7/22/05 Advanced Kayak Class, NOC

Thinking back to my favorite weekends, so many were paddling new rivers with new friends. So it was on the weekend of 7/22/05 when I journeyed to the Nantahala Outdoor Center to take my third kayak class there. The advanced class would be memoriable for new friendship, new skills, new rivers (to me), and personal achievement. How fitting to finish the weekend late Sunday afternoon scouting and running Bull Sluice at the junction of sections III and IV of the Chattooga! A personal accomplishment in line with Saturday's victorious showdown with Double Suck on the Ocoee River that trashed me so bad in the past (see link at bottom of page!)!!!

Class started at supper Friday night. I met Mark and Angela from Sacramento and Head NOC Instructor Anne Sohntheimer. We went over basics and what Anne expected of us. Saturday morning at breakfast we met Zach, a college baseball player who would round out our group. We geared up and headed to the Ocoee. After rolling and stroke practice above the dam we headed down. Water was warm and weather was beautiful! There likely is no recreational river in the world like the Ocoee dropping 197 feet in 5 miles and rapid after rapid with lots of eddies to study and learn our next move. Our paddling finesse was polished on this great river ending up at Hell Hole. Funny how that hole used to scare me so bad.

Sunday we met early as we already planned to go to section III of the Chattooga between SC and GA. Again water was warm and weather was beautiful. I had read about Second Ledge and Bull Sluice but really never expected them to be such high drops. We all ran them without problems but most of all we ran them correctly with good weight position, paddle strokes, timing, and control. After a Mexican dinner in Clayton we bid adieu and promised to paddle together again. Thanks for a memorable weekend! See you on the river Mark, Angela, Zach, and Anne!!! /hugh