Jeremy Adkins on boating in the SE
Posted in Blogroll - by snapdragon, on 18/06/2009
Finally a SPRING to remember!!!
The past few years have been rough for boaters in the Southeast, or should I say, DRY. Record levels in Alabama were set in some areas and everyone in the state was boating somewhere in the past few months. I really think we could have just logged most rivers paddled by a state in one day in the spring floods. WOW! After an incredibly long H2O hiatus, finally all levels of boaters were out having a good time on all levels of rivers. And for me, this opened up multiple opportunities to enjoy, for the fist time in years, warm paddling days in my local area.
Since I have actually been able to do several runs in the past few months in my Hero and All Star, I thought this a perfect time to write a little something on the boats, the different rivers I visited and how they compared on each run. So here we go:
All Star- Wow, in 20 years this is the first boat I have ever paddled where it is just right as it comes. No need to spend days and days outfitting…just unwrap and hop in. Perfect for road trips, this boat is easy to handle and has all the comfort any boater could want. The edges are great for carving to set up on the corners, yet wide enough for creating a stable platform to land on after tricks. This is great when you have generated speed in completion of each move. The volume is distributed in the right places therefore quite impressive in helping to retain balance on the surface, while allowing for better resurfacing as well as over-all river running. Thus aiding in better consistency in hitting bigger tricks and showing others what you are going to do next time when you roll up in the hole. With the Happy Seat and Happy Thruster combo keeping my skinny legs in the thigh hooks, making snappier loops was a synch. My favorite thing about the boat, however, is the downriver capability from just turning rapids to throwing big Macho Moves. By allowing me evenly distributed volume, stable ends and great inside comfort, this boat can throw some of the largest downriver moves I have ever been able to accomplish. Look out for new write-ups on the Triktionary.
Hero- This boat is absolutely perfect for the Southeastern United States. The boat is one of a kind combing 7’ 6” short length, speed, edge control and volume in the perfect mix. It is love at first SIT, as you will be in awe from the moment you settle into the boat. My advice, however, seek guidance on the outfitting system to help you understand how comfortable it can truly be. The boat touches on all major points of the body giving you the perfect contact. From the Sweet Cheeks & cushioned feet bulkhead to the backband system and hip pads, you will understand what I am talking about. The boat is firm, squishy and makes you feel like you can kayak all day without feeling the need to get out and stretch. There was one thing that I found surpriseng: To be so short, the speed of this boat was impressive. Its small length does however allow for turning on a dime making fast, tight technical moves easier to execute.
Easier to Hit = Better Lines. Well placed volume lets you sit a bit higher on the water not only giving you a better view point of the next feature, but also making resurfacing a breeze. The bulkhead system is meant to give way upon pinto impact, which worked great for me when those unfortunate lines snuck up. The relief of full impact and pressure on the ankles was well worth it.
As for life, it has been busy. With less kayak time due to lack of water this past year, it has given me the opportunity to focus on and make headway in several of my many projects. With NAWFest, (http://www.nawfest.com) behind me after having been the main focus of my time and energy for the past few months, I can breathe a bit easier, but not for too long before it all begins again. If you missed the festival, make sure to check out the pictures and see what all is going on. It is truly a lot of work but we have a great vision and ambition for what we want it to become. Come throw it down and earn some money if you think you can. With new gadgets come more projects making progressions. The Team rEvolution website is really coming along as it will soon be posted sometime in mid-summer for everyone to check out. But I must admitt, most of my year was dedicated working on the biggest, most difficult project of all…the Triktionary, World’s First Comprehensive Online Freestyle Trick Dictionary. It will soon reach a point where it will be updated frequently as key elements have put themselves in place to make it better. From new video cameras in HD, water levels staying good in the Southeast to old footage sent by Jackson athletes such Nick Troutman, Dustin Urban, Greg Parker, Jonathan Shales and others, the Triktionary is becoming the spot to view some of the more difficult tricks caught on film. If you are interested in contributing, please send anything you can to Flyinskeleton@cs.com. Going hand in hand with the Triktionary- Freestylekayakmoves.com is starting up and helping out with multiple examples of the moves. Besides that I have been busy working on some designs for Gaia Paddlesports’ Stow Float, a few more to be designed, soon to be out and some art designs for Shred Ready new custom graphics line. You can check out the art at Custom Helmet Art. If you are interested in getting one, please contact Team rEvolution member, Charlie Simmons, to help you along.
As for boating, it was great as we hit up Big Scirum that comes in right before Ender Hole. Even though it usually comes in at 3-4.5 feet on the Locust Fork gage, it finally hit 24 feet. Big Scirum is one of funniest quick runs in the state of Alabama. The day before we were on some of the Bama Boyz had to hike out due to extremely high levels. I met up with Timmy and broke out the headcam. This footage will soon be available on Alabama Whitewater as it will give first timers a first-person view of the drops. Each time I go boating, I hope to continue to update our home states river pages. After 2 runs we ran over scouted Blackburn, a little on the high side and thanks to upcoming trees, we really needed a crew of three. From there we went over to Fall Branch and shot the headcam of the drops and removed a few logs. This river is surprisingly fun and not very far away from my home.
After a great day of running Big Scirum we went to a fun, wide, play river know as the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior and it is one of the most popular rivers in the state and my personal favorite freestyle run in the Southeast. Comparable to a mini version of the Dries of the New it is challenging enough for the beginner/ intermediate paddler but in chance leaves something great for advanced paddlers as well. The run is short but has some of the most pristine surfing waves in the Southeast United States and a few surfing holes that dot the run at different levels. The waves were good on these days were called Joe Momma’s Hole, Lunch Stop (2.6- 5.2 ft.), Dessert Wave (5.5- 8.0 ft.), Mary’s Hole (1- 8 ft.), Doo Doo Hole (4- 6.5 ft.), Mini Garb (6- 8.5 ft.), Secret Wave (4- 6.5 ft.), Corner Pocket Wave (11- 15 ft.), Hawaii 5-0 (.3- 10.5 ft.), Joe Momma’s Butt (5- 12 ft.), Last but not Least/ Cat Gut (.3- 10.5 ft.). This river is truly one of a kind and one of the best unknown spots in the southeast not to mention all the different things we have seen floating down the river which over the years have included: trees, chicken house, BFI garbage cans, unopened cans of Slim Jims, oil canisters, kegs, boats, broken canoes, railroad ties, refrigerator, freezers, houses, big f trees, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls and many others. Make sure to go to Alabamawhitewater.com and look at the full write-up. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and videos from the week.
