Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Newsletter of The Bluegrass Wildwater Association January/February 2009
In early January 2008, I was invited to be part of theGrand Canyon crew that Tim Miller was organizing.After learning that the duration of the trip was 3 weekson the river, I calculated that I would be away fromhome and work almost a month. I talked this overwith my wife and her response was, "So, you areleaving the day after Thanksgiving and returning twodays before Christmas?" Knowing that she was right
and that I could not take that much time of from work,I reluctantly told Tim that I would not be able to go. Iwas extremely disappointed to miss out on a trip of alifetime. A couple of weeks later, Tim called and saidthat there was an opening to do part of the trip, threeother people could only do part also, and he asked ifI was still interested. This time, I eagerly said yes. Iwas going to raft down the mighty Colorado River
Allen Kirkwood Kirkwood
In this issue: Rafting The Grand Canyon (At Least Half Of It)Interested In A Trip On The Colorado River?Grand Canyon Permit Management Plan Summary Upper Russell Fork, Good Fun At Low WaterBWA Annual Fall Reunion Party 2008Good advice For Paddling After The Ice Storm of 2009Winter Roll Sessions & Clinic InfoTodd Garland Recognized By American WhitewaterNational Paddling Film Festival News
Rafting the Grand CanyonRafting the Grand Canyon(at least half of it) (at least half of it)
Changes!
New Web URL:www.surfky-bwa.org
New Meeting Location:Mi Mexico
2
Bowlines is the Newsletter of the Bluegrass Wildwater Association, POB 4231, Lexington Ky, 40504
Club Officers 2008-2009
Join in on the Fun! Join the BWA! BWAMembership $20/individual; $25/Family year entitles you to receive the newsletter,10% discounts at many local and out of state outfitter shops, use of club equipment, discount at pool rolling sessions, a listing in the BWAHandbook, a stream gauge guide, and web site with a listserve for member’s messages.
Meetings are held at 7:30, the second Tuesday of each month at location announced on our website: http://www.surfky-bwa.org
Submission of newsletter articles can be on CD (Mac or PC) ortyped. Pictures can be digital or ready to be scanned. Please includestamped envelope for return. Preferred method: Files can also be e-mailedto: [email protected]
President Hanley Loller 859-806-9843Vice-President Allen Kirkwood 859-351-3823Treasurer Fred Coates 859-223-7200Secretary Chris Schardl 859-277-5944Safety Dale Perry 615-397-4675Program Lloyd FunkHouser 502-545-2201Newsletter Don Spangler 859-277-7314Cyber Communications Russell Hampton 859-218-5669Conservation David Ledgeman 859-879-0335Film Festival Coordinator Todd Garland 502-320-4077Russell Fork River Festival Coordinator Steve Ruth 606-754-4348Equipment Coordinator George Meade 859-948-6613At-Large Membesr: Brandon Jett 970-778-1002
Clay Warren 859-326-0602Membership Coordinator John Mello 859-552-0648Wildwater Cats Rep. Past President Brent Austin 859-278-2011
Coming Programs forBWA Meetings
March: Water Quality in our Rivers & Streamsand How it is affected by GeologicFormations Like Sinkholes.
Jim Dinger, Paddler & UK Geologist
Looking Ahead
BWBWAA Spring ClinicSpring Clinic
It is time to start planning for the 2009 BWA Spring Clinic. Thisyear's clinic will be held at the Nolichucky River Campground on
April 18-19. I am asking for volunteers for the following:
Breakfast Manager Breakfast Crew
Dinner Manager Dinner Crew
This is the BWA's biggest fundraiser and a lot of help is neces-sary to put this event on. To volunteer please respond by emailing
me at : [email protected]
National PaddlingFilm Festival
February 20-21
Volunteers needed, contact
Todd Garland2008 NPFF Director
Instructors Instructor Assistants
Shuttle Drivers Entertainment Coordinator
General Help
WWinter Roll Sessionsinter Roll SessionsSupport this activity Support this activity
so that it will not be cancelled!so that it will not be cancelled!
The winter pool sessions are at the North Family YMCAlocated at 381 West Loudon Avenue in Lexington.
The schedule will be more or less as follows:
SUNDAYS from 7-9 pm
February: 1, 8, 15March: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29April: to be announced.
BWA member prices is $5.00 per session or $35.00 for a season pass.
NonBWA member price is $10.00
Wash your boats.
Study technique and get your boats outfitted before you arrive at thepool, so that our precious pool time is better spent.
We need skirt donations. We are only rarely short on boats and paddlesbut we are often short on skirts.
3
At least half of it... from pg. 1
through one of the natural wonders of the world, theGrand Canyon!
As spring became summer and summer turned to fall,I began to plan out my trip. Since I was doing thefirst half of the trip, the plan was to put on at Lee’sFerry and when we arrived at Phantom Ranch eightdays later, I would get off and hike out (up) to theSouth Rim. I made arrangements for shuttles, airtravel, and accommodations. We had a series ofmeetings to work out the logistics of the trip and alsoallow for everyone to meet the other members of thegroup. After ordering a few things, mainly warmclothing, I packed up my gear and waited for the tripto begin.
Once in Phoenix, I took a shuttle to Flagstaff where Imet up with the rest of the crew. We spent theevening gathering up some last minute supplies andchecking all of our gear. The outfitter, PRO, pickedus up the next morning and drove us to the put-in atLee’s Ferry. We spent the afternoon rigging the raftsand organizing the gear. That evening, we had din-ner, the last meal we would eat under a roof for sev-eral days, at Marble Canyon Lodge and returned tocamp at the put-in.
The next eight days in the canyon left me in awe ofthe power of nature. As we drifted into the canyon,you could see the true force of water and how itcarved the Grand Canyon. The water of theColorado River was clear and cold and the rapidslarge and fun. While the temperature was in the 50 –60 deg. F range, I learned the first day that gettingwet was not comfortable and dressed in my dry gearthe rest of the trip. Since the weather was relativelymild, temps at night were in the low 40’s, I was ableto sleep under the stars every night. Each night
before I went to sleep, I would look up at the stars,listen to the sounds of the river, and drift off to sleepamazed that I was experiencing life in the GrandCanyon on raft trip.
The days on the raft were spent reading the guidebook to figure out where we were, what rapid wascoming up, what rock formation were around us andhow they were formed, and looking at the amazingscenery and wildlife. Layover days were spent wash-ing clothes, bathing (sort of), and hiking. I am not
skilled enough in writing to adequately explain thesites that I saw. Even pictures do a poor job of reallydescribing the Grand Canyon. We hiked for hoursdown side canyons never seeing their end. Once onhigh ground, you could look for miles and see theenormous reaches of the canyon. I can only imaginehow the first explorer down the Canyon, John WesleyPowell must have felt.
The last layover day that I would spend with thegroup was the campsite above Hance Rapid. Threepeople in our groups kayaked the Canyon and all gra-ciously offered up their boats to me. I took KellyWright up on the offer and kayaked from HanceRapid down to Phantom Ranch. This section of theriver had 4 really fun rapids. Hance was probably themost intimidating, especially since I had all day tolook at it. I am much better looking at somethingbriefly, picking my line and then going with it. All ofthe rapids had huge waves and monster wave holes.Even the flat water was exciting. Huge boils,A short steep hike from the river takes you to the Nankoweap granaries
which were built by the ancient Anasazi indians to store their corn.
Beauty can be found in every niche and crack.
Allen Kirkwood
Allen Kirkwood
4
whirlpools, and crazy eddy lines made you sit up,take notice, and stay on your toes.
My last night in thecanyon was spent play-ing washers, drinkingmargaritas, and tellingeveryone how much Ienjoyed the trip andhow I wish I could stay.I awoke the next morn-ing, ate breakfast andhelped load the rafts.The same thing I haddone the previous eightdays only this time itwould be the last. Wepaddled over toPhantom Ranch, whereI said hello to Meganand Kyle, the otherpart-timers who were
doing the second half of the trip. I said my goodbyesand began my hike out of the canyon.
There are two main trails from the South Rim toPhantom Ranch, Bright Angel Trail and the SouthKaibab Trail. From Phantom Ranch to the SouthRim, Bright Angel Trail is 9 miles long and the SouthKaibab is 6 miles long, each with a 1 mile change inelevation. I chose the Bright Angel Trail because ithad fresh water this time of year and the Kaibab didnot. The last thing I wanted was to run out of water.Bright Angel Trail gets its name from creek that runsbeside it. I had read that is takes an average of 6hours to hike out the canyon on the Bright AngelTrail. Naturally, the competitive side of me wanted todo it in less than 6 hours, so I waged this internalmental battle to relax and enjoy the hike out versussprinting to the finish line at the South Rim.Fortunately the competitive side lost. The hike outhad some amazing sites. My favorite was IndianGardens, a fertile area populated with cottonwoodtrees and lush vegetation. After leaving Indian
A short break on the hike out for a memory photo
The start of the steep the hike outat Phantom Ranch using the only
bridge crossing the river in theGrand Canyon.
Allen Kirkwood
Allen Kirkwood
5
Gardens, the trail got dramatically steeper. As Iclimbed further out of the canyon, I began to seetraces of snow. I also met one of the mule trains ontheir way down to Phantom Ranch. I watched inamazement at the sure-footedness of tough animals.I began my hike out wearing shorts and since I wasexpending plenty of energy climbing out I was not
cold even though the temperatures was only in thehigh 20’s. I did get a few odd glances from folks thatwere hiking down from the rim. Thinking back, thelook could have been the lack of a shower or the 10days of beard that I had accumulated. I reached theSouth Rim at 3:30 pm about 5 hours after I began myhike out. I will say that I was really glad to get to thetop as my knees, feet, and back were tired of thecanyon and wanted to rest.
I checked into my room at the Bright Angel Lodgeand enjoyed the best shower I had in over aweek…..well it was the only shower I had in over aweek. After showering, I had dinner and a couple ofcold Fat Tires and headed back to my room for thenight. I woke up the next morning and spent the dayexploring the South Rim Trail. I looked down inamazement at the tiny ribbon of water that was the
Colorado River. I wondered where my friends wereand what they were doing and wished that I was stillthere with them.
I traveled home the next day and wondered each daywhat my friends were doing. Each night, until theyarrived home, I had weird, funny dreams about theGrand Canyon. While I sit here at the computer writ-ing this, I think about how lucky I am to have had theopportunity to raft the Grand Canyon. Sure, I only didhalf of it and maybe one day I can raft the wholething. If I do, that will be great and if I don’t I stillhave the memories of this adventure, my trip on theGrand Canyon.
Rapids and Points of Interest listed in River Milesfrom Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch
RM:0.0 - LEE'S FERRYRM:1.0 - Paria RiffleRM:8.0 - Badger Creek Rapid (5-8)RM:11.2 - Soap Creek Rapid (5-6)RM:12.0 - Salt Water WashRM:14.3 - Sheer Wall Rapid (2) Tanner WashRM:16.9 - House Rock Rapid (7-9)RM:20.5 - North Canyon Rapid (5)RM:21.5 - 21 Mile Rapid (5)RM:23.3 - 23 Mile Rapid (4-6)RM:24.2 - 24 Mile Rapid (6-8)RM:24.5 - 24 ? Mile Rapid (5-6)RM:24.9 - 25 Mile Rapid (5-7)RM:25.3 - Cave Springs Rapid (5-6)RM:26.6 - Tiger Wash Rapid (4-5)RM:29.2 - Silver Grotto and Shinumo WashRM:30.0 - Proposed site Redwall Dam (1920s)RM:31.8 - Stanton’s CaveRM:31.9 - Vasey’s ParadiseRM:33.0 - Red Wall CavernRM:34.8 - Nautiloid CanyonRM:35.0 - The Bridge of SighsRM:37.6 - Tatahatso Wash/CampRM:43.0 - Point Hansbrough & Anasazi BridgeRM:43.7 - President Harding RapidRM:46.6 - Triple AlcovesRM:47.0 - Saddle CanyonRM:51.9 - Little Nankoweap CreekRM:52.2 - Nakoweap AreaRM:56.0 - Kwagunt Rapid (6) (Marble Canyon)RM:61.4 - Little Colorado RiverRM:64.7 - Carbon CreekRM:65.6 - Lava Canyon (Chuar) Rapid (3-5)RM:68.4 - Tanner Rapid / Furnace FlatsRM:72.3 - Unkar Delta Puebloan dwellingsRM:72.5 - Unkar Rapid (6-7)RM:74.8 - EscalanteRM:75.5 - Nevills Rapid (6)RM:76.8 - Hance Rapid (8-10)RM 77.2 - Upper Granite Gorge/ End MarbleRM:78.7 - Sockdolager Rapid(8-9)RM:81.1 - Vishnu/GrapevineRM:81.5 - Grapevine Rapid (8)RM:83.5 - 83 Mile Rapid (3-5)RM:83.8 - Lone Tree C/HRM:84.0 - Clear Creek CampRM:84.6 - Zoroaster Rapid (5-8)RM:85.0 - 85 Mile Rapid (2-6)RM:85.8 - Cremation Camp – Above PhantomRM:87.5 - Kaibab Bridge/Phantom Ranch
Allen Kirkwood
6
BWA members have been doing river trips in theGrand Canyon almost since the first days of theClub. The first trip was taken by it’s first presidentKent Kirchner in a fiberglass C-1. For years after-wards the program for a meeting would often beKent's black and white 8mm film of his trip splicedtogether with Kent providing a simultaneous mono-logue description of what we were seeing on thescreen. I remember being awed by the size andlength of the rapids and thinking they were farbeyond any paddling skills I would be likely tohave. I amazed myself when in 1981 I was on atrip in November with a group of mostly BWA pad-dlers to the Grand Canyon. I still question why Iwas doing this when we put in at Lee’s Ferry, myonly comfort was being with several other C-1 pad-dlers. I reasoned that if they thought they could doit and survive, so could I.
The trip was an adventure that I will always begrateful for. I have been fortunate enough to make
two more trips in the Grand Canyon including onewith my own permit. I was on the waiting list for 9years before I got my permit rules have recentlychanged so you should not have to wait so long toget a private permit. I would encourage anyonethat is interested in paddling the Colorado to startby going on multiday trips on other rivers and then,as you gain experience, start organizing and lead-ing river trips. It is a goal that you can acheive ifwant it. If you are not that serious a boater youmay still get on a raft on a private trip or go on acommercial trip. In 1940 less than 100 had run theColorado thru the canyon. Now hundreds go eachyear.
A good source of info is the Grand Canyon PrivateBoaters Association. Here is their website, youshould consider joining the organization, they arean important voice for private boaters:http://www.gcpba.org/
Interested In Interested In AA TTrip On The rip On The Colorado River Thru The Colorado River Thru The
Grand Canyon?Grand Canyon?
Red Wall Cavern, a must stop on a river trip through the Grand Canyon.
Don Spangler
7
Significant Items in the New Colorado River Management Plan
• The number of non-commercial launches offered annually was increased from approximately 250 to 500. This wasaccomplished by offering an eight person trip every other day in the summer and many full sized trips (16 participants) inthe shoulder and winter seasons.
• The waitlist was totally eliminated in two stages. During stage I 600 trips, approximately 125 trips per year, were sched-uled from 2007-2011. Stage II allowed individuals on the waitlist to band together accumulating their waiting times toadvance their group position on the waitlist. After this was finished a second 600 trips were scheduled from 2007-2011.This completed the NPS commitment to the waitlist trip scheduling. Those who did not get a date (probably 5000 or more)were offered a buyout for the fees they paid or the opportunity to preferentially participate in future annual lotteries untilthey are successful.
• A weighted lottery was instituted for approximately 250 more trips a year through the year 2011. After that the full 500trips per year will be offered through an annual lottery. People on the waitlist who were not successful in stages I or II weregiven one chance in the lottery for each year they have waited on the waitlist and may continue to apply each year withthis weighting until they are successful. Those not on the waitlist will have up to five chances dependent on how long it hasbeen since they were on the river.
• Because of the high demand and the denial of reasonable access to so many users, both commercial and non-commer-cial boaters are now limited to one trip per year. Unenforced during 2006, the rule has now been in effect since January of2007.
• To get more non-commercial trips on the river, non-winter trip lengths were shortened from 18 to 16 days.
• There remains a lot of conjecture about how many non-commercial trip cancellations there will be under these new ruleswith the NPS seeming to believe less than historical levels and others like myself speculating the level may be the same oreven higher because a Grand Canyon trip will still be extremely difficult to organize. Another significant factor may be theone trip per year rule eventually reducing the pool of trip facilitators with knowledge and gear, making trips more difficult toorganize. The NPS initially planned to offer cancellations through monthly mini-lotteries but eventually realized such a pon-derous system was unworkable for short notice trips (a couple of months or less). The new CRMP is a launch based sys-tem where every effort will be made by the NPS to insure all non-commercial launches are used. With that in mind theNPS modified the previous day of the week cancellation system substituting number of chances in the lottery instead orwaitlist position to determine what day interested boaters can phone. Openings are announced by email to everyone sub-scribed to the lottery.
•Instead of piling all of the commercial use into the four summer months of May, June, July, and August it has been spreadsomewhat to reduce seasonal launch peaks from Lees Ferry. This and more evenly balanced weekly launches should ben-efit all users by eliminating some of the river conjestion, undesirable crowding at attraction sites, and campsite conflicts.
• Some campsites will be totally removed from use by boaters. Camping was intially disallowed at the mouth of TapeatsCreek and Kanab Creek.
• This is a very complex plan with a lot of additional details and many unintended consequences with which the NPS willbe dealing. However the good news is after many years of fumbling around something good is finally happening. If youwish to become more fully informed, the NPS maintains a website and offers a several hundred page document detailingthe changes titled the Colorado River Management Plan. Anyone can now sign up for the weighted non-commercial lotterythere.
AA summary of the new management plan from the Private boaters page atsummary of the new management plan from the Private boaters page atthe Susan & Bob's Place website (http://wwwthe Susan & Bob's Place website (http://www.kwagunt.net/). It is a good.kwagunt.net/). It is a goodsite to obtain a history and more info about the permit system. Tsite to obtain a history and more info about the permit system. To obtaino obtainmore info and apply for a permit go to this NPS site:more info and apply for a permit go to this NPS site:http://wwwhttp://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/whitewater-rafting.htm.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/whitewater-rafting.htm
8
Don Spangler
Railroad Rapid on the Upper Russell Fork
Coordinator Steve Ruth does a good job ofdescribing how much fun this run is.
Forum: BoaterTalk Date: Feb 04 2009, 16:43 GMT From: russellfork
Since 95% of my boating life is right here, you'dthink I'd have a most things about this river fig-ured out. Or maybe you wouldn't if you knew me.But...the only time I paddle the Bartlick-GardenHole stretch is high flows. Over all the years, Inever ran it below 800ish. Especially after I start-ed boating the gorge. And my main paddling buds(snobs all of them!!!) would never venture up thatway unless it was really honking. So in 15 years, Ipaddled that upper section below 800 only once ortwice. And it really made no impression...
Sunday, the river was holding at about 490cfs andBlair didn't want to paddle the gorge. He did getgungho about paddling his canoe down the upperand I just wanted to paddle. None of the otherusual suspects (still snobs) wanted to hit it, so wetackled it ourselves.
Upper RussellUpper Russell Fork Fork Good Fun at Low WGood Fun at Low Waterater
Don SpanglerDon Spangler
The Russell Fork was first run by the BWA about1979. In those early years we could only paddleit after a spring or summer rains and did not con-sider the gorge section below Garden Hole, thatis till the Corp did some test releases and earlyBWA member Sam Moore ran it in 1982. The8mm film was edited as best as film could be atthe time and music was played simultaneouslywith it’s first showing. The Russell Fork film ofSam Moore running the river became the inspira-tion for Bob Sehlinger to suggest the Club organ-izing a paddling film festival.
The Upper Russell Fork is nice run with somevery technical class 3 at moderate water levelsbelow 1400-1500. HIgher levels make somerapids pushy, especially 20 Stitches which is fairlylong and technical and would rate a IV rating.Put-in can be at the Pound river below the damor just below the confluence with the Russell Forkat Bartlick Bridge. The section from the bridge toGarden Hole has nice technical drops with a lot ofeddy moves, ferries, and play features. ThisBoater Talk posting by BWA Russell Fork Festival
I'm not sure when the last time was that I had so much unexpected fun. Practically from the put in, itwas a blast. There were little hydraulics and holes all over the place in the early class II stuff down toRailroad rapid. The the river channeled out like crazy and there were 2 or 3 great little creek linesdown under the left side of thebridge with a super surf hole belowthe bridge and a nice boof in therun out.
20 Stitches and Johnny Rockrapids have great technical linesfrom top to bottom and the holestoward the bottom of Stitches arereally chaotic. Both of those rapidsare much steeper with less waterwith nice boofs and great ferrylines.
The stuff between are equallyimpressive, much more defined,technical and boofy. The next tolast feature before Garden Hole isfull of undercuts! And stuff to playin everywhere. More play than atrelease. I'm still a little dazzled thatit was so much fun. And why hadn't I come to this realization. Tough to be a slow learner...
Anyway, if you're looking for a place to hone some technical creeky moves, this is good Class III stuff.
Steve Ruth
9
The good rapids start just below a couple of pools below Bartlick bridge.
The BWA has a long history of boating the gnar andpartying like rock stars. For those of you who attend-ed the 30 year anniversary BWA Fall Party in 2006,you likely met some characters from the early days, or
heard some story or two about other characters, allwho made up the life blood of the BWA as it was inthe late 70’s and throughout the 80s. These individu-als included some of the finest paddlers in the coun-
BWBWAA Fall Reunion Party 2008Fall Reunion Party 2008Carson Island, Elkhorn CityCarson Island, Elkhorn City, KY, KY
Don Spangler
Don Spangler
10
try, no, it would be fair to say, the world during thistime. Strong willed, determined and about as Alphaas one gets, BWA members led expeditions down theYangtze, paddled Nepal, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador,Mexico, Canada, and basically all over the globe.BWA friends were themselves legends: WilliamNealy, Chris Spelius, Madawaska Kanu Club ownersClaudia and Dirk, the Snyder boys, Bob Sehlinger,Charlie Walbridge, Dale Adams, Woody Calloway,Wayne Gentry, of course Risa Shimoda and SusanWilson - actually a long list cause it goes on withmore recent friends such as Chris Hipgrave, ClayWright, BJ Johnson and Katie, Buffy Bailey (nowBurge) and more recent paddling stars of the pastdecade. The BWA’s own Women in Rubber werelegend and were commented and thanked by Nealy inone or more of his books. We did (via Sam Moore)some of the earliest descents in the Russell Forkgorge when the release was at 1350 cfs. Andthroughout it all we threw parties, big ones, year inand year out, generally the best ones done with reck-less disdain for the expense or frivolity of it all. Hottubs at Spring Clinics, legendary National PaddlingFilm Festivals, and of course a now substantial historyas the genesis maker and developer and organizer ofthe Russell Fork River Rendezvous and the nowworld famous Lord of the Fork Race on that weekend.
The BWA party in 1994 was the beginning ofthe Russell Fork River Rendezvous. After a long his-tory at Frozen Head near the Ocoee and Nantahala,the party switched locations to honor and bring atten-tion to the whitewater gem in our midst. Already quitea scene at Ratliff Hole for four weeks of the year inthe fall, the BWA stepped up the ante and located aFairground in Haysi, VA and threw a party. We invitedthe Carolina Canoe Club via Joe Greiner, an old BWApaddling friend, we invited friends from near and farand we boated and we partied. The next year weRendezvoused and had a race. Seems a young Britnamed Chris Hipgrave did not quite believe a coupleBWA’ers times down the gorge and the race wasborn. It was between Chris and Jeff Snyder basically,the rest of us competing with each other. It was fun.Then we partied.
In 2007, the BWA Fall party returned to theRFRR, this time in Elkhorn City. The idea was toagain honor our state jewel of a river, and to raise theenergy at the RFRR which had missed the level ofBWA excitement and energy in recent years. It cer-tainly achieved the goal of bringing a level of enthusi-asm and support to the RFRR that was very wel-comed. With that in mind, as Past President, I chose
the RFRR again as the site for the BWA fall partywith a similar goal in mind. To me, the link betweenthe BWA and the Russell Fork River was pervasive,almost symbiotic with a history that linked the twothrough space and time and lives and experiences.We are connected to this particular River corridor, likeno other group or organization. We owe a duty to bethere and to be part of it’s continuing history. So, theparty there seemed natural to me.
To get to the Fall Party and the Russell ForkRendezvous of 2008, you really have to build up withthe previous three weeks of river culture experiencethere. The first weekend is and was for many of us,the end of the Gauley season and was this year anear shorty top experience with temperatures close to90. I say near, because the water comes from the
bottom of the dam and is COLD. So, drytops are theway to go. Several of us ran from Bartlick down toCarson Island where we camped. And we playedmusic, visited with the locals, drank their local spirits,and talked of the RFRR to come. Sunday was aGarden Hole to Carson run and then home for thework week. We repeated that each weekend until thethird weekend when BWAer, Brian Mattingly, stirredup the first annual Baddlin, a race that involves bikingfrom the bottom of Ratliff Hole to Bartlick, then paddleto Carson Island, run back upstream and swimacross the river to the Finish line where it started atRatliff Hole. And, the town threw us a party. Wow!Elkhorn City is the Best Little Paddling Town in theworld. It really is. We had music, friends, and ourfavorite river in the world flowing right beside us.Super Cool. And, we talked of the RFRR, the BWA
Don Spangler
11
Fall Party and the Lord of the Fork Race and ourfavorite organizations, BWA and AW. And on thatnote, I have to give a Big Hand to BWA members JayDitty, Matt Walker, Steve Ruth, Clay Warren for theRace, the RFRR and the Fireworks. The CarsonIsland site is shaping up to be the best venue ever forthe RFRR and has not been close to reaching capaci-ty. And, paddling up to your campsite is super cool.
Getting to the RF, Christine, Dove and I drovea loaded pickup truck to meet Dustin Anderson whowas hauling the BWA trailer full of cooking equipmentand supplies. We arrived in a cold rain and quicklyset up Pop-Ups and circled in on what would be theBWA party fire pit. Then we tarped in the sides of thePavilion and sat around Kerosene space heaters.BWA’ers were already present, like the Mello clan,Dave Devore and friends, and circled in close to thefire pit. BWA’ers seem to stream in all night. Somewere camped at the Acoustic Circle, like Jeff Cressand Hugo, Pete, Kim and Phillip, Dustin and Sarah.Mark Branch was everywhere. The rest of theBWAers streamed in all night and some the nextmorning. Some camped at Ratliff Hole, and somewere at the Breaks Park. The BWA was everywhere.
The next day warmed up some and the tempswere close to 60, maybe upper 50s. The water levelwas about 1100. The race was packed with thelargest crowd in the history of the race. Old timerslike Chris Hipgrave and Clay Wright were back inplay. Man, it was a great day on the river. While I nolonger race, the event is still near and dear to myheart. I watched at my safety spot below Tower asone racer in one of the long boats, the Green Boat,did end over end cartwheels at the base of the dropbefore taking a swim. I still wonder if anyone got thaton video. Anyway, it was just one of the best days ofthe year to be on the Russell Fork. The river wasbeautiful and the level was fabulous.
While we were on the river, Christine andScott Mills were busy preparing a meal that wasincredible. Shrimp pasta, spaghetti with meat sauceand vegetarian sauce, salads and numerous potluckitems. Spangler’s pork tenderloins went fast. Justtons of good food. And we had beer. Lots of it. Infact, three kegs of beer, gratis Bluegrass BrewingCompany out of Louisville who gave us a great deal.I can still picture Justin B. hauling at least one, maybetwo back and forth between the fire circles crazedwith glee and joy. Then, the fire circle. Well therewas the BWA fire circle, with drums and Fred Coatessinging a Moose Love Rhapsody type of rap song,
from who knows where, but, it was pretty cool. DamnFred, I had no idea! The Fire circle at the RFRR atthe same time was raging while music blared fromthe stage with Bluegrass bands and others jamminguntil the late hours, for awhile, simultaneously withthe NPFF booth showing flicks and drawing hordes offolks to watch. I gotta thank Todd for hooking me upand then Super for helping me set it up and tear it alldown. I think we got good NPFF exposure with acrowd that often are in the videos we premier andwatch.
And, we promoted the BWA and AW. It madesense to have Kentucky boaters join the premierboating organization in the region and to expand ourmembership. We also made efforts to encourage ourfriends and membership to join AW, who I havealways viewed over 19 years in this club, as our"Mother Ship" in our shared organizational objectivesto paddling American rivers. AW was present at theRFRR and camped right in the thick of things with theBWA. As always, we owe great thanks to AW for allthe work it does on our behalf in preserving access torivers that our organizations’ members paddle. AWcertainly will be needed as we continue to press formore releases throughout the year.
The next day was tear down day and I have toreally thank many, but in particular Allen Kirkwoodand Wes Prince for the huge help with the cleanup.The weather was another stellar day, perhaps mid60s and sunny and the leaves were in full glory. TheBWA fall party all fit back into the vehicles and trailersand by the end of the day, there was not a trace ofour presence, only the memories we share for thoseof us that attended the BWA Fall Party and RFRR in2008. What fun! Hope to see all of you on the river,
Brent Austin
Allways good potluck at the Annual Reunion!
Don Spangler
12
I'll tell you a story and use Jouett as an example. LastDecember some of us ran Jouett one day at a goodlevel. At least one of us scouted the blind turns by foot.We dodged some trees but everything was runnable.We left there and ran Calloway and grabbed lunch.Tyler, Travis, and I decided to head back to Jouett thatafternoon and it was still a good level. It had not rainednor stormed since we did it that morning.
There was a tricky tree to dodge at the bottom of Deadand Bloated and the eddy was small so after I ran it Ihopped out of my boat to make room and assist others.Tyler got surfed in that last hole, but worked his wayfree and I grabbed his loop to help into the eddy. Iscouted that next long and boat-wide narrow flume thatis totally blind. It required some scrambling to scout. Inthe exit of the flume was a 18" diameter tree, in theriver, blocking the whole thing. There was NO gettingaround it. There is NO eddy or way to stop once youenter that flume. If we would've ran then I hate to think
Good advice forGood advice forPaddling after thePaddling after theIce Storm of 2009Ice Storm of 2009
of what would've played out. If one of us would've ran it,getting to that person would take time. Too much if itwas head under. It was late and dark was closing in sowe scrambled to portage. It required rope work and wasdifficult. We had barely enough light, but decided towork up on foot and work the tree loose and push itdownstream.
Moral....if you clean it one day, it might be clogged thenext. Don't rely upon the fact that I cleaned it out or ranit earlier that day and it was clean. Check yourself. I'llrun drops blind, but only where I feel good about know-ing there is an eddy or that its wide enough to scrambleand pass, but that's still risky and foolish. So yes, Iagree with the don't leave an eddy until you see anotherclearly and I'll clear a tree if its a danger, but every time Iput on a creek I run every rapid class 2 or class 5 know-ing that something could change one time to the next.
Bubba Sisk
Dallas
13
National Paddling National Paddling Film Festival Film Festival
Returns to Frankfort Returns to Frankfort February 20th and 21st, 2009February 20th and 21st, 2009
With the success of the 25th Annual NPFF at Buffalo Trace last February, we feel that we’ve definitely found a newhome. After 24 years in Lexington, we made the move to Frankfort and were welcomed with open arms by the commu-nity. Buffalo Trace turned out to be a perfect setting for the event, with over 5,000 square feet available to us inside,including a full-sized bar and a large viewing area upstairs, a large dining area downstairs, and a full wraparound cov-ered porch. There is also plenty of free parking for Festival attendees.
Films and Still Images are being received now, and it’s lining up to be another great event. Deadlines are January 30thfor films and February 16th for Still Images. Go to www.npff.org and click on “Entry” for more details. You’ve still gottime!
Our Silent Auction will be returning with boats, gear, and lots of other great swag to bid on.
The Bluegrass Brewing Company will again be providing beverages for the weekend, and we will be hosting a ChiliCook-Off Competition and potluck, so please bring your favorite recipe to share with your fellow paddlers.
Local outfitter Canoe Kentucky will be sponsoring a Paddle Day on Saturday on whatever local stream may be running;there will also be a Bourbon Tasting Saturday afternoon for those of you who may not want to paddle that day. Localpaddler Dan Atkins will be returning as our live music act that day with his new project, a roots-music trio. There arealso distillery tours Saturday morning for those interested.
Friday and Saturday nights will again see after-parties at the Brick Alley in downtown Frankfort, with musical acts to beannounced.
The Downtown Frankfort Tourism Board will again be providing goodie bags for attendees, including discounts to thelocal downtown merchants. There are several good restaurants, along with some great shops showcasing local andinternational arts and crafts. Friday and Saturday nights will again see after-parties at the Brick Alley in downtownFrankfort, with musical acts to be announced.
We are currently working on our Guest Host for this year’s Festival, as well as lining up hotel accommodations and shut-tle service for Attendees.
Don’t miss out on NPFF 2009! Tickets are on sale now at the American Whitewater Store, https://www.americanwhite-water.org/content/Store (click on “Event Tickets”); tickets are $20 online through February 19th, and will be $25 at thedoor. Remember, the NPFF is wholly a volunteer effort, and all the proceeds go to river conservation efforts and thecontinuation of the Festival for years to come.
Check our website, www.npff.org, for updates; if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Send an e-mail [email protected], and we’ll do whatever we can.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
Todd GarlandDirector, NPFF [email protected]
Links:
NPFF website – http://www.npff.org
American Whitewater - http://www.americanwhitewater.org/
Online Ticket Sales -https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Store/?crn=212
Buffalo Trace Distillery - http://www.buffalotrace.com/
Frankfort/Franklin County Tourism - http://www.visitfrankfort.com/
Bluegrass Brewing Company - http://www.bbcbrew.com/
Canoe Kentucky – http://www.canoeky.com
14
Learn to paddle your canoe or kayak!
More info at
http://www.surfky-bwa.orgor email
January 2009 January 2009 AAW VW Volunteer Of The Month isolunteer Of The Month isBWBWAA Member TMember Todd Garlandodd Garland
Presented By Kokatatposted January 6, 2009 by Jeffrey Paine
American Whitewater would like to recognize Todd Garland as ourJanuary volunteer of the month.
Since 2007 Todd has been the lead coordinator of the NationalPaddling Film Festival (NPFF) that takes place each Winter inKentucky. This event attracts whitewater enthusiasts from all overthat come to see the past year's best in paddling-related films. NPFF and American Whitewater have a longhistory of cooperation including yearly contibutions of some of the NPFF proceeds to AW that go a long wayto supporting the AW mission. This partnerhip, and this popular festival, would not be where it is now if itweren't for the steadfast efforts of Todd on its behalf.
Of course, any large event of this nature couldn't exist were it not for the efforts of many people in addition tothe leadership. So AW would like to extend their thanks to the many NPFF volunteers and the BluegrassWildwater Association as well.
In recognition of his efforts Todd will be receiving an OuterCore Long-Sleeve Shirt from Kokatat! ThanksTodd!
BWA meeting is at Mi Mexico, 818 New Circle Rd., Lexington, Ky. Meetings held Second Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm
To eat during the meeting come a little early so you can place your order before the meeting starts. For up-to-date info on meetings always check http://www.surfky-bwa.org
Bluegrass Wildwater Association PO Box 4231 Lexington, Ky. 40504
