Busy Spring...Busy Summer

When I graduated from college in the spring of 2000 I moved to Colorado to run rivers and creeks in The Rocky Mountains. I worked when I pleased, lived frugally, slept outside and rarely rushed from one moment to the next. Times have changed. My days continue to be filled with discovery however, the pace has increased dramatically.

Emergency Vet Mike Huggins charging down the"Drag Strip" Gragg Prong, NC

This spring was one of the busiest seasons of my life, and yet I wouldn't change one thing about it. Here in North Carolina several years of drought finally broke. Heavy spring rains kept river levels high providing ample opportunity for adventure. We had some of the best days ever down in The Linville Gorge, and were able to run the allusive Gragg Prong twice in one week. Outside of these moments we spent a good deal of time in the indoor classroom beginning with the second annual wilderness medicine conference in Chapel Hill, NC.

(above: Henderson McGinnis)

This years Student Wilderness Medicine Conference was a total success thanks to student organizers Pai Liu and Jenna Searcy. This years event drew 250 students from all over the country. A cap was placed on the conference, and had it not, numbers would certainly have been greater. One highlight of the conference was Keynote Speaker Commander Richard Jadic who spoke about medicine on the battle field. As a Navy trauma doctor serving in Iraq, Mr. Jadic spoke of the challenges of treating and evacuating soldiers in the most hostile settings imaginable. Most compelling was the very human element that he gave to his speech. Although he is an accomplished physician, military commander and nationally recognized author, Mr. Jadic spoke very candidly about his own fears, doubts, and shortcomings. It was his honest confessions about the stress of being a practitioner that I most enjoyed as such perspectives are not frequently shared by such accomplished individuals.

(above: Seth Hawkins)

The conference also included an introduction by Physician and ACWM Director Seth Hawkins, classroom lectures, and practical field stations. I had the privilege of presenting at the conference, teaching about whitewater related emergencies and spinal immobilization techniques. The conference lasted for two days and left evenings free for socializing and networking. I personally enjoyed staying out late sharing stories and ideas with folks from as far away as Tennessee, New Orleans and Canada! Next years' conference will be held at The Medical College of Georgia. Although the conference is geared towards medical students, anyone with an interest in wilderness medicine is encouraged to attend. Visit www.appwildmed.org/ for information on next years event.

This Spring and Summer were also seasons of change. My good friend, teacher and mentor Lisa Webb (pictured above and below) recently stepped down as Watauga County Training officer, trading in her responsibilities as educator and Paramedic for those of a student. She is off to Chapel Hill to start Medical School in the fall of '09. Before leaving however, I had the joy of co-teaching an EMT Basic class with her for several of the rural fire districts that provide medical care to the county.

If you want to be among some of the finest people on this earth join one of the volunteer fire departments here in Wautauga County. These folks have a commitment to the members of their community that is unparalleled. Not to mention, they're a lot of fun to be around.

Our EMT class met two nights a week and a few Saturdays a month for a total of 180 hours of class time. We spent at least half that time cutting up laughing, making fun of ourselves, each other, or whatever was in front of us. Our job is a serious one and we in turn take it seriously. Some of our students plan to work professionally for an ambulance service and others simply want to be able to offer the best volunteer services available. Never the less, humor is good medicine and a great way to cut through the stress of the job.

(Beaver Dam, Zionville, Cove Creek 2009 EMT-Basic Class)

STUDENT TEACHING ?

I am beginning to find the designations of "teacher" and "student" to be somewhat nebulous terms and not very descriptive of one role or the other. I have always considered myself a life-long student and continue to search for new ways to learn. As I spend more and more time standing in front of a class I am certain that my pursuit of learning will continue with equal vigor. In 1997 I took my first Wilderness First Responder class through S.O.L.O (Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities). Now in 2009 I have begun teaching for that very same school.

Wilderness medicine is empowering in that it is medicine for the people. You don't have to be part of an institution to provide critical care for someone in need, you simply need to prepare. Wilderness medicine is unique in that the rules that apply to street medicine are often broken to meet the needs of a threatening and ever changing wilderness environment. We have an abundance of medical equipment and training in this country. However, taken out of the context of "the golden hour" of pre-hospital and hospital care, such accommodations do us little good.

SOLO has been developing and teaching wilderness medical techniques for over 30 years. Founded by partners Frank Hubbell and Lee Frizzell, SOLO was established in The White Mountains of New Hampshire and now has a southern base at The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). SOLO offers varying levels of training ranging from Wilderness First Aid to Wilderness EMT. The training is excellent at any level, and as a new instructor I hope to make SOLO classes more accessible to people in the N.C. Highcountry and beyond.

Finally, a parting image. I took this last photo outside my house (which at the time was a 1988 Toyota Dolphin RV) in October 2008. Hopefully winter won't come as quickly this year as it did last. Never the less, as cliched as the saying "seasons change" is, it is true in ways that have little to do with weather. Recently, in the same month, I was blessed to see two wonderful friends unite in marriage, and saddened by death of young man I knew growing up. Such juxtapositions are perplexing, and they are reminders to live each day to the fullest. As a teenager I used to gather quotes that had meaning I identified with. This one has stayed with me:


"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

-Goethe

Fall Paddling

After a busy fall paddling season I have been a bit lackadaisical about updating the blog. Although the southeast has yet to emerge from the miserable drought we've been in for the past two years and counting, there was still some great fall whitewater to be had. With gas prices high and traveling a necessity in order to find running water, we were forced to become more efficient about getting to and from the river, creatively cramming as many people in as few vehicles as possible. The logistics involved in organizing a group of paddlers to join together to achieve a common goal can sometimes be mystifying. Paddlers at times are like chaotic molecules who bounce and collide frantically off of one another until the right conditions allow them to bond together to form some greater compound. When such organization is finally achieved the result can be magic.

Releases on the Gauley river in central West Virgina mark the beginning of the fall whitewater release season in the southeast. As the summer winds down, the heat and humidity of August gradually yield to the cooler crisper skies that frame those magical September river days. The Gauley river is about as dependable a friend as the southern paddler has. I once read somewhere that the average paddler spends so many days on the river unrelenting to societal expectations that he / she is lucky to befriend someone willing enough to travel to the corner store for a bottle of aspirin, much less achieve a lasting relationship with a member of the opposite sex. For those to whom this is all too true, there is always the dependability of four days a week on the Gauley. Here are some of my favorite cuts from the season. Photo credits go to Charles King and Will Stubblefield.

We had some great first-time upper G runs this season. Here Cat shows she can hang with the boys...and then some.

The Gauley sees a lot of traffic and a wide variety of watercraft. Here are a few "floating undercuts" drifting through the flat water. There are so many rafts on the Gauley that it is not uncommon to see them swallowing up kayakers whole only to spit them out further down the rapids. There are other dangers on the Gauley as well. Although it is a place of incredible beauty, every season the river seems to claim at least one life. One weekend, while cruising down one of the river's unnamed rapids, we noticed a pair of distressed kayakers on the left hand shore. I gave a quick glance upstream and noticed a kayaker pinned in a slot between two rocks. I was able to make a quick change of direction and eddy out just below the rock that had him pinned. I slowly and carefully got out of my boat and climbed onto the flat rock where I would be able to access the pinned paddler.



I say slowly and carefully because even though the paddler was in need of help, the rock I was crawling out onto was severely undercut posing a manageable yet significant danger. In a rescue scenario you never want to create a second victim in the process of providing assistance. Dave Clarke was able to safely get up on the rock with me and together we got "hands on" with the pinned kayaker. The best rescue is the most simple one. In this case we quickly attached a rope thrown from the shore to the bow of the boat just as a precaution. I grabbed the paddler by the life jacket and lifted him while Dave lifted the bow of the kayak out of the water. Without making his situation worse we were able to pull him from the slot safely onto the rock. Without rescue he would not have been able to keep his head above water for much longer.







With safety on our minds, and the fall paddling season in full swing, we took a weekend off from kayaking to sharpen our rescue skills. Here the crew practices some common knots used in rope rescue.



The two day, ACA Swiftwater Rescue class run by Sundog Learning covered a variety of rescue techniques from simple to complex. We pushed through some of the season's first cold weather, sharpening our skills and having a great time in the process.

Jump in, the water's great.

Left to right Ted Werrre, Me, Conner Graham, Dennis Gillfilin, Dave Clarke, Will Stubblefield

Unfortunately, (insert sarcasm) we had to share our campground on the Nolichucky River with a group of local home brewers. They arrived with dozens of kegs of home crafted beers and were an extremely hospitable crew. In this one the boys seem to have forgotten all about the cold water. Kids in a candy store.

The next stop on the fall whitewater circuit would be the Russell Fork river. Known as the grand canyon of the south, the Russell Fork releases every weekend in October and offers steeper rapids and smaller crowds than the Gauley. The Russell fork spans the Virginia / Kentucky border and is the home of some of the best people on earth. Each year the folks from Elk Horn City hold a paddler appreciation picnic to celebrate the fall river season and those who come to enjoy it. Here you can find people from all walks of life joining together to share food, spirits and tales from the river. After a few sips from the mason jar it really doesn't matter whether your vehicle of choice is a kayak or a four wheeler.

We were blessed with several first-time runs this season including a stellar birthday run. Here Dave Clarke eats up Tower Rapid for the first (and certainly not last) time.

Below: the author race training in "El Horrendo"

Dennis Gillfilin blowin out the candles of his metaphoric birthday cake

Adam Herzog prepares to disappear

Will Stubblefield pulled over for speeding

Dave Clarke looks down stream toward winter in Costa Rica

As the last few days of 2008 fall off the calender I can't help but to feel blessed. Despite an ugly 2 year drought, we were able to get to the river consistently and each time come home safely. While it's hard to pick a favorite day after having so many good one's, our December run of The Linville Gorge stands somewhat above the rest. Paddling The Linville Gorge reminds of why I kayak. There are few places, especially in the southeast where nature remains so indomitable.

Scouting "Babel Tower"

Alex Hymen gets things started

Kayaking the Linville River takes substantial commitment and effort. Never the less, the rewards are great. The day begins by hiking a mile down into the gorge with your boat and gear. Once you arrive at the river your first task is to run Babel Tower a class V rapid named after the trail that leads from the rim of the gorge down to the river. It's a great rapid, but not much of a warm up. From there the river continues to drop, rarely letting up. The rapids in the gorge call for frequent scouting as wood often collects in hard to see places making many drops unrunable. Unrelenting whitewater, combined with crawling in and out of the boat to scout or portage, begins to take it's toll by the end of the day. Many times I can remember feeling ready for the day to end only to have yet another vertical wall gorge to descend before getting to the takeout. The take out, mind you, is not where the day ends.

Once off the river the Linville paddler must hike a mile and a half long trail that climbs over a thousand feet up to the rim of the gorge. When you finally make it up to the car you arrive humbled. As if the beauty of The Linville Gorge alone were not enough, the experience of paddling there always reminds me of just how small I am in comparison to the forces of nature. In the summer of 2008 two paddlers Chris Gragtmans and Adam Herzog paddled The Linville Gorge 3 times in one day, a landmark accomplishment in anyone's eyes. The high water runs totalled up over 15 miles of whitewater and 7+ miles of hiking...talk about humbling.

What a way to finish off the 2008 paddling season! Many thanks to Will Stubblefield for taking these amazing photographs. Thanks also to everyone involved in getting Sundog up and running this year. The upcoming year already looks to be a busy one. I will spend the winter helping instruct EMT's in Watauga county, then I'll return to the Student Wilderness Medicine Conference for the second year, this time as a presenter. After that we'll be off to Colorado for swiftwater rescue training on Clear Creek. Who knows what else is in store. Here's to a happy and healthy new year, hope to see you down stream!

Summer Guiding

Summer is long over and fall is rapidly setting in. We've been busy gearing up for fall classes, but not too busy to reflect on a great summer out west. With near perfect conditions in the Colorado Rockies and a strong desire to take a break from emergency medicine, I headed west for two months of guiding. As the flat land receded and the snow capped mountain peaks began to poke above the dirt of the plains, it was difficult not to mash the accelerator all of the way down to the floor. Though I've made the trip half a dozen times now, I still get that giddy child-like excitement every time I see the rockies through the windshield. I have to give credit to my employer for the uncommon generosity of allowing me to take two whole months off at a time without sending me off to the river with a pink slip in my pocket. Thanks to Craig Sullivan at Watauga Medics Inc. for letting me go, and better yet, letting me come back!

Once in Colorado it's a short drive up to Clear Creek Rafting where I have spent five out of the last eight seasons guiding rafts and running safety support for class III and IV whitewater trips. Clear Creek is a roadside run that parallels I-70 for much of the way. Never the less it still boasts some wonderful scenery, hidden canyons, and some of the best commercial whitewater anywhere. It is not uncommon to find guides that have worked 10-20 seasons exclusively on Clear Creek.

Thankfully, we were blessed with a relatively safe summer even with higher than normal water levels. I did come home however, with a few rescue stories all of which were resolved with pleasant conclusions. Here is a brief account of one of those situations and a few of the lessons learned.

High water on the Arkansas early this summer brought frequent gorge closings as well as big water excitement. I had the opportunity to get some big water safety kayaking in on the Royal Gorge with some of the greatest guides anywhere which brings me to Lesson #1:

The river does not discriminate! Whether you are running a river for your first time or a seasoned veteran, the liquid world is dynamic and sometimes unforgiving. Accidents happen even to the most well trained river runners.

Such was the case on the Arkansas, where high water and unknown forces combined to result in several early season fatalities. This, I know was on all of our minds as we entered the Royal Gorge for a high water run the first day it re-opened after being closed by the park service. What can I say about nerves? Fear, or at least concern should be present on every river trip. Fear keeps us alert and it keeps us open to possibilities. It can, however, be crippling. It can cloud our minds, skew our judgement and ultimately lead to mistakes.

I can honestly say that I took some of that fear with me into the gorge that day. I think the other guides would admit the same. Safety kayaking is a unique responsibility. Should you have difficulty there is little a commercial raft can do to help you in continuous whitewater. It is very much like running solo, and yet you have the added responsibility of being "on call" for whatever chaos may ensue.

This day our trip was to be blessed with clean lines and big smiles. We blasted through the first sets of major rapids without incident tumbling towards "the narrows" a quarter mile long stretch of whitewater where several thousand cfs of water pushes through 1000 ft. vertical towers of rock that constrict the river down to about 25ft in width. It is a powerful place which commands respect and awe.

As we entered the last hundred yards of the narrows I noticed that something was horribly wrong. Off to the right was a partially submerged raft belonging to another company. Behind it clung half a dozen terrified looking people some of which were pinned between the raft and the rock. For a split second I considered attempting to eddy out just the right just above the chaos, then I remembered my priorities. I had rafts of my own behind me to which I was responsible. As a guide you are responsible to yourself first, your guests second, and any one else third. It was difficult for me to pass by the stranded paddlers knowing they were in imminent danger. Never the less, our trip came through smoothly and was able to pull aside just below the site of the accident in order to offer any assistance that may be needed.

The first few minutes were total chaos. We could not see the stranded boat from our vantage point and had no idea how many paddlers were missing. Lesson 2: Communication is key! With any critical incident the way priorities are assessed and managed very much depends on the ability of the people involved to communicate needs and develop a plan. This is particularly challenging on the river where you cannot just hit the pause button. It is difficult to hear making hand signals and improvised communication a must. All the while the river keeps on screaming by, it does not wait for you to get ready.

All would turn out well this day. The stranded paddlers were able to swim to safety or were rescued by throw rope. The guides unpinned the raft and one guest sustained a minor leg injury. Guides from several different worked together to resolve the situation. Lesson 3: we are all one on the river. It doesn't matter what flag you wave or who you voted for last election. when the proverbial poop hits the fan you better be ready to put it all aside and get the job done. The river can divide land leave people stranded on opposite shores, but more so I've seen it bring people together just as it did that day on the gorge.  Well that's all for now. I'll save my last two stories for the campfire. We're off to Gauley Fest for the weekend then back home to put the finishing touches on this fall's swiftwater rescue class.  Be safe...