Adventure is out there...

Adventure is key in life. It can be defined by people in many different ways, but overall we need to have adventure.  For some it could be the connection to others when gathering, for some it requires a bit more of a jolt, like a theme park or amusement ride.  I, however, consider venturing into the outdoors as adventuring.

From a young age I enjoyed the time I spent in the outdoors.  My family wasn't much for camping, but I do remember my father taking me and my brother camping on a father/son campout when I was very young. I would guess I was around 6-7. I remember from this trip 3 things.  1. that it was cold. Not bitter cold, but simply that cool feeling that comes with spring or fall. I cannot remember which season it was, but it was not the heat of summer. 2. we ate some eggs cooked over the fire, they were really good, but not cooked how my mother made eggs so it was a different experience. and 3. That I loved the freedom I felt when my brother and I played around camp.  To this day I still credit that camping experience for my love of the outdoors. Later at 12 I began backpacking, then climbing. I dabbled in mountain biking some at the time, but bikes were expensive.  At 16 I longed for the adventure of being off-road, but seemed to only get lemons when looking for the right 4wd.  Later I began kayaking.  I found immense freedom with kayaking and the adventure that was connected to it was grand.  Man vs. nature in a battle to flow cleanly down a wild river, over rapids and water falls to a takeout point. The only competitor was myself and the challenge could be dangerous.

Colorado Trip 2013

Excursion trip 2014

Now Here I am at 33.  Still craving adventure, but now looking to combine my love of everything outdoors into a career, hobby and lifestyle. Taking concepts like Overlanding and Kayaking and meshing them together into a series of adventures that will not only fill my need, but I hope to share that love with my wife and 4 kids.  My children (10,9,6,22months) are no strangers to outdoor adventures.  We backpack as a family fairly regularly and even our youngest braved the outdoors as young as 8 months being carried on my back for a 2 day trip. It is time to share the adventure with them on a large scale.  My wife and I have planned to make an overloading trip out west to WY, ID, UT, and CO.  This 16 day trek with be full of the adventure above.  We have added friends who are close to us, the Shands, who as I type this are getting their vehicle ready for overland travel.  We will be adventuring into our "unknown" and for us at this point, it's fantastic.  We plan on this being a stepping stone towards an Overlanding trip to Canada and Alaska, with hopes of doing a Central and South America trip a few years down the road.

As with most of my adventures and my connection to the outdoor industry I have begun the process of asking for sponsorships.  A few companies have come on board and I will post about their company, products and give honest reviews as we get close to our trip.  With a departure date of June 5th we have a lot to do and very little time. If you read this and feel inspired to sponsor us in some way, please let me know. Our route is open and the plan is flexible, we are open to the adventure.

To help document, I will include potential budget costs as well as actual budget costs. I also hope to include a mountain of pictures that will be inspiring to those travelers with families.

Share this blog, stay tuned, subscribe, and overall seek adventure!

Tommy

For your viewing pleasure, I have added a few photos of previous adventures.

We are going to revitalize this blog.  Stay tuned and keep posted! If you love the outdoors we will be doing posts specifically on equipment, practices and more.  Outdoor Instructor and Experiential Counselor Tommy Clapp will be leading the way. Other guest Bloggers will be joining in as well.  A small video series will be connected with this blog.  Subscribe here Outdoor Videos

Josh Carter Gives his Review of the Karma S and Karma M

When boat designers are given the task of designing a new boat they have a hard road in front of them. They are asked to make a boat that beginners will love and makes it easy for them to paddle, but also for high level boaters to have performance and safety.  Here is a review from Josh Carter. He is a local Smokies paddler that has spent time in both the small and medium. Josh is a growing paddler and is currently stepping into the world of Class IV-V paddling.

About Josh: I’ve been paddling for almost a year now and the hardest thing to date I have ran is Upper Big Creek and the Watuaga. I have mainly paddled an Eskimo Salto, but have had the chance to play around with a Villain in the water too.

Karma Small:

Taking my first look at the Karma Small, I was very excited because I had heard great things about this boat. It had what looked like the right amount of edge on it looking at the hull and had the Jackson outfitting, which is always a nice bonus. I had the seat set in the center of the boat and I hopped in it my first time on the Little River Sinks at 2.5 feet. The first thing I noticed was that the boat boofed like a boss! Compared to the Salto I had paddled it felt like I was stomping pretty much every boof. The next major thing I noticed about the boat is the speed. It cuts through the river so fast and I found myself running up on the boat in front of me on the river several times. The next thing I really enjoyed was the carving; I was able to steer the boat with my hips at times, which means the boat is so easy to maneuver into tight eddies. My favorite feature about the boat though by far is the slight edge. It has enough to effectively turn the boat, however, as compared to my Salto that would flip me when I caught to much edge, the Karma never did that. I could go almost to a 45 degree brace without my paddle and I would not flip. Overall I am very impressed with this boat, especially some of the add on features such as the GoPro mount on the front.

Josh in the Karma S boofing the Sinks on the Little River

Karma Medium:

Everything about the Karma Small is true for the Medium except for a few changes. When I paddle the medium I use a 200 for the seat, extra foam in the sides, and I have the seat all the way forward. This allows me to effectively engage the boat. The medium has a lot of volume and the boat just feels beefy. I’m 5’10″ and 165lbs and the boat is very comfortable for me. I am not quite used to the larger size and I am still learning how to effectively control it in whitewater, but there are several advantages to it. When I was on the Little it boofed so well, even better than the small did from what I noticed. The next major thing that really helped was the extra volume; when I was on the Watuaga I popped out of several holes very quickly, the main one being the last hole on Hydro. The medium carves and cuts just as well as the small, but has the extra volume so that you feel safe.

Josh Boofing the Karma Medium on his first lap down the Watauga

Final Judgement: I’m in love. I plan on switching to one as soon as I can get my hands on it. They are a great boat and Jackson really outdid themselves with this. If you have a chance to demo one you should! Check out the J.O.E. demo trailer from Tommy Clapp to try one of these beautiful boats out

Blast from my Paddling Past

These pics are from my first year and a half of paddling out of my 3 years. It has passed quickly and I am running things I never thought I would. Looking back it is fun to see where I came from. From a 15ft Flat water canoe to a sit on top and finally to my current whitewater boats I have traveled tons of beginner rivers many times preparing for what I paddle now.

Running the Waterfall on the French Broad. Class III in a 15ft Canoe!

On the lower Little below the Y. That sit on top was a fun craft compared to the Canoe!

First run down the Pigeon. I was scared to death! No flips, no troubles!

Toby leading Mitch and I down the Pigeon for the first time.

Heading into Lesser Wesser on the Nanty!

This was my first year at the GAF. Check out the ManiVan

Playing at our Training Wave at the French Broad!

Things have been SLOW...

With more than enough water for many great runs I have found myself stuck at home or at work, or free but with Kids... I think Cabin Fever may be setting in. I have only paddled twice in the past 2 months!

One of those trips was on the Little River at 4.5ft. That is a VERY high level and was super pushy. No injuries but Jesse was shoved to the bottom of the river in the Elbow rapid. I didn't run it after watching that.

The other run was on the Tellico. Testing out a Liquid Logic Jefe. It was nimble and felt safe, but it is really hard to roll at my size. I think I will be sticking with my Salto from this point on. Maybe when I get some money Saved up I will get a new Salto Evolution. The other exciting part about this run was the other demo I had...a new 2010 Allstar. I have been struggling with my current playboat for some time and the new Allstar was a relief. After a short demo I was sold and promptly sold my Liquid Logic Biscuit and bought a new Allstar. The biscuit was awesome, just a struggle to roll...guess me and Liquid Logic boats don't mesh. I will post pictures of the new toy soon!

2010...Bikes and Boats. What a great start to the Year

Started this year out right with the Tellico Baby Falls Huck Fest. Videos are all over the internet about it so I will probably not post anything here. It was a Blast and even the kids had a good time running around in the below freezing temps.
Here is a link to videos and pics... http://www.etwcweb.com/forum/mix_entry.php?id=2811#p2896

After that day The Family all took a bike ride at the Oakridge Marina. Thomas was able to ride 4.5 miles that day. Our goal is to get him ready to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail in late spring.

Lessons learned on the Little

Over the past year and a half I have spent time kayaking the little. But, my lessons started a few years ago when I started canoeing whitewater with a flatwater 15ft canoe. The Little taught me that day that if I want to paddle whitewater I needed the right gear. I pinned and folded that boat at least twice paddling it down the little. As I moved to running the easier sections of the river I learned little lessons about water levels and when the gauge says it's too low...that means it is too low. Once I started running the rougher stuff... Meanies, sinks, elbow etc... I had a few key lessons. First, don't forget your skirt. On a nice spring day last spring I drove the 1.5hrs to the little just to see that I had left my skirt high and dry at home. I promptly turned around a drove home... lesson learned. Today I learned another lesson at the little. I paddled with my friend Dave and he didn't feel like running the meanies or the sinks today so I decided I was going to fire it up with Dave setting safety. The first drop of the meanies went well. I was endered alittle, but nothing bad. Second drop was a different story. Normally I ferry across and boof the little rock in the center and miss the pourover while landing in the eddy. Today the water was alittle low and instead of boofing the rock I hit it and stopped. This flushed me into the pourover sideways where I proceed to get a nice surf. Finally I flipped and when I rolled up I had flushed out, but I was freezing. That is when the Little taught me another valuable lesson. ZIP UP YOUR DRY SUIT! I ran the sinks with out major issues but did have to role up at the bottom. Dave got a few pictures of this and I will post them when he sends them over. Over all the little seems to always save a few key lessons for me each time I visit...This one was a chilly one to learn.

Epic Fail Boof Line

Getting a nice hole ride... you can see my drysuit unzipped!