Friend Mick,
Thanks fer the kind, but undeserved words.....wait, ya didnt say what "kind" a legend. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Swamprat run hiz first whitewater last October, one trip on the Tuckaseegee and one trip down the whole Nantahala River....in an inflatable kayak. I think he had a good time. The Nantahala Forest leaves wuz the prettiest in years. It turnt colder'n a well digger's arse, so we all pulled up stakes 'n headed fer the barn.
Tween October 'n May, Swamprat got that green whitewater canoe. We aimed ta warm up on the Tuck cuz it aint near bout az tuff az the Nanny, but the dam folks wuz dumpin' water round midnite ta suit the fly fishermen (til May 19). :cry:
I tole Swamprat we'd jest start below Patton's 'n skip the Falls on the first day. I didnt know if he had made hiz will 'n stuff. I never meant fer hiz first day in a canoe (that he had never paddled on any river) on whitewater ta be on the Nanny. That water iz real cold.....bout 23 degrees. :wink: Well, he done great....kept the water under the boat 'n begun ta catch eddies. Near bout won a cheeseburger at Ferry Rapid.
Back at the Lost Mine two guys frum the Sunshine State showed up with a kayak 'n a canoe jest like mine. We talked 'n learned they had a big group comin', but their leader come down with the epizuitis ('er some ailment). All they knew wuz he aimed ta take 'em down a river called the Tuck.....cuz some of 'em only seen whitewater in pichurs. I give 'em the bad news bout the Tuck.
The rest of the Sunshine Folks wuz comin' the next day, but I tole 'em they wuz welcome ta join up with us.....we'd put in below Patton's agin 'n skip the Falls less they learnt mitey fast. I didnt figger a 72 year old flatwater paddler ta do good....so Swamprat loaned him hiz inflatable kayak 'n I loaned him my wetsuit. They already had fine lookin' bicycle hats. :wink: I tole 'em Swamprat made it fine in hiz canoe on that stretch.
The fella in the canoe done good.....kept the water under the boat. I found out he had been down before....in an inflatable, but never in a canoe. The other fella done fine in the inflatable.
Az we wuz pullin' off the river a fella frum Maryland paddled up all by hiz lonesome. He sez he wanted ta join up with us the next day. [I reckon it wuz the stylish headgear that called him like a siren.] 8) He joined up the next day when all the Sunshine Folks hit the water. Arizona Zack pulled inta camp 'n joined up too.
Jack, hiz wife Chris 'n Heather had paddled the river before. I think the other geezer with the young asian wife had too, but they were mainly flatwater paddlers. (She liked Lo Mein's hat too.) They each had kayaks, but they jest had reglar whitewater helmets.
There wuz two women in a double inflatable who pulled out early cuz they had ta go ta Ohio. I dont know why....last I heard Ohio aint goin' nowhere. It wuz warm, sunny 'n awesome ever day we paddled. The fella frum Maryland had a hard time believin' me when I tole him Swamprat wuz on his third day paddlin' whitewater in a canoe.
The next day Heather had a friend join her. I dont recall that he ever paddled any whitewater 'n Patton's dunked him good, but we got him out 'n bein' a young fella, he got back on hiz horse 'n give it anuther try. The Maryland fella didnt show up cuz hiz knees hurt. He tole a geezer frum Daytona bout our stylish paddlin' group so he naturally had ta join up.
A heap a first time whitewater paddlers done good, mainly Swamprat....even tho he let hizself git sideways jest above the top hole in the Falls 'n it chewed him up 'n spit him out. Miz Bear missed that pichur cuz she wuz downriver watchin' us git Heather, her kayak 'n her paddle out. :cry: Heather run the Falls a bit too far left 'n hit the wash cycle.
Bein' a long tale, I likely got some of it wrong. There wuz so many folks frum so many places, it aint eazy ta follow the path of Truthful Jack. :mrgreen: Mebbe Swamprat kin help? He haz more pichurs of these folks cuz Miz Bear took some pichurs of 'em with hiz camera.
regards
bearridge
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse, without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. unknown high school student