7 months ago at GAF, the Nantahala River was my first whitewater run in a kayak. Today it was my first whitewater run in a C1 (not counting the Apple River race).
I was incredibly comfortable on this water! The wave trains that freaked me out last fall were simply fun. I focused on paddling through them aggressively instead of riding them out. I worked on catching every possible eddy tight & peeling out high.
Slalom has made me a better boater, period. I now break rivers down very analytically. Where do I want to be next? That eddy. What do I need to do to get there? Surf that wave over, and start my turn high. Nanty falls used to be a big slush of white to try and power through. Now, within the rapid, I can see different lines and feature to use.
I flipped my first time through the falls. I was off-line and slid into the bottom hole sideways. The next time, I picked a rock on the horizon to aim for, carefully set my angle after passing the first hole, and paddled hard… my first clean run of the falls.
Fantastic day. I can’t wait to get in the C1 on the Saint Francis.
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