Call for artists

Looks like the Liquidlogic folks are looking for art work for their new facility outside of Asheville.
Check out Shane's blog for details.
http://shanesliquidlogic.blogspot.com/2013/02/open-call-for-art-proposals.html

Awareness in the midst of the Experience

"When I was at Eiheiji monastery in Japan, everyone was just doing what he should do.  That is all.  It is the same as waking up in the morning; we have to get up.  At Eiheiji monastery, when we had to sit, we sat; when we had to bow to Buddha, we bowed to Buddha.  That is all.  And when we were practicing, we did not feel anything special.  We did not even feel that we were leading a monastic life.  For us, the monastic life was the usual life, and the people who came from the city were unusual people.  When we saw them we felt, 'Oh, some unusual people have come!'

But once I had left Eiheiji and been away for some time, coming back was different.  I heard the various sounds of practice - the bells and the monks reciting the sutra - and I had a deep feeling.  There were tears flowing out of my eyes, nose, and mouth!  It is the people who are ouside of the monastery who feel its atmosphere.  Those who are practicing actually do not feel anything.  I think this is true for everything.  When we hear the sound of a pine tree on a windy day, perhaps the wind is just blowing, and the pine tree i just standing in the wind.  That is all that they are doing.  But the people who listen to the wind in the tree will write a poem, or will feel something unusual.  That is, I think, the way everything is."


pp. 87-88
"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind"
by Shunryu Suzuki
ISBN 13: 978-1-59030-267-5

LiquidLogic Grand Canyon Winter Assault 2013

2013 Liquid Logic Grand Canyon Expedition from Russ Langley on Vimeo.

film/slideshow by Russ Langley on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/58010609 Nice edit Russ!!! Great crew!! Great trip this year!

Preserve the Upper Animas for the future

Some CO boaters are being proactive about the status of the upper Animas from Silverton down to about half way to Durango....


Private boater support for Wild and Scenic Designation of the Upper Animas River Petition | GoPetition

Essentially, the petition is a statement that the current access and flow schedule is preferred.  So, why sign the petition?  You should look at (and hopefully sign) the petition because water rights in western states like Colorado are constantly changing, particularly as more and more real estate is developed.  It would be a shame if the further development of the Animas Valley would have a negative impact on water flowing in the river; particularly since the development is often from out of state developers for out of state owners of vacation homes who's perspective and care is often only for the two weeks each year they are in the valley.

Gear that fits in a LL RemixXP10 for a 12 day trip

on this last Grand Canyon trip.  Other than the food that fit in three drybags (from another post), here is the list of things that I brought on the trip...

Main paddling gear:
* Kokatat Gore-Tex Meridian Dry Suit (GMER)
* Smartwool Men's NTS Mid 250 Long top and bottom (2 sets)
* Smartwool Hiking Medium Crew socks (3 sets)
* Heavy weight fleece bunny suit (a real heavy weight one, not a power-stretch or anything too techy because the point is to have loft and thickness)
* Silicone swim cap (largest size possible, and one that covers ears can be folded up above ears, but nice to have the option).
* Latex kitchen gloves or chemical gloves (best base layer for hands that keeps wind and sun off of skin, which tends to dry out and crack on a trip like this).
* Neoprene Pogies.
* IR Shockwave skirt. (2 - one for me and one for the group, just in case...)

* Astral Brewer shoes.

* NRS Wingman knife

* Stohlquist Descent PFD

extras kept inside boat for super cold days:

* Fleece or neoprene skull cap.
* Neoprene gloves.

extra layers for cold days on water or in camp:
* Cheap mid-weight fleece vest
* Mid-weight fleece pants.
* Mid/heavy weight fleece pullover top

campsite clothing that I changed into a.s.a.p. to let boating gear dry:
* 700 fill down jacket.
* Waterproof hiking sneakers.
* Winter hat & gloves

(the mistake I made on this trip is that my hat did not cover the bottom of my ear lobes.  Because of this, I had a little bit of cold/sun damage on my ears)

* Lightweight rain jacket and pants (act as windbreaker or rain protection when needed).

campsite shelter and insulation:

*Big Agnes Jack Rabbit 2 person tent

*Mountain Hardware Lamina 0 degree sleeping bag

*ThermaRest NeoAir XTherm compact mattress

*Cheap minicell camping pad (made a good clean place to sort gear and supplementary warmth under the ThermaRest pad.  I kept it on the stern deck)

personal hygiene and safety:

* toothbrush & toothpaste

* 3 oz. hand lotion (applied every evening and morning)

* chapstick (with sunscreen)

* wet wipes (2 for every morning)

* small bottle biodegradable camp soap

* small bottles of hand sanitizer (3 travel size)

* Petzl Tikka XP2 headlamp 

* Petzl Zipka headlamp (backup)

* 6 extra AA batteries

* small bottle multi vitamins

* fingernail clippers

* swiss army knife

personal first aid kit:

* Adventure Medical Kits "World Travel" first aid kit

* Zicam rapid melts

* Mucinex DM

* Aleve

* Neosporin

* signal mirror

cook kit:

* JetBoil Sol

with Sumo 1.8L fluxring companion cup

* Alite Cloverware 4in1 utensil set

* 5 small canisters JetBoil all season fuel

* MSR 6 liter dromedary bag

* Nalgene 1 liter water bottle

* Katadyn Pocket ceramic water filter

* Sea-To-Summit Kitchen Sink 20 liter folding bucket

* REI Flexlite chair

drybags to put everything in (including the food from a previous post):

* 2 Watershed Ocoee drybags (food bags behind seat)

* 1 Watershed Aleutian Deck Bag (on bow deck)

* 1 Watershed Salmon stowfloat bag (in bow)

* 1 Watershed Big Creek backback drybag (in bow)

* SeaToSummit eVent compression sack (medium) for sleeping bag

* SeaToSummit Lightweight Dry Sacks (2-4 liter bags, 2-8 liter bags, 2-13 liter bags, 2-20liter bags)

personal waste management:
* special groover that fits in bow wall of Remix XP10
* roll of toilet paper
* 24 wet wipes

Our group had 4 different extra break-apart paddles and one extra PFD.

Everyone had at least a small First Aid Kit and one person had a major med. First Aid Kit.

6 people had water filters, and 4 other people had folding buckets for letting silt-laden water settle before filtering. 

The trip leader had a satellite phone.  

At least one other person had a signal mirror.

Three people had SPOT gps devices.

LGCWA 2013 photos

Paddlers from the Jan 1 - 12 trip with RemixXP10s have been uploading photos to individual galleries all week.  Here is a link.

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/LGCWA2013

It was a great trip.  We were lucky to have warm weather (for winter) on many days and an incredible crew with which to share the experience.

New Year's Day

was the last full day on the river two years ago.  The air was warm, and everyone was in a bit of a party mood at the end of this trip.

At the end of the next day, everyone was checking their email and social networks.  We learned that the Liquid Logic crew had just launched their trip on that day.  It's pretty cool how they have turned it into an annual trip.

Tequila Beach

Havasu II

Havasu

Matkatamiba

Deer Creek Logic

Deer Creek

Camp 118.6

(actually, it's Big Dune)

Elves Chasm (looking out)

Elves Chasm (looking in)

Winter Canyon

New Year's Eve - Grand Canyon Launch Day Eve

I hope that everyone has had a good year, both on and off the water.
Have fun tonight.  Be safe.

Happy to say that I am with the Liquid Logic crew, getting prepared for tomorrow morning's inspection by NPS so we can get the green light to launch the 12 day trip through the Grand Canyon.

As a celebration of this trip, I have queued up the first 12 photogravures that were made from my last trip through the canyon.  They will show up, one per day, in order but not necessarily in coordination with the current trip (tough to predict exactly where we will be each day).  I hope you enjoy them.  The new(er) batch of photogravures will pop up over on the ARTandWATER blog.

titled "Campsite Quanta"

Food for the Grand Canyon self-support trip.

After multiple emails, with different suggestions, I went to the internet to research what minimalist backpackers, whitewater kayaking multi-day trip folks, and the average 3 day weekend hiker used to make their menus on exciting adventures.
 Needless to say, I was totally confused.
 This forced me to stop everything and focus on three questions:
1. How do I normally eat when I'm focused on one long-term project?
2. What am I willing to eat for 12 days in a row?
3. How can I dress it up a bit so it's not totally boring?

I added a few things in the end, but the photos below are a great representation of how I answered those questions when packing for this 12 day Grand Canyon trip that launches on January 1, 2013 with the LiquidLogic crew.

3 packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast
(390 - 480 calories depending on flavor)

Lots of dried fruit and nuts

(17,000 calories total divided by 12 equals 1400 calories per day)

(352g protein total divided by 12 equals 23g protein per day)

(it's difficult to believe, but I double checked everything on the labels)

All the dried fruit and nuts (from the previous picture) mixed up in equal parts (mostly) for each day

1 big protein bar and 1 small balanced bar for each day
(each Big protein bar has 400 calories with 30g protein)
(each Small bar has 170 calories with 10g protein)

"Dinner" options
(I felt I needed some hot food, and some carbs mixed in with all this protein)
(The bags of dehydrated carrots, tomatoes, and celery mix in with all this stuff nicely)
(Each item pictured has 400 - 500 calories)
(the summer sausage and cheese each have about 25 g protein)

All the food fit inside 2 Watershed Ocoee drybags and 1 SeaToSummit 13Liter drybag, which fits very easily in the Remix XP10.
(While I was packing my boat, I stuffed the cracks between drybags with extra random food that was in sealed plastic bags.  It was mostly light stuff like vegetable soup mix and minute rice.)

Attention Canadian Boaters and Artists....

http://www.banff.ca/index.aspx?NID=846

Banff is accepting applications for your work to be part of a public art project.

http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/2012/10/18/a-call-to-artists-is-out-for-banffs-latest-public-art-pieces

Photography, painting, printmaking, whatever.....
If it involves Banff, and you are from the Great White North, then you are eligible to apply. 

Help the Farmington River

Support the Wild and Scenic designation for the Lower Farmington River (see attached document for details). This designation would be great for paddling on the Farmington and especially Tariffville gorge.

 American Whitewater supports the effort: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31537/

 If you would, please comment in support of the designation (Alternative B), they're running out of time for comments, closing date is October 17th. You don't need to say much, offering your support is a big help! parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=261&projectID=35651&documentID=48466

How The Earth Was Made

has a segment that features the Grand Canyon and Wayne Ranney.




Wayne has a cool geology blog.
He is from Flagstaff, and is an avid hiker/explorer who knows the canyon well.

Check it out!

 http://earthly-musings.blogspot.com/

Grand Canyon Trip Jan 1, 2013

For the past few years, the Liquid Logic crew has organized a self-support trip through Marble and Grand Canyons in the winter. 

http://kayakcamping.amongstit.com/

http://www.astralbuoyancy.com/news/expedition/grand-canyon-first-time-reflections/

http://www.teamliquidlogic.com/self-support-grand-canyon

This year, I am on the trip list.  Deposit is in, and plans are made.   I am very excited to get back into The Canyon!!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artandwater/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

RapidBlocs

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2012/08/the-lego-like-building-blocks-of-the-olympic-slalom-canoe/

Olympic WW events start on Sunday

http://www.nbcolympics.com/canoe-kayak/results-schedules/index.html

http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/day=july-29/index.html

http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Canoe-Kayak.aspx

Support our USA C2 Olympic boat!!!

http://erichurd.me/

They have tshirts.......

or, if you just are feeling the Olympic spirit and want to donate a dollar or two....

http://erichurd.me/

Living the life

http://youtu.be/32POS8sanY8

Nick Gottlieb having fun getting it done.

Wild Fire Tees

http://www.wildfiretees.com/

The wild fires in Colorado have taken their toll on the state's resources, cost property and lives.

These creative people have come together to raise money to help with the fire fighting and recovery effort.  

Go to the website and check it out!

New designs are constantly being added.

You get cool tshirts and the good feeling that you are helping.

If you like these prints...

12 photogravures of the Grand Canyon

12 cyanotypes of the Grand Canyon

... then you only have 16 days left to make your claim,
which will help make sure the project continues to completion,
and you can receive either one of the originals,
or one of the archival digital reprints,
in the Grand Canyon Gravure project.
The choice is yours.

Click this link to sign up:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1064313302/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

Global Water

http://www.globalwater.org/

Dam removal

Rumor has it that the T'ville dam removal starts tomorrow.
I'm excited to see what rapids lie beneath the pond.

Tshirts and Art

It's all or nothing.
If the goal is not reached, the project does not get finished!
A "pledge" means that you are not charged for this right now.  It will only happen when the goal is reached at the end of the month.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1064313302/grand-canyon-gravure?ref=card

$25 or more and you get an ARTandWATER cotton tshirt.
(Stickers too?  Sure, why not.  Everyone likes stickers)

When the project is funded, you will receive a private message so we can discuss tshirt size, design, and color.




http://youtu.be/GSiUtzT5Kz4

Grand Canyon Gravure project

http://kck.st/LwzeJr
The goal is to collect the materials to get this project finished.
It is at it's half way point and I want to keep the momentum going!
Thanks to people who have let me borrow equipment this summer,
allowed me to find work space,
and encouraged me to keep going I think that the finish line is in sight.

Watch the video.

Click the links.

Share share share to anyone who might be interested!

(there are some really good deals for those who choose to be a part of finishing this project)

Maine boaters just get it

http://www.maineriverlife.com/video/2nd-annual-huck-fest/ The entire lifestyle and fun attitude.

Remains Of A River (trailer)

Remains of a River Trailer from NRS Films on Vimeo.

This film is being shown in episodes on Vimeo. It is about a journey on the Colorado River from source to sea. Well, ALMOST to the sea, since the Colorado River does not reach the sea as the demands for water are high enough that it dries up before it can get to the sea.

Hawaii bans plastic bags

according to this article from  Surfrider Foundation
http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/hawaii-becomes-the-first-state-in-the-u.s.-to-ban-plastic-bags

 Plastics degrade at an incredibly slow rate in landfills, but even slower in the ocean so the accumulation is greater.  Here is a conservative explanation by NOAA.
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plastic.html

A big topic of conversation these days is the "garbage patch" in the mid-Pacific gyre.
Again, here is a link to NOAA for a less reactionary explanation. 
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html
NOAA is a government organization staffed by scientists, thus tend to not make hyperbolic statements.

Whether you think that giant piles of plastic garbage are rapidly killing off marine life, which in turn is having a negative impact on the food chain to which we are directly linked, or if you think that a little garbage is floating in the ocean, doesn't it make sense to pay attention to how many plastic bags you are using?

I am constantly amazed that the default mode for cashiers is to put everything in a bag.  If I carry two small items from the shelf to the cash register, then why do they need to go in a bag?  It's a waste. 

Jamie McEwan: An Accidental Olympian

http://youtu.be/Dv9DUvGVYuQ

Westbrook River Park

http://184.154.226.19/~westbro7/

Southern Maine project in which the idea is to do more than put in a boring old fish ladder.


The fish ladder is great as it will allow upstream fish passage.  But, with the growing popularity of whitewater boating over the past couple of generations, several boaters have taken their love for playing with fast-moving water to school, earned engineering degrees, and become whitewater park designers.   These whitewater parks create structures which more closely mimic a natural river than the old-style fish ladders.  These improved fish ladder / whitewater parks have become very attractive to towns interested in renewing interest in forgotten river corridors, often resulting in great quality of life improvements for that town.

Whitewater park designers carefully consider the positive impact such restoration projects have on fish habitat.
http://www.boaterparks.com/Web%20fish%20report.pdf

Here is an example of Recreational Engineering and Planning's proposal in Michigan.
http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_planning/Environment/hrimp/Documents/AnnArbor_final_conceptdesign.pdf

A project in CA is gaining ground because of the balanced plan that addresses the concerns of boaters, fishermen, environmentalists, and the general population of the town.
http://www.kernvilleriversidepark.com/PlanStreambed.htm

The Tulsa whitewater park project
http://tulsawhitewaterpark.com/faq/

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/stewardship:whitewater_parks

Vote for this image and be awesome

This is the link to the contest.  Enjoy the images.  Vote for mine if you find yourself compelled to help.
http://www.photocircle.org/contests/6/


All proceeds of this contest go to benefit The Freshwater Trust.

Colorado River a major economic attraction

"Among the study’s key findings, river-related recreation in the six-state region:

• Supports 234,000 jobs across Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming
• Produces $26 billion in economic output
• Generates $17.0 billion in retail sales
• Out performs regional farming revenues by 14.6% on average
• Contributes $3.2 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue annually
• Provides enough state and local tax revenues to fund over 29,000 teacher positions
• Creates $10.4 billion in annual earnings, salaries, and wages" 

source:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31374/

Navigation, not just for fish

This is an effort to raise awareness of a simple concept:
If a fish ladder must be installed
Then why not one that acts more like a natural river?
It looks better.
It creates recreational opportunities in the local community.
It is safer.
Whitewater park engineers are the ones who know how to do this.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/a-passageway-for-fish-why-not-for-kayakers__2012-05-01.html

Repost the above link to your Facebook, Google+, or any forums in which you participate.  Local people are trying to make the plans for an ugly concrete fish ladder into something more sensible.  This will benefit ww boaters.  This will benefit fish.  This will benefit the local community far beyond boaters and fishermen.

Here is a link to a study re: fish stream habitat and ww parks.  You'll see the careful attention that ww park engineers give fish habitat,  and how much better ww features are vs. typical concrete steps.
http://www.boaterparks.com/Web%20fish%20report.pdf

2012 N.E.W. Triple Crown Championships

("Tville Triple Crown")



This is an unedited batch of photos. I rushed to post them online for those who were anxious to see images from the weekend. I will color correct and crop over the next few weeks. When finished, I'll replace the photos in this gallery with their corrected images.

Full results are up on the event's website
http://www.tvilletriplecrown.com/tvilletriplecrown.com/Results_2012.html

Saturday morning started a little chilly, but the competitors warmed up with 5 minute races in wildwater boats. By the time second runs of slalom came around the sun had warmed up the Tville Gorge, and the rest of the weekend saw perfect mid-Spring weather for boating. Several spectators commented that the new parking shuttle setup made getting to the event much easier than the past three years.

If the slideshow is not working for your javascript settings, you can use this link to go directly to the gallery and see individual photos. http://artandwater.smugmug.com/Whitewater/2012-New-England-Whitewater/

Team USA needs some support

http://www2.teamusa.org/Home/USA%20Canoe%20Kayak/Case%20for%20Support.aspx

because our beautiful little ww sport does not have the same corporate support that other summer Olympic sports have. It is nice to be one of the last genuinely amateur sports out there, but the price that is paid for being so cool is lack of money. Pass the above link along to friends and family who know about your ww adventures and tell them that this is in the OLYMPICS this summer and that Team USA needs support; be it $5 or $500,000.

N.E.W. Triple Crown Championships

http://www.tvilletriplecrown.com

This is the fourth year that freestyle, slalom, and wildwater boaters have competed against each other in all three disciplines for an overall prize of $1000 in both women's and men's divisions.

Sign up to compete, or go to the T'ville Gorge on the Farmington River in central Connecticut to watch the show!!!

Making a Two-Part breakapart paddle

Here is a link to a terrific article on making your own breakdown paddle out of an old paddle.

http://wheelsandwater.blogspot.com/2011/06/making-breakdown-paddle.html

NPR story on Olympic hopeful slalom boater

Devin McEwan

titled, "Kayaker Hopes To Follow In Dad's Olympic Shoes"

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/01/147752416/whitewater-kayaker-hopes-to-follow-in-dads-olympic-shoes

WW Boater going to Belize to be more than just a tourist

Bryan Griesemer will join a team of health care professionals to help improve the quality of life in rural Belize.

Click this first link and read his plan. It's a good one.

http://sundogphilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/12/lets-join-forces-to-help-community-in.html?spref=fb

This next link is for those who are willing to support Bryan's efforts by donating to MedicForce (a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, thus tax deductable). When you do decide to donate please be sure to include the name Bryan Griesemer in the memo section, so they know to let him know that his friends are helping (I believe the amount you donate is kept private, but letting Bryan know that you are helping only encourages him to continue doing good things like this in the future)

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jonathon-bryant/medicforcebelize4

London 2012

http://www.london2012.com/canoe-slalom

Olympic Whitewater Slalom

Condit Dam explosion

boater & film maker trying to get the project off the ground

he's close to the fundraising goal on kickstarter, so chip in and help Jack reach the goal so he can complete this project.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1054213271/wild-home?ref=video

paintings scanned and reproduced on canvas

"Spring Thaw"
12" x 15"




"Red Wave"
12" x 12"




"What Is Dangerous, What Is Not"
12" x 12"


makes them much easier to share, a bit smaller AND less expensive than the originals.

I have coated them with some textured clear acrylic so they actually look like paintings (and are protected from the elements)

New Uranium Mining near and in Grand Canyon?

https://secure3.convio.net/lcv/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=608

The above link is for those who'd like to sign a petition to stop any new mining in and around the Grand Canyon.

As the march of "progress" continued the Grand Canyon was chosen for preservation so that it could be enjoyed as it is in a natural state. The theory being that some places are just too spectacular to be destroyed. A left leaning liberal arguement would be that we have done enough damage to the environment, and need to stop the trend of mining at all costs. A right leaning arguement is more fiscally driven and uses the rational "conservative" means being cautious and slow moving because we don't need to just jump right in a raid our country's resources in a haphazard fashion. In short, there are mines that exist, and technology that is being developed that would make this type of mining uneccessary.

Regardless of your political leaning, I think that you can agree that the Grand Canyon, as a national treasure, and one of the great natural wonders of the world, is one of the last places that we need to exploit for energy needs. Let's look elsewhere, and preserve the Grand Canyon for future generations.

Arbesman Photo

http://www.arbesmanphoto.com/#/page/kayaking/

Photos (and other media) from 2011 New England Whitewater Triple Crown Championships

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/Whitewater

The above link takes you to a page with all of the photos taken over the weekend before they are edited, cropped, color corrected, and otherwise manipulated.

Each day's gallery should be in event order: Wildwater, Slalom, then Freestyle.





Fox News at the event

Local Simsbury Coverage of the event

Haley Mills shares here experience as a competitor at the Triple Crown

Hartford Courant photos from Triple Crown

Women's competition on YouTube from Wavehopper


Top Results:

Women
1. Emily Jackson ($1,000 award)
2. Katrina Van Wijk ($500 award)
3. Jessie Stone ($250 award)

Men
1. Nick Troutman ($1,000 award)
2. Dan Jackson ($500 award)
3. Bryan Kirk ($250 award)

Top C-1
Jordan Poffenberger ($500 award)

click this link to go to the official event website

Jim O'Brien Memorial Paddle on Sunday, March 20

obboats.com

quoted from the website:

"Jim O’Brien Memorial Paddle will be on Sunday March 20th on the Knightville section of the Westfield River. A meet time of 11:00am should work well. Hoping to organize a little after paddle picnic for those who would like to stick around. Come join us in remembering a great friend."

N.E.W. Championships is only one month away !!!

Tville Triple Crown website

The first two years of this event proved to be fun and exciting for competitors and spectators alike. Locals and pros go head to head in three discliplines to see how they stack up against each other in individual sports as well as overall.

Here are some photos from last year

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/Whitewater/NEW-Triple-Crown-2010-Sunday/11811828_WLUpe#834721177_LScyc

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/Sports/NEW-Triple-Crown-2010-Saturday/11806255_UiUjv#834383250_pWRmZ

how much do you know about water?

http://www.worldwaterwars.com/

http://www.tvilletriplecrown.com/tvilletriplecrown.com/Home.html

Grand Canyon sketchbook direct link

It is 48 pages long.
32 pages are full-page drawings.
It is a visual diary.

I'll leave this direct link up for only a short time, but I wanted boaters to be able to get this for a serious discount.
Feel free to share this link and discount code. But, I'd prefer it only goes to boaters. Non-whitewater folks can buy this through the normal Amazon.com channel when that page is complete.

https://www.createspace.com/3557001

use this discount code below to get $2 off retail price

ZJ6ZRMRE


search for the book using the ISBN: 978-0615444055

New Year's Day celebration on the Grand Canyon

December 30 & 31 were cold, particularly at night. Everyone was tired, so we did an east coast standard time countdown on New Year's Eve (sort of). The next day was mostly flatwater. Everyone tied their kayaks to the rafts and hopped on board for a liesurely float. The sun broke through the clouds. By mid-day, most people were stripped down for the mild temps. It turned into a very silly, exceptionally fun celebration of the new year.

here is a link to an animated gif from that day

http://artandwater.100waves.com/NewYearsDayGCdance.gif

Grand Canyon sketchbook and Art Tour

click the link to see information on the tour
http://arthousecoop.com/submissions/18632-it-must-be-done-better-a-grand-canyon-trip











http://arthousecoop.com/submissions/18632-it-must-be-done-better-a-grand-canyon-trip

search for the book using the ISBN: 978-0615444055

Grand Canyon photos

will be added in this gallery
http://artandwater.smugmug.com/GrandCanyonDec2010Jan2011
as each person in our group gets their own photos edited.

Check back every few days for the next three weeks to see who added a new gallery.

first photos from the Grand Canyon

http://artandwater.smugmug.com/GrandCanyonDec2010Jan2011/Scotts-small-camera/15337713_9it9j#1147735100_4AGpU

the Olympus camera only worked for about 4 days, but I got a shot or two that are nice.
The big SLR photos will take some work and I'll post them in a few weeks.

Grand Canyon trip equipment supplier

http://www.CanyonREO.com/

and some useful links that I'm modifying this post with
(there were on NPMB and useful to me and others over the past year for getting useful beta about GC trips)
http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?164593.pos

http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?158914.0

http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?186512.0

and always worth doing a search on MountainBuzz.com

Housatonic

by Arshile Gorky



is in tonights Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction
(estimates between $800,000 and $1.2 million)

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=41971

Grand Canyon launch date December 19

My friend pulled a permit last month for a Grand Canyon trip. In truth, I got a permit, and another friend on this trip got a permit. Three of us had applied, thinking we might have a chance to go this winter. Apparently the usual plans for Christmas and New Year's Eve are more exciting than a Grand Canyon trip, for most people. Considering how long many people wait to get on the canyon, I am a bit surprised that we were actually turning down two permits so we could all go on one.

After the initial excitement/confusion we decided that everyone on this trip needs to have a drysuit. I can't imagine winter paddling without one. I've used bibs that roll into a drytop, but it still does not compare to the comfort and actual dryness of a drysuit. I have an NRS Inversion Drysuit, that works well. A few people have Kokatat Meridian Drysuits, and we will order some of the new Level6 Barrier Drysuit

Two weeks (or more) in a drysuit made me wonder how to keep clean and dry. A drysuit will keep the river water out, but there is bound to be perspiration that will not totally escape, no matter how "breathable" a suit it. After hearing several suggestions of alcohol, or other wipe down scenarios for feet, pits, etc, the simplest solution came from a local Housatonic River paddler who was on the canyon two winters ago. He brought a new pair of wool socks for every day of the trip. Foot rot is a real issue for boaters. I thought that this sock idea made perfect sense. I'm going to add one or two extra layers of polypro base to be kept with the clean socks. Having a dry, clean base layer will go a long way towards maintaining comfort and cleanliness.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Lock 32 WW Park

they did it low cost, grassroots, turning a forgotten, overgrown backwater into a terrific teaching and training spot

Lock 32 Documentary from Hope Alive Media on Vimeo.

A short documentary focusing on the designing and building of Lock 32 White Water Park in Pittsford, New York.

Bottled Water

Deerfield River Festival July 31, 2010

Sheepscot Surfing Point-Of-View Camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQVakLM3oWQ

Is the Madboy a true Creek boat?

How does the Dragorossi, Madboy handle as a creeker? I have gotten this question asked of me many times over the last year and a half to two years that I have been paddling it. For me I absolutely love it as my creek boat. I feel that finally a company made a class V slalom boat. By that I mean very edgy compared to the modern standard of creek boats, a longer stern for sweeping around in quick tight S-turn style moves, but still have the volume that I need to float me safely in a class V creek setting. I understand that this is not most people’s preference when it comes to choosing a creek boat and because of that I try not to recommend it as such to beginning creek boaters. However for those of you that have some years of experience in a slalom boat and like the creeks or you are just a solid kayaker (or I suppose C1er) that is looking to make their home creek a little more playful the Madboy may be the boat for you. Disclaimer: playful: turning your creeks eddies into slalom gates, rockspins/wheels, freewheels, and big hole fun. This is not a playboat by any means.

I have had the advantage of having the Green River Narrows in my back yard for quite some time now. I know I will be contested for saying this, however the Narrows is one of the best “downriver play” rivers around. There are multiple high quality rockspins as well as two great freewheels. That does not include all the eddies there are to catch along the way and the couple descent waves to soul surf on. The edges are sharp at the ends of the bow and stern yet quite soft just in front of center. This allows paddlers to drive the boat into carves by leaning forward and engaging the edge. Having the edges soft just in front of center (where most of the paddlers weight is located) is what gives the Madboy its great initial and secondary stability. This transition from hard to soft edges allows for a smooth transition from the hard carve to charging downstream or just sitting in the eddy. The edges also allow for very playful soul surfing sessions from your small creek waves to your large volume river waves. The low sweeping progressive rocker helps give the Madboy its speed as well as its ability to boof and sweep over most holes. Keeping a larger volume bow with quick upturned bow help with getting over funny boily water as well as allowing it to surface smoothly and quickly. My personal favorite is how long and slicey the stern is. The stern really allows for sweeping pivot turns and squirting out of wave holes (if that’s your kind of thing). The length of the stern also allows for it’s ability to maintain its volume distribution for and aft.

Where the Madboy really excels is its ability to maintain speed and agility while running hard rapids. Do you like to catch a lot of eddies on the fly? Do you like to make a lot of S-turn moves? Do you like a boat that really helps you to use the rivers own features to enhance your own experience?

I would have loved to be able to have competed this year in the Green River Narrows giant slalom race to see how it would have compared. Fortunately I have been in California for almost a month testing it out on some bigger water as well as some multi day trips. The bigger water South Yuba and “Golden Gate” section of the South Fork of the American was not a problem at all. Punching large holes, grabbing diagonals and riding across them, crossing boily eddy lines, and large wave trains where par for both rivers. After getting a taste of some of the better day runs around it was time to really put the Madboy to the test. Loading her down for three days and two nights on the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American was the first time I had paddled the Madboy with weight other then that of myself and gear as well as my first aid drybag (Watershed, Ocoee). I weigh in at about 180 lbs. and had maybe 13-15 pounds of gear. I carried two Watershed, Ocoee duffels and one Futa float. One Ocoee contained my small camera, first aid kit, and food and snacks for the day (lunches included). The other contained my small cook pot with dinners (a combination of rice, ramen, and bratwursts), a spare set of clothes for camp, sunglasses, and my pen and journal. My Futa float had my 32-degree down sleeping bag, a lightweight nylon hammock and tarp, Thermarest, Neyolite sleeping pad, and a rain jacket for camp. As well as my three bags I carried a 1.5-liter water bottle, and a pair of Waldies for camp. I stowed the Futa on one side of my stern pillar and the lighter of the two Ocoee’s and my Waldies went into the other side. My water bottle went behind my seat and the heavier Ocoee I carried between my legs clipped to the center pillar in a way that it would fall out of the way incase of a swim.

I noticed the weight immediately. It made the boat a little slower and a little more edgy. Knowing I would be dealing with some bigger holes My aim was to keep as much weight close to the seat as possible as not to shift the for and aft balance of the boat. I honestly can’t say that the Madboy did not get the job done or that it was hard to get it done. That being said I sure wouldn’t have turned down the size of the Critical Mass if I had one to use. So far I have paddled the loaded Madboy for the three-day trip on the Royal, a two-day trip on Dinkey Creek, and another three-day trip down “Fantasy Falls” of the North Fork of the Mokelumne River. Admittedly hard committing runs, I would start to feel the edges more and more by the end of the third day but only in the sense that I was too tired to transition back off the edge and would be catching eddies I wasn’t planning on. I never got the random caught an edge and go over problems of some edgier boats. I still found the boat very agile while moving downstream but would feel the weight when I needed to accelerate quickly. Boofing still remained easy. The weight definitely did come in handy when charging downstream knowing that I had to break through that giant hole I was paddling towards. It may have been harder to get up to speed but once I was there the speed stayed and carried through features.

I still love the Madboy and would fully recommend it to the advanced creek boater who is of a similar build and doesn’t overnight on a regular basis. Although it works, when you are two days out in a class V gorge the size and ease of the Critical Mass make it the boat I would choose if I had the choice. Personally I just wish they made a larger version of the Madboy.

eskimo roll at camp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9XoXkd9EVc