Yakdaddy’s River Ramblings

Just got to brag on our little sub-culture for a minute or two.  In a world overrun with commercialism, materialism, frivilous law-suitism, and general distrust for our fellow man, the boaters I know and the boating community at large stand out as the bunch of non-conformists that we are.

 Case in point -

I lost my paddle on the Little river in the Smokies while helping out a fellow boater who’d gotten himself into a nasty pin situation.  Folks that I talked to about the loss who paddled the same stretch the next day were considerate enough to get back to me to let me know they’d looked for it but never saw it.  Bummer, but thanks.

So I start looking for a replacement.  Being a boater on a budget, I’m looking for used gear.  I’ve got some Christmas cash given to me by family for gear purchasing and it sure is coming in handy.  Find a boater who needs to unload some gear quickly to make ends meet - no pictures, no guarantees - but he’s got a paddle AND a rescue PFD (that I was planning to purchase before TVF) for less than I was prepared to pay for the life jacket alone.  Now here’s where lots of folks would begin to call us boaters crazy…  I don’t know this guy, but he has paddled with some guys I have alot of respect for so I take him at his word on the condition of the gear.  He needs $$ ASAP to make ends meet so I Western Union him the cash (Still cheaper than the pfd with the WU charges) and we agree to work on how to get the gear from Chattanooga to the Tri-Cities.  I post on a couple of boards that I’ve got some gear that needs the aforementioned ride and am overwhelmed with offers to help out over the next 48 hours.

Picked up the items tonight, 5 days after the purchase and am totally stoked about the whole deal.  Can’t wait to get out there and put the stuff to good use now.

 Peace, love, and whitewater -

Stu