To Pedal or to Paddle....

Last weekend little man, Mrs. Jonnynails and I went to the Whitewater center to let little guy climb some rocks. It was also the opening weekend for water releases for the season. Got my interest peaked again to do some paddling as I was watching the kayaking going down on the rapids.

US Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC

I love going to the Whitewater Center, both to mountain bike and especially to paddle. The pic above shows the lagoon area, pumps that move the water, and the entrance to the main channel where the rapids are. There is a lot to do here: 12.5 miles of great mountain biking trails, two rock climbing walls, zip lines, adventure courses, rafting, kayaking, flat water paddling on the Catawba River, and there is even a really good restaurant that gives you a view of the whitewater - bonus, they serve all kinds of beer. Feel free to get your drink on and come heckle me while I Kayak. The center is a great place to learn kayaking skills and get in the water anytime you want to paddle. The consequences are not as bad as a real river as there are not any places you can get pinned and no undercut rocks. Just as I was getting river stoke again, we had some friends over this week. My friend is a good paddler, far better then me. He mentioned going to Tennessee this summer to run the Ocoee river. That's all I needed to hear, now I'm all about it! I can work on some skills at the Whitewater Center beforehand. Here's a little preview of the goods in the below video of the Ocoee:

Best I can tell, it looks like a giant playground with mostly Class III and an occasional Class IV rapid. I believe this video is an easier part of the river - there are some bigger rapids further down river that you can see HERE. The video quality is better as well. Pumped to go run a couple rivers this summer, including this one. Of course this all means I'll need to work on some of my paddling skills. I can do a combat roll, but it's not bombproof yet. That'll be job #1. A combat roll for those that don't know is where you right yourself after getting flipped upside down in the water. You do so while staying in your Kayak. It's a technique kinda thing and you need to take your time and set up properly - if you rush it, your gonna miss your roll and be back in the water upside down again. Your doing all of this blind, without air, and while getting thrashed around in a rapid maybe smacking rocks. There is a little bit of a panic involved, but to do the combat roll successfully and consistently you need to learn to be really calm and fight off your survival instincts that are telling you to get to the surface as quick as you can. Here's the technique of a roll:

I'm fairly comfortable in Class III water as I paddle it at the Whitewater Center, which is suppose to be harder water then an actual river due to the whirlpooling eddies that really swirl due to the man made construction. However, I can work on catching all the eddies at the Center. This helps you learn great handling skills as you peel out of eddies, ferry across rapids, and learn to use your edges. If it's harder then the real thing, then I should be able to handle the river.

Another spot I'd like to hit in the mountains is on the Tuckasgee River. This river is in western NC and has a really fun "play" spot called Eternity Hole. It's a great spot to work on tricks and playboat moves as it's nice and deep so when you mess it up your at least in more then 1 foot of water like some other spots. Video of Eternity Hole:

Of course all this paddling is good news for you folks I race mountain bikes against. I should be nice and tired, plus not on the bike as much. Fine by me if I'm not the fastest guy out there. Balance is what this summer is going to be about. Riding the all mountain bike in the mountains with the wifey, hitting the jump lines in the backyard with my homies, teaching little guy to ride a bike and swim, do some XC racing, maybe a enduro or dual slalom race, lots of kayaking, chillaxing and BBQ'ing at the crib, Camping with the Fam, and hell - maybe I'll even play some golf. Pumped for Spring/Summer like never before, it's gonna be a good year.

So my thought as I roll out of bed in the morning?

Should I pedal or paddle.