Vermi'n with the Queen of the Vermillion!

Vermillion at 44cfs. Would this turn out to be the fuzzy bunny whitewater that I needed?

I felt like a kid on summer vacation as, on this sunny and hot Thursday morning, I drove not to work, but to Hastings for paddling.

With temperatures in a sweltering nineties I nearly melted as I pulled and lowered my boat towards the put-in. Can’t imagine yet, how I am going to get down this rocky abyss with my 45 lbs creeker, when it is slippery from rain or even snow :-) Wonder if my landlord would let me keep a large mountain goat?

In Nora’s calming wake I was as relaxed as I have ever been in my boat on moving water. Did some PRETTY good eddy work (v. good)

Pictures from Nora's Blog

I nearly lost it, when I got onto Donut Hole! Talking about feeling a sweet spot! Maybe this playboating could grow on me! And Art, the reason you don't see me smiling on the picture below is, because I am too darn busy going WOOHOOHOO!!!

My finest photogenic few minutes :-)

After some play on Donut I noticed my arm muscles feeling like custard. Turned out later, that I had lost too much electrolytes earlier. Damn that expedition it takes to get to the put in!

Surfing Donut was fabulous, but having a good old girl’s chat with Nora and getting to know her better was priceless. People have been talking about her to me and it’s all true: She’s great!!! We both like authenticity and that’s what we shared.

Made my way home on quite a high, which led to spending too much money at you-know-where on outdoor stuff.

Shame Bill Mc couldn’t be there! I think the best testament to my high is the mail I sent to him as soon as I got my laptop to boot up:

“It was so much fun with Nora on the Verm. Fuzzy bunny whitewater, yay! (Again, I hope Art doesn't read this.) Nice eddylines to practice on, and one of the waves was big enough for even my creeker! There are pictures! :-) Let's make sure we can go out there pretty darn soon! - Nora has indicated, that she is up for going down there, when we can work around her work schedule. She's just a darl! - I used a lot of the stuff I learned from Chad and Art! - And it's just so pretty too!

So get a boat that fits your butt man!”

One of these days I hope that all the paddler who have seen me acting the nut, see me playing the Donut as breezy as today :-)

Thank you Nora!