“Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation.”
~Ernest Hemingway~
Solo whitewater kayaking on any rivah is not a safe activity to participate in. As boaters we all partake in paddles alone from time to time in order to seek solitude. On many occasions I have sat at the banks of rivahs from The James to the Narrows and watched boaters walk passed me, toss their boats down, and paddle off down Class IV-V Gorges completely alone. It happens, and although I don't condone the activity, I understand and accept the reason why we undertake such a dangerous endeavor.............because kayaking unaccompanied is one of the most spiritual and tranquil ways to connect with the rivah, the whitewater, and the environment, and the peace that it brings is unmatched for any kayaker. I spent an entire summer boating alone on a high water James, as well as the fall solo boating the depths of West By God, and I would not take it back for anything in the world. I found myself while out there and I found the TRUTH of whitewater. My hope is that every solo endeavor undertaken by the boating communities throughout the world brings the same prosperity to the soul that they have brought for me. Regardless of the reckless nature of the subject, one thing is certain....................solo boating is good for the soul.
~Wayne Cordeiro~
That quote speaks some powerful TRUTH.........I would know. I've been on both sides of that fence.
On Friday afternoon I was given a shuttle ride to the Reedy Creek put-in following an afternoon lesson on The James. My student agreed to double back on the shuttle to give me a chance to take a lap on The Jimmy all to myself, and I was grateful for the opportunity. It was late in the afternoon, near 6:30 pm or so, and the sun was low in the sky, basking an evening glow across the James and the city of RVA. Although I had been on The James for six days in a row, I had not paddled for the simple enjoyment of paddling in over three weeks. My teaching schedule filled up quickly, and despite how much I love to teach kayaking, it is a very different rivah day from a relaxing, non stressful paddle for the simple enjoyment of paddling. Teaching kayaking is hard work if you do it correctly, and it is an important fact to remember while instructing. Becoming burned out in kayaking happens the same as any other job, so making recreational paddles a necessity is important in order to cultivate an appreciation for the sport we all cherish.
I geared up under the shade provided by the hardwood trees surrounding the Reedy Creek parking lot, then tossed my boat over my shoulder and headed to the rivah. As I approached the waters edge I observed a SUP class finishing up from a day on the Upper and immediately knew I was about to pass by my favorite little SUP instructor, the great Be Moore. I chose to paddle a long boat as opposed to PINK on this day, so I was incognito as I approached. The problem with PINK is that everyone sees me coming from a mile away. I could tell that my long boat caught Ben off guard once he recognized me, and as I passed I gave him a quick wink and a smile before slipping into my boat and peeling out into the flat water of Reedy Creek. Writing the TRUTH is a truly liberating experience, and on the occasions that I have seen the people in which I have called out in the past, I have felt nothing but pride and self assured closure. This experience was no different.
The James is a truly beautiful rivah and a unique trip to be had in the realm of the whitewater world. It genuinely delivers the gift of peace to any paddler lucky enough to discover it, and that peace is only elevated when paddling alone. I broke across Reedy Creek and into the connector creek that hides the put in from the rivah, and calmly floated under the canopy of trees that provides solitude to every boater before breaking out into the great expanse of the rivah.
“Looking at beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind.”
~Amit Ray~
One of my favorite moments paddling the James is when one breaks out of the canopy of trees from Reedy Creek into the immense domain of The James and the entire rivah opens up before you. Here the section of rivah between the Upper and Lower sections contains a half mile wide corridor of flat water that is decorated at low summer flows with tall green grasses, deep blue waters flowing calmly among the rocks, and the distant skyline of RVA. Although the city can be seen on the horizon, it is quiet here, and it is peaceful. The Lower James allows boaters the ability to appreciate the beauty and solitude of a rare rivah landscape before tumbling over the fall line towards the tidal plains and sandy bottom beyond the city. It allows a complete escape in the middle of a chaotic world.
I peeled out of the eddy and styled the hairy ferry with ease, knowing the move by heart from countless practice sessions over my seasons on The James. After about five minutes of laps around the feared Pyramid Rock, my lungs burned, my muscles ached, and I was satisfied with my progress at the famous drop of Hollywood Rapid. The sun had now disappeared behind the tree line to the west, and the evening light had began to fade. With the approach of dusk, I turned downstream and continued my solo adventure, flowing ever so softly over the Class II-III run out.
I geared up under the shade provided by the hardwood trees surrounding the Reedy Creek parking lot, then tossed my boat over my shoulder and headed to the rivah. As I approached the waters edge I observed a SUP class finishing up from a day on the Upper and immediately knew I was about to pass by my favorite little SUP instructor, the great Be Moore. I chose to paddle a long boat as opposed to PINK on this day, so I was incognito as I approached. The problem with PINK is that everyone sees me coming from a mile away. I could tell that my long boat caught Ben off guard once he recognized me, and as I passed I gave him a quick wink and a smile before slipping into my boat and peeling out into the flat water of Reedy Creek. Writing the TRUTH is a truly liberating experience, and on the occasions that I have seen the people in which I have called out in the past, I have felt nothing but pride and self assured closure. This experience was no different.
The James is a truly beautiful rivah and a unique trip to be had in the realm of the whitewater world. It genuinely delivers the gift of peace to any paddler lucky enough to discover it, and that peace is only elevated when paddling alone. I broke across Reedy Creek and into the connector creek that hides the put in from the rivah, and calmly floated under the canopy of trees that provides solitude to every boater before breaking out into the great expanse of the rivah.
“Looking at beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind.”
~Amit Ray~
One of my favorite moments paddling the James is when one breaks out of the canopy of trees from Reedy Creek into the immense domain of The James and the entire rivah opens up before you. Here the section of rivah between the Upper and Lower sections contains a half mile wide corridor of flat water that is decorated at low summer flows with tall green grasses, deep blue waters flowing calmly among the rocks, and the distant skyline of RVA. Although the city can be seen on the horizon, it is quiet here, and it is peaceful. The Lower James allows boaters the ability to appreciate the beauty and solitude of a rare rivah landscape before tumbling over the fall line towards the tidal plains and sandy bottom beyond the city. It allows a complete escape in the middle of a chaotic world.
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| The colors are truly inspiring during the summer flows. |
I slowly drifted out into this landscape, took a long, deep breath, closed my eyes, and listened to the water splash against my boat. After a leisurely five minute float I pulled up to one of my favorite rocks situated in the middle of this breathtaking liquid environment to appreciate the surroundings I was so lucky to discover a decade before. Over the course of the next half an hour I watched the sun slowly drift behind the Upper James bridges and dip over the horizon towards the west. I commenced with the usual safety filled ritual while on my favorite rock, before slipping back into my boat to continue the journey towards the city and the whitewater of The James. I never forget to appreciate this landscape, despite it's lack of whitewater, because it is one of my most beloved pieces of rivah anywhere on this planet. It truly ushers in pure peace to my soul.
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| The flats of The James. A truly gorgeous piece of rivah. |
The Lower James is divided into multiple lines by a small concrete dam with three different breaking points, allowing the water to channelize through the makeshift passage ways and creating year round runnable flows. After delicately weaving through multiple low water Class I rapids, I turned the corner above Belle Isle and dropped into a very low water First Break before peeling into the rivah left eddy to prepare for a solo surf session at one of the many play waves provided by The Jimmy. The sun sank deeper over the horizon as I pulled a gentle draw stroke and glided onto the wave. Over the next 15 minutes I glided my kayak gingerly over the top wave at first break, like smooth glass skipping over an icy surface. I gently drew a low brace from side to side, carving my edges across the wave and feeling the satisfaction that soul surfing brings to ones consciousness. Then I engaged a strong edge into the wave, whipped my bow downstream, and dropped further into the heart of the James Rivah whitewater.
Very few people were left on the rocks scattered throughout Belle Isle Park at such a late hour. Those that remained curiously watched as I benevolently floated passed. Year after year, I am always humored by the blank stares that accompany the park visitors of Belle Isle. As I floated downstream it dawned on me that as they watched me, I usually blankly stared right back at them. The James is such a unique contrast between kayaker and non kayaker. No where else do the two worlds collide as closely as they do while running the rapids of Hollywood and Pipeline. Although the separation between our lives and theirs is immense in the outside world, on the whitewater of The James our shoulders rub against one another on a daily basis. This is a gift to RVA, but it can also be a curse. (I have dove deeply into this topic in a post from last summer............ The James Rivers Biggest Dilemma) My hope is that in the years to come our city embraces the natural wonder that we possess, and focuses on closing the gap that has always existed between these two worlds.
I dropped into the low water lines of Approach rapid, slaloming through the rounded boulders, carving my edges and styling my lines. My energy level began to pick up, and the whitewater zone that captures every advanced kayaker began to take over within me. My boat and my body became one. I swiveled my hips back and forth, leaned tightly into my brace, and carved line after line through the maze of whitewater ecstasy. I peeled into micro eddies, ferried across tight and technical lines, picking up more and more pace as I descended further into the gradient of The James. My muscles began to burn and my focus consumed my mind, blockading the outside world..........the only thing present was the rivah and my kayak.
I continued to tear through the whitewater puzzle that I had memorized through hundreds upon hundreds of descents down The James, slaloming around eddies, catching every small boof possible, and launching my long boat downstream with as much precision and grace as I could muster. I approached the horizon line of Hollywood, and dropped in without a second thought, tearing down the left to right tongue, rounding pyramid rock and banging over the low water scrape fest that protects the rescue rock eddy from the rapid. I threw a strong draw (almost a duffek, but duffeks are for slalom boaters and show offs) and then peeled out of the eddy and ferried across the rapid into the rivah left eddy to set up for the Hairy Ferry.
When the flows of The James are low, the challenges of the rivah change dramatically. Pat Keller said it best (as he usually does) when he stated that in order to be a great Class V paddler you must train hard and hit the difficult lines in Class III whitewater. The Hairy Ferry at Hollywood is a truly exceptional example of difficult training to develop strong whitewater skill. Driving hard back up into the rapid, kayakers must push their bow deep into a pocket that transitions them from the staging eddy into the flume of whitewater in one swift, graceful move. It is then imperative to carve a hard left edge deep downstream combined with a deep left handed brace, which allows the flume to capture your hull and whip you across the strongest point of the rapid, prying you around your downstream paddle shaft. When accomplished correctly, the move is about as much fun as you can have in a kayak, especially in a long boat. When the move is failed however, it has a high probability for a dangerous encounter with the feared Pyramid Rock. On numerous occasions, I have watched paddlers flip in the transition and be violently slammed face first into this rock that lies no more than five feet downstream. The force of the impact has resulted in black eyes, bruised temples, and the occasional loss of teeth. However, when accomplished correctly, the force of the water launches you up and over the tongue, almost airborne, and blasts you across the face of the wave before you tear into the rivah right eddy at break neck speed. One quick transitional stroke peels you into the eddy, setting you up for the ferry back across the rapid and into the staging eddy where you started the circuit. Accomplish this loop ten times in a row without stopping, and I promise you it will exhaust even the most fit paddler.
Very few people were left on the rocks scattered throughout Belle Isle Park at such a late hour. Those that remained curiously watched as I benevolently floated passed. Year after year, I am always humored by the blank stares that accompany the park visitors of Belle Isle. As I floated downstream it dawned on me that as they watched me, I usually blankly stared right back at them. The James is such a unique contrast between kayaker and non kayaker. No where else do the two worlds collide as closely as they do while running the rapids of Hollywood and Pipeline. Although the separation between our lives and theirs is immense in the outside world, on the whitewater of The James our shoulders rub against one another on a daily basis. This is a gift to RVA, but it can also be a curse. (I have dove deeply into this topic in a post from last summer............ The James Rivers Biggest Dilemma) My hope is that in the years to come our city embraces the natural wonder that we possess, and focuses on closing the gap that has always existed between these two worlds.
I dropped into the low water lines of Approach rapid, slaloming through the rounded boulders, carving my edges and styling my lines. My energy level began to pick up, and the whitewater zone that captures every advanced kayaker began to take over within me. My boat and my body became one. I swiveled my hips back and forth, leaned tightly into my brace, and carved line after line through the maze of whitewater ecstasy. I peeled into micro eddies, ferried across tight and technical lines, picking up more and more pace as I descended further into the gradient of The James. My muscles began to burn and my focus consumed my mind, blockading the outside world..........the only thing present was the rivah and my kayak.
I continued to tear through the whitewater puzzle that I had memorized through hundreds upon hundreds of descents down The James, slaloming around eddies, catching every small boof possible, and launching my long boat downstream with as much precision and grace as I could muster. I approached the horizon line of Hollywood, and dropped in without a second thought, tearing down the left to right tongue, rounding pyramid rock and banging over the low water scrape fest that protects the rescue rock eddy from the rapid. I threw a strong draw (almost a duffek, but duffeks are for slalom boaters and show offs) and then peeled out of the eddy and ferried across the rapid into the rivah left eddy to set up for the Hairy Ferry.
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| A perfect evening at Hollywood |
When the flows of The James are low, the challenges of the rivah change dramatically. Pat Keller said it best (as he usually does) when he stated that in order to be a great Class V paddler you must train hard and hit the difficult lines in Class III whitewater. The Hairy Ferry at Hollywood is a truly exceptional example of difficult training to develop strong whitewater skill. Driving hard back up into the rapid, kayakers must push their bow deep into a pocket that transitions them from the staging eddy into the flume of whitewater in one swift, graceful move. It is then imperative to carve a hard left edge deep downstream combined with a deep left handed brace, which allows the flume to capture your hull and whip you across the strongest point of the rapid, prying you around your downstream paddle shaft. When accomplished correctly, the move is about as much fun as you can have in a kayak, especially in a long boat. When the move is failed however, it has a high probability for a dangerous encounter with the feared Pyramid Rock. On numerous occasions, I have watched paddlers flip in the transition and be violently slammed face first into this rock that lies no more than five feet downstream. The force of the impact has resulted in black eyes, bruised temples, and the occasional loss of teeth. However, when accomplished correctly, the force of the water launches you up and over the tongue, almost airborne, and blasts you across the face of the wave before you tear into the rivah right eddy at break neck speed. One quick transitional stroke peels you into the eddy, setting you up for the ferry back across the rapid and into the staging eddy where you started the circuit. Accomplish this loop ten times in a row without stopping, and I promise you it will exhaust even the most fit paddler.
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| The Fourteenth Street Whore styles the hairy ferry...Don't judge me! It's a bad ass pic! |
I peeled out of the eddy and styled the hairy ferry with ease, knowing the move by heart from countless practice sessions over my seasons on The James. After about five minutes of laps around the feared Pyramid Rock, my lungs burned, my muscles ached, and I was satisfied with my progress at the famous drop of Hollywood Rapid. The sun had now disappeared behind the tree line to the west, and the evening light had began to fade. With the approach of dusk, I turned downstream and continued my solo adventure, flowing ever so softly over the Class II-III run out.
"Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite."
~Robert Half~
The James is a perfect rivah. After tearing through the top half of the whitewater, a large pool exists to allow you to relax, let your body recover, and assimilate the beauty of my home. The skyline looms large above paddlers on the rivah left, and the flood wall snakes up the rivah right, concealing the city's south side from the solitude of the rivah.
The end of Tredagar pool brings about multiple choices in the journey of James Rivah whitewater. High water allows paddlers many, many options that can be combined for multiple pathways toward The Island and the joys of The Middle Lines. But at low water the journey takes you left, passing under the peculiar Ashland city limits sign before dropping into Fishladders rapid. This rapid is the best attainment practice on the lower section of whitewater, with multiple routes being possible from the bottom of the rapid back to the top. The creativity that can be composed by the prudent paddler in this puzzle of whitewater is endless, and it is yet another quality training ground for the world of Mid-Atlantic whitewater that surrounds RVA.
I spent about 20 minutes practicing my attainment lines, circling back through the rapid again and again before pushing back up the current and retracing the same route until I felt perfection had been reached. The water levels were lower than I had expected, but the low head dam in the middle of the rapid creates an ugly pour over hole even at the lowest of levels. I delicately typewritered across the boil line in front of this wicked little hole before peeling out and ferrying through the maze of stone and liquid that ushered in my pathway downstream. The sun had now dipped well behind the tree line to the west, dusk had settled in, and the peace of the summer nights I so fondly remember from my previous summer on The Island filled my heart with warm memories of an experience I will cherish forever.
I drove my bow forward through the Class I rapids under the Manchester bridge, once again carving sharp and precise lines that I had memorized with exact detail. It amazes me how well a true kayaker can memorize their home rivah. I know every rock, every turn, and every detail of The James. The moves, the boofs, the ferry's, the attainments, the safety eddy's, bowl cove, the lines, the splats, the sunset rocks, the secret beaches, the little curling waves, all make a home rivah exactly that............home. The James has all of these unique features, and no matter how many times I experience them, I am still humbled and blessed whenever I return. One of the many definitions of true love is the love that a kayaker has for their home run.........I know I have true love for The James. It is the reason I never stop fighting to ensure the TRUTH and sanctity of our beloved rivah.
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
~Gary Snyder~
The final stretch of The Lower James is Pipeline Rapid, the culmination of gradient that plunges off the Mid-Atlantic plateau before dropping into the tidal basin of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This gradient line stretches across a half mile of rivah bottom, and includes the rapids of The Middle Lines and the granite features that create the features of The Island. The pool above the rapids of Pipeline is shadowed deep within the high rises of the city, creating an urban canyon of concrete and steel. However, looking south and east from this pool allows boaters to feel isolated within the depths of the rivah, as the rivah jungle and water stretches far into the distance before the massive structure of the flood wall rises up, protecting the southern half of RVA from the devastating floods that ravaged the city for hundreds of years.
I dropped into the currents of Pipeline, a long snaking rapid that encompasses everything James Rivah whitewater represents. The buildings rushed passed as I boofed, stroked, and carved my way through the labyrinth of rock and water, sacrificing my soul to every aspect of the sport we all cherish so well. The evening was perfect. The whitewater, the rivah, the environment, and the solitude had embraced me within a harmony of natural wonder, and once again I had found a glimpse of happiness while struggling through this battle of life. I was at peace, and it was the rivah that had bestowed that gift upon me. Every trip I take, and every moment I spend on The James is a temporary escape from the madness of this world. For that I will be forever grateful to my true friend, and my lifelong love..............The James Rivah.
I spent about 20 minutes practicing my attainment lines, circling back through the rapid again and again before pushing back up the current and retracing the same route until I felt perfection had been reached. The water levels were lower than I had expected, but the low head dam in the middle of the rapid creates an ugly pour over hole even at the lowest of levels. I delicately typewritered across the boil line in front of this wicked little hole before peeling out and ferrying through the maze of stone and liquid that ushered in my pathway downstream. The sun had now dipped well behind the tree line to the west, dusk had settled in, and the peace of the summer nights I so fondly remember from my previous summer on The Island filled my heart with warm memories of an experience I will cherish forever.
I drove my bow forward through the Class I rapids under the Manchester bridge, once again carving sharp and precise lines that I had memorized with exact detail. It amazes me how well a true kayaker can memorize their home rivah. I know every rock, every turn, and every detail of The James. The moves, the boofs, the ferry's, the attainments, the safety eddy's, bowl cove, the lines, the splats, the sunset rocks, the secret beaches, the little curling waves, all make a home rivah exactly that............home. The James has all of these unique features, and no matter how many times I experience them, I am still humbled and blessed whenever I return. One of the many definitions of true love is the love that a kayaker has for their home run.........I know I have true love for The James. It is the reason I never stop fighting to ensure the TRUTH and sanctity of our beloved rivah.
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
~Gary Snyder~
The final stretch of The Lower James is Pipeline Rapid, the culmination of gradient that plunges off the Mid-Atlantic plateau before dropping into the tidal basin of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This gradient line stretches across a half mile of rivah bottom, and includes the rapids of The Middle Lines and the granite features that create the features of The Island. The pool above the rapids of Pipeline is shadowed deep within the high rises of the city, creating an urban canyon of concrete and steel. However, looking south and east from this pool allows boaters to feel isolated within the depths of the rivah, as the rivah jungle and water stretches far into the distance before the massive structure of the flood wall rises up, protecting the southern half of RVA from the devastating floods that ravaged the city for hundreds of years.
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| Looking south in the pool above Pipeline |
“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
~Maya Angelou~
See ya on the rivah...............hopefully finding your own love affair with your home. PEACE
~Maya Angelou~
See ya on the rivah...............hopefully finding your own love affair with your home. PEACE
