EARTH DAY 2020

Every Day is EarthDay. The changes needed to safeguard future living conditions for all species won’t come from governments or businesses. It will come from the best available science and public opinion. So it’s up to us. Spread the science. --- Greta Thunberg, via Twitter

This past week was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a week around the world marked with Earth Day celebrations, festivals, and massive clean up efforts all while promoting a cleaner, healthier environment worldwide.
It’s safe to say, however, nobody expected we’d be celebrating indoors and practicing "social distancing" during an earth-shaking pandemic that has inflicted millions and killed thousands. Environmental groups under the guideline stay in place restrictions around the world to fight the spread of COVID-19 were compelled to cancel all their outdoor and group events dedicated to environmental protection and rally online instead.

"Amid the recent outbreak, we encourage people to rise up but to do so safely and responsibly – in many cases, that means using our voices to drive action online rather than in person,” Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, said in a news release.

Earth Day event organizers went to social media to create creative and fun virtual activities like trivia games, online tours of state and national parks, and interactive scavenger hunts along with tips on how people can honor the earth from home.
“It was hard,” Naina Agrawal-Hardin, a 17-year-old activist told Sierra, "But it was also so clear that it was what needed to happen. It’s not like we were going to pack up our bags just because Earth Day isn’t what we wanted it to be.”

"Like Earth Day, I turn 50 this year," wrote Wisconsin freelance writer Shari Gasper in the Sun Prairie Star, "There will be no party, no vacation get-away, no day at the spa. Instead, you’ll find me outside—in my garden, on a trail, or in my kayak on a quiet lake. My special day will be spent enjoying the simple joys of life, just like when I was a kid, and celebrating our amazing natural world."

But while it might have felt a little hard to celebrate Earth Day locked down in quarantine, the planet earth seemed to enjoy its day during this suspended time out. Around the world, skies are clearing of pollution, wildlife is returning and the normally polluted waters like the canals of Venice are clearer than anyone can remember.

No problems with the natural world have not suddenly vanished. Environmental leaders still warn that climate change still represents the biggest challenge to the globe. They predict that the world will return to its pre-pandemic settings quickly wiping out any environmental benefits of the shutdown.
However, on the bright side, they say the pandemic shutdown does give us a glimpse of a possible alternative into future Earth Days but only if we "rechart our course."
“Whether we like it or not, the world has changed. It looks completely different now from how it did a few months ago. It may never look the same again. We have to choose a new way forward,” Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told a YouTube audience to mark Earth Day this week.

Like all milestone anniversaries, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day despite this year's lack of fanfare is a salute to the environmentalists who started a worldwide movement and the bold call for action of those like young Thunberg, who continue the crusade by encouraging all to us to honor the earth, not just one day year, but each and every day.
"Each day, every single person," Jane Goodall said in National Geographic's, documentary special JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE, "Has the chance to make an impact through small, thoughtful choices, and when billions of people make the right choices, we start to transform the world. Don’t give up; there’s always a way forward.”

American Rivers Clean-Up Pledge  
While many of the Earth Day river clean-ups were canceled or postponed until a later date due to the coronavirus COVID-19 social distancing guideline, there is still a need. Outside Adventure to the Max and American Rivers is asking those of you who can get outside to take action and clean up and protect the rivers in our own backyards. We need your pledge.
Every year, National River Cleanup^® volunteers pull tons of trash out of our rivers, but by picking up trash you see around you every day, you can prevent it from getting into the rivers in the first place.

Will you pledge to pick up 25 pieces of trash in 25 days? Let’s prevent litter from making it into our local streams and rivers. Add your name here:

Make the River Cleanup Pledge, and share your work on social media with #rivercleanup to help grow our movement. You are the key to protecting our rivers by setting an example for your community and help make Earth Day every day

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RIVER & PADDLING RELATED MOVIES TO WATCH WHILE QUARANTINED DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

If you don't know what day it is, you're not alone. As the novel coronavirus know COVID-19 has halted all social activities everywhere to slow the spread of the disease, people have gotten the feel of "River Time" while sheltering in place these past few weeks.
For a lot of paddling folks, it being means stuck inside playing video games and streaming movies, instead of paddling in the stream or river.
So while you can't go to the river, here are some movies to watch (or perhaps, in some cases, revisit) that will keep you in a paddling mood in the coming days and weeks ahead.

The African Queen (1951)
Arguably one of the greatest river movies of all time, as Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, take on the jungle, the rapids, and the German Navy in this classic movie adventure.

Filmed on the Ruiki River, in the heart of the Belgian Congo at Murchison Falls near Lake Victoria in Uganda, just making this movie was a monumental test of endurance for the cast and crew. They endured sickness, spartan living conditions, and even had brushes with wild animals and poisonous snakes while on location.
The African Queen deck was tight and too small to shoot on, given the size of the bulky Technicolor cameras. While on the river, most of the filming had to be done on a sprawling raft mock-up to shoot the close-ups. The cumbersome raft (built over three large canoes) would get stuck on submerged logs, while cameras and lights would get caught in the overhanging foliage of the jungle.

"The hysteria of each shot was a nightmare”, wrote Hepburn in her 1987 memoir The Making of The African Queen. “The engine on the Queen would stop. Or one of the propellers would be fouled up by the dragging rope. Or we would be attacked by hornets.”
The scenes considered too dangerous to shoot on the river were shot in studio water tanks in Isleworth Studios, Middlesex.
And in the days before CGI, the dramatic sequence of the African Queen going over a waterfall and through rapids was actually an eight-foot model boat shot through a telephoto lens. Flim makers layered their footage, incorporating the location sequences with the miniature boat careening over a waterfall.


The River of No Return (1954)
Riding the wave of the success of The African Queen, moviegoers returned to theaters to journey downriver again, but this time with blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe rocking the boat.
While trying to start a new life together with his son after being released from prison, Robert Mitchum works his farm along the river, only to have Monroe and her low-life gambler fiance wash up along its shores.

On the run, the gambler knocks out Mitchum, steals his horse and rifle, and leaves the three stranded and surrounded by hostile Indians, with only one escape.
"The Indians call it the River of No Return,"  Mitchum's character says as they head into a series of treacherous rapids.  "From here on, you'll find out why."
Including the raft trip down the river, the film is an action-packed western with mountain lions, gunfights, and Indian attacks, but Monroe is still given time to serenade us with four songs, including the movie's willowy title tune.
Flimed in British Columbia on the Bow River, the production was plagued with problems, with the insistence from the director that the cast would perform many of their own stunts. In one incident, Monroe's hip waders filled with water, dragging her under and nearly drowning her after slipping on a rock in the river. Mitchum and others jumped to her rescue, but her ankle was injured as a result.
Another mishap occurred when Monroe and Mitchum's raft became broached on the rocks in the middle of the river, nearly capsizing before some quick thinking stuntmen saved the day and pulled them off the rocks.
It was much safer but not much drier for them while filming the remaining scenes indoors in Los Angeles. Onboard a hydraulic platform in front of a giant screen, Monroe and Mitchum clung to rafting props, while men stood to the sides and splashed them with buckets of water.

Deliverance (1972)

Even people who have never seen the film have encountered Deliverance's legacy, especially those who are connected to the canoe and kayak community. From bumper stickers and T-shirt reading, ‘Paddle faster, I hear banjos,’ to the hearing the iconic movie line "squeal like a pig,” the will film will forever as cause us to "squirm with angst."

It's a Heart of Darkness-like voyage into the rural backwoods of the south, as four suburban Atlanta men take a weekend canoe trip down the fictional Cahulawassee River in the Georgia wilderness. Burt Reynolds' character calls it the “the last wild, untamed, unpolluted, unf*cked-up river in the South." But time is ticking. In a short time the river, the rapids, and even the town will be flooded over with the imminent construction of a dam.
After a bumpy ride through rapids, the light-hearted adventure turns to horror when they encounter a pair of dangerous mountain men. Separated from the others, John Voight's character was tied to a tree and could only watch helplessly as his canoe partner Ned Beatty is violently raped by one of the men. That attack sets off a chilling sequence of events, including a disastrous turn through whitewater that challenges the canoeist's moral codes as they fight to survive.
Flimed on Northern Georgia's Chattooga River, the actors who performed their own stunts spent two weeks learning to canoe the rapids.
"We rehearsed for quite a long period," director John Boorman, told The Guardian in a 2017 interview, "Because we had to get the actors up to scratch in archery and canoeing. I had already been down the Chattooga, a ferocious river, to make sure it was safe."
In the scene where the canoe broke in two (five were actually destroyed during filming), Boorman coordinated a release of water from the upstream Tallulah Falls dam.

"I got them to close all the sluice gates upstream, so only a trickle came down," Boorman recalled in the interview, "That let us build rails on the riverbed, so we could mount the canoe on them, and trigger the breakup later. When we came to shoot, I was down at the bottom of the cataract on the phone to the dam. But I got impatient and got them to open all the gates. We just about survived the avalanche of water."
While Boorman was down below, tough-guy Reynolds (who nixed using a dummy in the shot because the stunt coordinator thought it looked too phony), requested to have the scene re-shot with himself going over the falls instead.
"I dream sometimes of the water coming," years later Reynolds told the Hollywood Reporter, "I looked around and there was a tidal wave coming at me. I went over the falls and the first thing that happened I hit a rock and cracked my tailbone, and to this day it hurts. Then I went down to the water below and it was a whirlpool. I couldn’t get out and a guy there said if you get caught, just go to the bottom. You can get out but you can't swim against it. So I went down to the bottom. What he didn’t tell me was it was going to shoot me up like a torpedo. So I went out."
Years before the phrase "wardrobe malfunction" would become popular, Reynolds would have one while caught in the force of that churning whirlpool.
"They said later that they saw this 30-year-old guy in costume go over the waterfall and then about fifteen minutes later they saw this nude man come out," Reynolds recalled in the interview, "It had torn everything—my boots and everything off."
For more about the movie see Canoe and Kayak Magazine article Summer of Deliverance.


Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)

The Peanuts gang heads off to Camp Remote in this animated adventure. Hoping to use this experience in building confidence, Charlie Brown leads the group in a river-raft race against some cheating bullies. The action transpires as the kids, get lost, battle thunderstorms, wild river rapids, and Peppermint Patty's endless calls for a vote.
After overcoming considerable odds Charlie Brown takes charge. "Let's go to the river," he commands as he leads the gang in paddling over a waterfall and to the movie's climax.
The longtime executive producer of the Peanuts Specials, Lee Mendelson said that he and Peanuts creator Charles Schulz came up with the idea after going on a river trip to Oregon.
"I said to him (Schulz)," recalled Mendelson in a 2015 interview with ToonZone News, “We’ve got to do research and go down the Rogue River.” He said, “Well, it rains a lot up in Oregon,” and I said, “I’m going to find out when the perfect time to go is.” They told me in July, it never rains in Oregon. So we spent three days on a raft in a thunderstorm. Rained the whole time. (laughter) That was the research we did for that movie."

White Water Summer  (1987)
Footloose's Kevin Bacon trades his dancing shoes for a PFD and hiking boots as he leads a group of young teenagers including Sean Astin on a trip into the wilderness. Attempting to toughen up the boys, Bacon and Astin are constantly at odds as they fish by hand, survive storms, cling to mountains and causing the others to become a bit annoyed when they paddle off through rapids.
"We carry the goddamn thing, and look who gets to ride in it!” complains one of the boys as Bacon and Austin canoe off on a difficult stretch of the river.
Mostly shot in Northern California, the filmmakers, however, would travel all the way to New Zealand to film some of the exciting canoeing sequences.
It would only be warm-up for Bacon, as he would take to the river again in River Wild.
"The River Wild' was great, with Meryl Streep," said Bacon, "That guy was really a bad dude who ultimately sorted of fundamentally impotent in a weird way. That was kind of interesting."



River Wild (1994)

We don't think of Meryl Streep as an action star, but when she says "We're are risking death a number of times on this trip", we know we're in for a wild ride. called the Gauntlet. "It's off the scale," Streep's character says. "One man was killed, and another one paralyzed for life. The Rangers no longer allow anyone to try it."
She stars as a suburban mom and former white-water rafter who, while trying to save her marriage, battles wits with an evil Kevin Bacon and runs a dangerous stretch of river
Many of the movie's whitewater scenes were filmed on Montana's Kootenai River, while other scenes were shot on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, the Colorado River in Utah, and Oregon's Rogue River.
While most of the dangerous river scenes did require expert stunt doubles, Streep did several of her own stunts in the film on some milder river sections, but even those had some peril when the star was swept off the raft into the river.
''Actually, I was really very quiet and not scared, which is not at all how I thought I'd react under these circumstances", Streep told the New York Times in 1994. ''I remember sinking down to the bottom with this powerful and freezing water pulling me in deeper."
Wearing a PFD, she was rescued by a hired kayaker after the river pushed her 500 yards downstream.

The White Mile (1994)
Like The Titanic and A Perfect Storm, we have no doubts about the fate of the rafters. But it's hard to look away as we watch their misguided steps that lead to disaster. In the end, five men are killed, setting up moral crises within their corporate world when the surviving relatives file a liability suit against the firm.

Loosely based on a true story, the movie depicts an advertising agency taking 11 executives rafting on Canada's Chilko River. On a Class V section of the river known as the White Mile, the rafters suffer catastrophe after their raft capsizes, tossing them all into the raging current.
A not-so-nice Alan Alda stars as a hard-charging and unrepentant advertising executive who bullies not only his colleagues and clients into the male-bonding trip but also the raft guide by piling too many men into the raft.
During filming, however, California's South Fork of the American River (standing in for the Chilko River) dished out more than a few licks on Alda.
In a 1994 interview with St Louis Post-Dispatch, Alda tells how he and co-star Robert Loggia were struggling to stay afloat in the rapids while shooting one of the extremely edgy and authentic whitewater sequences above a big drop in the river.
"We didn't go over, but we came close enough I remember thinking to myself," recalled Alda "When the hell are they going to come out here with one of those kayaks?' Everybody thought the scene was going great and they weren't going to interrupt it. We had gone twice as far they said we would before they stopped us. And we were heading for the waterfall!"

Without A Paddle (2004)
While Deliverance and The White Mile made us all cringe, the trio in Without A Paddle can only make us smile at their awkward ineptness on the wild river.

When asked if he had done any paddling before, Dax Shepard's character boasts with confidence. When pressed by the outfitter, "So... are you a Class... 4,5?", Shepard's character gloats, "Why don't you try to put those numbers together. Yeah. I shot a Class 45, and haven't lost a man yet."

In search of legendary skyjacker D.B. Cooper's loot in the Oregon wilderness, the three childhood buddies encounter a bear, a pair of sexy treehuggers, a couple of bumbling but well-armed pot farmers and, with a nod to Deliverance, even wild-bearded Burt Reynolds.
Shot in New Zealand, the producers use sections of the Waikato River and Wellington’s Hutt River for the boating scenes and South Auckland’s Hunua Falls for our hapless canoeist's trip over the falls. The actors performed many of their own stunts, including paddling their canoe through some hurtling rapids.
"We capsized that boat more times than I care to relate to you," actor Seth Green told The Morning Call in 2004 interview.

And some other favorites

The River Why
The Bridge of the River Kwai 
Cape Fear 
Apocalypse Now 
Rooster Cogburn and The Lady
A River Runs Through It
Black Robe
Eyewitness
Damn River
Up The Creek

Hopefully, this list reminded you of some classics you want to watch again or gave you some new ones to rent or stream while you stay home and stay safe.

 

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SORRY THE PARK IS CLOSED, THE MOOSE OUT FRONT SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU

Our favorite outdoor places certainly are not being spared in this world gone crazy. Thought to be a good way to improve mental health, relieve stress and get some exercise during last month's early days of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, our national and state parks remained open, despite orders to stay in place. Park officials then, encouraged folks to remain diligent by taking steps to make park visits as safe and as enjoyable as possible while recommending "Social Distancing" policies.

But with spring break temperatures, the first weekend of the order produced large crowds as people packed beaches, parks, and hiking trails either oblivious to or ignoring the pleas stay at home. Public health officials said by drawing large crowds of people who congregate too closely together it could easily spread the virus even further.

“I wish we could find refuge in national parks right now but in many cases, the parks are too crowded to be safe,” Phil Francis, chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks told the Guardian, “It’s just not possible to keep people far enough apart on the trails. If CDC guidelines aren’t being followed then the parks need to be closed.”

To limit usage, many park managers have since shut down open spaces and park areas around the country. While others have closed off vehicle access but left trails and beaches open to visitors who can still travel via bicycle and on foot in efforts to prevent visitation surges.

Kayaking, canoeing, and paddleboarding are considered to be a form of exercise where the practice of social distancing can easily be accomplished and abided once on the water. However, for paddle sports enthusiasts it means limited or challenging access to public waterways that are often part of the state, county, and national park's venues.

Like Clark Griswold in the movie National Lampoon's Vacation, many have been left wanting to punch a moose statue while being frustrated by locked gates that have shutoff easy access to the lake or river.

But still many like Orlando Sentinel's John Cutter, have managed to get to the water.
"Talk about your social distancing!" wrote Cutter in his column about kayaking in Florida's Dora Canal, "A few boats and one paddleboarder passed me, but otherwise my only company was my thoughts and herons of various types, including one not-too-shy Great Blue Heron. It was an easy trip, perhaps a 1.5-mile roundtrip in the shade and calm waters.

Others like Chicago's Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin of Have Kayaks Will Travel, a paddlesport coaching business, ultimately decided against it, in the spirit of supporting physical distancing and the possibility of requiring assistance from an overwhelmed emergency response system.
"So we put away our paddles and PFDs," she wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "Personal flotation devices. Everyone is making sacrifices. Some are huge. Ours, honestly, are small. But we must do our part, we decided, to not only practice physical distancing but to support the general appearance of physical distancing that normalizes this abnormal behavior and helps keep everyone safe."

Coronavirus is affecting the world in so many ways now. While for some, the best thing is just not paddled for a while. As for others, paddling responsibly offers a great opportunity to get out of the house, stay healthy (mentally and physically) and connect with nature with social distancing and isolation is the key.
Social distancing measures seem to be holding down the spread in some areas as health experts say the country is not ready to shift to normal. They say, easing social distancing too soon could risk a huge resurgence in coronavirus cases much worse than what we've seen already.

Meaning for paddle sports enthusiasts expect in the coming weeks and maybe months of the hearing, Sorry folks the park is closed. The moose out front should have told you.

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CAPSIZED TILL FURTHER NOTICE

I remember one of the first times I capsized while kayaking. The very moment when everything was going so well and then slam I'm upside down in the icy Otter Tail River thinking, oh no! What should I do?

There's is no doubt about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has certainly capsized everyone lives. As of this writing, the US has the most confirmed cases at more than 245,00. More than 6,000 people have died in the US. Those numbers continue to rise as officials tell us to brace for what will likely somewhere between 100,000 and 240,000 dead Americans.
To slow the rate coronavirus cases down, public health officials have extended the stay-at-home order till the end of April. The practice of social distancing is now the norm, recommending that people shelter in place and stay more than 6-feet away from each other they must leave their homes. For millions, the world has come to a halt with orders to stay in place.

While outdoor activities such as walking, running, biking and hiking are still allowed while practicing distancing guidelines, the threat of the coronavirus has certainly extinguished many outdoor enthusiast's pursuits. In March, the ski season came to an abrupt halt even as spring snows blanket slopes as resorts closed due to the outbreak of the virus.
As the ripples of the outbreak spread, popular paddling events like Canoecopia were canceled also.
“We had to call it, there’s just too much at stake,” organizer and Rutabaga Paddlesports owner Darren Bush told Paddling Magazine, “We saw the COVID-19 develop so rapidly, we decided to do the right and safe thing. The paddling community is so supportive, I’m confident we’ll recover quickly. We wanted our customers and staff to be safe, full stop.”

Deemed non-essential, the coronavirus outbreak has led to a tsunami of temporary store closings of major outdoor retailers like REI and Dick's Sporting Goods.
"I believe it is our duty," wrote REI's president and CEO Eric Artz in the company's CO-Op Journal, "To do all we can to help keep one another safe in this unprecedented moment."

While small business paddle shops across the country that are usually kicking off their spring season have been left floundering in the wake of the outbreak.
"We hope to be able to reopen when the shelter orders are lifted," wrote Northern California's The River Store on their FaceBook page, "These are tough times for everyone and virtually all businesses and their owners and employees."

Kayak and canoe manufacturers are also feeling the impact of coronavirus as some have suspended operations to comply with mandated "shelter in place" orders.
"We are still working to understand this mandate and we have decided to extend the temporary suspension of our Old Town, Maine operations through at least the week of April 6." wrote Johnson Outdoors Watercraft's Larry Baab in an email, "Current and future unfulfilled orders will ship once the temporary suspension has been lifted."
While Minnesota based Lighting Kayaks made the switch from making paddling gear to face shields for medical personal.  
"I got a call from my friend in Australia who owns a kayak accessory business and he had switched production to making face shields," Lightning Kayaks CEO Stuart Lee told KARE 11, "He said, 'I'm getting hundreds of requests from the U.S., you should think about doing this.' I hung up and I started calling local suppliers that we get materials from to see if we can source the materials and sure enough, we could."

The COVID-19 outbreak has cast uncertainty on how the paddling industry will proceed into the summer. Outfitters at whitewater rafting destinations have been forced to canceled trips through May 1 at many locations across the country.
“Like we’re not going to have a season?” asked Bob Hamel, executive director of Arkansas River Outfitters Association in an interview with Out There Colorado, “I don’t think we want to go there yet, that’s for sure. We can deal with high water or low water but, well, coronavirus is not in the playbook. It’s a wait-and-see situation.”
The Grand Canyon National Park has already suspended all river rafting trips through May 21, which includes all commercial, administrative, and private trips washing the plans of many would-be rafters.
“We start planning these trips up to a year in advance,” Professional River Runners' manager Beth Roeser told National Parks Traveler, “And we’ve already lost about 17 trips so far. But, we’re all in this together, and we're doing right by both our employees and our clients.”

Still is Spring enteral and optimistic flowing as paddling groups, companies and even individuals try to balance their desires to get out and paddle with the realities of the world as the pandemic spreads. Whether on the lake or river, experts say paddling remains a safe and great way to just get away from it all, as long as you act responsibly.

Before getting on the water, you should choose trips that are closer to home to avoid the need to make stops where you may encounter more people. Remember also that many of the public water access sites such as state parks have been temporarily closed. So be sure to check ahead to see if paddling on the waterway is not prohibited.  
On a river trip, limit or avoid shuttling. Look at a shorter run, where you can walk back to your vehicle. If unavoidable, consider facemasks and opening windows in cars, separating drivers and passengers in front seats and back. Use standard measures of handwashing and sanitizing.
At the put-ins and take-outs, keep a 6-foot distance between others and avoid large crowds.  Once on the water, it should be easier to keep a distance, but those rules still apply.
While paddling always carries some risks, boaters should shy away from more difficult conditions such as high water, heavy winds or difficult rapids that could lead a rescue situation and lessen the burden on an already stressed emergency medical system.

As any paddler can attest, being upside underwater is not where anyone wants to be. However, as each day goes by, we are left swimming in a confusion of endless restrictions and financial woes accompanied by isolation and lockdown all while we continue to struggle with this major overlying health concern that threatens our family, friends and even ourselves.

As it has been said and repeated over and over ever since this global pandemic began, we are certainly living in interesting times. Stay safe everyone. We hope to see you all out on the water soon, from a distance of course.

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OVER THE BOW: BRONX RIVER

                          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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SOCIAL DISTANCING

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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WHITEWATER PADDLER'S SAFETY GEAR CHECK LIST

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:
1. "Rescue" style PFD with quick release tow tether, good flotation. (Less than 3-years-old or newer depending on previous use and UV exposure.)
2. Dress to be "Wet" in case of a sustained "In-Water" rescue attempt.
3. Float bags.
4. Breakdown paddle in the boat.
5. High pitch waterproof whistle. (Such as Fox 40 Classic Safety Whistle.)
6. Rescue throw bag & rope. (70' Spectra recommended.)
7. Waist belt. (tubular webbing) 
8. Four carabiners. (At least one locking)
9. "Rescue" knife with secure but easy access sheath of pocket storage.
10. 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.) 
11. Two or more prusik loops.
12. Cell phone in a waterproof case.
13. Small waterproof flashlight w/ Lithium battery and spare battery.
14. 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.)
15. 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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