C-Forum

Anybody got Vertical Addiction or any of the Wayne Gentry stuff who would burn me a copy (copies)? I tried to buy it but Milt don't have it and I can't find it anywhere.

i got it on vhs

I've got "Whitewater Groove".

KNeal

Well if you want canoe videos and not butt boat ones the GDI had seven that won at the NPFF, One Winter and a Few Falls" won best of show in 1990 or 92 well some time around there.

Speaking of Vertical Addiction....where's Dale? (Johnson, that is). Not selling anyone on this forum short or the new crop of young bada** OC'ers. But for my money, Dale is just about the best ever. In today's short boats there's no telling what he would be doing.

My 1st boating trip in the SE, I had the mis/fortune to run the Watuagua. It was running 600+ cfs! Yeah 600. This was summer '94. All the SE hotshots were there. K1 and OC1. Me...I was from TX, inexperienced, and scared turdless. Bailey walks up and introduces himself and shows me a paddle and says if I'm ever in the market....me....I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die so why do I need to worry about a new paddle! Anyway I'm with Dale, Wayne Irby, and a few others. My first look at Hydro is of a guy spending some quality time communing with the eyeballess fish in the deeps. Goes on for some time and is very scary. Dale (in a Viper 11) comes through and catches every possible eddy and makes some very slick moves. I'm standing on the bank with Susan Gentry (reigning women's k-boater and a bada**). Upon seeing Dale's line, she mutters "sh*t", picks up her boat and heads back up to run the rapid again. She just couldn't let an open boat best the butt boaters. At the falls, Dale runs the far left side (Wrong way into Tenn) and tries to stop on the ledge halfway down. Flushes over and flips. I'm standing ready with a rope. Because he's getting drug along the wall he can't get his paddle in position to roll. Finally he rolls up, looks at me and exclaims, "God I love this rapid! God I love this river!" Because of Dale, I went home and worked on catching every eddy and making every move on everything.

Me...that day...I swam 5 times...I've never been beat as bad in a bar fight.....I was literally black and blue. Some years later after becoming friends with Bailey, Psyco and the rest (they were all there that day) he told me he was the only one of their group to run the falls...got worked and had the gunnels stripped off his boat! What a day!

I have a copy of steep creeking...

biggreenjefe wrote:Speaking of Vertical Addiction....where's Dale? (Johnson, that is). ...

Dale tried to teach me to roll when I lived in Aiken and he in Augusta. Wayne makes it to Columbia (SC) once a year to help out with a "Canoeing For Kids" fundraiser - last time I saw Dale was at one of those about 5 years back. Last I heard (from Wayne) is that Dale is in Asheville and doing a lot more mountain biking and climbing (I think) than paddling. Phenomenal boater - loved to watch him paddle. Wayne's a great guy, too.

we just emailed the other day.... Dale's still at it, he was heading for the Tallulah. Not sure how hard he's boating, as that little Georgia run would be just fun for him. Simply one of the finest open canoers I've ever boated with. Sort of like when Eli came around, it was obvious, there was no denying... this guy is taking it to another level.


btw - not a hijacking, he's one of the open boaters in these Gentry paddl'n vids.

In one of our videos we have Dale runnin national falls like four time, tryin to get the eddy behind the rock beside the hole, he got it on the fourth try.

Dale is spending his time on the Cheoha type runs now and spends alot of time taking his family on river trips.

Saw him this past fall at the Nanty falls with a raft full of young kids....he hasn't aged a bit. And still the nice guy he was then, and still is now : )

It was good to see him.