Whitewater Kayaking - Green Narrows (Lite-ish) Personal First Descent - Where it All Began
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ส.ค. 2022
- This day has been a long, long time coming. Finally, I am putting on to the Green River Narrows, a legendary section of a legendary river. I have been long intimidated by this section, but it was finally time for my personal first descent.
This river meant even more to me though, as this is where I got my first real exposure to whitewater kayaking and into the sport. Now, it was time to complete that circle and return.
I reached out to some friends this weekend to ask if they could show me down, and I ended up with an absolutely amazing crew. Big thanks to Garret, Hunter, Heather, Liam, Curtis, Jacob, Steven(s), Matt and the Eddyline Crew, and anyone else that I may be forgetting.
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Music:
Only Ashes Left by Blackout Memories
Infinite Emptiness by Matooma
Life Below Water by Wendel Scherer
Against All Odds by Kutiman
Dark Tension by Kyle Preston
Never Go Back by Swif7
JMPSCR by Astro Logic
Signal to Noise by Hampus Naeselius
Night Sky by Flint
Horizon by Veaceslav Draganov
Memories by ANBR
To The Stars by Hotham
Today is a Good Day to Live by John T. Graham
Sunrise by Lunareh
Sources:
wlos.com/news/local/rescue-ef...
www.americanwhitewater.org/co...
greenrace.us
Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians, Kirk Eddlemon
Carolina Canoe Club
South Orange Rescue Squad
Curtis May Photography - กีฬา
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I don't know how anyone can make another Green River video now. Really nicely done 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
Haha thanks buddy! Thanks so much for watching :)
Incredible video! Although it's been a bunch of years since I've paddled the Narrows of the Green (1995 was my last run), it still takes a lot for a video to impress me these days - but yours certainly did. I paddled a bunch of different types of boats (K-1, C-1, OC-1 and hand paddling K-1) back then, and every time I chose a different discipline for that river, I got the butterflies you so adeptly described. An interesting piece of trivia: Go Left and Die was named that because there used to be a HUGE tree down across the whole left side of the river and you HAD to take the sneak to the right or you would have died under that tree. So, while I've run every other rapid on the Narrows, I've never done Go Left and Die. Thanks for the video - I really connected with it. Oh, and well done - your lines were really sweet!
Woah, thats so cool! Both the trivia and your story haha! Thanks so much for the kind words, and thanks for watching :)
Ran the Narrows back 20 years or so ago and had the good fortune to have Leland Davis as my guide. Leland is one of the godfathers of the Green and NC paddling in general. All I had to do was stay 25 ft off his stern, per his instructions, and all worked out sweetly. I did run Go Left and Die but carried Chief, Gorilla and Sunshine. Great to see a young paddler progressing so nicely and I wish such rapid progression had been common when I started kayaking in 1980. Exceptionally well done video that feels like it's straight from the heart. Congrats. (And thanks to Leland for showing me down a truly memorable run.)
Wow! That must have been amazing, to have such a paddling legend lead you down! Thanks so much for sharing! Thanks for the kind words too, and thanks for watching! :)
Dude, you simply rock. Your humility and humbleness emulate what I wish every great whitewater paddler would exhibit. You running the narrows after less than 2 years is insane and inspiring. Keep up the great work and please keep posting awesome videos that help lesser paddlers like me gain the confidence to step up. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much! People like you are the reason why I do it!
This is incredible man! So much inspiration and there’s quite a few of us following in your footsteps brother! Thank you for the hard work, dedication and passion for all of us bro🤘🏽
Dude thanks so much! You have no idea how much that means to me!! :)
This video is one of your best! I have been following you for the past 2 years. Really nice to see how you have grown and made a full circle for the sports you love dearly.
Wow, thank you! Thanks so much for watching and hope you and Christine are doing well! :)
Hey Jer, I'd just like to say as a latecomer to the sport, (1st season at 47 y) you're videos have been among the most helpful, clear, concise, and fun to watch. I think it's great that you talk about the mental struggle involved and strategies to deal with it. That gets overlooked or ignored often in most other vids unfortunately. Thanks for all your time and effort put into these. Mostly they just get me itchin to be on the river.
Wow! Thanks for all the kind words! I really appreciate it! Maybe one day we'll run into each other on the river! :)
-Jer
Good storytelling, you make me feel it.
In all your modesty, this is a grand achievement.
Thank you! It was a big day, one I'll never forget.
These are the best kayaking videos. Awesome journey and a big payout. This is what whitewater is all about!
Wow! Thanks so much for the kind words, and thanks for watching!! :)
@@JerKayaks hope to see you on the water sometime 🤘 GA here
This is an excellent video, congratulations Jer.
Thank you! Thanks so much for watching!!
Good on ya Bro! You articulate the thrilling terror of the addiction that is whitewater kayaking. Been at it since 1993. Cheers!
Yeah!! Thanks for watching :)
Great lines “ waka ‘er “
Get it buddy !!!!!
Haha thanks! Thanks so much for watching :)
Congrats on getting the PFD. I always tell folks that are on their PFD on any stream..stay focused, breath, and that drop will always be there if you portage it. Go Safe Go Easy
Thanks! It was a big moment for me and I'm glad I have it. Go Safe, Go easy!
Truely inspirational. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching :)
Great story telling, can't wait for the first run down this myself.
You'll kill it! Thanks for watching :)
Love that Jer. Great enthusiasm and honesty. Keep it up buddy, all the way from the UK
Thank man! Shred it for me in the UK!
Loved the story telling in this one. The kayaking footage was great but the narrative made it fun. I've really enjoyed watching you progress as both a paddler and videographer. Thanks for sharing with us.
Ahhhhh thanks so much! I've been working on both skills haha! Thanks for watching :)
@@JerKayaks the full circle part of story was really neat. I first learned about WW kayaking when the upper Ocoee was being dynamited for the '96 Olympics. I remember thinking that it looked fun. Life happened, dream hibernated. Fast forward to Jan 2021, I'm in a pool in a WW boat for first time which was in a large part inspired by the River Kings videos where I first saw you on the Tellico in snow. My circle isn't quite as neat as yours, but I did make it to the Ocoee last month and got my pfd on the middle. I'm SO hooked, just wish I didn't live so far away from goof whitewater.
Awesome dude! Well done man! Keep at it! Kayaking is sweet and a lifelong hobby!
Thank you! Thanks so much for watching!! :)
Smart decisions make for a long whitewater career. Well done!
Thank you!! And thanks so much for watching :)
Congrats! That's a good accomplishment...and a very good video! Keep up and enjoy rivers!
Thanks so much! And thanks for watching :)
WOW. Best vid. so much fun to watch this
Thanks buddy! Thanks for watching :)
Amazing Job Jerry, living the dream
Haha Thanks buddy! I'm loving it! :)
Great storytelling! I really enjoyed this. Thanks for your work, I've been watching your videos for a while. Love it!
Awesome, thank you so much! Thanks for watching :)
Lots of "Jer from 2 years ago" paddlers out here hoping to paddle with you. Well done.
Inspiring the new Jers will always be the goal of the team. Jer honestly had a huge part in all of our development so we are hoping to do the same for the next generation of boaters. -Portage Posse Team
Great video! Great edit...great story...probably your best yet! Loved it!
Wow, thanks so much! :) Thanks for watching, and can't wait to get on the water again with you soon!
This was randomly in my recommended so I gave it a watch. Well done man its always good to see someone reach a long term goal and may you have many more days like this!
Thanks haha! Thanks so much for the kind words and thanks for watching! :)
Nice job Jer! You are the man!! Congratulations on coming full circle on your kayaking genesis into the sport! There is little you can’t do with such a positive attitude. I hope to boat with you some day.
Ahhhhh thanks so much for the kind words buddy! I really appreciate it! Hope to see you on the water someday for sure! Thanks for watching :)
What's next, Gauley Fest? The Green is a pretty big accomplishment for any boater.
Gauley is on my list for sure! Trying to figure out my schedule for the next few months! Thanks for watching :)
Such a great story, Jer!! Congratulations on your Narrows run. The world is your oyster my man.. Wishing you a lifetime full of continued adventures!!
Thanks so much! Gotta get on the water with you and Jes soon! Thanks for watching :)
From zero kayaking to hero kayaking in such a short time is unbelievable - you're genuinely inspirational Jer.
Ahhhh thanks so much :) Thanks for watching :)
Love the way you share your stories!
Thank you so much! Thanks for watching! :)
I've been watching some of your clips since when you started, and to see this today and see your progression - with the eyes of someone who's been paddling for 30 years - this is nothing short of amazing. Dedication and hard work indeed! Thanks for a truly inspirational clip and most of all, thanks for sharing your amazing journey
Wow! thank you! Thanks so much for watching and thanks for the kind words!! :)
Jerry, I've watched your experience from beginning kayaker to now. This was a GREAT video. Loved it. I've been kayaking for about 47 years and enjoy the heck out of it. I see the same feeling when I see you on the river. Way to go brother. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Thanks so much for the kind words! And thanks so much for watching :)
Love it Jerry !!! Very nicely done
Thank you! Thanks so much for watching :)
Such an incredible video, I just got my first green lite lap too shortly after you and could not have possibly put it better. Now you've got me fired up to go get lap 2 already!
Yeah buddy! Let me know if you ever find yourself there for lap 2 and need someone to run with! Thanks so much for watching :)
Yeahhh! Awesome video man!
Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching! :)
Yo! So hyped for you Jer! Congrats!
Thank you! Thanks so much for watching :)
The ones you did looked like a lot of fun and you capture the feeling of stress and stoke pretty well to relate to real life. Some of those look gnarly on the GoPro so they must be insane in person.
Haha they're so much steeper in person! Thanks so much for watching :)
Awesome to see you run where it all started for you. Hope to see you in the water one day. 🍻
Thanks so much for watching! See you one day hopefully! :)
Solid lines! I love the ominous music in the beginning
Haha thanks buddy! Thanks so much for showing me down! :)
Congrats on the accomplishment and nice video!
Thank you so much! and thanks for watching :)
Nicely done, sir ! Perfect line on Go Left
Thanks a lot! Thanks for watching :)
Congrats man! That’s awesome, the green narrows are my goal one day
You can do it! Thanks so much for watching :)
Great video! Wow, that is an amazing river. Well done. New follower here. Crow✌️
Thanks so much! Thanks for watching :)
two years to go from zero to green river narrows. absolutely wow. i only know a handful of people progressing that fast.
be safe out there running the stouts because i would love to see where your journey goes within the next two years!
Thanks so much for the kind words! And thanks for watching :)
Awesome video bro!
Appreciate it! Thanks so much for watching :)
Pretty sweet run! I remember my first time down that run and it looked a lot like your run except I never ran Go Left. In fact, I've run the Green over a dozen times and never ran that rapid but we always ran Groove Tube. The ferry above Sunshine is not that bad and Groove Tube is really one of the drops that really has stuck in my brain as classic Green. I need to get back there some day.
Thanks so much for watching! I finally got on Groove Tube the other day and kinda beatered it haha, but its a super fun rapid! See you out there maybe, thanks for watching again! :)
Hell yeah dood !
Whoooo! Thanks so much for watching :)
Great video and I hope to do the green light myself one day
Thanks so much for watching! I'm sure you can do it! :)
Jer great videos! I need some advice on a new paddle. I'm an intermediate trying to step up a little. I can't decide between a powerhouse , a strike or surge I'm 6 1 185 . I will be using it for mostly for what you are doing. I've got a rio right now and like it ok but I want a new one. I guess my biggest question is should I get the forward crank bend like surge and strike or more conventional like powerhouse? Thanks Jer
Ahhh I can't give you a good answer haha, I think the best thing that you can do is to try and demo some! I personally love the forward offset on the strike, but I do also know people that hate it! Whether you get a sherpa/powerhouse or surge/strike, it'll be a huge upgrade from the rio! I know that wasn't the most helpful answer, but I hope it helped at least a bit! Thanks for watching! :)
@@JerKayaks Thanks Jer! It helps. I'm leaning towards forward offset. Now I just need to decide the size. Surge or strike. LoL
Sweet Mary mother of ….. good on you Jer 🤙🤙🤙
Thanks haha! Thanks so much for watching :)
Frankenstein is my second favorite rapid just under zwiks
I really like rapid transit haha! Zwiks and franks kinda scare me lmao! Thanks for watching!
@@JerKayaks rapid transit is fun at higher levels but with the recent flows of 7 to 8 it’s I little bumpy zwiks is definitely scary my first time down I swam out of the bottom hole
While I admire your progression, and the last thing I'd want you to do is interpret this as some sort of criticism, one thing I'll say is to make sure you're not in too much of a rush to become a shitrunner. Paddling's a journey, not a destination. It's not an uncommon phenomenon for paddlers to get super good super fast only to have the sport lose its allure just as quickly. Someone who has taken years to get to the class V level is naturally going to be more satisfied once they're there as opposed to someone who rose to the top in a heartbeat. Ultimately, there will only be so far to go without putting your life at serious risk when you put on.
There was a high schooler I used to follow on here. He was running class V+ stuff at age 15, and I got to paddle with him once when he happened to be putting on Difficult Run (micro in the in the DC area) at the same time I was. Kid was impressive. He styled the creek's one very serious rapid (a 5.1 on AW that I always portage), denying my offer to set safety for him. Last I heard, he had retired from the sport before his 18th birthday. Don't know the exact reason, but my guess is that like many others of his ilk have, he lost interest.
I don't take that as criticism at all! I've spent a lot of time since posting this video reflecting on what I want from this sport, and what I want is to enjoy this beautiful sport with my friends and help them become better boaters. Keep an eye out for videos in the very near future!
Heck yea, what was the level, 7ish?
Just about 8! Was an amazing pfd level, glad I got it before all the low water days! Thanks for watching :)
Cat Newspaper Meme - Perhaps I should get myself a Waka.... WTG on PFD on GN
Haha its a great boat! Thanks so much for watching :)
Congratulations! Big accomplishment. I think all your rapid ratings are way off across all your videos though.
Thanks! As for the ratings, I’m pulling them straight from American Whitewater…..so it’s not me making the ratings myself haha! Anyways, thanks for watching :)
@@JerKayaks I think American whitewater is dead wrong too. Skewed
@@joshuahuber837 gotcha. Yeah, in that case I’m not sure then. It seems most people go off of AW, even if it may be skewed. I have not paddled long enough myself to be able to rate rapids on my own
What would you recommend as a resource for rapid ratings other than AW? I totally agree that ratings are skewed, but I am unaware of another database that would be better?
@@JerKayaks I think it's a conversation we should have as a community.
Let me give you a good example: as I write this to you now, I've just come back from British Columbia. The first creek I ran there was Cayoosh creek. In the guidebook, the creek is described as "roadside class IV." Well, the road is 2000 vertical feet from the riverbed and by my standards the whitewater was class V. If the Linville gorge was in BC, they would probably call it roadside class IV too.
Then I went and ran the Stikine which most people in BC (and the world) would call wilderness class V. There is no comparable experience to that river anywhere in the Southeast.
Is Gorrilla really a class V+ rapid if Site Zed is also a class V+? Even though site zed is infinitely stouter than Gorilla?
We have a compression problem because our scale has a cap. As kayakers have gotten better, whitewater that was precieved as the pinnacle whitewater experience is now normalized.
Even the stikine has been outclassed by paddlers running the Indus or Tsangpo in the Himalaya.
If we want to operate with a whitewater rating scale that has a cap, we need to evenly distribute our ratings as the sport goes further.
I'm super interested in this topic thanks for engaging with me.
Bro…
😁