Sunday, August 23, 2009

Action and Adventure on Double Shoals

Click to Mix and Solve
It's rained . . . and rained . . . and RAINED . . . .A LOT here lately. The Minister of Fun (that would be me, in case it's been so long we all forgot) made a truly valiant attempt to make a run on the Double Shoals of the New River with friends earlier this week. In spite of all our faith, positive thinking, and bravado, it absolutely poured buckets, even though the sun was shining brightly when we left home. We planned the second attempt today for the float party, but wouldn't you know it? It just poured again this morning. They all bailed at noon, but the wheels were already in motion on my part for the great ride, so David and I decided to thumb our noses at the weather, break out the wetsuits, and go anyway. Well, blessed be, by the time we hit the river, the sun broke out, the skies turned blue, and we had the best ride of our lives in high water on my favorite piece of the New River: Double Shoals. What is usually a Class I - Class II, butt-busting maze through the rock garden was a churning, endless roller-coaster of waves today. Yeeeee-Haaaaaaaa!!!!!!
OK. So the pictures don't do it justice at all. What do you expect from a single-use camera?! I wish it were a video, (and next time it will be, because I just ordered an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 waterproof camera!) but I hope you get a feel for the action and excitement of taking on the big (even some Class III) water today on a little bit of nylon-covered vinyl. (And the wetsuits weren't even needed after all!)
SHOW ME THE FUN!.

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