During the summer ever since I was maybe 5, my family left urbania for a cottage on the Congamond Lakes in Southwick MA. There I paddled an inflatable kayak and swam and water skied a lot (until my younger brother got better than I and I got jealous). Always loved the water. However I never even considered whitewater until I worked down at Pisgah Forest the summer before my senior year in college. While down there, I rafted the Nanty and then graduated to section 4. Later, in '91 I rafted the Arkansas River Royal Gorge section. It was so much fun with me cracking my head off while running it, I decided I *had* to try kayaking. The next day I took a lesson on the Arkansas where I swam (naturally!). I thought I would never paddle again. Besides I was an obsessed climber without the finances for a kayak. But I needed something to do on rainy days and when it was too hot to climb. So 2 years later I returned to paddling, intending for it to be a relaxing diversion, nothing harder than class 2 I thought. My first boat was a Corsica S; in '96 I bought a Blast, then this year a Jive. I've paddled whitewater maybe 150x in my entire career, mostly class 3 and under. Two seasons were shortened due to injuries (back, fractured ribs). Now on class 3+/4...
 

I've also sea kayaked a couple of times (CT/RI and Vancouver). Would like to do more of that. My paddling goals this year are to paddle solid class 4, paddle Kennebac, Rapid and Beaver and maybe do the Bottom Moose through Agers.
 

Mickie

"We do not see things as they are; we see them as we are" Author unknown