2013 year in review

[hotBOATERchick]

First Year Round Paddling…… I would personally like to thank my dry suit, dry top, and fuzzy rubbers for helping me to achieve the following.

Tons of James River Days - no actual count

19ish Kayak PFDs:
Maury - Goshen Pass (VA)
Pigeon (NC)
Big Laurel Creek (NC) - which included a few rapids of the French Broad
Nantahala (NC)
Middle Tellico (TN)
Upper Tellico (TN)
Lower Big Creek, NC (Runs into the Pigeon)
Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon (Greenbriar) - (NC)
Lower Santeetlah (NC)
Ocoee (.2 - because after an Epic Week of Rivers and paddling for 7 days straight, preceded by two creeks a day the two days prior = I found my wall)
Bullpasture (VA)
Middle Gauley (WV)
Lower Gauley (WV)
New River Gorge (Cunard to Fayette Station)
Laurel Fork of the Cherry (WV)
Savage (MD)
North Fork - Potomac (WV?)
Lower Yough (since the first time I was in a raft) (PA)
Shenandoah/Potomac - Harper's Ferry (WV)

Several repeats of the above.

6 states:
WV, VA, NC, TN, PA, MD

5 successful Ladies on the Lower paddles.

Paddling Resolution: I resolve to keep a more accurate spreadsheet.

Thanks to my paddle family for a great year!

[kat!e]

Wow - you all really keep track of river time!! I like it! Maybe I'll make a point to keep track this year.

LJ - lots!
Shenandoah-Potomac Harper's Ferry - 3
Tellico Ledges,(2) Middle (1) - PFD
Ocoee - 1
Savage - 1
North Branch of Potomac - 1
Lower Yough Loop at 5ft - 1
Big Creek (TN) - PFD 1
Stony Creek (MD) PFD - 1
Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon (Greenbrier) (TN) PFD - 1
Maury, Goshen Pass - PFD - 1
Nantahala, Middle (4) & Lower 1 - PFD
French Broad - PFD - 1
Santeetla Creek PFD - 1

That's all I can remember - it was a great year to start boating again and this is the first winter I've paddled. It's been fun so far! Thanks everyone! Have a safe and happy 2014 on the water!!!

[nanpowel]

106 river days for me this year.
38 on the Stonycreek in PA
33 were on the Lower Yough
I did manage to paddle 24 different rivers with 15 PFD's including Glady Fork, Middle Fork, "Black Top"(an Ed Evangelidi trip), Dry Fork, North Branch Bloomington, Lower Shavers Fork, Cheat Narrows, Cheat Canyon, Cartecay, Chatooga Section 3, South Toe, Tellico below Jareds Knee, Potomac Needles, Shenandoah Staircase, and Clear Shade in PA.
I had 8 swims, most of them silly, but my happiest day on the river was when I got my very first combat roll!! Finally!!!

Hope to get a PFD on the James next year, and we will see about a low water NRG, and hopefully more combat rolls and less swims

Nancy

[gabe b]

First full year of paddling:
Upper James - 30-40 laps. Highest at 12ft
Lower James -3 (one in a raft at 8.5!)
3 PFD's:
Rappahannok -2
Appomatox -1
South Anna -1
Balcony Falls -1

What a great year!

[tolyho]

Not much paddling this past year with some injuries and massive amounts of work but I was able to PFD the Green Narrows(Lite) plus a half-dozen more laps, Watauga, Piney(took me a while) and then recover and back at some rejuvenating strokes including paddling into the Green Race which was a blast! I do have some footage of Max's amazing surf on the LG. He was so confident he kicked Wade out of the boat… OK-song was owned by Sony. New edit needed BRB

[GinnyN]

I had a good year! even though the last time paddling was 10/19/13 – Shenandoah

25 river days
Chatahoochee - UpperHooch (PFD) GA
Elk (below Webster Springs) (PFD) WV
Top Gauley (PFD) WV
James (Balcony)
James (Seven Islands) 2X
Maury (BV – Glasgow)
Maury – Indian Pools (PFD)
Maury – Rockbridge Baths 2X
Nantahala (PFD) NC
New River – Ripplemead to Bluff City
North Branch of Potomac (PFD) MD
Rapidan/Rappahannock – Hunting Run to Motts Run (PFD)
Rockfish – Woods Mill to Laurel Rd
Shenandoah – Newport to White House Landing
Tuckaseegee – Gorge(PFD) NC
Tye (bottom) 4 X
Piney- Tye 3X
Walker Creek – Bane to CanoeTheNew (PFD)

9 (PFD) 5 states

Huge thanks to everybody that I paddled with!

[Gnarly]

51 days on the water, 233 river miles.

Upper James - 12
Lower James - 24
Saranac River, New York - PFD - 1
James, Seven Islands - PFD - 1
South Anna - PFD - 1
Rappahannock - PFD - 1
Potomac, Angler's to Lock Ten - PFD - 1
Appomattox - PFD - 2
Lower Yough - PFD - 1
Lower Salmon River, Idaho - PFD - 1
New River Gorge - PFD - 1
Lower Gauley - PFD - 1
Micos, Mexico, Class II/III stretch below the falls - PFD - 1.

All in all - I had a great year on the water, significantly improving what skills I have and seeing Class IV for the first time. I celebrated my 40th birthday with a PFD of the Lower Yough at four and a half feet. If you have to turn 40, that's the way to do it. My Thanksgiving paddling trip to Mexico didn't go as I had hoped, as I sustained a minor injury and flew home early, but such is paddling; I'm back on the water now and life is good.

Thanks to all, especially Gabe and Chromo for following me down the Appomattox for their first look, James for paddling with me on our mutual birthday, Rich for taking so many great pictures and sharing them with all of us, Tom for more Lower James shuttles than I can count, Wade and Sejal for putting together the Lower Gauley first timers trip, and Chris and Swami for landing me down the NRG and the Lower Gauley. What a great year. Hope to see everybody on the river again this year.