Age? Old enough to have arthritis
Family? Single, two brothers
Occupation? Woodworker - custom cabinets and furniture
What other hobbies do you have?
Growing camellias, obsessive bird-watching, cooking, complaining about getting old, giving Christy the business (note - she hates frogs).
How did you get started canoeing?
I started canoeing in the Boy Scouts. I learned how to do a J-stroke at a tender age, on a 5-mile long lake in northern Minnesota, in a heavily loaded canoe, into a strong headwind. I paddled some on the Guadelupe and San Marcos as an adult, sorta-semi-whitewater. I took up whitewater kayaking at the age of 50, after rafting in Costa Rica and noticing that the "sweeper" in a kayak was having all the real fun. That floppy rubber thing he was wearing around his waist looked pretty weird, but, hey, who's to judge?
What boats do you now own?
I'm not doing much to help fix the recession - I own one whitewater kayak, a Wavesport Deisel, and a cheepo Old Town Loon. I look at folks with six or seven boats and feel kind of puny, but I can't think of what else I'd ever paddle.
What is your favorite place to paddle?
Hand-paddling the Inchiyaki, in the eastern foothills of Ecuador - a short run, but a nearly non-stop class III rock garden, real technical, and a super hoot.
Do you prefer a canoe or a kayak?
Kayak. Ever watch someone try to roll a canoe?
Do you prefer a single blade or double blade paddle?
Double. See above.
What do you like most about the sport?
Paddlers are extremely safety conscious, and are more willing to help others do it, and get better, than any other sport I know.
What do you like least about the sport?
Bonehead raft guides who run you over for grins.
What is an important safety tip?
Always set a safety rope - even if everyone's run it before. I saw someone get washed over "Foot Entrapment Ledge" below Tablesaw on the Ocoee. She was fine, but I wasn't. Second choice: Always paddle with Dan Dixon.
Why do you paddle?
The rivers are beautiful, the company is great, a good move in a tough rapid is a fine feeling, and if I screw up, someone's sure to throw me a rope.
If you could do a fantasy tandem paddle with anyone you wish, with whom would it be?
Emmylou Harris. I won't mind that she can't paddle, if she won't mind my cigar.
What was your best moment ever in a canoe?
Making it through Corkscrew rapid, alive, and not remembering a thing.
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| Chatooga River |
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Corkscrew Rapid |
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Section IV |
What was your worst moment ever?
Tough call - either finding myself in the second hole at Double Suck, or doing the 100 meter freestyle on the upper Nantahalla at 850 cfs. I'm not on YouTube, but my boat is.
Anything else you would like to say?
Hi Mom!