Paddling North Carolina

 12:40pm May 19, 2023     I had a long week of paddling so I decided to take a rest day today. Before I could rest, I had to move to a different room. The new room was a huge upgrade. I had a private bathroom and shower as well as a big comfy mattress. I felt like royalty compared to the campers and staff. I then made my way to the river. If you are going to spend a day not doing anything too productive, NOC is the place to be. It is usually sunny out, there is plenty of food, and there are Adirondack chairs that line the river. I got to read and eat burgers while getting to watch the paddlers make their way down the river. Locals from the area do the same thing as I did today. Why would anybody stay at home when they could just come to hang out here?  Total: 79 hours Down by the River

 11:56pm May 14, 2023     I had so much fun kayaking the Nantahala yesterday that I decided to do it again. My fellow kayaker couldn't make it today, but the same raft I went with yesterday went with me again. I made the mistake of not wearing as many layers today which compromised my ability to do more things on the river. Every time I flipped in the fifty-degree water I yelped. Once I made it down to the falls I decided to run the same line as yesterday. It is known as a-line. It is where the fastest moving water is and sets up the best angle for the photographers on shore. After the falls, I paddled on down to the play hole where I did a whole lot of spins.  Total: 49 hours Nantahala Falls

 11:40pm May 13, 2023     Today, I wanted to get in a kayak. I had a ton of fun rafting, but I was ready to run the Nantahala in a kayak for a change of perspective. The Nantahala isn't a very stout run except for the falls at the end, so I wanted the least stable boat possible. I chose the Dagger Nova which is a full slice. Full slices have flattened bows and sterns for the most fun possible. I shuttled up to the put-in with another kayaker from the guide school and a raft with more people from the school. I imagined that the rapids would look much bigger in the kayak than the raft and they did. Not only did they look bigger, but I had a lot more fun than in the raft. I could catch every eddy, and turn myself vertical on every peel-out. My fellow kayaker and I had a grin on our faces the whole way down. Once completing the falls, we made our way down to the play hole where the carnage began. After getting tossed around for fifteen minutes we called it quits.  Total: 49 hours Nanta

 12:52pm     My second week here at NOC was an eventful one. I first shadowed the learn-to-kayak program. We traveled to the Tuckasegee, Chattooga, and Nantahala Rivers. They were all a bit below my pay grade except for a section of the Chattooga, but there is always more to learn on the river no matter the gradient. One of my goals for the project was to start learning to be a kayak instructor, and I found this experience very helpful. I got to see what works and doesn't when trying to teach someone how to do something. Sometimes it's hard to simplify things when the way that you think about it is complicated. It can also be hard to get thoughts into words at times. This experience has made me consider getting my ACA kayak instructor certification.      On the weekend, I participated in the Swift Water Rescue course. It taught me techniques for river safety and rescue in different river conditions. I didn't just take this course to know how to save someone else, but for my

5:24pm     Today was the last of my swift water rescue training. In the morning, we went over some of the basic knots used. These included overhands, figure eights, truckers hitches, prusiks, bowlines, and clove hitches. For many, knots and hitches don't come easy and I am one of them. After a few tries of each, I eventually started to get the hang of it. The second part of the day was all in the water. The first thing we did was "live bait" rescues. This is where a rescuer is attached to a rope and then swims to intercept a person floating downstream. We then practiced V-lowers. This is where there are people holding a rope on both sides of a rapid that is attached to a person. The person can then be maneuvered around the rapid. At the end of the day, we did scenarios that incorporated everything we have learned in the class. We practiced a foot entrapment, intercepted a downstream swimmer, and freed someone of a strainer. Once finishing the class, I felt more confident

6:00pm      Today was the first day of my Swift Water Rescue class. SWR is a subcategory of technical rescue that involves whitewater river conditions. My peers included other whitewater kayakers like myself. For the first part of the day, the instructor went over general river knowledge such as gear, rescue situations, and hydrology. It was mostly all stuff I already knew, but it was a good refresher. After lunch, we got in the water. This section of the Nantahala River is dam driven and since the water is let out of the bottom of the lake, the water temp is a nice 50 degrees. I had no access to a dry suit, so I made sure to layer up well. After some practice of rope throwing we went swimming. We practiced swimming across the river and the different techniques. We then went wading. Wading can be used in rescue situations as it is a safe way to cross a small river and provides a temporary eddy to help someone if they are stuck. Lastly, we practiced how to get over strainers. A strainer

4:44pm      Today was the last day of the Learn to Kayak program. We started the day by traveling to Fontana Lake to practice rolling. The instructors got in the water and stood by the paddlers as they learned the techniques. While they did that, I practiced improving my own roll. Later after lunch, we paddled the Nantahala River. This river was a bit above the level of the new paddlers' skill set, but they managed. There were only a few swims and I helped them with paddle strokes and edging. It is a great feeling to see people apply the knowledge that you have given them and I am glad I shadowed the program. Hours: 9:00am to 3:00pm Day: 6 hours Total: 79 hours

 9:07pm     Today, the paddling school and I traveled to the Chattooga River. It lies in northern Georgia and is a hidden gem. No roads or houses are allowed within a third of a mile of the river. The good news is that we didn't see a single other person or one bit of infrastructure, but the bad news was that we had to hike out with our kayaks and gear. As soon as I made it down to the river I was shocked. There was a large beach with lots of skipping rocks, smooth-flowing water, and flowers blooming in every direction. This run included mostly class 11 drops into pools, but near the end was one class IV section and some 111. The instructors further taught what they had already been teaching. I taught a brace. I told the new paddlers that when they start to tip over they shouldn't be afraid to stick their paddle out and use it as a way to right themselves. Near the end of the day, one of the paddlers used it and thanked me. Seeing someone apply the knowledge that I taught felt

 5:37pm May 16     Today, I shadowed the second day of the Learn to Kayak program. There were two instructors and three people learning. After packing lunches and gear we drove off to the Tuckasegee River. It was mainly a Class 11 river. It was a great place for the new paddlers to learn on. It had little waves to catch, eddy moves, and drops. First, the instructors and I taught edging. When entering or leaving the current you need to make sure you have the proper edge that allows water to flow under the kayak. We then did some roll drills. We didn't have anyone flip all the way over and try a roll, we just let them practice hip snaps. We ended the run with a rapid called Devil's Den. The whole rest of the river was quite small, so I wasn't expecting the large hole that it was. I powered through it and then went back in it again and again until I tired myself out. Overall, I had a good time seeing people gain a love for whitewater kayaking like I do.  Hours: 9:00am to 5:00p

 5:27pm May 15 Today, my original plan was to start shadowing the 4-day lean to kayak program, but plans changed when I decided I would work at NOC in the summer as a raft guide. Today was the new hire orientation. I was expecting a PowerPoint presentation and paperwork. That is exactly what I got. The best part was the 10-minute coffee break. The part of the presentation that got me engaged was the perks and benefits slide. We basically got the golden ticket to all of the local attractions as well as discounts on everything NOC. Once finishing the slide show, we moved on to getting staff ID cards where we sat in line for an hour and a half. Although the afternoon was quite miserable, it was exciting to know I was going to work at such an incredible place.  Hours: 8:00am to 2:00pm Day: 6 hours Total: 55 hours

7:00pm My first week in North Carlina consisted of a five-day raft guide school and two days to explore the area around Nantahala Outdoor Center. I walked into the campus with no idea of what to expect. I was greeted by the sun, blooming flowers, and the nicest people you could imagine.  My living situation included a bunkhouse shared with three other people. One was a fireman and the other two were part of an outdoor ministry group. At the center of all the bunkhouses, was the bathhouse and the kitchen.  My raft school had twenty-five members in the class. Our first day of raft school was a full run on the Nantahala River. It’s approximately 8 miles long and takes two-three hours. We were all put in rafts with three others The crew and I all took turns guiding the raft. My previous knowledge of kayaking and navigating rivers definitely made guiding way easier. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for the people who had only been on a river once or twice in their life. The section of th

 8:38pm     Today was the final day of raft guide school. The leader of the school called it fantasy island after the show from the 70s. Our fantasy would be to run the biggest rapid on a river all day long which we ended up doing. We rafted Nantahala Falls over and over again. Once we guided our way through the best line on the rapid, we were challenged to catch eddies or do rock spins and still run the best line. I did a good job of this. In the end, we got to do fun runs. For the first run, we packed a bunch of people onto an upside-down raft. It went surprisingly well as no one swam. For the last fun run, we stacked two rafts together. This also went very well as it didn't end in disaster. After turning in gear and putting away rafts, we received our graduation certificate.  Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm Day: 8 hours Total: 49 hours

 8:46pm Today, the raft school and I traveled to the French Broad River which was a few hours away from the main campus. It is one of the oldest rivers in the world. The section we ran consisted of a few class 111 rapids and two class 1V's. That may sound fun, but the river is rain dependent and was fairly low. Whenever I moved away from the flowiest part of the rapid I was immediately stuck on a rock. This happened several times as the river is very wide and it is hard to find the best line. I got to do the last class IV section. Prior to entering the rapid, there were many rocks to get stuck on which was a good thing in this case so I could scout. I managed to not get stuck on the only part it would've been good too. I did the rapid reactive rather than proactive since it was so fast. I didn't lose any crew or flip the raft so I counted it as a successful run. Tomorrow for the last day, we will be running the Nantahala Falls all day long.  Hours: 8:00am to 7:00pm Day: 11

 7:37pm At raft guide school today, we took all the skills we've learned in the past two days and applied them to the Nantahala. We practiced all of the different paddle strokes, eddy moves, and rock spins. One new thing I learned was the guide stroke. It is a stroke where the guide can move the raft forward on his own. I found this stroke very helpful as I like to let people relax on the raft instead of making them paddle. It's also nice if I'm having a conversation with the people on the raft and don't want to interrupt it. Tomorrow, we will all be waking up early to go to the French Broad River. It has many class 111 sections with some 1V as well. It will be a good chance to see how well I'm performing the strokes and maneuvers.  Hours: 8:30 am to 5:30pm Day: 9 hours Total: 30 hours

 May 9, 2023 7:37pm Today, for raft guide training, we practiced eddy moves. Eddies are the upstream-flowing parts of the river where an obstruction in the river causes water to fill the void behind it. Eddies have many uses, and navigating them is very important. Rafts are very slow, so you need to start paddling to where you want to go fairly far from the eddy. Once entering the eddy, the water turns you upstream on its own, so there is no need to paddle until turned around to stop downstream momentum. When leaving the eddy, you want to leave from the top. The top of the eddy is going to have the fastest moving water and will therefore turn you downstream the fastest. It is also where the eddy line is the most forgiving. Overall, I did a good job with all of the maneuvers. At first, it took me a little to realize how slow the rafts are and was catching the eddies low. Once I learned, I was mostly catching them all high. The idea is the same with kayaking which I am very familiar with

May 8, 2023 9:28pm         My name is Dean and I have been an avid whitewater kayaker for the past 3 years. For my senior project, I wanted to do something incorporating paddling. I decided to travel down south to North Carolina to experience the rivers it had to offer. For the first week, I am going to be attending the Nantahala Outdoor Center raft school. Today, in the morning, we traveled out to the lake above the Nantahala and practice paddle strokes. These included sweeps, draws, and pry strokes. After getting comfortable with those, we paddled the Nantahala River. It is the smallest of the rivers that NOC runs rafting on, and it includes class 11-111 rapids. Each of the people in my raft got to switch out as a guide. I got to do it twice. Maneuvering a raft is much different than a kayak, but not as hard as you might imagine. I eventually got used to it after about an hour of guiding. Tomorrow, we will be practicing more maneuvers.  Hours:  8:00am to 6:00pm Day Total: 10 hours To