Emily, Dane, Clay, Stephen, and I, hit the Green Narrows!

November 1, 2005

I was a nervous dad yesterday. I don’t know the
Green. I ran it in 1990 with Brian Homberg and Eric Giddens at high water
(really high water), and then I ran it in 1998 with Leland Davis and David
MacIntosh at 200%. Yesterday, we put on at 100% and I was a new river
to me. I recognized Gorilla and Sunshine, but that was it. Emily and Dane
paddled the Hero, Stephen, Clay, and I paddled the Super Hero. Austin,
a local kid paddled down with us as well.

The theme was scout, scout, and scout. If I am racing,
I need to learn the lines and there are a lot of rapids to learn! The
kids needed to see the lines and know for sure where to go. Both Austin
and Clay knew the lines well and we set safety where needed. Emily had
one bad line the whole day. She never flipped, but slammed Pin Cushion
rock pretty hard and went around it. Dane flipped once at the bottom of
Gorilla. Emily walked Gorilla and Dane was waiting to see if I wanted
him to run it or not. I was OK with him running it but he had to really
want to and be comfortable with it. It was the first time I saw him, “gear
up” for a rapid. Splashing water in his face, taking a deep breath,
and obviously getting psyched.

I was on shore for safety with a rope, Clay was in
the water below the Speed Trap. Dane ran off the “ramp” a
foot too far right and the curler at the bottom of the rain shower power
flipped him left. He rolled up after the Speed Trap and caught the eddy.
I ran up and then Stephen and I ran it. Our runs when really well. We
watched two people run the rapid above the “notch” upside
down right before we went adding to the excitement of it all.

Today we will go again, needing a little less scouting.
By Friday, we should know the river pretty well. The kids won’t
run with us after tomorrow, I don’t think, because Clay, Stephen,
and I will be running down without stopping and I don’t want the
kids doing that.

🙂 EJ