Prep New Presentations

Sunday, March 28, 2010
Dug into the reading and planning on Friday after class and for the night. Have to stay a step ahead or I'll get sucked into a hole--a "highly aerated churning action." I'm reminded that I need to stay in shape to do this course. Hiked on Saturday up the south side of Mt. Holyoke to the Summit House, over Taylor's Notch and looped along paths to view Lithia Springs.  We don't get much real exercise in OLP except when we're on trips or in the field. Went to the gym this morning and then back to the books. Walked down to the river by the dinosaur tracks to be both distracted from life and inspired by the river current and its slabs with prehistoric tracks. . . reminded of the Molly Baker article on Landfullness in Adventure Based Programming: Promoting Reconnection to the Land.

I thought ahead and wore my parka but didn't think about warmer pants. While I read about reading river current, I read the Connecticut's current as it rushed in front of me; smooth small pillows,  upward Vs--dangerous, not to be confused with downward Vs--the path between obstacles, inklings of an eddy against the slab shore, imagining the path I would take through the sparse rapids. This is the spot where I watched a guy a couple of years ago as he surfed in his white water kayak. . .what Evan and I did earlier in the week in a canoe on the Green River. Wished now that I had a boat so I could really see the route.

Got an idea for how I might use a stick, crepe paper and a fan to simulate a side view of the various currents. How else might I demo obstacles, river gradients, and eddy effects? Gotta get those presentations prepped!

Anna just called. We're not sure who's going to Zoar tomorrow. I think Beth and Evan are both teaching canoeing this week and next and that we students will drive together to Zoar.