Zen of whitewater, current life, book recommendation, cats.

A new paddler asked me what made me so smitten about paddling whitewater in a kayak.
I tried to explain as best I could.
I said that there is a moment when you are in a rapid at the top of your skill level, yet not surpassing it, when time slows down, and you are able to put your paddle and boat exactly where you want it to be, and this moment is sheer bliss.  After experiencing it, you will seek it out again and again, and once back in it, there is nothing but joy.

At its core, padding is about joy.  I wish more people could experience it.
 
Whitewater has an image problem.  Online it looks like a thrillseeker sport with no sense of preserving one's life.  I've been party to it, because I love watching videos of people dropping big waterfalls and really hard, dangerous rapids.
I was fortunate to learn to whitewater kayak before youtube, when any access to a video of someone doing a river full of rapids meant buying a VHS tape.  This means that I didn't have any idea that people were seeking out the sport for any reason but curiosity about what was around the river bend. 
Whitewater paddling is a family sport; a way of life; a small tribe of feral kids who grew up and work 40 hours a week then get their butts back to the river every chance they can. It's people in their 70's and people who are 7 years old.
Whitewater paddling has been a great benefit to my life, not the least because it has taught me how to relax and not panic in unfamiliar, scary situations, and assess the task at hand.  Often the task at hand has been underwater, in turbulent and rocky water.  With friends.  We all discover that a lot of what seems scariest is not really dangerous, but to find that truth out, requires facing what we fear.  And the true hazards- we help each other avoid those.  It's the ultimate solo sport that is also a team effort.
I've celebrated someone's first combat roll, I've felt exuberant at making a pirouette ender at a class II pourover, I've laughed so hard at a friend's goofy swim and then been the subject of the next carnage.  Right now there are a couple of teenagers in our paddling circle who are stepping up and becoming awesome paddlers.  It's so cool to witness and to help.

For those who asked, my sister Kathy is still in hospice from Stage IV cancer and early onset Frontal Temporal Dementia.  She is being taken care of 24/7, in her home with her pets, and is free from any anxiety or stress.   We tell each other that we love each other over and over when we are together.   We sing Beatles songs together.

I'm reading a book on my phone that I bought from Google Play for $6.50, called "Reasons to Stay Alive" by Matt Haig.  I got it on a whim after seeing a quote from it, and it has some really good bits.  For anyone who suffers from depression, he describes it very well, though I must say his anxiety was on a level that I can't imagine enduring, and he didn't try talk therapy or meds.  I understand being afraid to grab the rope that is tossed your way - what if it doesn't help and you're left hopeless?  But it's not the right decision; grab the damn rope. 

And finally, it is clear that having a pocket computer that accesses the sum of humanity's knowledge only leads to looking at pictures of cats, videos of cats, audio of cats purring and discussions of cats' finer qualities.   In summation, cats have taken over the world.
Here is a song about looking at pictures of cats: https://youtu.be/4JO-KRT0Vf0

The Clean Water Act

The current administration is rolling back crucial protections for streams and wetlands across the country in a direct assault on the Clean Water Act. This incredibly beautiful film tells the story of the rivers, streams, and wetlands of Alabama to illustrate the dangers of the proposed regulation. By doing so, it shows the economic benefits, ecological health, and cultural way of life that hang in the balance. For more information, and to take action now, please visit ProtectSouthernWater.org
Waters of the U.S. from Southern Exposure on Vimeo.

No You Ain't

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Visit https://www.facebook.com/SteveOgdenArt/ for more great art.

Great river quote

...from a great river book:

“There is an inherent, humbling cruelty to learning how to run white water. In most other so-called "adrenaline" sports—skiing, surfing and rock climbing come to mind—one attains mastery, or the illusion of it, only after long apprenticeship, after enduring falls and tumbles, the fatigue of training previously unused muscles, the discipline of developing a new and initially awkward set of skills.
Running white water is fundamentally different. With a little luck one is immediately able to travel long distances, often at great speeds, with only a rudimentary command of the sport's essential skills and about as much physical stamina as it takes to ride a bicycle downhill. At the beginning, at least, white-water adrenaline comes cheap.
It's the river doing the work, of course, but like a teenager with a hot car, one forgets what the true power source is. Arrogance reigns. The river seems all smoke and mirrors, lots of bark (you hear it chortling away beneath you, crunching boulders), but not much bite. You think: Let's get on with it! Let's run this damn river!
And then maybe the raft hits a drop in the river— say, a short, hidden waterfall. Or maybe a wave reaches up and flicks the boat on its side as easily as a horse swatting flies with its tail. Maybe you're thrown suddenly into the center of the raft, and the floor bounces back and punts you overboard. Maybe you just fall right off the side of the raft so fast you don't realize what's happening.
It doesn't matter. The results are the same.
The world goes dark. The river— the word hardly does justice to the churning mess enveloping you— the river tumbles you like so much laundry. It punches the air from your lungs. You're helpless. Swimming is a joke. You know for a fact that you are drowning. For the first time you understand the strength of the insouciant monster that has swallowed you.
Maybe you travel a hundred feet before you surface (the current is moving that fast). And another hundred feet—just short of a truly fearsome plunge, one that will surely kill you— before you see the rescue lines. You're hauled to shore wearing a sheepish grin and a look in your eye that is equal parts confusion, respect, and raw fear.
That is River Lesson Number One. Everyone suffers it. And every time you get the least bit cocky, every time you think you have finally figured out what the river is all about, you suffer it all over again.”
― Joe Kane, Running the Amazon

Nantahala rock/mud slides

As many of you know, the Nantahala river suffered rock and mud slides in 4 places this past Saturday.  This is a drone video of the area near Ferebee park. 

https://www.facebook.com/armychefmike/videos/10156713957942957/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDSdCs5PRAEV6nNulPTMkqPJRmw0PdyTYa_MctBh4vLdiMkAN8dTyvQI3UOjmMy5L1SquojOnBNz1wR_KhpLKuWR4O7JQz98vOJIuhK1TcgFiul0jL0_pr3EOjlXQK8_tH0xtH-RGt3RFnhf7wCYftEi4G_CU8_nxqG6mHntRq_h5HZesVV7du5OvxLgUdvdwMkx2vkZBu22McDMhe1DMZShQS-bshyzdElRE2rWtXmU9R61fao6KbYwg&__tn__=FFHHH-R

The Log 2: Another Year

 ...this pretty much sums up what makes me happy: