Ode to the Whitewater Community

Ode to the Whitewater Community

I recently moved. Not very far, just across the border with the great north. Transitioning from a nomadic lifestyle mostly in the American west for the past 5 years to having a house in the city, it feels big. Its been a little hard, I don’t know many people here at all and the city hustles along whether I’m new or not. At times I have felt overwhelmingly “take me back to my truck by the river!”

But you know who has been the most welcoming here? The whitewater community. From showing up to the Chilliwak put in to smiles, handshakes and welcomes from folks I had never met, to a paddlers Thanksgiving on the Thompson where it didn’t take long to be laughing and sharing stories and love of other rivers we had in common. Folks happily sharing lines on a super high water Lynn right in the city or a camping trip to Skookumchuck complete with giddy surfing laughter, dolphins swimming by (!!!!) and camp stove meals shared under the forest canopy that made things feel right.

No matter the changes life brings, where I sleep at night and what my job is, this transitional fall has reminded my of the how greatly I treasure of the worldwide whitewater community. To the subset of that community in Vancouver and BC- thank you for the warm welcome and a continued sense of home by the river.

Photos: Jane Koopman and KLMPhotos.com