Well ... it's here ... the last day of 2010.
This year had its shares of ups and downs.
I managed to paddle nine new river this year which is six more than expected.
Three of them were in Canada:
Petawawa River - Upper Section, Algonquin Park, Ontario
Petawawa River - Town Section, Petawawa, Ontario
Kipawa River, Laniel Quebec
Six of them in the USA:
Big Laurel Creek, NC
Wilson Creek - Section B, NC
North Branch Potomac, MD,WV
Cheat River Narrows, WV
Middle Ocoee, TN
Upper Yough, MD
I know of some friends that have had their first children come into their life in 2010 and hope to meet them for the first time soon.
I have had some amazing roadtrips ... most for paddling ... some just for the hell of it just to shoot photos of friends and nature. I don't even want to know how much mileage I put on the car just to go some where on a whim ... driving long distances to be with great friends is just art of my life. I just get in the car and go.
Being a Canadian ... I view roasdtrips in terms of hours ... where my US counterparts are always thinking of just mileage and they think driving 50 miles to go somewhere is far. Alot of my US friends always tell me I am crazy when I show up somewhere to go paddling after making a 11 or 14 hour drive but hey ... I already know that.
I met a whole pile of new friends this year. It's amazing the hospitality there is within all my paddling friends. I could probably do a coast to coast roadtrip thru the USA and have a place to stay everynight. And they all know they have a place to stay if they are in my neck of the woods.
So here are my tentative paddling plans for 2011 as far as road trips go as I had to re-jig some stuff in order to fit it into my work schedule:
1. ALF - leaving Canada noon thursday 10-Mar-2011 and hope to paddle something easy on friday 11th afternoon in NC as it will be the first time in my boat since Gauleyfest.
Possibly paddling in NC on the saturday 12th as well. Will be in TN sunday 13th through friday 18th.
Hope to maybe hit up the Warrior Locust Fork slalom race in AL if it is on the 19th.
After that I will be heading back to Canada with a couple of stops along the way to do some photography stuff.
2. Week of Rivers - NC, TN, AL, where ever the hell I end up
Leaving Canada noon thursday 30-Jun and hope to start paddling mid afternoon somewhere in NC on the friday.
Not sure what the whole plan is but will figure out hopefully with paddling friends once the date gets closer.
3. Lost Tribe Weekend last weekend in July
My plan is to leave noon on 28th July and meet Matt Thomas around 3pm Eastern on the friday for a run down the Middle Ocoee before heading off to the Lost Tribe Weekend. My birthday is on the sunday and I get to spend it paddling on the river with my friends.
I will be around for another 5 days before heading back to Canada on friday 5th August
4. Gauleyfest ... need I say more ... I will be paddling with the Beyers like always because they love me or need someone to show the others where not to go.
There will most likely be a couple of Lower Yough weekends in there as well but those are weekend trips that are under 7 hours each way.
So hopefully people with be able to come out and play with me in 2011!
