"It ain't the heat, it's the humility."
~Yogi Berra~
Week Fifteen brought the inevitable doom of RVA heat. For those of you reading this post who are not from the Mid-Atlantic, know this.........It is hotter in many places of this country than in the Mid-Atlantic, but when that Mid-Atlantic humidity arrives, from ATL, through RVA, on up to DC, it is terribly uncomfortable, and I was living in it. The heat of summer was my worst enemy on The Island, and I was about to deal with it for the entire week. I couldn't complain. It had been an amazing summer weather wise, and I needed the dose of reality for a week. I was surprised at how well I was able to deal with the humidity. During the day I was off The Island working, which gave me an excuse to bitch and whine about how hot it was. I noticed everyone else was bitching and whining about it, so why couldn't I. But in the evening, once I returned to The Island, bitching didn't solve anything. John the goose would just stare at me, as if to say, "Shut up wuss. I have 70 layers of feathers on and you don't see me bitchin', now do you." (remember, I talk to the geese.......it's cool. I'm crazy. I am allowed to) I developed a system. I would do all the work requiring movement to be done early in the evening, and I would eat dinner early as well. After dinner I would sit on the hillside, naked as a jay bird, and would read or write. After the sunset I would go to the rivah and soak in it for fifteen minutes, moving as little as possible. Then I would return to camp, air dry, and then lay down and go to sleep. This ensured I was as cool as possible when I laid down for bed. (sleeping in humidity is the worst. The stickiness is unbearable) This system worked well and for the most part I slept soundly through the week.
Due to the heat and humidity of the week, the crazy stories of The Island were kept to a minimum. (it was too hot for the strip club) I remained low key and stayed out of trouble all week, simply working in the day and chillin' at night. (no pun intended.......because I WASN'T chillin' at all. I was hot) This allowed me a lot of time for reflection. I looked back on the ride of the last two years and started to make terms with the past and evaluate where to go in the future. One of the things from the past I did evaluate was the difference between the summer of 2012 and the summer of 2013. The theme this summer for my life is "The Island". That is obvious. The theme of the 2012 summer was obvious as well.........."Yakin' Trips". I spent the spring and summer of 2012 going on 13 kayaking trips throughout the Mid-Atlantic, all while raft guiding in RVA during the week. I have stated that this is not a kayakers blog. But what it has become is a kayaking blog for a lot of people who do not kayak. So I feel an obligation to do what any kayaker wants to do.......teach people about the joy of whitewater kayaking........and there is no better joy in kayaking than road trips with your friends and family. (in my case my friends are my family)
RVA is not only a great whitewater town because of the James. The James allows us a weekly training site to prep ourselves for the missions that we have the ability to make during the weekends. We are centrally located between three world class areas for whitewater boat ridin'. To our southwest (six hours) is Western North Carolina. To the West (three to six hours) is the one and only, West 'By God' Virginia. To our North is Great Falls of the Potomac........otherwise known as the scariest place on earth in my opinion.
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
~John Muir~
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
~John Muir~
Western North Carolina.........this is a story that will be told in the next few weeks. See, I lived there. I fell in love there. I was happy there. It is that simple...................it is also one bad ass place to be a kayaker. When it rains in WNC (and it rains there A LOT!), the creek boatin' is some of the best in the world. When it doesn't rain in WNC, the creek boatin' is still some of the best in the world. We all owe that to the wonderful Green River Narrows. (http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/1080/) Additionally, WNC is full of rivers to paddle, trails to hike, rocks to climb, and some great food to eat........and there is tons of it all. Here is some of my photography from last summers adventures in the great WNC.
 |
| The Famous Narrows at 800 percent flow |
 |
| Steve stompin' out The Monkey |
 |
| WNC is full of deep gorges and beautiful whitewater |
 |
| Yes, it is that stunning! |
 |
| The Art Loeb Trail |
WNC is the shit.......no doubt. But West 'By God' may just top it......now there is a debate worth having! (to be continued.......I ran out of picture space)
.............................see ya on the rivah! PEACE
