Thy waves are old companions, I shall see A well-remembered form in each old tree And hear a voice long loved in thy wild minstrelsy --- Joseph Rodman Drake
Walking down the narrow dirt trail along the river, I heard the sound of the rush of water. It was unexpected.
My wife and I were visiting New York City to do the usual things when visiting the city. Take in a show, tour its museums and checkout its sight and sounds of the Big Apple.
But the coronavirus outbreak dashed a few those plans with cancellations and closings. We were lucky to see what we did, as the city succumbed to the dread of things to come. We found ourselves either being the last one to visit or lockout places we wanted to see. On their doors a sign reading: Due to the coronavirus, we are temporarily closed.
Visiting the New York Botanical Garden is not ideal on the last days of winter, but the trip through the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory exhibition's annual orchid show's kaleidoscope colors proved to be an amazing experience.
Touring the grounds afterward, like always, I heard the river's call.
The Bronx River flows along a narrow urban pathway for 24 miles through southeast New York, past several communities and parks before it empties into the East River. Once a neglected dumping ground, filled with trash, old tires, cars, and refrigerators stock-piled for miles along an abandoned waterfront, it was commonly referred to as a "sewersheds rather than watersheds in the Bronx."
But in recent decades the river has undergone an extraordinary transformation and recovery that has turned the waterway into one of the crown jewels of New York City Parks Department. The river parkway is now a haven for recreation and wildlife viewing throughout the heart of the Bronx with restored shorelines, fields of flowers, and thick stands of trees.
"For me, what’s so special about the Bronx River is that it’s been a community-driven process. The vision for this has come from community groups and it’s been driven by community groups," said Bronx River Alliance's, an organization which has worked to restore the river, Maggie Greenfield in a 2016 interview with Curbed, "I find that the most meaningful part of this work."
Along the trail, I came across a canoe trail portage sign, that to me seemed out of place. I couldn't think of anyone paddling here, but they do. In checking the Bronx River Alliance's website, I found they hold paddling events throughout the summer including their popular Amazing Bronx River Flotilla that they have hosted every spring for the past 20 years. According to their paddling information, the water may be quite shallow but it's still very navigable. You can plan on scraping the bottom of your canoe on rocks in spots along the way, especially during the summer.
Looking over the camelback stone arched Hester Bridge, as the river rumbled underneath, I can see the Snuff Mill dam that was constructed in 1840 to power the neighboring Snuff Mill that's just downstream. The still-intact mills' old stone walls and brick trim that now provide space for parties and wedding receptions.
The dam and shallow small rapids are a picturesque site but create a difficult passage. Canoe portaging is recommended along the path.
And it was a very easy walk along and a wonderful way to isolate myself from the urban complexity of the city, at least for a while.
Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com
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People did as little as possible, isolated themselves, and just prayed they wouldn’t get it.--- Anne B. Crockett-Stark, The American Experience, The Polio Crusade
It was not that much of a different time that is now when fear gripped our country. Beaches and pools were closed, movie theaters shut down, baseball games were canceled as parents kept their children locked indoors due to polio, one of the most serious communicable diseases of the day.
Seventy years ago, it was said, that 'Second only to the atomic bomb', polio was `the thing that Americans feared the most' as outbreaks in the US caused tens of thousands of cases, leaving hundreds paralyzed or dead.
One Kansans remembered his mother's rules of no drinking from a public drinking fountain, no touching handrails on public stairways, no use of public restrooms, no swimming in public pools or local ponds after the Fourth of July.
Fast forward to today, as the public anxiety over the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to grow as rapidly as the virus itself. Coast to coast, large public gatherings, and major events have been canceled. Employees have been told to work from home, universities have moved all classes online and elementary schools have closed for sanitizing and everyone has been told to wash your hands and avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.
While currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, medical experts say the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). This occurs through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
"Social distancing" is now recommended to curb the spread of coronavirus by putting space between individuals. But unless you are very sick or under a quarantine that requires you to stay indoors, getting outside is one of the few activities experts agree remains pretty safe.
David Nieman, Dr.PH., a health professor at Appalachian State University told Runner's World, "It’s safer to be outside than inside when it comes to disease transmission." He explained when people congregate together and someone sneezes or coughs, droplets get onto objects that people touch, and then people touch their faces. So for now, the best plan for running right now is to go out for a solo run and enjoy the outdoors.
He also added that getting in 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to brisk activity can help your immune system keep viruses at bay.
Outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, and hiking where equipment isn't shared and it's easy to keep a good distance from each other should be considered for those with cabin fever.
“Outdoor spaces are well suited to increase social distance," said a spokesman for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, "But we still must remain diligent in taking steps to make your visit as safe and as enjoyable as possible.”
Calfornia's State Parks website says, "Your safety is a priority to us. While most of our indoor spaces, including visitor centers and museums, are closed, all outdoor State Park spaces remain open and accessible to the public."
While Oregon's State Parks' web page concurs stating, "Visiting a park is a good way to improve mental health, relieve stress and exercise, things we especially need now."
And just this past week, the Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt directed the National Park Service to the waive entrance fees at all national parks that remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. However, visiting crowded parks is not recommended.
"This small step makes it a little easier for the American public to enjoy the outdoors in our incredible National Parks," Bernhardt said in a news release,
"Our vast public lands that are overseen by the Department offer special outdoor experiences to recreate, embrace nature and implement some social distancing."
At the time of writing this, California’s nearly 39 million residents have been told to shelter in place as part of an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, the directive does allow people to go outside and engage in outdoor activities, as long as people practice safe social distancing and do not gather in groups.
We all want things to go back to normal quickly. We hope a Jonas Salk is working to introduce a vaccine to guard us against coronavirus much like polio.
But until then, we are all stuck in this new normal in an urgent request to slow the spread of the disease, saving the lives of elderly people and those with compromised immune systems, and lessening the burden on our healthcare system.
It's up to you whether to stay homebound or get outside. For those without symptoms who want to step outside, according to health experts, it should be fine to go for that hike, a bike ride, walk, or even paddle as long as you take precautions. Avoid crowds and give respect to others by trying to staying 6 feet away. And always wash your hands when you return!
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During a recent safety meeting at The River Store, a paddle shop in within earshot of one of Northern California's popular whitewater venues the South Fork of the American River, boaters sat circled in lawn chairs on the store's front deck. Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips' Dan Crandall leans in holding a rescue throw bag and tells them this about a group paddlers at the access before getting on the river.
In his story, the more experienced paddler asks everyone if they have a throw bag?
Courtesy of The River Store
The rookie to group shrugs it off saying he doesn't have one, but tells them, he'll be OK without it.
The veteran paddler quickly offers him his saying, "You'll need to be ready in case I need rescuing, but however," the veteran paddler warned, "If it's the other way around you just might be out of luck."
The story got a laugh, but Crandall's point should be well taken. You should be
prepared for any situation when whitewater kayaking. The life you save just might be your own.
El Dorado County SAR Swift Water training officer Tim Cannavaro says it's appropriate to bring basic safety gear on every outing down the river. All your equipment should be in excellent condition to avoid untimely failure and additional items may certainly be relevant or necessary depending on the individual's responsibilities and abilities.
"Accidents happen," said Cannavaro, "Even on easier local runs. Maybe not to your group, but someone else may be unprepared."
Current Adventures and The River Store recommends this safety gear checklist before getting on the river.
Proper river running kayak with "high" volume and enough length to provide for ascending moves and quick response/hull speed in fast or high water situations. Good "grab handles for swimmers to access. Good Inner floatation. (Float bags or similar.)
Personal equipment:
"Rescue" style PFD with quick release tow tether, good flotation. (Less than 3-years-old or newer depending on previous use and UV exposure.)
Dress to be "Wet" in case of a sustained "In-Water" rescue attempt.
Float bags.
Breakdown paddle in the boat.
High pitch waterproof whistle. (Such as Fox 40 Classic Safety Whistle.)
Rescue throw bag & rope. (70' Spectra recommended.)
Waist belt. (tubular webbing)
Four carabiners. (At least one locking)
"Rescue" knife with secure but easy access sheath of pocket storage.
Good footwear for shoreline activity, to be worn at all times both in and out of the boat. (Open-toed sandals are NOT a good option in most cases.)
Two or more prusik loops.
Cell phone in a waterproof case.
Small waterproof flashlight w/ Lithium battery and spare battery.
Egress Map with personal/local phone numbers. (Family, friends, CHP, Heli, 911, Shuttle Service and area outfitters. Even without cell service, a text may go through.)
Well-stocked First Aid kit.
Including, face shield or similar CPR aid, bandages, sling, rescue "blanket" SAM splint, aspirin, glucose, cloth tape, shears, first aid "book" or cards. pencil and waterproof paper, Tincture of Benzoin, gauze pads, waterproof tape.
While all boaters should have proper skills and paddling abilities for the water they are paddling in, Cannavaro reminds us, that you should also bring along a healthy respect for any river that you're going to kayak to despite any familiarity with it.
"Especially on sections often paddled or local." said Cannavaro, "Comfort leads to complacency."
By being well prepared with these tools and knowledge to help in any rescue situation you encounter, Cannavaro says, it will make you a well-rounded member of your paddling team.
If you want more information about their recommended gear list contact The River Store at info@TheRiverStore.com
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While watching it rain and snow this winter we can all perceive it's going to be a fantastic spring season for paddling your area rivers and lakes. Surely the excitement is there. For most of us who have had our boats locked away this past winter, there would be nothing better than grabbing our gear and heading back out on to the water as if nothing had changed since last season.
But with safety being the top concern Dan Crandall owner of Current Adventures Kayaking School and Trips wrote on the CA website, "Don't just “Fling” into spring paddling! Think about the important stuff before going? Remember, days are still short, water is cold and the weather is unpredictable! There are also way fewer paddlers and rafters out in the winter to be of help if needed and many new potential hazards to be found."
It's great advice for us all. As Crandall states, "A lot of paddling safely is based in common sense."
Here is a list of Crandall's reminders that you need to take care of before venturing safely out to the water this season.
South Fork of the American River 2017
Two weeks or more before your first outing
Check all gaskets and put the dry tops/suits on to make sure they aren’t cracked and ready to rip out. Gaskets tend to last two or three seasons at best and fail when you can least afford it. A failed gasket at the put-in or on the run has ruined many a paddling trip! If they are questionable, get em replaced. FYI, The River Store (info@theriverstore.com) offers quick turn around service whenever possible on gasket repairs.
Check out your boat for cracks, frogs, or spiders before they surprise you. Tighten all of the bolts, replace missing or worn pieces of your outfitting and make sure your float bags hold air!
Stretch your skirt onto the boat and repair any rips or badly frayed areas (check it thoroughly on the inside of the skirt as well!)
Get your cold water gear together, with, booties, neo socks, pogies or insulating gloves, skull cap, Capilene and fleece underlayers and spare fleece in your boat
Good 1st Aid kit along with firestarter, hand warmers, energy bars, duct tape, space blanket, flashlight, and a few thin plastic grocery bags as emergency “socks”, “mittens” or skull caps.
Use a “new” Drysuit in a pool or easy water and try swimming in it BEFORE you take an unwanted test on a river. Air and the restrictiveness of a drysuit can really affect your swimming ability if you are not familiar with how to “bleed” the air and with what it feels like to swim in a drysuit.
Courtesy of Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips
First Tracks
Paddle familiar runs first, and a step below what you were paddling at the end of last season.
DON’T fall into the common trap of getting a late start- especially on unknown or higher than normal runs. ALWAYS plan in a margin for error. It only takes one unexpected portage or a swim or two by members of the group (or other groups you run into) to throw your timing way off and create a series of new issues and potential risks or epics.
Paddle a familiar and comfortable boat the first time or two out. Not the time to jump right into a new boat or a new demo boat! A river running boat with more volume and hull speed will help offset any sluggish timing or lack of practice and conditioning on your part, especially on new, high or faster water runs.
Paddle runoff (vs. Dam release) rivers on their way DOWN! Rivers on their way up can be VERY unpredictable in terms of how high the water is or will get, and for the debris and in some cases chemicals or bacteria and sewage they pick up on their way UP! Running rivers on their way up, have likely been a prominent factor in more unwanted ramifications or dangerous scenarios for kayakers than any other single element.
A breakdown paddle should always be in everyone’s boat, for your use or more likely to save someone else (and their group) a much longer day or a walk out.
Check LOCAL weather for the area you‘ll be paddling before you go, since Spring weather can be much different due to microclimates or be spotty and cause things like flooding or snow in one area and nothing an hour away. Bad access roads can sometimes get you on the way OUT even if you were able to get in, so a shovel, chains, plenty of gas are all worth having. Low snow melting into the rivers on a sunny day or dams reaching their spilling point and adding a large surge to the existing flow can be very misleading and really catch you off guard in terms of the unexpected rise of rivers. (Slab Creek Reservoir on The South Fork American is a classic for this and can add thousands of CFS to the flow almost instantly once it spills). Do your homework and know the dams and diurnal flow timing for the run you’ll be on!
Realize that the gauges you are reading on flow sites are not always at the put-in where you plan to go, and can over or under-represent the flow you’ll find when you get there (Chamberlains on the North Fork American has a gauge that is miles downstream of the put-in for instance). Look at trends on gauges ( rising or falling, etc.).
Paddle with people you know and whose skills you are comfortable with on a given run or under expected conditions. Qualify new paddlers to you or your group THOROUGHLY before getting on the river with them. Don’t be afraid to decide not to run if you are not comfortable with the group, or tell someone else you do not think they should be there. Any one person can put all others in a group at risk if they are not prepared. Ask the same questions of others you would ask of yourself: Are they dressed well enough, paddling a familiar boat, been paddling at that level already this year, SOLID roll, etc.?? Have their own throw rope and SWR training so they can rescue YOU if necessary?
Consider some Winter or early Spring cross-training by getting out to surf kayaking or even out on the lake just to work the muscles and conditioning a little. Better yet, get an early lesson with a qualified instructor to help start your year off right and take away a bit of the anxiety associated with the first run out on the year or after a lay-off.
Got questions?? Anxiety?? Call up the local shop or instructor who knows you or the local runs and get some more input/advice before you make your decisions.
"Think of Spring paddling as a new performance," Crandall wrote in conclusion, "You are in with a cast of characters, and that you all need to get your costumes and props ready, and then do a dress rehearsal before you really get to the main show. One person can destroy the whole show if they did not get things ready on their end."
This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max on March 1, 2019.
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History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses. ---Charles Angoff
The water was low. So low, I doubt the summertime crowds would recognize the place just off the Salmon Falls Road at the Skunk Hollow access to Folsom Reservoir. It's the usual take out spot for rafters and kayakers after running the South Fork of the American River. Bustling with traffic on any hot summer day, but on a quiet afternoon in February, I had the place pretty to myself.
It was a long walk down the grade to the water. The exposed rock and dirt of the rim of the reservoir resembled the surface of Mars from the vegetation down to the stream, while parch white and sand-colored boulders are blotches along the water's edge.
I sunk into the mud and muck up to my ankles along the shoreline, plowing my boat's keel through the sediment of goo before I found solid footing and clear water.
There was current here as the river converges with the lake. In places, the water tumbles over rocky slopes saying it's way to shallow to paddle much upstream. Feeling the tug of the current, I paddle towards the lake.
It's a pretty lonely spot. I marvel at the engineering of the rock retaining walls built by hand in the 1850s to support the Natomas Ditch that supplied water to the miners, wineries, and ranches along the banks of the South Fork of the American River. Historical records say, By 1853, the Natoma Company had constructed 16 miles of canals and ditches to divert water from the river, particularly from upriver at the Salmon Falls area, and carried it to Mormon Island and Prairie City. Of course, the construction of Folsom Dam in the 1950s ended that, making that ditch obsolete and a footnote in the area's history.
As I moved, further along, I caught sight of the old Salmon Falls Bridge looming ahead. The only remnant left behind of the washed away gold mining town of Salmon Falls, now also under the lake. Now the out of place monolith spanned the lake partially submerged in the water and was lined with caution buoys.
Built-in 1925, the bridge is now dubbed Hidden Bridge because it's usually covered over by the lake. It is said, on extremely rare occasions, when the reservoir is low enough, the bridge is accessible for foot traffic like it was during the drought year of 2014. During that year, it was the last time I paddled here, and I paddled under it.
Over
the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story,
we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com Want to see more about Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
White House on the Potomac, 1836-37 White House Collection/The White House Historical Association
"Life is a great adventure…accept it in such a spirit. --Theodore Roosevelt
In the spirit of President’s Day, we salute those who have answered the call to higher office in service to our nation as President of the United States. From the high to lows, these men have shaped our country's history and standing around the free world. As Abraham Lincoln said, ”The Presidency, even to the most experienced politicians, is no bed of roses; and General Taylor like others, found thorns within it. No human being can fill that station and escape censure." But for some presidents, the river called and kept calling, offering adventure and liberation from the burden of our highest office.
In the early days of our fledgling nation, our country's rivers were natural highways allowing for westward expansion and transporting raw materials such as lumber, fur, food, and other supplies. Our early canoeing presidents identified with this need to explore our seemly less endless waterways.
Thomas Jefferson called the Ohio River the most beautiful river on earth. "Its current gentle," he went on, "Waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted."
As river traffic began to decline by the 1870s, thanks to trains, a coinciding interest in nature emerged producing a new recreational activity called tourism. Affluent citizens and presidents were now flocking to scenic lake and river locations for fishing, canoeing, boating, for rest and relaxation.
Wisconsin's Brule River is often called the River of Presidents because five United States Presidents have visited and to fish the north woods river, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower.
Modern-day presidents dedicated themselves to environmental awareness and pledging to keep rivers running wild. It was President Lyndon Johnson who advocating for the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act in the 1960s who said, "The time has also come to identify and preserve free-flowing stretches of our great scenic rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory.”
For many presidents, the call of the river poured into in their souls, making them who they were and guiding them on their path as president.
Here are 6 paddling presidents and their exploits on the water before, after and even during their presidency.
Daniel Huntington 1816-1906
George Washington 1789 to 1797 While our first president is mostly remembered for crossing ice-obstructed Delaware River on Christmas 1776 and leading a surprise attack on the Hessians during the American Revolutionary War, his days on the icy water didn't start there. In October 1753, Washington volunteered to lead a special envoy to make peace with the Iroquois Confederacy but more importantly tell that the French forces vacate territory claimed the British, after hearing their plans to establish forts along the Ohio River.
Traveling with the Ohio Company’s representative Christopher Gist on horseback, foot, and canoe across the Appalachians all the way to Ohio River and then up almost to the shores of Lake Erie Washington had various meetings with the Indian Chiefs of the area.
After delivering their message to the French, who said thanks but no thanks, the two found themselves double-crossed by their guide and on the run from hostile from Indians in the middle of winter.
Upon reaching the Allegheny River, they fashion a raft together in an attempt to cross it.
"I put out my setting pole to try to stop the raft, that the ice might pass us by," wrote Washington in his journal, "When the rapidity of the stream threw it with so much violence against the pole that it jerked me out into ten feet water, but I, fortunately, saved myself by catching hold of one of the raft logs; notwithstanding all our efforts we could not get the raft to either shore, but were obliged, as we were near an island, to quit our raft and make to it."
Wet, numb and exhausted they spent a miserable night on the island unable to make a fire. In the morning, luckily they had found the river was totally frozen so they were able to walk to the shore and continue on to Virginia and on to becoming the first president of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson 1801 to 1809 Though there little if anything was written about Jefferson ever paddling in a canoe, there is one thing we know for sure. He was obsessed with the rivers of the interior of what would later become the United States. In sending Lewis & Clark on perhaps the greatest paddling expedition he wrote,
"The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it’s course & communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce."
With a river and canoe trails named in his honor, it would be hard to leave him out of our group of river presidents.
Thomas Hart Benton 1889-1975
Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865 One of our first backwood presidents, Lincoln with a gift of storytelling and doling out homespun advice such as "It is not best to swap horses while crossing the river."
Yet unlike Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, Lincoln was not a naturalist and thought of waterways as something tamed and advocated improving and clearing the rivers to accommodate large boats for commerce. In 1849 he even filed a patent application for a boat buoying system to raise boats in shallow water.
Undoubtedly Lincoln had a deep appreciation for Illinois' Sangamon River. He was looking for a bit of adventure when the 21-year-old Lincoln and his cousin paddled away from the homestead in a newly purchased canoe in spring 1831. He didn't get far before being hired on to a crew building a Mississippi style flatboat at a river encampment near Sangamo Town. When built he and others would transport cargo and goods all the way down to New Orleans.
Every bit a riverman, the young Lincoln was described by one of the locals as "the rawest, most primitive-looking specimen of humanity I ever saw. Tall, bony, and as homely as he has ever been pictured.”
During construction of the boat, a tale is told how young Lincoln rescued two co-workers from the icy waters after they capsized their canoe and were swept downriver cling to an overhanging tree. Lincoln tied a long rope to a log and drop it into the current. As were others holding the rope, he jumped aboard the floating plank wrapping his legs around the log and drifted it towards the tree and men. Once the men were able to grab on to the log, he singled the others to pull them back like a fish on a hook.
That dramatic log rescue made Lincoln a bit hero along the river. But as he would later say, “It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.”
What more could you expect from the president who went on to save the union?
Illustration from August 1886
Grover Cleveland, the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, 1885–1889 and 1893–1897 Fast-forwarding to the late 19th century, many of our rivers, streams, and lakes were much like they are now, were places for vacations while escaping the burden of the office. Looking at Grover Cleveland you wouldn’t think of him as an outdoorsman, but, he was an avid camper, hunter and but mostly a fisherman. As a matter of fact, he was such a passionate angler that the press often accused him of spending too much time on the water and not enough time at the White House.
He defended himself and the honor of all fishermen accused of being lazy in the Saturday Evening Post when he wrote, "What sense is there in the charge of laziness sometimes made against true fishermen? Laziness has no place in the constitution of a man who starts at sunrise and tramps all day with only a sandwich to eat, floundering through bushes and briers and stumbling over rocks or wading streams in pursuit of elusive trout. Neither can a fisherman who, with rod in hand, sits in a boat or on a bank all day be called lazy—provided he attends to his fishing and is physically and mentally alert at his occupation.”
Cleveland also published a book in 1901, called Fishing and Shooting Sketches, displaying his humor and love of the outdoors. He would write, "In these sad and ominous days of mad fortune chasing, every patriotic, thoughtful citizen, whether he fishes or not, should lament that we have not among our countrymen more fishermen." Theodore Roosevelt 1901 to 1909 He would be arguably our most adventuresome president. A cowboy, a soldier. a big game hunter and a river explorer, Roosevelt lived what he preached the “strenuous life.”
Library of Congress
"The man who does not shrink from danger," wrote Roosevelt, "From hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.”
A fierce naturalist and warrior for wildlife and wild places he left an enduring legacy through policy and legislation still felt today. As president, he designated five national parks and created programs that would protect 230 million acres of land.
"All life in the wilderness is so pleasant that the temptation is to consider each particular variety, while one is enjoying it, as better than any other," he said "A canoe trip through the great forests, a trip with a pack-train among the mountains, a trip on snow-shoes through the silent, mysterious fairy-land of the woods in winter--each has its peculiar charm."
After losing the 1912 election to Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt accepted an opportunity to explore an uncharted tributary of the Amazon: the mysterious Rio da Dúvida, or River of Doubt. Despite little experience with the South American jungle, the burly 55-year-old ex-president called it his “last chance to be a boy,”
Traveling along the winding jungle waterway, the expedition was plagued by tropical illnesses, lack of supplies, alligators, piranhas, venomous snakes, and hostile native tribes, but mostly miles of tortuous rapids.
Roosevelt's crew were forced to either portage their boats on their backs through the dense jungle or shoot the whitewater rapids in their canoes. On one such occasion, one crewman drowns after attempting to run a waterfall.
Injured and sick Roosevelt finished the two-month river odyssey more dead than alive and never quite recovered. He died in his sleep in 1919 at the age of 60, but by then, the river of Doubt had a new name. It's now called the Roosevelt River.
Wisconsin Historical Society
Calvin Coolidge 1923 to 1929Silent Cal as they called him, loved the quiet tranquility of the water. In the summer of 1928, he escaped to Wisconsin's Brule River where he called the Cedar Island Lodge his "Summer White House."
Accompanied by his Indian guide, John LaRock, he could while away the hours fishing from his canoe which he appley named "Beaver Dick." It was a much more innocent time back then, so you'll have to take our word for it and not Google search this, but it was said he named it after the legendary mountain man Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh who lived in the Tetons and Yellowstone area in the 1860s.
For Coolidge who had decided not to run for re-election as president and the canoeing and fishing seemed to take over his time that summer.
“These are true outdoor sports in the highest sense," said Coolidge, "And must be pursued in a way that develops energy, perseverance, skill, and courage of the individual."
However, many denounced his passion for paddling and fishing while ignoring his presidential duties. The nearby Duluth Herald reported, “Paddling a canoe up the Brule river is more interesting to President Coolidge than the Democratic national convention which opened at Houston today. Attention to business routine and recreation are again on the schedule today, with the president more anxious to master the paddling of a canoe against the Brule rapids than in learning what is going on at the … convention.”
When he left later that summer, he told the people he hoped to return someday but never did. He died a few years later during the height of the Great Depression and the birch bark canoe the Beaver Dick floated away into history. Jimmy Carter 1977 to 1981 In 1974, the strumming and picking of Dueling Banjos were still reverberating through the hills along Georgia's Chattooga River when Carter and his paddling partner Claude Terry canoed its free-flowing whitewater that was the backdrop to the movie, Deliverance.
Having grown up along a small creek in rural Georgia, Carter came to appreciate the water, but it was his time on the Chattooga that gave rebirth to his passion for wild rivers.
"The Chattooga was the first time I ever risked my life, I would say, in going down a wild river," Carter said in the short film Wild President by NRS and American Rivers celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Courtesy of Doug Woodward and American Rivers
While governor of Georgia, Carter says he learned all he could about canoeing and kayaking from Terry, the co-founder of American Rivers and capped off the training by making the first tandem canoe descent over Bull Sluice Rapid, one of the river's prominent Class IV rapids.
"There is a religious experience in coming over top of a huge rapid and burying your bowman’s face down until you maybe can’t see him,” Terry recalled in the film about their adventurous canoe run.
"I think it gave me a sense of heroism in confronting the awe-inspiring power Chattooga," Carter would add.
That experience transformed his life and shape his political career, just as it did Teddy Roosevelt's. He became a staunch supporter of the environmental causes and protector of wild rivers. Shortly after the river run, Carter successfully pushed to designate 57 miles of the Chattooga as Wild & Scenic.
As president, his administration designated more than 40 new Wild and Scenic Rivers, protecting over 5,300 miles of what can be thought of as our National Parks for rivers.
“My motivation was trying to preserve the beauty of God’s world,” said Carter said in the film, “I think it’s very important for all Americans to take a stand, a positive stand, in protecting wild rivers. I hope that all Americans will join together with me and others who love the outdoors to protect this for our children and our grandchildren.”
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Bogart: How'd you like it? Hepburn: Like it? Bogart: Whitewater rapids! Hepburn: I never dreamed. . . Bogart: I don't blame you for being scared -- not one bit. Nobody with good sense ain't scare of whitewater. Hepburn: I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating. -The African Queen
Erik Allen looked at me sternly. Things needed to happen fast and now. I
was soaking wet standing in swirling ankle-deep freezing water after being tossed about in the rapids of the North Fork of the American like a bobbing float toy. I had gathered enough strength to swim to the rocky shore and found some footing. The boat I had used was somewhere downstream, consequentially leaving me marooned on the wrong side of the river. It was Groundhog's Day.
"You're going to have to swim across to the other side of the river,"
Erik said over the sound of the rushing water. "There is no trail here.
We're on the wrong side dude!"
Moments before, I had suffered a classic boater's beat-down nightmare.
Upstream, I had rolled and was forced to swim. I could still see the emerald wave moving in slow motion. It was curling, big, and looked ten feet tall. I was hypnotized by its size and power. I lost focus and froze, committing the cardinal sin of white-water kayaking. I had
stopped paddling just hoping to ride it out.
"Fearful or tentative paddling is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, " said Team Pyranha's Pete Delosa,
"When we are afraid of what might happen when focus on that thing and thereby cause it to happen. It's better to paddle aggressively and stay focused on the desired outcome. This is, of course, easier said than done a lot of the time. But, when you're tense the boat isn't able to rock with the water under you. You and your boat can't move independent
of each other and that's when you get knocked over."
There is a saying on the river that every paddler, even the good ones are in between swims. According to the Whitewater Rescue Institutes's Mike Johnston,
"When you fall in whitewater, it's common to be held underwater for a
few seconds. Time seems to slow down. It's sort of like the dog years ratio, one actual second of submersion seems like about seven seconds.
When you need to breathe and can't, three seconds can seem like twenty.
This isn't a long time at your desk but can feel like forever at the bottom of a rapid. Don't panic."
When I rolled and broke away from my kayak, I was on my back with my feet downstream. I had one hand locked to my paddle and the other latched to the floundering boat as I bobbed along in the Class III
torrent. The turbulent and aerated waves frothed and bounded dishing out their fury on my body and boat. Keeping my feet pointed downstream, I used my body to angle through the current maneuvering right or left,
with the boat in front of me. I kept my body long and streamlined to maneuver smoothly and efficiently. The goal now was not to get hurt.
"The world goes dark, " writer and adventurer Joe Kane said in his book Running the Amazon,
a firsthand account of the only expedition ever to travel the entire
4,200-mile Amazon River from its source in Peru to the Atlantic Ocean,
as he describes his swim through the abyss of churning rapids. "The
river— the word hardly does justice to the churning mess enveloping you—
the river tumbles you like so much laundry. It punches the air from your lungs. You're helpless. Swimming is a joke. You know for a fact that you are drowning. For the first time, you understand the strength of the insouciant monster that has swallowed you. Maybe you travel a
hundred feet before you surface (the current is moving that fast). And another hundred feet—just short of a truly fearsome plunge, one that will surely kill you— before you see the rescue lines. You're hauled to
shore wearing a sheepish grin and a look in your eye that is equal parts
confusion, respect, and raw fear."
Erik was quick to my rescue after I had bounced like a floating beach ball through the big waves. "Let go of the boat and grab on," he yelled out. In a moment of hesitation, I clung to my boat even tighter rolling into the fury of the rapid. People forget to emphasize that on single boat trips, the backup plan is always self-rescue. It's good risk
management to apply the buddy system to every river trip.
Erik Allen has what they call the water gene. A former Navy medic, he has taken up adventure guiding as his true passion. He is at home on the water as he is on land. He often leads groups snowshoeing, camping, and hiking as well as kayaking. He is used to taking care of others while
out in the wild.
"Let go of the boat and grab on," he yelled again. I released my boat and watched it from the corners of my eyes drift away from me. "Give me
your paddle!" I reached my paddle out from the waves. Erik snatched it from my hand. Then I swam with all my might to reach the back of his playboat. Stroke one, stroke two, and one more. The freezing water was leaving me breathless as his boat rushed ahead just out of reach.
Another lunge forward and finally I caught his stern handle as the waves punched at me again and again. As I caught breaths of air between
the trough of waves, I hung on tight to his boat as we were poured into
a huge rapid.
Everyone should know about the potential for entrapment in moving water.
I tried minimizing the risk of foot entrapment in moving water by keeping my feet up while hanging on the back of Eric's boat. My feet could act like hooks possibly to get caught between cracks in rocks or any type of nook or cranny on the bottom of the river. However, in this
improvised swimming position with my hands forward clutching Eric's
kayak, I banged my knee and shins against the rocks. You would think
after soaking for thousands of years they would be a little softer, but
as we all know, rocks are very hard.
"Now swim, swim!' Erik shouted. I had turned from being a defensive swimmer to an aggressive one. Aggressive swimming is used to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. I let his boat go and with the
American crawl kicked it into high gear, setting a ferry angle to cross fast-moving current. Ferrying swimmers use the same techniques used when boating. Keep your head up so you can see where you are going, set a
ferry angle and swim hard. Faster water uses a smaller angle and very slow water I could simply swim directly across at a 90 ° angle. As a former high school swimmer, I knew how to push my arms forward. Before long I found some shallow rushing water.
After that long swim, I was very tempted to stand up when I got close to the rocky and rough shore. The water was still moving very quickly and was deeper than my knees. Standing up to early I knew I could possibly get knocked down. I took my time to stand when I found some decent footing. The only problem was it was on the wrong side of the
river.
"You do not know how long you are in a river when the current moves swiftly. It seems a long time and it may be very short." Ernest
Hemingway wrote in A Farewell to Arms. Joe Kane seems to follow it when he wrote, "That is River Lesson Number One. Everyone suffers it.
And every time you get the least bit cocky, every time you think you
have finally figured out what the river is all about, you suffer it all
over again.”
I pretty much lost everything but my paddle. For boaters on the South Fork of the American River, Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips'
Dan Crandall, offers these tips, "Any gear lost to the river will more likely end up in the reservoirs below, but in much worse condition than when it left you. All gear such as throw ropes and dry bags should be
tied in and your name and phone number on each piece of your gear are
always sound pieces of advice and will help tremendously in your gear's
return." Mine gear, however, was lost for good.
"Catch your breath," Erik said, I sensed the stress in his voice, "We
will go when you're ready." He said while peering downstream searching the shoreline for the missing boat. With every moment it was getting further and further downstream.
No man with any sense is going to willingly jump back into a freezing river again.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Dripping, shaking and aching in pain, All I could say was "Let's go."
I dove into the river clinging tightly to the playboats back handle. I
didn't have time for fear and shook off the cold of the water. My goal was to push through or in my case be dragged over to the other side.
Into another wave. It seemed to crash around us. I took gulps of air between plunges underwater. Losing track of time and feeling as the water and rocks beat down on my body. Erik delivered me halfway and I
had to swim the rest.
A lonely woman hiker watched the whole thing from the trail. As I
climbed out of the river and limp up the side of the shore. She greeted me looking stunned.
"Should I call 911?" she asked.
Still, out-breath, and I shook my head no.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded and said breathlessly, "It's just another day on the North Fork of the American River."
"I almost died whitewater kayaking six years ago," she said with sympathy.
I laughed and said to her "It almost killed me today."
Then took off down the trail in search of Erik.
This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max on February 19, 2017.
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