hhs@hou2h.UUCP (H.SHARP) (08/13/85)
I am interested in hearing about some of the best places to live for whitewater kayaking/canoeing/rafting/etc. I am interested in the rivers nearby, the cities nearby, weather, etc. If you could mail me any suggestions I would appreciate it and would try to post a compilation if there is sufficient interest. I will start off with one place which I know about: Washington, DC. Although it is best known for litigation and legislation, it has an active and exciting whitewater community. The Canoe Cruisers Assoc. is the major organization for non-sailing, non-motorized boating. This includes whitewater, flatwater, ocean, poling, etc. The CCA offers lessons in river safety, kayaking, canoeing, instructor training, etc. Plus lots of good trips, races, etc. Besides the CCA, the region has some excellent rivers. For playing, the Potomac and Mather Gorge is right around the Beltway. There are many good rivers withing a 4 - hour drive: the Cheat, New, Gauley(?), Yough, James, North Branch, Shenandoah, Savage, plus other creeks and rivers. These range from Class 2 to Class 5 in difficulty, so there is something for everyone. Besides whitewater, DC has plenty of places for food, music, festivals, history, etc. And Chesapeake Bay is only about 30 minutes away and the ocean is a 2 to 4 hour drive (depending on beach). Baltimore is about 30 minutes away. Also, job opportunities in engineering, communication, and computers abound. The most convenient thing about the Potomac is the C&O canal which runs along side. Paddle up the canal and down the river. No shuttle!! Please let me in on other places where the water is convenient and opportunity is there. I am interested in East Coast, West Coast, and Alaska (Anchorage looks pretty good for certain times of year). Thanks in advance! Chip
eli@cvl.UUCP (Eli Liang) (08/14/85)
> the Cheat, New, Gauley(?), Yough, James, North Branch, Shenandoah, > Savage, plus other creeks and rivers. These range from > Class 2 to Class 5 in difficulty, so there is something for everyone. > > Chip A sort of unrelated question crops up at this point. I heard from a friend of mine that the sluice gated on the Gauley is opend for 3 weeks during September every year and that rafting trips during this time start at the gates. He also said the the river runs up to class 5's. Is this exageration? I've kayaked up to class 3's and think a 5 would make for a wild, first rafting trip. -eli -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eli Liang --- University of Maryland Computer Vision Lab, (301) 454-4526 ARPA: liang@cvl, liang@lemuria, eli@mit-mc, eli@mit-prep CSNET: liang@cvl UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!cvl!liang