Πέμπτη 31 Ιουλίου 2014
In West Virginia, whitewater rafting and the long tail of a chemical spill
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Dave Arnold stares at the giant whiteboard,
searching for clues that his slow summer may finally be picking up,
lifting like the New River Gorge’s morning fog.
The whiteboard
hangs inside the storefront of a local photo studio. It lists every
commercial whitewater rafting trip for the coming week on the New and
Gauley rivers. Every Sunday night, the studio owner’s wife grabs a
dry-erase marker and climbs a stool to update the data. Photographers
use it to schedule shoots of rafters. The rafting companies use it as a
vital economic snapshot. They anticipate its arrival like stock traders
waiting on the latest corporate earnings. And so every Monday morning,
like this one, they gather here, in a narrow hallway in the center of
town, to study the signs.
In an instant, Arnold can see how his company, Adventures on the Gorge, and the six other rafting outfitters are measuring up.
“It’s a hair slow,” he says now. “I’m positive some of it is linked to the spill.”
The
spill. In January, 10,000 gallons of a chemical used in the mining
industry poured into the Elk River in Charleston, 60 miles away, a toxic
mess that never reached the waters here, but one that Arnold and others
believe hurt business, just the same.
“My whole life has been
about selling West Virginia,” he said. “Never before have we seen an
event that caused so many negative reactions.”
The spill is the latest challenge for rafting companies on the ...more
Τετάρτη 30 Ιουλίου 2014
Lots of whitewater action along Payette River system
Go Left Rapids was foaming like a giant
Alka-Seltzer as Daniel Hihath lined up his raft for the whitewater run
on a hot July day.
What better way to escape the summer heat of the
Treasure Valley than to blast through refreshing, bubbling rapids on the
Main Payette River?
Hoots and screams echoed off the river as the first wave engulfed the raft.
Go Left always gets the adrenaline going, but in a
good way. It’s the third set of rapids on the Main Payette run after
Whitewater 101 and Whitewater 102, and the one a lot of paddlers scout
from a pullout on Idaho Highway 55 on the way to the launch site at
Banks.
Whitewater boaters, like Hihath and his passengers,
know they are lucky to have a river playground like the Payette River
system right in their backyard.
Within an hour or slightly more from the Treasure
Valley, they float several options that offer whitewater from
world-famous, class V rapids to splash-and-giggle floats.
“It’s a nice ride. It’s not too crazy,” Whitney Shepard of Boise said about the Main Payette.
She was on Hihath’s raft.
“You can enjoy yourself and still get back to town after a day run,” she said.
Sections of the Payette River are getting down to summertime flows and ...more
Τρίτη 29 Ιουλίου 2014
Παρασκευή 18 Ιουλίου 2014
The Napa River Needs You! Join Kayak 'Clean the River Day' on Saturday
Paddlers arm themselves with gloves, trash bags and a "can do" spirit and head out to collect as much garbage as they possibly can.
After three hours of collecting, sorting and weighing our haul, we are ready to celebrate!
As has become our tradition, we all gathered at Compadres Rio Grille for a delicious lunch provided by a true friend of Kayak NV, owner Rick Enos.
The next sessions are:
Jul 19, Saturday 9:00 - 12:00
Aug 23, Saturday 12:00 - 3:00
Sep 6, Saturday 11:00 - 2:00
Oct 4, Saturday 10:00 - 1:00
.....more
Τρίτη 15 Ιουλίου 2014
Δευτέρα 14 Ιουλίου 2014
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