We launched at Redding with a level of 3.6 or so. Had a great paddle with a bunch of new people and a couple of old timers. Due to the late launch and the size and pace of the group we determined it would be prudent to exit at Big Eddy rather than go on to Campbell Cemetary as originally planned. Paul Smith and a very nice young man from Fayetteville named Austin decided to go on down while the rest of us worked out amended shuttle logistics and moved and loaded boats and gear. Big shout out to Cyndy Lou Eubanks who graciously accepted the role of shuttle goddess to extricate us from our self-inflicted quagmire. Thanks also to Brad W. who has long been a good friend to the ACC.Once everything was loaded and goodbyes were said Steve Shepherd and I headed back to Campbell to meet Paul and Austin. We were enjoying sitting on the bank under a perfectly clear sky when they came into view just before 5:00. I told Steve I was happy to be wrong about when they'd arrive and he agreed. Paul did concede that they pushed pretty hard and it was extremely unlikely the entire group would have made the takeout by then. That's such a tough call to make, especially when it's a situation that could have been avoided by simply setting shuttle earlier, but our group was pretty big and included some new paddlers so we erred on the side of caution and everyone was very gracious about it.
We pulled out of Campbell just before 6:00 under an azure sky but before we reached Clarksville the next round was already rolling in. The verdict; great day on the water with a bunch of new friends. I won't even try to name them all.
