By the way, jet-lag made me forget: you are all invited to attend the 2nd Swiss C-Boat Armada happening May 17th to 20th 2007 somewhere between the holes of alpine waters and Emmentaler cheese.
Organiser NZMatt will probably soon decide where exactly to have the venue and post details. So get started on planning this trip, you've got eight weeks to go.
Bring paddles and gear, leave the boats. I can organise some Esquif and Robson canoes, let me know what you want. I mean it! It's time to make up for the hospitality I've experienced the last week.
ah the lure of the Swiss Alps...but alas not this year
Hey ya'll apologies for not writing sooner, but shortly after that 15-hour drive home a trudge through 15 inches of new snow to my doorstep, had to turn around and leave town for work-related business in NYC. It's been a long week of being out of the loop, been good to return and read all the posts.
Ain't Louiefest was an awesome time, my most sincere thanks to all for making it that. I'm not sure I can express my gratitude to each and everyone of you I met, paddled and hung with….besides it'll probably get all mushy, I'll start waxing poetic, talk a bunch about how "my" run went 'cause it's the experience I'm closest too and I'm sure to neglect to mention someone or something 'cause to capture a week could turn into a collection of short stories, but hades fire might as well give it a minimal try and give some more thought to that short story idea.
Where do I start?…Louie, brilliant, you da glue, thanks for the laughs, hospitality, everything, can't be said enough how much we all appreciate you bringing us together… great folks …such a cool time…hope we can do it again. I think you superbly achieved what you set out to do and thanks to this great forum it had broad reach.
Each river, creek was a beauty that keeps flowing through me. I can see the jade green water of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland with it's huge marshmellow boulders, the towering cliffs of the Nolichucky, the soaring ravens at Raven's Ledge on the Chattooga, the sound of the rush up ahead an increased awareness of my beating heart, the wide open vistas, tight twisty channels, horizon lines, it just keeps playing back over and over…yeah I need a river…
This was my first time to paddle in the south, it was a week of new challenges, teachings, horizons, all good…. Every trip held the pleasure and privilege of paddling with a variety of skilled and seasoned paddlers all looking out for each other and enjoying the paddle. Thank you all so much for the encouragement support, instruction and watchful eye, and special thanks to my main paddling buds Jim M. and Shawn R., ya'll rock. It's said we all paddle our own boat, but I just want to say what an inspiration it was to draw from the passion, strength and courage of all of you.
From Sat. to Sat. my runs were; Clear Creek, Big South Fork of the Cumberland, Nolichucky, Nolichucky, Chattooga, Tellico, Tremont, and Little Creek. Made possible by a consistent, and yet changing flow of folks who collectively made it happen. Each day had highlights with newfound friendships, all special memories.
Some moments and some creek/rivers left profound imprints beyond their beauty and play. Like Section 4 of the Chattooga, which was the hardest most consequential run I had ever done to that point. Made all the scarier by reading an out-of-print guidebook by Menton with his descriptions fraught with danger and cautionary warnings of death. Then hearing of Harrison's friends' experience of almost losing his life at Hydro rock on Jawbone, to following that with suddenly finding myself face to face with that rock of death after I was surfed off a clean line by a diagonal into the nose of its' cave. I was filled with a feeling I won't soon forget. It was so weird because I knew that aside from being in my boat, I was exactly where I didn't want to be, which had me anxious. Yet there was no discernable push from the river, it was confusing like a stillness surronded me and I was trying to sort out what might happen next. Thank you Harrison for your calm reassurance it helped in making that a non-event and the whole day one to remember. Jawbone was followed by an exciting run of Soc 'em dog and the second unintentional stern squirt of my life, freakin' cool, it was like a gift from the river….
Then there was Baby Falls on the Tellico, my first waterfall and thanks to the generousity of Mark Scriver who gave me launch tips and a full-on boat haul assist, I got to experience the thrill of cleaning it on my second run. What a charge…grinning ear to ear in the pool below, looking up at the drop feeling real good and wow there's Marko swimming face-first off the lip, louie-esque, just for kicks and 'cause it was the quickest way to get back to his boat, yeah, mental snapshots, good times…
Then there was class 4 game-on creekin' on the Tremont from the middle put-in, more new ground, Louie and Gigi who had just paddled the upper tried to relax me on that run, apparently I had stress written all over me. Louie did it by demonstrating that see a swim isn't so bad and Gigi just by being her humble cool self. Again like every other run everyone was so thoughtful and helpful it made for good experiences.
My pump totin' Outrage served me well as it has over the course of three years as my first boat, but that Taureau was lookin' sweeter by the day and hey if it's the preferred creek boat of some awesome boaters well that's a mighty good endorsement. By day eight I was hurtin' all over and someone whispered you need a lighter boat, yeah I do…and if it doesn't come with a skirt I want a pump.
There were rituals like, folks came, some stayed, some went, and some came back. Mornings, grill master Shawn turned out the goods for breakfast and Dan somehow maintained a bottomless thermos of hot coffee, seriously it's so cool to travel with folks who amplify and provide some creature comforts. Like Shawn cooking on four burners and pulling out an axe to build a nice fire at a primitive site in GA. Dan's hot shower from a bucket not to mention his customized boat trailer/Sprinter with heating, frig, tunes and luxuries of home, hanging in those digs sure did beat the pants off of freezing around a campfire in NC one of those nights. At the hall, Louie would arrive with water levels, we'd gather scratch our heads about where to paddle and set off to various rivers or sections. Paddle we did…. Then after filling our bellies we'd hang around the hall or the campfire talk about boats, rivers, and such, old friends and new remembering the good times entertaining ourselves with pics and vids, oh yeah, and Louie told a pack of lies. Such good times the kayakers hardly got picked on.
So many good laughs…. here's one….I had just introduced myself to Taniwha, expressing my appreciation for the distance he had traveled, when one of Louie's relatives who was sitting nearby asks Taniwha in that sweet southern way "where djaya'll come from?" Taniwha replys, "I've come from Germany". The lady tilts her head, looks at him a little funny and in an incredulous tone says, "you came all the way from Germany to little ol' Lenoir Tennessee?" Taniwha says with a smile, "ya", then she looks at me and asks where did you come from, I say, "New York", again she looks puzzled by the whole idea. Then she says, "well, what djaya'll come here for?", I say, "well, Louie said he was having a party and that we were all invited". There's a quiet pause and she says, "that's amazing, but you know what I just can't figure out, is why ya'll listen to Louie"……I'm still laughing……
Thanks for a great time everyone ~Heidi
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