wear but aren ’ t really sure if they got it right — I ’ m going to be swimming in sneakers ?
There are two big challenges you will face right away : 1- how to make your boat go straight , and 2- how to get comfortable upside down . Whitewater kayaks are made to turn . They are short and turn up at the ends ( rocker ). This is great fun once you get the hang of it . You can carve turns , avoid rocks , and choose your path down rapids . But a good , even forward stroke that makes your boat glide forward with minimal effort is elusive . You promise to be patient with yourself and to keep practicing .
Number 2 is another chance to be patient with yourself . You flip over with your eyes closed and instantly your brain screams : I want to breathe ! But you stay calm , pull the freedom loop holding your neoprene sprayskirt on , take your knees out of the braces and ease yourself out into the waters of the Potomac ! This one ’ s going to take a few tries .
Open Practice night on Tuesdays during the summer is where you make your paddling crew ! You meet other boaters that are just starting and some that took Zero to Hero the year before . It is amazing how good they are just a year into it ! They hang out in the slalom gates with you for a while before asking each other as dusk settles in , “ Want to run Little Falls ?” “ Want to head down ?” You quietly make a mental note to search YouTube and find out what Little Falls looks like .
The whole first year you will be working on your roll , i . e ., how to flip yourself back over while still in your boat . People can explain to you in different ways with different terms and give you different drills , but you keep thinking Is this rolling thing real or sorcery ? However , you continue to work on it .
You learn how to properly position your paddle ; your hip-snap seems acceptable to people who know what this is ; you are working on your mental game — stay calm , letting your head come up last , even though that is the first thing you want to be above water . Finally , something clicks , the pieces come together and you roll on your own . A huge victory !
Things move fast now . You graduate from Zero to Hero and start accumulating your own gear . Your roommate or SO asks how much stuff do you need ? Friends you have made in practices invite you to come run the GW with them . You discover American Whitewater and the huge online li-
Ashley enjoying Class III rapids .
brary of river runs described there . You check the river level gauge for Little Falls and the Potomac has fallen below three feet . It is late summer and after Open Practice someone asks you “ Want to run Little Falls ?” For the first time you answer yes . With a knot in your stomach ... Is that nerves , no ! It ’ s excitement you tell yourself . You head down Z channel and out into the wide Potomac River .
The sun is on its way down . There are barn swallows swooping close to the rocks and you feel as far away from the city as you can on a weeknight . The first rapid is shallow and small and you pick your way down , using your sweeps and your bow draws and even intentionally running over a rock or two . Soon the waves get bigger . The thrill of a big water wave train ! Soon your friends are urging you — nay , shouting at you — to catch an eddy on the left and you realize you are just above Little Falls . The water piling up on the rocks in the middle of the river is the biggest thing you have ever seen ! You make it down the rapid but realize how much more there is to learn .
You can take an Intermediate Level month-long package in September and work on all of the
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