April Notes

I feel I need to make a few notes about the month of April and plans for the month of May.

April -

So far I have not gotten to paddle as much as I had hoped, but the paddling I have done has been excellent! I have a couple of solid runs on the Upper Green. I have been leading trips down it! I have had great runs down Chattooga 3.5! I ran Bull sluice this weekend, flawless. I had an excellent boof. Felt like I cleared the foam at the bottom. I have run Woodall Shoals close top a dozen times now and I am comfortable everywhere in there! I always run back up and run it again! I am getting pretty confident in my skills. These next six weeks are really going to be exciting. I have several First Descents coming up and a clinic to hone my skills even more. I really need to work on this boof thing! I can hit it pretty decent but it is no where near as good as I would like it to be! This weekend I have not planned anything yet. I want to wait and see what the rain does to a couple of the runs close to home. I really need something that is going to work the crap out of me.

May -

1-2 - The first weekend of May is the Tellico trip! I am so excited to be getting back up there! I am planning to run the Upper and half of the Middle together on Saturday. Sunday, so long as I have a reliable guide, I will be making my first descent of the Middle Ocoee! I think I am ready for it! I have been practicing holes and trying work on ferries in fast moving water along with several other things I think will be key to a successful run of the middle. I am so excited about this trip!

8-9 - The following weekend, I am planning to make my first descent on the Pigeon. I am planning to get with Barry and Robert about leading me down it! I look forward to having to chance to add this run to my resume! I have been looking forward to this river since November. It ran all winter but due to the rockslide on I-40 it was all but unreachable. So they are supposed to I-40 fixed pretty soon, and I will finally get my taste of the Ole Dirty Bird!

15-16 - I am going to be at the CCC Novice/Intermediate clinic. Last year I learned all about boat control. I was really wanting to learn how to eddy more percisely and peel-out more controlled. Needless to say I got all I wanted and more in just one day! This year I am really needing the use of water features and whatever else they can throw at me! I am so anxious to see who they set me up with for instructors this year. I paddled with Becca, my safety boater from last year, and she said I have come a long way since then! She said she was not sure if she was going to help safety boat again this year or not, but to keep her informed of who they pair me up with!

22-23 & 29-30 - I am keeping open. My anniversary is the last weekend of the month and I don't know if Ashley wants to do anything yet.

June -

5-6 - On the 5th I am planning to make my first descent on the Nolichuky with David B. I have already gotten cleared to go and make the trip with him! I am especially looking forard to this run. When I first started boating I saw pictures of this river and said that I wanted to get to this point and that is as big as I wanted to go. Now I am a month away from it and there are so many more rivers opening up!