White Water Kayaking

Monday, March 29, 2010
Met at GCC around 8 am to hitch up the trailer and head up Route 2 to Zoar for our White Water program. This is a skills program rather than a certification program. Our instructors Janet and Katrina, a former OLP student in '99-'00, had a brief meeting with us and then we got skirts, booties, paddles and boats. We drove a few miles to Fife Brook, part of the Deerfield River, unloaded and brought our boats down to the water's edge--can't really call it a shore. My foot braces needed adjustment but eventually I got in, and found out that I could pull on the skirt with relative ease--they buy larges to make them easy on-off. Yeehaw! No frustration, I could take it on and off to fix my braces, and I didn't need people to help me. I could have put my water bottle inside and actually had a drink at some point.

We did some hip side exercises to get used to the tipping and then some shark games (water version of Wolf Pack) to get us used to how they move--fast and unstable. Trying to go in a straight line was a joke though with time we all got a little better. We worked in the eddies and eventually worked our way up from one to another and another, going upstream against the current. I think we counted 4 swimmers, Anna went in twice. She said one was for me so I wouldn't have to. Thank you, Anna! It probably would be better to get it over with but I did my utmost not to go in. I found white water kayaking nerve wracking and not what I'd call enjoyable. I was able to correct when I thought I might be taking a dip but the adrenaline was pumping. I likened it to something like the Challenge Course without a belay. I wasn't enjoying it but felt I needed to do it since I was there.

Tomorrow we get to do it again but this time they're going to find somewhere to get us actually paddling downstream to somewhere. I'm not sure I'm feelin' it. Sarah asked about practicing wet exits with them. Probably a good thing in theory. I'm achy and stiff. Stretching, a hot shower and lots of Arnica may help that. I feel like I need to make myself do this but I don't want to overdue it and miss the coastal kayaking trip. We'll see. Still need help getting out of the dry suit. And then there's the drop seat that is almost impossible to unzip. . . .