Women's Green River Takeover 2015!

Two weeks ago, 56 women came together for a single mission: to have a great day on the Green River! It was the second annual Green River Takeover, an event created to bring together the female kayaking community for a day of inspiration, camaraderie, and most importantly, fun! I don't feel like I do the best job at putting into words what this day is all about, so I'll mostly let the pictures do the talking. 

Registration started bright and early, but that didn't seem to slow anyone down. Thanks to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Astral, the French Broad River Academy and Girls at Play, we were lucky enough to have enough shuttle vehicles to carry us all to the put in. Also thanks to some of the local men of the kayaking community, we also had our own personal shuttle bunnies! 

Once at the put-in, we did a quick safety talk before splitting into smaller groups and making our way downstream. It was amazing to watch woman after woman make her way through the namesake rapids of the Class 2-3 Upper Green with cheers of support echoing through the river valley.  On the Upper that day we had a huge mix of ladies, ranging from women running the section for their second time to women who run the Class 5 Narrows on a regular basis. We also had a 50 years age span, from a middle school student in her teens to a mother in her 60s (whose daughter was also on the river that day)! 

After arriving at the takeout to the Upper Green, the group of ladies not continuing into the Narrows began their hike out. While I was not there to experience it, I hear the group made the most of the uphill hike and managed to squeeze some fun into a typically painful experience. 

From there, 27 women paddled on into the Class 5 Narrows section of the Green. It was so amazing to see that steep and narrow river literally filled with women. Support and laughter were in no short supply as we boofed and slid our way through the rapids. We eventually arrived at the last rapid, Hammer Factor, and reunited with the ladies who had hiked out. They were there swimming, jumping and cheering as we all came through. 

At the takeout we cracked open some refreshments, ate snacks and spent time enjoying each other's company. Phone numbers were exchanged and plans for future paddling trips were made. We wrapped up the day with a raffle to raise money for the Shannon Christy Memorial Fund, a fund to support women in paddle sports. We had some awesome prizes to raffle off, including a Seals Sprayskirt,  Astral Designs Shoes, Adventure Technology Paddle and much more! In the end, we raised over $800 for the Shannon Christy Memorial Fund! 

The energy felt during this day on the river is empowering, but silly at the same time. It's confidence building through laughter and friendship. It's female kayakers of all ages and experience levels coming together to strengthen the community and build bonds that can last a lifetime. It's awesome! 

The event was made possible with the support of Dagger Kayaks and AT Paddles, along with a number of other local sponsors including Astral Designs, The French Broad River Academy, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Girls at Play, Seals Sprayskirts, Mountain Khakis, Mountain River Tap and Growlers, and of course our amazing shuttle bunnies. Thanks to all the ladies who came out! I cannot wait to come together on the river again at the 2016 Green River Takeover! 

If you want to learn more about what this day was all about, check out this awesome Blue Ridge Outdoors article by Takeover participant Jess Daddio and this sweet video from the day made by Daniel Brasuell!  

My First Great Falls Race!

Steven Augustine heading into the back canyon during the Great Falls Race 2015

A few weeks ago I experienced what was one of my most fun weeks of the year, and surprisingly enough it involved me being in DC working 8 hours a day! It was the week leading up to the Great Falls Race and started off with my first time running the Fish Ladder section of the Falls followed by an evening watching fireworks from my kayak with friends in from out of town.

Fireworks over our Nation's capitol

Steve, Erin and Toby (all good friends from NC) were working from home from my house for the week so that we could all get evening practice laps on the falls. Everyday the team would pick me up from work loaded down with kayaks and a cooler of beer and snacks to head out to the river. Getting to paddle Class 5 rapids after working a full day was pretty awesome! It really highlighted just how special having a place like Great Falls in your backyard is and how fun it is to have friends in town! 

Paddling into the takeout at Angler's after an evening lap on the falls

After a week of good times with good friends, it was finally time for the race! We loaded up one final time on Steve's truck and headed to the park. The parking lot was filled to the brim with kayaks on roofs and scroungy kayakers walking around getting geared up. 

We all met for a short safety meeting and were told about the race logistics. The Men's longboat would go first followed by the Women's Open Class then the Short boat and Slalom competitions. There were over 60 competitors total with  After the meeting, everyone headed out to squeeze in a practice lap or two before the race started. 

Fellow Dagger Team member Brad McMillan seal launching in after his practice lap

My practice lap went great, nice and smooth. I was feeling strong at the starting line when it was my turn to go fast. My lines through the first and second slides and the back canyon went well, and I cleaned up some of the moves I had been struggling with. I was feeling good coming into the fifth slide which had been a line I was styling all week. During the race however, I got pushed a little right and ended up in the river right eddy, which was only a problem because the finish line was on river left! Having to work my way up the eddy then ferry across the river to make my way to the finish cost me too much time to be competitive in the race, but it was still one of the most fun races I have been part of. Check out all the lines below! 

A racer makes his way from the first slide to the second slide 

Race Champion Geoff Calhoun enters the back canyon

A racer about to enter the meat of the back canyon

A racer moving fast towards the 5th slide

A racer moving towards the finish line in the 5th slide

I ended up placing third behind Moriah Heaney and Erin Savage, but one of the best parts of the race was getting to compete was these awesome ladies! I am already can't wait for next year's Great Falls Race. Put it on your calendar!

The Ladies Class! 

Karl's Story: Why Everyone Should Rescue a Dog

This is a post I recently wrote for Dublin Dog, a company that makes awesome products for adventurous dogs and their owners. I thought it was worth a share here and an opportunity to show off pictures of what I think is the most handsome dog in the world!

Finding a Home- A Dog’s Perspective

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” 
― Karen Davison

I spent the first six months of my life living on the streets. Life was lonely.  I didn’t have anyone to play with me or take me places or pet me. In order to find food I had to search all over, sometimes in peoples’ trash or eating random scraps I found on the street. The nights were cold, and I liked to hide under cars to stay warm and protect myself. Eventually, I found me way to a mountain where some really nice humans lived. And one day, one of them even took me home and gave me food and a warm place to sleep.

At first I didn’t know how to take it; I was timid and even afraid to go inside the house. I had never lived inside a house before. I got really excited whenever I heard the food being poured into the bowl (and lets be honest, I still do) because I knew that meant I was going to get to eat and I didn’t even have to dig in the trash to get it.  The humans liked to pet and play with me and started calling me Karl. I had never had a name before, but I grew to like the name Karl and started coming when they called it.  I even got this cool collar with my name on it.

This one human named Laura seems to really like me and takes me on all kinds of adventures with her. Sometimes she takes me on hikes in the mountains, where I get to run free and sniff everything. I love hiking. Other times, I go with her while she rides her mountain bike and I chase after her from behind. And other days, she takes me to the river while she goes kayaking and I hang out and wait for her to come back to take me for a swim. After a long day of adventuring, I love laying on the rug and sleeping by the fire.

I have also had the chance to make lots of new dog friends and I love going on walks, chasing sticks and running around the woods with all my friends, humans and dogs alike.

While I try to be the best puppy I can, sometimes I still make mistakes. But Laura loves me anyway. She never gets too angry with me and always seems happy to see me. Life with Laura is awesome. I am so thankful to finally have a home and my very own human to play and cuddle and adventure with. Maybe one day all dogs living on the street will be as lucky as me!

-Karl

Finding a Dog- A Human’s Perspective

“Dogs have a way of finding people who need them and filling an emptiness we didn’t even know we had.” –Author Unknown

For the past few years, I have been dreaming about getting a dog, but because I travel a lot for work, I never actually considered it. That is, until the day when a starved and flea infested puppy showed up on the mountain where I was living. Within minutes, he found his way into my heart.

I decided to call him Karl. My plan was to get him cleaned up and up to date on shots, while I worked to find him a home. As it turns out, giving a dog away after naming and falling in love with it is easier said than done, and before long I was scheming ways I could keep him. Thankfully, I have some amazing friends who live on the same mountain where Karl was found and they offered to be his stand-in parents anytime I was working out of town. And with that, Karl found his forever home(s).

For the past two months, pretty much everywhere I’ve gone, Karl has gone with me. I am a big outdoors-woman and love to go adventuring outside. It’s been awesome having a permanent side kick as Karl always seems game for anything. We go hiking in the mountains often. Being part hound, Karl loves to sniff and exploring the woods seems to be one of his favorite past times. Recently I've been training him to go mountain biking with me. Thus far, he’s been a fast learner and keeps up following right behind me while I cruise along the trail.

In the outdoor world, I am best known for my pursuits in whitewater kayaking so its good that Karl seems to enjoy being a river dog. He has been riding with me to the river, hanging out at the take out and watching over the truck, enjoying pets from all the kayakers that wander by. He has yet to go down the river with me, but he’ll have some good role models out there to show him the way if he ever wants to. Here’s a video of my friend’s dog running, swimming and riding down the Green River Narrows in Western North Carolina- http://vimeo.com/79522477

There have of course been some trials and tribulations in owning a puppy. He’s had accidents in the house (fingers crossed we’re past that!), scratches and barks and jumps and all those things puppies love to do. But my love for that handsome little dog is unfailing; My life has a new meaning that I never could have expected a dog to bring me and while he might feel like I rescued him, I know I'm really the one winning in this arrangement. I cannot wait for the many many years of adventures Karl and I have in our future!

-Laura

Many dogs that live on on the streets end up in shelters around the country. Consider making your next dog a shelter dog. Adopt today, you wont regret it!