4/22-23 WW Instruction? MulberryR?

[HawksEye]

Hello from Iowa where the water is solid.
I'd love to escape from Iowa and improve my minimal WW skills.
I am very experienced in kayak touring, but only an advanced beginner at WW. I'm very comfortable in class II, but only have 1 day experience with class III WW (but it was a blast!).
I'd love to find someone to help me with my roll (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't), other skills, and a paddling partner for two days.
I'm open to location, although NW Arkansas is the easiest drive from my home.
Warning to the purists... :-) I come with a Pyranha Fusion, which is a fairly new boat to me.
I plan to camp Mon, Tues, Wed nights, would love to paddle Tues & Wed.

I know you guys are gearing up for your big WW school event, but I work that weekend and was disappointed by a group lesson I took in WI, so I'd rather have private or semi-private.

Any input, suggestions, offers would be welcomed.

Thanks!

helen

[GN YAKN]

Helen,

There's a transplanted Arkie living in Cedar Rapids that sometimes visits this board. Not sure if you are close to him geographically but he would be a very good resource for instruction and local stream info if he's not out hitting a local flea market looking for tools or VW parts! Are you close to CR?

It's kind of hard to predict what the water level will be but it definietly should be good in April. You just never know. Post again closer to the date and I'll bet you'll find some folks to hang with.

Since you don't have a solid roll, are you able to self-rescue your boat and gear when you swim? Do you have some floatation in your boat, like some air bags? Folks might want to know how prepared you are before jumping in and offering assistance.

Streams around here should be perfect for what you are looking for. We are mostly Class I with some Class II runs when the water is up. Class III stuff you would probably want a good solid creek boat and not the fusion and also a bomb proof roll.

You probably won't get any offers to take you on a Class III run on this board. Folks around here are pretty good about helping others stay within their limits.

Hope you get some replies and offers to meet up. Board is pretty sleepy and not much activity until it starts raining!!!

[okieboater]

Have you thought about the Rec School

Same basics as WW just more laid back and much warmer water

6,7,8 June are the dates on spring river AR

[SteveGabbard]

There is a list of certified ACA kayak instructors on the ACA website. If you don't find someone from your post you might try contacting the people on that list.

If you can't find someone here another option would be to go east if that's not too far. Endless River Adventures on the Nantahala River in North Carolina has excellent instruction and sounds like a good match for what you are looking for.

[magicmike]

Helen - if you could make it to Fishers Ford on a big turnout day, you'll find a lot of help there. People are real good about helping other folks try to step it up. Good weather and water levels brings out a pretty steady crowd anymore. Hope to see you there sometime soon. -M-

[HawksEye]

Hi Folks-
Thanks for the suggestions and feedback. I will keep them all in mind. I have nearly 20 summers of paddling experience, wetsuit, dry suit. My lil 9' Fusion has a stern bulkhead and I have a tapered, inflatable drybag I can use for front floatation. I have taken this boat on class III rapids. I can & have done: wet-exit, self rescue- swim, or reenter & roll. I've learned a Greenland roll and the c-to-c roll this winter, but I will be the first to admit that they are not 'bomb-proof'-- yet. I expect they will be improved by April 22. I am the most safety-conscious person I know and hate to admit that it took me 20 years to get to the point of learning to roll, but there you are...

I would like to paddle the Mullberry R, but I will not do it the first time, in spring, alone, for safety reasons. That is why I'm here- no interest from my paddling friends. There is a WW park closer to me than Fisher's Ford, so I am not interested in going to FF. , but it is great you have that-- what fun! I have no desire to go to NCarolina this year, or group paddling classes- I'll be trying for ACA instructor certification elsewhere in June and have already taken my big kayak vacation for the year (Matagorda Island, coastal Texas), so my 'big trip' time is about maxed out. Just laying it out cause y'all don't know me.

I am a good 4 hours from Cedar Rapids, and am not well connected in the central Iowa paddlers community, but I will keep my ears out to find out whom you reference, GN Yakn.

If I do not find someone available that week willing to do the Mullberry R, maybe I'll go look for an ivory-billed woodpecker. :-) Maybe not the perfect time of year for that, but it is always a good time to paddle, somewhere. Right? :-)

thanks, again. I'll poke back here again, cause I really do want to paddle Arkansas.

[hilbili]

Not able to make WW school this yr myself. I am interested in mulberry the same.time frame. Just floated byrds to tb with jungle boat racers. @ 2' usgs gauge, it was fun for a personal first descent . I would like to catch it at 2.5 to 2.8 ish. I am ww novice also, but plenty of water time
Extra safety training for me.

[hilbili]

dubble from verizon

[hilbili]

WoW! the buffalo went POW and the piney went BANG and the mulberry went BOOM