Boone's Cave Dwellers- 801 to Pump Station Run

Saturday was a lot of (fun. The river was at "Full Pond" . Our stream flow was still "cooking "
at 2530 cubic feet per second. We were able to take the "Express Run" to Boone's Cave and the Salisbury Pump Station Access.

Our run from "801 to Boone's Cave" only took 50 minutes and the entire 8.8 mile run to the Pump Station only took 2 hrs and 5 minutes. The GPS showed us moving along at 4 mph and that was without paddling. This 4 mph was our GPS reading just before Boone's Cave. The river flattened out a little after after Boone's Cave.

Yesterday's paddle down the Yadkin was a great ride and made for a really wonderful time . It's amazing how much different this run was from the 10.9 miles we paddled from the Shallowford Road Access to Tanglewood. That Saturday our group paddled a historical low flow. There were plenty of rocks to dodge along the way. It took us 6 hrs to paddle the 10.9 miles to Tanglewood. Today we felt like we actually needed to paddle another 4 hrs to even feel like a paddle. A lot rain sure does make a difference in how a river paddle.

Presently there is no excursion planned for next week. We did toss up some ideas of paddling the Uwharrie or Dan Rivers. The only plans we all agreed upon was to do some more self rescue drills and have a" low country boil" afterwards, with a little fishing thrown in. This should happen sometime before some of our paddlers head out to Hunting Island, State Park in the next few weeks.

We have a group of paddlers now, that have no boundaries. My dreams of camping out under the lighthouse at Cape Lookout are fast becoming a reality. Hopefully the Hunting Island Trip, will be a start of a lot of great excursions in the years to come. I hope our group will be able to paddle the Cape Lookout/Harker's Island area sometime in the Spring or early summer of 2009. During the winter months we will sit down and make plans on where we might want to go and what we want to accomplish as a group in 2009, while having a lot of fun in the process. We've accomplished a lot in our first year, so next year can only be better.

Fast Ride Today

Image by wabberjocky via Flickr The CFS is 2530 as of 6:30 AM, this should make for a quick paddle trip today for our group. Weather should not be a factor. ETA at Boones Cave should be 10:15 am and ETA for Salisbury Pump Station should be 1:00 PM

While we are paddling enjoy the video Mike composed from last Saturday's Paddle.

Click Here

Hwy 801 Access in Davie Countie- To Salisbury Pump Station is a Go

This is going to be fun run. We will probably reach Boone's Cave in a little over an hr. This same run was at 1900 CFS in April when Fran took the trip with the Land Trust. We may very well may be in that range we launch Saturday morning from the 801 access. Below is a map of our run for Saturday. Launch time is 9:00 am, but shuttle time will be 8:00 am. Please read the prior post about shuttling. The blue arrows on the map below give you direction of the shuttle route, there is a lot quicker way to go by back roads. The red arrows mark the direction of the shuttle for those going the distance to the Pump Station. "Click on Map for larger view"


Current Stream Flow as of 8:00 am this morning.

Current Stream Flows- the river is still cooking

Are We There Yet? Terry's reflection of Saturday's Run

Image via Wikipedia
"This is not Terry,
it's just an image
I used to go with
the captionI have taken the opportunity to reflect back on Saturdays run and think that perhaps it could be summed up in one four letter word, “GRIT”, and if you just ran a variety of alternative words through your mind then you should be ashamed of yourself.

Thanks to a half-wit navigation engineer, we had what could only be described as a comical transit to the 421 park to meet our group for the launch. It was great to welcome aboard Mike, Butch and Deborah for their first encounter with HRL Paddlers. These guys will surely add some additional flavor to our recipe for fun on the water. My food reference here is mainly due to the culinary chat between several of us during one of our stops. Deborah chatted up some mighty fine southern eatin’, unfortunately I ended up attempting to bed down a might fricish appetite with a ham sandwich instead of some ham hocks. This newcomer trio and Montie opted to pull-out after the first 5.4 mile segment and exited at the Huntsville Access area. I hope to paddle with this bunch again soon.

We did however manage to keep the roster healthy with the fashionable entrance of two more brave souls that were willing to endure the remaining mileage with us. Kay and Jan joined the convoy of paddlers that were scattered among the ever present rocky protrusions on the water starved Yadkin.

Things were going well under the circumstances and we encountered several consecutive mild rapids that we used to slingshot us down stream. This pace would soon prove to be short-lived and we soon began to paddle nearly stagnant water. After several miles of seemingly endless flat-water stretches, I apparently began hearing mirages of traffic that I perceived to be to the nearing of I40.After rounding numerous bends and discovering nothing but more river, I finally quit attempting to use my instinctive gauge to determine our position and subsided from my promising alarms that were meant to encourage some of the weary paddlers among us.

We did eventually capture a glimpse of the I40 bridge and took view of the finish line. I noticed that I actually felt pretty good after this monumental trek for our group. I am proud to say that our regular attendees handled this journey really well. I would guess that this is due in part to the conditioning that we receive from regular runs on a weekly basis.

Make no mistake about it, this was not “easy” by no means and any paddler among us that experienced some discomfort should hold their head high for even having the guts to attempt such an adventure. Neal himself even discovered limits to what an individual can endure on a long paddle, especially under historical conditions.

This was not the longest paddle for me as an individual but, it did remind me of just what it takes to hold a moderate pace when distance becomes your enemy. I enjoyed meeting new paddlers and hope they tag along again soon as we continue exploring new waters.

HRL Paddler
Terry

Old 421to Tanglewood- Terry's Photos

Old 421 Park Access to Tanglewood- Video Clips

These aren't the best videos clips, but they give the viewer an idea of what we paddled.

Old 421 Park Access to Tanglewood- Sheila's Photos

Old 421 Park Access to Tanglewood- Fun, Challenging, Beautiful and a lot of Firsts for HRL Paddlers

Image via Wikipedia We launched on time, which was a first! This was because of a few wrong turns and a defective navigational system. Some call it "Neal" system, but I believe it was a "Terry-Linda-Donald-Neal" system. The Terry part wasn't programmed in from the start. The Linda part needed fine tuning because her vision was like that of the hubble telescope when first launched( never hand a map to a person to read going down the road who needs glasses). The Donald system would not input . The Neal part of our navigational system offered to much unclear input and choices. Now try to put these in play when driving down the road pulling boats and you are going to take a few wrong turns.

Our impromptu navigational system caused us to run 30 minutes behind schedule. When we finally recalculated the correct coordinates, we opted not to shuttle all the vehicles back to Tanglewood, to make our 9 am launch. We were fortunate enough to have decided to drop two cars not carrying boats, at the Tanglewood Access, on the way up to the Old 421 park. This was the only saving grace, that kept the launch on time. By the time we reached our final destination at the end of the day, it seemed like we had dropped the cars off on Friday morning instead of Saturday morning. It was that long a day for us.

We picked up a new part to help correct our flawed navigational system at the Huntville Access on our way to the way to Old 421 Park. The Huntsville access reminded us more of the access area in Davidson County, at the Davidson/Davie line on Hwy 64, but much worse. Once we added the " Montie Nav system" at Huntsville, it formatted all the bad on board data and gave us an accurate route to the 421 Park. Once there we met Butch, Deborah and Mike who were paddling with our group for the first time. Everyone else from HRL Paddlers was there and ready to go. We made the 9:00 am launch on time.

Now that we were on the water, not much could go wrong, since only 2 directions were involved. Even the four flawed parts knew to go down river, but we had our our Montie Nav System with us, just in case. We arrived at the Shallowford Road Access as planned. We had estimated an arrival time of 11:00 am and made it according to schedule. I'm sure this impressed the new paddlers Jan and Kay who joined us. Now at the end of the run, I'm sure their impression of our planned timing changed.

We did linger at the Huntsville Access a little bit longer. It became more of a social hour at one point. This was due in part because some of the group opted to take out out when they discovered the Montie part of the nav system was leaving. We said our goodbyes to our new friends. We all welcomed our two new paddlers, who would join us for the remainder of our run. Kay and Jan joined us for what they expected would be only a 4hr paddle, a distance of 10.9 miles. Even with the delay, Jan would make it back in time for the 6 pm, pool party.

Once we launched from the Huntsville Access off Shallowford Road, things began to change. Our navigational clock was now one hour off schedule, having left Shallowford at 12:00 pm instead of around a 11:00 am. The Terry Chat Time at the Access area hadn't been allowed for. Once we got that part running again, our new ETA would put us coming into Tanglewood around 4, or that is what we thought. The old navigational systems still tried to take over. The "it's around the next bend", Terry Alarm sounded several times. It became redundant for the last 5 miles of our trip. Others in the group learned to ignore the false readings, looking only for the I-40 Bridge. The rest of our navigational system went silent and only the words "Kill Neal" were murmured.

Now add to the fact that our navigational system didn't allow for zig zagging or low flow. Our estimate of a 4 hour paddle quickly turned into a 6 hour one. Instead of a 11 mile trip, now it seemed more like a 20 mile trip. "Are we there yet", was a phrase we heard often over the last 5 miles. Our paddlers decided that Terry's hearing needs to be checked, because he was hearing cars 5 miles before we got to the I 40 bridge. Donald said it was the wind blowing through his hollow skull that made him think he heard cars. The stretch of water between Huntsville and Tanglewood slowly became a "Bridge to Far". Keep in mind our group paddles every weekend. We had just completed a 14 mile run on the lake the week before, so we knew we were in condition for these type of runs. After all we paddle more flat water than most people. All of us paddling thought this was much longer stretch than the map showed. Since Terry forgot to program in the GPS, all we could tell you is that we were paddling at rate of about 3-3.5 mph. Still we enjoyed our run. I know this was a first paddle for Jan and Kay and we promise, we won't do this to them again. The last couple from Rowan that went with the group on a long paddle, hasn't been heard from in months. So if we don't see Jan or Kay again, we do understand why. Unless you have a death wish, never say "It's around the next bend" to them.

There is not much our group can't handle when it comes to paddling long distances now. We paddled the lowest flow in the recorded history of the Yadkin River, 203 Cubic Feet Per Second(the norm is 1700 CPS). We saw the most rocks probably anyone will ever get to see, while paddling on this stretch of river. There were many times I found myself taking the wrong turn in the maze, having to retrace my steps.

T& D boat towing service got to be put in use for the first time. This was good practice for some in our group and it adds another dimension to our rescue prowess.

We finally pulled into to Tanglewood around 6 PM. By the time we shuttle the remaining vehicles back from Old 421 access it was around 7 PM. I got home a little 7:30 having left that morning at 6:45. This was full day of paddling for everyone. I'm sure Fran got more than enough for her fix. We may not paddle Labor day, since we paddled enough Saturday for the next 4 weekends. I'm sure Jan and Kay may be thinking they have paddled enough for the next 4 years.

My estimate on rapids was "dead on", we may have even had more. There were 4 rapids on the Old 421 to Shallowford run and maybe 16 rapids on the Shallowford to Tanglewood Run. There might have been two class 2's , but for the most part all were ones. Had the water been up another 1.5 feet and the flow been up to around 900, these rapids would have made for a perfect run. I don't plan on paddling this any time soon, unless we have these levels and rates. This was a historic run for all the people who paddle this. They can add this to their own "Back in the Day "Quotes. They will tell their stories how a crazy guy convinced them into paddling in the worst possible conditions on the Yadkin River.

The low river conditions are record breaking. Let's hope they don't get lower. I hope you enjoy the pictures we took below. Playing the Music Player below the slide show, will add to your enjoyment of watching the slide, just forward to a song you like. All kidding aside this is what being in a paddling group is all about. We all had fun!

The prettiest picture in the slide show below, besides that of me, was the "I-40 Bridge"!

Idols Dam Revisited Thursday

"Terry Tester and I got to paddle some Thursday, but this time our trip was of a serious nature." We met with Winston Salem utility officials yesterday, to discuss ways to make Idols Dam safer for paddlers and boaters. Once we arrived, we found city officials to be very receptive to the idea of improving the "Portage Take Out Area" . The city also has plans to place new "warning signs" for the Idols Dam. The Idols dam is referred to as a "low head Dam".
These type of dams are some of the most of the most dangerous, which take lives every year. A low-head dam is a dam of low height, usually less than 15 feet. These are drowning machines and pose a threats to any swimmer or boater. Most of the accidents that occur at these dams , are the result of not properly marked warnings. Click Here for a recent report on an accident on the Neuse River, involving a low head dam. It's accidents like these that could have easily been prevented, had they been properly marked. The Army Corp of Engineers needs to place warning buoys at Idols Dam. Click here to read the law in Pennsylvania on the proper marking of these Dams.





Montie Hamby, a board member with Yadkin River Keepers, was present for the meeting. Bill Brewer a representative the City of Winston Salem Utility Department met with us on site. Also present for the meeting was Mike Garner, who is over Parks and Recreation for Davie County( I invited Mike, because I feel a River should join counties and never divide them. Since the Portage Take Out is actually on Davie County, I felt Parks and Recreation was a natural choice for me to invite, because they too have a dog in this fight ). Lisa O'Donnell- reporter for the the Winston-Salem Journal and Lauren Carroll- news photographer for the Winston- Salem Journal were also in attendance.

We received a friendly greeting from several City Employees who were on site. They all were very courteous, some even helped us remove our boats at the end of the day.

Our short paddle launched us directly above the top of Idols Dam. We launched in front of the City's Water Treatment Facility. Special permission was granted to us this one time, for what is otherwise a secured, gated facility. Lisa O'Donnell and Lauren Carroll where invited to paddle across to the present portage take out area, so they could get a feel and look at what a typical paddler would experience.


We paddled up river first, beyond the Portage Take Out Area. I paddled Lauren, the newspaper's photographer, in my tandem, so she could take photos. . Terry provided our reporter Lisa, with here own kayak.(who by the way is a natural in a kayak). We couldn't entice Bill Brewer to paddle with us, he was to "dressed up" for the occasion( meaning he had on a nice shirt and nice pair of shoes). Mark Garner with Park's and Recreation of Davie County, opted to ride with Bill in the company yacht. I think he decided this after seeing how difficult getting in a kayak was going to be. Our makeshift launch site was "a little bit edgy" for getting into a kayak. It was wise choice on Mark's part and I tried to get our media guests to go back by boat. They were real troopers and wanted go back across by the same mode of transportation they came. Montie Hamby also paddle with our group. I knew Montie would paddle, because he's hard core.

We paddled with our photographer and reporter upstream. Terry and Montie both pointed out the present "Mandatory Portage" warning sign. The sign was still under a bunch of tree laps. This can be attributed to the F3 tornado that came through the area back in May. After a few comments about this downed "Stop Sign" we headed back to meet Bill Brewer and Mark Garner at the Portage take out. There we would discuss some solutions to resolve the present situation.





Once we paddled back down to the "Portage Take Out", our invited guest could see that the "Portage Take Out" sign was not very visible. This too was due to the May storm. Since our media guest weren't experienced paddlers, we decided not to take out at the present " Portage. Take Out". Safety is our first concern and we felt that it was to dangerous for our guest, even with a low water flow.




We paddled back up stream to find a safer portage passage. This wasn't much better, but at least it would be safer. We didn't have to contend with a possible drowning scenario. Instead we opted for a walk through poison oak and a possible venomous snake bite. We made it back safely to the original portage take out. There we met Bill Brewer with the City. Bill discussed some possible solutions with Montie, Mark and myself. Poor Terry couldn't come ashore because of his allergic reaction to poison oak. He had to sit out in his boat next to the Portage takeout and listen.

The flow rate of the river today was 287 Cubic Feet Per Second.(which is still in the record lows, it was 257 the other day) . These are the lowest flow rates that have been seen since 1944, when they began keeping records on the Yadkin. When our group paddled the river on July 26, the flow rate was just 600 CFS, which is considered very low.

This morning the flow rate is 203 CFS, our water supply is getting dangerously low, I'm afraid that we will start seeing large fish kills appear in these type of conditions.
An average flow rate for the Yadkin in this area is around 1700. This type of flow would be pretty scary at our Portage Takeout in it's present condition. One slip and you would go over the dam in just less than a minute. Now there is a chance that you may not get that opportunity, to take the death plunge over the dam. This is because you stand a good chance of getting trapped beneath the two huge strainers that are presently at the Portage Take Out. Even with a life jacket, you might not survive with a flow rate of 1700 CFS pushing you under a tree. This rate of CFS can be translated in a flow of 12, 716.85 gallons of water moving past you per sec. Today the flow was only2146.90 gallons per sec. Looking at it today, it seemed calm, but fall in and the reality of a slow rate can be dangerous.

This is why we contacted City Officials. We felt this needed to addressed immediately. We notified the press and others to help bring attention. We aren't pointing fingers we are contacting those who we feel can help close this "deadly door" before it's to late.

Paddlers have a right to a safe passage around dams and bridges. We aren't asking anyone to build us a lavish Portage Take Out Area. All we want is a "safe one". We want a Portage Area Take out that will be maintained in the future, so this never has to be an issue again.

Terry and I were representing HRL Paddlers today. We aren't paid and for doing taking the time out of our day to do this. Terry had to start at noon loading boats to make the 3 pm meeting. I only had to catch a ride with Terry. Like Montie Hamby who's been doing this for years, we too do it for the love of the Yadkin River Basin we paddle.

Our meeting today strictly for benefit of those who may paddle or boat this area in the future. We are only looking for a solution to the problem. Bill Brewer who represented the City expressed a willingness on the City's part to help us resolve this. We know that no one person can accomplish this alone. We all acknowledged it will take a combined efforts of those affected to fix the problem. We know the key to finding a long term solution is to work together. We have to become just like the River, joining and not dividing.

Part of the process has begun. "The wheels are in motion." The city has ordered warning signs to be placed on the pylons of the Railroad Trestle. Bill said city crews will go to work immediately on getting the downed signs back up. We know the work on the Portage area will take more time, but at least the "Stop Signs" are going back up. This is still a very dangerous area until the "Portage Take Out" is fixed. We strongly advise that you not paddle this far down, until you receive word that a " safe portage take out" is in place.

Special thanks to Terry who went the extra mile today. Thanks to Montie who always does the same. We also would like to thank Mark, Bill, Lauren and Lisa for allowing us to show them our concerns. Lastly we do thanks those other city employees who helped us get back up on shore safely.


Neal Conner
HRL Paddlers


The following are some photos I took of yesterday's meeting. I'm sorry I don't have any of the city officials, but perhaps Terry will on his upcoming post about the meeting.

Latest update- We have 15 people paddling Saturday

Image via Wikipedia Anytime you get a large group of people in canoes and kayaks together out on the water, it's a lot of fun. Our sign up sheets never reflect the true number of paddlers. There always seem to be a few of our regulars who have committed to going, but wait to the last minute to sign up.

Fourteen of the Paddlers going Saturday have committed to paddling the whole 16.3 miles. We have 6 new people who will be paddling with us for the first time Saturday. It's always great making new friends out on the water.

Our "launch time" at the Old 421 Park Access will be 9:00 am. If your vehicle needs to be shuttled, you will need to be at the Old 421 Park Access by 8 am. Once we unload the boats and we will then shuttle the cars to Tanglewood Access at the Hwy 158 Bridge.

Call Neal 336-971-1706 or Terry 336-479-6137 if you have questions.

16 Rapids on Saturday's Run?

Image via Wikipedia This is just my guess on how many rapids I think we will see. I know if the CFS stream flow was in the 700 range, we probably would see that many. My estimate is based of the aeireal photos I've looked over for the upcoming run, from Old 421 to Tanglewood.

Now for the bad news. The Yadkin's stream flow is the lowest in years. The Enon stie was showing a stream flow around 257 cfs, which is a pretty dismal. This appears to be the lowest Stream Flow ever recorded since 1944. This was when records started being kept along the Yadkin. Presently what we are facing in stream flow now , could be far worse than those during the drought of 2002.

Alcoa has asked FERC for a variance in the stream flow they are required to pass through for downstream users. Typically it is in the 1260 cfs range. The down stream users depend on these flows for their own drinking water supplies. The Yadkin Pee Dee, is a major contributor to the drinking water supplies of Myrtle Beach and Georgetown, South Carolina. Since presently there is only 257 cfs stream flow coming in, even Alcoa's reduced stream flow of 900 cfs will soon start emptying out High Rock and Badin Reservoirs.

Regardless of the flow, it should be a fun paddle. We all will get to see areas of the river, that few get to see in these low water and low flow times.

Please bring your water shoes, cameras, walkie talkies, water, snacks and a whistle. We generally break several times along the way, stopping at places that make for great photo opts.

Map of Access Areas for Saturday's Paddle

The 3 areas circled in red will be our launch or takeout points. Those going need to contact us by email or phone so we can coordinate shuttling. Short and Long Runs both Start early 9:00 am, with Short Run ending 2 hrs down stream at Huntsville. The Midrun 11:00 am will launch at Huntsville and will continue on with the Long Run group to Tanglewood. CLICK PHOTO BELOW TO MAKE LARGER.

Map Link to Old 421 Access Area- Weather Outlook for Saturday

We need the rain so it would be good news if Hurricane Fay comes our way. Unexpected portage practice does not make for a fun paddle. Our group is not into paddling in the rain all day. We are fair weather paddlers by choice. All of us can tolerate a light rain or scattered showers. Always call or check website for possible last minute cancellations.

The following is a map link to the Old 421 River Park Access. Switch to the birds eye view to see the area we will be paddling. I noticed a small set of rapids just above the launch area, some of the group may be able paddle up and run down them a few times, while vehicles are being shuttled. Maybe I will be one of the lucky ones who gets to stay back and play in them.

Clicking here will take you to Maps Live. Below is a picture of what the bird's eye view looks like.


Click here for the Link to the Courtney-Huntsville Road Access off Shallowford Road. Some of our Paddlers will be taking out her to complete the 5.4 mile short run. Others will be joining us here as we paddle the remaining 10.9 miles to Tanglewood and take out at the Hwy 158 bridge. Below is a photo of the Courtney - Huntsville Access. It looks a little rugged, similar to the Hwy 64 access between Davidson and Davie Counties.


Below is a Picture of our destination and if you click here, this will take you to the confusion link for our shuttle. Points A-C( Old 421 to Tanglewood) appear simple enough. Points A-B & B-C look more time consuming. I think everyone should make it easier on me and paddle the 16.3 miles. Someone tell Fran there aren't enough paper cut outs to figure out this one.

Saturday Rescue Class

Image via Wikipedia Saturday's Paddle didn't take the group far, since all we did was practice rescue techniques on High Rock Lake. There were eight of us fine tuning our skills. We welcomed newcomer Ronald, who is the identical twin brother of Donald, also a fairly new paddler to the group. Ronald picked up kayak rescue quickly, this was impressive for someone who has never been in a kayak.

This coming Saturday we face one of our longest paddles of the summer, a 16.3 miler. We will launch from the Old U.S. 421 Park access and paddle to Tanglewood. Some of the group will have the opportunity to shorten their run, and can take out at the Huntsville Access on Shallowford Road.

We will have to negotiate through two old Indian fish weirs, which should prove challenging and fun. There will be a few rapids, perhaps more, depending on the height and water flow of the River. The Yadkin actually creates more rapids when the water levels drop, which is the opposite of most Rivers. Higher waters typically cover up the rocks and lower waters expose them, creating narrow passages, making them fun paddle through.

Still it should be a safe paddle with nothing more than a Class2 and mostly Flat water in between. This can all change with a rain, so check our gauges which are posted on the right sidebar. We don't do paddles when heavy rains are in the forecast. Click on the Enon Site in Forsyth County to see what the current flow and level of the river are.

Those who like to sleep a little later or have further to travel, are welcome to join up with the hardcore paddlers at 11:00 am. The core paddling group should arrive around then, breaking for 15-20 minutes and continuing on for the remaining 10.9 mile trip to Tanglewood. We will say our goodbyes to those not continue on. You will need to arrive at the Huntsvill Access around 10:00 am, so you can shuttle and get back in time for the 11:00 am launch. The shuttle details will need to be worked out in advance for those wanting to make these shorter runs. We will try to help you do this if you sign up early enough. You can always find the sign up sheet on the right sidebar of our site. The password is always "kayak" in lower case letters. Sign Up under the trip that best fits you or click the link below.

Below are some of the photos from Saturday's fun day of practice. We all enjoyed a great covered dish luncheon afterwards, along with grilled kabobs and hotdogs.

Saturday should be a good one. Click here to sign up. "the password is kayak" all lower case letters.

Renew Your Soul- Join us on a Paddle to Tanglewood on Saturday, August 23rd- "Sign Ups now Posted on Right Sidebar" under excursions

Image via Wikipedia

Rivers have what man most respects and longs for in his own life and thought--a capacity for renewal and replenishment, continual energy, creativity, cleansing. -- John M. Kauffmann

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO GO ON AUG 23RD

The Power of a Ripple Effect

Ripple Effects do have an impact. The following song and video by the group Nickleback suggests " how the world could be", "If everyone cared and everyone tried", showing how even one person can make difference. Start your own ripple effect and see how you can make the world a better place. Maybe it won't always be world changing. A lot of simple acts may seem insignificant, but over time the ripple you create helps bring about the change needed. Become active in a paddle group, participate in a Clean Sweep or a River Sweep, "If eveyone cared and everyone tried, starts with you.


"If Everyone Cared" explores the idea of everyone joining together to make the world better. All streams of this video generate money, 100% of which go to Amnesty International and International Children's Fund Canada. Help out these worthy causes by sharing and embedding this video anywhere and everywhere.

Rescue Me!

Image via Wikipedia Our Group will be paddling in circles tomorrow, working on Deep Water Rescue Scenarios on High Rock Lake.

August 23rd will make up for time not paddling on the water, because our plans are for a 16.3 mile run from Old 421 Park in Winston-Salem to Tanglewood.

Launch times will vary for those who aren't early risers or wish only to make a 5.4 mile run from Old 421 to Shallowford Rd or a 10.9 mile run from Shallowford Rd to Tanglewood.

There are two fish weirs we will pass through along this stretch, so it should be a fun run. Sign Up sheets will be posted between now and Monday.

Sheila's Photos from a Paddle 2 weeks ago

View Album

Get your own

No One Thinks It can Happen to Them, but is does! This is why learning Rescue is Important for anyone paddling

The picture you see below is for real, this kayaker is with in moments of drowning. He is caught in a strainer. A photographer not paddling happened to capture the even as it unfolded. To read the rest of the story click here and to see the accidents and deaths from canoeist and kayakers over the years click here. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from these accident reports.

Deep Water Rescue Practice Saturday

Image via Wikipedia We would like to thanks Banks Dixon of Frog HollowOutdoors for teaching our Group some Deep Water Rescue Techniques at Paddlefest. Some of our group took the class on Saturday, while others including myself took a class on Sunday, along with some Camp Walter Life Guards. Our Sunday class was a "hybrid class" of sorts because it included canoes. We don't have many canoes paddling on our trips, but we do have some on occasion. It's just as important for a kayaker to know how to rescue a canoer and vice versa, it is important for a canoeist to know how to rescue a kayaker.

The classes were a lot of fun, but the lessons we learned may help save a life down the road. Should our group come across a paddler in the water, we will know what to do, without placing ourselves in danger. The lessons learned this weekend were priceless. What was suppose to be a 1.5 hour class Sunday, turned into a 3 hour class, because Banks Dixon is that kind of person. He went the extra mile. While he showed us several scenarios, he told our group there are lot's of others you could spend a full day going over. All we touched on were the basics.

Banks also stressed the importance of wearing a PFD's having lost two personal friends, experienced kayakers. All it takes is a bump on the head or collision you didn't expect. He told me one of his friends got trapped in a slow moving strainer after bumping her head. Had she had a jacket on, she might have been saved. I know I won't be paddling moving water without mine being on anymore. Click here to read an account of that tragic story.

This weekend our group plans to practice what we learned, so each of us will be proficient in the skills needed in deep water rescue. Our group became a little more seasoned and plan to take more rescue classes in the future. Below is a slide show from Sunday's Classes. Once again Thanks to Banks Dixon of Frog Hollow Outdoors and his assistant Mike Halligan, who has another company River Bottle Blues. These guys went the extra mile to teach our group and made learning easy and fun. I can highly recommend taking an excursion or class with Frog Hollow Outdoors

WHO WANTS TO BE ON OUR NEW MAILING LIST - Paddles In or Paddles Out

Image via Wikipedia Paddlers who wish to be on our new mailing list need to send me an email. I'm in the process of converting over to a new meet up program. I only wish to import those contacts who are presently paddling with us.

The new mailing list will not affect those organizations, groups and key people we are presently in contact with. We all share the same interest and commitment in promoting the sport of paddling.

Our update of contact eliminates those paddlers who for one reason or another, no longer paddle with our HRL Paddlers. Please don't take offense if you feel you are being singled out. Email list can grow out of control unless purged from time to time.

Presently we have over 100 people on our HRL Paddler mailing list. Only a 1/3 of them are actively participating on a regular basis(once every 6 weeks ). I see no reasons to contact those who are no longer participating with the group. We are looking for committed paddlers. We don't need the spectator paddlers, who simply sit around and talk about going paddling. The group paddling now is very committed. We know everyone can't always paddle every weekend, but at least the committed ones manage to keep in touch. I have several who always write me or phone me when they can't make an excursion.

The new meet up program we will be using is for those who want to participate, even though it may only be once a month. The program will allow us to plan a little more in detail on our trips. It will also allows us the opportunity to assign tasks. This will come in handy when we do covered dish luncheons or picnics on our paddles. This will also help in spreading out some of the responsibilities with each excursion.

2008/2009 should be a better year for the group. We will be paddling a lot of new waters. The new connections we made at Paddlefest will present a lot of unique excursion opportunities. Hopefully this will take us take us to the mountains and the coast. The old saying " Either you are in or you are out", applies with this new change. We only want to stay in contact with paddlers who want to paddle with us. Are You In or Are You Out? Only an email from you will let me know.

Our Recruitment Slogan for HRL Paddlers is "Be a Part of the Ripple Effect" , the quote below was sent to me concerning an issue we need to Stop

Image via Wikipedia "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Robert F. Kennedy

According to leaked documents obtained by the National Wildlife Federation, the Bush Administration is planning to rollback protections for America's imperiled wildlife by re-writing the regulations of the Endangered Species Act.

If adopted, these changes would seriously weaken the safety net of habitat protections that we have relied upon to protect and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years.

We need your help to make sure this attack on the Endangered Species Act is met with a huge public outcry!

"Do not be fooled when the Administration claims it is merely tweaking the law," said NWF's John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming.

"The cumulative impact of these changes equals a full blown attack on America's premier conservation law. We owe it to future generations to stop this attack and continue our legacy of protecting wildlife on the brink of extinction."

Please email Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and make sure he knows that the American people will not stand for any attempts to weaken the Endangered Species Act.

And please forward this email to any friend or family member who might speak up for wildlife too!

Thank you so much,


Kristin Johnson
Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation
alerts@nwf.org

Thanks to Melba with Yadkin River Keeper for sharing. We urge all our members and readers to help in this good cause.

I thought I slipped here!

Sheila caught a shot of me while I was mocking Dana. I was doing what I called my "Dana ". I had both feet hanging outside my kayak, paddling along not paying attention, when suddenly I lost my balance and took the plunge. I'm sure Sheila smiled when she caught me busting my move and then some.








Reflections of Paddlefest 2008

WOW! If you didn't go, you missed out on a lot of fun. I wasn't the only one taking a spill Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Most of our group happily took the plunge in our Deep Water Rescue Classes and T- rescue classes. Our core group is quickly becoming a seasoned group of paddlers who are committed to improve their level of expertise in the sport.


I attended a Central NC District BSA meeting few weeks ago as a guest. The district leader gave an analogy of what commitment was all about. He started off his speech asking the audience if they knew what was in an "Egg McMuffin ? Several answered "Bacon and Egg". The speaker went on to tell how" commitment" is like the ingredients you find an "Egg McMuffin". Everyone knows the "chicken was somehow involved" but the pig "was the only one committed".

The same can be said for paddling groups and vendors that sell boats. Don't join a Paddling group or buy from vendors that are just involved. The committed paddlers are easy to spot. You will see from their websites how often they are on the water. When they can't paddle they hold meetings.

Committed Vendors may be a little more difficult to spot, but if you visit their websites their activity schedules are a dead give-away. Just like a good paddle group, they are actively involved in the sport weekend and week out.

Paddlefest is the ultimate for those who love paddling

A lot of our core members will be getting their rescue classes out of the way this weekend. This will aide our group greatly as we continue to expand our paddle grounds.

We want to thank the HRL Paddlers who volunteered their time and efforts to help make HRL Paddlefest possible. Week in and Week out their devotion to bettering our group has remained steadfast. These paddlers are the true soul of HRL Paddlers and without them our group could not have accomplished the goals it set out to do in March. Tanglewood to Tuckertown is an impressive Paddle for any group.

HRL Paddlers has evolved into one formidable paddle group. There ripple effect is already impacting our local area of the paddling world. I'm proud to be a member of such a fine group of Paddlers. Our new direction will bring a lot of good changes for 2009. The wheels of planning are already in motion and next year is going to be totally awesome!

"Be a part of the Ripple Effect", Stop by and visit HRL Paddlers at the Paddlefest!

Activity Sign Ups are available for Paddlefest

Click Here to reserve your spot, password is "paddle"


email me if you wish to volunteer helping in our HRL Paddlers Booth.

HRL PADDLERS HELP WITH PADDLEFEST

HRL Paddlers will be helping at the Paddlefest this year.We will still manage to fine time to paddle in some of the activities. Bob will lead one of the Sunrise Paddle. I hope to go on at least one of them. Please stop by and visit our booth and purchase a raffle ticket. Our group had planned to offer a boat as a raffle prize, but since "Dana" a HRL Paddler asked "Stanely Furniture to donate a more expensive prize" we decided to focus on selling those tickets at the event. All monies from the sell of the raffle tickets goes to a great cause. A planned raffle for a boat by HRL Paddler will be held at a later date, yet to be determined.

There will be a new change coming to HRL Paddlers which may be announced during Paddlefest. We are ever extending the outreach and boundaries of our paddle group or what we refer to as "our ripple effect". The change we will be undergoing will help us accomplish that, as we paddle all the waters in the Yadkin River Basin. Our group has really changed since that first meeting in March. The group that is paddling now is more seasoned and experienced. The paddlefest will give a lot of our members the opportunity to learn and practice Deep Water rescue techniques. 87 degree water temperature is a great time for anyone to learn a deep water technique in an actual deep water scenario, taught by people experienced in deep water rescue.

For those who would like to help us at Paddlefest, email hrlpaddlers@gmail.com. Most of our dedicated group of paddlers will be there, however not all can be. Our group will began making preparation of our Tanglewood to Tuckertown Report for release in the coming months.

Our paddle trail in the fall will carry us to the Pilot Mountain Area. We will try to coordinate the timing with the color change of leaves. The remainder of the summer our paddles will be focused on the "Narrows, Badin, Falls and Tillery".

We are always looking for new people to join us. We are always amazed by the beauty of each paddle, thinking they can't get better, yet they still continue to do so. Now I have finally accepted that our best paddles have yet to come, leaving me looking forward to every next paddle.

Yesterday' Paddle 12.24 miles

That's if you were to paddle point to point in straight lines. Since we didn't, what we paddled was probably more like a distance of 14 miles. Yesterday was a true flat water paddle. There were no breezes for 100% of the canoe kayak race and almost 80% of the flotilla paddle. The dead calm made it extra hot.

Still the group had a good time. This was a test run for the upcoming canoe/kayak race for next Saturday's Paddlefest which is 6.86 miles from Hwy 8 Wildlife Access Area to Flat Swamp Access Area. Participants were Harry, Sheila, Fran, Linda, Neal and new comer John.

Launches seem to never happen on time. This one was no exception. It was 8:45 before the race commenced. I took some final pictures of our group for "Search and Rescue Teams", just in case they would be needed. I asked everyone to smile, because their families would probably use these in their tribute memorials. I posted the pictures in the slide show you see below.

We had a couple of equipment adjustments and malfunctions before and during the start of the race. Linda and I had the biggest problem, a malfunctioning rudder. This caused us to paddle a very erratic course. We knew we could not make any headway without the rudder working. Both of us came very close to withdrawing, but we did not like the idea of a DNF(did not finish in our column, We informed other kayakers that we may have to return to the Launch site. Finally making one last attempt, we beached the boat for repair. Once corrected we headed on our way. Our efforts ended up paying off big in the long run.We were able to finish first in the Tandem Kayak event. We also won combined singles and double event. This was in the impromptu Flotilla Run to Camp Walter J and back. The race was close, with "Team Rudderless edging out Fran at the Bridge.

The biggest advantage "Team Rudderless" had on the other kayakers, is that one of the members writes all the posts our reader reads. This was the definitely a big key to "our victory". Now I'm sure others in the races, might tell the story of the day's event a little different. This is why the website has a comment section below each post. I'll warn the commenter, that comments are moderated by one of "Team Rudderless's Members".

The distance of the canoe/kayak race was 6.86 miles
Our paddle to Camp Walter J and Back from Flat Swamp Access are was 5.38 miles. A paddle of 6.86 miles turned into one for 12.24, but no one complained. Kudos to this group of dedicated paddlers. Their participation in this event, has gave us valuable information about what to expect next Saturday activities for the HRL Paddlefest. The time of 1 hr 35 minutes by the single kayaks and the last place time of 2hrs. 35 minutes by a 2 person kayak team, will help us a lot with our staffing. We can't thank the participants in yesterday's events enough. All were winners in our book or at least this post.

Fran has graciously donated our "First Prize" for our Geo Cachers. Anyone who finds her nice pair of prescription/bifocal sunglasses will be given $50. The coordinates and water depth location will be given out at paddlefest if not found by scouts before then. The glasses are at least 6 feet under water, carefully concealed in a silt bottom. This was the only downside to today's paddle.

On a lesser note we did have a new person join the HRL Paddlers' fall of shame. The slipper slope caused the fall, so maybe it's not truly worthy of the "Fall of Fame",

Saturday is Race Day!

We have 7 people so far participating in our pre-trial canoe/kayak race this weekend. Anyone wishing to participate please email hrlpaddlers@gmail.com and we will give you the details. This is a non-stop paddle run of 6.8 miles, so your stamina and endurance will be tested. Are you up for the challenge? This will also be the same run we are using in the canoe kayak festival.