Here she is: the new (to me) whitewater boat I acquired last week. Thanks again to William Ashton of Whittier, North Carolina, for helping me make this big step toward being a whitewater paddler again.
It's the same make and model as the boat that was stolen from behind my building in 2016. The design originated in 1996 or '97, so that makes it an antique, and I suppose if I did a more serious search I could find a more modern design and look like a 21st-century paddler out on the river. But I always liked that old boat I had--to me it felt like the perfect all-purpose river-running craft, doing well on everything from small creeks to big water. And I found this one in very good condition at a reasonable price. And, I really don't have lofty ambitions for my whitewater boating at this time. I'm still quite invested in open-water paddling in surfskis, and for now I think I'll be happy if I can just hop on a Class III stream now and then.
I was worried that my paddling had become too one-dimensional. I've been paddling a surfski almost exclusively for the last seven years or so. I think it's good to have some variety and give different muscle groups some work once in a while. My whitewater boat is a C1 (one-person decked canoe--note the single-bladed paddle in the photo), so that will definitely hit my shoulders, lats, abs, and legs in a different way.
This post contains some of the best photos I have of me paddling my last whitewater boat. Will I be able to re-create some of that magic in this new one? Keep on tuning in to this blog, and maybe we'll find out together.
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