Inside: ,,P-.P = -Pucker Up& - It's Canyon Creek

Al so... -,- Special

, Interview' with -- Eric Jackson perception" Official Supplier of the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team

Don't look back.

,e are Iolaces where it's iustI, vou and the river. ~'veleft your deadlines at the put in. Rush hour idlock has been replaced with tight drops. ck has given way to split-second

, at 1 -800-KAYAK96, ext. 107. Amazing river machines

when you call. Letters ...... 5 Forum ...... 4 r The World According to Bob by Bob Gedekoh Briefs ...... 68 To Be The Best ,! V Race and Release Schedules V Surfing Cyberspace for River Levels V Film Festival Winners V Further Adventures of Ed the Hairboater Conservation The Creek Boaters of V OCOEE River Project ...... 11 V Inside the beltway ...... 32 Chattanooga V Canyon Creek ...... 19 by Scott Shoupe Safety 'I Escape Vertical Pins &Entrapments .. 66 by Richard Penny and Paul Martzen

Access Tshletshy Creek by Gary Korb V The Real Risk of Boating ...... 24 V Georgia Rivers ...... 26 Humor V The Amu Darya Incident ...... 87 by Jonathon Katz The Real McCoy by Michael Deckerl

Frontcover Caney Fork by Scott Shoupe, winner of the National by Roger Pollard Paddling Film Festival Slide competition

Back Cover: Another 1995 Film Festival favorite by Jon Soul Her Hands by Ret Talbot

Printed on Recycled Paper

May/June 1995 5.4 These are rapids that I have only paddled once, and for a specific reason. The World Like the fact that women in my party did it first, and made it look easy... Double Undercut on the Lower Meadow. Or the According to Bob fact that the only other option was to starve to death on the riverbank, because Dear Charlie Walbridge and there was no way to portage... Do or Die Lee Belknap: Members, AWA on the Middle Fork of the Feather. Safety Committee 5.5 These are rapids that I have been thinking about running for years, but I I hear that since I announced to the never seem to work up the nerve. (Some- world in the last issue that you were times I dream about running them, and I modifying and expanding the AWA class always do just fine!) Big Splat on the Big V rating that you have been deluged with Sandy. suggestions and proposals. I know your tentative plan is to make the new system 5.6 These are rapids that I would analogous to the one rock climbers use to surely paddle, if they didn't have a class rate the difficulty of various routes. 5.3 approach and a recirculating, under- I said in my Forum last month that I cut whirlpool at the bottom. Great Falls thought you should rely on the opinions of the Potomac. of expert boaters who are currently pad- dlina near the edge in develo~inathis 5.7 These are rapids that probably newsystem. I also a~knowl~~e~that ago. Coliseum on the Cheat, or Shoulder wouldn't kill me if challenged them, but since I hardly fit that description, that I Snapper on the Tygart, for example. they would almost surely beat the snot should keep my ideas regarding this mat- out of me. (When I dream about running ter to myself. 5.1 These are easy class V rapids that them, I have nightmares!) But after giving this some consider- don't worry me any more... though Tomko Falls on the Upper Blackwater. ation, I have changed my mind. After all, maybe they should, since they still man- why shouldn't I put my two cents worth age to knock me over about one in ten 5.8 These are rapids that I will almost into the soup, like everyone else? I may times. Pillow Rock or Iron Ring on the certainly never run, even though they not be a suicidal maniac, but I am, at Gauley, for instance. have been hand paddled by gutsy and tal- least, somewhat self destructive... and ented experts. Jacob's Ladder on the N. that should count for something! 5.2 These are rapids that make me Fork of the Payette. Besides the system I have devised is nervous, but I still usually paddle, espe- incredibly simple... yet quite specific and cially if someone has a camera. Swallow 5.9 These are rapids whose names are easy to use. I'm sure you'll want to incor- Falls on the Top Yough, for example. so horrible that I am quite sure I will porate a lot, if not all, of it into the final never attempt them, even though I AWA product. Read on and see for your- 5.3 These are rapids that I run, but haven't even seen them. Frankenstein on selves... only under specific circumstances. One, the Green Narrows. the level must be just right and the sun 5.0 These are the rapids that I know, must be shining. Two, I haven't had sex 5.10 These are rapids where I worry deep down inside, are really class IV, but for at least a week. Three, beautiful about catching the eddies to start the por- were given a class V rating by an excit- women are watching. Pine Creek on the tage, even though those eddies are as big able guidebook author, ten or more years Arkansas. as farm ponds. Home of Sweet Jesus on

Editor: Bob Gedekoh, Box 228, R.D.#4, Elizabeth, Pa. 15037 Emeritus Editor: Chris Koll Graphic design: John K. Victor, 396 Church St., Chillicothe, OH 45601 Contributing writers: Pope Barrow, Howard Davidson, carla Garrison, Joe Greiner, Rich Hoffman, Jonathan Katz, John Weld, Mark White Production Assistant: Teresa Augustin Advertising Director: Phyllis Horowitz, Box 85, Phoenicia, New York 12464 (914) 688-5569 Safety: Charlie Walbridge Conservation: Rich Bowers, 1430 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone(301) 589-9453 Fax(301) 589-6121 Missing Copies and Address Changes: Contact Phyllis Horowitz American Whitewater is printed by SPENCER WALKER PRESS,INC., Newark OH . All rights reserved. American Whitewaterv ~ay/hne 1995 the Lower Meadow.

5.11 These are rapids so frightening that I don't even like to walk along them, for fear I might slip and fall in. The it?), this does not excuse the trip leaders Niagara Gorge. from negligence. Why any "experienced Dear Bob, and well qualified trip leaders", would 5.12 These are rapids that are so in- have put in the river that day with a nov- timidating that I have to close my eyes I read with interest the January-Feb- ice paddler is beyond comprehension. when someone else runs them, even on a ruary, 1995 issue of the AWA Journal. I This obviouslywas negligence on the trip video. The Falls of the Little River. noted, on page 22, the article dealing with leaders' part, and the college's for result- "Access" and the comment dealing with ant vicarious liability for the paddling 5.13 These rapids are so awful that Trip Leader Liability. club's actions and resulted in the case be- they even scare Johnny Regan. Gorilla Unfortunately,the author of the ar- ing settled. on the Green Narrows. ticle did not comment on all of the de- Many clubs are trying to get away tails. &om the "trip leader" connotation to that 5.14 These are rapids that Eric Jack- The facts, as I understand them, are of "trip coordinator" and having all club son says are worse than Gorilla. Stair- that the participant in this unfortunate members sign a waiver of liability. How- way to Heaven on Bear Creek. drowning was a novice paddler, a young ever, even if this had been in use in the woman from Dartmouth College's Pad- present situation, the obvious negligence 5.15 These are rapids so treacherous, dling Club. On the day of the incident, of the more experienced members of the so difficult, so downright mean and vi- the West River was in flood stage from paddling club, who lead the victim, would cious, that no one has ever attempted prior overnight heavy rain and run-off, in mv ooinion render anv waiver invalid them. Not even the brothers Snyder, or adding to the normal water release from and ~hhecollege/clubstill"be held liable the brothers Kern!!! ...??? ... (There must the Ball Mountain dam. for damages. be a rapid somewhere they won't run, but Although an argument can be made right now I can't think of one!) concerning the victim's possible con- Very truly yours. tributory negligence for paddling on a Peter G. Wallace So, there you have it. Brilliant, huh? river in flood stage, (was she aware of Flushing, NY I know my system might seem a bit egocentric, but that's the beauty of it! Rather than having a lot of people fight- ing over how a rapid should be rated, the AWA can just leave it all up to me. In fact, I would suggest that I be given a position as the Official Rapid Rater for Perception the organization. You could send me all ~orizbnLine over the country... expenses paid, of course... to pass judgement on the diffi- Craphite culty of class V whitewater. Paddle It will be a tough job, but somebody Craphite dihedral blade has to do! for a stiffer blade with Let me know what you think. a lower swing weight Redesigned backface Sincerely, and tip pulls smoothly Bob Gedekoh through the water Custom options available at no charge:* Blade offset Asymmetrical blade HiflexTMshaft Allow extra time

/ m whitewater products 773-5582 1385 Justice Rd, Central Point OR Here Locally 15 years Boat & Raft Trailers Alum Rowing Frames wate Inflatable Boats Alum Dry Boxes Inflatable Rafts Alum Camp Kitchens @perception B KAYAKS & GEAR Achilles Momentum Sotar Official Supplier of the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team . . Call 1-800-KAYAK96 ext. 101 and ask your dealer for a free catalog. LETTERS into their current issue of freshing to see such politi- Editor's note: Glad you like AW. cally incorrect material get it. Mr. Katz has a few detrac- I think you are doing a published. Jonathan Katz al- tors, but a large cadre of loyal great job. I especially enjoy most changes my belief that followers, too. We are proud to reading Forum and Carla/ our civilization is in decline. featuyre Part 111 of Jonathan's Garv and I'm looking forward Protect Fun! latest epic in this issue. Dear Bob, to tge article that ~rke Sincerely, I am embarrassed to ad- Seases' friends golden re- John Stormon mit that I am just now finding triever will write as a replace- Yakima, WA the time and money to join ment for Jonathan Katz. Or A.W.A.. I realize that this is better yet, take the pages that incredibly slack -but hey- I'm would have been wasted on also just getting around to get- Katz and reprint the entire ting my drivers license this Carla/Gary series from the week. (It's been expired for 2 beginning. years) A.W. has become the best Keep up the good work, whitewater magazine out. It's Colleen Laffey great for the boating commu- Fayetteville, WV nity to have a place to voice opinions and obtain informa- tion. Clay says that the AW magazine is the only thing certain to pacify'me on an ex- tended land surf. All of my Dear AWA, IGET REAL WET friends will be glad to hear I The Adventures of the Smokestack Boatworks will be getting my own sub- McBride-Omaha brain trust 164 Wildwoocl Avenuo scription. Now I will be able provide a great service to the East Lonsclowno, PA 19050 to visit them without diving paddling community. It's re-

July 15-1 6 Let river rescue expert Charlie Walbridge bring you up to date on the latest safety and rescue techniques in this hands-on two-day clinic. From accident prevention to aggressive swimming and wad- ing techniques, the focus is on low-tech effective rescues that can save a life. Play Boating Clinic August 5-6 Rodeo champion Chris Spelius will show you the techniques behind such acrobatic moves as retendos, pirouettes, and enders while helping hone your paddling skills on class 111 and IV whitewater. This two- day clinic is for advanced paddlers with ,,, , , ,, , reliable rolls and go-for-it attitudes!

I PADDLING GEAR (&MORE!)FROM THE EXPERTS I I 1 13077 HWY 19 WEST BRYSON CITY, NC 28713 1 I Charlemont, Massachusetts 01 339

American Whitewaterv ~ayl~uno 1995 Adventure Center

-LEARN WITH THE PROS - Our Whitewater Kayak School consists of a two-day basic clinic. (Further instruct- ions by special arrangements), ACA cert- ified instructors, classroom sessions, whitewater movies, equipment, shuttles, wet suits, and plenty of river fun are all included.

Beginners start on still water, learning basic skills and paddling techniques. The second day is on easy whitewater. FOR MORE INFORMATION, ASK FOR OUR KAYAKING CUNlC FLYEM CALL US TODAY !

Perception LC- 1

Premium 3mm neoprene Heavy-duty big rand ... extends over cockpit for increased abrasion resistance and a dry seal Bright webbing UIRIT€ OR PHON€ FOR OUR I grabloop F Re€ DISCOUNT CRTRLOG Eureka, Jansport, Sierra Designs, Slumberjack, Cannondale, Peak 1, Chouinard, Lifa, Optimus, lowe, Woolrich, Columbia, Camp Trails. MSR he North Face

@ perceptionB KAYAKS 6r GEAR Official Supplier of the U.S. Canw and Kayak Team Call 1-800-KAYAK% ext. 103 and ask your dealer for a free catalog.

American Whitewaterv MayIJune 1995 models of catarafts, nine rafts, three inflatable kayaks and two sea kayaks in a variety of colors. ARE leads the way in the industrv and so should vou.

LYNX

P.O. BOX 3412, DEPT. AO, BOISE, ID 83703 .(208) . 344-7506 FAX .(800) . 701-AIRE &#-pqpFv#& " qg.-- , + 4 4 .I I7 American Whitewte MayIJune 1995 Anita Adams Susan Wilson Mac Thornton Star Route 1, Box 46 14 Norwood Ave. 228-112 12th Street SE Edmond, WV 25837 Asheville, NC 28804 Washington, DC 20003 Ric Aiesch Bob Glanville Barn Tascano 14262 West Warren Place 66 Deer Run RD l:~ox32 Lakewood, C0 80228 Glenwood, NY 14069 Bolivar, PA 15923 Bili Baker Joe Gminer Charlie Walbridge 2953 Birch Street 404 Stacy Street 230 Penllyn Pike Denver, CO 80207 Raleigh, NC 27607 Penllyn, PA 19422 Pope Banow Diana Holioran 136 13th Street SE Route 1, Box 90 Washington,DC 20003 Fairview Mountain Road Vice President: Rick Alesch Reliance, TN 37369 Secretary: Charlie Walbridge Lee Beiknap Treasurer: Jim Scott Count On. 1308 Maryland Avenue Joe Pulllam Glen Ellen, VA 23060 P.O. Box 1500 Call or write for a free Harriman, TN 37748 Risa Shimoda Callaway catalog of products P.O. Box 5212 Jim Scott Phvllis 0. Horowitz. Executive Director EaselySC 29641 3715 Jocelyn Street NW P.O. Box 85 river-tested at our Washington, DC 20015 Phoenicia, NY 12464 paddling school. Tom Christopher (914) 688-5569 931 Union Street Rear Swan Scheafeie Rich Bowers, Conservation Program Director Leorninster, MA 01453 2121 Ocean Street Ext. Richard Hoffman, Access Program Director (715) 882-5400 Santa Cruz, CA 95060 1430 Fenwick Lane Brooke Druq Silver Spring, MD 20910 6049 34th Avenue NE Pete Skinner Phone (301) 589-9453 Fax (301) 589-6121 Seattle, WA 981115 Box 272, Snyder Road Whitewater West Sand Lake, NY 12196 Bob Gedekoh 111 1 specialty Box 228, RD 4 Ron Stewart N3894 Hwy. 55 Elizabeth, PA 15037 P.O. Box 1337 54491 Chattanooga, TN 37401 White Lake, WI

WEST VIRGINIA'S MOST COMPLETE PADDLING SHOP Perception Located in the Heart of the New & Gauley Rivers Wave PFD USCC approved Products from: Perception, Wilderness Specially designed Systems, Silver Creek, Harmony, for paddlers Patagonia, Stohlquist, Rapidstyle, Huge armholes Extrasport, North Face, Teva, Alps, for unrestricted movement Nike, Birkenstock, AND MORE! Angled zipper for comfortable and secure fit Knife patch Variety of color combinations

Momn AMERICAW add watt RIVER RUMWIRS, IMC On US. Route 60, 'A Mlle East of U.S. 19 Intersect10 @ perceptionB KAYAKS 6s GEAR Official Supplier of the U.S. Canoe and Koyok Team Call 1-800-KAYAK% ext. 102 and ask your dealer for a free catalog.

American Whitewaterv May/Junr 1995 CONSERVATION: AWA maintains safely, publishes reports on whitewater a complete national inventory of accidents, maintains a uniform national whitewater rivers, monitors threats to ranking system for whitewater rivers The American those rivers, publishes information on (the International Scale of Whitewater river conservation, provides technical Difficulty) and publishes and dissemi- Whitewater advice to local groups, works with gov- nates the internationally recognized ernment agencies and other river users, AWA Whitewater Safety Code. Affiliation and- when necessary-- takes legal action to prevent river abuse. EVENTS: AWA organizes sporting events, contests and festivals to raise RIVER ACCESS: To assure public ac- funds for river conservation, including Our mission is to cess to whitewater rivers pursuant to the the Ocoee Whitewater Rodeo in Tennes- guidelines published in its official Access see, the Gauley River Festival in West conserve and restore Policy, AWA arranges for river access Virginia (the largest gathering of through private lands by negotiation or whitewater boaters in the nation), the Ar- America's whitewater purchase, seeks to protect the right of kansas River Festival in Colorado, the public passage on all rivers and streams Kennebec Festival in Maine and the navigable by kayak or canoe, resists un- Deerfield Festival in Massachusetts. resources and to justified restrictions on government managed whitewater rivers and works AWA was incorporated under Mis- enhance opportunities with government agencies and other souri non-profit corporation laws in 1961 river users to achieve these goals. and maintains its principal mailing ad- to enjoy them safely. dress at P.O. Box 85, Phoenicia, NY 12464, EDUCATION: Through publication of (914) 688-5569. AWA is tax exempt under The American Whitewater Affiliation the bi-monthly magazine, and by other Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue (AWA) is a national organization with a means, American Whitewater, ( AWA) Code. membership consisting of thousands of provides information and education individual whitewater boating enthusi- about whitewater rivers, boating safety, asts, and more than 100 local paddling technique and equipment. club affiliates. SAFETY: AWA promotes paddling

I Don't be sticky... Let $20 find a hole in your pocket The A WA is fighting to save our whitewater resources. You can help. Your $20 mernber- ship fee is funneled directly into our effective river conservation actions. Plus--every member receives a bi-monthly subscription to American Whitewater...the best serni- professional whitewater magazine in the world! Join the AWA today and receive American Whitewater at home Yes, I want to join the AWA and receive a subscription to American Whitewater. I've enclosed my taxdeductible contribution of $20.00 ($25 Canada, $30 overseas) to help conserve our whitewater resources and promote river safety.

Address I would like to make an additional contribution to AWA's Whitewater Defense Project as indicated below. AWA membership dues...... $20.00 WDP contribution ...... $- I would be interested in working as an AWA volunteer. Total amount ...... $- ...... ~~.m~..mm.m.m.m..w

American Whitewater ~ayl~uno1995 Ocoee River

n the last few Journals, several of our readers have commented on the IAWA's position regarding the Upper Ocoee and the future Olympic Course on this river. To date, the AWA has taken no organizational position on this issue. The debate about the present and fu- ture of the Ocoee River is, at the heart of the matter, one of philosopy. A debate about stream bed modification; economic development; how we envision the future of whitewater paddling. For some, the creation of a permanent slalom racing site for the '96 Olympics is a chance to re- store a river bed that is dewatered for most of the year, a chance to promote eco- nomic development in a depressed county in east Tennessee. For others, it is another insult in a long list of manmade intusions in the area. From a national perspective, issues become even more complex. Certainly, AWA promotes the growth of whitewater recreation through our festivals and edu- cational efforts. There should be no doubt that (for better and for worse) the Olympics will increase public awareness of our sport, and increase participation. Stream Bed Modification, Upper Ocoee River, Tennessee; Photo by John Anderson Through our efforts in the hydropower relicensing process, we have been able to demonstrate the importance of down- stream recreation to decision makers. On the Black (NY), Gauley (WV) and Kern like the upper Ocoee. And how are these On July 26 and 28, 1996, the upper Rivers (CA) to name a few, we discuss the actions distinguished from blowing up a Ocoee River in east Tennessee will host value of recreational boating in economic "dangerous" rapid, such as Quartzite terms. On the other hand, we are against Falls on Arizona's Salt River. We should a whitewater slalom event during the human modifications to river systems also remember that stream bed modifica- '96 Olympics in Atlanta. In order to (including dams) that are economically tion is a natural process: the rapids in the reach this decision, event planners and environmentally unsound. (For ex- Ocoee were modified during the spring conducted many studies to determine ample, see the article in this issue on the flood of '90, making Hell Hole a better proposed Army Corps of Engineers dams play spot. If nature changes rapids, then the feasibility of this concept. In 1991, for the Russell Fork, Cheat and Tygart why not humans? the State of Tennessee determined that Rivers.) While AWA has not taken an official this event and facilities would generate But the issue of streambed modifica- position, we believe that the Journal is tion is also extremely complex. Is it 0.k. an excellent format for discussion on a over $60 million in revenue to the region to modify a rapid for "safety" reasons, for topic of interest to all paddlers. AWA has over 5 years from an initial investment example removing the pinning rocks at received and gathered comments and let- of $10 to $15 million. In addition, a two the Gauley's Initiation (W.V.) or filling in ters from people who are engaged in year Environmental Impact Statement the hole at the base of Nantahala Falls these issues, from local paddlers and out- (N.C.)? But where do we draw the line? fitters, to planners who are playing an in- concluded that the environment along We certainly can't eliminate every dan- tegral role in the development of this site. the Ocoee River can support an gerous feature on a river; people who We hope that publishing these comments Olympic Event with minimal impact to want a risk free environment should go will allow our readers to view the differ- the natural resources. to Disney World instead of a real flesh ent perspectives on this issue. We en- and blood river. If it is 0.k. to modify a courage others to present their opinions rapid, then why not a stream channel, in the future.

American Whitewater MaylJune 1995 CONSERVATION AWA Responds: To the editor, As we mentioned in the introduction to these articles, the AWA has not been involved in either the planning or develop- I would like to make a comment regarding the race course on ment stages of the'96 Olympics on the Ocoee. the upper Ocoee. While I realize that I am opening myselfto mas- sive criticism, I feel that it is ironic that the AWA, which does an unbelievable job of saving and preserving our rivers, seems to NOC sanction the destruction of the Upper Ocoee. Why destroy a great Responds: section of river at taxpayers expense when there is aperfectly by Bunny Johns, President, Nantahala Outdoor Center good natural run downstream. The ender spot "slam dunk" will be destroyed, along with three or four other great rapids, to be re- The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) would like to make placed by what-poured concrete and rebar? Remember: none of the following comments with regard to the letter regarding the Upper Ocoee race course. this is 'Yree. " Someone has to pay... i.e. us. The John Maynard Keynes argument is that it will bring in NOC has supported the Ocoee as a site for the 1996 Olympic jobs-sure it will, but what will those workers do after its slalom event. We took part in the long process which led the completion... be raft guides? I am in total agreement with an ear- State of Tennessee to agree to host the event and in the long lier writer to AWA who stated, "We private boaters have got to re- public process which led to the development and implementa- alize that raft companies are not our allies." It seems hardly coin- tion of the current plan for the race course on the Upper Ocoee. cidental that much of the advocacy for the race course seems to We think the Olympic presence will be great exposure for come from Bryson City, N.C. Could it be that a certain raft com- whitewater sport (including rafting) and an impetus for long pany or coalition of raft companies would like to have a new river term rural economic development in the Ocoee region. to exploit and/or commercialize? The double standard is clear- We now know we were naive about what the project would river destruction for dams is bad, but river destruction for race cost. While the event could have been held at a lesser cost, the courses is good? What kind of twisted logic is that? Call me what standards for being an Olympic venue are high and that makes you will, but Ipredict in 5 years, the upper Owee will suffer from the price tag higher. Even so, we still feel the event will have a the same overcrowding that the downstream section has. positive impact on the Ocoee area, the people of the area, and whitewater lovers. Sincerely. The Upper Ocoee does not currently have regular water re- Name Withheld by Request leases. Development of the race course has generated interest in the possibility of having recreational releases for this stretch of river. These releases could do a great deal to spread river use over two sections of river, providing a less crowded river We have what you're experience for all. The future use of the Up- per Ocoee is still an open lookingfo r... question. The USFS will go through a scoping process to determine the issues, the use Whatever it is, you'll find it in our 88-page color catalog, alternatives, and then com- plete an environmental as- which is the biggest and most comprehensive sessment. The public is in- in the whitewater business. vited and encouraged to be part of this process. This pro- cess will provide a hamework We are Whitewater Raft specialists, where everyone can provide input. It can also be an oppor- but we're also paddlers, and we carry the best names tunity for private boaters, out- in the business. Call or write for your copy of fitters and others to work to- gether in shaping a future THE Whitewater Catalog that appeals to all of us. This may not be easy both the re- sults will be well worth the energy we all put into the pro- cess so we can end up with the opportunity for quality recre- ational experiences for a vari- ety of users. We believe private boaters and rafting companies con- tinue to have more in com- mon that we have areas of dis- Cascade agreement. We all appreciate and enjoy river resources, for OUTFITTERS work and play, and we all share a genuine concern for P.O. Box 209. Springfield, OR 97477 1- 800-223-RAFT (7238) maintaining and enhancing I the quality of experience and Whitewater Dancer II Thisvideo has it all! Underwater rolls, the 89 Worlds. Rodeos the natural environment of our rivers. We hope this base of Hot waveand hole surfing, clad common concern will push all of us to deal with the areadis- V wipeouts, Tunes by World sues where we have differing positions. Famous Fiddle Master Papa John Creech! HI-FI stereo 55 Min. See you on the river, Bunny Johns How to Organize a Successful RiverlOutdoor Cleanup Entertaining and informative. Of special interest toclubs. Get involved. CLEAN UP A RIVER. HI-FI stereo 18 Min. Highlights of the Grand Canyon '90 The Ocoee River Project Get into The Grand Canyon. See the big drops and an by John Anderson innertube run of Lava Falls. With wild tunes. HI-FI stereo 43 Min. or the third time in history whitewater slalom will be in cluded in the summer Olympics, but for the first time it Highlights of the Upper Yough, Gauley, Russell Fork and will be held on a natural river. Well almost a natural Big Sandy F See all these runs on one tape, with hot tunes. river. For the Atlanta Olympics, the whitewater events will be on the modified bed of the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee. HI-FI stereo 43 Min. For its two previous Olympic appearances, whitewater slalom was held on completely artificial rivers: near Munich, Ger- How to Modify a Sabre many, in 1972 and la Seu d'urgell, Spain in 1992. The Ocoee All you need to know to turn a Sabre into the hottest plastic River, a popular whitewater run just two hours north of At- playboat in the world! With action footage and outrageous lanta, will return the whitewater event to its origins - tumbling tunes. HI-FI stereo 49 Min. mountain streams in the midst of wilderness. In 1992 when the Ocoee River was formally selected as the To get your copy(s) in VHS just send a check or money order Olympic site, it was hoped that the events could be held at the for $1 9.95 each plus $4.00 postage and handling to: beginning of the popular whitewater run just below Ocoee dam SURF DOG PRODUCTIONS number 2. However, the reality of hosting an event of this mag- nitude within this narrow river valley with only a two lane road 12 Freedom Drive, Collinsville, CT 06022,2031693-8750 began to set in, and this site was abandoned in favor of an up- stream site which had more room. The new site is located on the upper Ocoee River, two miles up river of the current put-in, near the point where highway 64 enters the river valley. At this site there is more room to hold ' HARDCORE! .+*'*& \ an event but the river lacks the punch of a world class rapid - mainly because it is so wide. So the decision was made to con- Whitewater Videos strict the river to create a world class race course. The side ben- =&d aiC?r efits of this effort would be the opening of a presently de-wa- from -5 6- $- tered section of the Ocoee River to recreation, as well as eco- @sn nomic development in a rather depressed corner of Tennessee. Gently Video Productions The U.S. Forest Service began an environmental impact study to determine the effect on the natural environment of the Vertical Addiction NEW ! A look at the addiction to site in November 1992. Public meetings were held, a scope of - study was drafted and finally, four alternative plans were devel- whltewater through the eyes of expert creek boaters. Features oped. The alternatives had to accommodate a three day event three creeks falling at between 600 and 800 feet per mile. plus training time leading up to the event, and of course the me- Kayaks and canoes. 45 minutes...... $26.95. dia, spectators, and various services - not an easy task at all con- sidering the site did not have so much as a single phone line. PLUNGE! Fantastic paddling on some of the South's most The plans ranged in scope from fully temporary facilities - in- - cluding temporary rock levees to constrain the river to fully extreme steep creeks. Features Little River Canyon, Bear permanent facilities. There was also a "no action" alternative to Creek, Cullasaja, and Horsepasture. Also, 50 foot Little River use as a base line measure. In the end, a middle ground ap- Canyon Falls. Kayaks. 45 minutes...... $26.95. proach was selected with some permanent facilities such as the new banks of the channel and some temporary facilities, such as Southern Fried Creekin A classic. Explore some of the media trailers, officials tents, and the like. ' - I became interested in the Ocoee project when I heard that wildest creelun' in the South with some of the country's best the alternatives were to be developed for the Environmental Im- paddlers. Features Watauga, Horsepasture, Overflow, and pact Statement. Even though the project involved a large scale Mystery Creek with 504Coon Dog Falls. 45 minutes. $26.95 intervention in a natural river, the decision to get involved was not a hard one to make. Here was an opportunity get involved in something where recreation was in the drivers seat and I Green Summer - Steep creekin' on the Narrows of the wanted to make sure that someone with a racing and recre- Green. 500 fpm! 20 minutes...... $2 1.95. ational paddling background at least got a chance to hold the wheel. Send the price indicated plus $3 shipping to: Gentry Video The time is right for the upper Ocoee River. The popular lower Ocoee saw nearly 200,000 visitors per year (private boat- Productions, 646 Deer Creek Trail, Hoschton, GA 30548. ers and raft customers) and is nearly at capacity. The water Call or fax orders to (706) 654-2725. quality has improved noticeably since the rotten egg-smelling acid mine run off from the 1970's, and since the demise of copper

American May1 June 1995 CONSERVATION mining, vegetation has once again taken est Service has engaged the talents of the hold in the hills surrounding the upper Pickering Firm, a noted planning and Ocoee. Yet this five mile stretch of river landscape architecture firm of Memphis, remained completely diverted for electric Tennessee; McLaughlin Water Engineers power generation, except for flood con- of Denver, Colorado; Betts Engineering trol releases, when boaters would enjoy Associates, civil engineers of Chatta- furtive pop-ups at Slam Dunk rapid. nooga, Tennessee; TWH Architects, also The 1996 Olympic Games offered the from Chattanooga; and myself, architect, impetus to re-water this neglected re- a former slalom competitor, now turned Weeping source for competitive boating - and rec- whitewater designer. reational traffic. Despite early misunder- How will the project turn out? Stop standing on the part of the commercial by next summer on your next trip to the raft outfitters concerning the user fee is- Ocoee and decide for yourself. Or take it Wall sues (brought about by public relations from five time world champion Jon bungling on the part of Tennessee offi- Lugbill who remarked that "If the river is by Bill Hay cials) it is clear that the upper Ocoee will anything like the model, it will be once again run for the enjoyment of stompin'." behelmeted bi-pods. The wall stands, silent in the early How does one go about "designing" a (Editor's Note: John Anderson is a dawn. Water seeps down its face, tears whitewater rapid? First get the Tennes- former U.S. team member and is currently for the victims. see Valley Authority to commission a an architect for whitewater courses, in- Just up the road, the tall building huge 1:10 scale model of the river bottom cluding the design of the Dickerson Race stands proud. A lone figure opens the complete with running water. Then Course in Maryland.) gate in the barbed wire fence and enters spend a winter conducting tests in the the grounds. He unlocks the heavy steel model and selectively adding rocks to door and enters the structure. He puts his constrain the flow and create iust the lunch pail in his locker, grabs a cup of right whitewater effects. ~his"isnot a coffee from the automatic maker, and new idea. At Wausau, Wisconsin a ne- heads for the control room. There, facing glected side channel of an urban river a panel of dials and displays, he prepared was modified with thousands of hours of volunteer labor and heavy equipment in order to create a downtown whitewater park. At the Ocoee the new whitewater course was carefully routed along the WHITEWATER INSTRUCTION natural "line" of the river, taking care to I I preserve existing river features such as VIDEOS the pop up hole at Slam Dunk rapid. If the quality of the whitewater is accurately portrayed in the model then there will be plenty of action to challenge the best rac- The Ka yaker 's Edge ers. And there will be surfing spots - it is This fast paced instructional video unlocks the secrets behind basic likely that a new world-class whitewater and advanced stroke techniques, smooth surfing and sidesurfing, rodeo rapid will emerge somewhere rolling and bracing. 58 minutes. within the new river channel. The ben- "The best general instruction video on the market" - Outside efit of modeling every change in the TVA model was that the effects could known Solo Playboating! in advance of the actual construction. Inspiring instructional video packet with information for ooen canoeists. 43 minutes. Construction of the course began in "Entertaining...super j$ of presenting technical points. Nicely November, 1994 and is to be complete in paced...fun to watch. -Charlie Walbridge, Wildwater Designs time for the Pre-Olympic events this Au- gust. Natural river boulders are being Take the Wild Ride! used to create new river banks within the A highl entertaining, yet instructional, look at the world's best existing river channel. Behind the veneer freestyre kayakers. Their aerial stunts are incredible to watch. of river rocks will be a supporting struc- ture of grouted limestone boulders which will help resist washout by floods. The C- 1 Challenge new banks will be as low as possible to Citizen Racer Workshop minimize the impact on the river hydrol- inspriational, highly instructional. ogy. The greatest design challenge is to onlv $1 9.95 each. create river banks and terraces which are tough enough to weather floods but also blend with the natural surround- Available from your favorite whitewater store or send $29.95 ings. The new banks should eventually each + $4 shipping to: Kent Ford, Whitewater Instruction Videos, 160 Hideaway Road, Durango, CO 81301 (303)259- support a natural succession of riparian 1361 plants such as native grasses and river birch to soften the appearance of things. To distinguish this effort from the usual engineered river projects the For- to turn on the generators, prepares to add project to end all projects. came the site for the whitewater competi- a drop of power to the world's gullet, to Then, just when the formerly outra- tion. feed its restless energy. geous had become the status quo, just Fine, great. The Ocoee is a nice, Class Up the road even further, a red glow when the locals had adapted and moved III run. Continuous, lots of eddies, not lights up the early morning sky. The air Dn to some factory job and gotten a little threatening. Just the type of rivers racers is red with dust ad trucks roar out of the john boat to fish on the lakes or in the like. Besides, it's already ruined for real earth itself. Furnaces spew fumes to the pools in the rivers that were still there, river running. Convert it to a slalom sky. Trees, so tentatively reestablished in the mines failed, the land died, the pools course. Have a nice day. the tortured soil, wince. silted in, the fish disappeared. Okay? Not on your life. The river Large trucks roar down the narrow The land became a scar visible from isn't quite perfect. Besides, making it a street, hauling goods past this place to 250,000 miles in space and little else. slalom course will hurt commercial raft- more profitable markets. A local looks Former mine workers moved away to ing. Business will suffer. Let's use the up, grimaces at the noise, and returns to work some other vein. Former farmers dry riverbed upstream. Fine, even better. his work. planted pitiful stand of scrub pine to hide At least it will be a river again. A tent city stirs to life. Zippers are the gullies in the red dirt. Former wives Still not enough? Let's build our own zipped, stoves are rattled, coffee is and girlfriends lined up for Food Stamps river up there. Let's make the rapids brewed, showers are taken, last night's and AFDC checks. Former children manmade to suit our conception of what beer cans, carefully hidden from the learned to steal and make whiskey again paddling ought to be like in a perfect armed guards, are placed in trash bags. and sell their bodies and cadge a meal world, one where nature has no part. It'll Silently, a government employee, arro- and look pitiful and hustle. have easy, showy, safe rapids, drops de- gant in his power, cruises, collecting Hope was not lost, though. Some- signed so that racing boats can demon- trash and taking note of potential viola- one-not a local, of course-discovered strate their useless moves. We'll cut tors. that the Ocoee is a pretty good Class I11 down all those obstructing trees and Down the road, a bus is started. A whitewater river and, lo and behold, has move all those inconvenient rocks so we crowd of happy campers queues at its water most of the summer due to power can have lots of grandstand space, lots of folding door, tittering nervously at the generation. Gentrification reared its room for vendors, lots of facilities, room adventure ahead. A local, a former whis- well-groomed head as hordes of paddlers for the media, the traffic, the fans, the key maker, checks the air brakes before form Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, hucksters. opening the door to yet another day of and everywhere else made the Ocoee Why not? The place is good for noth- humdrum. He thinks briefly of the their summer playground. They wanted ing else now. It's been exploited since woman he met last night, the woman places to sleep, a good cheap meal, and time immemorial. The natives won't from some place in Michigan, shakes his gear. care. The river is dead. We'll all get rich. head once and attends to his duties. Money was made, a little hope was re- It'll be a sight to behold. It'll be bigger The ghost of a seine fisherman passes stored, the sun shone through the red than the OJ trial. It'll put Eastern Ten- the weeping wall as the trickle of tears morning dust. And it wasn't too bad ei- nessee back on the map. Who would dare becomes a torrent. ther. There was a natural limiting fac- stand in our way? Another day begins on the Ocoee-- tor-the skill and exertion required for Who indeed? We'll just pack up our the Harlem of Rivers. paddling. Inevitably, though, everyone paddles and find another river to enjoy. discovered that they could make money The New? No, it's long gone. The Pigeon? It's a case study in contemporary from the Ocoee. Rafting was born. Put as Hold you nose. The Yough? You've got to American decay, the Ocoee is. From pris- many people down the river as possible, be kidding. The Grand Canyon? The heli- tine wilderness, to marginally productive charge what the market will bear, damn copters will get you. The Middle Fork? agrarian backwater, to mining boom the traffic, damn the noise, damn the dan- Only in designated campgrounds. The town, to rural slum, to gentrifies vaca- ger, dam the river. Russell Fork? Watch out for rafts. The tion wonderland, to whatever comes Even the locals and bureaucrats Lehigh? Watch out for everything. The next. caught the fever. TVA joined the rush Kennebec? Only if you pay to put on. The It started who knows how or when. when managers realized that recre- Upper Yough? Watch out for gunfire. Perhaps when some Indian case the first ational paddling could provide what their Like any slum, the Ocoee can be res- stone in the river to re-direct the flow pitiful little outdated hydro-electric gen- cued, not to its former self, but to become and enhance fishing. Perhaps when the erators could not provide-a power base a monument to some new greed and folly. first crude stone dam for a grist mil was for their bureaucratic domain. Dams What we really need down there is not a built. Perhaps when the slag from the were revitalized, flumes restored, man- man-made slalom course, not grand- first smelter was dumped into the clear dates re-defined, releases rescheduled, stands., not TV and world-wide coverage, waters. Perhaps when the first fish dies and jobs rescued. not more rafts, not the Olympics. What an unnatural death. Locals realized that they could sell we need is to paint that dam wall black But, etiology aside, it is clear that the their whiskey, food, camping spots, bod- and etch on its face the names of all the big government project to save the ies, shuttles, and poorly run river trips to rivers already sacrificed to our greed and covites and provide cheap power for Ten- just about anyone with a buck. And what foolishness. Then, every morning when nessee and the world was a major step in they couldn't sell, they could steal while the dam's trickle of tears becomes a tor- the process. Well, TVA did provide cheap the suckers where safely away on the rent, the Ocoee will cry for all of its sister power and factory jobs for those whose river. rivers. bottomland farms were flooded, whiskey The Ocoee became the great Ameri- Etch the names in small print, operations destroyed, and families dis- can River Dream, a money making ma- though, so we will have room to add to persed to Chattanooga, Atlanta, and chine for everyone, the list. wherever else. It also provided power for But it just wasn't enough, was it? The the bureaucrats in Nashville and Wash- boondoggle to end al boondoggles (until (Editor's Note: Bill Hay is the Editor of ington. But did it do anything else except the next boondoggle) just had to happen, Real Sport, a quarterlypublication that ruin a bunch of good rivers and acres of didn't it? The Olympics were awarded to focuses on outdoor sports in the South- productive land? Atlanta, that cesspool of overdevelop- east.) Sure. It was progress. It was the ment, and the Ocoee just naturally be- American Whitewater MayIJune 1995 cause they are big fans of whitewater Some Thoughts on Misconceptions about paddlesport - but because of the economic benefits that it will produce. The initial benefits, estimated at over $60 million the Ocoee River Project through the Olympics, do indeed come in large part form construction, and the by Paul Wright, Project Director, USDA Third, the whitewater design team ripple effect that "imported" construc- Forest Service, Cherokee National Forest that has been charged with developing tion dollars create. But the peopled of the the upper river is working with the natu- Ocoee region, long dependent on their ral features of the river bed to create an natural resources for economic well-be- First, the modification of the upper enhanced 525-meter run, with "Slam ing, see the lasting value of the Ocoee Ocoee do not constitute "destruction". Dunk" as one of the jewels to be pre- Whitewater Center in its continued use The USFS and TVA completed a lengthy served. In fact, no excavation of the com- as North America's premier whitewater EIS in 1994, concluding that alteration of petitive channel is called for in the de- course. While the responsible agencies the river for use as a whitewater racing sign. The design philosophy has been to have yet to complete their plans for fu- and training site was an acceptable com- "tune" the available water flows (1200- ture management of the site, rest assured mitment of the resource. Perhaps the 1600 cfs) to the existing features in the that one of the biggest decision factors great paradox of the Ocoee is that a cen- river. The well-known rapids will still be will be the economic benefits to the local tury of human and environmental abuse there... and others have been enhanced by communities. Whether or not commer- created a setting that would allow this carefully focusing the water with the re- cial use of the upper Ocoee is even viable reach of river to be adapted for human located river banks. Slalom athletes and is open to question. This option did not recreational use. Their field analysis coaches, freestyle enthusiasts, wildwater instigate the development of the found that no life of any form existed in experts, and recreational paddlers have whitewater center, nor will it be the only the sterile waterway, although water all had a hand in developing and critiqu- factor in determining its future. quality has returned to acceptable levels. ing the course layout. The construction From AWA's perspective, I see no Second, the lower Ocoee is indeed an methods being used to create the new double standard at work here. There are excellent whitewater course...as a quar- river banks emphasize the use of native no foregone options for use of the river. If ter-million raft customers per year can rock.. From all outward appearances, the anything, a five mile reach of river that testify. However, for better or worse, "new" river will be largely indistinguish- has been de-watered for over fifty years Olympic competition is much more than able from the "old." However, to ensure for hydro-electric power generation may holding a race. It is not only the peak ex- that this investment doesn't get swept someday see regular flows again as a re- perience for an amateur athlete... it also away in the next flood, hydraulic engi- sult of modifying 1500 feet of its banks. represents a forum to showcase the sport neers have developed a structural solu- For paddlers that have been risking life to a global audience. Olympic standards, tion that includes high-strength concrete and limb, sharing the congested waters of in this case, included provisions for some grout, which bonds the rocks to each the lower Ocoee may become a thing of 15,000 spectators, athletes, officials, and other, as well as the bedrock of the river the past. Families that have longed to media to be present on the site. Experi- bed. They have also called for several sunbathe in peace around the Blue Hole ence on the lower Ocoee has shown that a steel-reinforced shear walls to be embed- may find a new sense of security and few hundred people attempting to watch a ded in the river banks where abrupt jut- cleanliness there. The development of the race literally shut down the rest of the outs are called to focus water on mid- Ocoee Whitewater Center for multi-pur- world... including closure of the highway stream hydraulics, or to crate pull-out pose water play and sport use in a good as well as suspension of the commercial eddies or self-rescue pools. example of optimizing our precious natu- and recreational paddling activities. The The Forest Service, Tennessee Valley ral resources...so that the resources en- selected site on the upper Ocoee has none Authority, and State of Tennessee agreed dure, and people's quality of life in en- of these drawbacks. to jointly pursue this project - not be- hanced.

Excerpts from a speech made by Daniel P. Beard, downsized, right-sized, refocused, em- Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation at the National powered, delegated, and reorganized. It Audubon Society Annual Meetine hasn't been easy, it hasn't been pretty, and it hasn't been fun. Kearney, ~ebraska,March 18, 1695 But the leadership of the Bureau, most of whom are here tonight, are con- I'm used to speaking before groups ment. We must initiate innovative ap- vinced that these changes were vital. where they wave at me -usually with proaches using new techniques to Even though we're not done, we're proud one finger pointed up in the air. It really achieve "sustainable water resource of what we've accomplished and we're ex- is nice to speak before a group where they management." cited about the future. wave using all five fingers. When I spoke at Asilomar, it was ob- - In the last two years, we've cut our The Bureau of Reclamation.... now vious we needed to change and change budget by ten percent, or some $90 mil- recognizes that the dam building era in quickly. And we have. I'm thrilled to re- lion. the United States is over. port tonight that the organizational goals - We've reduced our workforce from Public and political support for large, I described a year ago have been met. 8,100 to 6,600 in less than two years and traditional water projects no longer ex- Unfortunately, the broader goals that we have signed buyout agreements with 700 ists. The opportunity for new large share as environmentalists have not more workers. This will amount to a 25 projects in the future is extremely re- been met in many cases - and are in fact percent workforce reduction at an esti- mote, ifnot non-existent. under unprecedented assault. mated annual savings of more than $100 Our future lies in our ability to link The changes we've made at Reclama- million. the social, economic, and environmental tion in the last 22 months are nothing - We've reviewed every internal elements of integrated resources manage- short of spectacular. We have regulation we have -a bureaucratic

American Whitewater ~oyl~uno 1995 CONSERVATION thicket which stands 10 feet high. Two enough to accomplish much good, if the quire the government to compensate land feet of the regulations were immediately agency officials are made aware of strong owners under a long series of scenarios trashed (actually recycled). The remain- public support. in which such owners are merely comply- der - nearly 8 ft. - will be reduced to - Don't judge the success of programs ing with basic environmental law. Fur- about six inches of guidelines, not regula- by the perceived anguish of traditional thermore, it provided that farmers, tions. adversaries. Although complete consen- ranchers and others who receive federal -We've reduced a seven-tiered deci- sus on environmental issues is seldom subsidies. such as cheaD water. must be sion-making structure. Now there are obtained. Dro~osedsolutions that leave compensated by the go;ernmeit if they only two, or at most three, levels of au- significant interests seriously aggrieved are asked at some future date to Dav the thority possible on any decision. To mas be sowinn the seeds of unavoidable market price of the subsidies. hat pro- show we were serious about delegating backlash. ~hgmosteffective advocates visions gives "takings" an entirely new authority, I took the unusual step of abol- are those who listen carefully to their meaning-it is the taxpayer who is being ishing the seven highest positions in the would-be opponents, and find ways to taken. agency. deal with their legitimate concerns. All of these changes greatly concern But what most worries me -and - Build strong local organizations. me--as I know they do you. here is where I want to switch gears - Effective volunteer action does not come My plea tonight is to urge you and ev- what concerns me is that so many in the easily for most people. All of you here eryone else in the environmental commu- environmental movement today seem to understand only too well that public par- nity to get up off the mat. Don't let the be so discouraged. ticipation and environmental advocacy bravado of a few people lead you to aban- People were dispirited and dejected involves nights and weekends away from don what we've fought so hard to about the lack of environmental progress families, sometimes on issues that can re- achieve. in the last Congress. main heated for months or even years. The Endangered Species Act, the And now they are fearful, almost cow- One of the most important contributions Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and ering, about assaults on the environment that national environmental organiza- other environmental laws don't need to in the current Congress. tions can make is the investment in skill- be repealed. And we shouldn't let it hap Many environmentalists seem to be building at the local level, to translate the pen. longing for the good old days. As if we latent environmental values of the They need to be administered in a had now entered the nostalgic twilight of American people into an effective voice fair and effective manner. the movement's halcyon days. As if the on the Main Streets and in the State Capi- Let's stop the defeatist talk. Let's roll tremendous gains of the last thirty years tols all across the country. up our sleeves and get to work. cannot be sustained or improved. Now we all know that there is a new I recognize there is a lot of gray hair We seem to be at a low ebb. A kind of cadre of anti-environmentalists in Wash- - including mine - in this room. I real- passive, palms-up, nonchalance has in- ington, eager to strike while they per- ize you probably feel like me. I've done fected many people. ceive the iron to be hot. They have been this once before, why do I have to do it Many environmentalists seem will- spending their days huffing and puffing again? ing to shrug their shoulders and retreat about the "mandate" they've gotten for Well, the answer is.. . we must. at the first hint of controversy. Their attacking the environment. "The people There is too much at stake. passion for clean water, clean air, pro- have spoken," they say, "its time to re- We don't have to do it all ourselves, tected species, and other goals seems to peal all these burdensome laws and regu- or do it the way it was done in the 1960s be withering under the bravado coming lations." or 1970s. from Washington, D.C. Many in the environmental commu- Much of the future leadership must Well, speaking for myself, I reject this nity seem more than willing to sit back come from the local level, not the na- attitude. and let anti-environmentalists spin their tional level. Washington needs to estab- The problems that sparked the envi- "repeal" record as if it were the most lish and maintain many vital environ- ronmental movement thirty years ago popular song in the country. mental laws and regulations. still exist today. And the values that led Three recent national polls prove But even as Americans say they are you and me to fight so hard to solve those what we all know: The vast majority of as committed to environment, we must problems still burns within our hearts Americans support strong environmental acknowledge a desire on their part to see and the hearts of millions of Americans. laws and they don't want them weakened. more local control over many issues. I for one am not about to turn my For example, 60 percent of Americans And that may be the next step in the back on my commitment to solving envi- say that regulations to protect endan- environmental movement. The old Earth ronmental problems. I have spent my en- gered species have not gone far enough. Day adage "Think globally, act locally" tire professional life fighting to solve That's right, I said: "have not gone far has never been more on-target. these problems. I'm not about to aban- enough!" Besides working closer to the prob- don my beliefs because of one election. Only 4 percent of Americans believe lem at hand, local level support estab- I'm not a blind zealot, or an "Earth that government has gone overboard in lishes a trust that government agencies Firster." I believe there's a need to find protecting water quality. can never duplicate. solutions to problems that are sensitive By way of comparison, 8 percent of Think about it. How did the environ- to the environment, allow for a healthy Americans still think Elvis is alive. mental movement get started in the first economy, and protect individual rights. Just this week the House of Represen- place? Sure, I think there are some lessons tatives moved to undermine some of the It got started in 10,000 places at once. In to be learned from recent developments most important environmental legisla- big and small towns all across America, when in environmental policy. A few of these tion of the last quarter century. The people started realizing we were putting our might include - House gutted key-emissions control pro- greatest natural resources and public health - Give as much attention to the imple- grams under the Clean Air Act, stripped in jeopardy. mentation of existing laws, as to the en- funding for endangered species listings The environmental values you and I actment of new ones. In other words, and protection programs, and mandated share are under assault. keep an eye on the executive as well as large timber salvaging which threatens Now is not the time for retreat. It is time the legislative branches of our govern- the health of wildlife and streams. for us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and en- ment. In many cases, the administrative Earlier this month, the House passed ter the fray again. discretion under current law is broad "takings" legislation which would re- I urge you ...join me in this crucial baffle.

American Whitewater MaylJuno 1995

tual carnage fest where your best bet is right up the gut to take your medicine..sorta. There are several different put-in options for the lower stretch. Onecan slide into the river at the confluence of Fly Creek, where the bridge crosses over head or drive

up the roadanother mile to the seallaunch. I recommend *. i taking the latter option but be careful. few things are harsher than watching your buddies get plastered as they over rotate off of the 18' ledge. It's worth it. Just downstream you'll get a face full at the first significant drop, Final Exam or Entrance Exam, depending on what section of river your navigating. Check this one out from the road on the way to the put-in, some joker decided to joy ride a junker off the cliff. I would hate to see someone miss the move and end up playing me- chanic while surfing the hole on river left. I For the next mile or so the river moves through seconu grow 111 wrest. tainted with stands of Alder. If offers enjoyable Class 11-111rapids with plenty of play spots for those wishing to get loose before the real fun begins. A huge waterfall cascades 100 feet offa canyon wall on river left and large, ancient trees begin to appear more frequently. The river becomes more intimate and soon your in the eddy above the first drop in the canyon section. This series of drops has an intimidating feel as you stare down river, so take your time, scout and portage if necessary. The canyon changes dramatically with different flows. At low water, the ledges are very defined, as are the undercuts. At medium flows, things get a little more exciting and the holes begin to churn. At high flows, the canyon be kickin' some serious booty. The high bridge over head marks Terminator rapids. Entering this drop, you must quickly decide whether you want to catch the eddy on the right or power on through. If your not committed to your move your liable to get chundered..thus the name. At high water, I would seriously consider a portage. I won't be mentioning any names, but one of our Eastern friends probed the hole in a rather uncomfortable position. Add another notch on to that wooden paddle! After a few more interesting drops, one enters the Thrasher series. Prelude toThrasher has it all: wood, nasty reversals and at low water, a bonafide pin spot (the author speaks from experience). There are several lines through and with a little care I'm sure you'll do just fine. Thrasher is the ultimate boof move. With enough water, the sound of plastic hitting water is so sweet! Take a couple hundred cfs. away and I'll be walking. A number ofpeople have found out the hard way why we call this drop Thrasher. That's it for the easy stuff, now onward toward the falls. A quarter mile of beautiful, boulder-choked Class N leads you right up to the brink of Big Falls. This drop has a reputation of being big, ugly and... friendly. It's also becoming famous (featured in the new Dagger catalog). Looking down into the frothy maelstrom for the first time all I could think about was big drop, big hole, double undercut and lame portage. Since that time I have seen and heard of people taking every conceivable line through that bad boy with only a minor amount of scrapes and bruises resulting. At low water, the falls has the perfect boof ledge, so if your idea of fun is landing flat off of l8', give it a whirl. At high water we ll...y our gonna have to take your medicine. FollowingBig Falls are more boulder garden ledge drops which take you to the lip of Champaign. The first in a double set of waterfalls, Champaign is fine. It has a beautifullaunching pad and a foamy landing. Unfortunately, river right is no option at all. It drops into a churning cauldron shaped like an upstream horseshoe. It's a bad place for good retendos. Immediately following this is Hammering Spot. We used to call this the "so and so" swim hole after a particularly nasty thwacking of an individual1 won't mention, but so many people found themselves in the ruthless clutches of this mega, ledge hole that we thought Hammeringspot would be more appropriate. From above, the falls looks relatively harmless but if you miss the boof off of a foot wide flake you will surely find out otherwise. Tales of broken boats, radical cartwheels and free form chundering have so far kept me on line. The portage is on the left. After one more falls, you are at the reservoir. Rejoice. The two mile paddle out is a time for reflection, deep thoughts and one question: when can 1 run it again? I suppose that one of the reasons the AWA journal, which is a fine rag indeed, does not get more stories from the West is we are afraid you folks will come out in droves and crowd our sweet spots. In this case however, we encourage it. I have written this piece as a semi guide book description and if you can almost taste it, come on out and sink your teeth into it. Hurry, Canyon Creek could be dammed by a money hungry mongrel on the hill. P.S. Be on the watch for a ----3Ll-n ------A m----* - - - - Not for Long Folks1mmm1311 . Canyon Creek DaiProposal Looming Some see Washington and the Pacific wreak havoc upon the environment, not any) thus often lacks any discussion of Northwest as the last bastion of free-flow- to mention opportunity for those of us in probable effects to recreation, a use of the ing, boatable rivers. A land of spectacu- search of the pristine, backcounty river which must be balanced with the lar canyons, wilderness runs and just out- whitewater opportunities so often de- so-called "power uses" of the river. The standing whitewater. A land where all scribed in this Journal. projects are then licensed with insuffi- rivers run downhill. Canyon Creek as de- Canyon Creek is a prime example. If cient or no mitigation for lost whitewater scribed in this article is only one. the current proposed project is licensed opportunities. But this plethora of opportunities is by the Federal Energy Regulatory Com- The AWA Conservation Team is fast disappearing. Bolstered by outdated mission (FERC), an unknown amount of working hard to prevent this situation tax incentives and the desire for profits water will be diverted into an 11-foot di- from repeating itself around the country. from cheap energy, the onslaught against ameter pipe from the lower three miles of For instance, AWA is spearheading, rivers and streams from hydropower de- the river (aka the Lower Canyon Creek along with the Rivers Council of Wash- velopers is quickly growing in the North- run). It doesn't take a genius to conclude ington, the effort to block the Canyon west. Look at the statistics: across the na- that the spectacular run detailed in these Creek project early on. Joining us are a tion, hydro generates approximately10% pages will be lost. The cumulative effect number of local boating, fishing and con- of this country's energy. However, in the of this and of the larger, existing hydro servation groups. Keep an eye out for fu- Northwest this is closer to 80%. As the projects downstream on the North Lewis ture articles detailing the battle. number of sites for large scale dams watershed will likewise be devastating We can't do it alone however. Input dwindles, developers are now looking at for all of those involved with these rivers, from boaters describing other little tiny headwater streams to grow hydro especially boaters. What's worse, picture known runs and the projects that generation. For the AWA, this is our the same scenario occurring in the threaten them is crucial. We urge you to greatest nightmare. Besides providing Skagit (where five new dams are pro- join the likes of Andrew Wulfers and oth- little power, these small dams have as posed), Nooksack (seven new dams), ers in getting the word out. Also, keep a great an impact as large dams. Projects Cowlitz (nine dams including the one on sharp eye in the papers for proposals that like Canyon Creek target the very heart of the Clear Fork) and many other rivers may threaten your favorite run. Then our river systems and often the soul of ad- near you. join the AWA and other local and na- vanced whitewater boating. By far the most disturbing product of tional conservation groups in the fight. The laundry list for Washington is this new age of small scale hydro projects In some cases, we may just be the last quite alarming. Iron Creek, Johnson is that few know or care enough about hope. Creek, Summit Creek, the Clear Fork of these streams to work to protect them. the Cowlitz, Butter Creek, Silver Creek, Most often, the knowledge of these For more information on how you can and Summit/Carlon Creek, to name but a stretches is limited to die-hard river ad- help on Canyon Creek, please contact few. In all cases, the proposed projects are vocates, adventuresome fishermen and AWA Director Brooke Drury at Friends on the brink of the profitability scale. boaters who seek out secluded spots and of the Earth, Seattle, WA (206), or Rich Those that do survive the profitability first descents. FERC's limited environ- Bowers, AWA Conservation Office (301) test -and there are many -are sure to mental analysis of these proposals (if 589-9453.

American MayIJune 1995 New Flood Control Dams Proposed for Changing Role of the Corps All of these projects have one thing in common, they are the Russell Fork, Cheat and Tyb.art River! major projects which are coming at a time when the Corps' mis- by Rich Bowers, A WA Conservation Director sion and budget are under intense scrutiny. If you have read "Inside the Beltway" in this issue, you are aware that the New The U.S. Army Corps of tual value (the Corps' report Congress is looking at reducing the Corps' annual $3.6 billion Engineers has proposed estimates replacement values budget by 30%. In addition, during February the Assistant Sec- spending over $700 million to of over $160,000 per structure, retary of the Army for Civil Works proposed a new flood con- protect floodplain areas along even though many structures trol policy which focused on economically justified projects the mainstem Levisa Fork are not permanent, such as with substantial local support. More specifically, projects must from Louisa, KY to the town trailer homes). provide twice the benefits compared to cost, and local sponsors of Grundy, VA, and along the must contribute 75% of new projects. mainstem Russell Fork from In order to accomplish a new mission with a drastically re- its confluence with the Levisa Cheat, Tygart duced budget, the Corps is looking for other benefits for their Fork to 4.26 miles upstream of projects. How to do it? Well, recreation is hot. Economic tour- the town of Haysi, VA. and ism is even hotter. And whitewater boating is absolutely scald- In 1981, the Corps was au- ing. thorized by Congress, under Buckhannon According to the Concept Report of the General Plan authority of Section 202 of the Supplement, increasing the pool level of the Haysi flood control Water and Energy Develop- The Corps' is also explor- dam by 1.5 inches could provide whitewater flows for 17 or ment Appropriation Act, to ing the possibility of building more days of releases in August and September, and increase evaluate and formulate flood a dam and reservoir on West the reliability of recreation flows from the existing Flannagan reduction alternatives in the Virginia's Cheat River, erect- Dam, which currently supplies the four October releases. Levisa and Big Sandy river ing two "dry" dams on the Taken to its conclusion, a 1991 Tourism report concludes that basins. According to the Shavers Fork and the Dry these releases could provide in excess of $660,000 per year from Corps' report, damages result- Fork, and a series of smaller whitewater sports. ing from another flood like flood control dams on the This greatly increases the bottom line for dam economics. It the one in 1977 (the flood of Tygart. Another $400,000 Con- has drawn support from both the Virginia and Kentucky legis- record and the event which gressional appropriation is lature (under economic development), local businesses, and Congress responded to in this paying for these studies. even some local boaters. Act), are estimated to be ap- (These dry dams would not On the Cheat, a proposed dam above Rowlesburg has been proximately $178.0 million. create permanent reservoirs, interpreted by some as meaning guaranteed flows which could The AWA, American Riv- but would store water when eventually rival the nearby fall Gauley season. ers and the Environmental the streams reached flood The AWA has objected to Corps' plans which use Defense Fund have opposed stage). whitewater economics as a reason to build new dams and de- this Haysi Dam plan because: According to West Vir- stroy existing natural rivers. While AWA will continue to fight 1. the cost/benefit ratio is so ginia Rivers Coalition's Roger to include recreation below existing dams as mitigation (for ex- unbalanced ($700 million in- Harrison, "the Cheat is one of ample, we fully support improving recreational flows below the vestment to protect $178 mil- the nation's largest remaining existing Flannagan Dam on the Russell Fork), we can see no dif- lion), and 2. because of the en- free-flowing rivers." WVRC is ference between damming rivers for flood control, hydroelec- vironmental damage to the also advocating Wild and Sce- tricity, or recreation. Let the rivers FLOW. river (loss of 11.3 miles of nic designation for 12 streams For more information, call AWA Conservation Office at natural free-flowing river. in the Monngahela National (301) 589-9453, or Roger Harrison at WVRC at (304) 472-0025. This lack of balance is due Forest, including the Forks of to: Corps' failure to properly the Cheat. assess the cost of non-struc- The Corps' is also investi- tural alternatives; the Corps' gating flood problems in the desire to provide flood protec- Elkins, WV area. Part of this tion well above the 100 year study includes a dam on the Dam Proposal on the flood level; protecting struc- Buckhannon (near Sago), and tures well outside the bound- on the mainstream Tygart be- aries set by Congress; and es- tween Valley Bend and timating replacement value of Huttonsville. The Colorado Environmental Coalition, American Rivers, existing structures within the Colorado Whitewater Association, AWA and others have filed floodplain well above their ac- an intervention to block construction of a dam which would de- water 27 miles of the Gunnison next to the proposed Dominguez wilderness in Colorado. A preliminary permit had been filed with the FERC by Dominguez Hydroelectric Associates. On a positive note, the study on the Cheat would also The dam would flood a popular canoe run, and a section of address Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) which has been river eligible for Wild and Scenic Protection. In addition, it would inundate part of the lower Dominguez Wilderness Study a reoccurring problem on Muddy Branch, a Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Dominguez tributary for the Cheat. AMD studies would be is the largest potential BLM wilderness in Colorado at 87,000 conducted on several priority streams, including acres. Muddy Creek, Pringle Run, Lick Run, Heather Run For more information, contact the AWA Conservation Of- fice at (301) 589-9453, or Norm Mullen, Colorado Environmental and Morgan Run. AlMD is apriority issue for both Coalition, at (303) 243-0002. WVRC and the newly formed "Friends of the Cheat. " WHAT'S IN YOUR HAIR? by Mike Mulligan Most paddlers are conservationists at we put a ton of fertilizer on the lawn or stead. Your neighbors might not like it at heart. Whether you are a weekend float drive the car all over town, we produce first, but what the hell? Maybe they will fisherperson or you spend your days off unnatural levels of this chemical. Nitro- learn from your example. running the Green, most whitewater gen and phosphorous wash off the land or If you're looking for a place to live, boaters really care about the health of the come down from the atmosphere in the don't build. Renovate. Why bulldoze an- river. form of rain... and they kill creeks. other beautiful mountaintop when there Water quality is not just an issue on It may seem ironic that "nutrients" are plenty of existing homes that just the acid rich Cheat or the sewage laden could pose a problem. But it is the over- need a little work. James in downtown Richmond. It's ev- load of these nutrients that wrecks hav- Conserve water. The total amount of erywhere. Think of all the tight little ocs on our streams. water on earth is the same as when the streams high up on mountains in the Increase your intake of food three dinosaurs ruled the planet. We have just middle of nowhere. These are not pro- fold and you wind up with blocked arter- managed to pollute more of it. tected under a plastic bubble. ies, heart failure, and too much body fat. If you farm, leave a buffer of trees Between twenty and thirty percent of The same is true when you are talking along rivers and streams. all the nitrogen that is killing Chesa- about too much nitrogen and,phospho- Be a good consumer, buy products peake Bay is coming from the sky. This rous in a stream. Initially there is an al- that are less damaging on the environ- means that the efiluent pipe of negligent gal bloom, or explosion of algae. This rap- ment. (ie... if you want to save elephants industry isn't the only cause for concern idly depletes the oxygen available for don't buy ivory). Start for looking for de- regarding how clean your creek may be. other organisms. It also can make the wa- tergents that are low in Phosphates. We have all heard about acid rain, but ter so turbid that sunlight can not reach Take someone young paddling. Expo- more people need to understand how the bottom, where it is needed to allow sure and education are the only things wide scale the problem of water pollution plants to grow... and to allow predatory that can ultimately save our environ- really is. fish, such as trout, to feed. ment. Acid rain and airborne nitrogen Heavy silt in a creek can have the Once we dismiss the illusion that it's (NOX) comes from two main sources; in- same effect. only big industry that kills fish and dustrial areas like the Ohio River Valley, So what can you do? The first thing is burns our eyes, we can start to get every- and highly congested urban areas. This to acknowledge that it is not just the one involved in making the world a bet- smog tends to move east to west due to plant, or the farmer, or the developer, but ter place. weather patterns. Streams east of the everybody, that creates the problem. As Poor water quality is global, are- midwest catch a lot of funk, either as rain the population expands we lose more and gional. pollution or dry particulates (dry par- more of the natural filters that clean our THINK COSMICALLY... ACT PER- ticles of sulfuric acid, phosphorous, ni- water. These filters are forests, wetlands, SONALLY! trogen, or what ever might be up there). and animals that feed on the suspended Nitrates and Phosphates are clumped nutrients in the water. If you want to find out more about into a category called nutrients. That Use as little fertilizer on your yard as saving streams write to : makes it sound like they are good for the possible. environment, but that is often not the In fact, some environmentally con- The Izaak Walton League case. scious homeowners aren't bothering with 1401 Wilson Blvd. level B Yes, it's true that our atmosphere manicured lawns at all. They're letting Arlington, VA 22209-2318 contains about 78% Nitrogen. So their yards return to their natural, 1-800-BUG -IWLA, it's FREE what the hell is the big deal? Well al- wooded states. So next time you feel the though NO, might be all around us, when need to mow your lawn, go boating in-

ski industry, it will suit local boaters just Whitewater Boaters Flood into Europe fine. Greenspeace expects that the emis- sion of C02 (from burning fossil fuels) But aren't the Netherlands, like, be- will almost double by 2050. This will So, you are looking for the low sea level? Yep, but according to cause temperatures to rise by 1.5 to 4.5 perfect place to live as a Greenspeace, the recent flooding in the degrees worldwide affecting rainfall, Netherlands and neighboring countries droughts (aaargh!), storms, cyclones and boater? Do you relocate to is just the start, and they expect further sea levels. This combination of more rain Friendsville, Kernville or flooding of the Meuse and Rhine rivers and higher temperatures will increase over the coming decade. the chance of extreme flooding. Steamboat Springs? In the Even though Greenspeace can't con- While boaters in the Carmel and future, really hot boaters firm this yet, their theory is that the rise Southern Georgia areas may believe this in concentrations of greenhouse gases could never happen, it does offer hope for may be moving to the (particularly carbon dioxide: C02) is cre- boaters living in less than perfect boating ating a warmer climate, and this is creat- areas (Ohio, Florida, etc.). In the mean- Netherlands! ing higher flows. According to this while, Netherlands boaters are research- theory, warmer conditions are moving ing the possibility of recreational re- the snow line in the Alps to a higher el- leases below the dikes. evation, which means more rain - less As we went to press, there were no snow. Because of this, wintertime runoff comments from Greenspeace on the fu- into the Rhine will increase by about 15- ture boating conditions in San Jose, 20%. Monterey, the Salinas Valley and Clear While this may not be popular for the Lake regions of California!

American MayIJune 1995 The "Real" Risk of new form of risk is not vertical pins, con- Bear Creek runs through Cloudland Can- tusions, lacerations or any combination yon State Park, and, after an incident Boating of these "on the water" risks - the new when several boaters showed up to boat risk is that of being arrested before, dur- the river (and sought directions to the by Rich Bowers ing or after we paddle. It's a simple con- put-in), the Georgia Dept. of Natural Re- cept to understand, even if you don't sources (DNR) and the park manager are Everyone recognizes that whitewater agree with it. Federal and state agencies, seeking to close the river to boaters. The boating is a risk sport. Risk is part of the charged with managing public resources, major concerns: boater safety and who attraction, both for participants and for are freaking out over how to keep the will pay for rescue and evacuation. As the public which views whitewater as al- general public from running over rapids this issue goes to print, AWA and Geor- ternately romantic, exciting, and danger- and falls and killing themselves in mass gia Canoeing Association have scheduled ous. If you need proof, just turn on the numbers (kind of like Lemmings). Even a meeting with the DNR for the end of TV and check out the new Chanel and those that understand that this just March. Until this meeting, DNR has Mountain Dew commercials. doesn't happen, or who give the public agreed to postpone posting the river off- But just as whitewater paddling is some credit for common sense, are wor- limits. In our favor, the Bear has been changing (skills and numbers of partici- ried that they will need to deal with boated for the last five years with no ma- pants), so are the risks involved in boat- crowds, publicity, injuries or worse. jor incidents. ing. The real question is what will be the Given the current level of funding and While the Bear may no longer define risks in the future? In the past, boaters personnel, they don't want anything that the cutting edge of boating, it is still no were subject to vehicle vandalism, gun- will make their job harder. The simple walk in the park. Many of Yellowstone's fire (e.g. the Upper Yough), and just gen- answer in many cases: close it down! rivers offer similar difficulty. But state eral aggravation from the locals (al- This is certainly the case in Yellow- and federal bureaucracies are not solely though we sometimes gave as good as we stone National Park, where you can targeting "hair" runs. One example is got). If the property rights advocates horseback ride, hike, snowmobile, or New York's Mongaup River, where the have their way, this may begin again - kayak tour in the park, but not kayak or local NPS supervisor is fighting tooth only this time it may have Congressional canoe on any of its outstanding rivers, in. and nail to prevent higher flows for approval! cluding the Gardiner, Lewis, Lamar, or whitewater. At issue is the idea that But there is a more pressing problem the Black and Grand Canyon of the higher flows will create carnage on the concerning our right to even paddle on Yellowstone. downstream Delaware River, a beginner rivers, and our right to determine what It is a predominant issue in recent run. The supervisor is un-persuaded by personal risks we are willing to take. The attempts to close Georgia's Bear Creek. the fact that the local hydro dam releases south this fd.

Simply tho bwl Nestled on a bend of the famed Califomia Salmon River between the Marble Mountains and osta Rica is a kayakers's paradise with Warmth the Trinity Alps you'll find kayak paradise - Otter Class I to VI whitewater. Paddling time Bar Lodge. C is spent with a small, select group of Milehigh Ender Spots paddlers on a variety of whitewater rivers-from Our amenities are unmatched - a deluxe Tropical Paradise lodge, sauna, hot tub, masseuse and the food - exciting classic big water runs to aeeks winding well -howmany sports lodges do you see recom- through an exotic tropical forest setting. Waterfalk Small Groups mended by Bon ApNtit? (Sept '92) And our rivers comfortable, relaxing hotel accommodations are gorgeous with sections for all levels of paddlers and quality meals add to an unforgettable Costa ClassI to VI Whiiewater*-- -anatural Disneyland with A to E ticket rides! Rican paddling vacation. But what really sets us apalt is oar instruc- Our guides are experienced international paddlers and some of the best tional program. We provide the best equipment whitewater kayak instructors in the field. Inter- and you provide the desire to give whitewater kayaking a try. Our instructors are some of the best mediate, advanced and expert trips are sched- paddlers anywhere and our student-to-teacher ratio uled for October. November and December of is unmatched at 3:l. This allows us to tailor your 1995. Experience the warmth and pura vida of week to your needs. Beginning. intermediate or Costa Rica in Endless River Adventures style! advanced. Want more rolling practice? ... work on Let us introduce you to a lifetimes worth of surfing? ...hole riding? Not a problem -your week paddling opportunities with us. Contact as for a is as challenging (or relaxing) as you want it to be! free color booklet about oat 1995 Costa Nca Ask us about our fall Grand Canyon trip. adventures and our North Carolina based in- Drop us a note or give us a call -we'll send you struction program. Don't get left out in the cold! a color brochure! Ow Bar bdga Forks of Salmon, California 96031 (916) 462-4ll2 this same higher flow whenever it wants. the Georgia DNR, we will use these ex- tion dam that would have flooded many Another example is the January/Febru- amples, explain that a possible future res- of the canyon's rapids; the fight over ary Journal's report on the Alta Weir on cue is not a good reason to close a river, Glen Canyon dam and the ongoing California's Kings River, which has cre- and document how boaters have negoti- struggle to manage water flows from the ated a surfing wave surrounded by ated to keep other rivers open to boating. dam; the interstate squabbling over wa- flatwater whose killer reputation was re- Hopefully, others will be able to use our ter appropriation, leaving the Colorado a engineered over 8 years ago. information on similar issues and con- salty trickle by the time it reaches the So what do we do? Well, our options tinue to build a background of positive sea. are limited. 1. We can fight them (get ar- examples. The waiting list for private permits rested, take the issue to court, etc.) This Will it work? In some cases yes. The on the Grand Canyon is also in a league has been successful in some states (NY DNR at this point seems willing to dis- of its own, approaching the scale of geo- and MT), but usually it takes years, and cuss the Bear issue with us. On the other logic time. If you want to guide yourself many times the participants can face se- hand, the NPS supervisor on the down the canyon, you must wait more vere personal liability for their actions. 2. Mongaup may never change his views than ten years. The management plan for We can recognize management concerns and we will probably never figure out his the Grand Canyon is the most controver- and work to be sure that boaters do not hidden agenda. In some situations we sial in the U.S., the mother of all access make life miserable for those respon- will need to seek other relief. But even if problems. sible. Last summer, when boaters were we can't educate everyone, we can at The central problem with the current trying to get the reservation system least educate ourselves about solutions, management plan is its permit allocation changed at Ohiopyle State Park (PA), the personalities, and perspectives . system that has not adapted through the park manager was reluctant to remove years to reflect changing demands. Set in the weekend system which spread launch Hey, we can always get arrested later. the 1970's, the split allotment formula al- times throughout the day. If you have locates 68% of the use to commercial ever seen the crowds on the lower Yough trips and 32% to self-guided boaters. on a summer weekend, you can appreci- Verboten These allocations have not been ad- ate his point of view (the operating word equately adjusted despite a continually here is "appreciate," which is different Hairboatin' growing demand for non-commercial than "agree with). If we can appreciate trips. This inflexible system, over time, their point of view, then sometimes we This expression has been passed down through generations and generations of has resulted in an unfair and unjustifi- create a third option: 3. Education. rural Germans living in villages perched able split between commercial and non- Educating the public and agencies in the tall, steep German Alps. Roughly commercial users. about whitewater boating (both as a sport While the AWA appreciates the need and as a lifestyle) is perhaps the only way translated, it means "forbidden boating." These notes are designed to give an over- to limit the number of trip launches at to permanently assure our rights on riv- view of access issues and AWA's efforts Lee's Ferry to maintain a quality wilder- ers. To be successful, we need to start from around the country. Please call or ness experience, the current system fa- with simple things that everyone can un- write AWA's Access Program if you have vors only the commercial experience. derstand. Starting with how we should be information about access to whitewater While a commercial passenger can book allowed to kill ourselves is a bad idea. A rivers: a vacation a few months in advance, the good idea would show others that this re- 1430 Fenwick Lane waiting period for private permit holders ally doesn't happen very often. Another Silver Spring, MD 20910 is now over a decade. As illustrated by good idea is to have boaters explain why (301) 589-9453 the large number of citizens who desire we paddle rivers (which gets into private permits, many people either lack lifestyle, conservation, etc.) I have spent (301) 589-6121 (fax) e.mai1: [email protected] the financial means to join a commercial the last three years listening to boaters trip ($1000-3000 per person) or choose a talk about rivers at numerous public more personal experience. scoping meetings, and no one can do it Grand Canyon, Arizona The American Whitewater Affiliation better! In 1996, the Colorado River Manage- (AWA) believes, simply enough, that the Like everything else, this approach ment Plan will be up for revision. AWA Grand Canyon belongs to everyone, not has pros and cons. Education takes a long submitted the following comments for a just those lucky enough to afford com- time (how many years did you spend in publication to be edited by the Grand Can- mercial permits. It is the duty of the Na- school??),and like every other group of yon River Guides. The GCRG is a non- people, you run into those you just can't profit organization dedicated to the qual- deal with. On the plus side, it only takes ity of the Grand Canyon Experience. They KAYAK CHILE one chink in the armor to get results. publish an outstanding quarterly maga- The best international class IV-V kayak Fortunately these chinks exist. Not zine, The Boatman's Quarterly Review, all agencies are unwilling to discuss from P. 0.Box 1934, FlagstaffAZ, 86002. trip on the Bio Bio, Fuy, Go1 Gol, whitewater needs or find out more about Manso and Futaleufu. what we do. Pennsylvania State Parks is Everything associated with the Grand RAFT CHILE: Combination wrestling with this idea right now, as Canyon is on a scale all its own. It has the whitewater and scenic tour of Chile. boaters have been pressing them to lift most notorious rapids on the continent, the ban on running Ohiopyle State Parks. large enough to merit a scale that goes to Climb the Villarica Volcano. OCEAN Great Falls Park (MD and VA) addressed 10. It has, arguably, the most dramatic KAYAK in northern Patagonia. this years ago - the result, an expert run landscape of any river trip in the U.S. NORTH OF 60: Raftlcanoe the famous in one of the most visible parks in the Even its human explorers are larger than Tatshenshini/Alsek or Nahanni Rivers. country. West Virginia dealt with this is- life: the one-armed John Wesley Powell sue at Valley Falls State Park, and again strapped aboard a boat. SPORT INTERNATIONAL at the put-in for the upper run located in The Canyon has also been a battle- 1602 Alder Street, Whitehorse, Yukon, Blackwater Falls State Park. ground of epic proportions: the site of the Canada Y1A 3W8, Phone 1-800-779- When the AWA discusses Bear with duel over a proposed Bureau of Reclama- 1784 Fax 403-633-6184. I American Whitewater MaylJune 19:s mmmmmwmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwmmm ACCESS tional Park Service to reflect the public ficial-looking signs on both sides of the will, to accommodate all citizens in an road state "No Parking", "No River Ac- unbiased manner. cess", and "No Trespassing". Who Georgia River Above all, the new management plan erected these signs and structures is un- must be fair and flexible. known at the moment; many suspect that Access: Will Your In order to be fair, the National Park it was local landowners, perhaps in con- Service needs to re-examine the 68/32 junction with the California Dept of split. If commercial and self-guidedboat - Transportation. Favorite River ers continue to have separate quotas, While it still may be possible to enter river managers should devise a methodol- the river upstream at the boundary of ogy to determine true demand. It is im- Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, portant to realize that even the long wait- launching from this upper point will en- by David Cox, Georgia Canoeing Assoc., ing list may not reflect the demand for tail a series of difficult portages and fer- River Access Chairman private trips, because of the excessive ries to reach the more boatable stretches wait that frustrates many from even ap- below. For kayakers of less than ad- plying or into going on commercial trips vanced to expert skill and for most 1. The Dog River where there is no waiting list. rafters, these maneuvers will not be fea- Georgia paddlers are quickly becom- In order to be flexible, the Park Ser- sible. ing embroiled in a river access problem vice should develop a system to adjust Downstream access is also a problem. on the Dog River. The Dog is located the quotas to keep supply and demand for At the Dinely Road bridge and the North about fifteen (15) miles west of Atlanta in both types of trips in balance over time. Fork Drive bridge, "No Parking" signs Douglas County and offers 7 miles of AWA recommends experimenting with have been erected to prevent any oppor- Class 111-IV. It is generally considered a new methods of permit allocation that tunity to load or unload boats. Private high water run that is runnable on an in- will accurately reflect the marketplace. In landowners have erected "No Trespass- frequent basis at best. Metro-Atlanta pad- advocating for change, however, we do ing" signs in both vicinities. The "No dlers often paddle it late on weekday af- not wish to undermine the financial vi- Parking" signs on the North Fork Drive ternoons after torrential rains in the ability of commercial trips. extend for miles up that road as it paral- area. Authorities have closed the only Perhaps the most important thing to lels the north bank of the main Kaweah take-out access to the Dog River to every- keep in mind is that when the manage- River, and later where it parallels the one except residents of Douglas County. ment plan is said and done, the Canyon North Fork of the Kaweah. After months of negotiations, talks have will remain, will continue to be the ulti- According to California boater soured and both sides appear to be pre- mate river trip. Now that's something we Richard Penny, "I have no doubt that paring for litigation. all agree upon. these many obstructions have been First, a brief history. In 1988, The erected in order to prevent picnickers, Douglasville-DouglasCounty Water and sunbathers, swimmers, fishermen, Sewer Authority (WSA) obtained a per- Kaweah River, California kayakers, and rafters from enjoying ac- mit from the Army Corps of Engineers Access problems have arisen on the cess to the Kaweah River. By infringing for to construct a dam on the Dog River Kaweah River near the town of Three on the right of the public to enjoy the use on the condition that the whitewater run Rivers in Tulare County. The Kaweah of California's rivers these actions would immediately above what is now the Dog River is a popular whitewater river that seem to be unconstitutional. The consti- River Reservoir would be preserved. The offers several nice sections of Class I11 tution of the State of California guaran- permit also requires the WSA to provide and Class IV paddling. Prior to this year tees the public's use of and navigation on a public access area. it supported commercial rafting by the the state's rivers." Another problem is In 1990, the Georgia Canoeing Asso- Beyond Limits company. that these fences extend onto County/ ciation (GCA) became aware that the This winter, however, access was State right of way. WSA wished to avoid constructing a pub- blocked at the principal launch site, the There remain two fine, legal areas to lic access facility at the reservoir site and Highway 198 bridge near the Gateway take out of the river. One is at the county wrote a letter to the Corps of Engineers Motel and Restaurant. A chainlink fence park at Holiday Rapid, and the other is urging them to enforce this special condi- topped by barbed wire now extends from the Army Corps of Engineers launch tion of the permit. the bridge abutments to a nearby cliff. Of- area on Terminus Reservoir. In 1993, the WSA contacted the GCA and informed them that, although the dam was finished, several matters, in- cluding fish stocking, required that pad- dlers remain off the river for one year. The GCA complied with this request. In July, 1994, a group of Atlanta pad- dlers paddled the Dog River one after- noon following a rain storm. There were no warning signs at the put-in. After fin- ishing the run and preparing for a short paddle across the reservoir to take out, the paddlers encountered large sign say- ing "No Kayaks or Rafts Allowed Beyond this Point." Not being able to paddle up- stream against the current and not wish- ing to get cited for trespass on private property, the paddlers elected to try to cross the reservoir. They were quickly accosted by WSA security personnel who were extremely rude to the paddlers and issued warning citations to each of them.

American Whitewater ~ayl~une 1995 Dave Mad Dog Cox gets Access at Super Soc 'Em Dog, Changa River, South Carolina

When asked why the WSA was prohibit- On the following Thursday, March 9, had summarily rejected the idea a week ing paddlers on the river, one of the secu- 1995 representatives of the GCA, the later. No negotiations are in progress at ritv guards stated that the "WSA didn't FDRR and the WSA met, and the WSA ap- this time. The GCA is requesting infor- wantno queers on the reservoir." peared to be willing to reach a compro- - mation from the WSA and is contemplat- In August, 1994, GCA President mise. One solution proposed by the WSA ing filing a lawsuit. Evelyn Hopkins and GCA River Access involved a permit system which would Chairman David Cox met with officials at allow a specified number of paddlers to 2. Armuchee Creek. the WSA to attempt to work out a solu- take out at the reservoir on any given As of the press deadline, the Superior tion to the problem of access for non-resi- day. Although the GCA and the FDRR ap- Court of Chattooga County had not yet is- dents of Douglas County. The GCA repre- peared very receptive to this proposal, sued a ruling regarding the Armuchee sentatives left the meeting believing that one influential resident, Danny Eidson, Creek litigation last December. the WSA would likely grant access to remained adamant that there would be GCA paddlers in exchange for river no expansion of existing access to the res- clean-up services on the Dog River. How- ervoir. 3. Bear Creek. ever, the GCA later learned that the WSA At the conclusion of the board meet- See "The Real Risk of Boating" article was sponsoring a river clean-up of its ing, GCA and FDRR representatives be- in this issue. On Wednesday, March 29, own and that the WSA had no intention lieved that the WSA would approve the Ron Stewart and Rich Bowers of the of permitting access to the Dog River. proposed permitting plan. We were AWA and David Cox of the GCA met with This response prompted paddlers to shocked upon learning that the Board the Department of Natural Resources to form an association named the "Friends of the Dog River Reservoir" (FDRR). Late in February, the WSA and FDRR came into direct conflict at a symposium of river issues. The WSA had an exhibit which proudly displayed citations for high water quality and its t-shirts from the WSA sponsored river clean-up. On the other side of the exhibit hall, FDRR had a display showing the formidable barbed wire fences surrounding the Res- ervoir Facility and a picture of the sign OTTERPaddling Gloves forPAWS Amphibians at the mouth of the Dog River prohibiting kayaks and rafts. The FDRR stated that the WSA is in violation of the condition A All seams glued & blind stitched. A Velcro wrist strap. of its permit requiring public access and A Urethane coated palm, improves grip and durability. declared that the WSA was violating fed- A Ergonomically cut & designed spedca~iyfor paddling. eral law as a result. Local newspapers in b PO Box 2895 Seal Beach. CA 90740 or check out your local Paddle store Douglas County became interested in 1 these events and a firestorm of angry let- ters to the papers have been highly criti- cal of the WSA.

May/ June 1995 boating on Sespe, Piru, and other creeks in the Forest should write to: Los Padres National Forest Attn: Sharon Sprouse 6144 Calle Real Goleta, CA 93117

The Forest Service's original study of these creeks in 1988 greatly understates the scenic, recreational, geologic, plant and wildlife values of the creek. Piru creek offers 1000 ft. rock faces, vertical walled gorges, waterfalls cascad- ing into the river, hot springs, stunning geology, AND excellent whitewater. The rapids in the gorge are formed by oddly sculpted boulders of the same pink and purple aggregate, somehow reminiscent of "Yellow Submarine" artwork. This gorge section culminates with a large tributary free falling into the creek from perhaps hundred feet above the river! Please urge the USFS to reconsider its original description of the gorge which discuss the issue of boating on this Class stated that "the most significant visual V+ run. feature is the presence of continually flowing water pools in an otherwise hot, 4. Chattooga River. arid region." Bruce Hare, a long standing member of the paddling community with close ties to the North Fork Skykomish: Chattooga River, and a local non-profit Washington organization have filed a lawsuit against The Washington State Parks and Rec- the U.S. Forest Service in Federal court reation Commission is considering open- challenging certain revisions to the rule ing of a new take-out for the spectacular governing the use of the Chattooga River and long Class 111-IV+whitewater run on by private and public boaters. Local pad- the "North Fork of the Sky." The usual dlers are concerned about their lack of take-outs on this run leave boaters with a involvment in the decision making pro- difficult choice: take out early and miss cess. many more miles of spectacular rapids and scenery downstream; or keep going and take out in the tiny enclave of Index, Boating the Blue Ridge much to the consternation of the local residents. In early March, several boaters were By reclaiming "The Triangle Prop stopped while driving down the Blue erty" &om a private leaseholder, State Ridge Parkway (in N.C.), and were told Parks would add a needed access point that boating was illegal in the park. Fur- for paddlers, fishermen, picknickers, and ther investigation on these "rules" dis- anyone else who wishes to enjoy this closed that boating was not illegal, and spectacular river-all at little cost to the rangers are now being instructed not to agency. (The property is already devel- hassle boaters. [[[he AWA continues to in- oped as a primitive access point.) In form managing agencies about the mini- short, its a win-win situation. mal impact that paddlers have on The AWA is working with State streams.]]] Parks to make this possibility a reality come December. That's when the private lease on the property is set to run out. Our chances of success will be greatly en- Piru and Sespe Creeks, CA. hanced with support from individual Top: Columbia River Gorge- Confluence The Forest Service, after an appeal boaters and boating groups. Please write with Washington State's White Salmon River &om Friends of the River (a California your letters of support to Steven based river conservation group), has de- Bottom: Washington's Wild and Scenic Starlund, Director of the State Scenic cided to re-study the Lower and Upper Rivers Program, WA State Parks, 7150 White Salmon River Piru Creek (in Ventura County) as well as Clean Water Lane KY-11,PO Box 42668, Upper Sespe Creek for inclusion in the Olympia, WA 98504-2668. Wild and Scenic River System. Those Contact AWA Board Member Brooke wishing to provide input to the Wilder- Drury for more information at 206-633- ness Management Plan that includes 1661.

American Whitewater ~oylhne 1995 The RiverWave BBS 303-259-3 185

The Only Computer Bulletm Board System Ded~cated Drop into New England Nhitewater Center's Canoe FREE ClassiReds, Demo Access, & E-mail to All Callers. FREE 30-Day Membership! All lines are 14.4 V.42, PO Box 2741, Durango, CO 81 302 (Voice) 303-259-3184 and Kayak School

FUTAFUND Our instructional Program offers you for the preservation of the Futctleufu River in Chile a truly unique paddling experience. Find out Online how you can help the FUTAFUND, a not-for-profit group. Treat yourself to a great vacation and Or, write, cell, or fax the FUTAFUND an exceptional value while learning in PO &x 4536 Modesto, CA 95351 pH: 209-572-FUTA, FAX 209-522-557 1 a fin and personalized environment. We guarantee your progress and satis- faction. While in the area visit our Outfitters Shop and take advantage of our new Demo Program on the Kennebec River. Please call or write for additional information.

NEW ENGLAND

CENTER Wyman Lake, V Bull prMda peedl ~ta!kyind control in Caratunk, Maine 04925 dltrenn and waterfall jumping. An cxrelknt thoice for 800.766.7238 What's Up? Water level readings from selected North American river level gauges are "up" on Waterline! Water levels at your favorite boating spots, and more you haven't explored yet, may be "upn too! Find out for sure where the best conditions are by calling Waterline while you're planning your next river adventure. Readings are updated continually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call toll-free, any time of day, for information, sample readings and river gauge lists. We'll mail you details or ii you have a fax number handy, we'll fax you everything you need to call our Waterline gauge phone right now for DWASSER SPORT U today's river levels. Box 4611, kuider, CO 3)W-2336 / FAX (303)

American Whitewater May/ June ne 3 and 4-?

UEAD TO HE fA PRINT UPSTREAM AmAI MENT RACE all boat classes welcome

"SQUIRT TILL IT TS" SQUIRT CONE- downriver squirt NORTHEAST BOATERS Call for Fish Creek levels. We are Central NY's ONLY fully stocked whitewater store.

Perception Mountain Surf New Wave Sidewinder Dagger Kokatat Prijon Extrasport Wave Sports NRS Mad River Thrillseeker

Telemark and Backcountry ski specialist Climbing equipment and instruction. Ask about our indoor climbing wall. OUTrnrnE ING. (315) 768-1568 587 Main St., New York Mills, N.Y. 13417 I Quality

(301) 746-5389 Second skin Pile@ tights, vests, and KAYAK one-piece suits a\&>RIO5 HONDURAS P.0. Box 70 Trip Leaders 276 Maple Street MARY PHIL Friendsville, MD HAYES DERIEMER

BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED EXPERT CUSTOM

CALL FOR DATES

(000) 255-5784 Manufactured in the (~-9 10201 HIGHWAY 50 L United States by Mountain Surf, Inc. 4 HOWARD, CO. 81233

May/ June 1995 --. t was loony tunes inside the beltway -8. when the last issue of the Journal *. reached your mailbox. *. Now the funny stuff is turning nasty. Life is especially brutal for Counter Culture McGoverniks (a.k.a. bleeding heart liberals). They haven't won a vote for so long that most don't even bother to show up for work anymore. This old lib- eral crowd has a Humpty Dumpty prob- lem. Their agenda fell off the wall in No- vember of last year, and nobody can put it back together again. An eight-lane interstatehighway The other team, Sonny Bono, Rush Limbaugh, Phil Gramm, and Newt (known as the "beltway")encircles Gingrich are feeling their Wheaties ...g leefully cramming the Con- thenation's capitallikeamonstrous tract with America down the throats of the bankrupt liberals in Congress with snake, separatingthenoxious the vengeance of Visigoths. infernoofpoliticsfrom the rest of They have a big agenda. It's getting bigger every day. And it seems wildly the nation. The populace peers in popular outside the beltway. The pollsters can't even keep up with the numbers. Ev- withanattitudeofbewildered eryone is jumping on their bandwagon. There are so many new conservative ra- dismay. Meanwhile, politicians, dio talk show hosts on the air that the bureaucrats, T.V. newscasters, FCC is auctioning off new radio bands. A year from now, Americans will look lobbyists, lawyers, thieves, back at the political battlefield of 1995 and see corpses of the old system scattered reporters, muggers,government and rotting across the landscape. Some of the bodies have already been identified. contractors, drugaddicts, andspies Affirmative action programs will be dead. forma cacophonous Towerof No more free school lunches and child nu- trition programs. Welfare will be on its Babel. At the center,gripping his way out. Food stamps will be teeter totter- ing on the lip of the grave. Federal hous- newcontractwith America like the ing assistance will be in the dumpster, to- gether with college loan programs. Forget Sword of Gehghis Khan, Newt about women's health, Head Start, and all Gingrich, newlyenthronedspeaker those other failed relics of the Great Soci- ety. of the House, announces agradiose strategytotransform theplanet. Environmental Laws Hit Federal environmental laws will be in Undetrredbythis horrific scene, for big hits. Endangered species are in big trouble. Spotty owls will be on a fast lane alertwhitewaterboaters,trapped to extinction, along with Public Broadcasting's Big Bird and most of the deep inside the beltway, carefully Columbia River salmon. Wetlands will be filterthepandemonium toreporton mostly converted to WalMart parking lots. Pollution in the nation's waterways anythingandeverythingaffecting could increase dramatically. A new Clean Water Act is under construction and, ac- whitewaterrivers. cording to a March 22 story in the Wash- ington Post, the job of drafting it has been turned over to the paper and chemical in- dustry. Their plan is to make compliance with some provisions of the law volun- tary.

May/June r

In the same new Clean Water bill, the cious than anyone could have imagined. the capitol. The only river conservation hydropower industry is pushing hard to DeLay is the Majority Whip for the Re- now happening is happening in the boon- reverse last year's Supreme Court deci- publicans in the House. The Majority docks. sion granting State governments author- Whip, as the name implies, is kind of a In this kind of political climate, the ity to control instream flows through sec- political Marquis de Sade. His job is to only realistic tactic for river conserva- tion 401 of the Clean Water Act at FERC whip Hell out of the opposition. DeLay is tionists is to go back to ground zero and licensed hydro projects. If the hydro known as the "Exterminator" because he begin rebuilding the whole philosophy crowd wins this battle, efforts by AWA got his start in life running a pest exter- and structure of river conservation from and its allies to increase flows in by- mination service in Texas, buzzing the ground up. The Buffalo River is a passed reaches of existing hydro project around Houston wiping out roaches and case in point. could be dealt a severe blow. fire ants. He got so angry with the Fed- The Buffalo River, in northern Arkan- eral government for regulating poisons sas, was designated by Congress as Changes in the Legal System and pesticides that he ran for Congress America's first National River in 1973. Killing off programs and reinventing and is now applying political poison to The river is currently threatened by agri- environmental laws is only the tip of the Democrats in Congress. cultural runoff and deforestation in its iceberg. The new Congressional leader- watershed, but the politics of the region ship intends to fundamentally alter the Big Changes for Outdoor makes any environmental protection dif- entire American legal system. The objec- Recreation ficult. tive here is to free tobacco companies So river protection advocates founded What does all this have to do with a group to work with land owners and and other businesses from the paralyzing whitewater boating or river conserva- scourge of frivolous lawsuits. Under an- farmers instead of using the power of tion? Quite a bit. government to try to control them. The other bill, intended to protect private For one thing, federal lands are in for property owners from "takings", prop- Buffalo River Stewardship Foundation, big changes. Picture a gigantic garage based in Harrison, Arkansas, buys "con- erty owners will be entitled to big bucks sale. The national forests will more or every time the government says "no" to servation easements" along the tributar- less belong to Weyerhauser (except that ies to the Buffalo River. The easements anything. taxpayers will still get to pay for the Everything near and dear to the bleed- pay land owners to grow trees on land roads and subsidize the timber sales.) within 100 feet of the tributaries, instead ing hearts of liberals, women, gays, mi- Other Federal lands (especially Bureau of norities, the elderly, the poor, or tree- of grazing cattle or growing crops which Land Management lands in Alaska, Utah, increase surface runoff and e osion. hugging environrneddlers is headed to California, and Nevada) will be turned oblivion. Hey after all they lost the elec- Land owners hence earn money for "good ... over to State ownership. Of course, gold stewardship" which protects a precious tion (only 49% of the voters voted Demo- miners will still be allowed to stake their natural resource. According to Timothy cratic). To the victor belong the spoils! claims for $2.50 per acre on any lands re- T. Jones, the Stewardship Foundation's It's the American Way. Only one team maining in federal ownership leftover af- wins. The losers are left to sulk in the Executive Director: "We work directly ter the garage sale. with local land owners who can directly locker room and complain about the ref- Most important to outdoor recreation erees. contribute to protecting the river. We ex- enthusiasts are the various proposals to pect high compliance because our pro- privatize various public resources and grams are voluntary. We expect signifi- Mudwrestling In the Slime information supplies. Serious proposals cant water quality improvements be- Pit are afoot to deauthorize and privatize cause everyone will be working towards But that is all just substance. It's the some National Park Service areas, such the same goal: maintaining the Buffalo process that is really looking harsh. Poli- as wild and scenic rivers and national River as a pristine waterway." tics was always partisan, but politics in- recreation areas (Even the Gauley NRA "Our program works because people side the beltway is now beyond partisan. and the New River could be for sale!). The are willing to pay to protect the Buffalo It's bitter. It's ugly. The cozy little village parks are not the only thing destined for River," adds Jesse Gordon, the Steward- of Capitol Hill, once filled with perks, privatization. The U.S.G.S. mapping and ship Foundation's environmental econo- pork, and privilege, has become Capitol hydrologic services are also headed in mist. "We bring together those who are Hell. Members of Congress gave up their that direction. Boaters who rely on free willing to pay with those who can pro- private bank several years ago. They now U.S.G.S. stream gauge readings to plan vide an environmental benefit. We pro- work 15 hour days, 7 days a week. In Feb- their weekend recreational activities vide an opportunity for environmental- ruary the Senate subway had a wreck, in- may be buying those gauge readings from ists to contribute directly to environmen- juring several elderly Senators rushing a private company in the future. The tal improvement." to a floor vote. Personal relationships U.S.G.S. may not even exist after the bud- The Stewardship Foundation also con- have degenerated into a kind of verbal get battles of 1995. ducts economic studies and produces Mudwrestling. In March of this year, a These changes could result in major educational material concerning the Buf- Republican leader dubbed Democratic access problems and steep fees for pri- falo watershed, as well as facilitating a congressman Barney Frank "Barney vate boaters and other noncommercial "Watershed Council" where all parties Fag". In retaliation a senior Democrat users of these areas. discuss mutually acceptable solutions to from California told the press that a se- If even half of these changes make it watershed problems. nior female Republican from Connecticut through the legislative mill, America will was a "whore". be a different place. Membership in the BuffaloRiver Stew- The Exterminator Outside the Beltway ardship Foundation is $35per year - New leaders are emerging from the The message to river conservation ad- 100% of membership dues go to conserva- slime. Sonny Bono is not the only Tyran- vocates inside the beltway is clear: "Get tion easements. For more information nosaurs Rex in this league. One Con- out of town fast!" Anyone interested in about the Buffalo River Stewardship gressman in particular, Tom ("the Exter- the conservation of anything other than Foundation, call (501) 741-1750 or write to minator") DeLay, has been more fero- capital gains tax breaks has already fled Box 5003-161, Harrison, AR, 72602. Land

May/ June 1995 owners interested in the conservation ease- ment program may request a sample ease- ment contract or other information at the same address. Box 5003-161, Harrison, AR. 72602 or contact Jesse Gordon on the Internet at brs#wildfirel.com SPORTS RACK Some Clouds Have a Silver Lining While the traditional river conserva- tion agenda is now so far off the table in Washington as to be invisible, there are a few isolated developments which may be good news to the boating community. For one thing, President Clinton has proposed radically altering the way Army Corps of Engineers projects are funded and built. The Republican Con- gress, desperate to find money for tax Weighs less than 25 Ibs. And carries over 1000 Ibs. breaks, seems likely to go along Under the new proposal for the Corps, Only minutes to assemble for use -- most of the money for new dams will have to come from the affected localities. or take down for easy storage. The cost sharing - now 75% Federal and 25% local- will be flipped so that locali- Made of strong aluminum pipe, and padded ties will have to pay 75% of the cost of most large flood control projects. In addi- with neoprene to protect your vehicle's finish. tion, all new flood control project benefits must be twice as great as the costs for a Custom fit for long or short beds. project to be approved-and half of the damaging waters must come from outside state boundaries. If this passes, the era of Minimum 7 112 ft makes it ideal for kayaks, big federal water projects is really over. windsurfers, hang gliders. -- 4 112 ft width makes Even apart from these reforms, the easy work of I-K's, rafts, and canoes. Corps of Engineers is in for some big changes. According to American Rivers, the Corps must reduce its $3.6 Billion an- Flip-up kayak stackers lock in place anywhere nual budget by 30%. and has been given a along the crossbars. new mission: to restore "hydrologic vari- ability" to rivers. Since the building of new dams is costly and not likely to fur- This rack is tough enough to haul big loads of lumber ther this new mission, one has to wonder or handle any other big load you have in mind. why the Corps is still so avidly pursuing proposals to build a $700 million dam on the Russell Fork River in Virginia (the Haysi Dam) and three new projects in the Cheat Watershed in West Virginia. Poli- tics is still a paradox. In a peculiar way, some of the changes in the Contract with America could ben- efit outdoor recreation groups. Although the effort to exterminate Big Bird and privatize the national parks are hard pills to swallow, the changes in Federal liability law may not be. These changes apply to all kinds of liability lawsuits un- der State law, even suits against property owners. The proposal is to reduce puni- ORDER YOUR OWN BIG LOAD NOW $290 tive damage awards and make the loser of the lawsuit pay the winner's costs. White Water Express 1 1900 Montana Ave. LA, CA 90049 This could reduce the fear that some ' property owners have of lawsuits and Call/Fax 31 0 820 1 103 make them more willing to allow public access across their lands, but only time will tell. DATES; Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11 WHERE: Ocoee Rive6 Duckown, Ti

More information, registration forms, and diier reservations contact: Susan Wilson- Gentry 52 Albemarle P1. #16 Asheville, NC 28801 Home: 704-268-3836 Freestyle event for Kayaks, Squirt Boats, GI, and Open Canoes. Famous Man or Rubber Downriver Raft Race. Lots of volunteers are needed for this event. If you would like to volunteer, please call Susan. A kayak will be raffled off to our volunteers. This is a AWA fund raiser. Friday, June 9,7:00pm - 10:OOpm Registration -All competitors: Location - NOC Ocoee Outpost. NO REGISTRATION AFlXR THIS TIME!!!!! Saturday, June 10,9:00am Competitors Meetingmib Pickup: Location - Hells Hole Competitors area. ALL COMPEllTORS MUST ATI'END. Preregistered competitors can sign waivers at this time. Preregistrations must be post marked by June 1. Saturday, 9:30am Saturday, 7aOpm TcTpedo - Squirt Boat competition begins. Dinner/Party/Auction: NOC Ocoee Outpost (class order: Jr., Int., GI, Exp. K-1) Sunday, June 12,9:00am Put-in: Raft Race registration Saturday, 9:30 am Hells Hole: Finish preliminaries Hells Hole - Open Canoe competition begins. Squirt finals Open Canoe finals Saturday, 12:30pm Hells Hole - Preliminary Hole Riding competition Sunday, 1:OOpm begins. Class order: Hells Hole: Expert C-1 finals 12:30pm 3:OOpm Expert K-1 Women hals Jr. Exp. K-l Women Expert K-1 Men finals Int. K-1 Women Exp. K-1 Men Int. K-1 Men Duckiait on Top Sunday 4:00pm c-1 Awards: Hells Hole

American May/ June 1995 How equipped is your kayak?

Bow buoyancy. It keeps you from diving Bow buoyancy is a function of both volume deeply at the bottom of steep drops. Enables and shape. Dagger designers pay a lot of your boat to resurface more quickly. Gives attention to issues like bow buoyancy. A you time to adjust for the next crucial move. cruising boat needs a lot. A rodeo boat needs Helps you ride over the top of that big hole. less. Extensive computer modeling and on- the-water testing help us determine the optimum amount of bow buoyancy for each of our models. Want to know more? Our catalog is free, our new video is $5.

P.O. Box 1500 Harriman, TN 37748 61 5-882-0404 Everybody who Germantown, Maryland is what people's first impression of Eric is knows Eric Jackson makes him so interesting. When you his overwhelming optimism and en- has something to say do finally meet E.J.for the first time, thusiasm. In the course of my inter- about him. He's the you are not sure whether to expect a view he breezed through topics like kind of mv that im- self-aggrandizing megalomaniac, a his close calls with financial ruin mediately evokes a reaciidn, even af- happy-go lucky huckster with a and nearly missing his Olympic race ter a brief first encounter. Boaters knack for kayaking, or just a regular run as if he was only discussing how that don't know E.J. (as he is widely guy. he nearly missed a bus. Eric's irrev- known) often have an opinion about It's easy to figure out why so erence is coupled with a quirky way him too. The adventures of Eric many people know about E.J. Be- of looking at people while talking to Jackson precede him and float all tween winning the 1993 World Cham- them, a by-product of the fact that around the whitewater community. pionship Rodeo, being a U.S. slalom he is 50% deaf. He often misses Discussions of rodeos and slalom team member for the past 6 years, his pieces of conversations and is forced races seem to always fall back on to blossoming kayak school in Wash- to read lips. something that Eric did or said. ington D.C. and his appearances glid- The temptation is to dismiss E.J. The peculiar thing about these re- ing over some of the hardest as a little slow-reacting, but don't kid actions is their diversity. In a typical whitewater in the country, he's all yourself. Underneath that flippant conversation about Eric you might over the boating world, literally and surface is a hyper-achiever who is hear any one of the following: "Eric figuratively. But understanding why not afraid to work. Eric is also never is the best whitewater boater alive", he always seems to be in the center afraid to say what's on his mind. or "Eric has no idea how to train for of controversy and why so many And he does what ever he thinks is slalom properly", or "Eric is going to people have so many different things necessary to win with an intimidat- revolutionize the sport", or "Eric is to say about him is a little more dim- ing ruthlessness, even if it ends in going to totally self-destruct". cult. complete disaster. The result is that The fact is, though, this wide Perhaps the root of the E.J. Eric's critics are often not sure if his range of opinions concerning this 31 enigma is that there are two distinct undeniably long list of achievements year U.S. slalom team member from sides to his personality. Many is just dumb luck and he is going to

American Whitewater MoylJune 1995 And then I went to wildwater stumble soon, or if he is trials, and I was 6th the first Olympic course. Even with the someone who is going to get extra ten seconds I was still the last laugh. day and 4th the second day. I 14th. Eric is also reaching the wasn't that good at wildwater peak of his career in an in- So anyway, you were saying that your racing teresting time in the his- because I never trained in it. tory of whitewater has been going downhill since '91... kayaking. The whitewater It was kind of like I borrowed Well my whole year (1991) industry has just grown to a was shot because of the injury. point where people can ac- a paddle, borrowed a boat Physically, I was below par. tually make a decent living Then I went on the Mega Plan. kayaking. Eric lives right and ran down the course. (At this time) Endicott (Bill on the frontier of this in- Endicott, ex-team coach) was dustry. His desire to suc- basically retired, and this was before Silvan (Poberaj, current ceed financially (which is head coach). And so I developed matched only with his de- the Mega Plan. The idea was sire to succeed in kayaking) that I was going to be in 4 is constantly pushing him into un- World ~ham~ionshi~ksl&om, flatwater, usual and sometimes uncomfortable -_ wildwater and rodeo. situations, that he seems to brush properly. I did this upstream (stroke) and past without any regrets. He is ambi- I heard this POP! in my shoulder. I was Kind of ambitious, don't you tious, almost to a fault, and he is con- screwed. I couldn't do gates from Nov. '91 think? stantly looking ahead to greater and to spring of '92. It was my left shoulder If it was doneproperly, it would have and I didn't do my first upstream (stroke) beenfine. Iset up all of the training for the greater achievements, that will cul- on the left side until the N.O.C. race whole year, and that's what I called the minate with himself at the throne of (Nantahala Outdoor Center) in March. Mega Plan. Everything was perfect. The a whitewater universe. volume (of training) was perfect, physi- Recently, I had the opportunity to But you still managed to get cally it was totally perfect. The problem talk with Eric for a couple of hours the top U.S. placement in the 92 was that because Ididn't have a coach and try to get to the bottom of some working on my technique, Ipretty much Olympics in Seo. didn't have a single technique workout in of these lingering questions. After Yeah, well that was three or so months there. hearing E.J. complain about a few later, and I had time to recover. Actually, And what happened was that... every- articles written in other magazines Istarted my best run at the Olympics three thing I was doing was based on power and that he felt were unfair and slander- minutes upstream of the course, because I being physically strong, and my technique ous, I decided to let him speak for missed my start. went all to hell. I was jerking the boat all himself. Read on, then you decide around, and I was very inconsistent in the what you think. You missed your start at the spring races. Olympics? That's like a night- Just to start off, what are some mare come true. How did you How did the Mega Plan turn of your race credentials since you manage to do that? out? I was doing a warm-up in some gates Thefirst team trials was rodeo, and I first made the U.S. team in 1989? upstream of the course right before my made the rodeo team. And then I went to Let's see... in 1989 Igot 7th. 6th and 5th start, and while I was paddling these wildwater trials, and I was 6th thefirst in the last three World Cup races and I warm up gates, I hit a gate. Ipaddled day and 4th the second day. I wasn't that was 11th overall, according to the old stan- back up to do the gate because I wanted to good at wildwater because I never trained dard of World Cup placement (that was 7 be clean and beproperly psyched up for in it. It was kind of like Iborrowed a races, with all of them counting. Now, the big Olympic race. Well, anyway, paddle, borrowed a boat and ran down the there are 5 races, and you drop the slowest Shipley (fiellow U.S. Team Member Scott course. twofinishes to arrive at your overall place- Shipley) paddles past me and gives me And then I was at the slalom trials and ment). In '90 I was National Champion at this scowl. I was like 'what's that all I was third thefirst day, and on the second Wausau (Wisconsin). At that nationals I about', and I look at my watch and I real- day I blew this move and got eighth that beat the next American by 4 seconds. That ize that I am supposed to start my run in 2 day. It ended up putting me 7th over all. wasprobably my best race ever. In '91, I minutes and 50 seconds. So I totally blew the slalom team trials in had the second fastest time at the world I knew from practice before that it was 93. And in Flatwater, I heard my time (for championships (in Tacen. Slovenia), but a three minute full sprint to the start from the 500 meters) wasn't good enough to even with penalties I was 14th. But it's been the practice gates. I said SHIT!, and I did qualifl to race in the trials, so Ididn't downhill from there. this full pivot turn and sprinted down to even go. But in reality (I later found out) I the start. My heart rate was about 180 would have been close to making the team, You mean that your racing ca- b.p.m. I came screaming around the cor- based on the times I was posting inprac- reer has been going downhill ner and they are were already telling the tice. So all I did that year was the rodeo since 91? next guy to get ready to go. Ijust kept pad- worlds. Yeah. In November of 91 I was at a dling and paddling, and I heard my start- training camp in Seo (Spain) and I ing beep when I was still ten seconds So out of the Mega Plan, the reamed my shoulder on the last workout of above the start. Ijust keptpaddling. I was so tired, but I didn't take it easy until I only team you made was the ro- the last day. It wasfirst thing in the morn- deo team. Was '93 the first year ing, 30 degrees out and I didn't warm up was in thefirst gate. So that was my The British have a good team, but of the Rodeo Worlds? Jan Kellner... has been to races in people aren't that good, it's just Actually, thefirst one was in that it's a young sport, like sla- '91, but I didn't go. I didn't England and Austria and all these lom was in the '60's. When I know about it then. have to train two times a day for places. And I asked him "How rodeo, it will be as dvfiult. The 93 rodeo worlds were at Hell Hole on the come there are seven Americans To change the subject, Ocoee, and despite the who do you think is going fact that you almost out of eight in the rodeo worlds to make the slalom team didn't make the rodeo this year? finals? Where are all of the other Well, I think this is finally team, you went on to win going to be my year to win the the rodeo world champi- people from other countries?" team trials. This has been my onships. Did you get any best year of training ever. I'm funding for being on the going to win, Scott is going to be on the Rodeo Team? second, Rich (Weiss) is going to No. I am sponsored by Dag- be third and fourth is up to ger, and for that Iget a number Giddens (Eric), Weisel (Brent) of play boats each year. But es- and Beaks (Jason). sentidly there is no additional money for making the rodeo team. But that wasn't Do you think there is a ten- the idea (of making the team) anyway. But moves. I talked to Jan recently and he says dency in this country for racers of course winning the Rodeo Worlds, made now they are much better than they were, to be too concerned about tech- me worth a lot more to Dagger. and they can do all of the moves that we nique and not enough about could do in '93. training volume? Do you think that the Rodeo Well, lets just say that everyone teased Worlds was a pretty tough compe- But do think that America still me about my Mega Plan in '93. They were tition or was it a joke? has an edge in rodeo? saying, "Oh, you're over-training". All I No, it wasn't a joke. The best people in Yeah, we're better in rodeo. ever heard from everyone was "Think rodeo end up going to the Rodeo Worlds. I about when you were training with Fox guarantee that there is nobody that was Finally, America has an edge (Richard, time world champion in slalom) not there that could have won. There were in some paddling sport. Usually Fox doesn't do that". And the reality was a lot of goodpeople who weren't there, but they were wrong. Fox does more. I was do- they were not good enough to win. Europe dominates the sport. Who ing 406 minutes of on-time a week, and Fox is good on the U.S. team, besides was doing 411 minutes. So in reality, ev- Who from other countries has a yourself? eryone was clueless. The amount of volume good rodeo team? Shipley is good. Slalom racers have an (Europeans) were doing was much higher Jan Kellner from Germany was good. advantage because we paddle more... we than everyone thought. He was the only one from another country have a better feel for the boat, we're stron- who made thefinak. You see the Ocoee ger, we're quicker with a lot of things... When you say 'everyone' you hole is a really wimpy hole. It doesn't have mean... that much backwash. And the way the So there is definitely a fitness I mean everybody who Igot feedback Worlds work is that it's not subjective factor involved in rodeo. from ... mostly people in D.C.. Idon't think judging. You have 60 seconds to earn as Sure. 60 seconds is a long time to be in Shipley, Giddens and Weiss (who all train many points as you can, and ifyou get a hole trying to get as many moves as pos- outside of D.C.) really cared what I was washed out of the hole more than once, sible. You're tired after 60seconds. But doing. They know what they want to do, you're screwed. And it's really hard to do Corran Addison (who is not on the slalom they're not worried about what I'm doing. moves for bigpoints and stay in that hole. team) is also really, really good. You see, Let's just say that a lot ofpeople still come Ifyou weren't there a week ahead of Corran Addison and Bob McDonough are up to me and say, "Now that you made the time, you had very little time to learn what technically, in practice, or out surfing, as team again in '94, now you know that you you needed to learn to earn bigpoints. I good as me. But there is that choke factor. were over-training in '93." And I say, "No, had 10 training days on the holeprior to They tend to choke in big competitions. Silvan has me doing more work than the competition and that was with a brand And that's another advantage for slalom when I was on the Mega-Plan." But there new boat. So people from Europe were at a racers. The rodeo almost seems like 'Hey are a lot ofpeople who think that my big- disadvantage. man, this is just a fun time', so we're a lot gest deficit is my technique. And they will more relaxed than the other guys. get so they can do moves technically well, So who else is good in rodeo? but they can't do moves well from the top The British have a good team, but Jan How does rodeo competition of the course to the bottom of the course Kellner... has been to races in England and compare to slalom competition? fast. Austria and all these places. And I asked Is it as physically difficult? Is it him "How come there are seven Americans as difficult overall? How do you rate your tech- out of eight in the rodeo worldsfinals? No, it's not asphysically difficult,be - nique in terms of other U.S. Team Where are all of the otherpeople from cause it's only 60 seconds long. If it were boaters? other countries?" You'd think they would In '93, I would have rated it 6th in the begood too... and he says they just don't as long as slalom it could be as diffiult, exist. They (European boaters) didn't depending on how hard you try. Rodeo country. In '94 I would have rated it sec- know that you could do all these things in isn't as difficulteither because the compe- ond in the country, next to Shipley. This a hole. They thought rodeo was twirling tition isn't as strong. There is lots of room year, from everything I've seen from train- your paddle. They never went for the hard for improvement in rodeo. It's not that ing with Scott and Rich and Giddens, and The problem was they (Paddle0 wrote two separate articles those are the three I would con- And on top of it all, sider with great technique, I covering five pages without ever this was in 1993, the would say that Shipley and I have the best technique, and talking to me. They were basically year of the Mega Plan, then probably Giddens. But he's and you didn't make the not in shape yet. Then Rich. I saying that I didn't need money, so team. owe all of it to Silwn. My tech- Right. When I went to team nique has improved 100% since why was I out there? When the trials,first thing there was a '93. lot of athletes who were totally reality was that I had 40 dollars to pissed at me. And some of them Ok. Lets talk about verbally told me that they were pissed at me and some of them with what happened to get me to the team trials. I needed wouldn't talk to me. Everyone you the day you were was pretty much shying away front page of the Wash- money, and that'q why I was there. from me it seemed like. But jnpton Post. From what I - then Bill Endicott (who was know about it, in 1993, team coach at the time) told right before the slalom Christine (Eric's wife). "Don't tell Eric until after trials, but team trials. sou were on a on Monday after the trials street corner in downtown D.C. there is going to be a meeting to decide with your team uniform on and whether E.J. should be punished for what your kayak in front of you and streets like they were there, and they were he did in D.C. " you were panhandling... not there. The article was total slander. I wasn't panhandling, I was selling They were saying that it wasn't just what On what grounds were they go- autographedpictures of myself. Idid that was wrong, but that I was a ing to punish you? bad person as well. I also feel that as a Well, there were no grounds, but that's ... Selling autographed pictures magazine about paddling, they should not important. That's what they wereplan- of yourself, and after about three have taken on a more supportive role. ning on doing anyway. days of doing this, you happened to make the front page of the So what did the U.S. Olympic Who's "They"? M,along with a story describ- committee say about all of this? "They" meaning the athletes and the People were telling me that the Olym- U.S.C.K. T. (United States Canoe Kayak ing what you were doing. What pic Committee waspissed, but then when Team). And Endicott told Christine and set people off about that piece? I it came down to it, and when the Olympic Christine couldn't not tell me, even though know that it created a lot of con- Committee was no longer hearing just ru- she was not supposed to tell me (until after troversy. mors, they were not only no longerpissed, the trials). I was like, "What the hell is The problem with the && article was but they realized that what Idid was to- wrong?" and she told me. So the night be- that it was coupled with a story about "Op- tally legal. I wasn't panhandling like fore the trials I was sitting there writing eration Go1d"that the USOC (United some people said, but sellingpictures of my defense. I knew that there was nothing States Olympic Committee) had just an- myself. they could punish me Uor). lamtotally al- nounced. (Operation Gold is aprogram There are some people who think that lowed any day I want to take my box of 8X that the USOC devised to give cash to med- you should not get any money ifyou are lophotos and solicit funds for my train- alists, $5000 for a first place in the worlds, an amateur athlete, so thosepeople aren't ing, as long as it goes through proper $4000 for second, etc.). That article was going to like it one way or the other, just channels. about the USOC saying "Look what we are like they aren't going to like it ifyou have doing for athletes now. " a sponsor. And there are people who are So those stories of you getting In my article, the &&suggested that friends of mine who say that they don't $1000.00 checks those three days all kayakers were in my situationfinan- agree with what Idid because it hurts the cially (that is, poor). Many paddlers were names of the sponsors whose names are on are totally false? offended by this, especially the ones who my boat. That's totally B.S. Igot none of that. were furthest from my situation. The ones But for me, the only thing that's impor- closer to it tended to sympathize. tant is that Ihave a job to do. lamhere to What finally came of the whole train. I am in this sport come hell and thing? A few months later, the whole high water. And I am going to do what It fazed out. Basically, everybody that I issue raised it's head again in a ever I have to do. Period. As long as it's cared about that Ifelt were mad at me and within the letter of the law and what Ifeel were shying away from me... I talked to story that appeared in paddler. is ethical and I feel comfortable with my- them individually to straighten it out and It was 6 months later, in the next calen- se& I don't care what these other people clear the air. I could deal with people on a dar year. The problem was they paddler) think. wrote two separate articles covering five one to one basis. And that wasfine, so I pages without ever talking to me. They was 100% comfortable with everybody. were basically saying that I didn Y need And the bottom line is that you money, so why was Iout there? When the raised what, $1400.00? Would you do it all over again? reality was that I had 40 dollars to get me I raised enough money to drive out to Of course. Except next time I would to the team trials. I needed money, and Colorado and go to the team trials. It bring more 8 X 10's. And make a better that's why I was there. wasn't enough to keep me in my house; I sign, too. There are still good friends of They talked to lots of people who knew still got evicted. And the day that I left mine who think that I shouldn't have nothing of the situation. They made state- that house was the day my wife went to taken that approach, but in four days, you ments about being on Connecticut and K have Dane (Eric's second child). figure out how to make that much money. I was watching these cruisers there who were running all of the It seems to me that running, what's the hard- this is a really tough rapids, and they were making it. est river you've ever lifestyle to have, espe- done? cially when you are mar- But they were going 30 miles per Overflow at three feet, or ried and have two kids. Bear Creek at high water. It seems almost impos- hour down these 45 degree slopes sible. More specifically, I could have a different with their downstream paddle what is the hardest rapid lifestyle. Icould have a full time you've ever run? job that I train around. And dragging in the water. to turn. I would say probably the I've gone that route before. But .. most intense rapid is Stairway for me, right now, I want to be To Heaven on Bear Creek. Its the Olympic Gold medalist. They were just about to trip on higher,and harder than Gorilla And I'm competing against (on the Green). 25ft vertical people that don't have jobs; their paddle at any second and rip drops into two feet of water... some of them have never had that type of thing. jobs. These people are totally their faces off. focused on training and doing Who would you say is what they have to do to win. the best cruiser in the Now Lugbill (Jon) was one of thosepeople who could hold countrv? a job and win World Champi- ~hatdepends.Ifyou ask onships for example. But he was World what cruisers can run the hardest water Champion long before he had a job lih most successfully, the safest, and do the that and then he was able to carry on that thefirst year in my career that I balanced most things on it; I would say the best I've lifestyle with a job later on. But it got to my budget. In 1992, the Olympicyear, I seen would be Brian Homberg, me, and, him after a while. He could no longer do borrowed $25,000 to get to the Olympics. uh, Corran Addison. But there are a lot of what he needed to do with the responsibili- Which is due in 1998 at 10% interest, other boaters with bigger balls than I ties that he had. And that is part of the rea- which is $44,000. have. Shipley is good also, but he is too conservative to be at the top. I am citing a # son why he is no longer in the sport. So in '92 and '93 I made it only because I was able to borrow all of this money. '94 lot of slalom racers, because ifyou watch some of the (non-racing) cruisers, they But responsibility is looming was the first year that I was totally self- sufffient. In '94 I had two kids and I did bomb down these rapids and they make it, up around you. I mean in light of all the major races. In '94 I supported my- but I'm cringing the whole time. Because all this training, perhaps you self in my sport 100%. they're running the rapid, but they're not should have held off on having necessarily in control. kids until you were done with all Let's take Stairway to Heaven (Bear of this. I To get back river I Creek), for example. I was watching these There are a lot of ways at looking at it. There are two people in a marriage... in a partnership. My deal is that lamgoing to kayak. My wife's deal is we're going to have kids while we are young. Christine never gets in the way of paddling. She is 100% supportive of my training, and with- out her it would be harder to do what I am doing. I don't get in the way of what she wants to do. She wanted to have kids. We have two kids, and the kids live the ulti- mate IVestyle. They do not suffer for my paddling. Christine might suffer for my paddling, because she goes through the stress of "my god, we have no money in the checking account, we have no foreseeable income and rent is due': and whatever else. Since the day I started training in 1984, I have been trying to figure out a way to support myself through paddling. My ob- jective is to support myselfand my family through kayaking. In 1995. I'vegot itfig- ured out. How many major sponsors do you have right now? Basically, I've got twenty people that make my life work, that rnah this whole Boy Wonder Eric Jackson- Kayaking since age 6, determined to be the best! thing work. Letsput it this way. 1994 was Photos courtesy of Christine Jackson cruisers there who were running all of the television on a regular basis, where kay- rapids, and they were making it. But they aks are sold at K-Mart and Sports Author- weregoing 30 miles per hour down these 45 ity, where Corran Addison is a profes- degree slopes with their downstream in this sport as an athlete. But after '96 I sional athlete on a specific team, and I am paddle dragging in the water... to turn. am going to be in this sport as a business the guru of the whole thing. They were just about to trip on their person. There are not that many paddle at any second and rip their faces whitewater millionaires right now, so Editor's note: Contributing writer John Weld off: when I become one, there is going to be It's things like missing eddies, and tip- controversy. The details of my plan aren't is an accomplished cruiser who never ping over in major rapids. If1were at important, but my general vision is that misses eddies or drags his downstream their skill level, I wouldn't run some of kayaking will be a sport that will be on paddle when running 45 degree slides. these rapids, because I would be afraid. How long do you plan to stay in slalom? Currently everything is second to sla- lom. And after '96, everything is second to making money. What are you going to do to make money? I am going to promote kayaking. I am going to do a lot of things, some of them are top secret. I am going to build up my kayak school, and centralize on vacations and a lot of other money making deals with that. After '96 I am going to get on the track, where soon we will be owning a house. The whole idea is that in 2004 I am going to be retired, financially indepen- dent and rich. All of that good stu. So I have given myself eight years in business and my objective is to make a mil- lion dollars by 2004. You are very goal oriented. Yeah. Well I want to win the World Championships or the Olympics in kayaking, and I want to win the World Overflow Championship for making money. The Super 8 Superior gist of this is that Iam a goal-orientedper- maneuver son in the sport of kayaking. And in this ability and sport, the goal is the Olympic Gold Medal. control In order to get that, you have to surround 8 Lots of volume - your whole life with paddling and make it roomy and work. You are not going to win ifyou bouyant stern for don't. You could be in the top ten maybe, or squirt moves even on the team, but you are not going to win. So that's what lamdoing. Everything you hear about E.J., like be- ing downtown and in the center of contro- add 121 WI i~Sta@ versy. All of that is because I've sur- rounded myself with the sport. I've got to "f"iuSt add +a do what I think I have to do to win. And my situation is slightly different,because For two decades, we've been the world leader in whitewater I'm married and have kids. It takes more kayaks. And now, the company that has boats for everyone from the money for me to get through the year than the average person. most enthusiastic beginner to the hottest rodeo paddler, brings you three When it comes to money I have to do of the coolest new river machines to hit the water. what other people don't have to do. When it comes to training, sometimes I do things that otherpeople don't do. The reason why lamalways in the cen- ter of controversy is because I try to do what ever it takes to win. The bottom line is that I'uegot my shirt sleeves rolled up and I am doing everything I can possibly Call 1-800-KAYAK96 ext. 104 and ask your dealer for a free catalog. do to win, every day. After '96, there isgo- ing be a hell of a lot more controversy than there is now. because right now I am only The Creek Boa of Chattano

2 7 in the country, and haw! been @eat summer you could often find Ron or contributors to the sport of Doug up at the Green, learning the Neatly tucked away in the south- whitewater boating. A combined re- nuances of this new breed of steep eastern corner of Tennessee, just sume of their qualifications would creek. Not far behind, a second gen- East of the Cumberland Plateau, lies include notable performances in eration of Chattanooga boaters was the city of Chattanooga. If you stood world class whitewater rodeos and closely watching and by any major thoroughfare there on hair races, involvement in environ- learning. The availability of a cold, wet, winter morning you mental battles and appearances in shorter, safer creek boats, like the would no doubt see one of the gang many notable video productions. But Corsica S and the F'reefall, came in headed out with one of those plastic, the true forte' of this elite cadre are response to the demand for boats ca- missile shaped things on their car. creeks: the really steep creeks that pable of tackling the Green. It might be Ron Stewart, or Doug surround the Chattanooga area. By the early 1990's the creek boat- Wellman, or Terry Smith, or Andy In the mid 1980's boaters from all ers of Chattanooga had opened sev- Turner, or Bo Eakens, or Tim Will- over the country came to test their eral cutting edge runs that pushed iams, or Clay Wright, or Howard skills on North Chickamauga Creek, the envelope to new extremes. The Tidwell. He probably would be cran- usually in the company of a local Chattanooga crowd made the first ing his neck out his car window, try- guide. Often this mentor was Ron descents of Bear, Soddy, and ing to ascertain how much rain had Stewart, who's name has become Richland creeks. Soon to follow came fallen, or theorizing on the philo- synonymous with North Chick, or North Pole, Henderson and Falling sophical ramifications of fear on the his partner, Doug Wellman. To- Water. These creeks, along with new meaning of life. Eventually he would gether they savored the wilds of runs by other groups in North Caro- disappear onto one of the many rain North Chick Gorge, while keeping a lina and West Virginia, redefined slickened back roads that surround constant eye out for new runs. class V creek boating; with steeper, Chattanooga, only to return after Soon the Green River in North tighter rapids like Gargoyle (Bear), dark with a stupid grin, a voracious Carolina was pioneered by Tom Skywalker (Soddy) and Mind Bender appetite and an unusual ability to Vishnus and John Kennedy. It be- (North Pole). Of note were three find hot tubs. came the new testing ground, with monster drops: Stairway to Heaven What few locals realize is that technically demanding rapids such (Bear), the Falls on the Little and these scraggly philosophers are as Frankenstein, and the monster Hair of the Dragon (Fallingwater). some of the top whitewater boaters drop, Gorilla. During the following Quoting Doug Wellman, "If you can follow the water, I run. s Drougni !em m tne area. I So why do these gu t in nsibilitic given to North Chickamauga the dankest of weathei rv sv Pad- WIIK II~Wproble111s for Wild and Scenic status, alv~~g dling? Normal folks consider them regarding access, protc ld with the creation of a new Bowater "just dang crazy". Why ? the ever present what if's lly Pocket Wilderness area, is largely Well, maybe this is best left un the approach wa duc rd work of these unless you want to listen to an ora- sneak ofr or tnese new runs. ~uttnis Doaters. tion on the interplays of life an is Deginning to cnange, as ~ttaKes a lot or er'fort to protect a death (try not to get Tim starte consequence of careful negotiations creek in an area that is dominated by But a lot can be learned if yuu with land owners. (Editor's note: old southern values, the private land look at North Chickamauga Creek, And more recently state park offi- nership ethic, and big companies. the mother of Chattanooga creek cials.) It is important to acknowledge boating. lt yo anage to paddle Yes, the guys actually do go up at these accompli kers are (or walk) this eleven mile run, you tnose scary farm houses and ask. givlng DaCK to the sport. Not all ot will see the relatively undisturbed (mt tney usually sena KC 3 thi involves pomics; mixture of beauty and rapids that known for his tact, first!) means passing on years of acquirea helped forge modern creek boating Sometimes this has extraordi- skills and experience to those ready technique. It is the consummal ;ults - at the end of one nev step into the art of steep creeking. creek run and it is here that m paddlers were greeted by : e kayakers and canoeists of Chat- the ( 3ga creek property owner and fed pizza! looga ha1 learnea aDout the misery ana ecstasy Of more importance, thougn, are ing area into one 01 the premier of steep creees. tne politics tnat are Deing played c ng navens becaus~ It's all there: the thrill of personal by the Chattanooga boating crowa. nave ~eenresponsib n ro success, the focus of fluid motion, the They have involved themselves in look for more then jusr a good time hum !&ion to nature, and the promotj etitions that help ton the v obvi ltial for death and de- inform 1 C, they hkve ell- struc of these boaters have gaged ir eanups, and they (Editor's 3tt Shoup's pho- had experiences on North Chick that have donated personal time,to the tograph, featured on the cover of this can only be descrl~ea xess of r! :e- issue, won i and intimate level. ment pl, LCC~SSagreements VANatio However, being on the cutting help insure pristine futures for nval.)

Left: Looking back up at one beautiful Class IV &V rapid after another Below: Mike Deckert near the Summit Right: One great bedrock drop after another. Day 3 L HE BES V WASHINGTON? I

look author and his buddy launch ; class V expedition through the s Olympic Peninsula. UY UUIY Korb

anging from my perch 80 feet above the river, I was thinking we could have run the class VI canyon with less risk than we were taking on these crumbly gorge walls. And I was facing my own worst nightmare-a flooded class VI canyon with no apparent portage. This whole nerve racking trip had started two years earlier when I had seen slides from Scott Matthew's and Sprague Ackley's ex- ploratory trip. "The best whitewater in Washington," they claimed. I was seduced by shots of spectacular ledge drops in amazing gorges.

Scott sent me some notes from his trip: Tshletshy Creek Class IV-V logged at 150-200 cfs Length 12.8 miles + 7 miles on Queets River Gradient 143 feet/mile ( 50 to 340 ) Time required 3 to 4 days 1 day to hike in (11 miles) 2 days to boat the river (20 hours) Number of rapids Class 111 104 Class IV 67 Class V 20 Class VI to unrunnable 10 I showed this to my buddy Mike big rapid that went around a turn to ued to fall. As we sat cooking our Deckert and we were off. Tshletshy the right. I walked down and scouted dinner, knowing that the river Creek is a tributary to the Queets the turn; there was a clear route would continue to rise. I was terri- River on the west side of along the left wall. Looking down fied, thinking, "You got yourself into Washington's Olympic Peninsula. from above, I didn't realize that it this mess and now your going to Not only is Tshletshy hard to say and dropped about ten feet. I told Mike it have to get yourself out." spell, it's even more difficult to ac- was okay along the left and headed The next morning the river was cess. There are no roads anywhere down. I eddied out just in time to see huge. Brown exploding waves car- near this watershed, which lies Mike's eyes bulging as he flew ried debris speeding off around the within Olympic National Park-an around the corner and plunged over corner. We estimated the flow to be untouched temperate rain forest. the drop. about 1800 cfs. As we ate breakfast The world's largest Douglas Fir and We were starting to have some we talked about laying over a day or Alaska Cedar are attractions along the trip. First we hiked the empty kayaks seven miles and 3100 vertical feet to the divide separating Tshletshy from the Quinault. It was April and the snow made sliding the boats through the upper meadows very easy. Two weeks later we returned with three day's worth of self sup- port gear and we headed for "the best whitewater in the state." When we reached the boats we loaded some gear in them and carried the rest in packs. Once we started into the Tshletshy drainage, the trail went from bad to non-existent. After tra- versing several blowdowns and ava- lanche chutes we were exhausted zombies. We sat and rested, staring at the headwaters of the creek. Small real fun. Just below the second gorge so, but decided if we didn't show up chutes of snow fed several tiny tribs. we spotted a huge bull elk whose ant- on schedule, our wives might initiate We scrambled down about a half lers were adorned in rich velvet. a rescue. mile and reached the creek; it was Another mile brought us to the We put on and blasted the first about 15 cfs! "Tshlasm." This is the third gorge, mile of brown raceway, only stop- We stared in stunned disappoint- which drops about 150 feet in several ping to scout one giant rapid ending ment, wondering how far we would falls. Another easy portage on the in a huge hole. We stopped to scout a have to walk before there would be left and we were back in our boats, class IV drop that slammed into and enough volume to paddle. We were making good time through endless under a logjam with amazing force. I so exhausted we made camp, just as class I11 - V drops. The water level wanted to portage, but the cliffs were the rain began No surprise in one of was now about 500 cfs and the creek vertical or worse. There was one the wettest valleys in the U.S.. We was starting to have a real punch. place to go under the logs on the each had small tarps and soon we By afternoon several close calls right, but the current was moving to were resting comfortably and cook- had left us tired and scared. The wa- the left. ing ramen on Mike's stove. We joked ter level was at least 750 cfs and the As I got into my boat I felt I was about waking up in the morning holes were becoming a real terror. taking a big chance. My fear made with ample water to paddle. Soon I At one point we braved a trashy the rapid seem class VI. One missed was asleep on my bed of moss. boulder-choked mess on the left, just stroke and I'd face my demise. I The next morning we discovered to avoid a small falls with a benign watched Mike hit a few holes and our dreams had come true. About 75 hole on the right. pull right safely. This gave me more cfs of rusty brown water was flowing Our judgment was warped. We confidence, and I made the move eas- past our camp. An amazing flow, needed to find a camp, but we hadn't ily. considering the drainage area was seen anything but gorges for hours. But after ducking under the only about 4 square miles! Then, there it was, a perfect spot. trees, I saw Mike scrambling along We put on and after a half mile This turned out to be the only camp- the left, trying to get into an eddy. I we came to the first gorge. Scouting site in six miles of demanding can- pulled into the slow water on the revealed a 100 feet of drop over five yon. At lower water levels it would right and started treading water falls. An easy portage on river left take quite a push to get there in one along the wall. Mike could get out of put that gorge behind us. day. his boat but he couldn't see much. At the second gorge we scouted a We set up while the rain contin- He signaled the right looked better.

American MayIJune 1995 went hand over hand. But about 3/4 of the way up my strength ran out. I hung for a while with my foot stuffed into a root hold. Looking up at Mike, I could see he was concerned. I thought about going down, but I was too tired. I had about a five second talk with myself and then I went for it, using all the strength I had left to reach the top. From here we started what was to be an hour long trudge covering about 200 yards. When we got back to the river it treated us to a great mile Left: Near the of boating, class I11 and IV with a headwaters, small couple of class V's. In one of the big- & steep ger drops Mike was pushed left into Bottom: Ducking a big hole. A long ride followed by a one of Tshletshys rear ender into an ever bigger hole. giant trees After another long ride, Mike wound up at the bottom, laughing. This was some great boating. As the river eased up a bit we found some dynamic playspots. Soon kay- aks were flying and paddles were twirling. Confident grins accompanied us It didn't matter; I couldn't tread boats up the cliffs, we dead ended as we flushed out into the mighty water any longer, so I headed down about twenty feet from the top. We Queets. We enjoyed the last few the right side. Bumbling through the were so exhausted we just sat, sup- miles of big water, while we tried to class V drop that followed seemed ported by a Yew tree that was threat- spot the world's largest Douglas Fir. anti-climactic after all our close ening to tear loose from the fragile By the time we reached the take- calls. walls. out we were flying high. As we drove We burned off another mile of Mike decided to go back down the shuttle we relived the events of great water, even stopping at several and attempt another route. We the last three days. I had really playspots, easing our anxiety a bit. hoped he would be able to lower a pushed myself, both physically and Then we came to a narrow gorge rope from above. Hanging from this mentally. Neither of us had ever ex- with a severe horizon. Scouting re- perch, I was thinking it would have perienced a watershed so untouched, vealed a ten foot falls ramping into a been easier to flush over the falls, as so remote, so special. The world we violent flush around a blind turn. compared to crawling along those had traversed was enchanted. The Smooth high walls kept us from see- cliffs, tooth and nail. After about gorges were stunning and the ing much around the corner, but twenty minutes I heard Mike yelling whitewater was humbling. there appeared to be another signifi- from above. Someday, I'll do it again. cant falls ahead. I couldn't even He lowered the rope and pulled think of running these drops. the boats up. His route had been ex- EDITORS NOTE: Gary Korb is an A small crumbly gully headed up posed and scary, so I decided to use accomplished kayaker and the au- on the right, so up we went. After a the rope for the last pitch also. With thor of A Paddler's Guide to the horrendous workout roping loaded nothing but flaky rock to climb on, I -Peninsula. estled in tl ------southwest Washington State, McCoy Creek had long posed a mystery to me. Having seen the creek pour out of its canyon at its confluence with Yellowjacket Creek (a tributary of the Cispus)), I could only wonder what the rest of McCoy Creek was like. My imagina- tion ran the full spectrum from doz- ens of beautiful runnable rapids to miles of unportagable and unrunnable Killer Fang Falls. On the map the upper section looked reason- able. The three hundred foot contour lines were about three miles apart. But questions of reasonability were raised by the remaining mile and a half above the confluence. It was impossible to discern from the map if the last mile and a half dropped three hundred feet, four hundred and fifty, or closer to six hundred feet! Intrigued, I told my friend Tom Wolf about McCoy Creek. Finally, over a two week period, Tom and I paddled McCoy Creek three times. In the course of these adventures, we conned several oth- ers into paddling with us. Shawn and John were our first victims. We roped David and Pete into our sec- ond trip. Finally, we conned Gary, Bill, and Jeff into running the creek with us. Even Shawn came back for some more fun on our third trip. With progressively higher water on each of our three trips, the following story arose. Over the years I have discovered that yawning on the shuttle is di- rectly proportional to my level of ap- prehension. As we drove toward McCoy, I found myself constantly yawning. Driving up to and beyond snow line, we eventually walked the last several hundred yards to a bridge across the creek. Bad news, we were way too high in the watershed and the water was way too low. Back in the cars, we drove downstream, looking for an appropriate put-in. Several miles downstream, where the road over- looked the creek, we could see that it creek. The intensity increased when had grown to about 100cfs. That the creek corkscrewed over a ledge looked much better. into a pothole. Visions of Page 49: Tom on McCoy creek We plunged off the logging road, corkscrewing into the pothole fol- Above: Tom Wolf on Tom's Slide scrambled through the forest, and lowed by a vertical washing machine Right: Shawn, McCoy Air slid down the side of the mountain thrashing danced in my head. A several hundred feet to the creek. clean run was possible by riding the Sunlight splashed through the trees water banking down and off the left as we donned our gear. "A beautiful wall. Deposited in the main current, Day for a paddle," I said, still yawn- furious paddling avoided the trees at ing. the bottom of the drop. The water was a bit thin in the Trees also completed the ap- beginning. Open boulder gardens proach to Tom's slide, a beautiful 20 were interspersed with beautiful vertical foot slide. The debris threw mini-gorges through bedrock. The Tom off-line during his approach. creek raced through sluices with The ensuing action proved interest- canyon walls formed by vast blocks ing, especially since it wasn't hap- of rock. It hurled itself off ledges at pening to me. the end of those sluices into pools. Yes, Dagger FreeFalls can do Logs forced us to limber up on mystery moves. Tom and his boat our limbo as we passed through nar- disappeared in a folding hole in the row gorges. Boof moves over logs approach. Tom proved he could roll were also needed to negotiate the in a small pool immediately above canyons. Missed boofs led to im- the main drop. Coming up facing up- promptu and innovative machina- stream, he hit the rock forming the tions... such as flipping and flushing lip of the slide, and immediately under logs. Fortunately, for us, no flipped again. He grabbed the rocks one got pinned. and held himself, nearly upside Small ledges provided playspots down, in the middle of the creek at and holes for donuts. The drops be- the brink of the slide, with his came bigger as we paddled down the paddle in one hand. After contem- plating his fate for a few moments, time and no choice other than to im- We started to get a feel for he let go of his paddle, hand rolled, provise a new plan for the finale. McCoy. It seemed determined to lose and successfully explored a new line. Flying at warp speed toward the lip almost all of its gradient in large Around the corner from Tom's of the left side pothole falls, I had chunks. Within the confines of one Slide I saw an Extreme do a bow time for one paddle stroke before be- beautiful gorge we paddled many squirt. A tight pair of falls, each ing launched over the brink. Two five to seven foot ledges. The day about 5 feet, provided passage new friends, Sudden Deceleration seemed to slip quickly away. Visions through a short boulder choked and Rousing Sidesurf, waited for me of getting caught by nightfall started gorge. When David ran the first falls at the bottom. to trickle through our heads. his boat buried vertically in the pile. Fortunately, Chinook Slide ended Rounding a corner, we were con- The boat then proceeded to do a bow in a large pool. After extracting our- fronted bv a 20 foot falls. Below the squirt through the slot of the second selves from holes, or doing whatever falls the canyon looked foreboding falls. More amusing action, espe- other little things (such as rolling) and appeared inescapable. Should cially since it wasn't happening to needed to be done, the pool allowed we commit ourselves to the canyon me. us to regroup and collect our below? The falls looked clean, but The creek continued with man- thoughts. was it? Tom and David repelled ageable ledges and chutes and we started to think we might make it home free. Premature Thoughts. McCoy dis- appeared down a series of andresite water slides. Chinook Slide consisted of four different sections: the ap- proach drop, the "serpentine", a ten , foot slide, and a twenty foot "finale". Section four, the finale, had two routes. The right was a water slide. The left was a ten foot falls into a pot- hole followed by another ten foot falls. Most of the current went to- ward the left hand route. Portaging looked unreasonable. So did running it. Even scouting pro- vided unexpected entertainment at Chinook Slide. David fell into the wa- ter and flushed into a deep pothole eddy in the serpentine. With the sides of the pothole polished abso- lutely smooth, he could not climb out. Swimming downstream would have been a very poor option. After a little creative rescue work, he was back on terra firma. Pete furnished some entertaining action, especially since it wasn't hap- pening to me. He flipped at the bot- tom of the ten foot slide and rolled up at the brink of the twenty foot fi- nale . Being pushed left, he ran the first ten footer backwards. He ran the second ten foot drop upside down and backwards. But, now it was my turn to supply the entertainment. My plan after the serpentine was to run the ten foot slide and then head for the extreme right side of the finale . But the bot- tom of the ten foot slide completely blew my plan. By the time my boat and I surfaced, still upright, I had no

American MayIJune 1995 down the cliff past the falls. We were going to portage. I threw my boat into the pool be- low the falls and prepared to rappel over the cliff. But after one more look at the falls, Pete and I decided what the hell, lets just run it . Unfor- tunately, my boat was already gone. So, I crammed myself into Toms boat and ferried it over the falls for him. Rolling up at the bottom, the adrena- line was coursing through my veins. Coho Falls ...j ust ride the silver and hope you can still spawn when its over. The next corner presented a steep ledge drop that funneled into the left hand cliff, then into a hole. After a small pool, there was an ominour; ho- rizon line. We all had clean runs through the funnel, but there were a few endos in the hole. At the horizon line we were con- fronted with a 50 foot drop. A steep chute led to a tiny pool formed by a rock ridge across the creek. The wa- ter then spilled onto a steep water slide. David thought maybe there was a line on the far right, if you could get into it! Fortunately, Tom had 75 foot of climbing rope. A short carry and a little rope work brought us to the base of the slide, so we were not forced to test Dave's theory. Another slide, 12-15 feet vertical,

American Whitewater ~ayl~unr waited for us around the next cor- ner. McCoy Creek was still deter- mined to dissipate its gradient in large chunks. But only one six foot ledge drop remained before the confluence with Yellowjacket Creek. We got to paddle the best of Yellowjacket Creek with night fall- ing. In the gathering darkness, we contemplated our exploration of McCoy Creek. A beautiful warm up led to Class V fun. Excluding the limbo moves in the approaches, all the big drops were clean and were run, except one. In the darkness, we took out smiling.

Left top: Gary Korb running Coho Falls Left bottom: Shawn on McCoy Creek Right Bottom: Tom Wolf running Coho Falls Top: Bill exiting Pothole on Chinook Slide Bottom: Jeff finishing Tom's Slide

American MayIJune American Whitewaterv ~ayl~une1995 WILDERNESS ADVENTURE Left: They always look easier from the seat of a plane Above: Shuttle by air on the Kuskulana )- by Roger Pollard

t was almost too funny. Above, a bird of prey, symbol of American freedom, circled overhead, while an Ielderly tourist filled his gas tank in Valdez. The passenger's side door of the Winnebago openectand out popped a little Yorkshire Terrier, a tiny canine the likes of a hairy Chihuahua. As the spoiled little creature pranced about the vehicle with the confidence of a wimp being protected by its bodyguards, a hurling shadow moved across the pavement. Within seconds the bald eagle swooped down, snatched the dog from its oil-stained earthly bond and disappeared into the nearby valley. Brian Teale and I laughed at that newspaper story as we bounced down the washboard road toward the small town of Chitina. It was a conversation that centered around wilderness and how lucky we were to have it so close to home. Like two kids whose backyard is an open field, we were going out to play. We talked about all the rivers stillleft to be done in the Wrangells, many of them second descents. The Cheshnina, Chetaslina, Dadina and others; all found in Andrew Embick's guidebook, Fast and Cold. Until the book's recent publication, little information was available about many ofthe rivers in Alaska. But even before the book reached print, Andy had been kind enough to share data about the rivers he had paddled. His highly detailed first-hand descriptions, typed and copied by computer, were the secret codes to adventure, circulated among a small group of boaters who fed on the wild runs. For Brian and I the file on the Kuskulana Upper Gorge was an eye-catcher: a gem buried in the stack of seemingly endless river options.

American MayIJune 1995 A typed page from the book's draft that our descent was, by chance, des- and a copy of an article from a British tined to occur exactly ten years to the Above: Near the putin on the Kuskulana canoe magazine titled Dare the Wild- day after the first descent. est River contained quotes like, "The Once in Chitina we met a wildness Kuskulana Gorge is close to the top of of our own... in the form of the Chitina any list of "all-time" rivers, not just for Bar. A Twilight Zone-like establish- Alaska, but for all of North America", ment at the edge of the world, or as and, "Four years of prior scouting ef- Brian aptly put it "where pavement Guns and Roses "Welcome to the forts by road, by air and by laboriously meets the wilderness". Chitina is the Jungle" blared from a speaker just over hiking along the canyon rim (repel- epitome of a modern day wild west my head. I struggled to communicate ling part way in at intervals) had laid town. Aquietmainstreet wispingwith with our bush pilot, Dave King, from the groundwork for the run." These dust, facade building fronts bleached Gulkana Air Service, to confirm, as suggested the Kuskulana would be a from the extremes of climate, a post previously planned, that we wanted superlative adventure. office, and a liquor store represent its him to meet us at the Chitina Airstrip Since I first drove across the bridge commercial end. Over a small knoll a in the morning. above the gorge and looked up stream, huge and wild waterway, the Chitina "Bad news Dave, the water's a little the Kuskulana had, for me, become the River, converges with the Copper high because ofthe rain," I said. "We're icon of wilderness Alaskan rivers. River, forming a glacial waterway going to have to get up early and make There were certainly more difficult who's silt is so dense that a kayaker up our mind. We'll call you at seven runs and others which were known to can hear it sifting off the bow of the o'clock. If it clears up tonight and gets contain primo whitewater. But as it boat. cold, we'll probably try it." disappeared around a corner up- A place where state residents can Because the Kuskulana is in a very stream, the Kuskulana seemed a mys- drop a net in and pull out up to 30 narrow canyon, the smallest amount terious and tantalizing enigma with a sockeye Salmon for the price of a ten ofprecipitation could make the river a unique character, hidden in the heart dollar license. dangerous inescapableride. One rapid of my favorite area of Alaska. From the telephoneoutside the bar was particularly troublesome. We had Adding to its mystique was the fact I struggled to hear the dial tone as been warned by Chris Roach, who was

American Whitewater MU~IJU~I?1995 on the first descent, to "Scout it good sets limits on boaters. When we woke Gorge.- from theair. And ifyoucan't get out on at 6 a.m., we squinted from the bridge Below, as usual, the river was the right above it, then don't run the to see what the water level looked like, difficult to read. Was it too high? It river". 250feet below. We both agreed that the didn't look bad, but then again they The rapid, he said, was distin- level didn't look much different than never do from the air. From above, the guished by a big boulder which had the night before. But the sky was clear, lines were clean, gradient and water fallen infromriverleft, forrninga huge the stars were out, and it was cold. speed were non-existent and the can- undercut. The importance of our decision yon walls didn't look steep at all. Ev- Embick's notes said the river was rested in the fact that once we entered erything looked easy. not "bank to bank" below the bridge into the gorge section, eight miles up- "Man, this is a hell of a nar- on his first descent. Prior to our phone stream, it would be difficult, if not row canyon," Dave turned and said as call to Dave we scouted from the bridge downright impossible, to escape. Af- we banked to get a better view. "River and found that the river was currently, ter some consternation, we decided to doesn't look too bad though," he said in fact, bank to bank. Our hope was go for it and fly in. We reasoned that if with the confidence of a bush pilot that the river would drop over night as it was too high, we would stash our who will not be battling the river in the glacier froze. boats, fly back out and return a week less than an hour. So we needed cold weather and the later and hike back in (15 miles) to do "Yeah, right." I thought tomy- rain had to stop. Running the the run. self. "You just stick with the flying, I'll Kuskulana took on the aura of a mini We called Dave and he agreed worry about how hard it is." expedition, condensedand encompass- to meet us at the Chitina Airstrip. He One concern towered over the rest ingmany variables: weather, aircraft, showed up at 8 a.m. with his Super in my mind. timing and remoteness. A mini adven- Cub, the ultimate bush plane, capable Theundercut! Wherewasit? Where ture tailored to the needs of a self em- of landing on the smallest of strips and was this critical place? I simply ployed carpenter and a family man able to fly at incredibly slow speedsfor couldn't see it anywhere. with limited time. aerial scouting. Ten to fifteen minutes I searched in vain and came up In Alaska days are long in mid after take-off I was getting a bird's eye with nothing. Further and further up summer, but by mid September, night view of the magnificent Kuskulana the gorge we went. At one point we

American Whiteuxlter Moy/June 1995 spotted a stump on the river-left side with heavy sediment. of a narrow constriction, but passed it But now, with winter closing in, Above: Kuskulana excitement off as not being a problem, since there the river was relatively small, fast, Below: Kuskulana Gorge appeared to be a clean route on the far cold, and unobstructed, as it weaved right, along the canyon wall. its way through the wide gravel bars. Once past the Gorge the river Concernedabout time, I askedDave changed character and became a rib- if he could land on the gravel bar be- bon of gray-blue, descending an open low Nugget Creek. This would allow

glacial vallev- " at the us more time in the gorge. base of enormous "No problem," hesaid. "Let's take 16,390 foot Mount a look." From above he pointed to a Blackburn, whose spot about three miles below the gla- lofty summit tower- cier, a small, consistent strip of sand ing through the sift- on the rock strewnriver bed. In expert ing clouds. A major bush flying fashion, he planted the mountaineeringchal- plane right on the numbers. lenge, Blackburn and "Ask Brian to look for the under- its glaciers are the cut rock as you fly him in. Tell him I source of a constant couldn't find it," I told Dave, empha- summertime water sizing the word undercut, which I fig- supply. I could only ured meant nothing to him. imagine the power it As I waited for Brian to return, I would unleash on an noticed two miner's cabins high on 80 degree mid sum- the opposite hillside. The tiny dots mer day; the wide were barely visible; it was difficult to graveled valley cov- tell that they were buildings. ered by a torrent of It's hard to find aplace where some- liquid cement, grey one hasn't been, I thought. Virtually

American Whitewater ~ayl~une1995 every mountain has been climbed, ev- Brian. He hadn't seen the undercut just missed Brian, who called out a ery valley hiked, if not mined. If you rapid either. warning. I scanned the walls can get there by airplane,four wheeler, From the river bank we tossed anxiously, as if we were in the middle snow mobile or foot, you can be guar- rocks into the opaque water, hoping to ofalightningstorm, about to get nailed anteed someone has been there. After ascertain its depth and estimate the by a bolt. In many places the walls all, man has even been to the moon. CFS... as if two wild-eyed Alaskans were vertical. We like to build things, put things would even know what that acronym Brian was leading as we rounded a in order. I remembered a quote from means. "Looks like a lot more than corner: he turned frantically and be- some radio interview I had heard. The 300," I said in a confident tone, hoping gan aferry toward one of the walls. His guest said that chaos is the law of na- that Brian would agree. face had a look of immediacy as he ture and order is the dream of man. "Yeah, I'd say there's a lot more stalled his progress with the ferry, Like wild animals we lay claim to our than 300," hemuttered with his usual hoping to find an eddy that wasn't territory in one way or another; it's an nonchalance. there. Ahead, I could see the problem. innate thing. For some, it's building We found the upper stretches of A large tree stump rose from river left structures; for others, it's pounding the river fast. With several sections of and disappeared below the horizon to mining claim signs. For the true boulder-strewn rapids it was an ideal the right. redneck, it's wrecking havoc with a warm-up. Huge piles of logs lined the As I mimickedBrian's evasive ferry bulldozer. And for the political power banks high above, indicating the amaz- I remembered the stump from the wielders with friends in the construc- ing level the river reaches in summer. aerial recon. But was it the same one? tion business, it's erecting dams. We came upon the Gorge abruptly The walls were beyond vertical, they Today, though, geography would and, once in it, we were lost. My were overhanging. There was simply remove us from all of this. We would memory of the flight reconnaissance no way to portage, or even get out and be leaving the land of the nail pound- was gone and nothing was recogniz- scout. There was nochoice but to run it ers and four wheelers to go where only able. In places giant boulders clogged far right. a kayak could (or would) venture. the river almost completely, leaving "This way," I called to Brian as I I bent over and began stmng gear small unscoutable slots on their sides. passed him. I lined up along the right into the boat. Eventually, the red air- From the rotten walls above a large wall and dropped over the edge, trying plane returned, landed, and deposited rock fell, careening into the water. It my best to keep the nose of my Freefall

American MayIJune 1995 rocks forming the inside of a bend of nature, not the local power company, Above: Brian ~e;ldeep in the Kuskulana the river. We figured the rapid could controls the flow. And we were very Gorge be scouted from those rocks, but be- much alone. cause of an overhanging cliff wall, the Negative thoughts, magnified by only way to reach the rocks was by the claustrophobic surroundings, up and praying that the log was not swimming across an eddy. flashed into my head. In that moment lodged under the surface. We decided to jump into the icy I was on a 727 about to crash at the end Brain soon joined me in the eddy glacial water and swim the 50 feet. of the runway. My wife and daughters below. Brian held the throw rope as I swam were asking why? "I remembered it from the air," I across and climbed up onto the sharp I could hear my parents, consum- panted. jumble of rocks. Brian joined me after mate worriers, saying, "I tried to get He smiled. "Jesus," he said, "I tying the other end of the throw rope him to stop that dangerous kayaking thought you were a dead man. So I around a large rock. He pulled his way crap. But all he cared about was him- reckoned I might as well join you". across the eddy usingthe rope as a sort self. Why wouldn't he listen?". There was no turning back now. of Tyrolian Traverse. These are the excuses and guilt The gorge was an austere place, grey- As we stood silently on the talus trips that usually allow me to rational- black bands of rock devoid of color and heap I could see that Brian and I had ize portaging. fauna. Drop after drop, blind turn af- truly found what we had come looking Brian had his own thoughts. At ter blind turn... and always in our pe- for - adventure! Adventure in the form this point there was probably no bet- ripheralvision were thevertical walls. of an inescapable rapid, deep in the ter person to be with. Brian is truly a Occasionally I managed to climb out Upper Kuskulana Gorge. hard man; one of Alaska's most ac- on tiny ledges and snap pictures to It was like any rapid of difficulty: complished ice and rock climbers. He show my friends. steep, violent and a good place to get has several wilderness river runs un- From a gravel bar on river left we hurt. It was a solid class 5 by our stan- der his belt and, being a Valdezian, he could only see the top of an obvious dards (whatever that means these is used to boating alone on difficult drop. We could not scout the meat of days). rivers. As a consequence, he has tre- the rapid from the gravel bar. Just And we were not paddling on our mendous decision making skills. downstream was a large jumble of hometown river, but in a place where Brian and I surveyed the opposite American Whitewaterw~ayl~une 1995 canyon wall. If it had been possible to ner before I could get a goodlook at the portagethere, we probably wouldhave. monster. A few seconds later Brian But we agreed the rock was too steep shot past the overhang and made the Above: Brian Teal at the putin, Mt. and scaly to traverse and the eddies eddy. Blackburn 16,320' in background were too marginal. My relief of seeing him round the Be1ow:Brian Teal deep in the Kuskulana Below us the glacial water acceler- corner was only overshadowed by the Gorge ated to a point just above a sharp turn fact that we still hadn't identified the to the left. There it split into three dangerous undercut rapid slots, plunged into twolarge holes, then thatwe had been warned piled against an overhanging wall on about. the left. Then the river made a sharp But as it turned out, turn to the right and raced out of sight. we never encountered it. If nature is chaos, this was nature Apparently time and the at its penultimate. tremendous forces of na- Conceding that we had to run the ture had done away with rapid, we swam back to our boats. I it. only remember three things about my As we continued run through the rapid: the texture and downstreamthe difficulty shape of the boulders defining the cru- of the rapids diminished cial upper slot, slamming into a sub- and the gorge walls sud- merged rock in the lower hole, and denly changed character. getting whacked in the nose by my The rock became highly paddle in the middle hole. fractured and shotty. We Once past the bottom hole I suspected that no piece of struggled to catch an eddy that would it could ever be large allow me to view the entire rapid from enough to form much of a the bottom. But the current was too hole. 1 swift and it swept me around the cor- The steep walls re- mained, but were now only 200 feet high. We continued down class two water for three more miles. I was more than happy to be nearing the end of our adventure, but I kept my feelings to myself. I could tell that Brian would have liked even more action. Too soon theMcCarthy RoadBridge came into view. A group of young kids peered down at us and made their way to the catwalk below the bridge. It seemed hard to believe that just ten hours earlier we had stood on the same bridge, our nervous breath steaming in the darkness. The adventure that took one single day to complete left us feeling like we were returning from a month's journey. At the take-out we cracked open a few beers I had stashed the night be- fore and sat by the river's edge. The @I,-1 kids departed and the stillness of the T Nc DVA Wrangell Mountains was broken only Alaska's Guides to Alaska's Rivers by the steady sound of the Kuskulana. Sinc!e 1975 The bright, late afternoon sun was For information call 907-7145-5753 or Fax 907- 745-5754 piercing and in a tree above the can- P.O. BOX 1129 Ch ~ickaloon,AK 99674 yon rim an eagle glared at us. Perhaps it was the one who had snatched the dog. We tapped our bottles together in a A Celebration to benefit access toast. "To the mighty Kuskulana" I f and conservation efforts on said, grinning. the Arkansas and other "To the mighty Kuskulana" Brian nodded. Rivers in Colorado. It was September ninth and the Alaskan winter was just around the corner.

(Editors note: Roger Pollard rents boats and leads whitewater trips for AlaskaKayak in Anchorage...(9 07) 349- 4588. He wants to encourage more AWA members to come and test the whitewater of the Last Frontier.)

Saturday, July 8,1995 %F Riverside Park, Salida. colorado-* h sponsored by American Whitewater Affiliation Colorado White Water Association MUSIC FOOD & BEVERAGE WHITEWATER MARKETPLACE VIDEOS SWAP MEET SILENT AUCTION BOAT DEMOS

American Whitewater ~ay/~une1995 HER HANDS row of obscene colors against the in- There is something about her nocuous sand. And I am there, just hands; strong hands. She's lived... waking up and still thinking she living... alive. Powerful hands. But might be there too; with me... But hands that could play the piano... she is not, never has been. stretch. Octaves, depressing keys at There are big rapids ahead and I opposite ends; extremes. Hot or cold, know I should feel the exhilaration black or white... wet or dry. in the center of my belly. I know I'm The kayak cuts the water, slices looking for the gut-churning fear and it like a spear-glow through ice. the racing pulse and the pumping Rushing. Orange in the heavy green blood. I know all of this, but I don't water, pushing forward and down- feel it. Knowing and feeling are so ward and onward. Freedom of move- different. I wonder which is more ment-powerfully free. important. And all I feel is of her and Her hands on the paddle are an for her and my desire to be with her. elegance of autonomy captured in My passion for her is a brim- five slender motions. Moving, the ming, opulent, love sickened emo- bones rise against the skin and press tion which I want to pour out at her it up like ridges. Ridge lines rising feet like a pitcher of milk on black and falling and shifting. It is a tile. The loving is the feeling, be- simple motion; unplanned, thought- comes the emotion: A Thing. And less. Complexity of process dancing this I know. now, up and down, rise and fall. river, passing by camp all night. All In my dream I did not stop her Rapids pour through gaps and night I hear the river. hands. Didn't. To be misconstrued, drops, around rocks and up against I dream of her hands. I dream misunderstood, taken for what I am walls... down and away. To safely ne- that her hands are autonomous-the not, for what I don't want to be to gotiate a rapid you need to relax and way they move so fluently, so care- her; in her eyes-in her hands. And feel the current. I learned this first of lessly, but with such beauty. Beauty so I don't; I hold myself within, con- all. Without knowing this, you can from autonomy... and their freedom. tain myself against myself... for her. never be a good kayaker. I learned In my dream her hands are never And so, very quickly, reality this first, but I still can't do it well. still. They move and move and closes in. A horizon appears on the I see her hands not only as part of never, not even for a moment, do river ahead. The pounding and her, but as her. They represent her, they stop. Faster and faster, they crashing is still distant, but the the way she could touch me-hold blur and no longer can I pick out sound is distinct. This is very real. I me-stabilize me. Like righting a their intricacies. I want to stop them, take several strokes and then stop capsizing vessel, floating me. She to hold her hands in mine; study and allow my boat to drift with the would carefully draw me to her with them. The scars tell stories: actions quickening pace of the river. I strain those hands, draw me up and out of manifested, frozen. The texture is upwards, comparing what I can now the water and dry me. rough and it caresses me. see with the image etched in my I see her wrap me in a gray, wool But I stop... Don't reach for them, mind from scouting. A huge hole to blanket and draw me in. She dries don't stop them, don't hold them, the right, undercut wall to the left, a me. Her hands against the dark wool, don't contain them. I am afraid to do series of diagonal waves just off the her strong hands, they envelope me. that. wall. I can see this... I want this. Through trees at the river's edge, I point the bow of my boat into The electric colored canyon walls the sun pockets of morning wake me. the huge wave train in the center of are above us and around us and we A bird in a willow, the sand beneath the river. The waves are gigantic, are inside them, deep inside this me and the smell of baking bread... some of the largest I've ever paddled. place. And the smells of dinner... on- and the sound of the river. Always The exhilaration is complete, the ion and garlic, and the mosquitoes the sound of the river. The boats lie fear becomes intense. and the river-the ever present at the edge of the mighty current in a Diagonal wave pushes, brace

American Whitewater MayIJune 1995 water. Feathered movement entranc- ing me on the calm of the early morning river. Very quiet, I think. Very quiet. We dance together on the surface of the river, moving freely and blindly with no apparent purpose. hard and lean! Still up. Paddle delib- We make camp and she leaves a And then it's there and this is it. erately, quicken my cadence. The note in my boat. How strange, I The mere thought of this rapid sound of crashing water is every- think. How lovely and crazy and makes me shutter. The RAPID. where, but there is only silence in wonderfully strange. My eyes devour "Sylus's Suckhole" they call it. A my head. Large boulder that looks carefully formed letters; script in big drop into an ugly hole, a huge like dog on river right. Gotta catch blue ink. hole. The biggest I've ever seen. "Get the eddy. No mistakes. Must catch "I make a metaphor out of through this one, kid, and you're off the eddy. Coming fast, pushing, surg- kayaking rapids. Thought you might the river." I say to myself. ing, breaking, running. Eddy line, be interested." Thinking about portaging. Really swirly waters... choose my angle, I am. Scared. Sneak is on the right but you good solid hard strokes, now. "The rapids aren't safe-you have have to enter from river left. Enter Break the line of current; line be- no control over them, but you can be and paddle hard-and with purpose. tween the utter chaos and unsettled safe in them. The danger is in your- Big drop. Bigger hydraulic. Powerful calm. self. If you're scared you'll end up water throwing itself back on itself Paddle hard, keep the angle, lean. hurt. It is just a matter of creating in a torrential wave of heaviness Then the counter-current catches me your own reality." driving at the unseen bottom. Don't and spins me, snapping my boat Reality, I wonder. Reality? hit the-hole. Fear. Can't get sucked. around like the thrashing of an On the river again. She paddles "Sylus's Suckhole"... stupid name. alligator's tail. I paddle forward into gracefully ahead of me with confi- Stupid. the protection that the rock offers; a dence. Her poise is born of aware- "The rapids aren't safe, but you liquid island sanctuary amidst the ness: awareness born from herself. can be safe in them." raging rapid on either side. "Half Her hands manipulate the paddle. We are one hundred yards above way there," I say to myself. Blade rising and falling through the the drop. It is my run. I glance at

Mohawk has a new foam saddle with integrated quick release thigh retainer and knee wedges. It holds you comfortable and firmly in place and is adjustable so it will fit practically anyone. "So quick andeasy to get in and out oJ No thigh straps to mess with andit holds mefirm- ly in place, yet it is very comfortable." (Jeff Richards - Steep creeker, winner 1992 Ocoee Rodeo &Winner 1994 short boat class Dixie Division (slalom races). "I've used a Mohawk th* retainer on big water in Costa Rica, the Upper Yough and Spep Creeks and it'sjustgr~at. It is extremely comfortable andholds you tightly in the boat, ItJits anyone, is easy in and out, and last bat not least, pdon one strap thar ispractical- ly in your lap and ir releases both legs at once. The students in my canoe rolling classes just lme it". (Mike Aronoff - ACA Instructor, Washington DC area.) "Mohawk's nm thigh retainer is great! Really Mohawk's new and revolutionary THIGH RETAINER takes holds you in the boat, yet so the place of thigh straps or saddles with built-in thigh retainers. quick and easy to get in and This innovative thigh retainer holds its shape so the paddler eas- out of: It quick!~adjusts to ily slips into "paddling position" without readjustment or having the hassle of getting into thigh straps. fit all sizes of our students. This new system quickly and easily adjusts, with a stainless The pull-onp-strap release steel cam buckle, to fit any size paddler. By pulling on a single for both legs is the easiest strap, located just forward of your lap, both legs are released at release I've seen and it sure once for a quick exit. The four inch width of the unit and its thick is comfortable. " (Bob micro cell foam give very comfortable and firm support to your Latham - Longtime ACA thighs and hold you firmly in the boat with very little knee lift. Trainer). This unit will retro fit most foam saddles and pedestals.

:I,O'liYl'lON RAGS dl) \ -18" red, yellow or hltret 3i>X 60" 31) X 72"

3.D RAG LACING KI' 1,ACIhCi & STWSFOR 2 RAGS rmziR ETAINER ONE SIZE WID-RINGS PHONE: 40i 834 3233 her move; the entry into the Editor's note: Ret Talbot is an in- river right sneak. Like a bird, structor at the National Outdoor graceful, she arcs her back and Leadership School, an English pulls herself around a rock and teacher and a free-lance writer. He crests the drop. My eyes drop currently resides in Lakeville, CT. with her boat, transfixed. "The danger is within yourself," I mutter to myself. As she paddles out the bottom of the rapid I wave excitedly. She maneuvers her boat in beside mine behind the rock. "Nice run. I almost swam," I say. "Were you scared?" "Didn't have time to RIO SHONDURAS be," I lie. 10281 Hwy. 50. Howard. CO 81233 her. She isn't looking at me. She "So you didn't?" 800 255-5784 knew I'd look at her. She knew. She "Didn't what?" has such control. "Swim". looking For a new place to paddle? Paddling hard and crossing cur- "No. But that diagonal caught me Join us in Honduras and experience rent. Enter the drop far right-right off balance and rolled me." tropical paddling. We oFfer a variet~ on target. And then the river careens "Were you scared?" OF 1-9 day or custom/guide service downward; Fervently lewd Kayak "Of what?" kayak, canoe and raft trips. Some ol plunging the drop. Lean back, get " Uh ..." Thrown off guard by her ready to brace. Hole is right there. tone, "The rapid." I say looking at our excursions through lush rair Churning in ear and I fight fear. Hit- her face. Forests and exhi larating whitewate~ ting water... missed rock, hole pull- "No. Not the rapid." And then she are led by renowned canoeist Oot ing and me paddling hard. paddles forward and curves out of Foote and top notch kayakers Man, "Gonna make it!" But then I flip, the eddy. I watched her as she Hayes and Phil DeRiemer. Highlt, caught off balance. Fighting back up. paddles away down stream. It is easy experienced expert guides lead othe~ Feel paddle in hand... Grab shaft paddling from here on out. The pull- kayak and rak trips. and swing. Snap. Roll. And then I am out is only two miles down river. knocked down again. The liquid We have done it, the river is ours. Call for more information anc world begins to disintegrate around She paddles around a corner and out detailed itineraries. me. of sight. "Gonna have to bail." Paddle thrusting again. Swing, Snap, Roll and... UP. I'm up! And breathing hard and paddling and "Good God I AREA VERDE pulled it off... and paddling still. EXPEDITIONS From the pool below the rapid I KA YAK watch the drop. I wait for her. I imagine her above and paddling. I imagine her seriousness, I imagine her. She is pushing nearer to the 'lit whitewater paradise in the edge-not being pushed-but direct- heart of the Mayan wovld." ing herself. Her head appears and then her shoulders and then her ..- hands on the paddle and then the P .O. Box 476 Rios Cehabon, Lenquin, Polochic boat. She has a good line. She begins Salida, CO 8 120 1 and newly discovered Rios Penima [7 191 539-7 102 & Matanzas, [AYE 94 first descents)

American WhitewaterVMayIJune 1995 of the cockpit is slightly more narrow, initially allowing only one foot to be ex- tracted to the cockpit rim. As the first leg is straightened, the second could be with- ESCAPE FROM drawn, and the foot extracted. Standard C-ls, such as the Gyramax and Slasher, were easy to escape as well. We found a great difference too in the ability of our participants to escape from VERTICAL PINS simulated pins. Smaller, more agile boat- ers could usually work their way out of the small cockpit boats. Larger, less adroit folks were doomed. Practice helped, and many who could not escape AND at first were successful after several tries. We had several participants who were excellent rock climbers, with strength and agility honed on the big walls of Yosemite. These folks set the ENTRAPMENTS standard for escape from the tighter wa- tercraft, using heel, toe, and knee to by Richard Penny and Paul Martzen chimney their way from the narrow con- fines of the pinned kayak. We created a more challenging pre- A boater's worst nightmare. Over a steep drop, and then dicament by having two assistants press thunk, your bow strikes rocks lurking in the froth below. All on each paddler's back as he attempted to escape his entrapment, thus simulating forward movement stops. Pain radiates through your feet, the pressure of water coming over the ankles, and knees. Frigid water cascades over your back and drop. Now here was a difficult and ex- hausting simulation, even though it was head; your chest is forced to the cockpit. You can see almost practiced in a warm, dry environment! nothing: only froth and partial darkness. It's hard to breath. Under such awkward conditions, only a handful of the participants could escape a Time to get out, now! You let go of your paddle. And then what? pinned Dancer, and then only after a pro- longed struggle. In some of the boats with "And then what?" is the crucial medium-sized cockpits, many boaters question that we want to dis found they could extract their legs only cuss here. as far as the middle of their shins before The dynamics of the vertical they would topple from the cockpit, an pin with entrapment can be eas- obvious scenario for bilateral tib-fib frac- ily simulated by leaning a kayak against tures. a grassy vertical slope of 45 degrees or Remarkably, despite the simulated steeper. Climb in the boat and you will water pressure, even the most clumsy discover that gravity can be sufficient to and chubby of us could escape safely entrap apaddler in a vertically pinned from the large cockpit craft! Most modern kayak! When we first tried this exercise large cockpit designs have the added ad- as part of a river rescue clinic, we were vantage of forward bulkheads, reducing astonished by this discovery. According the risk of broken ankles secondary to to conventional wisdom, a kayak must be impact. Our conclusion: large cockpit slightly folded in the bow, snaring the boats are the only safe choice for steep riv- paddler's legs, in order for entrapment to ers and creeks. occur. Not so! Gravity alone can prevent Escape aids can make the difference many paddlers from escaping a vertically on boats with marginal cockpits. German pinned kayak. boaters developed the idea of tying a Photos by Cockpit size makes all the difference. piece of one inch tubular webbing to Richard Penny & Many of the boaters in our clinic that their stern grab loop and then leaving the tried this simulation could not escape a forward end dangling in the rear of their Paul Martzen Dancer (presumably an old model... Ed.), cockpit. A vertically pinned boater could and some could not escape a vertically hope to push himself back into the cur- pinned Infinity. On the other hand, ev- rent, reach over his head to the webbing, eryone could escape from boats with key- and then pull himself from the cockpit. hole cockpits, such as the Prijon boats Various stern-mounted tow systems and the Perception Corsicas. In these might be substituted for this rig. boats both legs could be bent, then with- We tried the German system, and drawn simultaneously. Both feet could some of us found that it helped us escape then be placed on the cockpit rim, allow- from small cockpit kayaks. But other ing the paddler to dive or climb from the boaters still could not escape. Many of boat. those that benefited had to engage in a In the Prijon boats, the forward end lengthy struggle. Every paddler that tried

American Whitewater M~~JI~une 1995 Bill Murphy exiting a large cockpit boat after Exiting despite simulated water pressure Exiting with the aid of a German escape a simulated vertical entrapment the German system was forced into a po- rock. A German escape system, a tow rig, sition that would have prevented an air or a rear broach loop can be a tremen- pocket from forming around their head dous aid in climbing the boat to safety. and upper body. One of the authors (Richard) has been Practice with the snag tag rescue foolish enough to vertically pin twice in method can be incorporated in a vertical his paddling career: once in a Gyramax pin and entrapment simulation. Two line C-1 on the North Fork of the Kaweah and handlers, standing as if they were once in a Corsica Matrix on Sespe Creek. stretching a rope across a river, bring the Both times he was able to climb without line up from downstream of the en- Remarkably, assistance up the boat onto dry rock. On trapped boater. As it reaches his chest, despite the simulated the occasion of the C-1 pinning, his body he can lift his arms over the line and use water pressure, even the was engulfed in water, with only his head it to stabilize himself. Providentially, al- protruding from the flow. Nonetheless, most every participant in the clinic could most clumsy and the escape from the roomy cockpit and escape a small cockpit boat, despite simu- chubby of us could the subsequent climb back up the stern lated waterpressure, with the assistance aided by a stern tow system, were easy of a snag tag line. escape safely from the feats. Based on this discovery, the snag tag large cockpit craft! Most Practice some of these exercises the should be viewed not only as an aid to modern large cockpit next time you are hanging around, wait- stabilizing a boater entrapped in a verti- ing for a shuttle. If you can't escape your cal pin, but also as an aid to the boater's designs have the added kayak or C-1 quickly and safely, try add- extrication. advantage of forward ing an escape aid. If that doesn't work. re- A paddler in a vertically pinned boat tire that outdated boat and get a large has two choices as to what to do once he bulkheads, reducing the cockpit craft! has his feet on the cockpit rim. One risk of broken ankles (Editor's note Richard Penny and Paul choice is to dive or jump downstream. A secondary to impact. Martzen are well known California boat- less risky choice, if there is a boulder or ers. Penny is also the author of The exposed rock near the lip of the drop, is JVhitewater Sourcebook, published by to can climb back up the boat onto the Menasha Ridge.) NATIONAL AND LOCAL EXPERTS TO NEW YQRK'S CROSS-STATE SPEAK AT CHESAPEAKE PADDLEFEST Several national kayaking try out sea kayaks from vari- RACE BACK FOR '95 experts will speak at the ous manufacturers, classroom Chesapeake PaddleFest at Elk presentations and discus- After a year's absence one of the most popular paddling Neck State Park May 12-14. sions, on-water instructions events in the East will be back on 1995's summer schedule. The Boat designer Andy Singer and special events. Instruc- New York Cross-State, an eight-day, 200-mile competitive cruise will share his expertise. Au- tion is available for all skill from Tonawanda, NY to Amsterdam, NY,will return to its ac- thor Ralph Diaz will speak levels, but the event is prima- customed place as a rite of summer in late July. A part of the about folding kayaks. Re- rily designed for novices. Chicago to New York City Finlandia Vodka Clean Water Chal- searcher Moulton Avery will Several special events are lenge, the Cross-State will allow paddlers to sample the Erie Ca- present information on cold planned to add to the fun! The nal, one of the country's most historic and scenic waterways, water immersion. Other pre- cardboard kayak race was and to partake of the hospitality of the picturesque communities sentations will focus on very popular last year. Teams along the route. paddle building, boat build- of five people receive limited The "cruise" is designed for paddlers who don't have either ing, waves and currents, local supplies and have 45 minutes the "guns, the desire, or the time" to enter the full Chicago to paddling, exotic paddling des- in which to construct a kayak New York event, according to the American Canoe tinations and wilderness from cardboard. The card- Association's race director Marty Grabijas. Participants in the medicine. board boats are then raced to eight-day canal crossing can opt for the challenge of head-to- The Chesapeake determine the winning team. head competition or set a more leisurely and laid back pace, PaddleFest is sponsored by A silent auction at the whichever suits their desires. In either case the scenery of the the local sea kayaking com- PaddleFest will raise money upstate New York course and the special events planned by ca- munity in association with re- for Chesapeake Bay natural nal-side towns along the route guarantee an exceptional week. tailers, outfitters and manu- resource organizations. On In addition, serious racers will be able to test their times . facturers. Major sponsors in- Saturday night there will be against those of the world-class athletes competing in the full- clude the Trade Association of an optional dinner and party. length Finlandia. Sea Kayaking (TASK) and the For detailed information The dates for the Cross-State portion of the monster mara- Chesapeake Paddlers Associa- including fees, please write to: thon are July 25 to August 1. Entry categories will be offered for tion (a local sea kayaking Chesapeake PaddleFest, P.O. recreational, USCA and ICF canoe and kayak classes. An entry club). There will be a variety Box 745, Greenbelt, MD 20768- fee of $300 includes basic land support services and lodging. of activities during the day, 0745 or call (703) 968-9047. More information can be obtained by writing: Finlandia Cross- including the opportunity to State, American Canoe Association, 7432 Alban Station Blvd., Suite B226, Springfield, VA 22150. Phone 703-451-0141. USCKT SMS"SHOOTOUT" (Nice to know that you can leave your "guns" at home for this one!... Ed.) Your Chance to Challenge the Champs!

WHO: Three 1994 National Champions and members of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Whitewater Slalom Team - Scott VALLEY MILL TO HOST Shipley (men's kayak); David Hearn (in men's ca- noe); and Cathy Hearn (women's kayak) vs. recre- ational paddlers. INSTRUCTORS' WHAT: The U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team Whitewater Shootout. CERTIFICATION WHEN: Saturday, May 20, beginning at 8:30 a.m. WHERE; On a stretch of whitewater on the Pigeon River near Hartford and Newport, Tenn. WORKSHOPS WHY: For the opportunity to win $1,000 as well as experi- These workshops, to be taught by Mark Moore, encing the thrill of competing against world-class held on the Potomac near whitewater instructor for Na- whitewater slalom athletes. Prizes also will be Washington, D.C., are de- tional Outdoor Leadership awarded to the top three places in three age catego- signed to prepare instructors School and St. Albans' Voy- ries: 17 and under; 29 and under; and 30 and over. in flatwater, moving water ager Program. How: Any recreational paddler whose score over the 15- and whitewater; leading to Certification on flatwater: gate course is better than the Olympian in his or American Canoe Association first 3 days, cost of $200; 4th her class will receive $1,000. certification. The emphasis is day on moving water and 5th NOTES: The only restriction on entry is that current and on what to teach and how to day on whitewater, both for former members of the U.S. Slalom National Team teach it effectively. an additional $85. are not permitted to enter... Advance entry is $5; Open Canoe--Solo and For registration and infor- late registration is an additional $5 for anyone en- Tandem, May 25-29-taught mation, call or write: Valley tering the day of the race... The 15-gate course for by canoe-sport writer and Mill Camp, Attn.: Tom, 15101 the USCKT Shootout is shorter than the standard noted trip leader, Bob Foote. Seneca Rd. Darnestown, MD course used in international slalom competition, Kayak--June 8-10; 17,1& 20874, (301) 417-2994. which is 25 gates long. For more info; USCKT - (317) 237-5690

American ~hitewatev~ayl~une 1995 BRIEFS PARK SERVICE ANNOUNCES CHANGES AT NEW RIVER Visitor opportunities con- hicles will be allowed to drive 2. "Special" commercial tinue to expand in the New down to the launch area at the trips that require rigged River Gorge National River. Dun Glen Day Use Area ex- boats, i.e., overnight trips, The most recent addition to cept for permittees. fishing trips, etc., will launch the array of visitor attractions Non-commercial boaters at the Lower Launch. e = 8 hour day (9am-5pm) is the renovation of the that launch at Stonecliff will 3. The primary TAKEOUT Thurmond Depot, slated to park in the Visitor Parking for commercial outfitters will open to the public in May Area and launch from the be the Lower Launch. 1995. Space is limited in the Lower Launch Area. There Stonecliff will be a very Thurmond area, requiring the will be a ten-minute time re- busy and congested area, all following changes which will striction on launches and affect both river users and tra- takeouts because of the heavy makeusers the 1aunchAakeouthave to cooperate run to ditional park visitors. congestion. smoothly. JUS The parking area at the Commercial outfitters will Thank you for your inter- July It, 2t, 3s, 4e, 6s, 7%8t, confluence of the New River use the Staging Area at est in the New River Gorge 9t, los, 13s, 14s, 15t, 16t, 17s, and Dunloup Creek will be Stonecliff to unload and pre- National River. With the con- 20s, 21s, 22t, 23t, 24s, 27s, 28% used for visitor parking for pare equipment and carry tinued cooperation and sup- 29t, 30t, 31s the Thurmond Depot ONLY. their boats to the Upper port from all user groups, we Aumst 3s,4s, 5t, 6t, 7% 10s, All non-commercial boaters Launch Area for all DAY feel that this interim plan will lls, 12t, 13t, 14s, 17s, 18s, 19t, will now park at the Dun Glen TRIPS. The exceptions to this facilitate the orderly flow of 20t, 21s, 24s, 25s, 26t, 27t, 28s Day Use Area and carry their are: river traffic in the Thurmond Se~temberIs, 2t, 3t, 4e,6s, boats and gear down to the 1. If the Upper Area backs Area. 7s, gt, lot, 16t, 17t, 23e, 24e, 30e launch area. Any boater who up, outfitters may CARRY If you need hrther infor- October le, 2s, 3s, 4% 5s, 6s. needs a vehicle or trailer to BOATS to put-in at the Lower mation, please feel free to con- gs, los, us, 1% 13s, 14e, 15e, Launch Area without STAG- tact Rick Brown at (304) 465- 21e, 22e, 28e, 29e launch their boat must now November 4e, 5e use the Stonecliff Area. No ve- I ING. 1 0508.

SHOGUN - The ultimate whitewater play boat RIVER RUNNER - Top recreational kayak RAPID - Proven freestyle winner Still made using tough cross-linked polyethylene construction

I Our SEDA Sea Kayak line consists of the famous Glider, Viking, Swift, Tango and Vagabond. Our SEDA open and decked recreational canoes are highly regarded by customers throughout the nation and Canada. Our SEDA accessories include Coast Guard approved lifevests, To explore North Carolina's Cullasaja, top design wet suits and a comprehensive line of whitewater and Thompson, and W Fork French Broad Rivers, flatwater gear. ;end $26.95 + $3.00s&h U.S. funds to: WILDSIDE PRODUCTIONS 371 8 Whitehorse Road, Suite 103-A Sreenville, SC 2961 1 I Call today for our 40 page bargain-packed catalog and dealer nearest you. I ------SEDA PRODUCTS, 926 Coolidge Ave., National City, CA 91950 Name Tel: 6191336 2444 Address I ------City State - Zip -

Most whitewater boaters I know at the river. Port 2. The other settings are: data think that computer bulletin boards are Learning to use the BBS takes some bits=8, parity=none, stop bits=l, duplex= only for geeks or freaks, computer nerds of the guesswork out of whitewater river set FULL or turn LOCAL ECHO off, and who get all hot and bothered by down- trip planning. emulation=ANSI or VT-100. Don't ask me loading dirty pictures and X-rated stories The old system I used was: look at the what that all means (because I have no from on line sex libraries. sky at home. If it was raining, I would idea.). Of course, by and large, that IS true. drive out to West Virginia and try to find Now you are ready to call in and There are at least 500 sexually oriented a river that was up. check out the river flows. Tell your com- computer bulletin boards in the country This only worked sometimes. I got to puter to call BBS (usually by way of a according to Billy Wildhack, author of know the West Virginia roads really well, menu item). Your computer will connect "Erotic Connections" (Waite Group but I did not always get to go boating. up. Bang on the "Enter" key and the com- Press, 1994). Millions of computer Now you can be absolutely sure the puter on the other end will ask you for weenies around the world are download- river is up. And the BBS works just the your first name, then your last name, and ing nasty pictures and filthy stories all same as all the other bulletin boards ask you to make up a password. Make up the time. They also use these bulletin around the country. So once you get fa- any easy-to-remember password and fill boards to talk - in computerese, of course miliar with it, you can join one of the sex it in. Be sure to remember your password - to other hypersexed electronically adept bulletin boards and get a couple of part- or you will not be able to get in again. perverts. ners to drive out to the river with you in Next you have to answer a question- But, of course, all this downloading of your van and run shuttle. naire about yourself. The good news is bauds and broads is of no interest what- Here's what you need to plug into this that it is much less detailed and personal soever to the average kayaker. system. than the questionnaires on the sex bulle- What the average river rat wants is You need a computer and a tele- tin boards. And you don't have to be over information about river levels. To hell phone. We are talking about $1,000 here 18. Finally- the computer will say: with the on line swingers, filling up their for starters (unless, of course you already "Good morning, you are caller num- hard drives with X-rated garbage. The have a computer and we just wondering ber 9,856. WELCOME to the River Recre- real question is: "IS THE RIVER UP?" what to do with it). Then, unless your ation Bulletin Board operated by the U.S. Thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of En- computer has a built-in (internal) mo- Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh gineers (of all people!), for the last three dem, you need to hook up a modem which District (412)644-6562 Now running un- years paddlers have had 24-hour comput- can connect at either 1200 baud or higher. der Wildcat! 3.0 The following bulletin(s) erized access to the latest river state and This could cost anywhere from $50 to have been updated since your last call: flow information through a bulletin $200. [Clontinue, [NIonStop, [Sltop? All board (known to computer hackers as a You also need a communications pro- You enter the letter "C" "BBS") in Pittsburgh. The system allows gram of some kind, like ProComm Plus or The BBS answers: "Would you like to you to get the most current information QModem Pro for Windows- if you have an view the bulletin menu [Y/N]?" available about flows in the Cheat and IBM compatible system. If you don't have All you need to do is enter "Y" and Youghiogheny watershed. This is not the Windows on your IBM compatible com- hit the "enter" key on your keyboard. traditional voice answering system with puter, you can use the "Terminal" pro- The BBS computer will respond with: a recorded list of gauge readings. With gram in the "Accessories" window as this BBS, you can capture the gauge read- your communications program. Apple STAGE READINGS by River Basin ings on your computer, study the trends, systems can be tied in as well, but with [I]... Upper Allegheny print readings, or save data for future ref- different software. Starting from scratch, [3]... Youghiogheny and Cheat erence. you can get the computer and all equip- [21... Lower Allegheny River stage readings come &om field ment and software you need for under [4]... Tygart and Monongahela gaging stations through satellite telem- $1500. [51... Beaver and Ohio etry and are automatically posted. Gauge Setting things up the first time readings are in feet; flows are measured around is the techie part. After that, you CORPS OF ENGINEERS PROJECTS in cubic feet per second. Gaging stations just tell your computer to call the BBS, [GI ... Youghiogheny Weekend Recreation transmit readings every four hours, so and everything is pretty easy. Outlook the latest available data is generally one Here's the techie part. Turn on your to five hours old. Readings are arranged communications program, find the "set- NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN- hom upstream to downstream by loca- tings" menu and fill in the phone number FORMATION tion. Data files are updated every three for the bulletin board: 1-412-644-6562. In [71... River Stage Forecast hours; latest reports become available at the communications program, check the 2:00,5:00,8:00, and 11:00, am and p.m. settings. Your baud rate should be either GENERAL INFORMATION Data is not checked or verified before 2400,4800, or 9600. Use the highest rate [8]... How to use the Youghiogheny Re- posting, so use common sense if things your modem can handle. The usual setup lease Forecast don't look quite right when you show up on a Windows system seems to be Com [9]... Other sources of information test, design, destr 0 YOU CA

____-___---_-_-_-- r Call today for a Free Catalog. 1 I I I 1-800-635-5202 I I Or mail coupon to: I I Northwest River Supplies 2009 S. Main St Moscow ID 83843 I I Name I I Add*ss I Northwest River Supplies I city ST-Zi- I ... L,------_-_------5605J Your Paddlesports Specialist. May/ June 1995 mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm BRIEFS [lO]..About this bulletin board [?I...... Command help (like Mosaic) on a fairly sophisticated llI..FAQ: Answers to Frequently Asked [J]...... Join conference home computer. Questions For the ultimate electronic gauge Bulletins updated: all Conf: "[O] - General Mail Folder", time on surfer, several government offices have Pause- [Clontinue, [NIonStop, [Sltop? C 2, with 28 remaining. set up World Wide Web (WWW) servers with river information. These can be ac- Enter bulletin # [1..11], [Rlelist menu, MAIN MENU: cessed on the Internet by using a [Nlew, [ENTER] to Quit: ? [MCBIVYSUGH?J]?G "browser" program such as Mosaic or Lynx. They are: USCAE Prototype Water All you have to do is pick one of the You can enter whichever letter you Management Server (http://www.wrc- bracketed numbers, 1 to 11, write it in want to keep playing with the BBS, or en- hec.usace.army.mil/xxx-wc), USACE and hit "enter". You will then see all the ter "G" to leave. Although the BBS does Louisville District (http://orl62.orl- information listed under that number. not offer file uploading or downloading, wc.usace.army.mil/), USCAE Albuquer- Number 3 and 4 are best for whitewater. it does have several hundred users. que District (http://www.swa- After looking at the river data, if you Check the User List for friends and send wc.usace.army.mil/), and the United hit "enter" again, the computer will re- them a message from the Message Menu. States Geological Survey (http:l/ spond with "No new personal mail found. You can leave a message for the system www.usgs.gov/). Press [ENTER] to continue?" If you do, operator as well. To disconnect, enter the main menu will come up. It looks like "G. The computer will respond: "Are [Note to readers: Louis Kwett very this: you sure you wish to log off [Y/n]?" Enter m generously contributed technical infor- "Y" and hit "enter -and you are off. mation for this article and checked the MAIN MENU: The information provided on this accuracy of the technical data. He did not [MI...... Message menu BBS is not yet available on the Internet review, and is not responsible, however, [Cl.... Comments to the sysop so you still have to call to Pittsburgh ev- for the ~oliticallyincorrect drivel and de- [B]...... Bulletin menu ery time you tie into the BBS. The board generate asdies kserted by the author. [I]... Initial welcome screen administrator, Louis Kwett, plans to set To comment on the technical informa- [Vl...... Verify a user up a World Wide Web server connected to tion, Kwett's email address is [Y]...... Your settings the Internet sometime soon. This will [email protected]. [S]...... System statistics provide graphic and audio information Complaints about the depraved and irre- [U]...... Userlog list as well as text. (Music with your gauge sponsible portions of the article should [GI...... Goodbye &Logoff readings!). To use the WWW server, you be send to the author at [HI...... Help level will have to have "browser" software [email protected]

*Boats for beginners to experts.

*Over 100 custom b- glass &signs.

Superior vacuum bagged foam core race boats.

Plastic Designs Canoe and Kayak Paddles. Hand crafted from the finest materials OCruise Control OMongoose OQuanturn Olnf inicat Custom orders from 9 styles of blades Composite reinforcement options Call for a Dealer nearest you or to receive a free catalog. Repairs Call or write for New wave ffiyak Products, Inc more information: V7) 944-6320 2450 Jones Road Lenoir City, TN 37771 2535 Roundtop Road, Middietown, PA 17057 (615) 986-9387

American May/ June Koll said. "Boaters who have to travel some distance can plan their trip well in advance, knowing they'll find good condi- tions." The final six miles of the river known Highlighting the 1995 fall season of Forge-an Adirondack village approxi- as the Bottom Moose has been rated by recreational whitewater releases on the mately 50 miles north of Utica, NY. paddling publications as one of "the top Moose River, the American Whitewater AWA coordinator Chris Koll antici- 10" expert rivers in the eastern United Affiliation will sponsor the first annual pates visitors from throughout the east- States. The run is a series of navigable Moose River Festival to be held Satur- ern United States and Canada. waterfalls and sheer rock slides ranging day, October 21 in Old Forge, New York. "The Moose River is particularly at- from 10' to 50' in height. The AWA already sponsors or co- tractive as a paddling destination be- In 1987, a hydroelectric project dewa- sponsors a series of popular river festi- cause it contains three sections of vary- tered the final two miles of the run, but vals across the nation, including events ing difficulty within a 30 mile reach of negotiations chaired by the AWA pro- on the Gauley and Cheat Rivers in West the site," Koll said. "Boaters from expert vided for 20 days of whitewater releases Virginia, the Kennebec in Maine, the to novice can plan a trip to the Moose, in that stretch, including the October sea- Deerfield in Massachusetts, the Ocoee in confident they'll find a section of river son. Tennessee, the Russell Fork in Kentucky, appropriate for their ability." More moderate whitewater can be and the Arkansas in Colorado. The fall paddling season on the found above the Bottom Moose including Like other AWA events, the Moose Moose stretches over the final four week- the class 3-4 section known as the Lower River Festival will feature live music, ends in October when a drawdown of the Moose and the class 2-3 section known as continuous showings of whitewater vid- upstream Fulton Chain of Lakes pro- the Middle Moose. eos, displays of whitewater equipment vides predictable optimal water levels For more information about the and raffles for boating gear. The Festival for whitewater recreation. Moose River Festival or Moose River is scheduled to start at approximately 6 "Dependable water levels in the fall whitewater, contact Koll at (315)652-8397 p.m. at the North Street Pavilion in Old are one of the Moose's best features," or Steve Uzdavinis at (315) 369-2581. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm BRIEFS

THE KENNEBEC FESTIVAL WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY JULY 1, vided the music throughout the evening 1995 at Wilderness Outfitters, Route 201, during the entire trade show. The Forks, Maine and will include a Tom Christopher, festival coordinator whitewater trade show, barbecue, and for the New England events said, Last music for all to enjoy. The Central Maine years festivals were significantly more Power Company has once again agreed to successful that we had ever hoped for. It provide a Big Water 8,000 dsrelease on just goes to prove that boaters are hungry Monday July 3rd to give boaters the thrill for opportunities to get together with of a lifetime as they roar through the each other in a festival atmosphere to Kennebec Gorge. talk about what they enjoy the most -- In addition CMPUs affiliate, the whitewater. He continues We had so Kennebec Water Power Company, will many local people helping out to make also be providing recreational releases these events work and the fact that boat- on the Dead River on July 1st and 2nd to ers were welcomed into their communi- make the entire weekend a grand oppor- ties not only fosters a positive image for us as a user group, but provides us with in the Northeast. on this landmark agreement between the ency when their kids take an interest in Last years riverside festival drew over New England Power Company and a di- sport. AWA gets to build its member- 500 people to this remote part of western versity of river interest groups. ship and the people of these communities Maine and thirty exhibitors set up dis- The Deerfield River has been the site enjoy the economic benefits of a non-con- plays of boats, paddles, gear, and for national championship races in both ,,rnptive activity in their towns. ~t whitewater apparel for equipment-brows- Canoe and kayak events and continues to makes a great partnership for AWA. ing boaters. A great chicken barbecue build its reputation as the next major With so many dams in New England fed the crowd and bluegrass music league whitewater mecca in the north- up for relicensing these river festivals throughout the evening provided a com- east as thousands of boaters now travel to play an important role in establishing the fortable laid -back atmosphere after a western Massachusetts each summer. American Whitewater Afllliation and our hard da s boating. BLAH- BLAH Through the cooperation of the New En- members as important players in this - BLAH.. .NOW FOR THE gland Power Company boaters now have process. The more positive economic im- BAD NEWS... the opportunity to enjoy great pact we present to communities near Bad News for the whitewater just a short distance away whitewater resources, the easier it is to from most of the large ~o~ulationcenters generate local support in our negotia- Kennebec Riverfest.... A in New England. tions with public utilities. The more wed- warm dry winter with very little snow- Last years Deerfield Riverfest was ibility we establish as an important user fall in the Kennebec River watershed is HUGE, with over 1,200 people attending group, the greater our chances for fitwe forcing the Central Maine Power to seri- this event. Like the Kennebec, people success. OUS~Yrestrict releases for whitewater and vendors again came from all over the ~,tout to the New England festivals boating in 1995. At this writing reser- U. S. to sample the newest whitewater re- this Summer. When you support the voirs are at 50% capacity and commercial source and celebrate its rebirth at the fes- AWA never disappointed. outfitters will be affected as well as prl- tival. The trade show at the Deerfield vate boaters. Festival coordinator Tom drew fifty-twoexhibitors, many who had Christopher states, "It is not fair Or prac- been at the earlier festival on the tical to ask vendors to travel to a festival Kennebec and realized that the New En- that can produce only low-level releases gland boater market was hungry for of two or three hours duration, so we de- whitewater products. They just had to cided to cancel this year's event". make a second trip back to New England THE DEERFIELD RIVERFEST and they were not disappointed at the WILL BE HELD ONE MONTH LATER Deerfield. ON AUGUST 5, 1995 in the large field The addition of environmental exhib- across the street from Zoar Outdoor on its and childrens games during the after- Route 2, Charlemont, Massachusetts. noon brought in many families to enjoy The Deerfield River relicensing story is the festivities. The availability of the lat- fast becoming the glamour child of the est in boats developed a longing gleam in environmental and recreational commu- the eyes of many ten and twelve year nity as the publicity from the Deerfield olds. This event also had a chicken and

American MuyIJune 1995 BRIEFS Wildlife Displays, Continuous Live Mu- sic, In Water Tug of War, Arts and Crafts, Canoe & Tube Rentals, Free Kids Corner,Great Food and more. Recreational Race- This class was created for all you "Weekend Warriors." For the price of the entry fee we supply RIVERFEST '95 the equipment, you supply the muscle power with a chance at your first Gold Medal. SLATED Marathon Race- This 10 mile race, The Friends of the Shenandoah River, under U.S.C.A. rules is for the serious a non-profit organization dedicated to racing enthusiasts. Awards for all protecting the Shenandoah River, will be classes. Pre-registration is available. hosting it's third annual Shenandoah River Clean-Up Day will be Sunday River festival, SHENANDOAH August 6". Its ALL FREE -Canoe Trip - T- RIVERFEST'95 on Saturday, August 5. Shirt - Riverside Lunch. The excitement of last year's festival, Don't miss this opportunity to experi- coupled with many new program addi- ence the beautiful Shenandoah River by tions, promises to make RIVERFEST '95 Canoe. For this second river clean-up an even bigger success. Again being day we'll provide; Canoes, life vests, hosted riverside at the Poe's South Fork paddles, maps, orientation, transporta- Campground, RIVERFEST '95 offers you tion, parking, T-shirts, lunch and trash a great day of competitive racing and fes- bags. You provide the trash pick up tival excitement. power First come, first served! Shenandoah Riverfest'95 will For more information please contact: feature:River Fun and Games,Canoe Russ & Jackie Francis Races, Fishing Tournament, Water Rodeo 422 Avalon Avenue Events, Historical Watercraft Front Royal, VA. 22630 Rides,Balloon Rides (weather permit- (703) 636-1434 ting), or Living History RIVERFEST'95 HOTLINE Encampment,EnvironmentalMidway, (703) 636 - 8600

HOTTEST NEW SHORTIE!

A DIVISION OF NORTHERN OUTFITTERS. INC.

The Rapid Solution to your New location- Major expansion! shortboat dilemma Shorter, 2200 sq. ft. sho~m! Toll free 1-800-249-41 121 Lighter &Quicker Mail order Full -line retall store Kayaks, canoes, accessories Paddling school New products for: Telemark skiing Rock & ice climbing Backpacking Camping

* 1300 sq. ft. rock climbing gym!

* CenM to New York rivers- call for rimr level info. READY - TO - PLAY perception, Satisfaction Guaranteed! * 5 minutes form exit 31, NYS Thruway (190) Call today or Try a Test Drive at our Lr-* Nantahala Outpost @-mu 587 Main St., Suite 109 404325-5330~tlanta wekdays New York Mills, NY 13417 704-4882386 ant ah ah ~iwr D~W~EPJP

PATAGONIA 1-800-249-4112 or 315-768-1568

2362-Cb Dresden Drive. NE,Atlanta. GA 30341

American Whitewater ~ayl~unr1995 & Sam) production. A core group of A STAR IS When shown at a monthly meeting in high energy BWA 1982, it created an uproar - partially be- people including cause everyone loved it, and at least one Sam Moore, Terry mother present with her eight year old Weeks, Barry BORN - son hated it. (It seems that she became Grimes, Don perturbed at a three second flash of a top- Spangler, John less woman with three breasts.) Davis, John Lovett, Boating films in those early video Dave Weiland and THE FIRST days were mostly 8mm, 16mm or 35mm Beuren Garten met film, a difficult and expensive medium to with Bob. It was de- work with. Consequently, paddling films cided that the BWA FILM tended to be documentaries, usually de- couldn't pass up an picting expeditions where whitewater opportunity to have rapids played the role of menacing im- a huge party paid for pediments to be portaged or simply en- by someone else, dured by the foolhardy and brave. (Russ where they could in- Nichol's excellent film "Fast and Clean" vite the world to bring and show their was a notable exception.) boating home movies and slides. Not By Barry Grimes "The Russell Fork, however, was only would it be out-there fun, but it pure whitewater with steep drops, throb- would be a unique opportunity for ama- In 1981 the Russell Fork was the holy bing music, great wreaks and club hero teur and professional filmmakers to ex- grail of the hair boating set. BWA club Sam makin' it look easy. T, B, & S were change ideas and strut their stuff before member Sam Moore, one of the most in- heartily congratulated (and vilified). an audience of paddlers. The National trepid paddlers ever produced by that or- Present at that meeting was Bob Paddling Film Festival splashed into ex- ganization, decided his time had come to Sehlinger, BWA member, paddler and istence. score a personal first descent. Terry Menasha Ridge Press publisher, Bob was The BWA had no idea how many Weeks and Barry Grimes - two amateur inspired and later put forth a visionary films could be attracted or if anyone photographers- felt that the historic idea: if the BWA would host and work it, would even come. October 22 and 23,1983 run should be documented for the club his company would financially back a was picked as the date (at the end of membership. The result was the 15 film festival that would bring together Gauley season); and buoyed by a $1,000 minute, super 8mm film creatively titled other paddling shows from across the full-page ad in Canoe magazine paid for "The Russell Fork", a TBS (Terry, Barry country. by Menasha Ridge, calls and letters be-

SAT. JUNE 24, 19 9 5 two weeks after the Ocoee River Rodeo IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE CAN CHOOSE WHICH BOATS AND WHAT LEVEL... Come to the Saluda River Whitewater Festival where the river will be rising steadily all day long! From 0 turbines to 5 turbines, from perfect ender level to Gauley sized waves and holes! Play the Pop-up Hole, Blast 0' Matic, Cookie Monster and much more. Reps from Dagger, Perception, Prijon, New Wave, Mohawk and others will be here with boats to

MORNING ...... L OW WATER! MID DAY ...... M ED WATER!!

BOAT DEALERS ... DEMOS ... Carolina on Interstate 26, take 76 RAFFLE ... SILENT AUCTION... FLEA MARK ET...FOO D ...F ILMS ... WHITEWATER VENDORS... gan to come in. pour that was hammering away on the 10 a.m., the allotted start time for the The film com- barn's tin roof. The rain Gods had vis- Awards Ceremony, there were about 20 mittee found that the ited the Festival in a big way and were people present. Half were BWA members newly completed Ken- the BWA's honored guests. They stayed clinging to coffee cups, and the remain- tucky Horse Park had all day and turned the cow pasture out- ing 10 or so consisted of a few winning not heard of the BWA side the barn into a quagmire. It contin- filmmakers and folks who had come to and so welcomed the ued to rain hard as the competition the Festival but left their boats at home. club to use their wound down and Dad's Dinner Theater Everybody else had gone boating on the "party barn" - a served up steamship rounds of beef, ham leftover bounty of the Rain Gods. huge, empty, former and chicken and dumplings for dinner The slide/8mm Best of Show winner tobacco barn set in the inside the barn from the attached was aptly titled "Kayaking in the Blue- middle of a cow pas- kitchen. grass", with "Whitewater Rodeo" and ture. It was raining so hard that the Horse "Liquid Madness" sharing video/l6mm Only one Park people were persuaded to allow the Best of Show honors. Of the 23 entries, 13 problem still faced the Festival to have the party in the lobby of went away with awards. club -the need to ac- the Visitor Center. A strong Bluegrass The BWA has evolved and hopefully tually build two the- band named Stoney Creek picked and the improved upon that original Festival. aters within the barn. BWA construction Women in Rubber made everyone grin as The current facility at the University of magnate Mike Weeks volunteered himself the first Film Festival Party blasted deep Kentucky was added in 1984. In '85 the and two unsuspecting members of his into Sunday morning. date was changed to the last weekend in crew to complete the task. Using roll af- Dad Weiland, the hardest party ani- February, and the Friday/Saturday for- ter roll of black plastic, thousands of mal that the BWA has seen to date, did mat was instituted. staples and innumerable 2x4's the the- not slack off that night and eventually Thanks to suggestions from mem- aters were completed. stumbled to his truck at the campground bers, participants and you, the audience, Dave "Dad" Weiland, the BWA chef of just before dawn on Sunday morning. the Film Festival has become a much an- "Dad's Dinner Theater" fame agreed to Not long after Dad had drifted off to C- ticipated event and a significant con- cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for all boat dreamland, he was awakened by a tributor to conservation. It has been in- the masses. Popcorn poppers, TV's, slide camper demanding the promised biscuits strumental in raising the quality of pad- and film projectors were moved in. A and gravy for breakfast. Evidently the dling films and has been a fertile meeting couple of hundred folding chairs were un- gravy would fit where Dad told the ground for paddlesport filmmakers from folded. camper to put it, but the biscuits would across the world. Thanks to the ongoing TV stations were notified and since it not, and neither was happy about it. strong support from the boating commu- had been built - they came. Sunday morning had been scheduled nity, the National Paddling Film Festival The barn was adjacent to the camp- to include the presentation of awards and will continue to endure, inspire and thrill ground and folks started rolling in that a reshowing of the winning entries. At audiences for years to come. Friday night. By the time the competi- tion began on Saturday morning, there were about 150 people (including BWA) and 23 film, slide and video presentations. It had been decided that everyone who entered would get a showing. There were no time limits established and the competition was set up so that video was paired with 16mm film and slides com- peted with 8mm film. There-were six judges, and they were required to judge all 23 entries - or roughly six hours of presentations! Entries included footage on the Suwanee, Gallatin, Yellowstone, Nantahala, Bio Bio, Russell Fork, Dolores, Ocoee and Colorado rivers. Also there were shows on the Pacific Ocean, Mill Creek, hypothermia, the lowhead dam thriller "The Drowning Machine", a 7,000 mile expedition across Canada and Alaska and the first Ocoee Rodeo. Eleven states were represented with nine entries from Kentucky and eight from the BWA alone. Barry Grimes was charged with showing the 8mm and slide shows and John Davis was the 16mm and video tsar. Since the theaters had been built back to back with only thin plastic and a couple of mattresses for soundproofing a small sound level war developed as John and Barry tried to drown out the other's en- croaching audio. Then, just before lunch, both theaters were further raising their volume in an effort to overcome the torrential down-

American Whitewater ~aylJU~P 1995 Ti1s Yw'S WlNNERS Nationalg~~;~~:::::: Paddling Film Fest Director

PROFESSIONAL duced to illustrate AWA's message. It is Faultline is an entertaining video of CATEGORY informative, entertaining, intense and the Piedmont Rivers in Georgia and Ala- informal -just like AWA! bama which flow over the Brevard and Best of Show -Wave Warriors Towaligia faultlines and their resulting (Adrienne Ciuffo/National Geographic) AMATEUR CATEGORY whitewater. A wild ride through the surf zone off the northern California coastline with Best of Show/Club Winner - We Conservation - North Chickamauga .' the United States' most eccentric ocean Will All Gulp Together When We Gulp! Creek Gorge (Robert Campbell, Linda kayaking club - the "Tsunami Rangers" (Randy Klein/Wasatch Mountain Club) Hixon/Friends of North Chickamauga - and their newest initiate. Threading A 35mm slide presentation with origi- Creek Gorge) their way through boulder gardens and nal lyrics describe the fast-paced antics A model watershed protection plan for kayak thrashing swells to explore the of the Wasatch Mountain Club members the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge is area's abundant sea caves, the Rangers as they paddle and/or swim various currently being prepared. a partnership guide an East Coast river paddler on her Rocky Mountain Rivers. of the Friends of North Chickamauga first unforgettable ocean adventure. Creek Greenway, Inc., The Conservation Hairboating - Up High, Hard and Fund, National Park Service and Ameri- Runner UD- Whitewater Groove Behind (Rick Gusic/Three Rivers Pad- can Whitewater Affiiation are working (Larry Granger/Wildside Productions) dling Club) to prepare and carry out the plan. This The latest in high adrenaline, adven- A fast and furious paced look at some video was produced to help increase pub- ture paddling, featuring the Thompson of the best crash and burn kayaking (and lic awareness of the importance of pre- River, an exciting tributary located in rafting) footage ever shot! The video in- serving this unique gorge near the City of North and South Carolina's Lake cludes shots of the Cheat, Big Sandy, Up- Chattanooga. Jocassee watershed. The video begins per Gauley, Meadow, Green, Great Falls with the Cullasaja River, moves on to the of the Potomac and the Russell Fork, just SLIDE COMPETITION West Fork of the French Broad and con- to name a few. cludes as Britt Gentry, Larry Granger Winner - Scott Shoupe and Steven Matz make the first descent of Recreational/Scenic - Faultline An amazingly scenic ender on the the Thompson. (Will Reeves/ORGT/Georgia Canoeing Caney Fork. (See front cover of this is- Assn.) sue.) Ender Award (The Peo~le's Choice) - Vertical Addiction (Wayne Gentry / Gentry Video Productions A look at the addiction to whitewater paddling through the eyes of expert pad- dlers hooked on steep creeks which crash off the Cumberland Plateau between 600 and 800 feet/mile. Filmed near Chatta- nooga, Tennessee, the video shows foot- age from Henderson Creek, Falling Water Creek and the "North Pole".

Commercial Winner - The Wilder, The Better (Dan and Jennifer Murphy/ Steep Creek Films and AWA) The American Whitewater Affiiation's mission is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. This video has been pro- Ameriwn Whitewater MaylJune 1995 mmmmmmmmmmmmm~mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwmmmmmmmmmmmm~mmmmmmmmmmmm~mmmmmmmmm BRIEFS CONFESSIONS OF A PllDDLlNG

Late February is becoming to Lexing- Saturday show. enthusiastic party into the wee hours ton, Kentucky what Gauley Season is to And there was a little something for (featuring Utterly Rudderless - a local, West Virginia - a mecca for paddlers in everyone among the 10 professional and 9 mostly-paddler band which may be join- search of primo whitewater action. amateur entries, ranging from club trips ing us at the Gauley Festival) and (if you Maybe you won't get wet, and guaranteed and conservation pieces to cutting edge hit it right) plenty of paddling options on you won't see the light of day, but you whitewater (and saltwater!), plus the Sunday. will find yourself smack in the midst of slide competition which was a people's And, if you were lucky enough to be your peers - hundreds of salivating, choice decision. invited as a judge, there was even a adrenalizing hair junkies - enjoying the But there's more. Film Festival Head sumptuous buffet dinner in store at the newest and hottest paddling productions Honcho, BWA's Scott Smalley, has con- home of BWA superhosts Don and Chris around. tinued in the Club's fine tradition of Spangler. Sponsored and organized by the Blue- transforming what could be a fun one-day Well, it took me years to get there, grass Wildwater Association (and this event into a howling weekend extrava- but it won't take much to get me back. year co-sponsored by the American Ca- ganza. The Film Festival is an excellent, su- noe Association), the 12th Annual Na- Beginning on Friday evening with a perbly run event. Kentucky hospitality tional Paddling Film Festival was no ex- viewing of last year's winners, Film Fes- is endless. The BWA's reputation as ception. An audience of close to 300 film tival highlights and amenities went on to party animals is definitely understated. fans, volunteers and judges crammed include a catered pasta lunch at noon in- Don't miss it. into the Medical Sciences Auditorium at termission, an impressive big-ticket and the University of Kentucky for the all-day accessory auction following the show, an

personalities are also accepted. Pieces that incorporate humor are especially welcome. Open boating and rafting sto- ries are welcome. The editorial staff of American want us to return your pictures, include Don't be afraid to let your personality Whitewater carefully reviews all mate- a self addressed stamped envelope with shine through and don't be afraid to poke rial submitted for publication. We are your submission. Because we publish in a little fun at yourself... and your pad- particularly interested in receiving full black and white, photos with a lot of con- dling partners. length feature articles, conservation and trast work best. Profanity should be used only when it club news, special event announcements, American Whitewater Feature ar- is absolutely necessary to effectively tell articles pertaining to whitewater safety ticles should relate to some aspect of a story; it is not our intent to intention- and short, humorous pieces. whitewater boating. Please do not submit ally offend our more sensitive members Articles should fit our established articles pertaining to sea kayaking or and readers. format; that is, they should be stylisti- flatwater. The best features have a defi- Please check all facts caremy, par- cally pattered to fit into our Features, nite slant... or theme. They are not ticularly those regarding individuals, AWA Briefs, Conservation Currents, merely chronological recountings of government agencies and corporations Safety Lines, Humor or End Notes sec- river trips. involved in river access and environmen- tions. Exceptional photographs and Open the story with an eye catching tal matters. You are legally responsible whitewater cartoons are also welcomed. lead, perhaps by telling an interesting an- for the accuracy of such material. Make If possible articles should be submit- ecdote. Dialogue should be used to sure names are spelled correctly and ted using Wordperfect on a 5 1/4" single heighten the reader's interest. Don't just river gradients and distances are cor- sided flexible disc. Please use the stan- tell us about the river... tell us about the rectly calculated. dard Wordperfect default settings; do not people on the river... develop them as Articles will be edited at the discre- alter the margin or spacing parameters. characters. Feature articles should not tion of the editors to fit our format, If you use a different word processing be written in the style of a local club length and style. Expect to see changes program and/ or smaller disks, send us newsletter. in your article. one anyway... we may be able to transfer If you are writing about a commonly The American Whitewater Mfliation it to our files. Send a printed copy of the paddled river, your story should be told is non-profit; the editors and contributors article, as well. from a unique perspective. Articles to American Whitewater are not reim- Those without access to a word pro- about difficult, infrequently paddled or bursed. On rare occasions, by prear- cessor may submit their articles typed. exotic rivers are given special consider- rangement, professional writers receive Please double space. ation. But we are also interested in well a small honorarium when they submit Photos may be submitted as slides, written, unusual articles pertaining to stories at our request. Generally, our black or white prints or color prints. class I11 and IV rivers as well. Feature contributors do not expect payment, Keep your originals and send us dupli- stories do not have to be about a specific since most are members of the AWA, cates if possible; we can not guarantee river. Articles about paddling tech- which is a volunteer conservation and the safe return of your pictures. If you niques, the river environment and river safety organization.

~mricanWhiteumtev ~ayl~une 1995 NATIONAL ORGlUllZATlON OF WHITEWATER RODEOS 1995 EVENT SCHEDULE RIsa Shhnoda Cahway (808)855-7618

DATE EVENT NAME LOCAllffl CONTACT April 29-80 Nsw River Relko Salem, VA 61Sgrink 708-887-6172 AprU 29-80 NlFtA Idaho Moscow, ID Willie kcoh w~ts~terRSUV~ 208-882-2883 May 5-7 BWs Hole Ldro PorBand, OR Dave Plover 508-285-0484 M~Y1814 LBCRII RWO ISSOW, MT A~YSmith 408-728-7800 May 20-21 COOS~Rivr Mllkntl~mery,A1 Lonnie Carden Whitewater F~rthrd 205-272-1207 May 20-21 Big Fttrk Whitefish, MT Kelly Mull WMewator Ftrthrd 408-882-5841 May 20-21 ~otomacl SCiW, MD Riih Hoffman Whitswam Fssthrlll 801-588-8458 May 20-22 Kananaskis cdgwy, ~lbertaca#dr Mark Taylor Whitewater Ldee 804-280-1527 J-10-11 Ocoee Rodeo Ashevlk, NC Susan Wilson 704-258-3886 Juae 15-18 Fibark SaMa, CO P.T. Wood Headwams Cbmphship 718-5882472 Jane 18-18 willow ~iver Prince Georme, Rkk Brine Paddbfeot B.C., ~anada- 804-884-7400 June 28-25 bimas River Days Durango, CO Janet Wiiey 808-258-8888 July 7-0 Payem Wh~aterRound~r Boise, ID Bruce Bistline 208-845-8654 Swt. 8-1 0 Amerkm River Festival Lotrs, CA Susan Debret 018-626-8485

DATE RACE NAME LOCATION March 25-26 USOF South Regional Trials NOC, NC April 15-16 USOF West Reaional Trials Seattle. WA April 22-23 USOF North Team Trials South Bend. IN Aoril 29-30 USOF East Team Trials Webster, NH Mav 6-7 Junior Team Trials Zoar Gap, Mass Mav 12-13 Slalom National Team Trials Ocoee, Tenn May 29 ClWS #1 Vail, CO June TBA Wildwater National Team Trials Arkansas River. CO June 3 ClWS #2 Duranao, CO

June 25-July 16 World Cup races #I-4 Europe July 5-9 Junior Pre-Worlds, SL & WW Czechoslovakia July 22-23 JrISrlMasters Nationals, SL & WW Boise, ID July 30 Olympic Festival Boulder, CO Seot 1-3 Slalom World Cham~ionshios Great Britain

USOF = United States Olympic Festival ClWS = Champion International Whitewater Series NSWC = National Slalom and Wildwater Committee (Slalom arm of the United States Canoe and Kayak Team)

American Whitewater MaylJune 1995

Win prizes and raise money for AWl

FIRST GRAND PRIZE: Dagger Canoe or Kayak of your choice SECOND GRAND PRIZE: Dagger Wood Canoe or Kayak Paddle from Headwaters THIRD GRAND PRIZE: Schlegel Duralene Canoe or Kayak Paddle from Headwaters INDIVIDUAL PRIZES: AWAJDagger Paddl-a-thon T-shirts AWA lapel pins and AWA License plate frames Entering is easy and fun! *Sign up local sponsors to pledge a contribution per river hour paddled by you during June 1995 *Log your river time on the official entry form *Collect sponsor proceeds and submit to AWA by July 31, 1995 *Receive your prizes1 *Three highest earning individual participants will be Grand Prize recipients. For onicial rules and entry forms, contact: *AWA, PO Box 85, Phoenida, NY 12464 or phone (914) 688-5569 Proceeds to benefitAWA's Whitewater Defense Prvject. HOWEVER, IF YOU AREPADDUNG ON BEHALF OFA CURRENTA WA AFFILIATE CLUB, ANY MONEY YOU RAISE WILL BE SPUT WITH 75% TOAWAS WDPAND 25% FOR YOUR CLUB'S USE IN ITS CONSERVATION. SAFETY OR TRAINING PROGRAMS. Affiliate partr'cipants an, also eligible forIndividual and Grand Prizes. their boats and walked overland on the side of the river away &om the irate na- FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ED tives. They hiked out wearing their helmets and carrying their paddles. Ed had concluded that they had missed their stashed a machete in his boat and he car- takeout by a long shot. Knowing they had ried that also. They were two bearded, to go back upstream to find it, they scruffy gringos, wearing shorts, booties, by Joe Greiner started to paddle the pools and portage spray jackets, and a helmet, both carry- the rapids. Even with the moon it was ing strange, long weapon-sticks with flat "Hey!! Ed!! We sure have paddled a dark, and the vines looked like snakes. ends. And one was carrying a machete! long way. Are you sure They were nervous. They talked a lot. One can only imagine the terror of that the bridge back there wasn't the Around 5:00 a.m., after a particularly the people that they met. Ed said later takeout?" loud portage, they heard a commotion to that everybody that saw them took one "Nah!! Let's keep going, Bruce. It's river right. The jungle was alive with look and ran away. No doubt the legend got to be down here somewhere." fireflies. No, wait! Those weren't fireflies. is growing as stories of "the aliens" are Ed and Bruce were charging down- Those were FIREBRANDS... being held told and retold. After two days the hun- stream on the Rio Cahabon into the fall- aloft by a large mob of farmers, coming gry duo made it to a road and some Span- ing Guatemalan night. They didn't know fast! In a scene reminiscent of Franken- ish speakers. It took one more day to it yet, but they had missed the takeout. stein, the shouting farmers swarmed hitch a ride to Lanquin and tell their wor- You remember Ed. Ed Lucero, down to the river bank, brandishing ried and incredulous friend, Jeff, about hairboater, made his first appearance on their firebrands and machetes. their adventures. This was followed by these pages in the July/August 1994 is- Neither Ed nor Bruce knew much two more days to drive back, hike in, and sue. Ed's Central American adventures Spanish, but the farmers were Indian and retrieve the boats and gear. Their day on started when Ed heard about an explor- probably weren't speaking Spanish any- the Cahabon had turned into a week-long atory trip to Guatemala. The trip south way. Ed did his best, shouting epic! was in a school bus that broke down five "Tranquilo!! Tranquilo!!" over and over Ed will be back in the states shortly. I times on the way and required an engine again. can't wait to find out if his travels in El transplant in Tierra Blanca, Mexico. Ed and Bruce were terrified as things Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica Finally, the expedition limped into started to whiz past them in the night. went as well as Texas, Mexico, and Gua- Antiqua, Guatemala, about two weeks be- Fearful that they were under a poison temala. hind schedule. After a month of arid blow gun attack, our heroes jumped out Maybe, Ed can come East this travel across some very desolate land- on the opposite shore and hid in the trees spring and do some creeks. He's a good scape, Ed had been high and dry and frus- until the farmers dispersed and morning boater and I'd follow him on the river. trated for a long time. He was ready to came. They decided to abandon the trip But I will be damn sure that I know boat! upstream along the river. They stashed I where the takeout is. After spendingb one day on the Upper Lanquin, Ed met Bruce and Jeff, who hailed from Capetown, South AfYica. They had their own 4WD pickup truck with boat racks. Bruce and Jeff were only going to be in Guatemala a few more days. Then they were going on to El Sal- vador for some surfing. Then they planned on heading to Nicaragua and Costa Rica for more boating. Ed soon decided to go to Costa Rica with the guys &om Capetown. But first, Ed and Bruce decided to run a section of the Cahabon. Jeff would pick them up at their takeout, then they would be off to El Salvador. Play on the Cahabon was fine. But somehow they missed the takeout. They saw a bridge but they thought it came "too soon". Bruce and Ed started to paddle even harder downstream, hoping - We have it all; equipment for paddlers to make "the takeout" before nightfall. Finally, eight miles downstream, in total from beginner to expert! -. \. darkness and fearful of blundering into Experienced Paddling Staff! - - the unrunnable Chuloc Falls, they Full lnsttuction Program! -. (-@&+ e a stopped. - loSL Z 0 They had no food or camping gear; - Fantastic Selection! 3s g this was supposed to be a day trip. The $Jt" =$SiW+" - Great Prices! -*& '., -86wn night was dark and they had no flash- z#sgs$ggg,= %*fie? r light. With visions of scorpions and fer- Give us a de-lances in their heads, they decided to call... BACK COUNTRY spend the night on a very small island, "

P: I where these evil creatures would not SKI AND SPORTS bother them. 3710 South Main Street To past the time they told stories. d\oe4eBlacksburg, Va 24060 Around 3:00 a.m. the clouds parted and a 1' full moon came out. By this time they had (703) 5528400 10-8 M-F, 1 &5 Sat

American white water^ ~ayl~une 1995 ADK Genesee Chapter Beartooth Paddlers Colorado Whitewater Huntsville, AL 35804-0052 doJerry Hargrave P.O. Box 20432 Association Mohawk Canoe Club 47 Thorpe Crescent Billings, MT 59104 P.O. Box 4315 Idaho State Outdoor Pgm. 15 Andrea Lane Rochester, NY 14616 Englewood, CO 80155-4315 do Ron Watters Trenton, NJ 08619 Birmingham Canoe Club Box 8118, ISU ADK Schenectady P.O. Box 951 Coosa River Paddling Club Pocatello, ID 83209 NORS P.O. Box 733 Birmingham, AL 35201 doLonnie Carden do Mary McCurdy Schenectady, NY 12301 Southern Trails, Inc. Kansas City Whitewater Box 6847 Blue Ridge River Runners 5143 Atlanta Highway Club Colorado Springs, CO 80904 Adobe Whitewater Club P.O. Box 10243 Montgomery, AL 36109 C/OG. Rebecca Stark P.O. Box 3835 Lynchburg, VA 24501 5600 Kenwood Avenue NOVA Riverunners Inc. Albuquerque, NM 87190 E. Tennessee Whitewater Kansas City, MO 64110 P.O. Box 1129 Bluegrass Wildwater Assoc. Club Chickaloon, AK 99674 AMC Berkshire Chapter P.O. Box 4231 P.O. Box 5774 Kayak & Canoe Club of c/o Mike Zabre Lexington, KY 40544 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 -5774 Boston Ontario Voyageurs Kayak 34 Russell Street c/o Peter Cogan Club Greenfield, MA 01301 Boat Busters Anonymous Foothills Paddling Club Box 123 P.O. Box 41 2961 Hemingway Ave. P.O. Box 6331 Pumey, VT 05346 Adelaide Post Office AMC Boston Chapter Oakdale. MN 55128 Greenville, SC 29606 Toronto, Ontario M5C 2H8 doJim Cavo Kayaking I-IV Canada 33 Chester Avenue Buck Ridge Ski Club Garden State Canoe Club C/OSchumacher Waltham, MA 02154 P.O. Box 179 c/o Joseph Pylka 47 1 Hagemann Dr. Outdoor Adventure Program Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 30 N. Greenwood Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550 Bldg. 2807 AMC Connecticut Chapter Apt. D Mt. Home AFB, ID 83648- C/OJan Larkin Burned Out Canoe Club Hopewell, NJ 08252 KCCNY 5000 151 Hamilton Drive c/o Fred Vaughn c/o Pierre De Rham Manchester, CT 06040 Box 15 Georgia Canoeing Assoc. P.O. Box 195 Outdoor Centre of New McConnell, WV 25646 P.O. Box 7023 Garrison, NY 10524 England AMC Maine Chapter Atlanta, GA 30357 10 Pleasant St. c/o Wolfgang W. Kaiser Keelhaulers Canoe Club Millers Falls, MA 01349 P.O. Box 331 Canoe Club of Greater Georgia Tech ORGT c/o Susan Vetrone Woolwich ME 04579 Harrisburg C/OSuzanne Beaumont 2085 Halstead #4 Outdoor Recreation Program C/OMary Klaue SAC-0110 Lakewood, OH 44107 Building 420 AMC New Hampshire R.D. 1, Box 421 Atlanta, GA 30332 University of Utah chapter Middleburg, PA 17842 Lansing Oar & Paddle Club Salt Lake City, UT 84112 C/OStanley J. Solomon G.L.O.P. C/OKarl Pearson 4 Whittier Road Canoe Cruisers Association doJames Tibensky P.O. Box 26254 Ozark Wilderness Waterways Lexington. MA 02173-1717 doMac Thornton P.O. Box 2576 Lansing. MI 48909 P.O. Box 16032 322 10th Street SE Chicago, IL 60690 Kansas City, MO 64112 AMC New York Washington, DC 20003 Leaping Lounge Lizards c/o Trudy L. Wood Greater Baltimore Canoe C/ORick Norman Paddling Bares 41 W. 96th St., Apt. 3C Carolina Canoe Club Club 3437 E. Green St. P.O. B& 22 New York, NY 10025 P.O. Box 12932 P.O. Box 591 Pasadena, CA 91107 Milltown, NJ 08850-0022 Raleigh, NC 27605 Ellicon City, MD 21041- AMC S.E. Mass. 1841 Ledyard Canoe Club Palmetto Paddlers C/OMark Klim Central Georgia River Box 9 c/o Mandy Maier 49 Record Street Runners Headwaters Paddling Assoc. Hanover, NH 03755 284 Shoreline Drive Stoughton, MA 02072 P.O. Box 6563 Box 1392 Columbia, SC 29212 Macon, GA 31208 Bozeman, MT 59715 Lehigh Valley Canoe Club America Outdoors P.O. Box 4353 Perception Kayak Club P.O. Box 1348 Chicago Whitewater Assoc. Holtwood Hooligans Bethlehem, PA 18018-0353 C/OPerception Inc. Knoxville, TN 37901 doMarge Cline doDave Rostad 111 Kayaker Way 1343 N. Portage 922 Marcia Lane Lower Columbia Canoe Club Easley, SC 2%40 Appalachian Paddling Palatine, IL 60067 Lancaster, PA 17601 11231 NE Davis Street Enthusiasts Portland, OR 97220 Philadelphia Canoe Club do YMCA Chota Canoe Club Hoofer Outing Club 4900 Ridge Ave. P.O. Box 60 P.O. Box 8270 C/OMike Sklavos, Water Merarnec River Canoe Club Philadelphia, PA 19128 Erwin, TN 37650 University Station Safety C/OEarl Biffle Knoxville, TN 37916 Memorial Union 26 Lake Road Pikes Peak Whitewater Club Arkansas Canoe Club 800 Langdon Street Fenton, MO 63026 c/o Sarah Dentoni P.O. Box 1843 Club Adventure MAdison, WI 53706 533 North Wahsatch Avenue Little Rock, AR 72203 c/o Adventure Quest Memmack Valley Paddlers Colorado Springs, CO P.O. Box 184 Hoosier Canoe Club C/OGeorge May 80903-3001 Atlanta Whitewater Club Woodstock, VT 05091 C/ODave Ellis 157 Naticook Road P.O. Box 33 4770 N. Kessler Blvd. Merrimack, NH 03054 Project Challenge Clarkston, GA 30021 Indianapolis, IN 46208 8306 Mills Drive, #I90 Coastal Canoeists Inc. Metropolitan Canoe & Kayak Miami, FL 33183 Badger State Boating Society P.O. Box 566 Housatonic Area Canoe & P.O. Box 021868 C/OKarin Papenhausen Richmond VA 23204 Kayak Squad Brooklyn, NY 11202-0040 Rhode Island Canoe 918 E. Knapp #5 C/OE.J. McCarthv Association Milwaukee, WI 53202 Colorado Rocky Mm. School 35 1 Route 7 Missouri Whitewater Assoc. doDave Hevner C/OBob Campbell West Cornwall, CT 067% C/OJeff Martin 254 Bailey Woods Road Bayou City Whitewater Club 1493 Rd. 106 1742 Warmington Court Brooklyn, CT 06234 P.O. Box 980782 Carbondale, CO 81623 Huntsville Canoe Club Manchester, MO 63021 Houston, TX 77098 P.O. Box 52 River Rendezvous 1206 Kessler Mill Road Sequoia Paddling Club Sierra Club RTS 15 Cleveland Avenue P.O. Box 888 Salem, VA 24153 P.O. Box 1164 C/OLynne Van Ness Martinsville, VA 24112 Telluride, CO 81435 Windsor, CA 95492 159 Southwind Drive Rockin "r" Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 Spokane Canoe & Kayak River Touring Section 1405 Gruene Road Shasta Paddlers Club Sierra Club - Angeles New Braunfels, TX 78130- c/o David Bish Sierra Nevada WW Club P.O. Box 8 19 Chapter 3334 1637 Cessna Court C/OCharlie Albright Spokane, WA 99210 do Dave Ewoldt Redding, CA 96001 7500 Gladstone Drive 9624 Saluda Avenue San Juan College Outdoor Reno, NV 89506 Steep Creek Films

Tijunga,~ - CA 91042 Program Sierra Club Lorna Prieta 4104 Shoal Creek Boulevard 460i College Boulevard C/ODave Kim Smith River Valley Canoe Austin, TX 78756 Roanoke County Parks & Farmington, NM 87402 3309 Oxford Lane Club Rec. San Jose, CA 95 117 1 C/OHany B. Rhell, President Texas Whitewater Assoc. C/OBill Sgrinia P.O. Drawer 5429 Austin, TX 78763

Three Rivers Paddling Club c/o Barry Adam 811 Smokey Wood Drive Pittsburgh PA 15218

Toledo River Gang c/o Mike Side11 626 Louisiana Avenue Perrysburg, OH 43551

Triad River Runners P.O. Box 24094 Winston-Salem, NC 271 14- 4094

U. of Maine at Machias Library 9 O'Brien Ave. Machias, ME 04654

University of Tennessee Canoe & Hiking Club 2106 Andy Holt Avenue Knoxville, TN 37996-2900

University of Utah Outdoor Recreation Program Building 420 Salt Lake, UT 84112

Viking Canoe Club P.O. Box 32263 Louisville, KY 40232

Waterline C/OIrv Tolles 36 Bay Street Manchester, NH 03104 -3003

West Virginia Wildwater Assoc. P.O. Box 8413 S. Charleston, WV 25303

Western Carolina Paddlers P.O. Box 8541 Asheville, NC 28814

Wildcat Canoe Club C/OMichael Ranstead 3425 E. 106th St. Carmel, IN 46032

Willamette Kayak & Canoe Club P.O. Box 1062 Cowallis, OR 97339

Zoar Valley Paddling Club C/OKen Ahlstrom 46 Albany Avenue Dunkirk, NY 14048 SOVIET PORN TODAY boys also managed to launch two of the rafts. The third had been riddled with machine gun fire and would never float Ken Omaha's mission again. They abandoned its cargo of hash- was to provide cover fire ish and paddled over the Anvil, the triple drop that opens Stalingrad rapid. Alone by Jonathan Katz while his friends frantically on the beach Omaha shot up all the paddled away from the am- ammo, tossed the useless Makarovs into [Author's note: the river and sprinted for his open canoe. In the summer of 1994 Dr. Theodore bush and into the hell of Just as he slid over the first ledge he took "Bam Bam" McBride shut down the Stalingrad Gorge. While a round through the outside of his thigh. McBride-Omaha chemical factory on the He ran the triple drop upright, find- id^'^ vacationerscow- ing a one-in-a-million soft spot in the banks of the Deerfield and took a arouD boulder pile at the base of Anvil, and car- omed down the middle of Dancing Bear paddling vacation to Russia, to run Asian known nunfire. Omaha on instinct and blind luck. Swamped full whitewater with the legendary Soviet and bleeding, he passed the second Rus- boater Dimitri Vasilevitch Ubenko. What Sprinted up the beach to sian raft, pinned in the middle of the follows is the stow of that tri~.~ieced rapid. It cargo of hash was awash in Dimitri Ubenko's position. river water, but its crew was gone. He together from the shattered memories of There he wasted time caught an eddy, bailed, and headed the survivors.] downriver searching for Russians, convincing the Russian he Americans, anybody. Then he saw the was the better shot. body on the rock. It was Vasily Alexeev Ubenko, "You bet me a grand Dimitri's giant father, alive and con- against a night with my scious and grimacing from the pain of broken ribs. "Leave me!" he gasped. "I'll woman that you could live. Save them! And watch for Ava- lanche." outshoot me, remember?" "Avalanche?" Omaha shouted. "Yes," Ubenko replied. "Waterfall!" the big man screamed over the roar in the canyon. "Now go!" "Did you get laid?" Omaha boofed and surfed his canoe "No." down the long, blind rapid. Then he turned the corner around a huge mono- "Give me your guns." lith and the view opened. At the base of Omaha shot the automatics hot, the rapid far below he could see the pumping pistol bullets into the rim of the American raft pinned in the river, Chop- canyon far overhead, firing just enough per and the others on shore. Just ahead to keep the enemy pinned down. He of the raft was the horizon line that had didn't know who he was shooting at- to be Avalanche. And in the foreground, Russian troops? Afghan guerrillas? Wide thirty yards ahead of him, the last Rus- World of Sports camera crew?-and he sian raft spun out of control. There were didn't think he hit anyone. But he kept a dozen people jammed into it, and no- firing, and McBride's party broke cover body was steering. They were headed for and made their getaway into the the horizon, river right, over the lip and Stalingrad maelstrom. The Russian into the maw of Avalanche. L

American Whitewater MayiJuno 1995 ...... mm.m....w. El mmm~m..mmmmmmm.mm.m mwmmmmmmm== Omaha's pickled, dope-soaked brain tents and most of their food and water. sent his body a message. Go for it! He The remaining raft was overloaded with canyon smuggling tIlth and drugs, damn pulled hard and fast on his paddle, gain- baseball sized chunks of Afghan opiated near get us shot dead on the beach, force ing speed, ignoring the pain in his leg, hashish and a case of vodka. McBride's us to run the worst rapid I've ever heard the bloody water sloshing in his boat, party could party till the yaks came of under machinegun fire, nearly kill six closing the gap between his canoe and the home; they just couldn't get the or seven of these nice kids and you have raft. Twenty yards, ten yards, none! His munchies. the gall to bitch about losing a couple Impulse slammed into the side of the Omaha was drunk, stoned, relent- boatloads of hash! I ought to kill you!" packed Soviet rig. Like a giant frog lessly cheerful and typically blas- about "You still don't understand. Its not Omaha leaped out of his boat and into the taking the raft and eleven Russians over hash. You see, I make porn books for liv- air. He landed on the edge of the raft, tee- Avalanche falls, an act of whitewater lu- ing. Print cheap in Moscow. Bring down tered for a moment, then sat down hard nacy that rivalled his legendary Niagara here, trade to Afghan natives who have on the tube. He dug his paddle into the run. no skin mags. They give me hash, worth- rushing water behind the raft, wrestling "Your basic waterfall. Once I got the less to them. Then I take back across bor- for control, screaming at the terrified oc- raft straightened out we just went over der, trade hash to Russian troops for cupants to Paddle! Paddle! the edge. Didn't have any trouble till we guns, rockets, mortars, heavy weapons Using all of his strength Omaha got to the bottom." they don't want. Take guns. Load on fought the raft into line with the current Once there, the grossly overloaded rafts. Paddle downriver to Pakistan, just as it floated to the lip of the falls. It makeshift raft came uncorked in the hole trade guns for gold! They give quarter hung for a moment as if fighting for life, at the base of the falls, dumping a dozen pound of gold for AK-47, whole pound for and slid over the edge, into the abyss. swimmers into a cosmic washing ma- rocket! I don't cry for hash. I cry for Omaha's empty canoe followed. chine. Omaha stayed with the raft and gold!!" McBride, Chopper, Gunsmith, the managed to rescue everyone, marshall McBride looked disgusted and turned women and the three Russians Rachel them into some sort of cohesion and away, staring into the fire, wishing had rescued watched in horror as Omaha paddle them to camp. He had wounded: Ubenko had drowned in Stalingrad the overtook the raft and jumped in. They two with broken ribs, one dislocated first time he ran it. When he looked rushed down the trailless riverbank to shoulder and half a dozen more with vari- back, Ubenko was lining up all the Rus- the base of Avalanche. They moved in ous bruises, contusions and lacerations. sian boys who could walk. shock, stunned by the sight of Omaha P.T., the expedition doctor, triaged "We get rid of hash," Ubenko said. leaping from his boat to certain death in everyone and started treating the "Carry up trail to Russian fort. Trade the makeshift Russian raft. They wounded in order of priority. She re- there. Come back with guns later. searched the riverbanks and the heavy duced the Russian's shoulder dislocation Maybe I break even." runout from the falls, but found no sign (an act for which he was almost disgust- "Just let the creep go," Rachel said to of Omaha, the Russians or their equip ingly grateful) and was taping a lacerated McBride. "Maybe he won't come back." ment. Their bodies were gone, trapped in forehead with butterfly bandages when Bewildered, McBride stepped away the huge hydraulic at the base of the falls. Omaha limped up and revealed for the &om the campfire and urinated into the or washed down the river. first time that he'd taken a round burbling waters of the Amu Darya. Then McBride and his people searched for through and through the left thigh. Till he crawled into the small tent he carried an hour. Then, as the shadows length- then the grim battle for survival in in the stern of his kayak and passed out ened, they climbed back up to the top of Stalingrad had put the Befight out of from nerves and exhaustion. the falls. It took two brutal hours of hard their minds. Hours later Chopper and Omaha labor to unpin Gunsmith's raft and carry P.T. finished taping the dressing on zipped open McBride's tent and bulled in- their equipment along the nonexistent Omaha's wounds. She gave him his or- side, filling it. It was four a.m. McBride portage trail to the put-in at the base of ders. "You lost some blood. Drink plenty was snoring in short, loud bursts like an the falls. The sky was darkening and of fluids." Uzi. He-woke disoriented and in a fog. they needed to make camp on the Rus- "Oh good." Omaha replied, taking a Omaha was blind drunk, reeking of sian side, out of reach of the ambushers long swig from a bottle of vodka. With vodka and hash. Chopper just smelled on river right. Somberly they pressed his river knife he pared a long, thin slice unwashed. He spoke: downriver, studying the shore for signs of hash from one of the balls, broke off a "Wake up, Barn Bam. We have to talk. of their lost comrade and the other vic- piece, put it in his mouth. "O.K.if I eat We have to trade with these people." tims of Stalingrad. But they paddled an solid foods?" he asked. McBride's voice was thick with sleep. easier river. The Amu Darya flattened to Between them the Americans man- "No talk. Go trade. Swap T-shirts and let class two-three. The river had spent it- aged to put together enough dried rations me sleep." self at Stalingrad. and river water to make a thin, hot soup "Wake up dammit. These people They paddled a cheerless mile for everyone. But Dimitri Ubenko was have something wonderful." through easy water as the sun sank and weeping bitterly and could not eat. "What do they have? Hash? Porn? gloom descended in the awesome canyon. "Two," he cried. "I lost two." AK-47's? You can get all that crap for free Just as the light failed, from the deep McBride knew Ubenko's father was at the Gauley Festival." shadows on the shore, came the familiar, alive upstream, and he believed all the "No. They brought back ordinance. derisive voice of Kenny Omaha. Russian boys were accounted for, but he Wonderful, wonderful munitions." "Yo Bam Bam! You didn't that suggested a search party to work back up Omaha spoke for the first time. rapid, did you?" the shore. "Don't tell him, Chopper. He doesn't The maniac had survived again. "You don't understand," Ubenko told need to know." The RaftFriends expedition made him through his tears. "Not boys. Dead Now McBride was awake, "What camp on a rocky beach a couple of miles boys are replaceable. I can get all boys I don't I need to know?" below Avalanche. They set up the small want. I lost two ZlilffS! Two rafts full of "Just tell me what you have to trade." shambles of shredded equipment that hashish! Two thirds of profit for trip!" McBride bristled, "Don't play games had survived the gun battle on the beach, McBride's temper blew, volcanically. with me Chopper. What the hell kind of and the ghastly run through Stalingrad. "You! You anus! Hijack our equip weapons can these kids have that you The two lost Russian rafts had held the ment, drag us down this godawful blind can't get back in the good old U. S. A.?" "They've got the big one." "Your mother got the big one." Chopper whispered intensely, Chopper grinned a grin like the "For this they give us the Bomb, Kenny. "McBride, you may have a Nobel Prize Cheshire cat and spoke five words, "Rio Three of them, with instructions and ex- but sometimes you're so dense you Bio-Bio. Pangue Dam." tended warranty. You got to do it!!" wouldn't get it if I drove it down your Twenty minutes later the three of throat with a sledgehammer. These them surveyed the pile of trade goods "Flashing my trash don't bother me. people want to trade me a weaselpopper." they'd collected on the tent floor. A New Its Arden and Yvonne you have to con- "What the hell is that?" York Giants fingernail clipper, a Mag- vince." Omaha leaned in, "Chopper you're a Lite, a Timex Ironman wristwatch, a Chopper waited till breakfast to dope telling him." Saint Christopher medal Omaha's broach the subject with the women. It Now Chopper was humming Pop Goes mother had given him, McBride's prized was not well received. "You keep your the Weasel, and he smiled. "Satchel American Express Platinum Card, hands off Omaha," Yvonne said to Arden. charge," he said, "Five kilotons." Omaha's even more valuable Keystone "I wouldn't touch him with a raft oar," "Kilotons? You're trying to tell me KeyGard and the free beer it represented. Arden said to Yvonne, "And I don't want Dimitri has the Bomb?" Omaha was scornful. "Junk, all my booty being shaken by yak herders in "Yeah. Nice bomb. Real clean, all junk. I wouldn't trade you a Carlisle raft every yurt from here to Siberia. Disgust- blast, no fallout. Nice package, fits in an paddle for this crap. No way they gonna ing." open boat. For infantry use on obstacles, give up any A-Bomb for this junk." But Chopper begged relentlessly. "Do bridges, exit ramp stacks, highway junc- "Maybe I can convince them," said it for me, Arden," he pleaded, "You know tions, big structures you want to de- Chopper, and he slipped out of the tent. how I love explosives." stroy." Half an hour later he was back. "We "No." "What the hell you want that for? No can do it," he said, "But they want "Then do it for the corporation. Just big structure's bothering you." Arden." think. McBride-Omaha Chemical Com- "Wrong." "To keep?" McBride asked. pany will be the only private industrial "Like what?" "No. To photograph. Dimitri wants nuclear superpower in the world." "What bothers a river runner? What to shoot her for 'Soviet Porn Today'. Na- "No." blocks the flow of the wild and the free?" ked. With Yvonne and Omaha." "Do it cause if you don't do it Dimitri Light dawned in McBride, like noon- "That pervert!" swore Omaha. will have the Bomb." day sun in the eyes of an infant, "You But Chopper continued undeterred. Not even this brilliant reasoning can't be serious. That's insane." moved her.

Call today for our 1995 Paddling School Catalog and Schedule

We offer kayak and canoe seminars along with personal instruction and 10281 Hwy. 50, Howard, Colorado 81233 guide service on the Arkansas River. We also offer ACA River Rescue Workshops. Bring a friend and let us entertain them on a day raft trip 800-255-5785 7 19-942-3214 through the Royal Gorge or with some real fun in an inflatable kayak (all

' thrill, no skill!) [ KENT FORD & BOB FOOTE I ACA CANOE lIWQWCTOR WORKSHOP GET YOUR PADDLING SEASON OFF TO AN INCREDIBLE START I April 26-30, 1995 1 KAYAK THE DOLORES RIVER WITH RMOC I ACA KAYAK INSTRUCTOR ( I I The Dolores River is a magnificent three day trip in southwestern Colorado. We'll descend through a 2,500-foot deep canyon, first in groves of giant Ponderosa pines, then along the precipitous red sandstone walls. April 27-30, 1995 The 50 mile run includes numerous moderate rapids, plus one of the May 18-21,1995 West's most famous/infamous drops - Snaggletooth. The RMOC crew June 3- 4, 1 995 Methods will carry your belongings on a support June 26-29,1995 May 4,5,6, 1995 cargo raft and takes care of all the cooking, July 17-18, 1995 Methods May 20,21, 22, 1995 and we'll prove to you that being in the July 22-25,1995 May 28,29, 30, 1995 wilderness doesn't mean roughing it! August 14-17, 1995 "Then do it for the Colorado, the Bio- padded straps and waistbands and were cases of ammunition into their remain- Bio, the Yangtze, the dammed rivers, and designed to be backpacked. Chopper ing raft when the mujaheddin cavalry in- the rivers to be dammed." Chopper was hefted one, let out the straps, slipped it vaded the camp. Nobody heard the hoof- on his knees now, weeping. "Do it for the onto his massive shoulders and smiled. beats over the sound of the river and sud- wild and the eee." "Hotter than a Coleman stove," he said. denly the stony beach was overrun with Arden softened. "OK. If Yvonne is in, Dimitri reverently handed McBride a heavily armed men on horseback. There I'm in. But you can't watch." felt case. "These are detonators," he said. was no question of resistance: not even Chopper and McBride took a walk. "Insert detonator into receiver, twist to Omaha reached for a piece. The river Dimitri fed his models vodka and hash to lock, set timer, push start button and runners stopped what they were doing, loosen them up, then astonished them leave. To disarm, enter ten digit se- and stared and waited. McBride was with the variety of pornographic images quence. Try area code and phone num- scared, and when he saw how frightened he created with three good, willing bod- ber. Your choice. Use wisely. Or sell. Dimitri looked, he grew terrified. If the ies and a pile of whitewater gear. Arden, They are worth fortune, but I cannot sell little creep was that shook, they were re- Yvonne and Ken draped themselves na- to Pakistanis. Only paddlers. It is moral ally in trouble. ked over the raft, festooned with throw issue." The guerrilla leader wore a black tur- ropes, Arden nibbling seductively on a The small group of men shook hands. ban and a red sash, and carried an AK-47. gleaming black drysuit gasket, Yvonne Ubenko embraced Omaha, kissed his He spoke from his horse in a loud voice, spreadeagled in an outrageous hot pink cheeks. "Thank you," Dimitri said. in a language that McBride barely recog- sprayskirt while Omaha stood hard and "Thank you for saving our lives. I will nized as speech. He got no answer. Then, poised with his paddle cocked. Dimitri watch papers for news of explosions." in heavily accented English, he repeated shouted encouragement in English and Amid the ageless boulders of Asia, himself. Russian, slicked them with suntan oil, beside the swift and terrible Amu Darya "Ubenko. Give Ubenko, we no kill." blasted away with his camera, shot ten and under a clear blue sky, weapons of McBride was pouring sweat. Should rolls of film, told them they were beauti- unimaginable, inhuman power passed they bargain with the mujaheddin? Try ful and pronounced himself satisfied. He &om the hands of a crafty and amoral to save the Russian? McBride thought promised them copies of the next issue Cossack into the private arsenal of a about the theft of their equipment, the and went to meet Chopper. group of elite paddlers. Are they safer bad food, the porn and drugs he'd been The weaselpoppers gleamed in their there? forced to smuggle, Ubenko's gun pointed aluminum cases. Each one weighed Dimitri Ubenko's student lackeys at that poor scared Russian boy, about seventy-five pounds. They had were lashing bundles of assault rifles and McBride's terrifying, near-death run through Stalingrad, the stinging hole in Omaha's left thigh. The he smiled. At last. Payback. "That's him over there. Dimitri bolted, sprinting up the loose, rocky trail as fast as he could run. Amaz- ingly, none of the horsemen fired. One made to give chase, but the leader held up his hand. "He'll be back," he said. "What do you want him for?" asked Omaha. The horseman met McBride's eyes for a long moment, then looked down at his crotch and made a chopping motion with his hand. "Koranic law," said McBride. "No bones about it." "They're going to shorten his paddle!" Omaha exclaimed. "He'll never surf the hole again," ob- served Chopper. "Serves 6i& right, the little creep," said Arden. "Yeah. Bobbitt," Yvonne grinned. Suddenly another horseman rode up. A man, gagged and bleeding, was tied across the back of his horse. It was Dimitri. His eyes were huge with fear. "Rearguard," said the lead horseman. "Guns stay. You go. Take raft. Ten miles down river is road. Wait there. Tomor- row truck come. Take you Kabul. Get plane, go home. No come back. Ever." Dimitri's eyes rolled, fear-crazed. He stared at McBride, making unintelligible noises, begging. McBride was moved. Should he reach out to the Russian? Put his life, his friends lives on the line? Hell no. Get while the getting was good. Make hay while the sun shines. 23 Mohawk Canoes World leader in Short Whitewater Playboats Designer & Builder of Whitewater Canoes Since 1971 97,000 Canoes Built Since 1964

WHITEWATER PLAYBOAT DESIGNS...Below are drawings of cross sections through the center of a Mohawk Viper, Probe and our LLsenes, Note tne anrerence in.P, rlarea . angles.. TT,,wnere me. .oottom and side of the canoe meet, the Viper has a sharp chine or edge. This edge enables the paddler to carve turns and to judge the angle of their lean. However, it can catch cross currents and flip a boater who is not used tol ...... -*. . 'z * ye edge. ALSO,when slae.. surring, tne. viper 1s --graooser*. . .. man me. Probe. Advanced paddlers who master this edge love the control it givesi them. But for many paddlers we believe the Probe is a more forgiving

quick acceleration and &king of the Viper. As you can see from the center cross section, the Probe has more flare than the Viper. This is accomplished by lowering point A one

NEW BOATS above point A aliows for a narrow gunwale width aid a pocket for you, hand. The extreme flare. (more than any other whitewater playboat: PR~BE14 - RODEO - PROBE 12 I1 results in fantastic final or secondary stability, yet still maintains a sleek (See chart at right for prices & specs) IULLUUI Lilac IIIMG~ uyaucaii1 IIIUVGO, ~~il~ilcaalzu &cr~~ilfjVEX DUE IIII~wav d urprisingly easy. In summary, the Probe is a performance boat that is use&ieidly. PROBE 11. 12 & 12 II.,.Viper-like performance, yet extremely user All Mohawk whitewater playboats have symmetrical hulls friendly. Dry, agile and quick to accelerate. Spins on a dime and slips Why? Because. if properlv designed, they will hold a ferry angle anc into the smallest eddys. Yet they easily hold a ferry angle and track track as well or better than an asymmetrical boat. Back surfkg, back surprisingly well. Due to the extreme flare of the sides, the Probes have ferries, side surfing and spins will all be easier and smoother in the an amah9 amount of final stabilitv. A choice of three lengths to fit w symmetrical boat because both ends react in the same way. your weight andlor paddling skill. The paddlers who own these boats rave about their performance. This is a playboat you may never outgrow. rocker 4- 112 & 5". $577.50 ea KOIJEU...A new shorter playboat for rodeos and steep creelrs. Never have enders been so easy. Spin in the hole - Surf on the wave - Grab a smaller eddy. 10'6" WOW! VIPER 11 & 12 ...Dry, quick and agile. The choice of steep creekers, MOST WHITEWATER MOHAWK MOHAWK slalom racers and rodeo competitors. A winner if you can handle the edge. PLAYBOATS (XL'S) VIPERS PROBES rocker 4-la" & 5" WINNER I993 WORLD RODEO (1st 2nd & 3rd) The difference is in the FLARE WINNER 1993/94 OCOEE RODEOS fast high performance boat? with outstanding final stability WINNER 1994 OTXAWA RIVER RODEO

A AXVOW 1T1111Vlr T? 1 V1\ Id IYIVIIUWR U I8-W LYll\lMIUOVIV )IICLJ VVUL has all of the hot performance features of the Probe 12 in a larger boat. A great boat for those tandem paddlers looking for extra performance. The Probe 14 can be factory outfitted in a three position, two position or a solo configuration. An excellent choice for larger oaddlers or those who prefer a lGger boat. As a solo boat, it's so q&cand easy to spin you think you're in a much shorter boat. length 142" beam @ gun+vale 30-la" rocker 6"

beginners and large paddlers. It is still a favorite of many paddlers. rocker 3" XL14... For large paddlers or tandem paddling. It can be outfitted with two position outfitting for tandem paddling or three position for both *Tandem or Solo +Prices do not include freight tandem and solo paddling, rocker 3" WHITEWATER OUTHTTn\JG...mtewater playboats are a . . . .a . ,. e. , XL13...A...* - tandem wbltewater boat and ravorlte or outrmers, scnoots. available fully outfitted and ready to paddle. This outfitting includes: Foam saddle orpedesfaf,knee pads, thigh straps or retainercs), yakima foot braces, air bags & quick disconnect taeing kit, $225 Solo $335 Tandem $395 Triple

963 COUNTY ROAD 427 N 1995: Our 31.st year LONGWOOD FL 32750 under the same ownership and management 407-834-3233 PHONE 97,000 Canoes built since 1964 407-834-0292 FAX BEY

AWA Journal NON- PROFIT , PO Box 85 US. POSTAGE Phoenicia, NY 12464 PA1D PERMIT #622 I Address Correction Requested NEWARK OHIO

FROM THE OFFICE OF

I RICH BOWERS lease Retum]