Paddling Upstream#2

Advice
#21

as per kocho , I’ll second that …
… how did it go ??

#22

I did survive!
Hello,



I did survive and come back in one piece. I won’t bore everyone with stories of my initial nervousness at putting into a current for the first time or the excitement of a novice dealing with a couple of eddy currents. After the fact now, those feelings seem a little silly.



I paddled a mile upstream staying in close to the bank and headed straight into the current as was suggested here. There were no real problems controlling the boat or making progress which was a relief! I turned back when the channel was interrupted by a couple of islands. I didn’t know what to expect with the currents there and since I was alone and had spotted only one shallow area with a break in the vegetation to retreat to if needed, I didn’t want to take too many chances for my first river adventure. There will be other times.



The float back was uneventful and I spent my remaining time checking out slough lakes off the main channel.



Thanks again to all who replied to my original post. Your in-depth answers were above and beyond the call to duty! It was much appreciated.



http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/Toysx2/?action=view&current=Picacho2.jpg

#23

knew ya would , now what’s next ??
… aren’t you a little more curious about what else is up there now ??



Or down there for that matter …



I’m bettin you start covering more and more distance each time … after awhile you can connect the dots .



Remember the water guages change , every river I know has many faces in different seasons … early Spring rivers can get a tad scary , especially after big storms roll through .



Enjoy the rivers !!

#24

I vote for suckwater applying
I just did about a 7 mile trip; 1/2 of it upstream on the James River and my observation was that suckwater definitely was impacting my rate of progress going upstream.



OP - good on ya for getting out and experiencing the river. Keep it up, but keep it safe. Start looking for paddling partners, but don’t eliminate upstream paddling - as stated so well above, the skills you learn transfer to all types of paddling.