| OK two weeks ago the kids got their
combat roll. Then I went to Wausau to build a hole for the North American
Championships for a week so I was not able to paddle with them, but
Clay Wright took a day and worked on Danes’ boat. Dane wanted
to get vertical easier, so Clay squashed his stern and his bow. Something
is up when your 60 pound 4’ 2” kid with size 2 feet and
a 20” inseam can’t get in his boat with booties on. Go
figure, it is how he wanted it. Dane made the mistake of telling Christie
Dobson that he would run some water falls he saw on a video. Christie
called him on it and said, “you won’t even surf the first
wave at Rock Island.” Well, he, and Emily did what any kid would
do, they fell for the peer pressure gig and surfed it their next time
out.
I got back from Wausau and it rained
like crazy. Both Kids were now going from no paddling all winter,
and barely last summer, to paddling every day, usually twice each
day with me. Finally, my dream come true, I can actually go paddling
and take my kids with me like any other person.
After a week of paddling the rains came and the river
went from 3,600 to 16,000 cfs. The kids were psyched. They ran the
rapid each day by themselves along side the Brave Wave in 4 foot
crashing waves. They then stayed at the bottom of the rapid and
surfed the waves at the bottom, practiced their rolls, did squirts,
etc.
I would surf the Brave Wave- See photos of the wave
at high water!! For a couple of hours and then run down to the boat
ramp with the kids. We play in a couple of nice whirlpools, do some
squirts, paddle under some waterfalls coming down the canyon cliffs,
and take out, with Kristine waiting for us.
Yesterday, both kids learned their handrolls on their
own and were happy to demonstrate them to me.
Today they learned to seal launch, and not a little 5 footer either.
Here is the big seal launch at the put-in of Rock Island. Not something
most people do, but it is amazing what a little practice and somebody
leading by example can do.
Tomorrow we are heading to the Ocoee River. This will
be a great river for them for both the river running and play.
See you on the River,
EJ
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