the

Goahead, get creative. Now you've got the Whiplasw and Whip-If: two new playboats with planing hulls and performance rails, to fit any body. Ingenious? Undoubtedly. Artistic? That's up to you.

Team member, Shane Benedict Photo by: Christopher Smith

11 1 kayaker way easley, 8.c 29642 1-800-262-0268 http://www. kayaker.com Journal of the American Whitewater Affiliation Volume XXXVII, H0.3

Letters ...... 6 Forum ...... 4 V Ten Commandments Homathko River by Bob Gedekoh Briefs ...... 75 V Potomac River Whitewater Race V Elkhorn Creek Remodeled V National Paddling film Fest Winners

n Addison River Voices ...... 62 V The Real Shit by Doug Ammons V Women can push the limits too! APterthe Interview with Jamie Simon V River Goddess for a Day Deluge V Why should I take kayaking lessons by Jeff Arc Conservation ...... 14 V Director's Corner V New Conservation Director Named In The Land of El Safety ...... 60 V Corrections page 81 by Charlie Walbridge by Peter Kennedy V Low angle vertical pins by Dana Edward Castro Access ...... 19 On the Cover: Squirt boater extraordinare, Harris Haynie V No Public input for Grand Canyon Fees checks out the waterfall at Coliseum Rapids V Fear and Loathing on the South Platte on the Cheat. Photo by Skip Brown Humor ...... 87 V FedUp by Jonathon Katz V AWA Exposes All Events ...... 22

V AWA Events Central Printed on Recycled Paper V 1997 Schedule of River Events Publication Title: American Whitewater Issue Date: MaylJune 1997 Statement of Frequency: Published bi-monthly Authorized Organization's Name and Address: American Whitewater Affiiation P.O. Box 636 Margretville, NY 12455 American Whitewater v TEN 60 MEMS FOR BOATERS VIISIITNG SmLLRIVER TOWNS

And spring came to pass and the rivers public. Thou shalt not prance bout naked shalt honor traffic signals and stop signs. ran high and the whitewater season was like Demi Moore or Richard Gere in an Thou shalt patronize, but thou shalt once again upon them. And the residents R rated movie. Thou art not Richard not be patronizing. Thou shalt not tor- of small river towns were sure afraid. Gere, neither art thou Demi Moore. The ment or mock those who wait at thy table Soon hundreds of unruly, inconsiderate residents of the boating town do not wish or pump they gas. Thou shalt leave ap- boaters would sweep down upon them, to behold thy nakedness, even for free. propriate tips. more than ever before, and they were Thou shalt not act like an ass. Thou Thou shalt not urinate, nor defecate, vexed. So they prayed to the river god, shalt not act like Madonna, nor like Den- nor hawk, nor spit in public. that they might be delivered from this nis Rodnan, nor like Roseanne, nor like Thou shalt not blast thy stereo in thy plague. Howard Stem. Thou shalt behave as if shuttle vehicle. If the residents of a small And the river god heard their supplica- they mother were watching, because town had wanted to be entertained by tions and there was thunder and lighten- someone else's mother undoubtedly is. Snoop Doggie Dogg or the Smashing ing and the strainers burst into flames. Thou shalt strive to be inconspicuous. Pumpkins, they would have built an arena And when it was over there appeared tab- Thou shalt not park thy vehicle in- lets of solid Ethafoam, upon which the fol- considerately. Thou shalt not block lowing commandments, intended for boat- driveways, nor shalt thou block farm ers, were inscribed: lanes. Thou shalt not park in the grass of Thou shalt not curse, nor be profane. lawns, nor shalt thou spin thy tires and Thou shalt ponder who might be listening make mud. to thy conversations and speak accord- Thou shalt not drive shuttle like ingly. Mario Andretti at the Indianapolis 500. Thou shalt not change thy clothes in Thou shalt obey the speed limit and thou I I The opinions expressed in I the features and editorials of American Whitewater are ' those of the individual au-

Editar; Bob Gedekoh, Box 228, R.D.'#~,Elizabeth, Pa. 15037 Emeritus Editor: ~hhsKoll Contributing Editors: !John Weld, Pope Barrow Art direction/Graphic design/Production: John K. Victor, 370 Belleview Ave., Chillicothe, OH 45601, Graphic design: Mary Hoffelt Contributing writers: Carla Garrison, Jonathan Katz, Ed Ditto, Lee Belknap, Joe Greiner, Mark White, Bruce Farrenkopf, Nathan Lewis, Brik Miller, John Foss, Paul Tefft, Howard Davidson Production Assistant: Richard and Teresa Augustin Advertising Director: Phyllis Horowitz, Box 636, Margaretville, New York 12455 (914) 586-2355 Safety Editor: Charlie Walbridge, 230 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422; Phone 215- 646-01 57; fax 215 -643-0668; email 735 14.17 [email protected]. Conservation and Access Editors: Rich Bowers, Rich Hoffman, 1430 Fenwick Lane, Sil- ver Spring, MD, 20910 Phone (301) 589-9453 Fax (301) 589-6121, email: [email protected], [email protected] Missing Copies and Address Changes: Contact Phyllis Horowitz American Whitwater is printed by SPENCER WALKER PRESS, INC., Newark OH. All rights resewed. American Whitewater v March/April 7997 Innovation and invited them to come perform. That Service they have not done so should be a hint to thee. (301) 746-5389 Thou shalt not get high. Thou shalt Second Skin Pile@ not talk about getting high. Thou shalt not act or look like thou art high. tights, vests, and one-piece suits Thou shalt not attempt to consort with "upper ~oughm those whom custom has deemed off limits. Thou shalt not attempt to flirt with those ~iversideshop yet to reach the age of consent, nor those P.O. BOX 70 beyond the age of reason. Thou shalt 276 Maple Street maintain a respectful distance from those betrothed to others. Friendsville, MD Remember ye this! Though thou 21 531 might hail from a great city, in a small for river town thy sophistication counts not. call Think thee not that thou art in any way Free Catalog smarter than those who dwell along the river. Consider this. Those who dwell in a small river town do not spend hours in rush hour traffic commuting to their jobs, nor do they pay to park their cars, nor do they have to lock their doors at night. Now ask theyself again: Who is smarter? Editor's note: Please heed the words of the river god! Remember, river access is everyboater's problem. c-2 c-2 Manufactured in the CM-~ 1 Bob Gedekoh United States by Mountain Surf. Inc.

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dying if I screwed it up. What were my need to watch a few of the new steep chances of screwing it up? Were they 20 creek videos to see that this is true. But to 1, or 100 to l? Think about it. If you are these hot dogs attempting to run the run this ra~id100 times. vou have a good "unrunnable?" Dear Editor, chance of &ing. Or, if 160 people rui it, I would not presume to make such a At the risk of sounding like a cantan- one of them may not make it. It doesn't statement. Certainly they are paddling kerous old retrograde, the JanlFeb Ameri- matter what the numbers are, the river is creeks that are "unrunnable" by me. But can Whitewater prompted me to write going to win sooner or later. that does not mean that these creeks can't about a subject which has been bothering When you have 30 years of paddling be tackled by individuals with better skills, me for some time. in as Charlie and I do, how many times quicker reJexes and, yes, more guts than I guess this has been gnawing at me have we missed dying by inches? When I. since reading the story on "You Can't you push the envelope of the more and My point is that each individual Paddle Mann's Creek": and thinking about more dangerous (not necessarily more boater has to decide what is "runnable" the comments about pitoning rocks and difficult) runs, how many runs will it take for themseg To do so requires an honest getting caught in slots too narrow for the before someone doesn't make it? At what appraisal of one's abilities, conjidence boat. I understand the need to explore risk level are streams "unrunnable"? This and motives. One needs to honestly new rivers. I suppose I probably have as becomes a very personal decision. evaluate the risks involved and consider many first descents in West Virginia as Enough sermonizing. That is my thought the consequences... not just to oneseK but about anyone. (Except maybe Ed Gertler) for today. also to one's companions and family. Unfortunately for today's paddlers, we ex- Ward Eister There is no doubt that peer pressure and a plored all of the rivers. Of the creeks Editor's Note: Ward Eister's is one of false sense of bravado too often clouds that are being explored now, we probably the co-authors of Wildwater West Vir- this critical issue. looked at 90% of them and dismissed g&& and a well known Appalachian pad- I intended to say more about this is- them as too small and too dangerous (in- dler. sue, but I realize that Doug Ammon's es- cluding Mann's Creek, I never ran it). I Editor's reply: I found Ward Eister's say, "The Real Shit", published in the passed the North Fork of the Blackwater letter quite thought-provoking. There is Rivervoices of this issue, deals with this many times and just shook my head. It no doubt that today's hot whitewater very subject with a depth and eloquence was always full of downed trees. If you boaters are pushing the limits of the sport which I could never match. I think that can see trees above water, how many are far beyond what anyone would have all those pushing the limits of submerged, hidden in the tight chutes? I thought possible a decade ago. You only "runnability" willjind it most interesting. never ran it either. When I read the article on Bill Hildreth's entrapment on the Gulf Hagas and looked at the accompanying pictures, I wondered if anyone was really surprised that it happened. The chute he was pinned in appears narrower then a boat is long. In addition, it seems that a fair amount of current pushes into the river wave and hole surfing, Class V wipe- left hand boulder which could stop and 'amous fiddlemadte~ spin a boat resulting in a "taco to go". I! HI-FI stereo 55 M The small size of the Gulf Hagas seems to make a hard boat particularly vulnerable to broaches and pins. Now, I hope I don't sound overly critical of anyone wanting to run this kind of stream. I don't mean to innertube run of Lava Falls, with some really wild tunes. be at all. This is all to make a point which HI-FI stereo 43 Min. will become clearer in a minute, but first a digression. Several months ago, Charlie Wallbridge told of an entrapment experi- ence of his own. I thought of the times that I have broached or pinned on rocks. Once I was even pinned under a log in my one tape! HI-Fl[ stereo 43 Min. boat. In every case I managed to extract How to Modify a Sabre myself. I have been lucky. I thought that All you need to turn a Sabre into The hottest plastic play bod if this was the first bad experience of in the world! With action footage and truly outrageous tunes Charlie's, with the number of river miles (Applies to most plastic boats!) he has under his belt, even with his safety HI-FI stereo 49 Min. consciousness, he has indeed been very lucky. To get your copy, in VHS, send a check or money order Carl Trost used to watch someone run for $19.95 each, plus $4.00 shipping-andhandling to: a rapid and say, "I don't want to see what happens to someone who runs it perfectly, SURF DOG P&2DUCl'TOf&S I want to see what happens to someone 114 - 1 Bard Aveatre who screws up." I used to look at a diffi- Staten Island, NY 10310 cult rapid and try to judge my chances of American Whitewoter v Moy/June 1997 Complete your whitewater library with an AWA publication

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W Super Heavy, Super Sized T-shirts (M,L,XL).. New Logo, SS only, Grape or Forest $15 AWA River Cam: $10 (sostaere $1) AWA License Plate Frames: $5 (postage $1) AWA Embroidered Patches: $2 AWA Waterproof Decals: $.50 Rodeo World Championship Posters $6 (postage $2) CANEY FORK POSTER : $7.00 (postage $2.00) m - LZ AWA MOUSE PADS :$7.00 (postage $1.00) I- w AWA FRISBEES : $4.00 (postage $1.00) POSTAGE C/> American Whitewater v MaylJunel997 2) the right rescue eauipment, table but louder than a whistle would be GULF HACAS DANGERS Hugh and Chase were both rescued better still. from entrapment. Finally, the SIGNALS are the MOST CONFIRMED Thanks, Joan, for reinforcing some ex- VISIBLE feature of the SAFETY CODE. I Dear Editor, cellent safety tips especially as they relate suggest that boaters who find themselves I'd like to comment on Joan Hildreth's to one of our mutually favorite runs. May in company unfamiliar with the SIGNALS fine article about her husband's entrap- we all play safe. would be well advised to invest in some ment last May in Gulf Hagas. In 1992 Sincerely, cheap insurance by handing out some (Jan/Feb) I wrote an article for American John Frachella, Regional Coordinator copies of the CODE and suggesting the Whitewater about this potentially prob- American Whitwater Affiliation group take a few minutes to go over it in lematic run. Bangor, Maine its entirety prior to putting on the river Back then, we were very uncomfort- with them. able with a large, unfamiliar crowd in Editor's Note: Joan Hildreth's dramatic Sincerely, Jaws. Our skills in those days weren't account of her husband's close call at Gulf Jim Sindelar, Former AWA Exec Direc- what they are today and we desperately Hagas drew a tremendous response from tor and Chairman, River Signals Commit- wanted to be in the company of an expe- our readers, all of it favorable. I thought tee - Hopkinton, NH rienced few or, as Joan puts it, we wanted that it was one of the most important ar- to be with the "right people". ticles we have published over the past few Since those early days, we've had years. Ijust hope that it will stimulate NO CORRAN FAN! more than a few near-death experiences in discussion of the danger of entrapment, Corran's column? American Gulf Hagas and it seems that a fair share and the steps prudent boaters can take to Whitewater, January 1997. A little humor of those problems have occured at ap- protect themselves and their paddling com- and a nod to women doesn't hide the ex- proximately 1 inch below the abutment panions. treme sexism. Why do I give money to an platform. organization that thinks this is OK? Joan mentioned in her article that Would you publish it if it were as racist as someone else besides her husband pinned it is sexist? Actually, I hate to read any- in the last chute of Jaws earlier this year. AWA RIVER SICW one talking about anyone's sweetheart, in- I am aware of one such incident: Bill laws, etc. in such a mean wav! There are Dallam of Greenville, Maine pinned there There have been a number of recent other kinds of humor, other ways to be at a minus 1" level sometime in June. It letters to the editor critical of the de- funny. Send him to writing school, and sounds like Joan's husband and Bill creased emphasis on safety in the Journal, human being school! Dallam's pins were similar in nature. and I find myself in complete agreement. Linda Peer However, it sounds like her husband was If accurately quoted, I find safety chair- Phoenicia, NY pinned deeper, probably because he was in man Walbridge's lukewarm support of Editor's reply: I've never met Corran a lower volume boat for his weight. Like AWA's long term effort to promote uni- Addison but I've heard a lot about him. her husband, while pinned Bill Dallam versal use of the carefully crafted River Apparently he is a colorfil personality, as pushed off the wall of the chute with his Signals disappointing at best. well as one of the world's most accom- paddle. He was successful and never had Whitewater boaters, myself included, plished boaters. One thing I have never to swim. are known for traveling widely to boat heard about Corran is that he is politically If we all pooled the experiences of new rivers, often with divergent groups of correct. But American Whitewater has many Gulf Hagas paddlers, I think we'd unfamiliar boaters. Having a universally never really been very politically correct, find the pin in the last chute of Jaws to understood set of basic river signals is and I doubt it will be in the future. I be: therefore particularly important, and a think our occasional political "incorrect- 1) a left side of the chute pin real safety contribution AWA can and ness" is part of our charm. Think of 2) more likely to occur at about a minus should make that will benefit all river Corran Addison as our version of Howard 1" level runners. Stem. 3) more likely to occur with boats with Although river running style have At any rate, we appreciate your point lower stern volumes changed and may evolve further, it is of view... and we will definitely not include 4) more likely to occur with longer nearly impossible to imagine changes ne- you in our "Win a hot date with Corran boats. gating the need for the simplest, clearest Contest. " Also this year, in Turnstile, just above possible set of unambiguous signals for Jaws, somewhere around the minus 1 " STOP, GO, and HELP ME, ASAP which the level, I got rear-endered, pinned, lost my present system has. Additional signals, paddle and had a nasty, oxygen-sucking possibly, but I would hope that if indeed 9- RIVERSPORT swim. In 1995, a similar thing happened "the book is to be opened", careful con- 2 13 Yough Street at the same minus 1" level to Bob Dellert sideration will first be given to the origi- Confluence. PA 15424 of Orrington, Maine. nal "system considerations", i.e. that (1) (814) 3955744 By contrast, beefier water levels in The number of signals be kept to a mini- e-mail: [email protected] Gulf Hagas do not insure safety. In April mum, (2) Signals be designed to maxi- of 1995 at about plus 6" Hugh Morin of mize visibility and clarity at a distance, One of the top whitewater schools in the Quebec hit a huge log strainer in the last designing them to use paddle, oar, or country. Riversport offers a safe yet drop of the entire run and was sucked un- whole arm, NOT hands and fingers, and challenging experience for first-time beginners. as well as experts. der and lodged in an unstable position (3) Signals should be possible WITH or Friendly instructors, small classes, excellent with only his head exposed. WITHOUT paddle or other equipment, IN equipment, and a beautiful riverfront camp In 1996, Chase McKendry of Wyman, or OUT of boat, and facing TOWARD or combine to provide the perfect setting for Maine had a similar near-death pin under AWAY from party members, whose posi- learning whitewater skills. Students are the very same log in the very same place. tion may not be known. The audible carefully placed in small classes according to HELP, EMERGENCY signal has proven its skill level, paddling interest and age. We Using Joan's formula of: guarantee your satisfaction. Ask about our I) the right people, and value, although something equally por- special clinics and group rates. American Whitewater v May/hnel997 survey showed that the comic, Nancy, was GULF HAGAS SCOW LAUDED "hated" by the majority of the respon- HIGH WATER DEFINED Dear Bob, dents. Readers complained that Nancy Dear Editor: I especially enjoyed Joanie Hildreth's was inane and stupid. But, guess what? In Don Kinser's excellent account of account of Bill's near miss last month. Nancy was overwhelmingly the most running Little River in the Smokies (Open I've boated with them on many rivers, but widely read strip in the paper! Appar- Boating on the Little: A Great Smoky had only heard of the incident second ently lots of people read Nancy everyday, Adventure, March-April American hand. Charlie's safety feature on the snag just to remind themselves how much they Whitewater), he reports finding the river line was a most appropriate follow up. hated it! Needless to say, Nancy is still in to be well within the capabilities of Class Keep up the good work. the paper. IV boaters at 1,500 cfs, notwithstanding Yours truly, Jonathan Katz is our "Nancy." the "high water recommendation" of 800 Gordon Edwards cfs in the guidebook, Southeastern Natick, MA Whitewater. I hasten to point out, however, that DEFENDING DAGGER "high," as used in Southeastern Whitewater indicates the be8innine: of Dear Editor: JONATHAN KATZ DEPLORED high flows. This usage convention should I just read the harsh critique of Dag- not be confused with the common prac- Dear Bob, ger H Joe Pulliam for not helping the C-1 tice of using "high" to designate the Being a female martial artist, epa-em- market enough (AWA Journal, Letters, maximum prudent level at which a ployee and oarswoman, I write reluctantly March 1997). Though I will admit to stream can be run. (See pages 50-52 of since I believe I'll inevitably be casting partial bias as a "Team D" member, I can't the text for details and discussion.) myself as a p.c. humor cop. However, I let comments on C-boating go unan- "High as used in Southeastern am compelled to lodge my disgust at swered. Whitewater might be thought of as the Jonathan Katz's most recent story (Jan/ I do of course agree with the author flow level where advanced paddlers will Feb 97). on the how cool C-1's are to paddle. (See begin to be taxed and casual While I have never been a fan of Mr. Kent's article, "TAKE THE C- 1 CHAL- recreationalists should consider going Katz's writing, his latest story, This River LENGE" in the Rivervoices section of this elsewhere. (Around 2.0 feet on the is Rated M. pushed me over the edge. issue.) Chattooga Section IV gauge, for example; This story and stories like it have no So has Dagger ignored the C- 1 popu- or 3.0 feet on the Fayette Station gauge.) place in the magazine of an organization lation? I would propose no single thing Maximum prudent levels, on the other that purportedly represents the whitewater could have benefited C-1 popularity than hand, are highly personal and continu- community. The humor is inane and of- a US C-1 paddler winning an Olympic ously changing and ultimately didactic if fensive, relying on juvenile stereotypes Medal. The spin-offs of popularity would not dictatorial. and violence. I found the description of be a proliferation of designs and happier Misinterpreting "high" in Southeast- the bullets ripping through the flesh of paddlers. ern Whitewater to mean maximum pru- mantoo rays an especially lovely image. Dagger spent significant resources in dent level could result in missed paddling Sincerely, the past 3 years designing, producing and opportunities. And that would be an oc- Susan Zazzali distributing C-1 race boats for the Olym- casion for great sadness. Helena, MT 59601 pics, specifically for Jon Lugbill and Cordially, Editor's reply: I take it this means you Adam Clawson. Their gamble fell short of don't want to be included in our "Win a Monte Smith, Author the medals but like most Olympic tales Southeastern Whitewater hunting trip with Jonathan Katz Contest." was long on heart. Jon Lugbill, on a Boise, Idaho About halfof our readers love racecourse perfectly suited for him, expe- Jonathan Katz, the other halfhate him. rienced a rare missed gate and thus nar- There seems to be no middle ground. rowly missed qualifying for the US team. A few years ago the Pittsburgh news- Then Adam Clawson won the Pre-World paper did a survey of their readers to see Championships in Brazil rather than hav- which comics they should publish. Their ing his best day at the Olympics a month earlier. I would rather praise the Dagger's ef- Dear April, forts for C-1 promotion, than knock them I read with great interest your article for a not producing a recreational boat for in the latest issue of American the still tiny market. Even though there Whitewater! I would just like to add one are only a few of us C-1 paddlers, I ex- variation to your ideas. When I use to go pect Dagger will continue RHD in C-boats hiking a favorite of our group was to use Search for super-plastic yaks in order to bring new designs to market. Stove Top Stuffing for a 1 pot wonder. with the widest sweet spot plus Kent Ford You could make the stuffing and then we Bio-Dynamic engineering. Ignition! Durango, Colorado would add canned chicken (like tuna fish). r Editor's Note: Kent Ford is a well These meals were great and I feel this known whitewater racer and instructor could be cooked in the same way you dis- whose video, "Rotendo! The Art of Preci- cussed in your article. I realize that you sion Playpaddling" was voted the best in- would have a messy can to deal with, so struction and safety video of the 1997 Na- you could do without and just add some tion Paddling Film Festival. freeze dried chicken. Hope you like the (706) 745-4499 7466056 input!!!!! 8 0 Greg Kobo1 8475 Docke~. Blairsville. Ga 3051 2 American Whitewa ter v MoyIJune 7997 Please read this carefully before send- return your pictures, include a self ad- a little fun at yourself. .. and your pad- ing us your articles and photos! This is a dressed stamped envelope with your sub- dling partners. volunteer publication, please cooperate mission. Because we publish in black and Profanity should be used only when it and help us out. Do not send us vour ma- white, photos with a lot of contrast work is absolutely necessary to effectively tell a terial without a release - signed bv all au- best. story; it is not our intent to intentionally thors and photographers (attached)!!! American Whitewater Feature articles offend our more sensitive members and should relate to some aspect of readers. The editorial staff of American whitewater boating. Please do not submit Please check all facts carefully, par- Whitewater carefully reviews all material articles pertaining to sea kayaking or ticularly those regarding individuals, gov- submitted for publication. We are par- flatwater. The best features have a definite ernment agencies and corporations in- ticularly interested in receiving full length slant... or theme. They are not merely volved in river access and environmental feature articles, conservation and club chronological recountings of river trips. matters. You are legallv res~onsiblefor news, special event announcements, ar- Open the story with an eye catching the accuracv of such material. Make sure ticles pertaining to whitewater safety and lead, perhaps by telling an interesting an- names are spelled correctly and river gra- short, humorous pieces. ecdote. Dialogue should be used to dients and distances are correctly calcu- Articles should fit our established for- heighten the reader's interest. Don't just lated. mat; that is, they should be stylistically tell us about the river... tell us about the Articles will be edited at the discretion pattered to fit into our Features, AWA people on the river... develop them as of the editors to fit our format, length and Briefs, River Voices, Conservation Cur- characters. Feature articles should not be style. Expect to see changes in your ar- rents, Safetv Lines, Humor or End Notes written in the style of a local club news- ticle. If vou don't want us to edit your sections. ~xce~tionalphotographs and letter. article. don't send it to us! Because of our whitewater cartoons are also welcomed. If you are writing about a commonly deadlines you will not be able to review If possible articles should be submit- paddled river, your story should be told the editorial changes we make prior to ted on a 3" computer cassette. from a unique perspective. Articles about publication. (Wordperfect preferred - others accepted.) difficult, infrequently paddled or exotic The American Whitewater Affiliation Please do not alter the margins or spacing rivers are given special consideration. But is non-profit; the editors and contributors parameters; use the standard default set- we are also interested in well written, un- to American Whitewater are not reim- tings. Send a printed copy of the article usual articles pertaining to class III and IV bursed. On rare occasions, bv ~rearranve- as well. rivers as well. Feature stories do not have &, professional writers receive a small Those without access to a work pro- to be about a specific river. Articles about honorarium when they submit stories & cessor may submit their articles typed. paddling techniques, the river environ- our request. Generally, our contributors Please double space. ment and river personalities are also ac- do not expect payment, since most are Photos may be submitted as slides, cepted. Pieces that incorporate humor are members of the AWA, which is a volun- black or white prints or color prints. Keep especially welcome. Open boating and teer conservation and safety organization. your originals and send us duplicates if rafting stories are welcome. possible; we can not guarantee the safe Don't be afraid to let your personality return of your pictures. 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American Whitewater May/June 1997 Joe Pulliam Charlie Walbridge Phyllis B. Horowitz, Administrative P.O. Box 1500 230 Penllyn Pike Director Rlc Ale~ch ' Bob Gedekoh Harriman, TN 37748 Penllyn, PA 19422 P.O. Box 636 14262 West Warren Place Box 228, RD 4 [email protected] 73514.171 [email protected] Margaretville, NY 12455 Lakewood, CO 80228 Elizabeth, PA 15037 (914) 586-2355 [email protected] Ken Ransford Susan Wilson Bob Glanville 1775 Sherman, Suite 2000 52 Albemarle Place X16 [email protected] Landis Arnold 66 Deer Run Denver, CO 8021 8 Asheville, NC 28801 P.O. Box 461 7 Glenwood, NY 14069 7601 [email protected] Jayne Abbot, Events Manager Boulder, CO 80306 104121.567@mpuse~em 450 Ivy Hill Road [email protected] Susan Scheufele Weavewille, NC 28787 Joe Greiner 2121 Ocean Street Ext. Pope Barrow (704) 645-5299 7316 Chicora Court Santa Cruz, CA 95060 [email protected] 136 13th Street SE Raleigh, NC 27615 [email protected] Washington, DC 20003 72702.1 [email protected] Barry Grimes Jim Scott 124 Hilltop Drive 3715 Jocelyn Street NW Rich Bowers, Executive Director Lee Belknap Richmond, KY 40475 Washington,DC 2001 5 1430 Fenwick Lane 1308 Maryland Avenue bagriml @pop.uky.edu [email protected] Silver Spring, MD 20910 Glen Ellen, VA 23060 (301) 589-9453 [email protected] Jay Kenney Pete Skinner 72732.401 @compusewe.com President: Ric Alesch 181 Franklin Street 2 Snyder Road Risa Shimoda Callaway Denver, CO 80218 Vice President: Pope Barrow West Sand Lake, NY 12196 Rich Hoffman, Access Program 216 lnverness Way [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Bob Glanville Easley, SC 29642 Director Treasurer: Jim Scott [email protected] Chris Koll Ron Stewart 1430 Fenwick Lane 352 Cameco Circle P.O. Box 1337 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tom Christo her Liverpool, NY 13090-2732 Chattanooga, TN 37401 (301) 589-9453 931 Union 8reet Rear [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Leominster, MA 01453 Sue Langfitt Paul Tefft Brooke Drury Stanton Langfitt P.D. Box 4784 8224 14th Avenue NE Advertising Aspen, CO 81 61 1 Seattle, WA 98115 1733 SW Myrtle Street [email protected] [email protected] Portland, OR 97201 76675.2233@compuse~emm Mac Thornton Chuck Estes 6467 Wishbone Terrace 114 Bay Path Drive Kevin Mendik Cabin John, MD 20818 Oak Ridge, TN 37830-7801 135 Nathan Lane 72634.31 [email protected] Carlisle, MA 01741 David Fallside Barry Tuscano 1700 49th Street Richard Penny RD 1, Box 32 Sacramento, CA 95819 2499 Los Altos Avenue Bolivar, PA 15923 [email protected] Clovis, CA 9361 1 [email protected] [email protected]

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American Whitewater May/June1997 American Whitewater May/June 1997 :", ': c i@ v :'a q 8 ?% y;. a q: 23

CONSERVATION: AWA maintains a SAFETY: AWA promotes paddling complete national inventory of safely, publishes reports on whitewater The American whitewater rivers, monitors threats to accidents, maintains a uniform national those rivers, publishes information on ranking system for whitewater rivers (the Whitewater river conservation, provides technical ad- International Scale of Whitewater Diffi- vice to local groups, works with govern- culty) and publishes and disseminates the ment agencies and other river users, and- internationally recognized AWA Mfiliation - when necessary-- takes legal action to Whitewater Safety Code. prevent river abuse. EVENTS: AWA organizes sporting Our mission is to RIVER ACCESS: To assure public ac- events, contests and festivals to raise cess to whitewater rivers pursuant to the funds for river conservation, including the conserve and restore guidelines published in its official Access Ocoee Whitewater Rodeo in Tennessee, Policy, AWA arranges for river access the Gauley River Festival in West Virginia America's whitewater through private lands by negotiation or (the largest gathering of whitewater boat- purchase, seeks to protect the right of ers in the nation), the Arkansas River Fes- resources and to public passage on all rivers and streams tival in Colorado, the Kennebec Festival in enhance navigable by kayak or canoe, resists un- Maine and the Deerfield Festival in Mas- justified restrictions on government man- sachusetts. opportunities to gged whitewater rivers and works with government agencies and other river users AWA was incorporated under Missouri to achieve these goals. non-profit corporation laws in 1961 and enjoy them safely. maintains its ~rincipalmailing address at The American Whitewater Affiliation EDUCATION: Through publication of P.O. Box 636,-~argaretville,I& 12455, (AWA) is a national organization with a the bi-monthly magazine, and by other (914) 586-2355. AWA is tax exempt un- membership consisting of thousands of means, American Whitewater, ( AWA) der Section 50 1(c) (3) of the Internal Rev- individual whitewater boating enthusiasts, provides information and education about enue Code. and more than 100 local paddling club af- whitewater rivers, boating safety, tech- filiates. nique and equipment.

I would like to make an additional contribution to AWA's : ...... Whitewater Defense Project as indicated below. 0 Let $25 find a hole in your pocket -New Member - Renewal Join the AWA today Is whitewater access an important issue to you? How about the con- AWA membership dues ...... $25.00 and receive American . servation of your favorite runs? The AWA plays tough when it comes to WDP contribution ...... $- Whitewater at home! : preserving, protecting and restoring our whitewater resources. And you Total amount ...... $- 0 can help. Your $25 annual membership fee is funneled directly into our Yes, I would be interested in being an AWA volunteer. 0 effective river access and conservation programs. Plus every member re- 0

ceives a subscription to American Whitewater-the best whitewater 0 magazine in the world! Isn't it time you joined?

American Whitewater March/April I997 by Rich Bowers, Executive Director I'm ecstatic! I'm ecstatic go to full color. Look for a boating. In February, Ameri- On the down side, the staff because so much is going on survey form in the Gauley is- can Whitewater played an at Grand Canyon National in the world of whitewater, sue; we really want to get your important part in creating a Park took boaters to the wood- and, as usual, this organiza- opinion on this - let us know coalition of river interests to shed on access to one of the tion is in the thick of these is- what you think! address hydropower reform premier whitewater rivers in sues. Some are good, some are The increase in staff size is in California. In March, we the nation. In early April, and outrageous, and other issues due to necessity. If we are to christened our first land pur- after months of correspon- are still far too new to deci- expand our protection of riv- chase by building a parking dence with park staff and pher. But all of these issues are ers and threats to access, we lot and changing room in meetings with Interior staff in or will be important for boat- need more people. Our options Hendricks, West Virginia. DC, non-commercial boaters ers and the rivers we paddle. are limited - back off or move Right now, recreation and and other park users gathered I'm also excited because so forward - and American rivers are so hot that even 'at Grand Canyon Headquarters much is going on here at Whitewater has never been the the Administration and Con- and were told that, regardless American Whitewater. This is- organization to drop the ball gress are weighing in with of our concerns, the new fee sue, our first ever foray into on conservation and access. new initiatives (Heritage Riv- increase would remain in ef- color, is a prime example. But The logo change is prima- ers) and proposed bills fect with absolutely no in addition to changes to the rily to make us seem less like (Murkowski). For more on change. We will definitely Journal, there have been other geezers or geezetts, although these issues, look over our need your help to change this changes - a new Executive the official line is to attract Conserve and Access sec- attitude! Director, a new Events Coordi- and involve younger boaters tions. nator, Jayne Abbot, and now a in river issues. The name new Conservation and Hydro- change is likewise based in power Program Director, John sound principle - very few of Gangemi. If you have been our friends, members, staff visiting our Web Site, you will and directors can remember notice a new logo being kicked what the final "A" stands for. around, and in the future you It is not a move away from will notice we have dropped our affiliated clubs, but is the AWA moniker in favor of meant to represent the oppo- a simple "American site - a move away from con- Whitewater." fusing acronyms (rampant From past experience, I've here in DC) and closer to our learned that our membership is grassroots membership. pretty well split on change. All of these changes to- Some think it's great and some gether signify a new chapter get upset if we switch even a for this organization, a chapter font size. Given this history, I in which we become a more thought I'd take a few lines to involved and effective voice explain why these changes are for whitewater paddlers and taking place. wild rivers. American The color cover is in cel- Whitewater has always been ebration of our 40thAnniver - your organization, and that sary of conserving and restor- will stay the same. Let us ing America's wildest rivers. know how we are doing! Color covers will be included Now for our rivers. Barring in the next three issues, culmi- any unforeseen complications, nating in the September-Octo- we have finally locked down ber Gauley Issue. Our feature releases on Georgia's Tallulah articles demonstrate some of Gorge (the first three weekends our wildest, most impressive, in November 1997). In addi- and awesomely inspiring rivers tion, the final license was is- (our cover this issue is a great sued for the LaGrande Canyon example). I hope that color in Washington state which in- covers will generate enough cludes whitewater releases, interest and revenue to allow and a whitewater study was 8W3673511 .lay 704-488-2498 American Whitewater to fully undertaken on the Black Can- E-mod storec~~tcrlog@~occomhttpIWno0~eb~cowi portray this magnificence in yon of the Bear in southeast 130i'i'Hwy 19 W, @-y5onQty, NC28i73 future editions. Having said Idaho (May 17-18). All of this, I can tell you we have no these are rivers which were plans (short or long term) to previously unavailable for

American Whitewater MoylJunel997 On February 4'h, during the State of the Union Address, Presi- dent Clinton announced a new initiative to enhance the enjoy- ment of the historic, cultural, recreational, economic and envi- ronmental values of rivers across the country. President Clinton stated that in the first year "I will designate 10 American Heri- tage Rivers to help communities alongside them revitalize their waterfronts and clean up pollution." However, these few sentences, buried in the address, were all that was heard about the initiative for the next two months. Even major river conservation groups were in the dark about the nuts and bolts of this project, which rivers might benefit, and how these benefits would work! On April 7&, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)held the first in a series of workshops designed to introduce this pro- n March 27th American Whitewater sele gram to river stakeholders. This first workshop was held in Wash- emi of Bigfork, NIT as Director of Conse ington, DC, but other workshops were to be scheduled in other ropower Programs, John will succeed regions throughout April and early May. has recently been named as Executiv The first workshop created as many questions as it answered. now bear the primary responsibility First, it was evident that no one, including the President and

merica's Whitewater Resources." there were several issues which met universal acceptance: resee many opportunities for river conservation," Any initiative should be community driven The goal should be to better the way of life for river commu- ngemi. "Dam relicensing, wildernessfwild and scenic nities " Agencies should provide guidance and technical support, not the clean water act can all protect whitewater rivers and re- regulatory mandates store sections degraded by pollution The initiative heralds a great opportunity to heighten public Gangemi was part of an outstand awareness of river issues and was selected for his experience Designation should include a diverse range of rivers (urban river work. Gangemi received his Masters degree i and rural, pristine and degraded) nmenrai xuaies mom me universiry or ntlon The initiative should create new solutions for river degrada- cus on aquatic ecology, and has worked sin tion and conservation earch scientist with the Flathead Lake Biol In addition, he has been a field bio1op;ist and fisheries te - On the negative side - The definition of "community" is not clear. Most of the lan- guage relates to local river-side communities and could lock out user groups, landowners and others The role of the states is completely missing The scope of designations is unclear. Will this protect water- sheds or select segments? Since no new money is included, what is the "value added" for this new program? to rivers, John meets American Whitewater's need to retain Will this deplete staff time and funding for existing and ongo- an expert on Western river issues. His strategic location is ing river efforts? representive of the large number of conservation issues Despite the many questions and concerns, two issues were currently facing rivers in the West." very clear from this meeting: 1) while this may be un-organized John will spend approximately three weeks in the Silver and less than complete, it is coming at us! Given the hands-off approach of the government, it will be up to river stakeholders to offIcey and then be workingOut the Bigfork turn this into either an effective new tool or a missed opportu- area. free 'Ontact him at (406)837-3155 Or throu& nity. On the plus side, the grassroots history of river conservation the silver Spring office at (30 may make this an acceptable risk. 2) we are looking at a new and reached by e-mail at jgan totally different definition of river stakeholders. Included in this John Gangemi, Research Spe meeting were community officials, landowners, developers, wa- logical Station, 3 1 1 Bia Station tershed and water quality groups, and others whose connections home: 406-837-3458 with rivers were less direct. Some of these interests are the same fax: 406-982-3201 that conservationists have battled in the past. e-mail: jgangemiadigisys. This diversity of agendas makes the possibility of a successful initiative much more troublesome. River users including boaters, anglers and others must be involved if we are to stave off at-

American Whitewater March/April 1997 tempts to turn this into a tic, "Never before has a Presi- this develops, and is willing to in June will release the Federal movement which guts existing dent committed his adminis- help our members and others Register notice inviting Nomi- regulations and programs vital tration to the revitalization of to have their favorite stream nations for American Heritage to clean, healthy, beautiful ... rivers." In the end it will be or river designated. The sched- Rivers. For updates on this ini- and useful rivers. up to us to help make or break ule is as follows: In late May tiative please call the Silver American Rivers President this initiative. American the Cabinet recommends a Spring office. Rebecca Wodders was optimis- Whitewater will be involved as program to the President, and

n the last edition of the Journal, American Whitewater was considering challenging FERC's approval of a power line Iwhich would cross the Middle Meadow and run up Glade Creek, just outside the boundary of the Gauley River National Recreation Area. In denying an earlier request for rehearing, FERC ruled that this line would "not significantly affect the over- all landscape character of the Meadow River Gorge." This line is part of the proposed Summersville Project (FERC No. 108 13). American Whitewater disagrees, and believes it is time for FERC staff to grab a boat and start hiking, paddling, fishing and/ or living along some of these outstanding streams. To press our case, American Whitewater has retained Richard Roos-Collins, co-author of "Rivers at Risk" and one of the most prominent river attorneys in the country to represent us. Richard will also be working cooperatively with local stakeholders who have re- cently formed a new watershed group, Friends of the Meadow River. Ron Wilson, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, will also rep- resent American Whitewater in this case. On March 2 I", American Whitewater petitioned the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, for review of the FERC order denying rehearing and lifting the stay that we also re- quested. Without a stay, the power company could use this FERC decision to clear-cut the transmission line, resulting in perma- nent damage to the aesthetic value of these two streams. American Whitewater has undertaken this legal appeal to send two clear messages - that we will tolerate no more degrada- tion of whitewater rivers, and that the designated boundaries of the Gauley National Recreation Area do not define the bound- aries of interest for boaters in this area. In partnership with our emphasis on recreation impacts, Friends of the Meadow and the Mt. Lookout-Mt. Nebo Property Protection Association has filed a similar appeal to protect pri- vate property which would be condemned by the transmission line.

Top Left: Rock Island-Middle Meadow. Bottom Left: Glade Creek Bottom: Glade Creek Photos by Donny Hudspeth

American Whitewater Morch/April 1997 ver the last year, the Journal has reported on the vast number of dams due for relicensing on California's rivers and streams. Many, including dams on the Pit, Kern, North Fork Kings, Mokelumne and others have already begun, and over the next ten years another 160 dams will begin this process. To take advantage of this opportunity, American Whitewater has joined with Friends of the River, California Trout, and the Natural Heritage Institute to form a coalition of rivers interests throughout the state. This coalition is open to any organization, chamber of commerce, or individual involved with federal hy- dropower issues in California. The coalition will be affiliated with and modeled after the national Hydropower Reform Coali- tion. The goals of the coalition are as follows: Pursue early public, environmental and recreational involvement with dam relicensing Formally intervene in each individual process Create individual watershed teams on affected rivers Work with regulatory agencies Seek collaborative negotiations, and IConserve and restore rivers This coalition is still in its formative stages, with several meetings being held in March and May. Tentatively named the California Hydropower Reform Coalition (CHRC), it includes, in addition to the above groups, the Foothill Conservancy, Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, Planning and Conservation League, Shasta Paddlers, California Outdoors, and the Kern River Alliance. We encourage other groups to join up and help us im- prove rivers in and around the Sierra range. Coalition members are actively courting other major river interests at this time. For more information, Above: "Cataracts" of the Kern contact American Left: Lower Kern Whitewater or CHRC coor- Photos by Rich Bowers dinator Maureen Rose at Friends of the River (916) 442-3 155 ext. 223.

In October of last year, FERC issued a fi- nual boater demand (how many boaters show nal license for the North Georgia Project, con- up!). sisting of six dams on the Tallulah, Tugalo Since October, these groups have and Chattooga Rivers. Included in this license been working together to develop a plan of were operating conditions for the dam just action for these releases. As we go to press, above the outstanding Class IV-V Tallulah each of the above interests are anticipating Gorge, and a Memorandum of Understanding the first release this November. There are still worked out between Georgia Power, Georgia several issues which are out of our control, DNR, American Whitewater, Georgia Canoe- 7 4!ke'- but all signs point to boating this year. Still ing Association, the Atlanta Whitewater Club to be worked out is construction of a trail and other river and recreation groups. Woody Callaway and Ron Stewarr wlrn from the canyon rim to the put-injust below This MOU calls for five whitewater re- consultant on flrst slte v~tto Tallalah Hurricane Falls. At present, the existing trail leases per year, the first three weekends in Gorge. Photo by R~chBowers is subject to serious erosion and runs directly November and the first two weekends in though one of the few areas where the en- April. Six hours of flows will be released each day, with four dangered and federally listed Persistent Trillium grows. All of hours of ramping flows on either end. Each Saturday, 500 cfs the above groups are working cooperatively to build a raised will be released, and then cranked up to 700 cfs on Sunday. stairway to avoid impacts. The money to begin is in (courtesy of These flows were determined to be optimum levels for Georgia Power), boating organizations have found a volunteer whitewater during a study completed in 1994. Future weekend architect, and later this summer will provide volunteer labor to releases will be increased or decreased based on the average an- begin construction. The only remaining question is whether DNR

American Whitewater March/Apri/ 1997 can finalize surveys, and FERC approve these in time to allow Bo Shelby at Oceana Falls construction to be completed by November 1". Preliminary dis- as it has looked since 1913 cussions with FERC staff indicate that, barring unforeseen occur- rences, approval should be quick. Because of the potential for impacts to the Gorge, Georgia DNR (Tallulah is now a Georgia State Park) is limiting access to 120 non-commercial boaters per day, and implementing a permit for this run. To assure that the permit system is fair and simple to use, American Whitewater and the Georgia Canoe Association have agreed to draft this permit. Explanations and a copy of this permit should be available in the next Journal, and on both the American Whitewater (www.awa.org) and Tallulah Gorge homepage (www.mindspring.com/-dmcox/tallulah.html)by late July. You can also call American Whitewater's Silver Spring office at (301) 589-9453. Georgia Power has also installed a recorded message which can be accessed by calling 1-888- GPC-LAKE (hit #5 for whitewater information) or at www.southernco.com/ Until July the phone line tells you to call American Whitewater.

Conservation Alliance Award - The Conservation Alliance, Elkhorn Creek Remodeled (KY) - this spring Mother Na- outdoor industry members supporting resource protection, has ture took to rearranging Elkhorn Creek, one of Kentucky's awarded American Whitewater a $35,000 grant to protect and most popular beginner streams. What once was a mild Class I- restore whitewater rivers in California. The Alliance was also I1 canoeing stream has been transformed by spring flooding responsible for helping create American Whitewater's River Ac- (throughout the Ohio Valley) into a unanimously declared cess Program in 1993. In addition to supporting our organiza- Class I11 run with holes, drops and rapids befitting playboating tion, the Alliance has been instrumental in protecting lands and at an intermediate level and up. For more information, contact rivers for recreation and conservation. Since its start, the Alli- the Elkhorn Outdoor Center at (502) 227-4492. ance has given some $2 million to 72 organizations. With these grants, the Alliance has protected approximately 12,000 Cooperative Relicensing Guidelines Available - The Hy- miles of rivers, halted construction of 14 dams, permanently dropower Reform Coalition has released its "Recommendations protected more than 272,000 acres of land, and leveraged an- for Cooperative Relicensing Proceedings" and these are now other $1.3 million in matching funds toward the environment available from American Whitewater's Silver Spring office. and human-powered recreation. More and more, new licenses for FERC dams are following courses which are more cooperative, and these recommenda- Recreational Equipment, Inc. Funds Access Summit - In tions explain how to create an effective process and to iden- March, RE1 Inc. awarded $30,000 to American Whitewater, In- tify the benefits and costs of participating in these. Recom- ternational Mountain Bicycling Association and the Access mendations are based on experiences of Coalition members in Fund to hold a Recreation Access Workshop. Tentatively sched- other collaborative efforts. Recommendations run about 10 uled for the Boulder area this November, the workshop is tar- pages, are semi-technical in nature, and are free. Just call and' geted for Regional Coordinators from all three groups. The leave an address, a fax number or an email address. (301) Summit will build alliances, provide needed information for ad- 589-9453 vocacy, and will support human-powered outdoor recreation. The State of Recreation - On March 171h,American Edwards Update (ME) - In December of last year, the Whitewater staff attended a meeting to announce a Recreation FERC decided to redo the dam removal cost study for Edwards Initiative which will examine the state of recreation in Dam on Maine's Kennebec River. This new study is to be pre- America, and to fundamentally restructure the confrontational pared by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the findings of climate which has surrounded recent natural resource issues. this study are to be included in a Final EIS for the project. The This initiative may be introduced to the 1051h Congress by new study is scheduled to be issued in early May, with a final Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate En- EIS scheduled for late July. ergy and Natural Resources Committee. Stay tuned for more details. Changes Proposed for Lower Yough (PA) - According to a report by the Three Rivers Paddling Club (Pittsburgh), the Army Elizabeth A. Moler Nominated as Deputy Secretary - On Corps is scheduled to change river flows for the Lower Yough April loth,President Clinton announced his intention to nomi- in 1999. The lower Yough is one of the most heavily used nate Moler, Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis- whitewater rivers in the nation. The plan is to release signifi- sion, as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy. cantly less water (up to 18 million gallons less each day) in the Chair Moler has served at FERC for 8- years, and can be cred- late summer and early fall, and to use this for additional water ited with most of this agencies environmental and recreational supply for nearby Westmoreland County, and for a new coal changes which have improved rivers involved in dam washing facility. American Whitewater has no more informa- relicensing. tion on this issue at this time, so please pass along anything that you hear.

American Whitewater March/April 1997 No Public Input for

by Rich Hoffman, Access Director "Is it equitable to charge someone a fee for hiking a back-country trail, but not charge someone a fee for driving a back-country road? Is it equitable for one user group to be expected to pay for all costs of adminis- tering the area they use, while other groups are subsidized by the general populace? The answer to all these questions has to be no. Most people will gladly pay their share; but they have to be convinced that their share is equitable in relation to others and other uses. "Imposition of fees must be done in an open public fo- rum. We should use the same public involvement principles that we use for environmental assessments. If our user groups have input into types and amounts of fees to be charged they will have ownership. User groups must also help decide what types of services they wish to see on public lands-and what they are will- ing to pay for. Simply imposing a fee because we suddenly have the authority is a sure way of alienating the very constituencies we need to effectively do our jobs and protect our resources." -LuVerne Grussing, Presi- dent, River Management Society

"Due to the high level of interest in the river, it was essential to intensively involve the public." -Linda Merigliano of Bridger-Teton National Forest discussing the Snake River Management Plan @om River Management Society News, Volume 10, No. I)

ince the announcement of the new fee structure for non- would meet with us in a timely manner to address concerns and commercial boaters on the Grand Canyon in early January, discuss potential modifications-in particular, that Park staff SAmerican Whitewater along with the Grand Canyon Private would work with us to establish a public involvement process Boaters Association, Grand Canyon River Guides, and National that would construct a fee program that we could support. We Parks and Conservation Association have been trying to work had hoped that this meeting would be an opportunity to make with the National Park Service to develop a fee system that is up ground and good will that was lost when these fees were in- fair, reasonable and consistent. stituted with no public input. In February, we scheduled a meeting with the D.C. office of As discussed in previous articles, the new fees are a combina- the National Park Service to address our concerns with the new tion of two separate programs: fee demonstration and cost re- fees. From this meeting, we scheduled to sit down with the staff covery. American Whitewater has supported the concept of the of the Grand Canyon National Park to develop a fee system that fee demonstration program. This program will be evaluated with the non-commercial boating community could support. public comment after three years with the revenue staying on- Unfortunately, Grand Canyon National Park structured this site to support resource conservation and management. meeting (held March 29 in Flagstaff, AZ) as a purely "informa- Our concern centers around the combination of the cost re- tional" meeting with the Park Service-disregarding the requests covery with the fee demonstration program. Law aside, the new of the non-commercial boating community. During this meet- fee program raises over $480,000 from non-commercial boaters, ing, the Park Service made a lengthy presentation to 30-40 in- while-according to Park Service estimates-it costs them terested members of the public, and then answered questions. At $275,000 to manage non-commercial river use. No other use in the end of the meeting, the public was allowed to make sugges- Grand Canyon is charged this level of fees. tions on changes to the fee system, but the Park Service only The language of the demonstration fee legislation states that stated that they would take these suggestions under advisement. "fees charged pursuant to this section shall be in lieu of fees In short, the Park Service is not considering any modifications to charged under any other provision of law." From this language, the fee program at this time and want the new fee program to fee demonstration appears to prevail over cost recovery. This run its course (for how long?) so that it can then be evaluated. argument is supported by the fact that the fee demonstration This meeting did not begin to address the serious concerns legislation has cost-recovery elements: "OFees under this sec- that the non-commercial boating community and others have tion shall be based upon a variety of cost recovery and fair mar- with aspects of the new fee program. This program has serious ket valuation methodso." flaws that can and should be addressed now. From our meeting The cost recovery program is cause for serious concern. in D.C., we understood that Grand Canyon National Park staff Grand Canyon National Park insists that it is "required" to re-

American Whitewater May/June1997

American Whitewater lobbies for funding the Rivers, Trails and mation and safety about whitewater rivers in National Parks. Conservation Assistance Program and the Land and Water Con- Locally, our members are involved in countless ways, such as a sewation Fund, by helping to maintain the integrity of Wild and recent river clean up at Great Falls National Park just outside of Scenic Rivers like the Gauley and New, or by improving infor- D.C. Grand Canyon National Park Cost Estimate for Managing Non-commercial River Running 1. Personnel 25% of GS-13 Canyon District Ranger salary: $16,500 50% of River Subdistrict Ranger salary: $22,470 60% of River Permits Ranger salary: $26,135 100% of Permits Clerk salary: $26,400 75% of Lees Ferry Ranger salary: $34,510 75% of Lees Ferry Ranger salary (subject-to-furlough): $17,255 35% of River Patrol Ranger: $15,335 35% of River Patrol Ranger (subject to furlough): $11,885 50% of Boat operator/Equipment manager: $18,700 25% of Meadview Ranger: $12,930 33% of Training Costs: $3,080 SubTotal: $205,200

II. Supplies Printing: $4,675 Postage: $9,145 EDP equipment: $2,000 River Patrol sundries: $2,520 River Patrol equipment: $1,680 SubTotal: $20,020

111. 35% of Travel Expenses: $1,345 IV, Utilities and Physical Overhead: $5,315 V. Vehicles: $1 8,400 VI. 1 0% Mics. Administrative support costs: $25,028

A Message from the President of the rand Canyon Private Explore Lhile Boaters Association SEE WHL4TADVENTURE WAITS FOR YOU As boating rivers in the American West becomes ever more popular, advocacy and information are vital to the private boater. Federal Agencies are actively seeking input into the use of the rivers they administer. United voices are steering change in use patterns on these rivers. The voices for the private boater in the Grand Canyon, though many, have never before been unified. With this in mind, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association. This organization will be open to all individuals interested in private river trips in Grand Canyon. It is this diversity of interest which will be our united strength. Some of the many issues which we hope to address include allocation of user days, in- creasing communication among the various parties involved, dis- seminating river related information, and participating in river management planning. (This last issue is of vital importance as Grand Canyon National Park begins its revision of the Colorado River Management Plan.) Our goals include working with gov- ernment agencies and the commercial sector to insure continue river access to the Grand Canyon private boater. In order for all this to happen, we need both your financial and written support. Do you have any articles or river related stories and/or poetry you'd like to see in GCPBA's newsletter "The Waiting List"? We are also seeking your financial support. A $20 donation covers a year's membership, $135 covers an eight year membership, and $277 or more, at a dollar a mile, gives you a lifetime membership. So come join us, and let's go boating. Tom Martin GCPBA Box 2 133 Flagstaff, AZ 86003 520-2 14- 8676 email: gcpbaaf1agstaff.az.u~

American Whitewoter May/June1997 Blackwater and Dry Fork River (WV) Take Out On March 22, Director Barry Tuscano, members of the Three Rivers Paddling Club (Mike Bailey, Jim Griffiths, Rich Dabal, Pat Norton, and Ron Gardner), Access Director Rich Hoffman and Executive Director Rich Bowers cleaned up the American Whitewater take-out for the Blackwater and Dry Fork Rivers in Hendricks, West Virginia. We cleared the brush, picked up the trash, leveled the ground, laid down gravel for parking and Barry and team constructed a change room. This site is located just upstream of the swinging bridge over the Blackfork River (aka Dry Fork River) just downstream of the confluence of the Blackwater and Dry Fork (see map on page 75). This is your land! Please help to maintain the property and be good neigh- bors. Top Left: Gravel delivery for parking area at American Whitewater take out. Bottom Left: Director Barry Tuscano constructs change room at Blackwater take- out at Hendricks. Right: Pat and Jim clearing brush along Blackfork River (just downstream of Blackwater confluence).

It is possible that the timber company could pay the cost of con- tracting out an analysis and shorten the timeframe some. Due to the purchase price (5 million dollars) it is believed the company The Blackwater River, W.V. will want to begin logging soon. They could begin on their land without using federal land for access but it is likely they will By Dave Saville wish to use federal land for at least some of the activity, and they have stated they plan to. West Virginia's gorgeous Blackwater River faces an uncertain The Conservation Fund had a long-standing offer to purchase future. this tract from Allegheny Power Company. The amount they had Approximately 3,000 acres of the Blackwater Canyon area offered (approximately 3.5 million) was less than Canyonlands adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest have been pur- offered (4.7 million) and less still than the current owner (5 mil- chased by Allegheny Hardwoods of Petersburg WV. They plan lion). It is unclear if TCF has any interest in continuing to pursue to log the area. It is unclear if the previous owner (Canyonlands purchase of this tract or if the owner has any interest in selling. Corporation of WV, who owned the property approximately 24 The Forest is now working with the owner to explain the analy- hours before re-selling it) has retained an area along the rim of sis process we need to go through, and is researching the exact the canyon as possible vacation home sites. rights the Forest Service has regarding access along the railroad One boundary of the area is a railroad grade. The Forest Ser- grade itself and along FR 13. vice owns one half of the grade, to the centerline. The new own- The Blackwater is among the top tourist attractions in the ers own the other half, on the river side of the grade. They have state and among the best trout streams in the state. The State stated their plans to use the grade to access their property and to DNR has invested a considerable amount of resources to reduce haul timber out. At both ends of the canyon the grade crosses the effects of Acid Mine Drainage. The steepness of the canyon land owned in fee simple by the FS. On the other side of the walls would make it very difficult to remove the timber without canyon the tract is bordered by Forest Road 13, Canaan Loop serious water quality problems. Road. This road is partially on FS land and partially on a ROW Let those in positions of influence know that we love the dating back to 1918. If home development occurs it is likely that Blackwater River Canyon, are aware of the threat and would like use of this road would be sought. It is also possible that the lum- their support in protecting this important resource. Send a letter ber company would want to use that road for timber removal. A to Congressman Allan Mollohan (on the Appropriations Commit- narrow strip of the property (236 acres) lies between the railroad tee and has demonstrated considerable support for Canaan and grade and the Blackwater River, with the majority of the prop- Blackwater issues in the past). Send a copy of the letter to Sena- erty being between the river and FR 13. tor Byrd, Governor Underwood, Chuck Meyers, Forest Superin- The Forest Service would need to do an Environmental As- tendent, and Blackwater Falls State Park. sessment (EA) at a minimum to address use of the Federal land, and possibly an Environmental Impact Statement if concerns are The Honorable Allan Mollohan The Hon. Robert C. Byrd significant. There are a number of potential concerns. The rail U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate line is regarded as a highly desirable rails-to-trails link in the Washington, DC 205 15 Washington, DC 20510 Dear Representative Mollohan Dear Senator Byrd area. The canyon is considered prime recreation area, for (202) 225-4172 (202) 224-3954 whitewater boating, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, etc. The State has invested considerable resources recently in mitigating Chuck Meyen, Forest Supervisor Governor Cecil Underwood acid mine drainage in the canyon and in improving the fisheries Monongahela National Forest State Capitol WV 25305 resources of the river. The land is quite steep, especially in the 200 Sycamore St. Charleston, Elkins, WV 26241 (304) 558-2000 narrow strip between the railroad grade and the river. There is (304) 636-1800 local opposition to this private land being logged. The Tucker County Development Authority has stated their opposition. The Supervisor Chamber of Commerce is split. Blackwater Falls State Park Davis, WV 26260 The Forest anticipates the EA will require a year to complete.

American Whitewater Morch/April 1997 the navigational servitude that is imposed upon bodies of water that are navigable under federal law (this stretch of the Salmon Potomac Access River was determined to be navigable in a 1992 court decision In the last meeting of the Potomac River Safety Committee- regarding FERC jurisdiction). Unfortunately, that issue was nei- chaired by the Maryland DNR with the National Park Service and ther clearly raised by the defendants nor expressly addressed by local search and rescue squads-MD DNR announced that it will the Court of Appeals. not pursue river closure at high water in the immediate future. The Court's holding is the controlling law of the state with Currently, Doug (Hutch) Hutchins is organizing a volunteer river respect to all similarly situated landowners. Thus, any land- patrol for the Harper's Ferry area (confluence of the Shenandoah awner in the state whose title is derived from ither the Macomb and Potomac Rivers), modeled after the successful river patrol on Patent or from any grant containing similar language is in a po- the Delaware River. Please contact Hutch for information and to sition to assert its exclusive right of fisheries and to threaten volunteer: anyone invading those rights with either civil action or, poten- PO Box 211 Charles Town, WV 25414 email: tially, criminal prosecution. But while there is no right to fish, kahluaQintrepid.net the public still has the right to float downstream. The decision does not affect the current state of the law on jcoutinglportaging. The Moose River case decided by an inter- mediate appellate court several years ago allows persons navi- sating a navigable river to portage, at least if they remain below Salmon River, MY Mgation by the mean high water mark. That issue has not yet been addressed Bob Glanville, AWA Director ay the Court of Appeals (New York's highest court).

Last year, American Whitewater and New York Rivers United Sections Qn Chattooga River filed an amicus curiae brief in support of anglers who were cited for trespass for fishing on the Salmon River. In February, the The Forest Plan for the Sumter National Forest-in effect since New York Court of Appeals reversed a previous decision to con- 19854s currently being revised. (Under the National Forest Man- clude that the anglers were indeed trespassing. agement Act, Forest Plans must be revised every 10 to 15 years.) Douglaston Manor owns approximately one mile of land December 2, 1996, was the close of the formal public comment along and under the Salmon River which it manages as a private aeriod to identify issues to be addressed in the Environmental sport fishery and from which it seeks to exclude the general pub- Impact Statement (EIS) for the Forest Plan. One of the issues af- lic. Douglaston commenced an action against certain commer- Fecting whitewater paddlers is access to sections 1 and 0 of the cial fishing guides to prevent them from anchoring upon and Zhattooga (downstream from Bull Pen Road). Whitewater boaters fishing in Douglaston's "privately-owned" section of river. At ~eedto write letters to the Forest Service about allowing access the Supreme (trial) Court level, the Court held that anchoring :o whitewater boaters to these sections of river. American and wading upon the river bottom owned by Douglaston consti- Nhitewater has made several efforts to discuss this issue with tuted a trespass and was not encompassed within the right of ocal fishing clubs who frequent these stretches of water, includ- navigation under New York law. ON appeal to the Appellate Di- ng organizing a meeting in Clayton, GA. with Forest Service vision, the Court reversed, relying upon language in an 1883 de- staff, but the fishing groupshave been unwilling to discuss this cision of the Court of Appeals (the State's highest court) that issue with us. Fishing groups are currently writing the Forest "fishing, ferrying and transportation, are preserved in all navi- Service to maintain the exclusion of whitewater boating from gable waters" of the state. As a result, the Appellate Division these stretches. Direct your comments to: concluded that the right to navigate under New York law in- John Ramey Forest Supervisor National Forests in North cludes the right to fish. Carolina PO Box 2750 Asheville, N.C. 28802 On the most recent appeal, the Court of Appeals again re- Forest Supervisor Francis Marion 8 Sumter National Forest versed and reinstated the Supreme Court determination based 4931 Broad River Road Columbia, S.C. 292 10 upon its conclusion that the Macomb Patent, from which In addition, please copy American Whitewater on your letters Douglaston Manor acquired (indirectly) its property from the (email: awaQcompuserve.com)., The following comments (ex- state, transferred not only the riverbed but also the exclusive cerpt from American Whitewater's December 2 comments) may right of fishery because that right was not withheld from the help to guide your letter: grant. While acknowledging that "grants by the state to private Currently, whitewater recreation is allowed on Sections 2, 3 owners of land under navigable-in-fact rivers remain subject to and 4 of the Chattooga, yet prohibited upstream of the Highway an implied, reserved public easement of navigation," the Court 28 Bridge, commonly referred to as Sections 1 and 0. Sections 1 concluded that this easement "does not sweep away or displace and 0 are among the most beautiful stretches of river in the wa- other rights accompanying the private ownership of the bed of a tershed and contain world class whitewater. As whitewater tech- navigable-in-fact river, including that of exclusive fisheryo." nology and expertise have improved, the ability and desire of One of the objectives of our brief was to attempt to persuade non-commercial boaters to safely access these steeper and more the Court not to address the issues resolved favorably to boaters difficult sections has also grown. in Adirondack League Club, Inc. v. Sierra Club, 201 A.D.2d 225, Under the existing Forest Plan, these two headwater sections 615 N.Y.Supp. 2d 788 (3d Dep't 1994), appeal dismissed, 84 of the river are prohibited to whitewater recreationists. While N.Y.2d 978 (1995). Amici supporting the plaintiffs had urged the open to many other recreational uses such as fishing, hiking, Court of Appeals to reject the so-called "recreational use" stan- camping, and horseback riding, whitewater boaters who float dard of navigability. Consistent with our position, the Court of through these areas are subject to fines and arrest. Compatible Appeals did not address that issue. and non-discriminatory recreational use within the Chattooga The second objective of our amicus brief was to urge that, watershed should be a major objective of any future Forest Plan. even if the Court of Appeals were inclined to hold that the right American Whitewater would like to work with the Forest Ser- to navigate under New York law does not include the right to vice, fishing organizations, private landowners, and others in fish, that right is protected under federal law as an incident of reaching this goal.

American Whitewa ter ~a~/~une7997 The American Whitewater believes that there is no compelling whitewater flows usually occur only during periods of low use reason for the current ban on whitewater boating on Sections 1 for fishing (i.e. during winter and early spring). If whitewater and 0. Arguably, whitewater boating on these stretches would boating is allowed on these stretches, use will remain low be- have less of an impact than other uses: boaters float on a me- cause they would only have sufficient water infrequently and dium that leaves no trace and make contact with land only occa- the water would drop quickly, and because the whitewater is sionally when scouting and portaging around obstacles. In addi- difficult. tion, learning how to navigate difficult whitewater is a skill that These stretches of river run through several different man- takes a lot of time and experience; as they learn how to safely agement jurisdictions, including the Sumter National Forest navigate whitewater, boaters become aware and practice river boundary. One goal for the revision of the Sumter Forest Plan is conservation and stewardship techniques. The local canoe and to make this plan consistent across administrative boundaries, kayak clubs and commercial outfitters frequently organize river including those boundaries which effect access to these two clean-ups to remove garbage from the river and riparian zone. separate Wild and Scenic river segments. To accomplish this, While American Whitewater is sensitive to the desire of other this revision seeks to coordinate management directions for the users for solitude and a wilderness experience, these values are Chattooga River watershed, including the Chattahoochee and important to whitewater boaters as well. However, putting a Nantahala National Forests, and the Ellicott Rock Wilderness higher value on the solitude of one user group over another is area. We fully support this effort to coordinate management di- not equitable public policy. During our meetings and conversa- rectives. tions, the other user groups could not provide significant reasons In order to ensure both boating and fishing use, we recom- to justify the ban on whitewater boating on these stretches. mend that the USFS adopt a management plan that will allow While some user groups may have a reluctance to use Sections 3 boating during certain windows of time, for instance, high flows and 4 because it may be popular to whitewater boaters on cer- or certain months. Prohibiting whitewater boating on these tain days, this fact does not provide a rationale for prohibiting stretches is a discriminatory practice and must be studied and boating on Section 1 and 0. eliminated from future Forest Plans. American Whitewater does not believe that boating and other uses (in particular, fishing) are incompatible in Sections 1 and 0. Nor would shared use necessarily impact on the solitude and re- moteness sought by both user groups. As outlined in the Septem- Letters to the Access Program ber 7, 1994 letter from American Whitewater to the Forest Ser- vice (attached), whitewater boating on these two sections is only Letter from J. Brent Austin: possible at high water levels when the fishing is not good. In ad- dition, due to the natural hydrograph of Section 1 and Section 0, I received your mailing of November 12, 1996, describ- ing access problems related to Davey Hearn, Cary Weiner, and Breck McAlexander. I have some comments about the above- referenced incidents: First, I would support the AWA financing and/or as- sisting Mr. Hearn with a lawsuit against the appropriate police officers for use of excessive force, brutality, and perhaps false imprisonment. Likewise, for the South Platte incident, I am somewhat familiar with the problem since I have a number of friends in Colorado who have been harassed, had rocks thrown at them, had video tapes taken of them, and received verbal as- saults by landowners who taunted them with pending arrests since they would be required to portage a spot intentionally set up by the landowners to force people to trespass on their land. In those situations, I believe a license has been offered to people traveling on water-ways, and any criminal prosecution arising out of that, is purely malicious for which civil actions could be brought. These are a couple of situations which could be ag- gressively pursued with probable success. Sometimes, the best way to get the attention of a mule is to whack'um across the head. It is amazing how willing people become to negotiate Wiiitewater Kayaking in Chile and/or cooperate when faced with litigation. It's the trip of a lqetirne! I would be happy to assist in any matter such as this if you need. If you ever decide to evaluate litigation strategies to Expediciones Chile trips are more than just paddling challenging resolve certain access issues, I would be pleased to participate in rivers. They're an extraordinary experience. Imagine the best any way possible. day of paddling you've ever had, greeted at the end ofthe dav by an ox cart shuttle capped with a relaxing sauna and massage. Our trips have gained an international reputation-the hest-of-the-best. Letter from Thomas Quarles. Jr.: Please contact us for more information. I read your attached article in the September/October 1996 issue of American Whitewater with interest. I have Expediciones Chile handled the defense of a number of whitewater drowning deaths 333 Earl's Road, Bryson City, NC 2871 3 and supplied AWA with material for a talk to dam owners and Compuserve 71 774,756 government officials on recreational use liability. Fax 7041488-9082 Phone 5001488-9082 I also do a fair amount of civil rights defense work where the defendants are municipal or state governmental enti- ties. There is a legal doctrine cailed "discreti&ary function im-

American Whitewater MayIJune 1997 munity" that should provide further protection to the State of guarantee outdoor opportunities and a clean environment for Maryland on Potomac access and liability issues. Discretionary Americans. Each year the fund receives $900, primarily from function immunity applies only to governmental actors and im- federal off shore for oil and gas revenues. munizes the managerial decisions of a governmental agency (or All Americans share in the legacy of the land and Water Con- its individual officials). servation Fund. In its 30 years of existence, it has been respon- In the context of your Potomac situation, for example, sible for the acquisition of nearly seven million acres of parkland if the Maryland authorities sat down and decided that because and open space and the development of more than 37,000 parks of the danger to rescuers on a high-water situation, the state and recreation projects. From playgrounds and ball fields to na- should make a policy decision not to attempt any rescue of tional historical sites, scenic trails, and nature reserves, LWCF is boaters (or any rescue under any water conditions for that mat- arguably the most successful environmental program of the cen- ter) then that policy decision would be respected by the courts tury. and no liability could attack to the governmental agencies or Unfortunately, in almost every year since 1979, Congress has officials, unless and until, they failed to carry out their own failed to appropriate as much as 85 percent of the fund. In the policy, and that failure caused the injury to the plaintiff. last few years, the states, which should be receiving a portion of The doctrine essentially allows the governmental this fund as block grants, have not received any of the money agency to "make the rules" and grants the agencies and its em- they are due. Every year, we lose countless opportunities to pre- ployees complete immunity, unless and until, they violate their serve precious resources and create o.pen space for people to en- own clearly established rules and procedures. The concept be- joy. hind the immunity goes back to constitutional law and the I support Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation, a na- separation of powers between the legislative, executive and ju- tional coalition of representing environmental, urban, recreation, dicial branches. The rationale is that it is improper for the judi- and business interest. Together we would like you to support full cial branch, to attempt to second guess and interfere with the funding of the land and Water Conservation Fund and to specifi- management and operational decisions of the executive branch, cally support an FY 98 LWCF appropriation of $400 million. by holding out the threat of legal liability, if and when, a jury Given the $11 billion backlog of unappropriated funds and the decides they don't like a particular governmental policy. enormous backlog of high priority state and federal projects, I While I know nothing about Maryland law, I would be urge Congress and the President to fund all priority projects very surprised if this was not an established principal of either identified by the states and Departments of Interior and Agricul- Maryland common law and/or its statutes. For example, in ture in FY 1998 and in years to come. New Hampshire, discretionary function immunity is a common The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a non-regulatory law doctrine as to municipalities, but is statutory relative to the approach to conservation, and it does not cost taxpayers a dime. state. As far as any potential liability of the National Park Ser- The time has cone to fulfill the promise made to the American vice on the Potomac access issue, I can state with certainty that people. I urge you to make restoration of the Land and Water discretionary function immunity is a rock-solid principal of Conservation Fund a priority. federal law protecting the federal government as well. In fact most of the decisions on this doctrine are from our federal courts since they decide most civil rights claims which are brought against government entities or their employees: fed- There is a flurry of activity in the Oregon Legislature right eral, state and municipal. now regarding the navigability issue. At last count, there are 4 I have enclosed some seminar materials that discuss House bills and 1 pending Senate bill. Two of the House bills the doctrine. This should be helpful in your continued negotia- and the Senate bill are very damaging to public accesslrights of tions with state and federal entities on the Potomac situation, passage on Oregon streams. The other two House bills were and all your other access and liability issues as well. sponsored at the request of the River Recreation Rights coalition, made up of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, NORS, ACA, local paddling clubs and fishing groups, and American Americans for Our Heritage Whitewater. These bills mimic the Montana Stream Access law that is extremely favorable to river recreation. and Recreation It appears as if none of these bills will make any progress, and the coalition is gathering momentum for future efforts. For The coalition of groups working to restore and revitalize more information, contact Access Director Rich Hoffman at (301) funding and programs for natural resources is currently work- 589-9453, [email protected]. ing on the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the FY 98 budget. American Whitewater has contacted legislators in key whitewater districts to urge their support for earmarks in the appropriations process. Representative Rahall of West Virginia is supporting this effort and promote funding for the New and South Fork of the American Gauley Rivers. Please consider writing a letter to your representatives on River (CA) Management Plan Capitol Hill: Phase I1 of the river management plan for the South Fork was (Sample Letter) The last election confirmed that Americans completed in March. American Whitewater submitted comments share a deep concern for the environment. Voters challenged regarding the management alternatives that were presented in us to find cost-effective, bi-partisan solutions to our environ- the report. We did not feel that the alternatives adequately ad- mental problems. I would like to draw your attention to the dressed the range of management alternatives that should be Land and Water Conservation Fund as a non-regulatory strat- considered. egy with an amazing track record for preserving our natural re- Three issues are of primary concern in the Phase II Report: 1) sources. private boater surcharge, 2) carrying capacity, and 3) large group In 1964, Congress made a contract with the American public regulation. to create the Land and Water Conservation Fund to support the 1) The Phase II Report recommends that private boaters be as- creation of parks, forests, clean water, and open spaces and to sessed a "surcharge" as a matter of equity and to pay for the "ac-

American Whitewater May/June1997 tual County cost of river management." As we state in our ac- that on most rivers in the U.S., commercial use is limited (com- cess policy, we are not opposed to fees that are charged to all us- parable to other businesses that operate on public land) while ers of a public resource, that provide needed facilities, and that members of the general public are allowed to recognize their are implemented with input from the boating community. The right to access navigable waters, articulated in Article 10, Sec- Phase II Report, however, does not recognize that private boaters tion 4 of the Constitution of the State of California: "so that ac- already pay considerable fees to use facilities at access sites (Chili cess to the navigable waters of this State shall be always obtain- Bar, Heningsen-Lotus Park, Camp Lotus, etc.). Additional fees able for the people thereof." We are concerned that the "thresh- must target specific programs that are necessary for non-com- old" levels identified in Alternative 3 are subjective and could mercial river management. With respect to the equity issue, the easily become more an indication of politics than objective sci- County must recognize that non-commercial boaters are distinct entific fact. from commercial rafting, a business which makes a profit from 3) Pages 5-10 and 5-1 1 outline regulations that groups with the resource. over 3 vessels and 18 people must follow. For example, these 2) The Phase 11 Report should recognize that controls on the groups must obtain a permit and file reports on the trip(s) with numbers of non-commercial boaters already exist, such as large the County. We are concerned that these regulations, taken col- numbers of commercial crowds, limited water flows, and limited lectively, will discourage valuable and longstanding educational access sites. Alternatives 3, 4 and 5 recommend limits on the efforts on the South Fork. Throughout the history of our sport, number of both commercial and non-commercial boaters. How- canoe and kayak club trips have been a primary source for edu- ever, the 1996 Peak Weekend River Use Levels in the Phase 11 Re- cation and information about safe and considerate river recre- port document that commercial use is twice the amount of non- ation. It is necessary for trip planners to have some degree of commercial use. If non-commercial boaters are to be limited, use flexibility when organizing these trips. New regulations should - numbers should be equitable. However, the Phase II Report recognize this need. should recognize 1) the essential difference between the use of a For a copy of the Phase I1 Report, contact El Dorado County resource by a business vs. a member of the general public; and 2) Parks and Recreation at 9 16-62 1-5349. Fear and Loating on the South Platte By Jay Kenney July 14, 1996 was a beautiful day on the South Platte through the Paradise in the early morning light and were cap- River, but the beauty was lost on Park County Sheriffs Deputy tured forever in a series of Kodak moments. Uncertain of the Bob Horn. He was concerned, concerned that the Sportsman's boaters precise location and concerned that trying to follow the Paradise Club in beautiful Lake George, Colorado was being in- boaters to the presumptive take-out near the Cheesman Lake undated by marauding kayakers. Initial reports from club mem- might take him out of his jurisdiction into Douglas County, Horn bers suggested kayakers were using guerilla tactics to invade the determined to set up surveillance at the Happy Valley Camp- club's version of god's country, tactics that suggested an escalat- ground on the 1975 van and 1994 pick-up truck registered to the ing level of aberrant behavior. When he responded to the club in putative suspects, Beveridge and Weiner. his PTU (police transport unit) he learned some of the members Time passed slowly for Deputy Horn. A full six and a had had direct and unsettling contact with the renegade half hours passed before two white males returned, on foot and kayakers. One kayaker wore a helmet to disguise his hair color without boats, to claim their vehicles. They first denied they had and "had dark smudges under his eyes, much like football play- been boating. Horn pressed them. He had pictures, he said, and ers use to reduce glare." Another, a male, had hair worn in a they quickly admitted they had been part of a group of boaters. pony-tail. Two "were thought to be female,' one of whom was "Oh, that guy with the video camera?" Horn wrote up summonses wearing a "WWII type German military helmet." One floated charging the two with second degree criminal trespass and through in a boat with the word "PYRANNAH" air-brushed on it. warned them that the bridge at the Sportsman's Club now con- Accounts varied about the boaters level of civility when told they tained 4"x6" chicken wire designed to force a portage onto pri- were trespassing. Some politely ignored the requests - one said: vate property. Weiner countered with a guide book which he "It is my god-given right to float this river." claimed listed the river as floatable and asserted there was an at- Horn learned the boaters were becoming more numerous torney general's opinion permitting boaters to float through pri- - 12 boats in June, 16 in July - and settled on a plan. He armed vate property. Horn was suspicious of Weiner's claims, especially the Sportsman's Club with video cameras and told the club to since Weiner kept referring to the attorney general as "HE," and take pictures first and ask questions later. Horn did not have to Horn knew the present attorney general was a woman. Beveridge wait very long. As fate would have it, Gary Weiner and Don asked "whether he could share his summons with the other boat- Beveridge set out at dawn on July 16, 1996 to boat the ers." Horn advised that he would provide them with a summons Cheesman Gorge, a low volume class V gem three hours south of their own, if Beveridge would provide their names and ad- west of Denver. The first three miles of flatwater took them dresses. Beveridge declined, saying they were from Salida and he through the Sportsman's Paradise property. They encountered an didn't know them thzt well anyway. artificial rock obstruction, encumbered by an I-beam and a steel Horn, as it turned out, was wrong and Weiner was right. cable. Most of the crew slithered under and around. Weiner and A 1973 attorney general opinion does interpret Colorado law as Beveridge hopped out, skipped around the obstacle and climbed allowing a right of passage on Colorado's streams and rivers so back in their boats. Horn responded to the Sportsman's Paradise long as no contact is made with the land under or alongside the at 0759 hours and learned that seven kayakers had snuck river. Determined to press the issue, Weiner contacted the CWWA

American Whitewater May/June7997 legal defense team ("the stream team") and the lawyers from Dewey, Cheatam and Howe, a branch office of the silk- stocking firm of Hummerdink, Hummerdink and Hummerdink. Kayak School - Customized instruc- Clearly there were dragons to be slayed, windmills to be tilted, and tion for all levels of experience - begin- applecarts to be upset. Sadly, however, ner to advanced... Call for our Kayak not even the mighty people's represen- tative, the district attorney in and for School Brochure the eleventh judicial district of the state of Colorado, could find a way West Virginia's #I Paddling Shop around the attorney general's opinion. On October 3 1, 1996, the district attor- ~~t~~ Teva Sport Sandal ney asked the court to dismiss the case. CKS ,a.coa+eec His reason? "Insufficient evidence." Sa Perception ~\i~~hF~~~ A group that included a Sidewinder highly placed individual from a promi- ManofRubber nent whitewater shop along the front Rapidstyle range of Colorado ran the Gorge on August 3, 1996. They were forced to New Wave Wave Sport portage when they came to mounds of Savage Aquaterra rebarb, trees, limbs, rocks and an I- beam. At a bridge immediately below Demo Boats Available the obstruction they found chicken wire stretching from the bridge to the river leaving only a drainage pipe to North American River Runners, Inc slide through. The encounter with the club members was predictably unpleas- 800-950-2585 ant. Obscenities were yelled. Pictures PO Box 81 Hico, WV 25854 were taken. Choice comments in- Rt 60, 114 mile west of US 19 cluded: "Why the hell are you trespass- ing on our land, you little shits?" "This is my water, smile for the fucking camera so we can see you in court." No arrests were made and no sum- Innovative designs monses issued. The CWWA and the AWA molded from durable continue to believe that boaters have crosslink plastic the right to pass freely on any river or stream in Colorado and the right to protect themselves from unnatural and dangerous obstacles thrown up to im- pede the right of passage. If you find yourself in such a situation, remain calm, portage as little as safety and common sense dictate, and avoid con- frontation and escalation of the con- flict. Carry a copy of the attorney general's opinion with you. Don't leave a shuttle vehicle at the Happy Mead- ows Campground - find someone to re- MONGOOSE move it to the takeout. If you get ar- Custom, hand crafted rested or a summons, call the CWWA composite boats for free legal advice. At its December, Featuring Jim Snyder squirt boats: 1996 board meeting the CWWA agreed Bigfoot, Shred, Maestro and Prize. to begin negotiations with the And more than 65 models by various And now the Sportsman's Paradise in an effort to designers including all plastic boats calm the waters and secure free pas- ********* sage through or around the property. Results will be posted in the Spray. For a catalog and the dealer near you call us at 71 7-944-6320, fax us at 71 7-944-0422 email us at [email protected] or visit our web site at http://www.awa.org/awa/yeIlow-pages/newwave/ New Wave Kayak Products, lnc.*2535 Roundtop Rd.*Middletown, PA 17057

American Whitewater May/June 7997 THE

~ ~ ~ ,R, *> bbh...~~ ~~~,~~~.~~~~," i .... .~~ . ~~.>~.\. ER FESTIVAL ~~.:<~~.~:..

Last year's festival was attended by 350 people and included displays from all the SATURDAY, major boat manufacturers plus other vendors from throughout New England. , -, . This year's event will be the first time that AWA will be able to provide tent sites -lu' -lu' - for camping at the festival site and will also include food and entertainment an the C--',, . WI LDERN ESS s...,:' ,': ,, theday Northeast.of the festival. Guaranteed to be a first rate party with the best whitewater in

on a number of issues that are important to boaters. AWA members should make I a special effort to support our work in Maine this year. We need our membership strength which has significant financial impact to demonstrate how important the

The Deerfield River has been the site for national championship races in both canoe and kayak events and continues to build its reputation as the next major league whitewater mecca in the Northeast as thousands of boaters now travel to western Massachusetts each summer. Through the cooperation of the New England Power Company and the landmark "Deerfield Settlement Agreement" boaters now have the opportunity to enjoy great whitewater just a short distance away from most of the large population centers in New England. With so many dams in New England still mired in the relicensing process, river festivals play an important role in establishing the American Whitewater Affilia- tion and our members as important players in the process. The more positive economic impact we present to communities near whitewater resources, the easier it is to generate local support in our negotiations with public utilities. The

chances for future success. American WhitewaterINOWfi Went Manager

s I sit here feeling the first breezes of spring coming through the screen door of my North Carolina farm Ah ouse, my mind roams to a summer full of whitewater paradises and the rodeos and festivals just around the corner. It's also the first day of spring today but by the time you read this article, we will be well into the NOWR (National Organiza- tion of Whitewater Rodeos) schedule as well as other exciting events.

The first of the NOWR rodeos, the Kern River Festival, is sure to have been a success as well as the New River Rodeo, Lochsa Rodeo, Bigfork Festival, Kananaskis Rodeo, Maupin Daze, Jackson Hole Rodeo and the Potomac Festival (phew, that's some schedule!). Additional events to have passed by the time you read this will include Canyon Creek Days and the East Coast Team Trials. Results and highlights from these these events will be included in the next issue of the journal so be on the lookout.

For those of you who are reading this column and scratch- ing your heads saying; "who is this person and what does she do?", let me repeat myself. I was hired in January as the American Whitewater Events Manager. I reside in the South- east outside of Asheville, NC in a 100 year old farmhouse and, as is typical of many down here, I'm a transplant from the Northeast. I have been a whitewater kayaker for 10 years, an American Whitewater member for the majority of that time and have kayaked rivers across the country. River consewa- tion and access has been a great concern for me as I've paddled many rivers which are threatened.

In this position, I am primarily responsible for providing I am also writing articles regularly on the events happening support to event organizers throughout the country. This in- around the country. If you have attended an event and want to cludes being a central source of information on organizing relate an interesting paddling story, provide pictures or even events, soliciting sponsorship, consultation on development of write an article, I'd love to hear from you. new events, management of the National Organization of Whitewater Rodeos (NOWR) circuit including publicity, insur- Hope to see you at the events this season! or S.Y.0.T.R (trans- ance and communications. This year, we have an impressive lation: See You On The River - for those of you who don't know line up of twenty events on the NOWR circuit and ten other this funny little acronym... ) AWA sponsored festivals, races and rodeos. All of these events are more than just a good time, they promote the sport of kayaking and provide a forum to raise awareness for local Jayne H. Abbot and national river consewation and access issues. American WhitewaterlNOWR Event Manager

I am genuinely interested in talking to anyone who wants 450 Ivy Hill Road to volunteer at a local event and those with even more ambi- Weavewille, NC 28787 tious goals like starting a new event in 1998. I am particularly ph: (704) 645-5299 interested in organizing events in the West to build better fax: (704) 645-6983 awareness of conservation and access issues in that area of the e-mail: [email protected] country and to spread the fun. The 1997 NOWR and American Whitewater schedule of events are listed in this issue. If you are interested in volunteering, please call. We always need your help and so does your local river!

American Whitewater Moy/June7997 National Paddling Film Festival-East February 21 KY Barry Grimes 606-623-9067

. ------. - - A A - A - - - - National Paddling Film Festival-West March 1 CA Linda Ivans 805-871-6790

Butte Creek Spring Round-Up April 12 CA Kate Robinson 916-538-6003

ICanyon Creek Days May 3-4 W,A Andrew Wulfers 503-285-0464

Arkansas Festival July 5 CC)1 Landis Arnold 303-444-2336

Kennebec River Festival July 5 ME Tom Christopher 508-534-9447

A =-- m. . -7 ,, *.* *.-- -&A" tlhclc KlVer kestlval J L 26-L / NY ~nnsKOII 51S-b3L-tUY/ r------L~Y-- - Deerfield Festival A ist 2 MA Tom Christopher 508-534-9447

Upper Yough Race August 21 MD Jessi Whittemore 301-746-5389

Gauley Festival Sept 20 WV Phyllis Horowitz 914-586-2355

Gauley River Race Sept 29 WV Donnie Hudspeth 800-950-2585

Russell Fork Race Oct ? VA Phyllis Horowitz 914-586-2355

Moose River Festival October 18 NY Chris Koll 315-652-8397 lranTIQNIILORGANIZATION OF WHITWAER RODEOS RIOWR) CIRCUIT

Kern River Festival April 18-20 CA Llnda lvlns 805-8'/ 1-bv/YU

New River Rodeo April 25-27 VA Roanoke Co. PkslRec 540-387-6091

Chili Bar Rodeo CANCELLED CA Larry Goral 916-621-1224

Lochsa Rodeo May 9-11 MT Jeffery France 406-721-7774

Bigfork WW Festival May 16-18 MT Gini Ludden 406-752-8328

A 1 11 t m~ I m - T- 1-m nrr qrnr, Kananaskis """w vv ~oaeo" * IVI~=- Y LJ-LS-- - maena ~ar~laylor 4~3-~00-13~I Jackson Ho le Rodeo Ma,Y 30-June 1 WY Aaron Pruzan 307-733-2471 - -.-.-- .. . 'Tay 31-June 1 MD Rich Hoffman 301-589-9453

Maupin Daze Festival May 31 - June 1 OR Dave Slover 541-395-2201

Headwaters Championship June13-15 CO P.T. Wood 719-539-3 174

Taylor River Rodeo June 20-22 CO Christian Mason 970-641-1683

American Whitewater May/June 7997 NATIONAL ORGAHIZATION OF WHITEWATER RODEOS (NOW) CIRCUIT continued

Willow River Paddlefest June 20-22 B Brine 250-964-7400

r\C,-. c.nn-, Animas River Days June 27-28 Nancy ""'vv 11ey - YIU-L3Y-3UY3

Derby Creek Days 6-27 Chris Eimerick 970-736-0080

Kootenay WW Festiv 50-447-6561 Ottawa Riv American River Festiv Outer Banks Surf/

savage Rapids Rodeo/ Slalom Sept. 26-2 unbar Hardy 541-482-4148

Coosa River W Festival October 3-5 nie Carden 334-272-0952

Ocoee Rodeo October 10-12 NC Susan Wilson 704-658-1332

East Coast Team Trials ay 28-30 TN South Yuba PeddIPaddle' West Coast Team Trial

1997 World Championship

World Cup # 1

World Cup #2 02-546-9214

02-546-92 14

American Whitewater May/June 1997 Registration for the weekend clinics and rodeo will be made on a first- come, first served basis on the day of the Festival at the AWA booth starting at the Adirondack River Outfitters put-in.

American Whitewater March/April 1997 American Whitewater nizes ColoraddMansas River Festival

American Whitewater is presenting the Colorado/Arkansas The festival will be held during the afternoon and evening of River Festival to be held on the Arkansas River on July 5th. The July 5th at the takeout to the world famous class IVlV Numbers festival is being added to American Whitewater's growing list of section of the Upper Arkansas as well as put-in to the class 11-IV annual events including the famous Gauley festival as well as Harvard EstateslFrog Rock run which ends 5 five miles down- the younger Kennebec, Moose and Deerfield festivals held in the stream in Buena Vista. The riverside location and easy access to East. Some of you may remember the Colorado festivals held on takeoutlput-in make this an excellent place to enjoy the festivi- the Arkansas over the past 3 years and organized jointly by the ties before or after your Arkansas River run of choice. The site is Colorado Whitewater Association (CWWA) and American located at Railroad Bridge approximately one mile downstream Whitewater. This years ColoradolArkansas Festival is funda- of rapid number five and the Otero Pump Station Bridge. Camp- mentally a new event sponsored solely by American Whitewater ing will be provided at the Railroad Bridge site with overflow and represents the expansion into the West of American camping information provided at the festival grounds Whitewater sponsored festivals. In conjunction with the festival will be the running of the The festival provides the setting for a fun and informative Colorado Cup Slalom races (contact: Chris Bainbridge at 719- gathering of paddlers to enjoy the spectacular waters of the Ar- 539-6681) and the CWWA triathlon a run, bike paddle contest kansas River and highlights conseGation and access issues (contact: Bill Baker at 303-972-8437). Classes will be for both which American Whitewater works to alleviate for all boaters pro-racing and recreational boaters in both events. There will nationwide. also possibly be an ender contest at the famed "ender rock".

Booths from a number of national and regional paddlesport companies will be there with kayak and equipment demos avail- able to festival participants. American Whitewater directors, staff and members will be in attendance to provide information on conservation and access programs and with American Whitewater membership applications. A silent auction and raffle will be held on Saturday evening with the proceeds going to American Whitewater's conservation and access programs.

Exhibitor and participant information is available from Landis Arnold, the event organizer and Jayne Abbot American Whitewater's Event Manager.

Landis Arnold c/o Wildwasser Sport P.O. Box 4617 Boulder, CO 80306 fax: (303) 444-2375 e-mail: [email protected] Mills Polartec Thermal Stretch which features the warmth of soft fleece laminated to a four- Jayne Abbot 450 Ivy Hill Road way stretch rubberized waterproof and Weaverville, NC 28787 windproof coating. Factory seam sealed with ph: (704) 645-5299 fax: (704) 645-6983 stretchy tape. Long and short sleeved paddling [email protected] jackets, shorts, pants and our Head Heater. We need your help to make this event a success. If you want CALL or WRITE for free 1997 Catalog to volunteer or be a part of the "Fest Committee", please give Landis or Jayne a call/fax/e-mail. Come join us July 5th for a and a list of dealers. rockin' good time!

American Whitewater May/June1997 Whitewater Freestyle Event Format and Judging Criteria The following is the long awaited event format and judging criteria for this years events. This is the same format that will be used at the World Championship this year in Ottawa and is required for all NOWR upper tier events. Funtier events are encouraged but not required to use this format.

Hole riding and Freestyle through a Rapid preliminary scores Whitewater Freestyle Event for finalists do not count in the final results. Format and Judging Criteria Kayak, C-1 Hole Riding - 2 runs of 60 sec., best score counts Event Format Open Canoe Hole Riding - 4 runs of 30 sec., best 2 scores count Preliminaries: Athletes are Squirt Eddy line - 2 runs of 60 sec., best score counts seeded in heats Hole Riding - 2 runs of 60 sec., best score counts Hole riding Tie Breaking The run begins as the paddler crosses the eddy line and con- If there is a tie in the finals for first place for K-1, C-1 or OC- tinues until the time limit, regardless of being washed out of the 1, both competitors will have a 60 second hole riding run - best hole and downstream. score wins - the other competitor automatically places second regardless of their score in the tie-breaking round. Kayak and C-1 If there is a tie for first place in squirt, the two competitors Hole Riding - 2 runs of 60 sec., both scores count will have either a 60 second hole ride or a 60 second eddyline Open Boat run - best score wins. They shall choose by mutual consent or Hole Riding - 4 runs of 30 sec., best 2 scores count the toss of a coin. Squirt If there is a tie for any place except for first place, all final runs of the tied competitors will be counted to determine the fi- Eddy line 2 runs of 60 sec. - nal position. If the tie remains after this formula, there will be Hole Riding 2 runs of 60 sec., all four scores count - no tie breaking hole run and the tie will remain. Freestyle through a Rapid (OPTIONAL FOR 1997 Open Boat Specifications NOWR EVENTS) and preliminary scores The depth of the boat must be at least 14 inches in the middle K- 1, C-1 and Open boat can compete in the Freestyle through 2 feet of the boat. a Rapid event. This event counts as 35% and hole riding as 65% .The gunwale line may not drop more than 3 inches from the of the preliminary score. The top score in each of the two events center of the boat's end. per class will be considered perfect scores (35 for freestyle and *Neither deck may exceed 22.5 percent of the length of the boat. 65 for hole riding) and the rest of the scores will be determined Tumblehome may not exceed 3 inches including gunwales and converted to percentages of those tops scores. This will deter- foam outfitting. mine the final score and standings for all competitors except for Floatation must be removable and attached only with cord. those who qualify for the finals. Squirt does not compete in the Completely solid bulkheads are not permitted. Bulkheads with Freestyle through a Rapid event. holes for knees are allowed. *There is no length restriction. Tie Breaking For K- 1 and C- 1 in the preliminary rounds, the tie will be Judges broken by the highest score for a single run of the two hole There are 5 judges with one scribe assigned to each judge. As riding runs. If the tie remains after this formula for the finals each move is performed, the judges verbally give a point value qualifying position, both competitors will advance to the finals. or letter to their scribe who records that number or letter. The In OC-1, the tie will be broken by the highest score for a judges should be close enough to confer, if necessary, but far single run of all four runs. If the tie remains for the final quali- enough away not to hear each other as they call scores to their fying position for the finals, both competitors will advance to scribes. Once the technical, style and variety scores are added, the finals. the high and low scores are eliminated. In the case of less than In Squirt, the best hole riding and the best eddyline run com- 5 judges, the top 3 scores will be counted. bined will count. If the tie remains after this formula for the fi- nals qualifying position, both competitors will advance to the fi- nals. Judging Criteria - There is no tie-breaking formula for the Freestyle through a Rapid event. Hole Riding Technical Score (cumulative) REVISED Februa y 4, 1997 Finals: Athletes are seeded by No points for entry onto the wave. No points for window shading. preliminary results One point for each 180 degree directional change in the hole or foam pile. Scribes would mark 1 on the scorecard (or two 33% of the class to a maximum of 12 and a minimum of 5 points forfill 360 degreejlat in the hole or foam pile). will advance to the finals.

American Whitewater May/June 1997 One point for an established front surf or front blast. From 1 to 10 for K-1 Women, K-1 Junior and C- 1 Scribes would write FS for front surfor blast and tabulators From 1 to 15 for K-1 Men would add one point. This is a subjective score given by each judge following NOTE: each run. The emphasis is on: - a front surf into a front blast does not constitute an ad- 'Boat control, timing and rhythm. ditional move. 'Use of the wave (more points are given for using all fea- - a directional change is not scored if it is broken by a tures of the wavelhole). surf. For example, a side surf left to a front (or back) surf, 'Artistic impression and choreography. then to a side surf right, would be scored one point for the 'Variety of moves is not included in this score. surf. - a one point directional change is scored for going from Variety Score (cumulative; MAX. POSSIBLE score of 10) a back surf to a front surf or vice versa. This is an objective score that will be added by the tabula- tors. The tabulators will add 2 points for each of the following Two points for an established back surf or back blast. moves that are marked on the scorecard: Scribes would write BS for back surf or blast and tabulators would add two points. Cartwheel Variety: Following each run, the judge will di- rect the scribe to mark on the scorecard an R if a 3 ended cart- Two points for off vertical end in the hole or foam pile (20 wheel (including vertical or off vertical ends) was performed to to 70 degrees and 110 to 160 degrees). Scribes would write 2 the right and an L if a 3 ended cartwheel was performed to the on the scorecard. left. These can be separate moves or linked by a directional change (split wheel). Three points for each vertical end in the hole or foam pile (70 to 110 degrees). Scribes would write 3 on the scorecard. L - More than 3 linked ends to the left vertical or off verti- cal. Two points for each directional change or flat spin from R - More than 3 linked ends to the right vertical or off ver- surf to surf on a smooth wave (without the use of the break). tical. Scribes would write 2 on the scorecard. D - Directional change or split wheel. 4+ Any move scoring 4 or more points including trophy Three points for each off vertical end on a smooth wave moves, pirouettes and vertical wave moves. (45 to 70 degrees NOTE: must be at least 45 degrees) (without S - Front or back surf or blast. the use of the break). Scribes would write 3 on the scorecard. Freestyle Through a Rapid Event Four points for each vertical end on a smooth wave (70 to 110 degrees) (without the use of the break). Scribes would Format (Optional Event for write 4 on the scorecard. 1997) Four points are awarded for directional changes while in the hole linking two vertical or one vertical and one off verti- Competitors will start in an eddy at the top of the event cal move (split wheel). Four points will be awarded for direc- rapid. The run will be considered complete when 2 minutes are tional changes while on a smooth wave linking two vertical up or when the competitor passes a point set by the course de- moves or linking a vertical and an off vertical move. Scribes signers of the event. would write D on the score card and tabulators would add 4 points. A team of course designers will establish the course and re- Four to five points for pirouette (four points for 180 pirou- veal it the morning of the Freestyle through a Rapid event. No ette, 5 points for 360 pirouette). Scribes would write 4 or 5 practice runs will be allowed after the course is revealed. The on their scorecards accordingly. team of course designers will be rodeo competitors who are not competing in the event. The team will consist of not less than 1 male, 1 female, 1 K-I, 1 C-1, and 1 open boater. Judging Criteria (continued) The course designers will set up 5 gates and will asses a Trophy Moves - Scribes put a T followed by the point value for each gate. If the competitor completes that point value on the score card: gate, those points will be added to their technical score. Com- petitors can also add points to their technical score by perform- Clean 360 - 8 points ing hole riding moves at various formations in the rapids. The Ainvheel (Airial) - 2 points for each end of a cartwheel hole riding scoring system will be used. A maximum of 10 that is extremely elevated and not supporting any of the hole riding points can be assessed at any particular formation. paddler's weight. Loop - 8 points A team of 5 judges will assess a style score for the run Retentive Pirouette - 8 points based on the variety of moves, paddling style and complete use Olie oop - 8 points. Must be completely airborne and most of the river. The top score in each class will be considered a of the 180 degree rotation takes place in the air. perfect score and the rest of the scores in that class will be as- Olie - 3 points. The boat must be completely airborne. sessed as percentages of the top score. This formula will be ap- plied to both the technical score and the style score. The two Style Score scores will be added together to get a final score for the From 1 to 5 for Open Canoe Freestyle through a Rapid event.

American Whitewater May/June7997 : His Doctor D padd helped Bob Campbell win the World Rode Championshil I

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ACCESSORIES AVAILABLE @ DISCOUNTED PRICES. Jackets, rescue ropes, canoe carriers, back rests motor mounts & much more.

American Whitewoter MayIJune 1997 Doug Gordan in the far lower left. Photo: J. McEwan r------c

Itwas a cloudy and cool day in July when we paddled to the Homathko valley, so we had arranged for a plane to meet us at the south end of Tatlayoko Lake. A stiff wind blew in our faces and a take-out. None of the bush pilots that we spoke to had ever picked faint drizzle was in the air. Ahead lay the Homathko River, which up any kayakers at Butte Inlet, but one had salvaged a few empty we intended to follow for its entire length to the sea at Butte Inlet, kayaks a few years back. He wasn't even sure that they had come some sixty-five miles away. Doug led the way, as he would fre- down the river. But he did say, "They sure were all beat up." quently, while Jamie and I followed. We moved our eighty pound It seemed very unlikely that our run of the Homathko would be boats slowly across the lake and into the cool head wind. a first decent, but it would be a first decent to us, and that was all Our information about the river was limited, but we knew that that mattered. Doug Gordon, trip leader and former U.S. Team the Homathko had plenty of whitewater. We would have to con- member, had been on several river expeditions. Jamie McEwan, tend with three canyons and the inflow from more than fifteen had been on the U.S. Team for many years and had won a bronze significant side creeks that pour down from glaciers and ice fields medal in the 1972 Olympics. My years of racing had not yielded thousands of feet above the river. No roads penetrate into the stellar results, but I had plenty of hair boating experience and was

American Whitewater Moy/June 1997 ready for whatever the with car sized boul- Homathko had to offer. I had ders. We dried our worked with Doug for months, gear near the fire planning, studying maps and while we ate and stud- readying equipment in prepa- ied TMj~~rmaps to see ration for this trip. what lie ahead. British Columbia is a Ca- The Homathko al- nadian province teeming with ready had plenty of wa- ancient forests, majestic ter. Maybe too much. snow capped mountains and Judging by high water rugged wilderness. Hun- marks left along the dreds, maybe thousands, of banks, the river some- glacier fed creeks pour down times ran much higher. from the Canadian Rockies But, it was clear that the and the Pacific Coast Moun- river wasn't exactly low tains into rivers that wind either. There would be through deep valleys and more tributaries ahead desolate canyons. Anyone arid things would be get- seeking a real whitewater ting big before long. adventure can certainly There could be no turning find one in B.C.. But there back. So, with that is little, if any, boater's in- thought in mind, we slept formation about many of along the banks of the these remote rivers. So, I ~omathko.It was a cool those who decide to night and a few drops of paddle them must be pre- rain fell on the tent. pared for more than a The next day started with test of their whitewater several miles of pushy rap- boating skills. The well ids. Eddies were scarce and equipped team should be we scouted frequently. The ready for the ultimate first big rapid was a solid challenge of their en- class V. It was a ten foot durance, resourceful- ledge, formed like an up- ness and their friend- stream vee, with an approach ship, because once on - through large crashing waves. the river, the only way The entire left side looked out is downstream. somewhere in the first 15 mi,es McEwan I horrendous. The "best" line The Homathko on that side would lead to a spilled from the end of the long, narrow lake chaotic, boiling cauldron that near a dilapidated shack perched on the water's edge. We found plunged over a second, smaller the tiny creek to be about twenty-five feet wide and flowing, per- drop. A boater too far left would be slammed into a nasty under- haps, 300 cfs. Small by any standard. None of our research had cut ledge that jutted out from shore. So, all this considered, we indicated how much water we might find at the river's origin, but decided to go down the far, far right. A nice theory. we were hoping for low volume and it seemed we had lucked out. Jamie peeled out into the current first, but found that getting Still, we had our first of many river side conferences to decide if to the right was tricky. The water was pushing hard for the left we should proceed. and he lost his line when he got a bad surf on a powerful, surg- "It wouldn't be an adventure if you knew everything that was ing eddy line. He tried to ride it out and work himself back to going to happen." the right, but was rejected and forced to commit to the turmoil That was our expedition motto. We buttoned up our dry suits on river left. Jamie drove hard for the center of the vee and and slipped silently downstream. plunged over the edge, disappearing in the chaotic foam pile be- The little river moved swiftly through a valley of birches and low. But he surfaced quickly and paddled over the second aspens. Within the first three miles, four creeks fed into the river, smaller drop with a huge smile on his face. His unintentional changing its clear waters to silty gray. Tributaries boosted the probe of the left convinced Doug and I to follow the same route, Homathko's volume quickly and within a few hours the icy river which we did, without incident. was running over 2000 cfs! We knocked off several miles of easy As we moved downstream every creek we passed was nearly rapids before coming to a section that was noticeably more steep bank full, pumped up by glaciers melting in the summer sun. and continuous. The river was getting powerful. Over the next The river got bigger with each passing mile and the gradient mile we scouted several times. steepened as the high canyon walls closed in upon us. We By late afternoon the head wind had become so strong that thought this section might be the Great Canyon that was shown paddling was difficult. Our faces were stung by spray being on our map, but a short stretch of easier rapids and the entrance whipped off the waves and it got cool as the sun fell behind the of Nude Creek from the right awakened us to the fact that it was mountains. We set camp on the shore of a long rapid and made still ahead. the best of a less than perfect site strewn with logs and piled high The river bent to the left and disappeared over a river wide

American Whitewater May/Junc 1997 horizon line. We approached cautiously and tried to get a look downstream, without success. I thought that I might get a better view into the canyon if I were to wade around a huge ledge that jutted out from the right shore. Doug reluctantly agreed chiding, "Wading only, swim- ming!" I tied off and was belayed around the rocky outcrop. I had no intention of getting myself killed, but I'm sure this move wouldn't win any safety awards. Unfortunately, my excursion around the ledge offered little insight to what lay beyond the canyon's bend. The rapids didn't look user friendly and there was no visible shoreline, only vertical canyon walls. I blew the whistle and they reeled me back upstream around the rock. THF$ DEATH MARCH We had anticipated a hard portage, but nothing could have prepared us for what lie ahead. It was late afternoon by the time we started up the left shore. The hillside was extremely steep and we had to haul our boats upwards, hand over hand, using our throw-ropes. Two guys would climb up to the base of a cedar or fir tree and toss a rope down to the third, who would hook up the boats. Once hauled up, they would be hooked into webbing around a tree or boulder to keep them from plunging back down, like plastic torpedoes, to the bottom. The third man would fre- quently have to scramble up with each boat to guide it over rocks or branches that interfered along the way. After five hours it was clear that we would never reach the summit without camping. It was nearly dark, we were exhausted and desperately thirsty. So while Doug and I scrambled back to the river for water, using a stow-float bag for a huge canteen, Jamie set up our mountainside bivouac. Our struggle seemed even more depressing when we were able to get back down to the river in only 40 minutes! The next day offered more of the same, although Doug did spice things up when he stepped on a bees' nest and was stung a dozen times. Near the top of our climb we were able to "double Experience the Best, only $995 carry", taking our gear and our boats in two separate trips. We would carry our gear a few hundred meters, ground it, then re- turn to get our boats. By noon we had reached the top of our climb - over 1200 vertical feet above the river! Still, snow covered mountains rose far above us. The view was spectacular and we could see several miles of river valley ahead. From this vantage we could use the compass to accurately locate our position on the map. This was important since we were well-away from the river and it would have been very easy to get lost in the dense forest. Finally, some- thing I'd learned in the Army put to good use! Getting down was tough. We sweltered in the sun as we care- Novice or Expert fully belayed our boats and rappelled down short, but steep, cliff these boats will perform for you faces and long slopes of unstable rock. The cool, wet weather of our first day was only a memory. Our drinking water was gone, Strategically reinforced to be lightweight and tough which made our decent even more trying. Solo &Tandem models: 12' to 14' 3" If things weren't exciting enough, a frayed grab loop on Amazing performance & stability Dry running 1Easy rolling Jamie's boat broke at the top of a long talus slope, sending the C- 1 careening and cartwheeling down the hillside. We stood awe- Custom Outfitting available;done according to your body structure, struck as his boat did barrel rolls down five-hundred feet of rock Future paddling style and progression slide before coming to rest against some downed trees. The air was filled with the anticipated smell of epoxy fumes as the boat's SATISFACTION GUARANTEED expedition lay-up was put to the "mother of all endurance tests." We scrambled down to find the boat had been given a solid and thorough beating, but, amazingly, it wasn't too badly damaged! We laughed hysterically and breathed a giant sigh of relief. We reached the river before dark and were rewarded with a ter- 14690 Nantahala Gorge, Bryson City, NC 28713 rific campsite on top of huge, moss covered boulders. Exhausted after not drinking all afternoon, we guzzled river water like men (704) 488-2386 who had been lost in the desert. Our view upstream revealed little 2362 Dresden Dr., Atlanta, GA 30341 about what lie inside the canyon we had spent thirty hours portag- (404) 325-5330 ing. Only big rapids sluicing between sheer canyon walls.

American Whitewater May/June 7997 BACK ON THE RIVER inched along. I diligently worked the rope that kept him from be- The next morning we paddled less than a mile before coming to ing swept downstream over the next drop. Within a minute he another canyon. We took out on the left and easily ferried across reached the other side and we quickly set up a rope for my un- Doran Creek, which lay in our portage path. The flooded torrent eventful crossing. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. combined with the Homathko to become a churning maw that fed Doug had found a great place to set up the zip line and had all into a long, narrow and spectacular gorge. Its vertical walls of our gear ready to go. Things went well and we moved our boats squeezed until the gorge was only fifteen feet wide and eighty feet and gear across the creek without any problems. Now all that re- deep! Our decision to portage was quick and we set out to get it mained was to get Doug to our side, so we could resume our done as soon as possible. The going was easy when compared to march. our previous ordeal and we were able to portage the second can- Doug came upstream to where we had crossed and looked yon in only five hours. puzzled, as if to say, "How the hell did you guys cross this mess?" We launched back into a narrow and boily rapid in mid-after- Communication was difficult over the roar of the rapids, but he noon. The river had become much more powerful and the eddies got the idea and began to fasten his gear for the crossing. Sud- were churning wildly. Even small, glassy waves surged to become denly, Doug slipped and fell into the creek and was swept to the munchy, crashing holes. Still, we managed to cover a few more very brink of the trashy boulder sieve! Luckily, he grabbed onto miles before we were forced out of our boats again to portage an- the same log that Jamie had used to cross and then the rope. We other short canyon. Now it was early evening, so we hauled our acted quickly to tighten the belay. Doug's fight to stay above wa- boats up to camp overlooking the short, violent gorge. ter seemed an eternity as he tried, without success, to work him- self over to our side. Finally he retreated and crawled back on shore, exhausted and visibly shaken. KLATTASINE CREEK To avoid further problems we set up a double rope traverse The next morning we were back on the river early, but found above the creek and Doug carefully shimmied across on the pre- ourselves portaging again within a mile. The Homathko was prov- carious bridge. We celebrated when he was finally safe on our ing to be a formidable challenge and even the portages took an in- side, grateful that this obstacle was behind us. After a tense two teresting twist. hours we had barely moved ahead fifty meters. Klattasine Creek, an extremely steep tributary that blocked our A few more hours of bush-whacking got us back on the river at path, made an otherwise easy portage into a major project. We mid-afternoon. We ran some really big whitewater and so covered were forced to set a zip line in order to ferry our boats and gear the next few miles in only an hour or two. There were a few above the water. Sure, this sounded simple, but we still needed to scouts and a few sneaks, but we were moving. We needed to move, get someone across the torrent in order to set and operate the too, because we still had thirty-five miles to cover including scheme. Doug sent Jamie and I upstream to find a sane place to Waddington Canyon. Our plane was supposed to pick us up the cross while he searched downstream for a narrow place to set our next day and we would only be on time if all went well. line. By late afternoon the rapids got easier and the valley opened We scrambled over a tangle of logs to an island and found a up. We became o~timisticthat the river's intensity had waned. narrow, but treacherous-looking possibility at the brink of a trashy &t then the ' walls choked in abruptly. drop. Jamie thought that We knew that we had he could ford the icy waters reached Waddington Can- on a partially submerged yon. Our map showed the log if I belayed him from narrow gorge with only shore. I studied the route one contour line crossing carefully and pondered his the river. Still, consider- plan. ing the size of the rapids "Jamie, I realize that you that we had run all after- know much more about this noon, we had serious res- type of thing than I do, but ervations about what lay ... Are you fucking nuts?" within the mile long can- "No, really, I see the line, yon. I can do it," he said. Once again we were I really thought that faced with a major scout- McEwan was losing his mind. ing problem. We could Maybe he had struck his head see nothing from the left somewhere along the way. shore except the begin- Disgusted, I stormed up- ning of the big entrance stream to find a better place rapid. We climbed high to cross, but returned above the river and still shortly, ready to face the grim saw nothing. Jamie reality. Jamie was right, this tried to climb up a bald was the best spot and I con- rock face for a better ceded that it would be my job look, but his footing to help him. broke loose and he was With belay rope set Jamie forced to retreat. Dis- began crawling across the log, gusted, we ferried to moving slowly as he struggled the other side of the to hold on with his arms. The river to see if that was rest of his body hung down- any more promising. stream in a body-surfing fash- Somehow, it seemed ion. The frigid water piled unlikely that we would against his chest and occasion- photo: J. Mctwan make our plane the ally surged over his face as he following day.

American Whitewater v Mayfine 1997 Our view of the canyon was I 500 vertical feet slightly better from the right. above the river. The first rapid had turned to Jamie went ahead to run-out and downstream we scout a manageable could see one big eddy against route down the the far left wall. The Homathko mountainside. He was moving like a runaway was obviously feeling freight train and the left shore pretty comfortable on was a three hundred foot wall! the rocks, so he Jamie and Doug went on a dragged us down the recon mission while I set up steepest, most direct camp. They returned late with route to the river. I indefinite results. Even from am not a climber so my high above the river they were butt cheeks were unable to see into the throat pinched pretty tightly. of the canyon. It's high walls We were on belay con- tapered back for thousands of stantly and the going feet, making any view of the was very slow. It took water impossible without nearly six hours to get to some serious rock climbing. the water. About half Their only observation was way down Jamie grinned that the sounds of the rapids and admitted sheepishly, seemed to be quieter. I was "I guess this is a little not put at ease. While an- steeper than I thought." other "Death March" wasn't appealing, it did seem bet- BACK ON THE ter than committing to a blind canyon. RIVER...FINALLY We discussed our op- Our difficult decent tions over a late dinner. ended as we dangled our For me, the decision was boats to the water and obvious. Paddling blindly Do climbed down to the swirl- into ~addingtonCan~on, ing eddy on some exposed tree roots. Not a great put- with well over 25.000 cfs. Photo: J. McEwan on the hunch that it sounded in, but everybody, especially "quieter" seemed a little reckless. We all had seen me, was glad to be back on other canyons upstream. They were chaotic, drowning machines the water. We drifted over to that would make a meal of anyone that chose to take them on. a gravel bar to fasten our gear and look back up into Still, Doug and Jamie seemed willing to paddle down to the far left Waddington Canyon. The big river was churning, but we still eddy for a look around the bend. The problem was that there was couldn't see any real rapids. We began to wonder if we had no way to retreat from that eddy if things looked bad. The current portaged in vain. was too strong to paddle back upstream and we had neither the From high above the river, during our portage, there ap- skills or equipment to perform a rope rescue from the high cliffs peared to be a long, playful rapid just downstream of the can- above. Outside rescue would be the only option. yon. But from water level we saw a major horizon line and felt While I admired their bravery, I did not admire their reasoning. the roar of a substantial rapid. The Homathko was plunging I was afraid that concern for getting out on time was clouding through the last major drop of the trip with Grand Canyon their judgment. Jamie more than Doug; but Doug seemed more size waves, huge crashing holes and giant log jams. This was worried for Jamie's sake. the river's last hurrah. The chaos stretched out before us for We would be a day late, so what?! I argued that our success nearly a mile. We ferried like our lives depended on it to the would be measured by arriving at Butte Inlet safely. The biggest far shore for a good scout, then began to work our way down failure would be for one of us to die, or to require outside rescue. the big rapid. It was mid-afternoon and we needed to reach We got ourselves into this thing and we would damn sure get our- Scar Creek, a logging camp three miles down. It was the only selves out! place within a hundred miles that had a radio-phone, and we The group discussion was emotional, but civilized. Now, the needed to contact our pilot and get word out that we were O.K. decision would rest on Doug's shoulders. He was faced with his The river moved at an incredible rate and we made it to toughest choice as trip leader. He would have to decide what di- Scar Creek within an hour, straggling into the isolated camp rection the group would go. The decision would be made in the like aliens from another planet. The place was quiet, with morning. I don't think that any of us slept soundly that night. most of the workers out in the forest. Only the camp cook and some engineering students were around. They were puzzled as to what we were doing out on the river. THE FINAL CLIMB "Aren't there rapids up there?" one asked. We got an early start up the hill. Although it was very steep, we The pilot had looked around for us the previous day while double carried much of the way. One section of exposed ledge on another pick-up, but didn't see us and figured we were run- forced us to use ropes, but only for a few hours. We worked fever- ning late. ishly to end what we hoped would be our final portage. After thir- 'Yeah, and your wife has been calling," he said to Jamie. teen hours we decided to call it quits. It was dark and we were We would need to meet the pilot the next morning, down at beat, having gone all day without stopping. We set camp in the the inlet, twenty-eight miles away. It was already late after- forest high above the river. noon, but we were determined to make Butte Inlet... even if we The next day offered the steepest terrain yet. We were still over had to paddle into the night.

American Whitewater May/June 1997 Jumping back onto the Homathko was like grabbing onto a roller-coaster. We careened towards the sea on swift, but easy rapids that were flowing at over 31,000 cfs. A little paddling moved up the pace and we were able to cover the twenty-eight miles in only three hours!! BEWILDERED Butte Inlet was strangely silent as we drifted in the calm water; amazed and bewildered. The last thirty miles had whizzed by in what seemed an instant. The previous thirty had taken us a week. We had completed the Homathko River, from the mountains to the sea, with our bodies and our friendships intact. For a week we had run huge rapids and endured horrendous portages. BACK BANDS Wasn't it funny? We had spent so much time, effort and planning to get our- SLALOM BIB SPRAY SKIRTS selves onto the Homathko. Once on the river we spent all of our energy trying to WHITE WATER SPRAY SKIRTS get the hell off of it. I guess that's what an expedition is all about. WHITE WATER SPRAY SKIRTS Our flight back up to Tatlayoko Lake answered a few questions and left others a WITH IMPLOSION BAR dark mystery. Waddington Canyon did appear runable from high above, but we never could see what lie inside the first Great Canyon. From thousands of feet above the river we sat in exhausted silence, gazing down into the valley we had just traversed. The roar of the plane's engine made conversation impossible. Maybe we could have learned more about the river if we had scouted by plane or helicopter beforehand. There were some horrendous portages, perhaps more than we would have liked. But, the real reward of the Homathko was that we went where only a few boaters have ever been. And, judging by our experience, its a place that few are likely to go. Sure, we could have studied more and planned every step of our way, using only the most reliable information, but SNAP DRAGON DESIGN ... 206-957-3575~~nuemx 206 -957-4547 ... It wouldn't be an adventure if you knew everything that was going to happen!

American Whitewater v May/June 1997 Well this race exists. It's called the Raid Gauloises, and it has been coined the "hardest and longest en- durance race known to man". This year's, the 8th, is Frenchman Gerrard Fussil's masterpiece. And what a place to have such an event. South Africa; a country of mixed races and religions. A country who's history of apartheid had sup- pressed 35 million blacks, coloreds and Indians for 42 years. Now the new, free South Africa, the Rainbow nation, would host the most gruel- ing competition known to man, on the most demanding terrain. In these very hills King Shaka led his fearless armies time and again against the invading British. The Brit- ish never once were victorious in The Umkomass proved to be a challenge to all the team, but I knew the river Photo: Outdoor Magazine battle, beaten by the land as much like the back of my hand, and so we quickly made time on the other boats. as by Shaka's lmpi (army).

American Whitewater May/June 1997 And to the North, So if it wasn't fame Lesotho. A natural, and fortune, then it impregnable fortress must be something that is home to the deeper...more primal. Basotho people. A Perhaps the need to Nation that even prove that in adverse Shaka was unable to conditions we could conquer. To this day survive. Perhaps, for Lesotho has retained me, it was the fact that its independence, all my life I had pushed despite being com- the limits of my sport pletely surrounded by technically, but not South Africa's bor- once had I pushed my ders. Above, a hole in body to those same the Ozone so large limits - not even when that it guarantees the I was training for the inhabitants skin can- Olympics. cer and any intruder - Finally, after 1 6 particularly those of hours of walking and fair skin - serious running, I fell asleep burns. with the knowledge Fifty teams would enter the race, but only 2 1 would finish in the rankings. The elimination of one member of a team results in immediate disqualification from the rankings, though the rest of the team may continue for personal satisfaction. But isn't that what this is about anyway? The financial gain is minimal - $20,000 for first place. Not much when you con- sider that it costs $15,000 to enter a team. And fame? Well, perhaps if you fall off the edge of a cliff in front of a helicopter. Short of that, there is not much chance of fame, either. My team consisted of Philippe Lepoul, a four time veteran of the Raid and French Olympic slalom coach; Kim Carter, a professional Triathlete ranked in the top ten world-wide; Jose Lopez and Peter Ndlovu, both sergeants in the South African Special Forces; and myself, a whitewater nut and enthusi- astic mountain biker and rock climber. Having been assembled only two weeks before the Raid, we were not expected to go far against the teams that had been training for the whole year. In fact, most people wondered why we were even here. And as I lay in a mud hut we had found after the first day's hiking up the face of the Drakensburg mountains into Lesotho, I, too, began to wonder the durability of why we were here. What had made us, five other- wise sane (clinically) individuals, take a challenge such as this. We knew that there was little chance Silver Creek that we would win the event, even with two highly skilled whitewater paddlers. After all, the French CANOE & KAYAK PADDLES team ErTips (who in fact won for the second year) 677 Silvermine Road Bryson City NC (704)488-9542 silvrcrhodnet.net had 5 time world downriver champion Giles Zok on their side.

American Whitewater that in the morning we would come to down to water level to film our speedy minutes to spare. To our surprise we Senqu river. There we would make our descents through the rapids as we were met by n/ cameras and photogra- mark. made steady progress. phers, climbing over themselves to get By 4am we were once again at our Tributaries constantly fed the Senqu a shot of our very unlikely team. In just near-run pace, up the face of a mountain and it swelled. The rapids became big- 6 hours we had passed 2 1 teams, and and back down the other side, arriving ger and the consequences of a flip moved into 12th position. finally in 33rd position at the beginning more drastic. Here and there we came But things would not run as of the first canoeing section. The con- across bits of gear from other teams smoothly from that point on, and we stant buzz of press helicopters guided us that were nowhere to be seen. So far struggled to hang onto our position. to the headwaters of the Senqu. Philippe's boat had flipped only once, One night all five of our head lamps There we picked out our inflatable but that was to change. blew and we walked in circles for Metezelers and began to pump them up, Tired, hungry and cold [we were hours, finally arriving at the checkpoint while the rest of our team members paddling at 9000ft. and it had begun in the wee hours of the morning, in packed our gear in waterproof bags. To to rain), I began to lose concentration. 15th place. one side, the French all-girls team, al- Suddenly I was pulled off the back of The following two and a half days of ready reduced already to four by the gru- the boat into the swirling water. I rose horse riding proved to be more difficult eling march through the African sun. On just in time to see the boat hit the next than we had expected. But we main- the other, another team like ours that hole sideways, and the canoe and its tained our position, walking the had walked through the night, worn and occupants were dumped into the wa- Lesotho ponies up the near vertical face ragged. ter. With only 30 minutes to go before of one mountain, just to slide down the We were three hours behind the lead- a compulsory stop was enforced (six muddy back-side of another and into a ers when we finally set off in our boats, o'clock being the cut-off time for safety flooded river. Across the mountainous three in one, two in the other. The only reasons), and 2 miles to go before the roof of Africa we went until we finally whitewater experience the other three end, it was imperative that we wasted arrived at the next check-point, in 17th team members had was two days in a no time. position. raft on an open river. Nothing had pre- Still in the rapid, we righted the ca- And now for the hard part. Nearly pared them for this tight, technical noe, and began to climb aboard. By 70 miles across some of the most rug- mountain stream. But they were not the time we exited the rapid we were ged terrain I have ever crossed on foot. daunted and fearlessly they pulled as we paddling again. As hard as we could For 32 hrs straight, with only 30 min- began to pass one team after another. we stroked. We rounded the last bend utes of rest, we plodded on, arriving at The casualties and pulled up to the finish with ten the top of Giant's Castle - the majestic were high. Here we monument towering came across teams Photo: Outdoor Magazine 10,000ft. only 120 sitting on the banks miles from the sea. starring blankly at There, once again in their torn, deflated 12th position, we be- boats. There, a canoe gan the mile long wrapped around a traverse across its face rock, its passengers to a 300ft rappel standing on the bank down to the cliff base. wondering how to With almost 1500ft of get the boat off. Our exposure, the going goals were immedi- was slow. And the ate, focusing each long day, exposed time on the next against the cliff in the team ahead, stroking sun,took its toll. hard until we passed We were never to them. By the half- continue on to the way mark we had next rafting section as passed 16 teams and a team. That night, at had established our- the next check point, selves as the fastest Philippe fell gravely ill; boats on the water a combination of diar- by 30 minutes. Press rhea from the water, helicopters ducked sun stroke and fa-

American Whitewater May/June 1997 ;y J/ Photo: Outdoor Magazine tigue. We spent the Airborne, we night with him, wait- waved goodbye to ing for the fog to lift so Jose and Peter, that he might be who would con- evacuated. Though we tinue to the end, slept, our first rest in hooking up with days, we were not the Belgian Cadac only to lose our stand- team that was ing [officially we were down to three now disqualified], but members. we were to succumb But Kim and I to more bad luck as were not to be the days passed. stopped so easily. Now in 30th posi- We had come this tion, we ran from far, and we were check point to check going to finish. So, point, passing one at dusk we took off team after another. on our mountain But a knee injury and bikes (careful to a weakened ankle on avoid the Raid doc- the opposite foot from tors that had been the weight compensa- attending to us all tion plagued me. Kim day), and began began to develop blis- the 150 mile cycle ters. By that night we were reduced pass over. After three hours one of the to the finish. A night and a day it iook to a hobble. We arrived at the put-in security choppers flew overhead, do- before we finally arrived. Though we for the next rafting section by mid ing it's 6pm sweep. We flagged it could not cross the line, we knew that morning, and there collapsed in the down. A rather interesting concept, I we had done it... that we had gone all medical tent, waiting our turn for a might add, pulling over a helicopter as the way to the end. miracle cure. if it were a taxi-cab. They returned min- Recovering at the five star Wild To our disgust all of the good rafts utes later with a pump. But there we Coast Sun hotel, stiff drink in one were taken and we were forced to de- were, stuck for the night on the side of hand, ice cream in the other, we were part with an unappealing barge with the river, rather than walking as we surrounded by the evacuees of other a leaky valve. The rafts were not sup- would have been had we completed teams, and the first finishers of the plied with a repair kit or pump, so we the first section of the rafting. Raid. There we waited for our team could only hope that the boat would The morning took us quickly to the members to finish, meeting them fi- make it to the next check point, where next check point, where we began the nally on the beach as they walked the we could pump it up again. 20 mile walk around the Deepdale last few hundred meters to the end. The Mkomaas has some very chal- gorge. The gorge boasts some of the lenging rapids. Every other rapid was best class 5 paddling I have done. Big While I congratulated them for their marked with a notice to scout or por- waterfalls, slides and holes, all mixed heroic finish, I could not but feel envi- tage. We paid no heed. I yelled to the into one... but this was not part of the ous of them. They had accomplished officials that it was my home river and Raid. that which I had set out to do... and I knew the way. I had, in fact, never in Neither Kim nor I were to finish. failed. They had realized that dream of my life been up that high on the river, Our injuries were so bad that we pushing their bodies to the very limits, and so each rapid was a complete crawled the last mile to the check point overcoming all obstacles, for the final mystery to me. We were on a time at the brink of Deepdale falls - a spec- goal. clock, the raft deflating quickly, but tacular 30 foot waterfall, 300ft wide. But there will be another time. The we began to pass one team after an- At its brink was a tellifer line that each next Raid Gauloises venue was an- other. By mid afternoon we had athlete had to cross in order to com- nounced at the award ceremony: The passed 10 teams. We were finally plete the walk to the second rafting Philippines. Already I am putting to- forced to stop, the boat was simply section. We were ordered off the Raid gether another team. There I shall en- too flat to continue. by the doctor and helicoptered out to deavor to accomplish what I failed to We pulled over and there we sat, the next headquarters for medical at- do this time. waiting for one of the helicopters to tention. American Whitewater v MayJune 1997 American Whi.t;ewater

Waterproof and compact, these flashcards provide -thespot refninden of wlldemess emergency procedures. SNAPCLOSING Tobice -- 1 covered: RMRREBCUE; Tag Lines for Phsand EntrapmmD, Z-Ckag, Chest & Sea Hamrws WoO MEDICAL: CPR 6 Rescue Breathing, Shwlda Dislocation, Spind Ijuries, Head Injuries. Hypothermia, Litters SURYIVAL: Priorities EVACUAnoN: Signaling Rescuers. Signaling-. w Hdic~pters

Safety Report describes over

near misses. The

These narratives contain many lifetimes of hard experience; readin them, while painful and unsettling, can help paddlers of all skill levels avoid making similar mistakes.

In these two books from Menasha Ridge Press Charlie condenses over home. 130 pp; softbound, $12.95 + $ two decades of hard lessons from the pages of American Whitewater. For more information contact: The American Whitewater Aftiliation ( P.O. Box 636 k- Margaretville, NY 12455 Phone: 914-586-2355 Fax: 914-586-3050 "Oh then the Aux Ecorces will be a step up for you." This was inevitably the remark the veterans made when they learned that the hardest river I had ever paddled was West Virginia's New. I was wondering just how big a step it would be.

But here we were, in the Northern Quebec wait as a consequence of the flooding. I agree Shipshaw. We drove through town to find the take- August twilight, trying to judge the level of the that if you aren't uncomfortable you aren't being out and joked about stopping at the curb-side car Aux Ecorces. Unfortunately, the gauges were challenged, but this extra day of waiting was go- wash the local fire department was having. We concealed by trees twisted onto bridge pilings, ing to be unbearable. I was eager to run, but to- probably looked like potential customers to them. 10 feet above the current waterline. The veter- morrow, not the next day! Didn't Robin and the We waved politely and continued to the takeout ans had to rely on a three year old sketch of a river gods know that I needed to sleep? bridge. They were a bit disappointed when, twenty concrete slab drawn in the margin of a 15 year The campground suggested the severity of minutes later, we were back-stymied by flood old guidebook written in French. Their discus- the flooding. Someone commented on the coat- damaged roads-and only wanted directions. sion focused on how many inches the slab ing of dirt three feet up on all the vegetation. I Even though our party's French consisted only should be showing in order for the river to be foolishly attributed it to road dust, but then ob of the refrain of the Beatles' "Michelle," Robin and runnable. Their uncertainty was balanced by served that the dirt was plastered to everything Norm Fairhunt, our 62 year old birthday boy, at- two facts: this part of Canada had been pounded in all directions -the result of being submerged. tempted to get directions. The firefighters eventu- by flood waters in July, and we were going to be The alarming aspect was that the nearest water ally grasped what we wanted. As men will do, they among the first to get back on the river. After 15 now was a lake more than 300 yards away! All congregated and argued in French about the best minutes our trip leader, Robin Willard, an- that water had come from somewhere, and that way to the bridge. Realizing this was draining man- nounced we would tackle something different in somewhere was the Aux Ecorces. Now my power from his carwash, the chief broke up the the morning and return in the evening to re- dreams, if I slept, would be filled with strainers dithering by indicating he would ride along and di- check the slab. The veterans wondered if the and fresh, jagged rocks. rect us to the bridge. I felt certain that bold actions river had changed; I wondered if I was ready. The next morning the female mosquitoes like this had elevated him to his current rank. All I'd heard about for the last five days was rose to a breakfast of blood. They wouldn't be The put-in for the Shipshaw is on raft company the Riviere Aux Ecorces. This was to be the cen- disappointed. But I was determined to suppress land. There is a nice picnic area next to it with a terpiece of the Greater Baltimore Canoe Club's their appetites for mine. I sat in my poorly ven- glassy three-boat susfing wave extending into a two week Canada trip. Mentioning it always pra tilated K-Mart tent and pumped DEFT-Plus all grabby hole. It was easy to imagine moonlit ro- voked debate regarding its ranking with the Up over. After I stopped coughing and my eyes deos. Our downstream progress was delayed per Yough and Upper Gauley. With only two cleared, I realized I had just broken nearly every while we played. years of experience, I only aspired to run those safety warning printed on the label. At least I Once downriver we previewed our scenery for "Uppers". But, here I was, skipping over those didn't drink any of it, and the mosquitoes were the next four days. Dark, tannic water and vivid to run a river that might be even more difficult. staying away. green foliage, broken only by the white trunks of In addition, no one could be sure of what lay in Our substitute river for the day was the the birch trees; all under a canopy of deep blue

American Whitewater May/June 1997 Trip leader Robin Willard running the second drop oi Doulik Ledge on tk411x Ecorc~s. sky. But mud stained trees knitted horizontally This route had slim lines on left and right, with a easy?" was my new question. into the tree line detracted from the splendor. jagged, rooster-tail fdled sieve occupying the ' That ni&t we celebrated Norm's 62nd The veterans were eager to see if the Shipshaw center. The right line was the most accessible, birthday by letting him choose the restaurant. had been altered by the recent flooding. but it had bridge piling rebar at strainer level He picked the "green one over there." French- Unfortunately, one thing that had not that extended into the tongue. To access the Canadian pepperoni pizza perplexed the group. changed was the "lake/drop" nature of many left line required negotiating a hole directly Some claimed it was salami, others swore it to Eastern Canadian rivers. The "lakesn exact a above the sieve. No margin of error existed be- be a low-grade lunchmeat conglomeration. Oth- price of patience and endurance for the good of tween glory and a nasty grating. My decision ers actually believed it was pepperoni. We also whitewater. We ran several class III and IV rap- should have been easy, but my judgment was learned that "barbecue chicken" in French ids, one requiring a brief scout. Then we distorted by anxiety and the flatwater drudgery. means french fries smothered in beef gravy and reached an unrunnable waterfall. We admired it, After some internal debate I came to my senses cheese. Katie, our youngest paddler at 14, fared portaged it, then began our one and a half hour grabbed my boat, and walked like everyone else. best by bringing McDonald's from next door. flatwater grind to the takeout. Everyone, that is, except for Chris Paraino. Our hostess from the "green one over there" The whitewater on the Shipshaw had kept Chris didn't spend much time on the bridge frowned at this manuever. By the time we left a my mind off the pending Aux Ecorces trip. With deciding. He was joining us fresh off a 17 hour visit to the bridge to view our slab was out of that behind, my questions about the big run be- drive from Baltimore and a week old descent of the question. For me it would be another night gan to resurface. How big a step up was the the Upper Blackwater. He wasn't here to walk of speculation. Aux Ecorces? Was I ready? Should I excuse my- the class five stuff. He only paused long enough The next morning our visit to the bridge self and run something different? Considering to allow us to set safety on shore and in the pool over the Aux Ecorces showed the concrete slab all the downed trees, could rapids still be por- below. Once preparations were completed, we still under too much water. The substitute for taged? Relief from all this nagging came in the watched him run our walk. He started in the today would be the Belle Riviere. As best we form of the last rapid above the takeout. I never pool from river right, crossed a pushy current, could decipher, the Belle is rated a continuous thought class VI water could be a relief. crested the guard wave, then slammed into the class III, with three class VI's. After scraping We scouted this monster from the flood- hole above the sieve. He side surfed it to the through the first two rapids, we tried to buoy closed bridge at the bottom of the rapid. River left, peeled out into the tongue and whooshed our spirits by talking about rivers that start bony, left and center offered class six drops into giant to the bottom of the rapid. Clean as a whistle! but develop into great runs. But now hand pro- hydraulics. River right offered a class five sneak. "Why do some paddlers have to make it look so pulsion was getting equal time with the paddle.

American Whitewater Mayllune 7997 66 Fbrun

Kim Willard on the last drop of the Aux Ecorces.

When there was water, it was just enough to get shrugged and shook their heads. Flood damage met us at the put-in; what had pinned. Soon we were sitting on our decks in Minutes later an older man pulled up on an been a cozy riverside chalet was now nothing the middle of the river, eating lunch, realizing ATV and unfurled a topographic map of the re- more than a foundation. With that to our backs that this river was a bust. Yesterday we com- gion. Using recognizable points, we learned we began our "fun run." The first two rapids de- plained of the "lake/dropn nature of the that our seven mile paddle was actually sup livered as billed. We picked our lines with a pre- Shipshaw. Today we had "continuousn. Too bad posed to have been 14. Our shuttle van was mium on surfing waves. In the pools below, we we had no water. If we had known that "Belle probably awaiting us downriver at a bridge too congratulated one another on good surfs. Smiles Riviere" in French means "dry gulch", we would far away. Another resident offered a ride. By and laughter all around. have taken our chances on the raging Aux the time Bob and the van were reunited with us, Then the metamorphosis began. The mood Ecorces. the sun and temperature were going down. Re- of the trip reflected these changes. The "fun" The grueling character of our seven mile trieving the other vehicles would take at least an run was now an exploratory descent of a new scrape did not hide the extreme flood damage hour. river. The rules of the day also changed. We around us. There were the usual mud stains and Back at the take out we found the others now played follow the leader through the new felled trees, but there were also entire hillsides sitting comfortably around a fire and sipping hot rapids, Chris taking probe. In the pools below that had slid into the river. Large sections of the tea in the back yard of a chalet. While we were we congratulated each other on dodging this river bed were studded with new, sharp rocks. exchanging raunchy jokes, they had been ex- hole or avoiding that pinniig rock. Now the After six hours of manual labor we arrived at changing pleasantries with their French-Cana- smiles were grim and the laughter was nervous. the take-out. There was the bridge, or what was dian hosts. The Metabetchouan turned out to be a good left of it. There were the summer chalets. There The next morning we were back at the Aux test, but I suspected that tomorrow would be was the road. The only thing missing was Ecorces bridge for another look at our concrete the final exam. This was our fourth night in shuttler Bob Opatchko and the van. We hauled slab. It had dropped, but still not enough to suit Hebertville, two more than we'd intended. Next our boats from river to shore, (there was very Robin and Norm. Today's substitute would be day we would run the Aux Ecorces, regardless of little distinction), and began to look for Bob. A the Metebetchouan. Robin, his wife Kim, and the amount of water in it. I hoped I was suffi- crowd of 20 locals quickly gathered to gawk at Norm assured us it would be fun since the Met ciently tired to sleep. the foolish folks who had just crawled down was a continuous class III. This was going to be Monday morning arrived with a scud of low, their waterless river. We asked if anyone had a great way to spend a day waiting for the Aux gray clouds; a contrast to the three days of seen a blue van. They looked at each other, Ecorces to drop. blue sky. I wondered if it was trying to warn

American Whitewater Moy/June 1997 me of something. I kept telling myself that bend. My jitters reappeared. this was just a normal phase of the jitters. We Jeff, a solid Class V boater with years of drove to the bridge for one final peek, then experience took charge of reuniting the each paddler made hislher decision. Some de- group. After seeing the failed shore rescue cided to go back to the Met but I suppressed and swim, I was eating plastic just by sitting the urge. Evening rendezvous plans were set, in the boat. Jeff shouted to follow his line and the groups split, and our adventure began. If catch all his eddies. We continued in that growth is the result of being uncomfortable, I manner for about 200 yards until we rounded was in a spurt. the bend and the group waved us in from The day was eventful from the start. The shore. Chris was fiddling with a broken road to the put-in became impassable so we breakdown when Norm spotted and retrieved had to put in upstream. The result was as ex- his two week old Silver Creek paddle. We ate tra three miles of flat water on a six mile a small snack, then shoved off. whitewater run. More time to think, just The river continued as III/IV until we what I needed. There was no chitchat at the heard a roar. This was "On the Wall." The put-in, only Robin reminding us to double- scout from river left was not encouraging. A check our ropes, breakdown paddles, extra massive hydraulic yawned from the cl'i on food, med kits, and river saws. There was no river left to a pinning rock right of center. way of knowing what we would encounter The old sneak on the right was now a maze of downriver and Robin wasn't going to let us exposed jagged rocks thanks to the recent get caught unprepared. Norm broke the si- flooding. We saw no rumable line, and on lence by telling a story about a silent put-in first look, no feasible carries, either. After before running Lava Falls during a Grand Can- some scrutiny, Robin spotted a one boat eddy yon trip. It produced no conversation. If I just above the gallery rocks on river right. had been the only one brooding I would have The move was to ferry between two holes, written it off, but everyone not talking was then catch the must make eddy. A miss too much. meant a certain pin. The uncomfortable feel- Action is what I needed. Instead, I got ing that accompanies challenge and growth three miles of flatwater. Of course, I paddled reappeared. We all pulled it off without a solo far in front, accompanied by my jitters. hitch. Jeff Charuhas paddled up. As I said "It could Around the comer Triple Drop lurked. be worse, it could be raining," it began to We boat scouted and ran the first two, then rain. That produced a good laugh that was shore scouted the third. Satisfied that the broken by the roar of the first rapid. third was runnable, Chris, Robin, and Norm Double Ledge is its name. Norm re- showed the way. Seeing each of them suc- minded us to carry our ropes on every scout, cessfully take a slightly different lie made me since you never know what will happen. feel better. Below this rapid was a 12 foot wa- Chris ran first after we scouted and set safety. terfall, our last scout of the day. Emboldened Inspired by his success and eager to focus on by Chris's example, we all took the plunge. action, I ran second. It was a great tonic for We had smiles on our faces as Robin told us a case of the jitters. All speculation was ban- that the last section of the run after the ished once we were committed to the run. In confluence with the Chicoutimi was nothing the pool below Robin offered us a last chance more than continuous class 111. Robin to take the road back to the trucks. We all de- claimed we could "put our paddles on the clined. deck and relax." 'The next scout was for a river wide hole This description was very appealing to us with a slim line on river left. Before we could after all our flat and whitewater exertion. say we were walking, Chris was back in his Too bad is was no longer accurate. Yes, the boat, angling for the sneak. Fortunately, we Chicoutirni was continuous, but since the all had our ropes, because the "linen fed back flood it was class N. There were new rocks, into the hole. Chris was immediately drawn holes, and drops. Once again we were play- in and side surfed, desperately trying to get to ing follow the leader through the rapids. This the exit. But the hole was not cooperating. section had been rearranged just lie the Robin hit him with a rope, but Chris window Metabetchouan. shaded. When he came up, the rope ap- Eventually the whitewater surrendered to peared to be twisted around his chest. flat water and we were into the two mile After another power roll, he wet exited, paddle across Lake Kenogami. Once again, I leaving his boat in the hole. Two more ropes was out in front, alone with my thoughts. failed to reach him, but, by then, he was in an This time I wasn't harassed by my fears and eddy watching his boat and other gear wash anxieties. They'd been subdued five hours downriver. Robin, Kim, and Norm jumped in earlier at Double Ledge. Instead, I was bask- their boats and raced to collect Chris and the ing in elation and confidence. The floods of wreckage. Jeff and I policed the ropes. July had changed these rivers, and in a small When we finished, we realized that everyone way, they had changed me, too. else was somewhere downriver around a left

American Whitewater May/June 1997 The Academy's at A.Q's champa classroom, overlooking the Rios Cangreal, outside of La Ceiba, Honduras.

American Whitewater May/June 1997 Academy student Adam Boyd and friend, at Roatan Island, Honduras.

Our journey began on a cold through drive landed everyone in San January 17th, 1996, with extreme Antonio, Texas, the rendezvous for boater, Willie Kern; Academy educa- our assault on Central America. tion coordinator, Josh "Bonesn Here we met with student athletes Murphy; and myself ("el jefe" - Ethan Winger from California and roughly translated into "the bossn, I Will Peterman from Idaho, plus sla- think!), putting the final touches on lom coach, Lee Leibfarth. Our crew van #l. Next, four of the six students was finally complete. A stop at The accepted for the Winter term, Adam Alamo (our first history lesson!) and Boyd, Kyle Marinello, Justin Souter we were off towards Mexico. and Silas Treadway, arrived with We are not quite certain what the their gear. Mexican customs agents thought of "Everything loaded?" Bones our group. Personally, we didn't care, asked the assembled crew. We nod- as long as ALL of our boats (over 30) ded and were off. Two hours south, and all of us got to the other side of we realized that Will's C-1 was not on the river. Mexico provided us with board. Thanks to my wife, Kitty, and some of the more interesting mo- a side trip to pick up Academy tutor, ments of the journey, beginning with Laura White, the boat and group our first few days at expatriate Ida- were reunited, with little loss of time. hoan Grant Arnaral's whitewater op- In North Carolina we picked up eration. The multiple drops of the our second van, plus rodeo coachltutors Shane Benedict Micos Cascades proved to be an excellent venue for a test (men's World Rodeo bronze medalist) and Jamie Simon flight of Shane's new Perception Whiplash prototype. In (women's World Rodeo champion) and who would come to the evening several students tested the patience of one be our eventual savior, Spanish tutor/teacher/interpreter, large (and angry) tarantula as it crawled across the ter- Whitney Lonsdale. An uneventful, though tiring, straight race! Too soon, it was goodbye to Grant and on to the ruins of Palenque and the cascades of Aqua Azul in Kyle Marinello gets a face shot on the Rio Cangreal, Honduras. chiapas,-~exico. We'd been warned about entering Chiapas due to recent Zapatista uprisings, yet the lure of amazing ruins and big drops was too much k for us to ignore. Seeing the stunned faces of - -- our students as they exited the jungle and en- tered the clearings at the Palenque ruins would please any teacher. Where in the U.S. can you climb up, down, around, and though a major historic site? Our students were to- tally blown away at the immensity of Palenque, as they touched and studied an- cient Mayan history. Loud hoots from the trees proved to be several Howler monkeys, also having a field day. That evening, we ar- rived in the valley of the Aqua Azul. Turquoise blue water is hard to imagine unless you have seen it with your own eyes. The cascades of Aqua Azul came to U.S. at- The Academy's Ethan Winger, slalom training in Honduras. tention with a photo ad of Jeff Snyder drop- !! ping off lofty Postcard Falls. But Jeff's boat and body took a bit of a beating on that pio- neering descent. The 15 - 25 footers upstream,

American Whitewater May/June 1997 looked exciting enough. Yet, as the photolvideo crew followed the group down the river, it soon became evident that Willie Kern, our education coordinator, was going to take - the "Postcard Plunge." Postcard Falls is a riverwide wall over 50 feet high, which terminates in a travertine pool. After a few looks over the brink, Willie's bright blue Hurricane slipped over the edge and into thin air. As Willie swam his slightly tweaked boat over to the pool's edge, the grin on his face told the whole story - Awesome flight! Our stay at Aqua Azul ended with a flip and dive contest from some of the lesser drops. An evening dinner of fried chicken and fish (eyeballs and all!) and it was time to head for Guatemala. Shooting photos of armed troops is not a The Academy's Will Peterman, slalom training in Honduras. suoer idea we reminded Bones at our last Mexican gas stop! Traveling across Central ~mericanborderswith a group of young students can be a two hours), we would be met again, on the other side. physical and mental challenge. We'd heard all of the "hor- Sure enough, once safely through the burning tires and ror stories" about traveling through these countries, but so mobs of locals, a new police cruiser greeted us and, with far, few problems. At the Guatemalan border we were met blue lights revolving, led us to the border. In retrospect, by our National police escort, arranged through the em- having the police escorts certainly helped allay some of bassy. Several hours later, after wrangling with the cus- the jitters that we (and the students' parents) had about toms people ("yes, we need all of those boats - no we are not crossing Guatemala. Entering, passing through, and selling them in Guatemala"), we were off to Antiqua, our leaving Guatemala proved to be one of the easiest parts of stop for the night. our journey. Now, came Honduras. An amazing city, Antiqua. Students from throughout Dick Eustis of Rios Honduras, our host, had warned the world come there to study Spanish. Our students were us to take the "highland" border. So had Ray McLain and enthralled by the sidewalk shops and learned first hand Tom Foster, who had made this trip only a few months the ancient tradition of "bargaining." Soon everyone was before en route to Costa Rica. However, our escorts were bedecked in colorful shirts. concerned with the poor condition of the dirt road and suggested we take the "main border" instead. What a PROTEST mistake! Senorita Whitney, to the rescue. After three This brings us back to the beginnings of our story. As hours of wrangling with customs agents (BIG customs the smoke billowed and traffic crawled to a halt, we agents) and negotiating bribes, Whitney managed to learned that this protest involved the National Police. Evi- whittle $600 down to $30. dently some recent murders in the local village had gone Now we were off into the wilds of Honduras - in the unresolved. The National Police were being blamed for dark, no less. We'd been told, several times, not to drive turning their backs and supporting the local "mafia." Our at night. After dark the roadways become mass foot wise escorts assured us that once the protest cleared (about paths. Plus, most Central American drivers honestly be- lieve that using their car lights will drain their battery. But we had no choice! We eventuallv crawled into Santa Rosa se Copan around 9 The Academy's cadet star, Scott Mann, getting a "second helping" on the Ocoee.

-.p.m., found a place to stav.--d and-~---- a- decent~ ~ pizza joint. Late afternoon the following day we ar- rived in "The Land of El Norte." This weather phenomenon sweeps through 4 coastal Honduras frequently, bringing tor- rential rains to the region. Just our luck, an "El Norte" had just blown through, flooding the roads and delaying our move into our living quarters. No problem, Dick arranged for us to stay at a wonderful, beach front ho- tel in La Ceiba. The surf was literally UP (about 8-12 feet), providing the gang with several days of outrageous shredding. Two days later, we moved into our beach front house. For the next six weeks the staff and students took in American Whitewater v May/June 1997 all of the sights, sounds, and experiences of Honduran living. Our new found friends, Pepe and Kent, opened their champas and properties to us, providing the finest in slalom and rodeo training sites on the Rios Cangreal, as well as the "coolest" classroom in the World. Where else can you study AP Chemistry from a hemp hammock, then, to cool off, just climb on the railing and drop three stories to the river below? We also learned a lot about Central American rules and regulations. Whitney had to appear in court (and get fined), be- cause I had ignored a police officer the day before (l' wasn't wearing my seat belt!). After a while, we all got used to carrying $30 in lempiras to pay fines. We learned to heed advise about peeling ALL fresh fruits and veggies - a bout of amoebic dysentery for almost ev- eryone. We took in the beauty (and frailty) of the surrounding jungles, islands, and reefs. A weekend flight to Roatan Island provided hours of world class snorkeling (watch- ing Kyle swim after 3 ft. barracuda, not a great idea!). One field trip to a local nature reserve taught us volumes about rain forest destruction. The destroyed chainsaw monument required no explanation. Hiking into the Pico Bonito National Preserve, the countries highest and most remote peaks, provided hours of tramping among the flora and fauna of Honduras. Above all, we learned about the warmth and friendli- ness of the Central American people. Playing soccer with Silas Treadway, shredding up the "holodeck" playhole on the Rio Cangreal.

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American Whitewater the kids down the beach (even at age 8, they kicked our butts), taught our students more Spanish than any book. Being awakened each morning by Carlito (the young son of our campesino caretaker) setting off the van's alarm system, though annoy- ing, was somewhat amusing. Fi- nally, there was young Friday. He watched over our slalom gate 24 hours a day to be sure that the locals didn't take the much coveted wire and string (which we gave to him and the locals at the end of our stay). We also felt guilt and pain as we watched little kids dig through our garbage at the local dump. The scene reminded us that we were but "wealthy" Americanos in a very poor and simple culture. Our six weeks in Honduras came and went too fast. As a big "thank you" for our new found friends and neighbors, The Academy staff and students hosted the first Rio The Academy at A.Q.'s, Nathan LaBrecque, tearing it up at the Ocoee. Cangreal Whitewater Festival. Be- ginning with a slalom race in the

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American Whitewoter v MayIJune 1997 morning, the Festival continued with a rousing whitewater Potomac Festival and Great Falls Race. rodeo contest in the afternoon and, as the daylight turned Justin and Adam graduated from high school to dusk, concluded with an outstanding barbecue at Pepe's (Justin to Fort Lewis, CO and Adam to champa. The next morning, we all said goodbye to our Emory University, GA). Adam, Kyle and hosts and started the long drive home. Will were top honors students; Kyle's Our trip home provided The Academy students with Kellogg's kayaking commercial aired on more opportunities to learn about and absorb the past and National TV. Adam went to Europe and present. The ruins at Copan, though not as awe-inspiring brought back the first C-1 medal since 1988 as those at Palenque, provided a more in depth look at the in Junior International competition. Will, archeology of the Mayan culture. Within a few short days, Ethan, Kyle, Adam and their team mates we were once again passing the long lines of cane trucks, went to Junior Olympics, bringing back tons en route to the sugar refineries in Mexico. Then, it was of gold, silver, and bronze, as well as the back across the border (were we supposed to stop at Mexi- "Team Trophy" for most medals won. Adam can Customs?) and onto U.S. soil. The U.S. customs agents wins the C-1 bronze medal at the '96 were a bit surprised that we had completed a 4000 mile pre-World Rodeo Championship and finally, journey with all of our "stuff." Would we do it again? In a Ethan, Kyle, and Adam win big at the Ocoee heartbeat. But in the wise words of our host Dick Eustis, Rodeo. "Driving to Honduras once is an adventure, twice is a pain The ending? No, this is just the begin- in the neck." The next time, we'll fly! ning of The Academy at AQ story. This Win- Was The Academy experience worth it for our students? ter of 1997 saw 14 Academy students and 6 We'd think the results speak for themselves. All six ath- staff, living, training, and studying in New Zealand. Based letes returned to the United States, fully prepared to re- on it's success, The Academy has been given the green light turn to their home schools, as well as to immediately enter to begin developing it's own curriculum. Our eventual goal their competitive seasons. Silas and Adam qualified for is to become a fully accredited school for competitive pad- Olympic Trials; Kyle made the Junior U.S. Team; Justin dlers, skiers, snowboarders, and adventure oriented stu- won the Junior K-1 class at the first Eastern rodeo of the dents. The World is a huge classroom. We want to utilize I season. Silas, Kyle, Justin, and Adam cleaned house at the every inch of it.

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American Whitewater May/Junel997 farious. The point of risk is when passing through foaming water. There may or may not be a classic hole; nevertheless, the foam indicates some sort of depres- sion in the river bottom which by defini- by Dana Edward Castro tion must have rocks at the downstream If you think that you are too much of most often with a happy smile on the end. If there is significant gradient and an expert for it to happen to you, don't paddler's face. This is, in fact, quite fun the underwater rocks at the downstream read this. If you think you know all the almost all of the time. But the paddler end of the depression are craggy or tilted techniques for avoiding vertical pins don't has unknowingly learned to rely on a upstream, then the possibility of a "verti- read this. If you think you "do ok" and technique that could one day prove lethal. cal pin" exists. It is of note that while that technique articles oriented toward The essential factor to understand is figure 3 depicts a kayak pointed dead safety are either for the extreme boaters the action of the water on the boat once downstream, there is typically at least a or for the safety-techno-nerds, then don't the boat has been stopped by an obstruc- little angle to the side, with water going read this. But if you think you might tion. If something such as a submerged somewhat diagonally across the stem. have something to learn, or at least could wck or projection prevents the stem from Paddlers still in the earlier part of their do with some review of a critical subject, swinging downstream, water will immedi- learning curve should know that this can read on. ately start to pile over the stem, sinking occur easily on intermediate, class 111 riv- The vertical pin. If there is a the boat, even crushing it on the bottom. ers, especially when rocky! kayaker's nightmare, the vertical pin is it. Minor and/or momentary instances of this Considerable creative effort has gone Nothing is quite so overwhelming, terrify- probably have happened to nearly every- into finding a way to help paddlers sur- ing, and unpredictable as the vertical pin. one who has ever savored whitewater. vive vertical pins. Breakaway cockpit Giant recirculating holes, undercut rocks Well, guess what? It doesn't take rims, quick release foredecks, keyhole and strainers, while also potentially lethal, much water velocity and flow to generate cockpits, handles or ropes on the back offer visible waming signs in most cases. enough downwards force to sink even a deck, and even breathing tubes through Horizon lines with steam or flat foamy high volume boat to the river bottom. In the spray skirt have been or are available. water behind them, or rocks with little or short order the paddler pulls the spray The keyhole cockpit in particular is a no upstream pillow, or the presence of skirt (now there isn't even much buoy- great advance. And the rescue technique sticks or logs protruding from the water ancy left), and tries to get out. Well, try of the tag line, as described by Charlie are signs that even intermediate boaters getting out (even of a keyhole cockpit) Walbridge (American Whitewater: Janu- can recognize. A deliberate effort to rec- with a 300 pound gorilla pushing on your ary 1997), is something all paddlers ognize these signs, coupled with constant back. How about a 1,000 pound gorilla, if should know. alertness make these threats reasonably the current is really fast? Sure, high vol- What I am suggesting here, though, is manageable. ume symmetrical boats like the Freefall, based on the idea that "it is easier to stay However, the vertical pin typically the Mongoose, the Crossfire, etc., are a out of trouble than it is to get out of gives no waming. You may be precisely little more resistant to this situation, but trouble." There are a couple of techniques on what you think is the best line. You if you think it can't happen to those sort that can be incorporated into one's pad- may be within inches of the line taken by of boats, think again. And the new gen- dling style that will significantly reduce the previous dozen boaters. One moment eration of nimble surf boats like the Hur- the risk of encountering a vertical pin. As you feel in control, then BAM, you are ricane, Sleek, and Pirouette S/S are tailor a beginner 15 years ago I experienced stuck solid, under water, with a fire hy- made to snag the bow, and sink the stem, several vertical pin situations. But in the drant pushing you from behind, wrapping and settle down for a little siesta on the last few years it has not happened, despite you around the front of your cockpit rim. bottom. Those wishing to enjoy these spending most of my time in squirt boats, Yes, the vertical pin is another story. boats need not despair, however; for, as and, more recently, plastic boats such as The vertical pin, as it is called, is we will see, they offer certain distinct ad- the Perception SS and now the Whip-It. I somewhat of a misnomer. They are in vantages to those willing to leam how to would be the last person to say "it can't fact rarely vertical; while the bow of the exploit them... happen to me", but the routine use of the boat is by definition lower than the stem, Below is an illustration of what I techniques I will describe makes the likeli- the boat may be steeply pointed down, or, would call a "low angle" vertical pin oc- hood less. I did not invent the techniques in some cases, down only a little lower cumng in the midst of a rapid. I describe below. However, while the ma- than the stern. What all vertical pins have Being even more unexpected than jority of paddlers can "boof' adequately in common is that while running down- those which occur in steep and narrow over a ledge into an eddy, fewer under- stream the bow of the boat has been chutes, low angle pins are even more ne- stand the application of boofing to "nor- stopped by an obstruction. Something then keeps the boat from pivoting around the obstruction and floating free. Water coming downstream pours onto the back of the boat holding it there, often with an enormous force, far in excess of the buoy- ancy of even high volume boats. While it is easiest to visualize this occurring in a steep narrow chute lined by rock walls, it is important to understand that it also can occur when rock is not visible above the surface. Even on popular intermediate rivers one often sees boaters plunge over small ledges and pourovers, the boat div- ing deeply, then popping to the surface,

American Whitewater May/Junr 7997 mal" paddling to reduce the risk of pitons, larly flashy or violent, like a boof off of a upon leaving the obstacle, and the bow pins, and entrapments. high ledge. Instead it is fluid stroke will stay out of trouble. This move will Remember, the risk is less under the which is incorporated into a dynamic and contribute to making a fluid and dynamic foam. You can't always know what's continuous paddling style. paddling style in the rapids that just plain down there, no matter how good you are The choice of which side to sweep on old feels good. at reading water! The technique it to use depends on where you want the boat Now, here's a variation for the lazy- a final sweeping stern draw stroke when headed after exiting the danger zone. If heads; a sneak-move, if you will. Unless descending the green water and crossing you wish to head left, start the sweep a hole is huge or you absolutely know it the foam. While doing this one leans TO- pointing slightly to the right of dead to be safe, DON'T go through it straight WARDS the side of the paddle stroke. downstream, as described above. It is on! I know this runs counter to what you This will raise the bow of the boat as well worth noting that if you sweep on the probably heard as a beginner, but think as accelerate downstream. right and don't manage to get the boat about it. After a piton, the bottom of the The angle of lean depends on the vol- pointed at least a little to the left when river doesn't have to work too hard to ume of the stem and how badly you want you hit the white, that you will most hold you in place if your boat is lined up to avoid having the bow sink. A fifteen likely end up conducting trout sightings. with the current. Get a reasonable side degree lean in a squirt boat would pro- It is also worth noting that if the foam angle to start with, however, and the duce a head high stern squirt, but in a pile is a huge hole with white up to your chance of rotating around the piton will surface boat will raise the bow only a few eyeballs, this technique will not get you be pretty good. Angles of up to around inches. (Yes, the bow WILL go up some; through as well as going straight and 45 degrees can be used without raising at 165 lbs, I can easily crank up a Re- deep. On the other hand, if the foam is a the chance of getting stuck in a hole TOO sponse a few inches.) flat recirculating hole, this technique much, especially if you keep a paddle This must be coupled with the proper might enable the boater to stay entirely blade pulling down there in the green wa- boat angle. If you want to cross a poten- on the surface. ter. Most typical kayaks (Pirouette, Hum- tial danger zone and exit heading to the cane, Crossfire, etc.), can be angled quite left, one would approach pointing to the a bit; truly plump and bulbous ones such right slightly. (See Figure 4.) In the final as the Freefall and the Mongoose, less so. few feet before hitting the danger spot, Unless the water is truly extreme I be- initiate the sweep on the right, beginning lieve that although lower volume boats at around the cockpit area and sweeping may be slightly more likely to get pinned back into a stem draw. The bow swings than bulbous ones, with the techniques I to the left, rotating through dead down- have outlined, the greater measure of con- stream as it rises up and a little over the trol over boat attitude may often actually obstacle (or at the very least does not reduce risk. sink). (See Figure 5.) So what I am talking about here is something to be used routinely, not just to be pulled out of the hat when neces- sary. It's work, but it's fun too. If you just want to get to the take out, drive there. If you just want to see the sights, take a raft. If you want to paddle, why not explore the technique? Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, maybe nine hun- the elemenrs of the classic airborne boof, dred ninety nine times out of a thousand, there are some notable differences. One is this stuff will be unnecessary. The one that while a last sweep is usually used time that it was necessary, you won't with a boof, the paddle is typically moved even know that it was. That's the idea, forward in the air to allow an entirely right? new stroke upon landing in the water be- low. Another difference is that the boof is most typically a flashy move over a ledge, this move is a river running stroke that is barely distinguishable (to an observer) from the normal paddling strokes taken elsewhere on the river. Finally, the boof Maintains the sweepldraw long is most often into an eddy, while the enough to get the boat pointed towards move I am describing is designed to pen- the left. At that point the draw will func- etrate and pass by or over obstacles while tion as a brace (which will, at that point, running downstream. be on the downstream side). If the paddle If you start working with this tech- is kept down in the green current below nique on little holes and small breaking the boat, it will also function as a propul- waves, the motion will slowly become in- sive stroke, driving the boat downstream, ternalized and will seem natural in more lessening the chance of becoming stuck in powerful water. The move constitutes a the hole. (See Figure 6.) powerful river running tool because when Finally, the left angle will also help to done properly, the stroke is accelerative keep the boat from going deep, even if both before and after hitting the obstacle, you do "lose the bow a little." When the brace will be on the downstream side, done properly, this move is not particu- the paddler will have a (chosen) direction

American Whitewater Moy/June 1997 THE REAL SHIT by Doug Ammons river, I was hooked. By the end of my could handle, weaving ourselves com- Preface: At some point probably all of first year, I was a fanatic. pletely into the river. We lived for those us tried to answer the question, "Why do I ran my first class five after I'd been moments of clarity, when you were totally paddling about two months. I didn't committed to the line. To that thread of we paddle?" It might be raised by a non know very much, but as the say, maybe truth. And all those days of friendship paddling girlfriend (or boyfriend), parents, ignorance is bliss. I was paddling with a and worry and concentration and smiles group of older guys on a wilderness river melted together into the best feeling... or even people who are just trying to make they knew well, and we came to a rapid The water is so beautiful. All that that they had always portaged. I'd been power and complexity, all that mystery sense out of what we're doing in all that told the rapid was unrunnable, and at and unknown. I found myself sitting and strange gear beside a big river. A harder first I believed that. But after looking watching little eddies, tiny whirlpools and closely I suddenly realized there was a subtle turbulence. I could sit for hours question might be asked of the relatively straightforward line in an otherwise class watching and feeling there was something six drop. The key was seeing past the in- magical there, that I couldn't quite touch. small percentage of kayakers who pursue timidation around the line. I committed, And who wouldn't be mesmerized by the sport to the upper levels of class five, and ended up running it twice with no 10,000 cfs pounding off a 30 foot ledge difficulties. It was a little scary, sitting in into a massive hole? Do you like looking which by definition is where you can ex- the eddy above and feeling the river surge at reality? Do you like seeing truth laid beneath me. But what led me to paddle out in front of you, sunlight glinting off pect to find both a high degree of difficulty over that horizon line was a quiet sense the spray while the boulders you sit on and potential danger. When it comes to of certainty. I knew what I'd seen. The shake with its power? And do you answer mind blower came afterwards: realizing if when you hear it calling? clas five the question, "Why do we you looked just right you could find a I got asked by my mentors on more thread that camed you through all the committing trips, and I went. In some paddle?", becomes even more insistent. dangers, right into the heart of the river. ways it was more of the same, but with So what is the attraction of paddling I'll never forget that feeling. The river the greater commitment came new terri- opened up and beckoned so enticingly, so tory. The places got more spectacular, hard class five? The following is an essay exquisitely, that I just had to follow. I and more dangerous. More importantly, couldn't help it. Somehow, it had to do the trips changed their tenor. I found it by long time expedition paddler Doug with seeing something true and deep was one thing doing first descents near Ammons who responded to a question. about the water and myself. More than home, whether it was class five steep the excitement and more than the chal- creeks or big water. At least you weren't originally posed by Trip Kenny. That lenge, it was that sense of truth that led far from people. But doing it up in the question was: Why do you do it? Why do me on. wilderness of Canada, Alaska, the jungle, So I had a new goal that added some- or farther away still, was another thing you paddle class five? Why do you fling thing even more compelling to the fun altogether. The pure fun of zipping a and excitement. By the end of the first clean line becomes less the point, and yourself over huge drops, through monster year, I was doing class 5 with regularity, something else steps in. The moves might holes, into places that by all rights should paddling with the best guys in the area. be similar, but a new set of emotions be- Well, with good role models to learn from comes important when you're out in the kill you deader'n dirt? What if you mess and great rivers to run, you can bootstrap middle of nowhere, deep in the bottom of yourself up pretty quickly. I went look- some canyon, alone with a friend or two. up?? What really keeps you going over ing for new places, mostly steep creeks You look up at the vertical walls. The those horizon lines? This is Doug's an- tucked away in remote canyons. Thing river disappears in front of you around a led to thing. There was exploring top0 comer, and all you can hear is a roar. swer. maps, recon, first attempts, failures, wa- Then you know the whole game has terfalls, rappels, complex portaging - all changed. I call it "the real shit". Lots of WHY CLASS V? to find wild lines down beautiful spar- people, even experienced paddlers, don't kling streams. I shared them with my necessarily like it. But some people do. I started out paddling because I loved best buddies, made new friends, commit- You start paying attention to different the water. I learned the basic skills and, ted to little adventures. Sometimes we'd things when you're totally committed. after a couple of times on the river, found get thrashed, but we always came back. Every sense comes alive. Your aware- it was the wildest, funnest, most playful, Who could ask for a better world to live ness heightens in every way. The water is and beautiful damn sport I'd ever tried. in? I found a place clean and pure, where your life, and you see and sense every- The people were great, the rivers were the sun and snow melt laughed with you thing about it. You listen to yourself and beautiful and every horizon line stirred all as you paddled over the edge of the drop, your partner and there's no bullshit. You the fun and questions anew. It was chal- and the next and the next... We solved stretch yourself out and there's no divid- lenging, exciting and there seemed no outrageous puzzles of movement and tim- ing line between you and the beautiful, limit to what I could do or where I could ing - playing games of speed chess with dangerous place you're in. Every decision go. By my second or third time on the the water, just at the edge of what we you make has huge consequences and so

American Whitewater MayIJune1997 you treat it with care, with a delicacy and lenge and inspiration. I needed the not just their help in approaching class intensity that puts you entirely in that friendships it had helped me make. I five, but what it means. They taught me moment. The smallest details become im- trained like mad, concentrated on every how to look at more than the hard mense. Each surge of the current, each skill I could, and committed myself to my whitewater. That it was a privilege to be paddle stroke, each word had an impor- judgment. The harder the trip and the in those spectacular places. How impor- tance beyond what it could ever have in more it stretched us; the more humbled tant it was to respect and meet the river on any other place. And for those minutes, and small I felt. And the happier. It was its own terms. And never to lose sight of hours, or days, you become a different like seeing a little farther into a special the fact that it is bigger than you in every kind of person. world. Sharing something beyond friend- way. Most of my best friends are people At some point over the years, I real- ship with the people I went with. I've spent those times with, and I can't ized that for me kayaking was no longer The point isn't that you fling yourself separate them out from the feeling of ap- a sport, it was much more. The decisions into huge drops and monster holes, it's proaching the horizon line. So friendship I made out there gave me something I that you learn to live each moment with is a part of class five, too. needed. I needed the water and its care and skill. I've messed up and been hurt. In 15 beauty, its power and subtleties, its chal- I have a lot to thank my friends for, years of class five paddling, I've had three serious accidents. I dislocated my shoulder the first year I was paddling, right in the middle of a long class five rapid. My paddle hung up on a rock and I didn't let go. Luckily, I was able to roll and get to the side. My friends reduced the shoulder there on the talus with a foot in the side and a couple of yanks. That was a good rapids, ruins a lesson that lasted for 12 years of healthy paddling. But sometimes you forget even the best lessons. I had a bad season two .L- . . years ago. Maybe I wasn't in as good shape. Maybe I was distracted. Maybe my

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American Whitewater v Moy/Juncl997 time was up. First, I hit a ledge underwa- ship with the river, my feeling that day, at ition, I have a ear out for subtle feelings ter going off a 50+ foot waterfall. I had that minute, on that run. My choices or doubts, and that has saved my life and scouted the thing carefully, even swim- have been carefully made and always spot a friend's life at least once that I know of. ming below to check the pool. It looked on - almost. But the more complex the The thought above depends upon hav- okay. Shallow, but manageable. The ap- water, the more things can happen. There ing a choice about whether you'll run a proach and lip of the falls had some weird are several times when I've been rapid or not. Twice, I've been in the first things going on, but I ran it exactly the broached, pinned, or tangled with sub- descenter's nightmare: alone and far in way I thought it should be run. It was a merged logs which could never have been the wilderness, walled out with no portage full-on car wreck at the bottom. Con- seen, no matter how long we scouted. possible, and being forced to run what cussion, tweaked ribs and a lesson I Other, more bizarre things have happened. looked like a fatal rapid. These situations thought I already knew: sometimes you I've needed help from friends. I've helped were caused by decisions made long be- can take care of everything you see, and them to. I've pulled a coupled of bodies fore reaching the actual rapid, in a sense still not take care of everything. Later in out of rivers, which was not enjoyable, they were inevitable once the ball had the year, a cavalier moment left me plas- but it was a damn good reminder of what started in motion several days before. I tered upside-down at high speed on front might be on the other side of luck. think the point is, though, that I didn't of a boulder. Dislocated collarbone, sepa- The most upsetting thing I've ever ex- deliberately go looking for them. These rated shoulder, crunched ribs, and more. perienced didn't happen to me. It was are the only times I've ever headed into The disturbing thing was that the cava- watching my best friend go for the worst something that I actually didn't think I lierness itself wasn't directly the problem. thrashing you could have and still live - could run, but had no choice except to However it led to a decision that rolled up when we were running something we try. I can only assure you that you feel to me many seconds later, set in motion thought was clean. But that was just the pretty damn small at that moment, and by that short lack of attention. The deci- start. He lost his boat and was left with pretty damn lucky afterwards. Both sion itself was like thousands of others the choice of trying to swim through a se- turned out, neither was pretty. You never I've made, but it had very different conse- ries of huge ledge holes, or climbing a know exactly what you are up against, no , quences this time. Sometimes an accident 500 foot vertical rotten cliff to get out. matter how experienced you are. No isn't caused by an outright mistake, some- He climbed. I could do nothing but knowledge can every substitute for taking times, it's the result of just another deci- watch. The scariest thing is being help- the step into the unknown. So stepping sion. A lack of care for a second or two less. It's an empty, terrible feeling. It through that door should never be done was swept by the river into a lot of pain took him a long times to get up, I decided lightly. Maybe when all is said and done, and a year of rehab. It could have easily during that climb that I don't like being a those rapids weren't as hard as they been a lot worse. So reality's there. I've witness. He made it, finally. That was looked. All I know is each one looked re- checked it out some. In the end it'll keep some years ago and we both have scars. I ally, really bad from the one place I could you honest, no matter who you are. think his are much worse than mine, but scout. I know that in facing those ques- Other things have happened to me mine bother me too. After experiences tions about the unknown, you find your- and close friends that are so strange that like that you have to ask yourself where self climbing over a lot of emotions and they could only be put in the "shit hap- to put the balance point. And you've got asking a lot of questions. You think pens" category. I try to keep in mind that to realize that sometimes there are things pretty hard about what led you into that people can get killed by strange things. you might not see which turn out to be situation and what it might mean. The river has power, direction, and the point of the whole show. Anyone I've seen people get a lot of different pushes relentlessly toward the future. No- who treats the river cavalierly is just a things from the river and from class five. where is that more apparent than in class little more ignorant than he thinks he is. It's all in what you bring to it. If you go five. And if you enter its flow, you had I've always pushed to do harder runs, looking for challenge or for mystery, better be prepared to deal with the future. but I consider myself a careful paddler. you'll find them. Treat it like a If you seriously go looking for your You've got to balance those tendencies. snowboard in a half pipe and that's what limits eventually you'll find them, but you I've run lots of bizarre rapids - from steep it will be. If it's for bragging rights, get- might not like what happens there. The creeks to big water-things that are ex- ting scared, looking for a rush, celebrating obnoxious thing is, you might not even tremely intimidating. But I have never friendships, being cool - it can give all realize you're there until it's too late. I'm run a rapid I was afraid of. On really these too. I guess I feel that it's such an certain that it is possible to get away with hard rapids, I make my decision if, as I incredible gift it should be used well. I more than we realize now, and people will analyze it, an intuitive feeling of balance think most people who stick around know always be plumbing this margin. I don't and clarity comes over me, a certainty how big a gift it can be, whether or not think we will ever find a clear edge. But that the moves fit, and that I can do them. they put it into words. It's the greatest the water also does some weird, weird Sometimes it feels as if I've poured myself balance of fun, seriousness, and truth I've things. You can't always see them - no right into the river. If I don't find that ever found. matter how closely you look, or how cau- feeling, then I walk. Every top paddler I There are some other lessons too. tious and skilled you are. I've run lots of know does the same kind of thing, but Most class five from 30 years ago is class rivers and thousands of hard rapids over with his own twist. Some are more ana- four now, or even less. We've upped the the last 15 years. Quite a number of them lytical than others, some more intuitive. ante a lot, as we kept looking for the were first descents. I've faced a lot of A few are impulsive, but very few. And edge. Disregarding all the grays about questions about whether something was none of them goes looking for trouble, al- ratings, really, the way we use the term, runnable or not. I go on a rational analy- though some people might think they do. class five, just means whatever the edge sis of what I see, sometimes it's meticu- All of them are honest with the water, of runnability is at a given time. Each lous. But mostly I go on a kind of deep even though they might have problems in time we do another harder river, nip off intuition that comes out of my relation- their normal lives. Within my own intu- another portage, find a steeper run, go for

American Whitewater Moy/Junel997 a higher water level, that's water under the bridge. Pretty quickly we look for something higher, bigger, faster, or weirder. We change, and the class five changes. We never stop exploring, both it and ourselves. So to me class five is also a word for a special kind of learning. It says, "push hard, but remember - what you do in the next few seconds means ev- erything." Class five is a rapid, a physical place with a beginning an end. But it is also all the things that the physical place touches inside you, all the ripples of meaning it has for you, and those are things which go on as long as you live. Class five is about your limits and tak- ing the next step beyond them. It is about what you can control, what you can come to with a steady, clear mind. Those limits change within you, even on a single run. They change with equipment and experi- ence. They change from person to person, and year to year. Some of the guys in my generation may already be getting too old and stiff to keep pushing the edge of class five. They've been there, done that, and now they have families and other con- cerns. But even for those of us who con- tinue, there's always a new set of people who will try to take it past anything we ever thought possible. And when the new guys push as far as they can, the next generation after them will already be hun- gry for more. After you're around for a while, you realize you've received a baton from the past, and at some point you'll end up passing it to others and stepping out of the way. I think though, over time, everybody who touches that baton prob- ably asks the same questions, because the river has the power to say certain things. And take my word for it, there's al- ways some pretty wild stuff going on. There are guys out there looking for the real shit. You just don't hear about a lot of it because it stays where it matters most - between a few close friends and the river. Whenever you enter the game, what- ever door you come through, that's what you accept as your base. If you've got the desire to find answers, the river will have the questions. So I always keep in mind that no matter how hard we push, there is no end and there are no final limits. The river will always have more. WE RUN THE KIND OF TRIP Doug Ammons -with thanks to the rivers I know, and YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF! my friends.

American Whitewater v Moy/June 7997 In most cases, the missing skills are basic ones that can be learned on class 1-2 whitewater. If you are not one of those "with the extra little something" that I described, then there is no doubt you are missing From The Desk of The WKF President some of the most basic skills. It is simple as that. The "elite" boaters are elite not because they can do the great stuff, but because they have mastered the basic stuff. It is that base that enables them to do the great stuff. It is also that base that is critical to good boating. Oh, and the elite fall into rank, too, just as "black belts" range in rank. Many bv Eric Jackson "elite" boaters are missing some skills, or need some work on basic skills to get to the next level, too. So, you have to ask I grew up kayaking in New Hampshire "good quickly" and became big fishes in a yourself, "Do I want to know what I don't in the late 70's and early 801s, paddling a little pool. know already?" It isn't just more time in Phoenix Savage, and later, a Perception the boat or more practice in the rapids Mirage. (TO AVOID READING A LONG that will fill in the gaps. You either have STORY AND TO GET RIGHT TO THE PART €J'S THOUGHT to be shown the technique or re-invent WHERE I SHOW YOU HOW TO BE A BET- the wheel. Or, of course, you can be TER BOATER, SKIP TO SECTION HUMBLY PROVOKER happy where you are. Remember, how TlTLED, "EJ's Wisdom.") So my story raises a question for pad- much fun you have on the river isn't di- Me, my dad, and friends Yuk Yuk, dlers in many regions. You are a good rectly proportional to your skill level. Bob Potter, Opie, Jim Potter, JJ, and other paddler, maybe even a class V boater. However, I personally have more fun the kayak nuts went out every chance we You can surf waves, ender, surf holes, better I get. (Anyone who knows me could for a good time on those NH and catch eddies, boof, etc. Do you need les- knows that I have as much fun when pad- Maine rivers. Did we ever take a lesson? sons? dling as anyone ever could.) Are you kidding! "Lessons are for wimps Before I answer that, let me share with who can't tie their own shoe laces." We you what you might not know, what most jumped in every hole we could find, did people don't know. It is how that secret EJ'S ADVICE enders every where you could ender a 13 society of elite boaters does it. These are (This section is for those who've de- foot jumbo kayak, and terrorized any the people who have that "little some- cided they want the higher knowledge, the swimmers (in our group) until they went thing" to their paddling, the something next level, and all the fun that goes with and cried in their tent. This was the that makes everything they do seem so it.) (Editor's Note: Sounds suspiciously Merrimack Valley Paddlers Club in 1980. much easier than when you do it. It's like Heaven's Gate!) As reward for our mettle, we only had 7 how they never seem to miss those hard I am going to list the things most dislocated shoulders in a 30 day period on moves, boofs, eddies, waves, etc. They likely to be missing in a person's skill list, the Dead and Kennebec Rivers in June. seem to learn rodeo moves so quickly, and then give you a few potential sources For sure we were the bad boys on the they don't get tired as easily, etc. You get for getting instruction from a "master in- block-we could run any river and surf the idea. How does someone get that structor." any hole (by 1980 standards). little something for themselves that makes Your skills list: (some of these things So the question is, did we need to take everything go so much easier? will seem simple, trivial, useless, or con- lessons? The answer is a big "No." How- fusing to you. I will describe the tech- ever, could we have been better boaters niques in detail in future AWA issues.) and learned much faster if we had taken U'S WISDOM- lessons? For us, the answer to that is a v Let's say for demo purposes that there 1. Forward leaning posture during big "maybe '-if we were lucky. See, my most paddling. (aggressive, ready, stable); dad always said, "Eric, those who can, do. are a total of 100 skills to be learned in kayaking to know everything you need to 2. Good forward stroke from the bow Those who can't, teach." This simply (pulls boat, less yaw, ready for next means that most people with true ability be an "expert boater." Of these 100 total skills, you can become a Class V river stroke) ; use that ability on a practical level instead 3. Proper turning strokes: Forward. of teaching. There are a good number of boater who can do some rodeo moves and feel confident on many rivers and rapids Sweep (toe to hip, head and body looking exceptions to that rule, and these are in direction of turn)Reverse Sweep (stem what I call "Master Instructors." Those with skills 1-7, 10-13, 15, 17-25, 29-32. Other Class V boaters will reach this ap- to hip, head and body looking in direction who can teach AND do. Now, in New of turn)C-Stroke (ability to use paddle as Hampshire the only ones teaching proximate level with a different group of skills. However, for most advanced a keel, conserve spin momentum, and kayaking were club instructors. These in- keep boat carving without sliding the structors were. . . well. they meant well. kayakers, gaps develop among key skills. . . These gaps arise because you've never stem on the turns); So we didn't take instruction and, because 4. Proper bracing (high and low, scull- we had the "go for it" attitude that was seen the technique, or your home river ing) new to that region of the country, we got doesn't challenge that skill, or whatever.

American Whitewater May/June 7997 5. Proper rolling (set up, not set up, paddle deep, shallow, hands only, etc.) 6. Solid understanding of the four basic -7--- concepts that determine where your kayak An Interview with Jamie Simon Will women compete in the World Kayak Federation is going next. (Your complete understand- Championships this September? ing of these concepts and ability to ma- I really hope there is a good showing How did you break the mold in female nipulate them to the circumstances is "ev- for the female class. I know of at least erything" in kayaking.) Are you ready? kayaking in freestyle and in extreme three women who, if they have their way, boating? SPEED, ANGLE, TRAJECTORY, SPIN MO- will be there. Those women are Buffy MENTUM. Bailey, Katie Neitert, and myself. The fact (These are best learned in class I and that a female class has been added will This is a flattering question-I didn't then applied to bigger whitewater). really influence the decisions for the realize that there was a mold to be bro- You are a master of the above concepts women. Many women are capable of ken. Maybe that is what it takes, not see- when you can do everything with one competing in this field, and because of ing the limits. I have always believed that blade that you can now do with two. the sport's infancy there is still a lot of the beauty of kayaking is that there are I am going to stop listing skills for now room for growth and success. This could no limits. You can always improve, you because what I have already listed is truly be a very exciting field for many people. can always learn, you can always paddle what makes a good boater become great. The female class is very supportive and, another river. For those of you who can't afford instruc- we would like to see it grow in a non- When I was learning to kayak, many tion from someone who knows this stuff, threatening, positive manner. people felt I was pushing the boundaries stay tuned to American Whitewater's for We are entering an era where women too far, too fast. I wanted to be respectful your first lesson. are becoming increasingly comfortable of more experienced kayakers, but I also I will offer an incomplete list of instruc- with extreme sports. It's no longer a had to satisfy my own desires in the wa- tors who can teach you these concepts. man's game. Although, it is definitely ter. I was safety conscious, but my limits They might use different terminology than dominated by men. were clearly different than most people's. I, but I am confident that they will get you Extreme racing does not require the With some people, I developed the reputa- off on the right foot with the basics. strength of a man. As Nancy Wiley once tion that I was trying to kill myself. This said, "No man or woman is stronger than rumor had no merit whatsoever. Once I Peter Kennedy at Adventure Quest (for the river." Extreme racing involves pre- was introduced to kayaking, I wanted to kids), VT cise water reading abilities, a certain live for the sport. However, people still Chris Spelius, NC, or Chile knowledge of the course, advanced tech- found it difficult to believe that I would John Trujillo at River Visions (Hood nical skills, and a strong will and desire run the Upper Gauley and Section N of River, OR) to run class V rivers. When you add the the Chattooga my first summer of boat- Ken Casteroff at Endless Rivers, NC clock to class V, it adds a new dimension ing. Now, five years later, these kinds of Shane Benedict at NOC, NC to kayaking. Your skills are bound to runs are very common for enthusiastic, Sam Drevo, Portland, OR improve. first year boaters. Eric Southwick, Silverton, CO Women have the advantage right I entered the sport on the bubble of Kent Ford, Durango, CO now. We have better chances to succeed "old school" turning to "new school." My W Corran Addison, somewhere on Earth, or and more room for growth. The men timing was impeccable. From the get go, maybe somewhere else. have it rough. There is so much good day one on moving water, I liked competition right now that they have to playboating. I was completely into surf- This list is incomplete and is presented be perfect in order to have a chance at ing and "playing" in holes. One thing led without the knowledge or consent of the winning. Yes, women will compete and I to another, and before I knew it, after people listed. think you'll see more and more every only five competitions, I won the World In conclusion, my answer is "Yes" in- year. Championships. This is a fast growing struction is good-if the instruction is good. If you think your name should be on my list of "Master Instructors" please THE WORLD'S BEST KEPT WHITEWATER SECRET! email to [email protected]. My WKF Tropical rain-forests, stunning whitewater rivers, and email hasn't been working for two weeks, the richest culture in the New World make Mexico a time to change don't you think? paddlers' paradise. Or call me at 301-320-7205 (please For a decade we've been exploring and guidi don't call after gpm!). the rivers of Mexico. We know how to put the bes That's all for now. See you on the rivers within your reach. Spend a relaxing week river! paddling rivers you won't believe. Sample the be Mexican whitewater and culture with our guides and instructors. - Expediciones Agua Azul Class Ill-IV Travertme rapids Waterfalls Box 111 Garden Valley ID 83622 Warm, clean water December - April 72773.31O6Ocompuserve.com Call for a copy of our video! 2081343-5855 500-448-2482

American Whitewater MaylJunel997 never run the Green before. He was ex- the lines. I think that guy was feeling a cited to be on the Green with three little funny about this. When you get to sport, and my learning scale was keeping women, but that seemed to change when Gorilla, most people scout. It deserves up with the growth pace of the sport. In we got to Gorilla and none of the women that. Anyway, times are changing. the 1993 Worlds, not one cartwheel was scouted. We had been there the day be- This is a great time for women to get demonstrated by a woman. In the 1995 fore and felt confident that we still knew involved in both freestyle and hairboating. Worlds, the top three women all per- formed cartwheels. This year, I suspect, anything less than two and three point cartwheels will be unacceptable. Don't be surprised to see our class performing spitwheels in Canada at the Worlds! In terms of running hard stuff, I did not break the mold. I am definitely out CAPTAIN THU~ORB'SCHALILEN6E there running hard stuff, but there are a few predecessors who paved the way for A Team Relay women. The Wiley sisters out of Durango k Triathlon have always been role models in my eyes, in the because they were running hard stuff long before most other women. Risa Callaway and Susan Wilson, back east, were run- NEW RI\IER GORGE ning the Green before I even knew what a spray skirt was. There are several other Friday, June 20th, I99 7 women who deserve recognition, and I apologize that I do not know all of them For more Information or Registration Forms contact: to give them credit here. Fayetteville Historic Visitors Bureau Running the hard stuff requires a cer- Historic Fayette Jail tain mentality. A great deal of focus and commitment are required for the "goods". Fayetteville, WV 25854 I believe my extensive background in Call Toll Free at (888) 574-1500 springboard diving established this for me. I enjoy pushing myself and feel very accomplished when I clean a class V rapid. It is as much as an accomplish- ment for me now as cleaning my first class 111 run. The adrenaline is the same, and that is what I love about this sport. When I was running the rivers for the "Good To The Last Drop" video, I'll be the first to admit that I was scared. The Little North Fork of the Feature was very steep with lots of water. People had been in there before, but a lot of these drops had never been run. We have a strong group of people with the abilities needed to get through that stuff. 1'11 never forget the way I felt when I landed off that really big waterfall. It was bigger than any of us had anticipated, in fact 56 feet! If you look carefully in the video, you'll notice that there is a small section in the middle of the drop that is not vertical, and, thank goodness, because that was huge. We definitely felt alive at that point. For the last few years, I have been one of a few women to run a lot of hard stuff. This is obvious in "Paddle Quest", "Fe- tish", and "Good To The Last Drop" vid- eos. However, this scenario is rapidly changing. Look out for Buffy Bailey and Katie Nietert. Katie shows her stuff in her video "Fallin Down." She has one of the flattest learning curves of anyone I have ever seen. One of my favorite stories comes from one day last fall on the narrows of the Green. It was Katie, Buffy Bailey, three guys and myself. One of the guys had

American Whitewa ter MayNune7997 Everyone has room to succeed because trum. I love to put on a dress after I run there are a few of us out there paddling something really hard. Try it, it's fun. for the "goods." There is a lot of support also a member of the WKF Pro Team for women. It is nice to have a little bal- JamieSimon won the biannual 1995 and will be writing for the WKF ance. And some advice: Please do not be World Freestyle Championships in regularly from the road, which she hits intimidated by the people who may be soon with golden retriever Jack. jealous of your successes or threatened by Augsburg, Germany and is pre- your rapid increase in ability. qualified for the Worlds this summer Readers seeking more info on the WKF in Canada. When not in her boat, may contact the WFK at PO Box What do you think it will take for the Jamie teaches elementary school and 1 5430, Washington, DC 20003; women's class to catch up to the men's works as a massage therapist. She is (301)320-7205. class in rodeo and extreme boating? There are many factors to consider here. I do not want to get caught up in comparing women to men because we do not compete against each other. Statisti- cally, there are almost always at least three times as many men competing than women, and the scores are generally three times as high. One of the biggest factors in helping women take things to a new level is the new wave of boat designs. Boats are get- ting smaller and more manageable for woman's physique. Proportionately, we have been at a disadvantage with the size of boats for many years. It is no coinci- dence since most of the boat designers are men. Their argument for larger dimen- sions is that the market is mostly men so we have to make them bigger. Well maybe the market would be twice as big if it were opened up to women more, i.e., tailoring boats to fit them. Two of the best male rodeo paddlers are Mark Lyle and Dan Gavere. Their styles are opposite ends of the spectrum. One uses an amazing amount of muscular power and the other uses a light touch. Both of them exercise very precise timing. In short, it is not big muscles but the power of visualization, practice and tim- ing that are critical to success. As far as women in hair boating, the numbers are amazing. There are always a ton more guys on the hard runs. Ladies, you are crazy! Get out there! You will most likely be one or two amongst seven or eight guys - all trying to be super ma- cho. They want to impress you, yet look after you at the same time. All you need is the desire and the skill to run class V. Once you develop the skills, it is no more scary than your first class III run. The only difference is you will have a bigger sense of accomplishment. If that is not incentive enough, then I don't know what is. So practice up, and challenge yourself. The last thing that I would like to say is there is nothing more attractive than women who can be a little extreme, yet still stay feminine. Please do not try to paddle like a man. It won't work. Yes, you need to be aggressive, but when you don't need that, remember to move like a women. Practice both ends of the spec-

American Whitewoter Moy/Junel997 bv Belinda Sanda

I have always envied natural athletes, About 20 men got together to camp, paddled as hard as I could and barely because I am not one. They try new drink, tell stories, smoke cigars and boat made it- but I did make it. I thanked the sports and make it look like they've been the Trinity River. I changed my name to river goddess and mentally prepared for doing it for years. One of the reasons I'm Fred and so was allowed to kayak with Hell's Hole. not a natural is because I first tried them, but not camp. On Friday the The California Whitewater Book de- kayaking, cross country skiing, sky div- weather was perfect and the river un- scribes Hell's Hole as "a steep vertical ing, hang gliding, inline skating and crowded. I was a little nervous because drop." Since I had never successfully run mountain biking after turning 30, so the the last time out Grinder ground me up Hell's Hole, I asked everyone's advice. fear factor seems to always rear it's ugly and spit me out with a huge bruise on my Stay left - stay right - paddle like hell head. thigh. Hell's Hole didn't treat me any through the hole - paddle hard, then stop In the last five years, my outdoor pas- better. and get ready to brace! As we scouted, sion has been whitewater kayaking. I'll Grinder is a boulder strew drop. One several boats went through. The percent- never be a Class V boater, but I'm starting must catch a left eddy at the top, ferry age of successful runs was 50-50. Gary to feel comfortable in Class 111. My latest river right, then turn downstream and went right and had a great line; Richard, personal triumph was a clean run of a paddle hard. Last time I didn't have Bob and Dave went left, and made it too. section of Northern California's Trinity enough speed and the hole caught my My turn - deep breath - mantra - go. I River, from Pigeon Point to Big Flat. Ac- stem, causing me to backender and flip. went left, paddled hard and, before I cording to the Forest Service there are two My husband Gary and friend Richard could shout, "Oh Shit", Hell's Hole swal- Class III+ and five Class 111 rapids in five went though each rapid first and waited lowed my boat and I was swimming. miles. It is not extremely difficult, but in for the rest of the gang at the bottom. Luckily there is a deep pool at the bottom ten previous runs, I swam at a rapid called They gave me the "all clear" sign. I took so the only thing bruised was my ego. Hell's Hole each time. I also swam at a breath and said my paddling mantra The rest of the run went smoothly. Grinder, Pin Ball, Sailor's Bar and even at CHAR (Competent, Happy, Alert, Re- Sailor's Bar had nailed me several times rapids that have no name. laxed). I made the eddy and ferried over before, so I was pleased when I made it The weekend of August 10, 1996 was to the right. As I turned the boat down- though upright. The last Class III rapid is the fourth annual "Guy's Only Weekend". stream, I was pretty close to the drop. I Fishtail. The river narrows here and there are rocks everywhere. At the end it's best to be river right, but I got turned side ways and ended up left. I squeezed be- tween the two rocks with inches to spare, and thanked the river goddess again. by Kent Ford Saturday the guys boated the Hayden C-1 paddlers take a lot of kidding, and usually smile quietly, knowing the fun a C-1 has to Flat section, while I went home to think offer. On behalf of C-1 paddlers, I will try to offer a little insight into why others should con- about daring Hell's Hole again on Sunday. sider paddling C-1. My friend Kathy, (named Joe for guy's Kayakers will enjoy paddling a C-1 because of the visibility and leverage added by kneeling weekend) her husband, Larry, and I drove rather than sitting, as well as for the precise blade control the T-grip offers. Kayakers often to the put in. They had never done this experience less back pain in a C-1. Contrary to popular misconceptions, C-1s need not be un- run, so they asked me for advice. I told comfortable unless you are inflexible, extra large in body build, or paddle long river trips. them, "Don't follow me." Open boaters often like the C-1 because it's a smaller and lighter craft, easier to transport, This time the river was very crowded. and more responsive on the river. Besides it doesn't fill up! In a C-1 you feel closer to the wa- Besides lots of kayaks and canoes, there ter, as though you're wearing your boat. were several commercial raft trips. I was In addition, C-1's are easy to wet exit and are the easiest boat to learn how to roll. C-1 feeling pumped from Friday's run, but paddlers are the most versatile, and are typically able to paddle any kayak, canoe, or C-1 with cautious about Grinder, Fishtail and Hell's ease. Hole. As I pulled into the small eddy at On the other hand, C-1's are not the easiest boat to paddle. The single blade needs to be the top of Grinder, I almost ran into two worked with finesse to get the boat going forward. The double blade paddle makes propelling a other kayakers. One was out of her boat, kayak absurdly easy by comparison. Open boats generally track better so they are easier to but okay. I couldn't stay long because the paddle forward than their decked counterpart. current was pulling me downstream. I It is true you can't just hop in a C-1 and be comfortable. You have to personalize the out- had a poor ferry angle and almost lost it. fitting. Posh kneepads should offer support without raising the bony tip of your knee more than People were going every which way and a few millimeters off the hull. A wide saddle will help support your weight at the butt. Choose there were a few swims. your legware and footware carefully.... shorts and barefeet are the comfort ideal, river condi- There were at least 20 people below tions allowing. It usually takes me a few short early season paddles to regain my flexibility and the drop at Hell's Hole, and 10 waiting in comfort, so ten minutes is not a fair trial of a boat! There are a few other tricks, so study the line to run it. I couldn't see the end of outfitting on a variety of boats, watch C-1 videos, and adapt your own boat for comfort. the rapid, but I heard the cheers every If you want a little extra challenge in the sport, without running steeper, more dangerous time someone made it. I paddled hard up whitewater, try a C-1. Paddling a C-1 is a technical delight, you'll learn to use the river very to the left side and through the top drop. precisely and to make the boat dance on the water. I stopped paddling and prepared to brace,

American Whitewater May/June1997 but before I had to, I saw the hole go by on my right and I was upright at the bot- tom. I heard the cheers, but I still couldn't believe it. Then Joe (Kathy) came through and made it too. One of the guys pro- claimed us "River Goddessess." That day I felt like one. I even surfed some of the waves that I usually avoid. On the way home, we stopped for Thai food. My fortune cookie was right on, it said, "You will be blessed with much hap- BIG SMI piness." After that great weekend, Hell's Hole by Steve Sylvester and Fishtail managed to hammer me It all began in December. The Sierra finer. Little did we know it would all again. But I did make it through Hell's Nevadas were buried by snow that fell all soon be in the river. Barely three days Hole once more, this time on the right. the way down to a thousand feet. It later, the rain began to fall. This season is over, but I can't wait to see snowed in Placerville and it snowed in From Hawaii, with love, the "Pine- how I fare there next year. Auburn. Hi-way 80 was closed for two apple Express" raised temperatures and days. It was the kind of snowstorm that dropped rain. Storms were packed up Editor's Note: Belinda Sanda was makes skiers and snowboarders babble over the Pacific like shoppers in malls be- president of The Conservation Alliance in and drool. It was cold and deep - eight fore Christmas. The line started in Japan, 1994, when American Whitewater re- feet at its best. What a way to start the went over Hawaii and ended over the Si- ceived a $40,000 grant. She is currently usually late Tahoe ski season. erras, where it even rained on the very the Intergalactic Sales Director of tops of the mountains themselves. The Backpacker's Panty. I was all smiles making turns at Al- pine Meadow Christmas day. Steep, deep supersaturated snow spontaneously and cold, the snow couldn't have been melted and the rain continued.

American Whitewater MaylJunel997 New Years day seemed like a good buildings, barns, trash cans, and trees - all wondering: Is this sane? day to paddle the South Fork American at trees, trees, trees - roots, trunks, Our first real test presented itself floodstage. What other California river branches and all. The debris was out of quickly. Meatgrinder, every class three can be paddled during a severe flood? control, completely unpredictable. A boater's nightmare, transformed into a be- The rate at which the water rose was phe- swim in that floatsom could work you; hemoth wave jamboliah. Waves were nomenal. It rose ferociously, as much as kill you, even, possibly, maybe, hope- moving every which way. They would ten thousand cubic feet per second per fully not! grow out of nowhere and push upriver. hour! Up and down the river people were It was now or never. We decided to They would pile up beneath you and gaping at the visibly growing hydraulics. put on. I roboticly suited up. Seal break with an awesome snap that would That morning the flow started at launching from the parking lot; Brenda launch you completely out of the water. twenty thousand CFS. Within hours it Ernst, Brook and Ethan Winger, Thomas Other times you'd paddle up, up, up and doubled to forty-thousand. By the time Baumann, Barry Hughesby, Brandon over or, if not so lucky, you'd get crushed we rallyed at Chilli Bar around one Nelson, Grady Garlough and myself took and momentarily surrender to the power. o'clock people were guesstimating the the plunge. We discussed our gameplan. Brace for your life, to and fro. Laterals flow about fifty grand! The gauge was Essentially, keep plenty of space between would send you sidesurfing ten and no longer functioning. The river was ourselves, look out for each other and twenty feet instantly. about fifteen feet below the upper park- always watch the debris. Speaking for The non-stop action hurled us into ing lot at Chilli Bar and still rising. myself, I added, "Its a good day to die, Racehorse Bend. I could see kayaks flip- Surprisingly, many boaters were there but I'm gonna try my best not to." ping like pancakes at the Coloma Club. carefully contemplating their skills and It was a hella fast ride from the get- Survival demanded bomber rolls. Chaos the river's ravenous rage. Even if you go. The river's edge was a veritable prevailed. Constantly changing, influx, had caught the highwater the past two graveyard. Small trees whipped wildly wild and random; you could not read the years (twenty and twenty-five thousand and large trees accumulated in massive river. It was all unfolding and happening CFS), which I had, this was easily double strainer piles, creating huge sieves. Ed- underneath us as we went. You could that. The river was still rising, too, like dies were rare and inhospitable. Debris easily be fooled by what you saw ahead. our heartbeats and blood pressure. would thud on your boat's bottom. Big Hydraulics would grow and form, munch Rampant debris ripped downriver: logs would pass you by like tractor trail- and crush, then, just as suddenly, dissi- picnic tables, propane tanks, coolers, ers on a narrow road. Everyone was pate and disappear. It was frightening. logs, lumber, drainage pipes, parts of big-eyed and paddling hard. We were We paddled for our lives.

American Whitewater MoylJune 1997 Somewhere around Maya we saw an the wave came a massive tree that tow- bridge. Mentally and physically beat, we unfortunate women desperately clinging ered above Ethan and looked like it was cheered too. Surfing a few waves and to an Alder tree in fierce current sur- going to eat him. It somehow got sucked congratulating one another, we spent the rounded by strainers. Her precarious situ- out the back of the wave as Ethan went last of our energy. We took out at camp ation and rescue warrant a story of its troughbound. He sure shreds. Lotus, catching an eddy behind the bath- own. Let it suffice to say this. She even- Our final exam, Troublemaker, lay rooms next to the store. tually let go, swam briefly, and reattached ahead. My wife and the Winger's dad That day and through the night the herself to the back of Barry's Crossfire. (their shuttlebunny) where there watching river continued to rise. The valley was He paddled her through some heinous and waiting. They had seen empty kay- closed and people were evacuated. Ofi- stuff, even flipping and rolling. By sheer aks ghost riding down. A VW bus went cials feared the Chilli Bar or Ice House luck he deposited her safely on shore. through Troublemaker, going faster than dam might fail. January second the river Other boaters that day flirted with it had ever gone under its own power. peaked at an estimated sixty-five thou- death as well. Several rafts attempted the The steel cable that normally hangs high sand CFS at Chilli Bar. It was perhaps gorge and all flipped at Fowler's, the first above the river was swinging violently at eighty thousand down in the gorge. At rapid. Overestimating your skills and un- decapitation level. We scurried by as far any rate, the river was big and, boats derestimating the river can be a disastrous left as we could. ashore, feet on firm ground, so were our combination. Fortunately, everybody was Minutes later, amidst spectators' smiles. O.K. Unfortunately, these incidents pre- cheers, we passed under the hi-way 49 cipitated the "boating ban " that was implemented late New Years day and lasted about a week. Punishable by con- fiscation of gear, five hundred bucks and a ride to jail. Back to the story. Rescue successful, we continued down the maelstrom. Ethan got the ride of his life on a massive breaking wave. Out of For more information Call 800-2555784 E-Mail [email protected] s,d http:/~.rmoc.com Phone: (717) 957-2413 10281 Hwy. 50. Howard. Colorado 81233 . .. @fitters The Arkansas River provides an extraordinary classroom for leading the art of paddling a kayak or canoe. RMOC is right in the middle of one hundred miles of beautiful river, ranging from easy first-day-in-a-boat water to the stuff experts dream about. We can always match your skills and desires with the right stretch of water.

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American Whitewater May/June1997 p.m. on Saturday and from liest days of whitewater 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sun- kayaking, attracting kayak and day. In addition to the Great canoe speed demons from Falls Race - which requires around the Mid Atlantic kayakers to descend one of the States. country's most treacherous The 1997 Potomac stretches of whitewater, Great Whitewater Festival is spon- American Whitewater and kayakers to demonstrate mas- Falls - contestants and specta- sored by Perception, Dagger1 the Canoe Cruisers Association tery of the enormous power of tors can choose from a wide Headwaters, Clydes Restaurant, have announced that the an- the fast moving water near variety of exciting races. Stark Moon, Springriver, Out- nual Potomac Whitewater Fes- Great Falls on the Potomac Events include a squirt boat door Excursions, Patagonia, tival will be held on May 31 8 River, This is the only event contest, an upstream race, Rapidstyle, Kokatat, Croakies June 1, 1997, and the Potomac of its kind in the area - a two freestyle kayaking contests, and numerous other compa- River Downriver Race will take day spectacle with hundreds of and a head-to-head sprint. nies from around the Wash- place on June 1, 1997. The competitors from around the The Canoe Cruisers Asso- ington, DC region and else- weekend will offer a two-day nation, many spectators and a ciation Downriver Race, to be where. cornucopia of exciting variety of local media. held on Sunday, June 1, adds Contacts: Pope Barrow whitewater competition. Most events will take place an exciting long distance (202-546-3766) or Bea Grause The Potomac Whitewater within 114 mile downstream of downstream racing challenge. (703-893-7540) CCA Festival features a series of Great Falls on the Virginia The annual race has been held Downriver race only, Jim Long dazzling contests requiring side from 10:OO a.m. to 3:00 on the Potomac since the ear- (703-33 1-5800).SEE PAGE 76

HAMRICK PUBLIC

4CHURCH

PARKING LOT

DRY FORK RlVER

PEMSTRAIN BRIDGE OVER RIVER

American Whitewo ter Moy/June 1997 Entry Fees Check only one space below SCHEDULE Make checks payable to AWA (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

For registrations Postmarked Sat May 31 9:00 AM Competitors Meeting at Great Before May 24 May 24 or after Falls, VA, lower parking lot One or more events: $17 %27 0 Events: Downriver Squirt, Intermediate: Sxface Boat Events and banquet: $25 $35 0 Freestyle, Downriver Sprint, Surf~EddyEquirt, Attainment Races Banquet only: $lO/person Please Read This!!! Number of banquet attendees : Banquet & silent auction at Carderock 6 PM-10 PM Number of additional T-shirts 81615 0 Sun June 1: 7:00 AM Competitors Mecting at Great The Potomac is a free flowing river. Water levels are Falls VA, lower parking lot unpredictable. The scheduling of events will depend Total paid: $ Events: Great Falls Race, Advanced Surface Boat on water levels on May 3 1 and June 1. Events may All competitors get a FREE T SHIRT Freestyle, Awards. have to be rescheduled on any day, moved from one day to another, or canceled. The Potomac often has Please check on appropriate lines below big, pushy class In, IV, and V water. Some events are First Name: not suitable for beginning boaters or boaters without a Down River Squirt reliable roll. Last Name: K- 1 C- 1 All competitors are required to assist in judging

Address: Surface Boat Freestyle K- 1 C-1 - OC- 1 City, State: Intermediate - Advanced Zip: All competitors are required to assist in judging Phone: Surf/Eddy Squirt Gender: Male Female K- 1 C- 1 Age: All competitors are required to assist in judging Please check one: Junior (under 18) Senior (18 or over) Downriver Sprint Boat type Masters: (40 or over )

- ---- Attainment Races Directions to Great Falls Park, VA Intermediate Advanced 1. Take 1-4 95 (the beltway around DC) to VA just south of the Potomac River Boat type 2. Get off on exit 13, Route 193 and head west 3. At intersection of 193 and Old Dominion Drive Great Falls Race turn right at the stop light into Great Falls Park Experts only! 4. Immediately after fee both take sharp right to K- 1 C- 1 lower parking lot Minimum of 3 boats per class for all events new twist: under strainers through a by Gordon Edwards class V+ drop. I was surprised The river has a secret rhythm, to see the Moose My paddle punctuates the rhyme, River included along I dance the 'yak the tune its given, with these newly run My breathing measures out the time. creeks. But after all four featured boaters were mystery moved My hands are cold, my smile wide, at the bottom of the But then a mean upriver eddy first drop, I discov- Betrays my age, my slower side, ered a new found re- And catches me, alas, unready. spect for this classic New York run. Elzey Aw shee! I shout just like a fool, Creek follows soon Exhaling all, as down I go - after. It proves that Timing now - don't rush - stay cool, elbow pads really do make sense. In fact - Reach up - snap hips and keep head boaters should get low. shoulder pads and face masks before Most times I'm up and sit there grinnin' even walking near But today, 'gainst all my wishes, this diminutive rivu- The boat gets pinned, I end up swimmin' let. Sure is fun, this countin' fishes. Finally, Wolf Creek is highlighted. Some folks shake heads, they think I'm This is the creek crazy which runs alongside Most paddlers are so turned on to paddling the road to Fayette Station at the New River But 'till new leafs upon the tree, they will watch anything that includes the Gorge. If you are like my friends, you have With glasses fogged and vision hazy, briefest glance of a steep creek or some cool stopped to marvel at this beautiful, but The Swift or 'toocut's where I'll be. surfing. Trust me, I didn't watch The River "unrunnable", creek. If you are like BJ, Clay, Wild for its cinematic brilliance, I watched it Katie, Colby and Tracy, you pulled over, untied for a glimpse at some huge western your boat and had a blast. whitewater. Fortunately, Fallin' Down fills that The rest of the video shows a number of basic need in the intro clips - then hands out unidentified creeks. This is the only negative 34 more minutes of tongue hangin' out, eye criticism I will offer. Some great looking west- poppin', hard core hard boating. ern boating is subtitled only "Washington" and Fallin' Down is the inaugural video offer- "Colorado." Recognizable are Adrenaline Falls ing from Falling Down productions. It features on Lime Creek, Big Splat on the Big Sandy and 35 minutes of paddling accompanied by origi- Pillow Rock on the Gauley. There are a num- nal music from Morgantown, WV area bands: ber of other drops and play holes which are The Circle Six, Joint Chiefs, and the Bare Feet never named. Maybe somebody was afraid 7 AND KAYAK and Company. Included in the video are first their favorite spot would become inundated descents, steep creeks, big water, and rodeo by with hair boater wannabees if these rivers were TOURING B.J. Johnson, Clay Wright, Katie Nietert, Colby identified. Neverless, I was left feeling disap- Mackley, Tracy Clapp and others. pointed, not knowing the location of some of OUTFITFERS The back cover of the video box reminds these spots. Moreover, the video packaging DRY BAGS PFD'S us that evolution is what kayaking is about. claims four first descents are included, but INFLATABLES Comparing this video to those that came before never identifies them. It is, however, easy to NEOPRENE CLOTHING reminds us that videos evolve as well. The ed- overlook these small criticisms when watching ACCESSORIES iting is exceptional. Rodeo, creeking and even perfect cartwheels, precision boofs and infinite PLUS: crash and bum footage are assembled so that surfing. - BACKPACKING just before the viewer gets tired of seeing flaw- The bonus of this video is even when you less runs of twenty foot drops, he is presented FAMILY CAMPING get the film memorized, you can still pop the with flawless retentive moves. Then, just when video in just for the soundtrack. Preferences I you think Clay Wright never has a bad run, differ, of course, but most of the music is up- you see him get pummeled under a thirty foot beat, cutting edge alternative, perfectly suited waterfall. Speaking of crash and bum, ever for cutting edge paddling. I heard of a com- wonder what happens when you try to fit a ten plaint regarding the graphic nature of the mu- foot Crossfire sideways through a eight foot sic, but I would rate it PG: solidly between CALL OR WRITE FOR slot? gangster rap and Barney sing alongs. I OUR FREE CATALOG I Five runs are noted throughout the video. Even if you have every other paddling Four of these, Laurel Creek, Leatherwood Creek, video made, you collection will be incomplete Wolf Creek and Elzey Creek, feature epic steep, without this one. If you don't have any other tight, low volume boating. Laurel Creek is no- videos, get this one and you'll never have to table for Captain Crunch Falls. The video pans watch Meryl Streep run the Gauntlet again. from the unrunnable boulder strewn left side to You'll even get a really cool sticker to plaster the 'runnable' right side. Any boater who on your boat, helmet or shuttle vehicle. or write doesn't question the sanity of paddlers drop- Contact info: Falling Down Productions, I W BOX 700-AWA ping off this horizon should either be in the P.O. Box 242, Lansing, WV 25862 - Phone: video or in counseling. Leatherwood Creek 304.547.1949 - Price $24.95 - or check your features the old party game 'The Limbo' with a favorite paddling store.

Arne on Whitewoter Moy/June 7997 @ Free WKF Extreme Championships Video @ Free Entry into all World Kayak Federation Events @ Free World Kayak Federation Sticker @ Free membership to American Whitewater Affiliation @ Free subscription to American Whitewater magazine @ Rebates on Wavesport kayaks, Dan Gavere's AT paddles, and more! I @ Access to WKF programs and vacations.

Name

Address

Phone ( ) s&H: $ 2*95 Hey! I'm already an AWA member, give me half off my WKF membership: TOTAL: $ Only $25 ==Y, Oops! I haven't gotten around to joining AWA. Sign me up for both, WKF & AWA: Mastercard or Visa # Only $50 "I Expiration Date

Signature WKF Long SLeeve T-Shirt(s) at $20/ea. World E- Fedemation 0 L 0 XL P.O. Box 15430, Washington, DC 20003 (...and I'd also like extra) 202/546-9214 (phone) @ 202/546-3106 (fax) WKF Race Video(s) at $13/ea. [email protected] (e-mail) Check us out at http://www.worldkayak.com WKF Sticker(s) at $5/ea. I Hark your calendar now! 1 Join fellow paddlers, river activists, and the bcal community for a day of fun and fellow- lip at the takeout to the class IV - V numbers xtion of the Arkansas River. Booths from a number of national and re- ional paddlesport companies will be there lith kayak and equipment demos available to tstival participants. A silent auction and iffle will be held on Saturday evening with ie proceeds going to American Whitewateris onservation and access programs. Camping is rovided at the Railroad Bridge festival site rith overflow camping information provided at ie festival grounds. In conjunction with the festival will be the mning of the Colorado Cup Slalom races :ontact: Chris Bainbridge at 719-539-6681) nd the CWWA triathlon a run, bike paddle ontest (contact: Bill Baker at 303-972-8437). lasses will be for both pro-racing and recre- tional boaters in both events. There will also ossibly be an ender contest at the famed ?rider rocki providing the water level is good. COME CELEBRATE WITH US! I *

':Iq- more intbrmaricin contact: Landis Arnold c/o Wildwasser Sport P.O. Box Jayne Abbot 450 Ivy Hill Road Weavewille, 461 7 Boulder, CO 80306 fax: (303) 444- NC 28787 ph: (704) 645-5299 fax: (704) 2375 e-mail: [email protected] 645-6983 [email protected] by Barry Grimes It's official, the scores are in from the East egory. In addition to winning it's hotly con- Many thanks to all of the generous spon- and West Festivals. Congratulations to the tested category, this outstanding instruc- sors of the NPFF who make this event a strong winning entries of the 1997 National Paddling tional entry scored second overall in the fund generator for waterway conservation, Film Festival from the Bluegrass Wildwater crowded professional division. Retendo! safety and instruction. The EmorylObed Wild Association, the Kern River Alliance, American The Art of Precision Playpaddling and Scenic River, Kern River, American Whitewater, and the American Canoe Associa- innovatively explores new rodeo moves Whitewater and the American Canoe Associa- tion! 15 videos from across the nation and like Whippets, McTwists, Splitwheels and tion will directly benefit in 1997 from these world competed, with these 5 voted the best of screwups. Creative computer animation, sponsors' commitments to the NPFF. Please the fest! Thanks to all of the volunteers, spon- combined with other visual tools, explain remember these names and return to them sors and artists that flowed together to produce and simplify these fun, new, river play tac- what they have given to the river through over $5000 for waterway conservation and tics. Experienced instruction by Kent Ford, their support of this event. help premier the latest and greatest in Scott Shipley, Chris Spelius, Marc Lyle, and DAGGER paddlesport videos and images. others should put this video in every SAVAGE DESIGNS whitewater playboater's collection. CANOE KENTUCKY The Adventures of Johnny Utah: River WAVE SPORT NEW WAVE KAYAK Stories From A Different Deep Creekers at Dry Meadow Creek, PRUON KAYAKS Point of View by Winston Offill 8 Joshua Offill, with MENASHA RIDGE PRESS An adventure in storytelling and an in- video by Chris Nuthall, and featuring music PHILLIP GALL'S / PERCEPTION quiry into "why?"... people boat. By Paul by Private Ale Ceder Pines Park, CA. This PATAGONIA Bonesteel 8 Tom DeCuir of Atlanta, Georgia . visually stunning winner of the "Recre- PADDLER MAGAZINE Johnny Utah delighted the imagination of both ational 8 Scenic" amateur category com- HEADWATERS the East and West audiences who granted it bined crisp editing with dramatic video of NANTAHALA OUTDOOR CENTER their favor by voting it the coveted "Ender Southern California's magnificent Dry STOHLQUIST WATERWARE Award". These river stories told in new cur- Meadow Creek. SIDEWINDER WHITEWATER rents returned glowing reviews from the 12 SALAMANDER Representative judges as well. The amateur PADDLE ON MOUNTAIN SURF judges panel, made up of recreational boaters Classic paddling scenes on streams in CASCADE DESIGN representing clubs from across the nation, con- Tennessee, combined with music featuring MOUNTAIN RIVER TOURS verged on Lexington, Ky. and Bakersfield, Ca., Chota's own Russell Hopper, earned Chota NORTHWEST RIVER SUPPLES volunteering their time for waterway conserva- Canoe Club the top "Club" amateur category POWERFOOD tion by viewing and scoring all 10 professional award. The video featured canoe and kayak LUNATIC APPAREL entries. They honored Johnny Utah with the enders on the Obed, and Tellico Ledges. RIVER SPORTS OUTFll'TERS "Best of Show" professional division award. "The judges enjoyed the open boat SPORTS HELMETS Paddling scenes from a different point of view carnage... interesting footage... some great of the southeast's Green River were dramati- shots ..." Submitted by Ron Crass, President, Please be sure to visit the National Pad- cally provided by a boat mounted camera. Chota Canoe Club, Knoxville, TN. dling Film Festival's World Wide Web site at: Within this visual whitewater chaos, streamed http://www.surfbwa.org/npff. There you'll find the "stories" and philosophies of the mythic Best Paddling Image Award as picked the latest about the NPFF, entry rules and how figure of Johnny Utah, and those who knew by the NPFF audiences in Kentucky and to enter plus what makes the NPFF so great. him. Clever, interesting, different and fun, The California went to Joel Lecaptain of There are also pages that allow you to get in- Adventures of Johnny Utah is a must see Wate~lle,Ohiowith his "standing river formation about any of the hundreds of entries video. surfer" slide. from the Film Festival's past 14 years. You can BEYOND THE MISSIONARY POSITION, by Rick Gusic of Versailles, PA., took the "Best of Show" amateur division with a hilari- ous and innovative entry. The panel of profes- sional judges, comprised of professional pad- dling illuminaries, media and manufacturer representatives, voted it their top choice in the amateur competition. With "...easy drops made hard" and "...hair boaters that don't take them- selves too seriously...", beyond The Missionary Position made most all who saw it happy. L-

American Whitewater May/Junel991 read a brief synopsis of each entry quoted from the actual program and also obtain the GORGE GAMES film maker's address for contact. For immediate gratification you can even download segments of past video entries. In cooperation with selected videographers, the Last year's most exciting kayak event is back for year number two. The Gorge NPFF is proud to be offering paddling videos Games 100% All Natural Sports and Music Festival is a celebration of outdoor sports for sale from all 13 NPFFs. Some are rare vid- featuring competition in: Windsurfing, Mountain Biking, Kayaking, Snowboarding, eos that have never been offered for sale be- Paragliding, Hawaiian Canoes, Kiteskiing, Stairclimb, Trail Run, Climbing, Sailing 49er fnre and unseen publicly since their original Class and much more. premier at the NPFF. Remember, the few dol- The Kayak portion of the Games includes the White Salmon Races - Downriver and lars spent for these videos as well as all other Slalom Events on July 12 8 13th. On the morning of the July 12th, Jr. Olympic Paddler profits the NPFF generates will go straight to and owner of the new Cascade Whitewater Company, "Tree" will offer a beginner sla- waterway conservation the American Canoe lom racing clinic for all interested paddlers. These events are open to all levels of pad- Association and American Whitewater. We dlers. Entry fees are $25 and include a T-shirt and other goodies. Other beginner and will soon be adding many more videos for advanced clinics will be scheduled throughout the Gorge Games week. sale including those from 1997; The Adven- Later in the week, the top guns will be on hand for the second running of the upper tures of Johnny Utah: River Stories From A White Salmon. This section of river contains Class V waterfalls including Big brother Different Point [30' drop) and double drop (18' each). Eric Jackson will be on hand to retain his title on of View and Retendo! The Art of Precision this event. The Gorge Games Extreme Event is offers $5,000 in prize money and will Playpaddling. only be open to qualified boaters. For more information about qualifications please A standing ovation to all of the volunteers contact Ted Cramer at Cascade Outdoor Store 541-387-3527. in the Bluegrass Wildwater Association and For more information about the Gorge Games contact our web site the Kern River Alliance that worked for the www.gorgegames.gorge.net or call 541-386-7774 or email at gorgegames-aol.com rivers and waters they love to bring off this event. The NPFF continues to bring together the talents of a diverse group of committed paddlers who share the common goal of gen- erating funds for waterway conservation, Safely Report Corrections safety and instruction. Through their energy the NPFF has fostered variety and a higher My summary of the drowning on the Lower Meadow and the near-miss on the quality of paddlesport images, naturally in- Russell Fork in the last issue of the AWA Journal contained some significant errors creasing the popular exposure of all types of which I would like to correct. paddlesports, in turn providing education and On the Lower Meadow, mention was made of Rob Dobson's outstanding efforts to inspiration for paddling. The energy of people recover Scott Hasson's body. Mr. Dobson is affiliated with Wildwater Unlimited, not working together, having fun giving to the Class VI as the article stated. Because of his knowledge of the river he succeded where rivers and waterways completes a natural others failed. Hasson actually flipped in the rapid, was pushed into an undercut, then cycle. See you on the water and in the movies! washed into the drain area. The body was recovered from upstream, not downstream as For more information about the 1998 Na- the report suggested. Dobson feels that boat length was not a factor in the accident as tional Paddling Film Festival please contact: others had speculated. Rather, it is the sort of thing that can happen to anyone, regard- NPFF less of skill, when running a river as difficulty and treacherous as the Lower Meadow. PO BOX 423 1 Given his experience with this run I consider this opinion definative. Lexington, Ky 40544 On the Russell Fork, contrary to my write-up, the initial rescue, recovery, and www.surfbwa.orglnpff rescusitation of Ken Ross following his lengthy recirculation in a hole was performed by a second group of paddlers who arrived on the scene. They made a series of deci- sions under great pressure which ultimately saved this man from certain death. They should be very proud of their succxessful efforts. Any comments I made about CPR technique in the hopes of helping others who might be faced with a similar situation in NEW WEB PAGE the future should not be taken as criticism what was, in fact,'a successful rescue. Al- though the doctor mentioned in the article did not amve until after the victim began breathing on his own, his presence and support was a major source of help and comfort to the rescuers. The facts were quite clear from Internet accounts, but were expressed poorly when I wrote the summary. HOLES I offer my sincere apologies to those who were upset by these mistakes, and encour- Tom Hillegass, of the Canoe Cruisers age anyone with infotrmation on accidents or near misses to contact me directly. Association (Washington D.C.) recently put up a new Web page devoted to swimming Charlie Walbridge holes in the Eastern US. It includes free information on natural swimming places in rivers, creeks, springs and waterfalls from Maine to Florida. There is an elec- tronic form for visitors to add their favor- ite swimming holes. Also included are links to related pages on whitewater pad- dling, river conservation, hot springs, camping information and the like. In the last issue of American Whitewater we misprinted the telephone number to be Visit this site at "www.nicom.com/ used by those wishing to order videotapes of the 1996 Gore Race. The correct contact -hillegW. if Phil Kantor; (303)444-8414. Sorry for the inconvenience.

American Whitewater May/JuneW97 by Connie Miner Challenge your skills, improve your The NESS is made up of 9 individual CANOE, MILLBROOK BOATS, and technique, meet new people who share races throughout New England, with the MlTCHELL PADDLES; all New England your love of paddling and are eager to first race on March 23. You can enter as companies and organizations dedicated to share their knowledge and joy of many as you like, but to qualify for a the development of whitewater paddling. whitewater slalom racing. Imagine your- NESS award at the end of the year you So come join the FUN! You do not self at the start of the race course, ready must complete at least 5 races in the have to have any previous racing experi- to test your paddling skills against the same boat class. Points are tallied from ence to try racing, you only need to pos- pure energy of the water currents and the the finish standings of each race until the sess solid class I1 skills and ask lots of strategic placement of the race course final race, which is the Farmington Sla- questions. designer's gates. How do you think Dana lom on Oct. 18th and 19th. The New En- The 1997 NESS race packet should be Chladek and Jon Lugbill got started? gland Slalom Series Awards Ceremony mailed to previous participants by March The New England Slalom Series, a will follow this race. Individual races 1. If you do not receive a packet by this point race series designed for unranked vary in water difficulty from class I to date, or are new to the series send a SASE and C/D ranked boaters, is about to begin difficult class 111, so make sure you check to: its 9th season. There are race classes for the water difficulty for the races you Sam Montague cadets (kids) up to Masters (40+ years); for choose to enter. All details, rules, and 55 Darton Street just about any kind of whitewater canoe, the full race schedule and instructions are Concord, MA 01742 kayak and decked canoe, plastic ABS or explained in the race packet. This race Kevlar, tandem and solo. You name it, series is sponsored by the generous sup- we've probably got it! port of ADVENTURE QUEST, MAD RIVER

The Flood of '97 has transformed the lars. "These numbers show the relatively committee is considering an event on the Elkhorn Gorge in Kentucky frcm a mild important role this natural resource plays Elkhorn with canoes, too." Class I and I1 stream appropriate for be- in our economy," declared Dr. William Paddlers who have been on the ginners by adding some solid Class 111 to Gillespie, Georgetown College Public Re- Elkhorn prior to the flood may check out its menu. A number of trees felled by the lations/Commmunications Professor and the obstacles and water levels with CA- high waters resulted in strainers. Director Georgetown-Scott County Tour- NOE KENTUCKY at (502)227-4492 lo- "It's time to do some chain-sawing." ism Commission. "We had a great year cally, or 1 (800)K-CANOE-1 long distance. Jim Pickett, STREAM GUIDE 8 RESCUE on our end of the Creek renting canoes," E-mail is available at http:// PresidentITrip LeaderlGuide, observed. he added: "and our Festival of the Horse www.canoeky.com. "We've been practicing for this kind of operation during a number of previous floods; but no one could have anticipated these changes. We need to make the Creek as safe as possible and quick," he added; "Spring cleaning, so to speak," Trees have been spotted at the Upper Railroad, Stedman's Mill, middle chute of Three Roses and the end of Barking Dog rapids. "In addition to this situation, Mother Nature has redirected water flows such that these rapids are much more challenging than they were previously," explained Corey Councill, Operations Vice-president and SafetylRescue Director for CANOE KENTUCKY. "We need to re- evaluate our own safety program for rent- ers," he continued. Elkhorn Creek attracted an estimated 50,000 paddlers last year, impacting the local economy with about 7.5 million dol-

American Whitewater Moy/lunel997 Fun... Fun... Fun Featuring two days of "on the water" the Riverwalk lies the Black River Gorge- Black's premier play spot near the end of activities-the Black River Festival prom- one of the East's best summer play runs. the river walk. Open free of charge to all ises to be an exciting change from the Rated at class 3-4 at normal summer AWA members who have not competed in AWA's typical festival format. flows, the Black also includes a runnable a rodeo event other than in a novice divi- Scheduled for July 26-27, 1997 at (but easily portaged) 15-foot waterfall. sion-the rodeo is designed as a "fun" Watertown, New York's Riverwalk Park, Festival organizers plan a unique ac- event. the celebration includes two days of in- tivity for the weekend: free rodeo and For "first-time" Black River paddlers, structional clinics, a novice rodeo compe- surfing clinics for AWA members. Repre- AWA representatives knowledgeable of tition, on-the-water equipment demos and sentatives from Perception, Prijon and the river will be available throughout the other events. Camping and a traditional Pyranha Kayaks have already volunteered weekend to show the best lines through Saturday night party will also be offered to lead hour-long instructional sessions the rapids or the best play spots on the at the nearby Black River Bay Camp- during the day. Clinic size will be limited river. grounds in Dexter, NY. to 20 AWA members per session and, of For paddlers, the Black River Bay Watertown's Riverwalk Park might be course, memberships will be available the Campground has designated a special sec- the perfect venue for a whitewater event. day of the event. tion for Festival camping and a special The paved 20-foot wide pedestrian walk In addition, retailers will have virtu- price of $4 per person per night. A Satur- parallels the river for nearly half a mile ally every make and model of kayak day night bonfire has been scheduled with and overlooks three class 2-3 rapids-in- available for on-water demos during the beverages. Admission is free to AWA cluding a superb set of surfing waves, sev- day. Paddlers will be able to borrow a members. eral dynamic squirt lines and one of the boat-check how it performs under river- "We've made a conscious effort to best play holes in the Northeast. The running and play conditions-then easily make this event different from other AWA Black's dependable water levels guaran- walk back through the Park to borrow an- events," said AWA coordinator Chris Koll. tees optimal flows of warm water at the other. "Our first priority isn't trying to raise time of the festival. On Sunday, a rodeo for novice com- money so we aren't charging any admis- And of course, just downstream from petitors will be held at Hole Brothers-the sion or staging raffles or auctions. In- stead-our intent is to provide a service to AWA members and to encourage other to join. "We're also trying to introduce more people to the Black," Koll said. "It's really an underutilized resource. As a summer river, I think it's much more interesting than the Lower Yough, Kennebec or Ot- tawa-but a big day will only see 30 boat- ers. It can handle a lot more." The city of Watertown has actively supported whitewater activity and has provided use of the Riverside Park to the AWA free of charge. The city hopes to extend the park further than its half-mile length. Good 2 the Last Drop "It's amazing how public perception of the river has changed in the past 15 THE DEBBT VIDEO FROM DRlFTWODD PRODUCTIONS years since whitewater rafting and boat- ing has come to Watertown," Koll said. "Local folks used to see it as hombly dan- AVAILABLE FOR $29.85 BY CliLlN6 gerous. Now they're building parks and 1.888.H20.FAll encouraging recreational use." Registra- OR VISIT WWW.DRIFF-WOOD.COM tion for the weekend clinics and rodeo will be made on a first-come, first served basis on the day of the Festival at the AWA booth starting at the Adirondack River Outfitters put-in. For more information, contact Chris Koll at (3 15)652-8397 or by e-mail at [email protected]. A festival newslet- ter featuring maps and detailed schedule of events will be available in mid May- call to receive more information.

American Whitewater May/Junc1997 IATE

12428 Cente~illeRoad c/o Joseph Pylka Livermore, CA 94550 P.O. Box 980782 Chico, CA 95928 30 N. Greenwood Avenue, Apt. D Houston, TX 77098 Hopewell, NJ 08252 KCCNY Chota Canoe Club c/o Pierre De Rham Beartooth Paddlers P.O. Box 8270 Georgia Canoeing Assoc. P.O. Box 195 ADK Schenectady P.O. Box 20432 University Station P.O. Box 7023 Garrison, NY 10524 P.O. Box 733 Billings, MT 59104 Knoxville, TN 37916 Atlanta, GA 30357 Schenectady, NY 12301 Keelhaulers Canoe Club Benscreek Canoe Club Clarkson Outing Club Georgia Tech ORGT c/o Cathy Schilling Adobe Whitewater Club 415 Sunberry Street Ext. Box 8565 c/o Suzanne Beaumont 3384 Marcella Avenue P.O. Box 3835 Johnstown, PA 15904 Potsdam, NY 13699-8565 SAC-01 10 Stow, OH 44224 Albuquerque, NM 87190 Atlanta, GA 30332 Birmingham Canoe Club Clemson Whitewater Club Kent State University Kayak Club AMC Berkshire Chapter P.O. Box 951 251 Fike Recreation Center G.LO.P. 191 MACC Annex c/o Mike Zabre Birmingham, AL 35201 Box 34401 5 c/o James Tibensky Kent, OH 44242 34 Russell Street Clemson, SC 29634-4015 P.O. Box 2576 Greenfield, MA 01301 Blue Ridge River Runners Chicago, 11 60690 Kern River Alliance P.O. Box 10243 Club Adventure P.O. Box 93 AMC Boston Chapter Lynchburg, VA 24501 c/o Adventure Quest Greater Baltimore Canoe Club Kernville, CA 93238 c/o Jim Cavo P.O. Box 184 P.O. Box 591 33 Chester Avenue Blue Ridge Voyageurs Woodstock, VT 05091 Ellicott City, MD 21041-1841 Lansing Oar 8 Paddle Club Waltham, MA 02154 c/o Larry Gladieux c/o Karl Pearson 208 Jefferson Street Headwaters Paddling Assoc. P.O. Box 26254 AMC Connecticut Chapter Alexandria, VA 22314 Coastal Canoeists Inc. Box 1392 Lansing, MI 48909 c/o Jan Larkin P.O. Box 566 Bozeman, MT 59715 151 Hamilton Drive Bluegrass Wildwater Assoc. Richmond, VA 23218-0566 Leaping Lounge Lizards Manchester, CT 06040 P.O. Box 4231 Holtwood Hooligans c/o Rick Norman Lexington, KY 40544 Colorado Rocky Mtn. School c/o Dave Rostad 3437 E. Green St. AMC Delaware Valley Chapter c/o Bob Campbell 922 Marcia Lane Pasadena, CA 91107 c/o Lorraine Leander Boat Busters Anonymous 1493 Rd. 106 Lancaster, PA 17601 21 Estate Circle 2961 Hemingway Ave. Carbondale, CO 81623 Ledyard Canoe Club Sugarloaf, PA 18249 Oakdale, MN 55128 Hoofer Outing Club Box 9 Colorado Whitewater c/o Mike Sklavos, Water Safety Hanover, NH 03755 AMC Maine Chapter Buck Ridge Ski Club Association Memorial Union c/o Wolfgang W. Kaiser P.O. Box 179 P.O. Box 4315 800 Langdon Street Lehigh Valley Canoe Club P.O. Box 33 1 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 Englewood, CO 80155-4315 MAdison, WI 53706 P.O. Box 4353 Woolwich, ME 04579 Bethlehem, PA 18018-0353 Burned Out Canoe Club Coma River Paddling Club Hoosier Canoe Club AMC New Hampshire Chapter c/o Fred Vaughn c/o Lonnie Carden c/o Dave Ellis Lower Columbia Canoe Club c/o Stanley J. Solomon BOX 15 Southern Trails, Inc. 7650 Poplar Road c/o Russ Pascoe 4 Whittier Road McConnell, WV 25646 5143 Atlanta Highway Brownsburg, IN 461 12-8412 6009 NE 35th Circle Lexington, MA 02173-1717 Montgomery, AL 36109 Vancouver, WA 98661-7229 Canoe Club of Greater Housatonic Area Canoe 8 Kayak AMC New York Harrisburg Cornell Outdoor Education Squad Meramec River Canoe Club c/o Trudy L Wood c/o Mary Klaue Program c/o Robert Beringer c/o Earl Biffle 41 W. 96th St., Apt. 3C R.D. 1, Box 421 c/o Paul Kempner 12 Boltis Street 26 Lake Road New York, NY 10025 Middleburg, PA 17842 001 The Field House, Campus Mt. Kisco, NY 10549 Fenton, MO 63026 Road AMC S.E. Mass. Canoe Cruisers Association Ithaca, NY 14853 Huntsville Canoe Club MerrimackValley Paddlers c/o Mark Klim c/o Mac Thornton P.O. Box 52 c/o George May 49 Record Street 6467 Wishbone Terrace E. Tennessee Whitewater Club Huntsville, AL 35804-0052 157 Naticook Road Stoughton, MA 02072 Cabin John, MD 20818-1 707 P.O. Box 5774 Merrimack, NH 03054 Oak Ridge, TN 37831- 5774 ldaho Rivers United America Outdoors Carolina Canoe Club c/o Wendy Wilson Metropolitan Canoe 8 Kayak P.O. Box 10847 P.O. Box 12932 Eastern River Expeditions Box 633 P.O. Box 021868 Knoxville, TN 37939 Raleigh, NC 27605 c/o Dave Kareken Boise, ID 83701 Brooklyn, NY 11202-0040 Box 1173 Moosehead Lake Club Andino Bariloche Central Georgia River Runners Greenville, ME 04441 ldaho State Outdoor Pgm. Midwest Foundation for 20 de Febrero 30 P.O. Box 6563 c/o Ron Watters Whitewater Excellence (8400) Bariloche Macon, GA 31208 ERC, Building 89 Box 81 18, ISU 7187 Manchester Road Argentina Hiking and Canoeing Club Pocatello, 083209 St Louis, MO 63 143 Central New York Whitewater Eastman Road Appalachian Paddling Club Kingsport, TN 37662 JPL Hiking 8 Backpacking Club Missouri Whitewater Assoc. Enthusiasts c/o Nancy Howells c/o Philip G. Mullen P.O. Box 3000 c/o YMCA RR 1, Box 77D Fairbanks Paddlers 3628 El Caminito #A St. Louis, MO 63130 P.O. Box 60 Morrisville, NY 13408 P.O. Box 83329 La Crescents, CA91214-1713 Erwin, TN 37650 Fairbanks, AK 99708 Mohawk Canoe Club Chattooga River Frisbee and Kansas City Whitewater Club 15 Andrea Lane Arkansas Canoe Club Paddling Club Foothills Paddling Club c/o G. Rebecca Stark Trenton, NJ 08619 P.O. Box 1843 c/o John Snell P.O. Box 6331 5600 Kenwood Avenue Little Rock, AR 72203 Box 603 Greenville, SC 29606 Kansas City, MO 64110 Monocacy Canoe Club Danielsville, GA 30632 P.O. Box 1083 Atlanta Whitewater Club Friends of the River Kayak 8 Canoe Club of Boston Frederick, MD 21702 P.O. Box 33 Chicago Whitewater Assoc. Long Beachlorange County c/o Roger Belson Clarkston, GA 30021 c/o Marge Cline Chapter Box 526 Mount Washington Valley 1343 N. Portage c/o Marvin Panzer Henniker, NH 03242 Paddlers Badger State Boating Society Palatine, 1L 60067 5122 Greencap Avenue c/o Ron Tafsar c/o Karin Papenhausen I~ine,CA 92714 Kayaking I-IV P.O. Box 806 918 E. Knapp #5 Kate Robinson c/o Schumacher Franconia, NH 03580-0806 Milwaukee, WI 53202 Chico Paddleheads Garden State Canoe Club 471 Hagemann Dr. The Mountaineers Rhode Island Canoe Association San Jose, CA 951 17 Southwestern Whitewater Club Three Rivers Paddling Club 300Third Avenue West c/o Dave Hevner P.O. Box 120055 c/o Barry Adams Seattle, WA 981 19 254 Bailey Woods Road Sierra Club RTS San Antonio, TX 78212 81 1 Smokey Wood Drive Brooklyn, CT 06234 c/o Wini Heppler Pittsburgh, PA 15218 Moxie Gore Paddling Club 18 Columbia Circle Spokane Canoe H Kayak Club P.O. Box 455 Susan DeFoe Berkeley, CA 94708-2104 P.O. Box 819 Toledo River Gang South Paris, ME 04281-3455 The River Alliance Spokane, WA 99210 c/o Charlie Schultz 236 Stoneridge Drive Sierra Nevada WW Club 2321 Broadway, Apt 5 NOR5 Columbia, SC 29210 3485 Zion Steep Creek Films Toledo, OH 43609 c/o Mary McCurdy Reno, NV 89503 4104 Shoal Creek Boulevard Box 6847 River Rendezvous Austin, TX 78756 Triad River Runners Colorado Springs, CO 80904 P.O. Box 888 Smith River Valley Canoe Club P.O. Box 24094 Telluride, CO 81435 c/o Harry B. Rhett, President Texas Whitewater Assoc. Winston-Salem, NC 271 14-4094 NOVA Riverunners Inc. 15 Cleveland Avenue P.O. Drawer 5429 P.O. Box 1129 River Touring Section Martinsville, VA 241 12 Austin, TX 78763 Chickaloon, AK 99674 Sierra Club - Anpeles Chapter c/o Dave wold< Ohio Valley Whitewater Club 9624 Saluda c/o Sue Dean Avenue 818 East Riverside Drive Tijunga, CA 91042 Evansville, IN 47713 River Touring Ontario Voyageurs Kayak Club Section P.O. Box 41 Sierra Club - John Adelaide Post Ofice Muir Chapter Toronto, Ontario M5C 2H8 c/o Fred Juergens Werner paddles have been Canada 51 17 Minocqua helping paddlers be fast and clean Crescent for more than thirty years. Oregon Kayak and Canoe Club Madison, WI 53705-1319 Our paddles the Wenatchee and P.O. Box 692 the Ocoee have been setting the Portland, OR 97207 Rivers Council of standards for years. We're now Washington offering three new blade shapes to Outdoor Adventure Club 1731 Westlake enhance your paddling pleasure. P.O. Box 402 Avenue North, Dayton, OH 45404 X202 Seattle, WA 98109- Outdoor Adventure Program 3043 Bldg. 2807 Mt. Home AFB, ID 83648-5000 Roanoke County Parks 8 Rec. Outdoor Centre of New England c/o Bill Sgrinia 10 Pleasant St. 1206 Kessler Mill Millers Falls, MA 01349 Road Salem, VA 241 53 Ozark Mountain Paddlers P.O. Box 1 58 1 Rocky Mountain Springfield, MO 65801 Canoe Club P.O. Box 280284 Ozark Wilderness Waterways Lakewood, CO P.O. Box 16032 80228-0284 Kansas City, MO 641 12 San Joaquin Paddling Bares Paddlers P.O. Box 22 P.O. Box 595 Milltown, NJ 08850-0022 Friant, CA 93626

Palmetto Paddlers San Juan College c/o Mandy Maier Outdoor Program 284 Shoreline Drive 4601 College Columbia, SC 29212 Boulevard Farmington. NM Perception Kayak Club 87402 c/o Perception Inc. 11 1 Kayaker Way Sequoia Paddling Easley, SC 29640 Club P.O. Box 1 164 Philadelphia Canoe Club Windsor, CA 95492 4900 Ridge Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19128 Shasta Paddlers c/o David Bish Pikes Peak Whitewater Club 1637 Cessna Court c/o Sarah Dentoni Redding, CA 96001' 533 North Wahsatch Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903- Sierra Club Loma 3001 Prieta c/o Dave Kim Project Challenge 3309 Oxford Lane 8306 Mills Drive, XI90 Miami, FL 33183

American Whitewater May/lunel997 U. of Maine at Machias Western Carolina Paddlers Libraly P.O. Box 8541 9 O'Brien Ave. Asheville, NC 28814 Machias, ME 04654 Equipment & Clothing for Today's Outdoor Adventurer Willamette Kayak H Canoe Club University of Tennessee P.O. Box 1062 Whitewater Kayaks Camping Gear * Area Guidebooks Canoe H Hiking Club Co~allis,OR 97339 2106 Andy Holt Avenue Touring Kayaks Paddling Equipment Urban Wear Knoxville, TN 37996-2900 Yayasan Arung Jeram lndonesia * Canoes * Technical Clothing * Souvenirs Jl. Bungur Raya 113, Depok * Mtn. Bike, Kayak & Canoe Rentals Canoe & Kayak Lessons University of Utah Jakarta, lndonesia 16432 Outdoor Recreation Program ZoarValley Paddling Club Building 420 c/o Ken Ahlstrom Salt Lake, UT 84112 46 Albany Avenue Dunkirk, NY 14048 USU Canoe 8 KayakTeam c/o Jean Lown UMC 2910. USU Logan, UT 84322-2910

V~k~ngCanoe Club P.O. Box 32263 Louisv~lle,KY 40232

103 Bay Street Manchester, NH 03104

West Virginia Wildwater Assoc. P.O. Box 8413 5. Charleston, WV 25303

Open 7 Days 31 5-369-6699 Located 4 miles south of Old Forge on Rt. 28

River Rescue workshops Gemxl to~.~';lrdinter - mediate to advnnced tmters. we follow the ACA River Re.m~ecur- riculum and teach both restme technicpes and "~-' safe river running prac- tices. Moy 17-18 July 17-18 l, septem ber 13 -1 4

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lat-faced and determined, the two ammo instead of cash, and the "while" I first met him he was spending a lot of IRS agents strode through the front was at least a couple of hours. money on dm. . . . medicine." F doors of McBride-Omaha Chemical "The government didn't know he was Company on official business. They were ill." looking for Omaha, and they had a war- "He owes the United "Oh he's sick all right," she said, and rant. smiled at them and profiled. "Do you Headquarters was dead. At the recep- States of America a want to wait here? Can I get either of you tion desk Arden was wearing a peach knit anything to drink? Caffeine-free diet cola minidress and painting her toenails. She great deal of money. perhaps?" had one naked foot propped on her desk "No thanks, Miss. We're on the job. as she bent forward, reaching with the ap- He has been drinking And if you don't mind we'd like to search plicator. Her hair was down. The agents the building. Maybe he sneaked in." saw a huge spray of thick red tresses, a free beer for nearly "Just rest yourselves here a minute cleavage deep as Hellis Canyon, a nude, and I'll get someone to show you exquisite leg projecting across their line two years now. We around." of vision at a wondrous angle. For all "We'll look by ourselves, if its OK with their training, and all the force of their subpoenaed you." bad attitudes, they were merely men. The "You really donit want to do that, Mr. view at the reception desk stopped them Keystone's records. Treason. You see, there are experimental in their tracks. labs in here. If you open the wrong door Arden heard them and glanced up. Would it surprise you you could be exposed." Not bikers. Not boaters. Not dopers. .And "Exposed?" the smaller agent asked, they didn't have that burnt around the to learn he drank involuntarily checking his fly. "Exposed edges look the scientists had. Trouble. to whom?" She smiled alluringly. "Hello, gentlemen. over $192,643 worth "Well, I'm just the receptionist and I May I help you?" she asked, as she pushed can't understand all the science they do the panic button under the desk with her of their product in here, but just the other day I heard Dr. left hand and slowly removed her leg McBride say something about from the desktop. Yes you certainly can, tax years 1993 and hantavirus." thought Treason, the taller of the two "Hand to what?" agents. 1994 alone? Where "Hantavirus. Hopi mouse fever. Kills Arden stood up and strolled around on contact." the desk toward the men. Just over five we come from, that's "We'll wait here." feet without heels, she walked with the When the panic alarm went off in the posture of a ballerina and the body of a income. And he basement of Headquarters Omaha was Playmate. An All-American girl: red lips, under his van with a wrench in his hand. white skin, blue eyes. She had known hasn't paid tax on a The sound made him jump. He banged since she was twelve that she had a dis- his head on the transmission and swore. turbing effect on men. Now she spoke nickel. " IRS! Gotta be! They were pissed about sweetly. "Please excuse my bare feet. the free beer. Bunch of sore losers is all. My toes are still wet." "That's terrible," said Arden. "Key- Best sneak out the back, Omaha Oh my god, her toes are wet, Treason stone, I mean. The poor man, pissing thought, yanking on his drysuit and thought. Ardenis remark gave the IRS away his money like that. How much tax hoping the neck gasket would hold up. It men an excuse to look at her feet, her do you think he owes you?" was rotten6you could see through it. He ankles, the whole nine yards. By the time "Not "you", us. We're all in this to- ran for the dock. The regular afternoon Arden got around to asking them their gether. And it's tough to say how much, release was running full blast, but it only business their hormones had disabled since he doesn't bother to file returns. had another hour to go. He had maybe them: they were in love. But if we let him have his exemption and five minutes before the Feds got past She examined the warrant care- the standard deduction, we think he owes Arden and sealed the building. Time to fully before she replied. "Mr. Omaha is us over fifty thousand for the beer alone. head down river, he thought. Time to dis- not on our payroll any more, and I Not counting penalties and interest." appear. haven't seen him around here for a "Or pretzels," the other fed chimed in. Normally it took two hours to run the while." Both of which were absolutely "He must have some deductions," Gorge. Omaha knew the river cold and true. Omaha drew his salary in drugs and Arden said, stalling for time. "Back when could do it in 45 minutes. And if the

American Whitewater May/lune 7997 feds ran out of water, well, they'd have a agents point their canoe into the thick of bruising walk through the boulders and things and get creamed. Sometimes they shrapnel in the riverbed. He slipped into swamped, sometimes they swam, but they his lifejacket and shoulder holster, with mischief. Despite his bouts of de- made nothing look easy. Omaha savored checked to be sure he had a full clip, pression and suicidal willingness to risk each disaster, sometimes ferrying back chambered a round and hopped into his absolutely anything in an open boat, and forth to get the best view. Once he canoe. Thirty seconds later he was in the Omaha was at heart a fun loving good old shouted, once he blew his whistle, once he rapids. He rounded the first bend just as boy. His idea of a good time was driving flipped them the bird. Those feds were the men in suits burst onto the dock. his van down to the dump with his girl- going to earn whatever few pennies of in- Treason saw Omaha's boat disappear friend and spending the day drinking and come tax they managed to gouge from his behind a boulder and screamed at Arden. drugging, shooting rats and making love. hide. "You lying witch! He was here all the When the sun went down he'd crank up Four rapids and two swims later time! Give me a boat, right now!" the music, set some tires on fire and party Krakka freaked. He ripped Treason's au- Slow them down, Arden thought. "A with his buddies till he passed out at tomatic out of the bigger man's shoulder boat?" she asked. "You mean a motor- dawn. He, knew that if the IRS agents holster and blazed away at Omaha, firing boat?" caught him they'd send him to prison, half a clip at the canoe bobbing in the "A canoe, dammit! Now!" The smaller but even the prospect of a decade in distance. Fed had his gun out and gestured to the Leavenworth couldn't stifle his sense of Omaha had not been under fire since wooden boat rack bolted to the wall. fun. So he eddied behind a big boulder in the shootout on the Amu Darya, and he "Are you sure you wouldn't rather the middle of the first rapid to watch the did not cherish the feeling. The fourth or have a squirt boat? They're more fun." action. fifth round punched a jagged, splintered The little agent's face grew red with The IRS men did not do well in the hole through his paddle. His paddle! fury. He lifted one end of a lightweight fi- first rapid. Paddling their boat stem-first Wounded! They might as well have shot berglass tandem canoe with a huge red they plowed into the big standing waves him in his Jackson. The nerve of these airbag bulging in the middle. "I'm com- in the middle of the rapid and shipped a people, shooting him in the paddle! mandeering this boat right now in the lot of water. Their swamped and logy ca- At the base of the next drop he eddied name of the President of the United States noe got crosswise in the current. The two and stared upriver, waiting. The federal of America." agents did not know enough to paddle on boat, dented at the bow, slewed into sight "You mean Mr. Clinton? I think he's opposite sides of the boat. The canoe slid within a minute. The lead fed was pad- so cute, so. . . . morally dynamic!" Arden into a modest hole and the men leaned dling hard, digging into the big waves, pressed on, buying Omaha precious sec- upstream and capsized, cursing. They leaning forward into his strokes and pant- onds. "You have to sign a release form hung on to the canoe and swam it to the ing with his mouth open. Omaha drew for us, Mister. You know, I never even bottom of the rapid, where they managed his nine millimeter and watched the on- got your name." to pull it into an eddy and up on the coming IRS men. They were demanding "Special Agent Krakka." The fed bank. They sat there in their soggy busi- that he pay tax on free beer, of all things, grabbed a couple of paddles, tossed a life ness suits, soaked and gasping. Suddenly on beer he had earned by paddling his ca- vest to his partner. Omaha peeled out from behind his rock noe over Niagara Falls! They had Arden extended the clipboard with the and swiftly paddled past them. As he hounded him at his job, hassled his ex, forms on it. "What's your first name?" went by, he waved. chased him down his home river, threat- The agent looked uncomfortable, but Boiling with rage, the two G-men ened him with prison, and shot him in did not respond. dumped out their craft and gave chase. the paddle! He was fed up. "Your first name, Mr. Krakka. Please? This time they sat the right way in the But Omaha did not raise his weapon. Its for me. I'll get in trouble if I don't fill boat. They paddled hard, but always Instead he reflected on the shots he had out the form properly." Omaha kept well out of reach, perhaps made in the past, the hours heid spent Treason, busily admiring the way two hundred yards ahead. Halfway down training for wildwater biathlon, the hun- Arden filled out her dress, got irritated. the second rapid they crunched their bow dreds of bottles he'd blasted off rocks on "Tell her your name, Krakka, and sign the into a boulder. The rock snagged the fi- this very river as he paddled by. He re- form so we can catch Omaha before he berglass and slewed them round sideways, membered pigeons he shot while doing gets away again." and they dumped again. They took a time in Penatanguishine, the empty liter "All right. Its Graham." bruising swim, and when it was over they of vodka he'd smashed on the fly as it "Graham Krakka?" Arden asked. looked up on the riverbank. Omaha was tumbled and glinted in the glare of the "Well, dip me in milk and bite me for a standing there grinning at them, the ball Russian sun. A hundred fifty yards up- bedtime snack!" of his right fist pressed into the palm of stream the feds' boat bucketed and rolled his left hand, thumb and fingers wig- in the meat of the rapid. Omaha knew The feds dropped the canoe into the gling, making International Sign Lan- with the certainty of tomorrow's dawn water and got in. Treason sat backwards guage for turkey . that he could put a round into the bow on the kneeling thwart in the bow as Krakka stared at Omaha, and for the paddler's mouth at that range and never Krakka wedged himself into the tiny space first time he noticed the shoulder holster touch a tooth, shower the stem boater's between the stern thwart and the stem. and realized that the rogue taxpayer was shocked face with his partner's tax-addled Seated backwards and dangerously out of armed. Instinctively the agent reached for brains. But still he did not raise his gun trim, the feds managed to paddle into the his weapon, but it was gone, lost to the hand. Blowing the head off a fed would swiftwater and get the boat oriented par- river during a swim. Impotently he shook unbalance his rap sheet. Besides, he had allel to the current. Then they drove hard his fist at Omaha, and the chase resumed. a flash of inspiration. He peeled out and for the first drop. They were running into Ken Omaha took his time running the hurried downstream. trouble. rapids. Sometimes he'd eddy in the The Deerfield ends with a bang, two Omaha caught sight of the agents' ca- middle, sometimes he'd wait at the bot- real solid class fours in close succession: noe in the distance, and his heart flooded tom. Each time he watched the Treasury Dragon's Tooth and Dragon's Ass, which

American Whitewater May/June1997 the Chamber of Commerce calls Galaxy. tease him with the rope, landing it just At the Tooth the river rushes by a huge out of armis reach, before the exhausted set of glacial boulders on river right, and IRS agent realized that it wasnit worth boaters pass virtually under the spectators noring the half dozen neat moves that drowning to protect the contents of his on the left riverbank. Omaha beached his presented themselves in the top half of precious Individual Retirement Account. boat at the bottom of the rapid and Galaxy, he ran his boat to the bottom of Ultimately Treason offered Omaha seven- climbed back up to the boulders. There he the rapid. He skirted the Black Hole just teen thousand dollars in exchange for one spent a few minutes finding what he in time to see the two feds and their hole-extraction rescue. Hearing the num- ~x~tedand lugging it into position. Then mangled boat slip over the ledge into the ber, and figuring that it should just about he waited for the G-men to resume their epicenter of the hole. Instantly it sucked cover the cost of his transmission repair, relentless, doomed pursuit. them down. Omaha lovingly restuffed and lobbed the They paddled into sight a few min- Omaha beached his boat and grabbed throw bag. He timed his toss to catch the utes later. Omaha watched them work his throw rope. Thirty feet from him the Fed on the rise, at the boil line where he their boat. They had gotten better, pad- two feds and their shattered canoe were was begging again for mercy. The sodden dling on opposite sides, showing some fa- getting trashed in the hole. The G-men bag hit him square in the nose. miliarity with the essential leans and were struggling to climb atop their Omaha reeled Treason in like a braces. The river was a harsh teacher, and swamped craft, only to have it dump them drugged carp, and stretched him out next they had learned fast. But Omaha knew off, back into the sweet spot of Black to the twitching body of the soggy Gra- Dragon's Tooth would be too heavy for Hole. Omaha judged their chances of es- ham Krakka. The two men lay on the them. In fact, he guaranteed it! caping from its grip at zero. Ideal condi- rock beach, gasping and coughing and The Federal canoe gathered speed for tions for resolving his tax troubles, once looking half-drowned. the big plunge through Dragon's Tooth. and for all. Finally they got their wind back The accelerating current caught the boat While the Feds recirculated, Omaha ne- enough to ask a question, and the two and propelled it forward even as the gotiated his tax deficiency. In exchange men spoke as one. agents powered ahead through the big for an agreement to cancel all penalties "Please, Mr. Omaha, do you think you water, their paddles churning. They and interest, Omaha tossed the rope to might sell us some canoeing lessons?" stared at the froth below and did not see Krakka and pulled him out of the hole. they asked. Omaha standing on a jutting shelf of rock But getting a refund out of Treason was "Jonathan Katz, March 2, 1997 twenty feet above them. They did not see much tougher. Three times Omaha had to Omaha as he bent forward and got a clas- sic two handed caveman grip on the jagged boulder he'd found. And they did not see him as he reared up, raised the hundred fifty pound chunk of granite high over his head and slammed it down with all his force into the center of their canoe. The boulder hit the middle of their airbag, rupturing it with a huge bang and tearing a gaping three foot hole through their the bottom of their fragile fiberglass hull. The canoe stopped dead in its tracks, flooded and rolled downstream, dumping the stunned feds into the heart of the rapid. They thrashed and tried to swim while the relentless current camed them to the bottom of the drop, through the short, fast pool below, and into the boul- der studded maw of Galaxy, the worst swim on the river. Omaha knew they'd take a beating in there, and think twice the next time they thought about flushing a river rat out of his hole. As he femed across the rapid to the trail on river right he smiled. Then he remembered. Galaxy ended with a bang, a sloping five foot ledge dropping into the Black Hole, a hydraulic so sticky that not even light could escape. Anyone with any sense sneaked the Black Hole on the far right. But nothing these guys had done so far showed that they had any sense. Now they were swimming out of control, particles about to be sucked into the Black Hole. Omaha felt the window of opportunity open, and he dove through. Swiftly, ig-

American Whitewater Moy/Junel997 I felt slightly uncomfortable. It 3bout any weekend nude hiker, kayaker, This was my first introduction to the Dr camper. nudist scene and I sat hunched over the was something to do with the Traditional kayakers have on so much picnic table, making frequent, but quick, way the boat seat stuck to my gear that they seldom perceive the seri- dashes back and forth to a beer keg about backside. "But what the Hell," I Dusness of poison ivy menace, but most 12 feet away. At this point in my nude thought to mysel'f, "It's a warm nudists are utterly temfied of poison ivy. kayaking career, I was still more of an on- At the Naples conference they had count- looker than a participant. day. The sun is bright. So go Less seminars on the identification and AWA will definitely not be left behind with it." avoidance of poison ivy and poison oak. as the nude thing catches fire in the There I was all dressed up in helmet, Going boating in the buff is some- kayaking world. In 1997 there will be life jacket, spray skirt, and a pair of Tevas, what of a new thrill for many whitewater AWA sponsored nude whitewater festi- being watched by a large crowd as I dem- enthusiasts, but, if this conference was vals, nudist exhibits at the Gauley Fest, onstrated the eskimo roll. The only odd any indication, kayakers can expect to nude class V races, nude whitewater vid- thing was that, except for kayak gear, I see a sudden spurt of interest in nude eos, and even a nude AWA whitewater ro- was buck naked. boating in the near future. deo in Southern California. Anyone who Thank God for the spray skirt! It Canoe clubs all across the country are would like to help organize one of these worked better than a fig leaf, even when setting up nude outings for members who events should contact the main AWA of- wandering around the crowds off the wa- prefer to boat in the nude. Some rivers fice. ter. "Good cover," I thought "although it are now more populated by nude outdoor AWA is also seeking to hire a Director does flop around a bit." recreationists than they are with the fully of Nude Kayak Events to publicize and "Man Oh Man!!!" I thought to myself, clothed variety. The Middle Fork of the promote AWA's commitment to nude "It would be embarrassing to be an open Yuba in California, comes to mind. whitewater recreation. Anyone interested canoeist in this place." New Wave is designing boats with in the job can send their resume and pho- Despite what you may be thinking, I cool nude art work of the exterior and tographs, together with a description of was not engaged in some sort of sick, per- Colorado Kayak Supply is selling a new their nude outdoor recreation experiences, verted exhibitionist thing. I was at an im- dry top, called the "Nudex", aimed at the to Ed. E. Lyne, at 136-13th St., SE, Wash- portant conference demonstrating nude kayaker market. ington. DC 20003. whitewater kayak techniques. I was one One zealous sports promoter has even among hundreds of people wearing only started a new organization, the Nude sporting gear. There were volley ball Kayak Federation (NKF), to help profes- players, scuba divers, roller bladers, sional kayakers get commercial sponsors mountain bikers, skiers, runners, horse- for their most extreme nude kayaking ex- back riders, and softball players. Someone ploits. from almost every outdoor sport. And ev- In Europe, of course, the development eryone was in their birthday suit. of nude outdoor recreation is far more How did I get into this situation? advanced than here in the colonies. In I was asked to be the AWA represen- fact, the euros are rather blase about nude tative to the 1996 Outdoor Nude sporting contests these days. There are Recreationist Conference in Naples hundreds of nude kayak clubs in Ger- Florida. Naturally, I jumped at the many, France, and England. Some ob- chance. servers predict that almost no one in Eu- Of course, I WAS the obvious choice. rope will be kayaking with clothes on 5 My interest in nudes was well-known to years from now. AWA ever since I submitted my spectacu- Here in the more puritan USA, nude lar pictures of the West Virginia U. coeds kayaking is taking a bit longer at Wonder Falls to the AWA Journal to catch on, but its popularity is inevi- (which prudishly refused to publish them.) table. One previously staid canoe club, Within a week after receiving the de- the Canoe Cruisers Association of Greater tails of the conference, my kayak was on Washington (CCA), recently hosted a pic- the roof rack and I was headed off to nic for nude kayakers from around the south Florida to see what the exciting East Coast. Hundreds of people showed world of nude recreation was all about. I up for a barbecue and party. The amaz- was really excited to be officially repre- ing thing was that no one wore anything senting AWA and the world of whitewater but Tevas! (Editors note: Even the most sports in a new and exciting venue. strident nudist groups tolerate the wear- It was an informative event. I picked ing of shoes or sandals. Some even allow up some very important tips. According socks.) Even the band seemed quite com- to experienced nude recreationists at the fortable wearing only their instruments event, the main thing to wony about and ear rings. (other than the constabulary, of course) is While the CCA party had an unusual poison ivy. Poison ivy is the absolute flavor, most participants seemed rather scourge of nude outdoor sports person. It nonchalant about the absence of clothing. can ruin a fine frolic in the woods for just Not me, however.

American Whitewoter May/June1997

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