30 Days and another Otter or Two

First, a short video of some paddling earlier this Spring. I thought some of you would like to see what the boat and some of our great lakes look like. Firt part has some footage at Ft Loudon, TN. The second bit has some footage of Lake Fontana taken a couple weeks ago on a late afternoon paddle from Cable Cove to Hazel Creek. After that, there a a few photos from our Spring Break trip to paddle a couple Florida Springs. Callie and Rye paddled their new boats and had a blast and we all realized what a great place Florida is to paddle.

Also, a day spent on the Chattooga Section II. The Chattooga, to both my wife and I, is like our second home. I met Susan there while guiding and helping manage the NOC outpost there. Showing our kids the special beauty and challenges afforded by this National Wild and Scenic river is a priority for us. They had a hoot and kept wanting bigger rapids. Guess that's a good sign.





Busy lately with family time and other obligations such as coaching my daughters soccer team and work, but I've wanted to post an update of where I am in the project. Over the last month I've received some great community support and donations from several friends and co-workers with many more pledges. Thanks to all who have shown their support. In particular, The Bryson City Womens Club, the Zelinkas, Sally B, Trish P, Leann W and the McLeods. Also, Ingles, our local grocery store helped out with a major part of the food needs for the trip. Manager David Raper...thank you.

More than anything, I'm in a bit of a lull, sort of like the calm before the storm. I haven't paddled a lot, but managed to get a couple times. I've been running through things I need before I leave and going over everything else in my mind. My preparations tend to be lists to start with and then a constant flow thoughts about my trip needs, problem solving and anticipation. Mental lists and checklists that provide a running commentary of thoughts. I know that Jeff, my co-teacher probably wonders what I'm doing half the time, but I'm usually going over some mental checklist or strategy of problem solving. Some are about how to pack while others might be going over my menu items and counting calories. From my guiding days, this is the same thing I would do to prepare for one of our Ad Trav trips to Chile, or some other far off place. My approach is similar and in the past, it always worked well so why change it.

Lastly, please consider donating. The money raised is an investment in our students, our community and our teachers. The Swain County Schools Foundation not only provides scholarships, they provide mini-grants to teachers for worthwhile projects. The first students I started teaching in Swain County are due to graduate next year. I would love to help make their path a little easier. Remember, 2 ways to donate. 1) a check to "Swain County Schools Foundations" and send it me. 2) Paypal using the link above.