An Ocoee Summer

[mgood]

After working at the same summer camp for the last 5 summers, I decided that this year is going to be different. So, after much effort and determination and to dismay of my mother (but the delight of my father), I'll be spending my days in the summer as a raft guide on the Ocoee with the Eagle Adventures Company (if all goes to plan). Training is the first weekend in April. The plan is simple: paddle all day and get paid for it. Off time is going to be spent kayaking everything I can find. Point of this all is that if any AR or LA boater wants to run the Ocoee (or anything in the area), I'll be there to gladly run it with/run shuttle. Just call 318-272-3293

- Micah Goodwin.

It's going to be a good summer.

[Heath]

congrats Micah

[A Savage spanke]

it will be really hard to raft all day and get paid for it at Eagle, I've never noticed them take more than a trip every few days, they could be expanding though. Have you talked to anyone from O.A.R.? We've got dodgeball (clothing optional), and tubing (clothing optional), and a huge campground, and about 40 guides on 25 acres of private property that love to party. Last summer was my first summer and when I graduated training I was getting 5 trips or so a week, and after a couple weeks I was getting 2 a day at least, 3 on weekends. Plus when you're going through training or trips are slow you can take customers tubing or on the ropes course from the same you would make taking them rafting.

On the other hand mass amounts of church groups and boyscouts

[mgood]

I went with Eagle because they were the most accommodating with training (I play college soccer and my weekends off in the spring are limited to maybe 2), and I'll be belaying a rock/repelling wall there, so I should have some stuff to do when not on the river. And, even if it's like you described, I'll still get a ton of time to kayak. The summer's not about making massive amounts of money- its about paddling. Plain and simple. Are you working this year again at OAR?

[A Savage spanke]

Oh totally working again at O.A.R. (assuming I pass my classes). The main reason I want you to go to O.A.R. is because I want as many kayaking raft guides as possible. I was going kayaking 3-4 days a week, doing multiple runs some of those days and playing in hell hole the rest. You have to make it past training before you have any time to kayak though, you're completely right about it not being about money. I am a raft guide to finance my kayaking. I don't know if eagle does this but with O.A.R. I can put my kayak on the bus and just tag along, don't have to run shuttle, saves so much money. I can put on with the first trip and take out with the last if I want to. Its awesome

[mgood]

We'll have to meet up and run some stuff around there (Tellico for instance) whenever neither of us is doing anything.

[Ben Rodda]

Have you thought about going to Colorado instead? The Arkansas river valley would make for a really fun summer as well.

ben

[RichardL]

Congrats sounds fun! If all goes to plan here I will be in yellowstone for the summer. Don't tell big brother but I plan on poaching as much runs as I can while there.

[ARzach]

Spanke,

Ark Valley. Rodda's right. Do it. You won't regret it.

--ZW

[Tmuse]

You might want to think about going west to crystal clear snow melt water compared to the sludged filled Ocoee. Tmuse

[Ben Rodda]

Dont get me wrong the Ocoee is super cool. I would have loved to have spent a summer there. But now that you have done that, try something else.

The really cool thing about the Ark is you have so many other epic opportunities so close by. Just the Arkansas alone has way more boatable miles alone than the Ocoee. It really spreads the traffic out well. Also well the festivals are so amazing. Teva Mountain Games and Fib Ark. Add in the fact that so many world class boaters make the Ark their home it just makes for a really fun environment to be in.

Ben

[A Savage spanke]

Nah I've got the same plan I've had since I was sixteen. Spend two summers on the ocoee, one summer on the new, then head out to idaho or Montana or Norcal or somewhere the next summer when I'm 21 so that I can go to the bars after work.

[Tmuse]

You go Spanke! Do it while your Young don't want miss any of that north west action.