6 for '16: Last Year On Video

Actually most of my paddling in 2016 and every year is not on video and I probablly only carry a camera about one in ten days of paddling... but I did put together six different videos from 2016 that I thought were worth sharing.

Number 1: In January 2016 I spent my first day in a boat that has stolen my heart in the year since, the Pyranha 9R.  After unwrapping this freshie I headed straight to Short Creek, which is fun run flowing west off of Sand Mountain in north Alabama.

Number 2: In the summer of 2016 I was lucky enough to spend three weeks paddling around the sierras in California.  Unfortunately due to the loss of one camera and a corrupted SD card in another, almost all of the pictures and video from the trip were lost.  However, I did have a bit of hand-held footage salvaged from our second, low-flow run, down South Silver.

Number 3: Every year after I return home from my travels to paddle snow-melt in the western US, the next couple months are mostly spent playboating on the Ocoee River in TN with occasional trips to the Green River in NC for a creeking fix.  Here is a little video I put together of some of the slicy-boat play on the every classic Ocoee.

Number 4: When summer turns to fall I typically put away my playboat for the year and turn my attention back to river running and creeking on the numerous dam-released runs around the southeastern US that have scheduled flows every fall.  Including the splashy and continuous Cheoah River in NC.

Number 5:  Another favorite dam-release I try to make it to every fall is the Russell Fork river on the boarder of KY and VA.  I didn't paddle the Russell Fork at all in 2015, so making it to the releases in 2016 was a great reminder of how great this run is.

Number 6: The November releases at the Tallulah River in GA are almost always perfectly timed to precede the beginning of the winter/spring creeking season for the southeast.  The fun run reminds us all how to creek and run slides and the steps down to the put-in start to prepare our caves for the hiking we are sure to do when the rains return.  I was pleased to make it out for the first two weekends of releases on the Tallulah in November 2016.

As 2016 was drawing to a close the most exciting event of the year happened.  My wife Shannon gave birth to our daughter Lulu and our happy duo became a happy trio!  We couldn't be happier as this new class V adventure has gotten off to a great start!

Now that 2016 is over and 2017 is already underway, I hope my updates here will be more often and greater in detail than I was able to manage in 2016.  Best wishes to everyone for an awesome year!

Until next time...

-adam (a.k.a. Dad)

kayak session