Kindly Old Dr. K’s Hydrosphere

I recently had the opportunity to attend a great conference on stream restoration and ecology the Mid-Atlantic Stream Restoration Conference at Rocky Gap State Park in western Maryland.  The conference featured some of the real rock stars of the river science world, including Dave Rosgen and M. Gordon “Reds” Wolman.  Being at a conference with these guys is the scientific equivalent of being at a paddling event with, say, EJ and Bill Endicott.

Although this isn’t directly paddling related, the work being done by these folks should be of great interest to boaters.  It’s unlikely that your favorite stream has gone untouched by the  principles and techniques we were at this conference to discuss.

For more information on this topic just google “stream restoration” and  you’ll be inundated with information.

Rocky Gap State Park, a beautiful venue

Vendors exhibits included some cool schwag, like a writing pen made entirely of corn!.

A couple hundred scientists and engineers chowing down.

One of several dozen technical presentations.

The man himself, Professor Wolman, one of the fathers of river research.

Backlund paddles have acquired an almost mythical status among paddlers world-wide.  Here are a few pix of the bent-shaft beaut I’ve been using about a year and a half. 

If you haven’t used a fine wood paddle, you owe it to yourself.  A Backlund or a Jimistyk is as different from a production paddle as Laphroaig is from bar scotch.  Every paddler who knows they’re in it for the long haul should have one. 

 Contact Keith at backlundpaddles@juno.com or Jimi at mrmodes@jimisnyder.com

I blitzed up to the ASCI whitewater course today, and had fun.  I got in some playing, got stuffed briefly under a raft, got spun silly in the surging whirlpools.  The main thing I went for was to try out the portage escalator, which wasn’t operating the last time I was there (also ‘cuz I ended up with a free season pass, but that’s another story.)  The conveyor was the kind of thing we used to fantasize about in the old days when we dreamed of whitewater becoming as big as skiing, but I never expected to really see one.  It’s bizarrely cool.

  As a bonus I ran into an old compadre whom I hadn’t seen in probably 20 years, Steve Draper.  Drapes is one of our finest slalom racers, coaches, and race organizers.  It’s always a great pleasure to see the old gang still representin’. 

 Drapes and I at ASCI

Going up the ramp

Queueing for the ramp

Here are a few pics from the last month or so. 

Starting line of the Potomac Festival Attainment Race.

Me at the Maryland Chute-Out (Photo courtesy of Monique Hubshman and Potomac Paddlers)

 Team Jackson at the Maryland Chute

My wife and son on the local reservoir

My daughter on the reservoir

Sandy and Charlie Walbridge on the Yough