA Events Central r 1998 Schedule of River Events r 1998 NOWR Events Results Printed on Recycled Paper American Whitewater July/ August 1998 cheap, sarcastic, and lazy): my tendency to blame other people for my misfortunes. This is a failing that my mother decried when I was still a child. You know the scenario, the ' unhappy four-year old, who can't find one of Blame his favorite toys, demands to know who hid -- it. By Bob Gedekoh Of course, I am not the only one with this childish tendency. The pathologic need to There are lots of good places to day- affix blame whenever something bad hap- dream. Work, for example. Or school. Or pens seems epidemic in our culture. Just your mother-in-law's living room. But the consider the tone of the evening newscasts. pool just above the rapid called the Brink of When a plane goes down, there is imme- Disaster on West Virginia's Lower Meadow diate speculation regarding the abilities of River is definitely not a good place to day- the pilot, the air traffic controllers, the me- dream. chanics, the airline executives and the little But that's what I was doing yesterday old lady in Peoria who packaged the salted when I paddled right into the Brink as if I peanuts that they passed out mid-flight. didn't have a worry in the world. Now you I I When a multi-vehicle accident occurs on have to understand that although I ran that where I was. I was thinking about my up- the highway, the newscasters invariably tell particular rapid once or twice about fifteen coming trip to Colorado. And I had a great us whether charges will be pressed. And the years ago, I hadn't paddled it since. Why not? Patty Loveless tune playing in my head. So blood alcohol level of everyone within a mile The Brinkof Disaster is asteep convoluted over the brink I went. of the wreck is targeted for discussion. slide that is swift and shallow. To make A nanosecond later I realized that some- When a deranged adolescent goes on a matters worse, at the base of the slide most of thing was amiss. A nanosecond after that, rampage and murders his classmates, there the water slams into a barely submerged when I had careened about halfway down the is a media feeding frenzy of attribution. "In- rock. If you flip in the Brink you are likely, at slide, I realized where I was. adequate parental supervision, inattentive best, to lose some hide. And because of the "Oh my God," I said to myself. "There teachers, incompetent school administrators, erratic turbulence, flipping is a distinct pos- has been a terrible mistake! I'm in the Brink insensitive NRAactivists. .." Surely someone sibility. So on my last four or five trips down of Disaster!" must be held responsible!!! the Meadow I haven't even bothered to scout The next thought that flashed through When an injured child is brought into an it. I just shouldered my boat and hit the my befuddled head was one of righteous emergency room, there is essentially a pre- convenient portage trail that circumvents indignation. "Who is responsible for this?" sumption that the child had been abused or both the Brink and very next rapid, which is By the time I spun into the pool at the an infamous class VI, the Home of Sweet bottom of the rapid, fortuitously upright and Jesus. unscathed, I was feeling a little foolish. Be- So what possessed me to attempt the cause I realized that the only person I could Brink yesterday? Well, the truth is I didn't blame for my misadventure beside myself run the Brink on purpose. I did it by mistake. was Patty Loveless. And that seemed a little In spite of the fact that I have paddled the farfetched. Lower Meadow at least eight times during the But the incident had unmasked, once past year, I just wasn't paying attention to again, one of my few faults (besides being The opinions expressed in the features and editorials of American Whitewater are those of the individual au- thors. They do not necessar- Editor: Bob ~edekoh?'~ox228, R.D.#4, Elizabeth, Pa. 15037 Emeritus Editor: Chris Koll Contributing Editors: John Weld, Pope Barrow, Ambrose Tuscano, Bill Sedivy Art directiodGraphic desigflroduction: John K. Victor, Mary Hoffelt Contributing writers: Carla Garrison, Jonathan Katz, Ed Ditto, Lee Belknap, Joe Greiner, Mark White, Bruce Farrenkopf, Nathan Lewis, Brik Miller, John Foss, Paul Tefft, Howard Davidson Production Assistant: Richard and Teresa Augustin Advertising Director: Phyllis Horowitz, Box 636, Margaretville, New York 12455 (914) 586- 2355 Safety Editor: Charlie Walbridge, 230 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422; Phone 215-646-0157; fax 215-643-0668: e-mail 73514.1714@com~userve.com. Conservation and Access Editors: Rich ~owers,Jason Robertson, John Gangemi,l430 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, MD, 20910 Phone (301) 589-9453 Fax (301) 589-6121, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Missing Copies and Address Changes: Contact Phyllis Horowitz American Whitewater is printed by SPENCER WALKER PRESS, INC., Newark OH. All rights reserved. American White water v July/ August 1998 neglected. The parentsare guilty until proven retrospectoscope can be a useful learning letter to the editor, veteran hair boater Paul innocent. device. But in the wrong hands it can inflict Schelf asks whether the shortness of the new Don't misunderstand, I'm not minimiz- a lot of harm. generation of creek boats might be contrib- ing the importance of air traffic safety, alco- The sad but undeniable truth is that de- uting to the recent surge in fatalities among hol related driving deaths, violence among termining who is to blame will never resur- expert boaters. Another thoughtful letter, teens or child abuse. I'm just saying that rect the dead. contributed by our resident humorist irresponsible and premature finger pointing I am not suggesting that we should not Jonathan Katz, takes a serious look at can cause a lot of pain and it doesn't really do attempt to learn from whitewater accidents. whitewater risk taking and its potential con- much to solve a problem. But that never Not to do so would only compound the trag- sequences. seems to stop us. With the encouragement of edy. Whitewater accidents and fatalities Perhaps the most memorable of these Court TV and Judge Judy and Ally McBeal, should be thoroughly investigated by experts communications is the long, introspective Americans have become the most accusatory to see if anything can be done to prevent letter to the whitewater community written and litigious people on earth. similar occurrences. For longer than I can by Rosi Weiss, the widow of Olympic slalom Sadly, the whitewater community is not remember, Charlie Walbridge has been do- racer Rich Weiss, who died last year paddling immune to this. Just listen to the chat ing this for American Whitewater in a laud- the White Salmon River. In her letter, Rosi around your campfire or leaf through some able manner. Faced with the unpleasant and reveals the terrible depth of her loss and clubs' newsletters. Or better yet, monitor unenviable task of querying the survivors of discusses some factors that she believes may one of the internet newsgroups devoted to whitewater accidents, Charlie has earned our have contributed to Rich's death, in hopes of paddling after a whitewater fatality has oc- respect by being tactful, sensitive and non- preventing similar accidents. Rosi raises curred. The insensitivity and shrill, accusa- judgmental. He does not approach these some important pointsand makes somevalu- tory tone of some of the postings is depress- investigations with a cavalier or accusatory able suggestions, but, in the end, she doesn't ing. attitude. There is no doubt that Charlie's blame anyone for what happened. "Someone must be to blame. We just have insights, based on his objective investiga- It seems to me that if Rosi Weiss, who has to figure out who!" tions, have prevented a lot of whitewater lost the person dearest to her in the whole "They didn't scout adequately. They didn't misadventures. world, can take this approach, we all can. The set safety. The group was too small. They This issue of American Whitewater con- time has come for all of us to quit worrying were paddling over their heads.