Little Hero on the Horizon

By Ruth Gordon

With the turn of the new year I spent some time this past week thinking about 2008; where I traveled to, who I met… a short inventory of my life in the last year. It turns out most of my paddling was based around playboating and the World Cup.

But there were two weeks before the World Cup that I joined Mariann Saether and Tyler Curtis in Norway to host a ladies week for Norway Daze. Not only did I get to enjoy Norway, but I also met some amazing female paddlers and had the chance to paddle the Hero on some unfamiliar water.

Stable and comfortable, in no time I felt right a home in a boat I was borrowing (the beauty of Jackson outfitting). With a planing hull and edges the Hero made moves like my playboat but cut through holes and resurfaced like a well build creekboat. For two weeks I boofed, dropped, eddied and ferried in the Hero and felt right at home.

2008 is now behind me and I’m looking into 2009. The little Hero is on the horizon and I’m excited to see how fun and easy it will be for me to paddle a smaller Hero after such success in the Hero. Stay tuned.

Photos: Tyler Curtis and Mariann Saether