To do a quick wrap up, here is how 2009 finished off, and 2010 started off. I spent another 6 months in Uganda, working for Kayak the Nile (www.kayakthenile.com). We had an amazing season, and surprisingly, stayed a bit busy.
KTN's new vehicles- loaded up with boats!
I picked up more responsibility as Jared headed home to Canada for the first time in a few years- and Jamie ran around the world to different trade shows, and weddings, while of course attempting to plan his own!
I effectively ran KTN in Jared and Jamie's absence, and had a great time doing it- although it meant less time on the water. It was an awesome experience that helped prepare me for the winter season- though i didn't know it at the time.
Highlights of the 2009 season in Uganda would be the infiltration of NRE with Kiwis- my friend Josh Neilson (filmaker/ kayaker from NZ) came out for another stint- which proved to be great fun - and it meant that we spent the greater part of October 2008- October 2009 together- with two months in Nepal, 2 weeks in Colorado, and 3 months in Uganda. Josh spent much of his time in Uganda filming for his next film- REALM, check out his blog for information www.whitewater-koa.blogspot.com
Josh and Ben collecting footage... check out the Hump at low water!
This is what i love about the whitewater scene- that you get to meet new people, and then you see them all over the world!
Josh wasn't the only Kiwi- There were several returning and new faces in the crowd- Kiwi and otherwise.
Other Highlights would be the attempted River Festival. In past years, Jamie and KTN, along with NRE and the Nile Breweries have put on anything from a 3-5 day festival, including down river and freestyle kayak events- with loads of partying- and boaters from all over the world. This years festival was much tamer- though we still saw an influx of boaters arriving from all over the world for it! There was no official competition, just a low key river trip down the day 2 stretch which led to plenty of carnage! Rafts flipped, beers were lost, more beers were drunk, new friends were made.
One of the trucks loaded up for the festival
Morgan and I re-united and having fun at the festival!
One of the highlights for the KTN season was the 5 day course we put on for the Kampala International School- one of the Ugandan private schools. Over the course of 5 days we taught 30 kids how to kayak- starting them in the pool, and eventually taking them down the day 2 stretch. It was tons of fun, and everyone enjoyed it! Quite hectic for a few days though- trying to find 30 kayaks and 30 sets of kit to fit 11-18 year old kids in varying sizes proved to be a challenge, but everything worked out spectacularly.
working on rolling
I flew home in in December for my cousin Jesse's wedding. It was a beautiful event, and a great opportunity to see the family.
Chilling with some of the cousins- all grown up and all dressed up!
The wedding was in Cancun- I was so sad that I wasn't able to bring a Kayak to get to explore some of Mexico's legendary whitewater. Jesse and Lior were married at sunset next to the beach- pretty spectacular.
On the plane ride home from Mexico, my grandmother, Rita, suffered a small stroke and a minor heart attack. It made for quite the exciting plane ride home- we got to emergency land the plane and bypass customs as we jumped into an ambulance to high-tail it to the hospital.
Unfortunately, Rita ended up passing away 2 weeks later. A New Years day funeral meant more family time- reminiscent of a bad movie title.. A wedding and a funeral in 2 weeks! Still- I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know my family, especially cousins, better.
Clowning around with an ancient polaroid camera after Rita's funeral.
Rita was an amazing woman, and I am incredibly lucky to have had her in my life for as long as I did.
Rita and I in the Cancun airport, just before our flight back to New York
After the funeral I returned to Killington Vermont to work for another season- managing a ski shop right off the access road to the mountain. Its been a hectic season so far- I'll be sure to keep updating on winter antics, and even more exciting- upcoming spring fun!
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1 comment:
Great to read what you've been up to. Congrats on getting the photo published - awesome! Really sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hope the season in Vermont is going well - we've had an excellent years skiing in Scotland this winter and now it's melting the rivers are looking good too!
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