photo upload a no go

I tried to upload photos taken of the silverback section of whitewater, but it turns out the files have all been corrupted. I will have to keep trying... But i haven't been able to get out paddling on my own much-Just as it looked like things were about to settle down, they've kicked up again. I've been working loads- and having a lot of fun with some more intermediate/advanced clients. Its been great because i've been able to push my own skills, in terms of coaching and on the river, and have even managed to do a few video sessions on some of the waves here. It is astounding how much more you gain from a training session by going back through and analyzing video- something i have really seen being put into practice from Lili coach/founder Sam Ward.

Jamie has gone to the UK for 10 days, and Jared has left us to go back to Canada for 6 months, leaving me in charge of KTN daily operations for the past week or so. Highly entertaining.. and good practice if i ever decide to attempt to run my own business! You start to realize how much working managing even a small company like KTN is.

It has been a busy month for much of the kayaking industry, with the World Championships for freestyle kayaking taking place in Thun, Switzerland last week. It has been highly entertaining, and mildly frustrating attempting to follow the news on what can be painstaking slow internet. I had lots of friends over at worlds, and a big crew of Ugandan residents/visitors were over there as well.

One of our guides, Ibra Mugembe, and Paulo Babi one of the rafting guides had the opportunity to compete for Uganda in the kayak championships- alongside another friend and former guide off the Nile.. All did well, With Timmy Flowers taking 76th overall, Paulo in 61st, and Ibra placing 36th, just missing a shot at quarter finals. Anton, one of the video boaters out on the Nile finished 26th overall- showing again how great this river is for training... and of course how much you can do with natural ability...

It was exciting and encouraging to see so many friends do well- the competition and the lengthy amount of time required to check results provided a welcome distraction from the work week. For full results, check out www.kayaksession.com

I have also just learned that Canoe and Kayak New Zealand Magazine has decided to publish an article on the Himalayan River Girls, and the progress they have made. One of the girls, Sussmita, was even able to go and compete at worlds in Switzerland. I'm sure it was an amazing opportunity for her, and a great way to build awareness within the international kayaking community. At any rate, Canoe and Kayak NZ has decided to use one of my photographs taken on the trip as their cover shot! Pretty exciting for me- I can't wait to see a copy.

Thats about it for now Photos to come, internet permitting... sigh..

pretty as a princess

I remember as a kid begging my mom and dad to let me sleep under mosquito netting. It was a short lived phase, as they never acquiesced to my (admittedly) ridiculous requests. I wanted mosquito netting because it seemed so royal- and princess like- at the age of seven. The fine white netting tied in a ring above my bed (note: i grew up in a room with about seven foot ceilings. An NBA player wouldn't be able to stand up straight in there) , floating down around to tuck into my bed cushions to make me feel protected and important. My parents saw fine white netting to get dirty and torn and be one more thing to be a mess in my room. Smart Parents.

Flash forward 15 years or so: I now live in a country where i sleep under a mosquito net everynight. Not by choice, entirely, but as the best protection from malaria. Having just experienced my first bout with Malaria- i am even more a fan of my mozzie net then ever. Instead of being white and gathered- my mozzie net is blue and square, treated with insecticide, and hangs above my bed from a small wooden frame. One of my nighttime rituals has become to makesure it is properly tucked in. "pretty as a princess".

It is funny how used to seomthing to get- coming home to the staes, or sleping somewhere that there isn't a net- i now immediately feel a little exposed. The fact of the matter is- out here, sleeping under an insecticde treated mozzie net everynight is the best way- for us and the locals to protect against malaria. It is the principal Soft Power Health stresses every week when the go out and visit villages, selling their cost-subsidized nets to the locals.

My own bout with malaria (zero fun) has made this even more evident to me.

besides the malaria front, the past few weeks have been a busy time out here as the last of the summer tourism scene makes its way through jinja. Lots of birthdays and celebrations this month as well as lots of work on the river. It is just now starting to quiet down, and i think we are all a little excited about it.

Thats about all for the moment... its gone quiet and time to start some planning for some future missions.

Back in Black

Hard to believe that two weeks have passed already since leaving the States to come back to Uganda. Things are going well, and i hve been reasonably busy with work. There has been work for kayak school the past 5 days- ( i know, its almost like a real job! ) And the rafting trips have been fully booked several days this week. Hard to believe considering how quiet the campsite here seems in relation to my memories of last summer. Where there used to be Overland trucks here almost everynight, ther have been three or four trucks in the past 2 weeks.

The river has been changing almost everyday as well- The boys reported that the diggers at Silverback come right up to the waters edge now, and have caused the rapid to change again. Its frightening how much has been deforested already- and how barren the shore looks. the boys of the raft trip yesterday say that the first wave was almost gone, but the 4th wave made a major comeback. It will be interesting to see how the rapid keeps fluxuating and changing in the next few months.

Im going to try and take advantage of this section as much as possible in the next few months- but we will see. Other then that- things are pretty much the same around here. There have been many new buildings built up around the gate, new shops and chapati stands. There seem to be less boda boda men as well, perhaps in response to fewer kayakers coming to stay and go for Silver back runs. Still, the rafting video goes off in the NRE bar at 9, and life goes on.

Welcome Back

After much deliberation this winter and spring, I made the decision to return to the White Nile River in Uganda to work for the remainder of the summer season.  I'll be teaching kayaking for Kayak the Nile and leading sit-on-top trips for Kayak Cruises. Check out the website to book trips or see what i'll be doing at www.kayakthenile.com

It was a hard decision to come back- but made the choice to be here for the last bit of time before the top section gets dammed this coming year. The river is as beautiful as always, if a bit low.  

I arrived back in Jinja on Saturday, and have worked a few days already, partied a few nights already, and am starting to get back into the swing of things.  

Its good to be back- everyone has been extremely welcoming, from my friends, the people I work with, and even the locals.  Everywhere i have gone so far i have recieved encouraging "Welcome Back"s!  Its always flattering to have felt missed, and also flattering to have people surprised that i left. It feels oddly normal to be back here, though the leisurely lifestyle doesn't seem quite as appealing as it did last year.  All in all, good to be doing something, and happy to get some sun! 

.  

Lyons to Ottawa

After a terrific time at the Teva Mtn Games, it was off to Lyons Colorado for the much smaller, more local friendly Lyons Outdoors Games. To be honest, it was one of my favorite events on the entire Colorado circuit this spring. The smaller feel was friendly and inviting, and the games still provided a tough creek race on the South St. Vrain, a steep class 4+-5 creek, (won by Tao Berman, with Pat Keller coming in a close second) as well as a boater cross, slalom race and an amateur, cadet and pro rodeo. That isn't even including the non kayaking events- sadly, i did not make it off the river long enough to see the moutain biking or chainsaw events- maybe next year! 

Lyons was good fun- i ended up competing in the Not so Pro (Ho) rodeo instead of doing the pro womens. I had a great time, and had a suprisingly good ride for me- with a loop, a space godzilla, and i think they even scored me on an accidental cartwheel! The Not So Pro Ho rodeo was myself, Taylor Cote and Jessica Yurtinus. Having three of us meant that the womens class was separate from the amateur mens- and we all had a lot of fun. I narrowly beat Jess for first place- earning my first ever kayak rodeo winnings!!! 

The hole in Lyons was forgiving, if a little flushy- and great for trying and learning moves. After the rodeo i sat for ages working on cartwheels and loops- just trying to get more consistent. The feature even inspired Pat Keller to get back in a "playboat" of sorts- borrowing one of the locals RPMs and throwing down. Its not everyday you get to see someone Tricky Woo an RPM... The weeend was pretty friendly all around- with locals climbing right out on the rocks to take pictures of their kayak heros as they played and practiced- a nice campsite to stay at- and good burgers at Oskar Blues restaurant. 

Pat Keller Throws around an RPM while its owner watches. Photo Adriene Levknecht. (for those of you who don't know, an RPM is twice the length of todays playboats, making it twice as hard- or more- to use) 

After Lyons, it was off to Salida for FIBark - or the First In Boating on the ARKansas river. FIBark, is i believe the oldest whitewater festival in the states. I decided not to compete in any of the events, but had a great time hanging out and getting to see Salida. There is a ton of great boating in the area- from the Pine Creek (where the Pine Creek race is held) to easier sections like the Numbers, the Fractions and Browns Canyon. 

BoaterCross on Pine Creek. 

I think the Salida/Buena Vista area is my favorite in Colorado- friendly, nestled in the Mountains, and still easily accessible. FIBark was also fun because i got to meet up with John Harvey and Lisa Sewell, friends from PA. I got to run the fractions with John, and then later got to run Browns canyon with another friend who showed up- Amy Jimmerson. It was great to get to catch up with Amy a bit- and Browns canyon is a beautiful, classic grade 3-4 Must Do run in the area.  That evening there was one of the most spectacular sunsets i have seen which we got to enjoy, sipping beer back at the put-in to Browns. It was, alltogether, a great last weekend in Colorado. 

Sunset at Browns Canyon. 

Immediately after Salida- I set off on an epic drive across the states and Canada to head towards the Ottawa river. I stopped to spend a day in Larned, Kansas with my sister and her boyfriend Fraser as they travel across the US from East to west on their bicycles (check out their blog www.144spokes.blogspot.com) . Kansas was hot and humid- but it was great to see Iz and catch up a bit. 

Catching up with Iz in Larned- at Fort Larned- a historial landmark and living history museaum in Larned, Kansas. 

I took a few detours getting there, thanks to my GPS- but got see some random things along the way! Here is a photo of a homemade statue in the front yard of some guys farm in the middle of Kansas. There must have been 50 of them! 

As hot and humid as Larned was, the people there were super friendly- a local pastor let us spend the night in his (AIR CONDITIONED! ) Church before we all headed out early the next morning. Iz and Fraser started biking around 4:30 am to try and beat the heat and the headwinds, while i stayed and tryed to do some interneting until 6 am or so. As i was leaving Kansas, there was an amazing rainbow- reminding me of Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ- "Somewhere over the Rainbow, way up high,.. " 

After Larned my drive continued on, with a breakdown in Bevier, Missouri, where i had the pleasure of meeting and dining with a new friend George while my alternator was replaced, a quick trip to Chicago to see an old friend, Lots of traffic and U- turns before finally arriving on the Ottawa river just in time for an '80s party at Wilderness tours. 

I drove up to Ottawa to meet up with my parents- who were on there way for a canoe club trip. Getting to spend a week on the Ottawa playing at corner wave, and hanging out with new and old friends made it one of the best weeks of my year- I only wish i had spent more time there! (and eaten more putine! Mm french fries and gravy) I got to try out the new Jackson Star on my last surf session, and have to admit that i had a great time. The boat was fast, loose and fun on a wave, while still responsive and stable. Im excited to see what the athletes do with it in Switzerland.. IT was Canada day while i was in Ontario, adding even more to my trip than kayaking. I got to spend some time catching up with one of my college roomates and wandering around the beautiful city of Ottawa, in adidtion to kayaking. Life doesn't get much better then that. 

Catching up : team trials and teva

After Steamboat, I jumped out of the Demshitz van and back into my car for the rest of the Colorado tour. I headed to Glenwood Springs to get some practice in for team trials while Demshitz continued their "tour de stouts". Glenwood was great because I got to meet up with Karl Moser- a friend from Uganda who I hadn't seen since his wedding last fall. It was terrific catching up with Karl, and having them there as a friend and coach. KArl is also a phenomnenal freestyle kayaker- and I was able to learn a lot having him around. Karl and I both did well in prelims, myself placing 5th on a big aerial backstab, and Karl placing 4th with a flurry of moves and combinations.

Karl cleanblunting his way into Semi Finals

The Glenwood wave is a manmade feature that goes almost across the whole river. The levels kept changing throughout the weekend, making it difficult for everyone. Unfortunately, Both Karl and myself struggled as the wave greened out in Semi finals the following day, each placing 10th, and not making it to finals. In finals, Each of the women flushed off the wave without scoring any points on their first rides- but managed to pull off some moves in their 2nd and third rides. The Overall results for the womens world freestyle team in 2009 were Emily Jackson, Ariene Levkenecht, Elaine Campell and Jessie Stone. Congrats to all the women on the team, and those who competed- it was a tough competiton and everyone did well. The final team for the Men was Brian Kirk, Stephen Wright, Johnny Meyers, Chris Stafford and Rush Sturges. EJ will also be competeing at worlds, as last years champion, he has a buy that places him through the competiton despite his 8th place finish.

spectators at team trials

The other great thing about Glenwood was meeting new people, such as the Palmer family- a kayaking family who welcomed Karl, Myself, and many others into their home during team trials and beyond. Its people like the Palmers that make the kayaking community so friendly. The Palmers werent the only ones to show support, as many people from the Glenwood community also stopped by to cheer on the boaters and get a glimpse of what was going on.

While at team trials I ran into a friend of mine from college completely by chance! It was great to get to catch up with him, and several other friends, which I did by visiting in Aspen. After that, there seemed to be Colby Alum popping out of the wordwork in almost everytown i went to! Such a small world, really.

After team trials it was off to the Teva Mtn Games in Vail for more Kayaking and a chance to catch up with friends. Teva is probably the biggest of the games on the tour, and it encompasses much more than freestyle boating, though freestyle is one of the more popular events to watch.

The crowd gathers for a freestyle showdown. Photo Ron Fisher. 

 The Mtn Games bost a variety of sports, from Rock Climbing and Mountain Biking and a mud run,  to a Hill Climb and Big Air competition for Dogs. There is something happening pretty much every minute of the weekend, making it fun for competitors and spectators. There are also tons of vendor stands demo-ing new preformance enhancing, hyrdrating products.

Mud Run. Photo Ron Fisher

The Mtn games kicked off with the homestake creek race, an extreme kayak race down a steep, techincal grade 5 creek known as Homestake. 

Scouting Homestake. 

It is a tough race, and i was happy to take pictures. Kiwi Mike Dawson won it for the Men, with another Kiwi, Nikki Kelly barely taking it for the women, Tanya Faux in a close second. 

Teva Athlete Mike Dawson ploughs through the waves to first place. 

American Adriene Levkenecht took third for the women. Tao Berman and Pat Keller placed not far behind Mike in 2nd and 3rd. There was definitley some carnage, with a broken boat, a dislocated shoulder and one swim- reminding everyone how challenging the race really is.

Caspar Van Kalmthout boofing at Homestake. 

The freestyle events turned into a bit of a Jackson showdown as Jackson unveiled their new boat, the redesigned superstar for 2009. The boat is shorter, with more volume, and loops to huge new heights, as demonstrated here by Jackson team paddlers Stephen Wright and Dustin Urban. 

Stephen with a massive Space Godzilla

Dustin bringing new meaning to the term "Aerial Loop" 

The women were going almost as huge as the men, despite not having new Jackson boats to play in, showing why freestyle is one of the more popular events to spectate at the mountain games. 

Adriene Levknecht throws down in her Biscuit. 

Of course, The Teva Mtn Games wouldn't be Teva without a party- completed Friday night with an "Under the sea ball" and more fun times had by all through-out the weekend. 

 Josh and I make the most of a photo op before heading out to the ball. 

Sunday finished off the kayaking events with the 8 ball competition- a type of downriver race boater cross, complete with Human obstacles. All in all, a great weekend. 

off the wagon

So i've been way behind on blogging these past few weeks- not having a computer makes america, the land of wireless internet endlessly frustrating. The past two weeks have been busy: from Vail for the Teva Mountain Games, to Denver and Aspen for fun, to Lyons, CO for the lyons rivers festival, and then to Salida for FIBArk this weekend. Lots of new friends, reunions with old friends, festivities and kayaking to blog about!

I'll be sure and do proper updates soon- with photos and all, but for now, check out www.whitewater-koa.blogspot.com for updates from Teva, along with www.mikekayak.blogspot.com and www.teampyranha.com . Jeremy Laucks put up a video edit from our Cali trip online, www.chasingrain.com .

Chur Ball!

east meets west

Here are a few photos from our last day in Cali.  Jared, Dave, Jeremy, Nicole and I met up with Graham and a few other friends to get some paddling in together before we headed back east to Colorado to continue our tour. The boys and Nicole went to do the Summit run section on the S. Yuba river, which ends with the drop East meets West. I opted to run shuttle and take some photos while they fired it up. It sounded like a great last day in Cali, with a beautiful day, clean lines and good friends. 

Jared boofing the curler leading in to East Meets West

Nicole running the brown. 

After paddling, we loaded up the van, had dinner and headed out to Buena Vista for the Colorado segment of the tour. It was a bit disappointing to leave the sunny warmth of Cali- as soon as we hit Colorado it started raining- turning into snow at higher altitudes. 

We started out in BV for the rodeo and paddle fest- a massive gear demo out of CKS. I did my part and tried to sell a few Pyranha boats, sending out demos and answering the questions I could.  BV is a cool little town, and absolutely gorgeous. The playpark is in a valley, and when the clouds finally cleared out, there was a phenomenal view of the mountains. We got to stay in a friends house right in the new developing community of South Main in BV, in walking distance of the playpark. 

My shoulder was still a bit sore so I decided not to compete in the Rodeo. I went out and played a bit the next day though- the hole was at a fun level and it was good to get a little playboating practice in. I couldn't believe how small and responsive my playboat felt after paddling the midsize diesel for the week. 

Here are a few photos from our last day in Cali.  Jared, Dave, Jeremy, Nicole and I met up with Graham and a few other friends to get some paddling in together before we headed back east to Colorado to continue our tour. The boys and Nicole went to do the Summit run section on the S. Yuba river, which ends with the drop East meets West. I opted to run shuttle and take some photos while they fired it up. It sounded like a great last day in Cali, with a beautiful day, clean lines and good friends. 

Immediately after BV we headed out to Steamboat for another rodeo and the fish creek race. Demshitz did well- Jared took 3rd in the race behind Holcombe and Sam Sutton, with Fusilli finishing right  behind him in 4th. 

Fusilli racing down fish creek. The water was frigid! 

Jared punching one of the holes on Fish Creek. 

The race was exciting to watch- there was one swimmer, and the safety guys threw a rope across the river trying to help out, without alerting the top. Nikki Kelly raced down and the guys managed to lift the rope right in time for Nikki to duck under it. It didn't seem to phase her much, as she still finished in 2nd place. 

Nikki ducks under the rope in the middle of her run on Fish Creek 

Kelsey Thompson on the Fish Creek race

The rodeo followed that afternoon, With Jared finishing 6th and Fusilli 4th. Dave took 4th overall, and Jared 5th- a respectable showing for sure.

Fusilli throwing down in the Rev

We stayed over in Steamboat another night and had a fun play session at the wave- a manmade feature located right in the middle of downtown Steamboat. 

Coming from the East Coast, its remarkable to see that practically every city out in CO has its own whitewater playpark. Come on East Coast- it is time to catch up! 

After Steamboat, we spent the night in Breckinridge with Carly, Dave's sister. I picked up my car and headed off to Glenwood for team trials, leaving Demshitz to run stouts before heading to Glenwood for the weekend. 

144spokes

So while I spend a month being a bum driving and kayaking around the western united states, Izzy, my little sister decided to take the more ecological approach and bike across the country with her boyfriend Frazer. I know. They are insane. 

check out Izzy and Frazers exploits and updates on her blog- www.144spokes.blogspot.com

sounds like she is working harder then i am at the moment! 

In Glenwood springs, CO until monday or tuesday for US team trials, couch surfing, kayak surfing and living in my car. 

Bomber Gear

I thing that I neglected to mention in my post last week was that while in Reno, I picked up a new skirt (Deck, as the british put it) for my kayak. For those that don't know, the skirt or deck is generally made of neoprene, and is designed to seal the kayaker into the boat, attaching around the rim of the cockpit. The skirt is also responsible for keeping a large amount of water out of the boat- helping the kayaker stay dry and afloat. 

Having a good skirt is important in a lot of ways. One- it keeps you dry, thus keeping you warmer and afloat. Two- it keeps you in the boat, which is always important. I have had a quite a few friends have their skirts implode, or pop off on them unexpectedly, and it can be very frightening. It is also helpful if a kayaker can put their skirts on their kayaks by themselves. It sounds silly- but as all skirts and kayak cockpits are slightly different in shape and size, getting one that fits easily, without letting too much water in can be hard. 

At any rate- I picked up a new skirt in Reno made by Bomber Gear. They are a company that i have been a fan of for a while- looking through my gear I discovered that my drypants, one of my favorite thermals, and a drytop i own are also made by Bomber Gear. They went out of business for a few years, but are back in action with a whole new line of products. Check out their website www.bombergear.com

I got their womens specific Floral Bomb skirt, with an extra small tunnel that fits my waist, and a larger keyhole shaped deck to go on a creek boat. I have to say that I love it, and it has held up amazingly well after putting it through its paces in California.  Though it was a little difficult to get on at first, the skirt quickly molded to the shape of the cockpit rim after leaving it on their damp one night. Since then i have not had any problems putting it on, and I still stay amazingly dry. I was pleasantly suprised to see how well it held up on the South Branch, especially on the 50 footer at the end of the run. Most Creek Specific skirts have implosion bars to help the skirt distribute pressure (either from impact or going deep underwater). 

Photo from Jeremy Lauks

Here I am on one of the smaller drops on the South Branch. Note how well my blue bomb flower skirt stands out in the pictures! 

We did a nice easy play run on the edwards-purdance section of the S. Branch of the Yuba river, and my skirt worked just as well with my playboat. I was pleasantly surprised yet again yesterday- We just pulled in to Buena Vista for PaddleFest and the BVpro rodeo- so i decided to hop back in my playboat and take a few quick surfs in the playpark here. My skirt held up great, and i was able to watch the preliminaries of the rodeo in my gear, almost completely dry! 

We are out in Buena Vista for the weekend, and then off to steamboat for another Demshitz movie premier, and then to Glenwood springs for team trials... The tour continues! 

Chilling in Cali

The past two weeks have been pretty much nonstop out here. After cheat fest I drove back to PA, then left that monday to head across the country. I stopped in Ohio and Kansas before making to Gunnison, where i met up with Demshitz  Jared Seiler, Dave Fusili, Jeremy Lauks and Nicole Mansfield to hop in the Pyranha van and head to the Reno River Festival. 

Reno was tons of fun- got to meet a load of new friends and catch up with some old ones. I ended up "competing" in the open freestyle- didn't make it to finals but had fun anyways. Jared wasn't competing due to injuring his ribs on the Big Sandy the week prior. Dave and Jeremy put in valient efforts in both the freestyle and the boater cross- with Jeremy getting an unfortunate disqualification in the semi finals. 

After Reno it was off to Cali to start creeking- another nonstop mission! The boys ran Kimchu Creek our first day in Cali, then we met up with Shannon Carroll, Chris Korbulick and Team Hobo (Fred Norquist and Jake Sakson) among others to run the South Branch of the Feather. It was an amazing day- lots of waterfalls and lots of fun ending with a sweet 50 footer and a mank hike out of the gorge. The next day I chilled out and ran shuttle with half our team went and ran the lower section of the south branch- proclaiming the hour long portage worth it for sure. 

From there, Team Demshitz and i put on the middle fork of the feather for a three day "moderate class 5" overnighter. The river and the gorge were beautiful, and the trip was tons of fun, even if i did get my ass whooped. Even though the river reminded me a lot of Nepal, Paddling out in Cali is different for sure- as creeking is different from playboating even in the type of gear that you need.  

I've been borrowing a Diesel 70 from a friend for the past week, and while the boat handles well, i would definitely appreciate a smaller boat- especially when loaded up with overnight gear. Proper outfitting and, as i've learned = a longer paddle would also be helpful. Even so, i've been learning loads and hope to keep on creeking, maybe come back here next year and kill it. 

Paddling out here has been eye opening, and loads of fun- while, as Jared put it "taking an AP class in creek boating".  I'll try and get photos up soon, but check out the team Pyranha blog and Jeremy's website www.chasingrain.com for more updates and photos. 

Cheat fest to Denver

I left Vermont last week, stopping along the way to pick up a new playboat, a project 45 in Cherry red. Clearly- in my week at home, I needed to try it out, and see if it was as good as i remembered. 

I spent two days up at Scudders falls, a playspot on the Delaware river just over the New Jersey border from PA. The boat preformed well, and i had some good sessions, leaving me with plenty to work on and think about for the coming season.  Scudders is kind of a mecca for local paddlers- and everytime i am there, i manage to run into old friends and boating acquaintances.  It was great to catch up with people- and even better because i was talked into going to Cheat fest down in West Virginia. 

My dad and i drove down on friday- stopping for a warm up on the Loop section of the Lower youghigheny river- before heading to run the Cheat on Saturday. It has been raining non stop here- so the levels were high... The loop was running at 3 feet, and the Cheat was at 5 feet- making my Dad a little nervous, but he did great.  The most nerve racking part of the day was taking Glens shuttle back to the put-in. Jared, Dave Fusili, Big Dave Fusili, Nicole Mansfield and I held on for dear life, along with about 40 other people- as the truck raced around corners- trying to fling us out. 

We paddled with a ton (36) PCC members- including old friends Dave Smith and Nancy Pietroski, John Harvey and the Seilers. After a great weekend, i'm off to Denver- at least to start, with some loose plans to meet up with Demshitz and the Pyranha van for a tour to Reno, or off to Missoula to visit Tara and Karl.  Should be good- it will be my first time out west and i am excited! 

photographic resume

As I try and put feelers out for the summer season- I had to scrounge around and try and find video/photographic evidence of my "prowess" as a kayaker. Finding photos turned out to be much harder than I originally anticipated, in part because I have a habit of deleting photos of myself that I dislike, especially if they are on other peoples cameras! Also in part because I tend to spend a fair share of my time behind the camera, taking pictures of other people and trying to learn from them. It was also difficult because half the photos of me are on other peoples cameras- stored all over the place, with a fraction of them on my hard drive.

Here are some of the photos that I have found- taken by friends, on the Nile and in Nepal- and a little story with them. I think it shows how hard it can be to get a good shot, timing, lighting, etc... Here are just 8 photos from the past 18 months in a boat.

Im still looking to build the resume, so if you know of any photos- send them my way!



My first time running Kalagala Falls. I think my Dad took this photo- as clearly, i choose to run hard rapids when my parents come to visit me in Africa.

Playing on the Special while Ivan videos. Photo by Morgan Koons. Ivan is a local of the village on the other side of the river from the Hairy Lemon. Sam Ward taught him how to use a video camera to film for him when he practiced, and now pays Ivan's school fees as well.

Running Bujagali Falls. Note that I am slightly too far left. This is one of the rapids that will soon be disapearing on the Nile due to the Dam.

Running Hukapoa Falls on the Sun Kosi in Nepal. Photo by Hayley Segal. This was a fun rapid because all the Nepali girls were on the side scouting and cheering.

Doing a Pan-Am on the Special. Photo by Tara McGraw Moser. This is the day i fell in love with the Project 45.

Blunting on the Special at Sunset. Photo by Will Clark. This is the last day I got to paddle with Will in Uganda before he left for Zambia and I went back to the states.


Blunting on the Special. Photo by Tara McGraw Moser.

The Upper Kali Gandaki- photo by Will Clark. Its hard work being in a 70 lb boat!

some cool links, and future plans

Tomorrow is my last day of work up here in Vermont- I still can't believe the seasons are switching on me. Pond skimming up at the mountain tomorrow- should be a great time- and i can't wait to watch some of the debauchery.

While i've been sitting on my but and getting my ski legs back up here- ive got plenty of other friends that have been getting busy on the water.

I just got back in touch with some of my old friends from White Haven, PA where i worked on the Lehigh river as a river guide. That was one of my favorite summers for sure- and the first time i really started to paddle with kids my own age. That summer i learned to enjoy paddling in a whole new way. Those kids have all been keeping busy, on and off the water and have been doing well. Check out their blog

www.dirtydozencrew.blogspot.com

to see what they are up to. Hopefully i'll get to catch up with them and paddle either in PA or out west some point in the near future.

Jared and Graham Seiler have also been working hard to get Demshitz up and running- they just put up their own website and have been showing their new film- Stuff from all over. Jared and Graham both spent some time down south in Chile and Ecudaor this winter, and I am stoked to see them and what they have put together. The film is premiering down in Ashville pretty much as I write this. There are also heaps of photos on Evan Garcia's blog :

www.egcreekin.blogspot.com

here are a few highlight photos from the facebook group- for more be sure to check that out as well as the brand new demshitz website

www.demshitz.com


photo from Demshitz

Salto de Alerces Rio Manso Argentina..Jared Seiler .. Pat Rogers photo

Jared in Chile on the Paguin photo from demshitz.com


Graham running Oriental Massage Yule Creek CO . Photo from Demshitz


Other news from my paddling community includes the revamping of the Soft Power Health website- be sure and check that out for Malaria project updates. www.softpowerhealth.com

Lastly- the African revolutions tour and Sun Catchers project that friends Rush Sturges, Rita Reijwerts, Tyler Bradt and others were working on this past spring. Rita and the boys combined an exploratory African paddling mission with a charity project that brings solar ovens to impoverished and often malnurished African communities and orphanages. Check out video of them here: Suncatchers Video or check out their website www.suncatchersproject.org for more information on Rita's project.

Check out this video on you-tube for more on Suncatchers and the African Revolutions tour in which the boys went on a ridiculous paddling mission through the Murchison falls section of the nile, along with other insanitys here.

For even more info, check out Tylers webpage here:

So what comes next for me? the trials and tribulations of bum life... Here is a couple of thoughts that i have had.. I sent out a few resumes out to kayak schools up in Canada- maybe i'll score a job for the summer... I should find out in the next week or so. Im still thinking about heading back to Uganda- its just going to be a matter of time, and money. Im either heading back in June or in August- for how long i can't say. Its funny- im never sure if i want to go back , but i catch myself thinking all the time- oh, i should bring this to Uganda, oh this would be good for Africa, etc... Part of me has assumed i'll be back there pretty much this entire time- its a hard place to let go of for sure.

In between now and then im looking at a road trip out west to hook up with Karl and Tara, maybe see Jim, Sheri, Shannon, and one of my college roomates along the way. I might even compete in team trials for the US freestyle kayak team in Grand Rapids this may. Except for Karl and Tara's wedding, I've never been out west, so im pretty excited to see what its all about. Some of my friends from Killington are leaving for a roadtrip out west next week- planning to hit up a bunch of the major ski resorts as they go. I'd love to meet up with them- we will see what happens...

until then , check out these other pages and get stoked on spring!

Anapurna Hike

Old news... but I never managed to post pictures from the 7 day hike I did with Whitney, Anna, Hayley, Sophie, Hes, Emi, Malaika, Laura and Malin in Nepal.

Here are a couple favorites. We hiked in the Anapurna mountain range- a 4 day hike up to base camp at 4,130 meters and then a 3 day hike out. We did it in two groups- meeting up with eachother at night or on opposite days, leaving messages for each other along the way. The scenery was amazing- the path we were on took us through local villages where we would stay in tea houses at night.
Passing local women with their loads. Photo by Hayley Segal

We carried our own packs the entire 7 days- nothing compared to how much these women carry on their backs for their daily lives!

The hike started with a massive incline up a never ending flight of stone stairs. (litterally- we would be walking up and down these stone stairs for the next 7 days) Through the city of Chomrung alone we hiked over 1,000 stairs!

Hiking up the stairs to Jinua. Photo by Hayley Segal


We met this little girl at the top of the the first flight of stairs, where we were bribeing Anna to continue on the hike.

As we were walking, the Annapurna range continued to open itself up, giving us enitrely different perspectives on the individual peaks that we werent able to see from Pokhara.

Fishtail from Sinuwa


Anapurna 2 view our 2nd morning

I was suprised by how green it was- and just struck by the beuty of the country side, walking among the rice paddies, crossing bridges over the Modi Kola, etc.

Rice fields. Photo by Hayley Segal

Flowers
Flowers 2
The paths were often poorly marked, and we would come to crossroads having no idea where to go. Even though we were in the off season, plenty of hikers wre till going through - and the little kids were often our best source of directions. This little girl stopped playing with her stick long enough to look at us, shout "jinu" wave her hand in one direction, and then promptly went back to playing.

photo by Hayley Segal

One of the highlights of the trip was making it to Jinu on day 3- after a LONG hike on a flight of stairs in the sun. WE met up with the rest of the girls their and stopped long enough to enjoy the natural hotsprings!! (we even stayed there on the way back- just so we could hit the hot springs again)
The Hot springs were amazing! On the 3rd and 4th day of the hike, i think we all started to feel it a bit. 4,130 meters is signigigant, and we struggled with the altitude a little, as well as the strain of walking 7+ hours a day while carrying a 30 pound pack!

Anna and I so excited to finally be at Himalaya! Photo by Anna White

Here Hayley and I stop at MBC- the last stop before making it to Anapurna Base Camp.

photo by Malin Strand

About halfway through day 4 we made it up to base camp in time for an indepth photo shoot.

Me at base camp
Team "Less Extreme"- Anna White, Whitney Hansen , Hayley Segal, Anna Bruno, Malin Strand
All of us- Emi Earle, Hester Hilbink, Malaika Davies, Anna White, Laura Clayton, Whitney Hansesn, Hayley Segal, Sophie Hoskins, Malin Strand, Anna Bruno. Thats right- 10 girls made it to and from ABC by ourselves- in record time, and had a blast!

We stayed at Basecamp for just under 24 hours, enough for a full sunset and sunrise- both of which were incredible. The energy of the place, and the serenity of being up in the mountains was incredible. Anapurna Base Camp is unique in that is completley surrounded, 360 degrees by the Anapurna Mountain range. You are in the ultimate bowl- it was one of the most impressionable plaves i have ever been.

Up at the top of Basecamp were hundreds and hundreds of prayer flags- brought by hikers and locals from allover the world. WE were gutted that we hadn't thought to bring our own, so took hundreds of pictures of them instead. Here are a few of my favorites.

Hayley gets a facefull of prayer flags








Hiking back was just as eventful- we walked out of basecamp to find the fields in flames. IT was intimidating walking through the smoke- especially as we were all wearing highly flamable clothing!
The nice thing about this trek was that it had a lot of options for how you wanted to go. We all started together at Phedi, and the original plan was to all finish together at Naya Pul. After Base camp however, we all ended up splitting off- with Hes and Malaika being ridiculously hardcore and taking a longer route out to Tadopani-(part of the poon hill trek) ironically coming out at the same hotsprings where Anton, Will and I put in above Beni for our Kali Gandaki mission. They had an amazing time, and said the views were spectacular.

Anna, Soph, Laura and Emi ended at Nayapul as well but they ended up taking a slightly different route than Whit, Hayley, Malin and I . Here are the girls having lunch in Chomrong- one of the bigger cities we passed, nestled in a valley with a spectacular view of the mountain range. It was one of our favorite places we stayed.

photo from Anna White

After a bus ride on the roof of a bus- typical Nepali style- we all met back up in Pokhara in time for dinner.

Those 7 days were some of my favorite in Nepal, and they gave me a feel for the country different from my experience on the countrys rivers.

roof riding. Photo by Malin Strand.

for a map of where we were trekking- click here!
http://nikonnut.tripod.com/lightbox/trek-route/trek-map.jpg