We finished up the school year and settled into summer. Parker was scheduled to attend advanced teen kayaking camp, and to get ready, we started taking him down to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte to, er, get his feet wet. He fell in love with the place. We have made multiple trips down the the center. Mom Mom even joined Kristie and the kids one day where she participated in some extreme kayaking and zip lining. Parker has enjoyed the whitewater center so much that he has started to participate in some of the Charlotte Whitewater Paddling Club’s slalom activities.
In mid-May, we made a made a trip over to Roan Mountain. We stopped along the way in Wilkesboro for the Headed to College Road Race. We brought home some serious hardware with Ansel finishing second overall in the top female’s division, Kristie finishing third, and Jay finishing second in the old timer’s division. It rained the whole race and we were soaked, but we dried off and headed on to the mountains. We had an enjoyable time relaxing and hiking.
We have subsequently run two other road races as part of the Twin City Track Club‘s $5 5K race series.
Jay dropped Parker off at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for his week of camp. This year, Parker stepped up to the Advanced Teen Camp. Parker learned swift water rescue techniques and then embarked on a nomadic journey around the southeast paddling the Nantahala, Pigeon, Nolichucky, and Ocoee Rivers. Parker had a great time. He noted that the Ocoee was his favorite river. When Jay and Ansel picked him up, he showed off his new skills for them in the Play Hole on the Nantahala.
For the Fourth of July, we returned to Roan Mountain for several days. We enjoyed taking it easy and then preparing for our mega-hike on the 4th. We set off on foot starting at Carver’s Gap and hiked the 13.3 miles to 19E. Along the way, we enjoyed the views from the balds. We spent the next day recovering. Pass the ibuprofen!
On July 4th, 2006, we met Hugh Barrow for the first time when we paddled with him and our Friend Lowater Dan on the Nolichucky. As most of you know, Hugh went on to play a very important role in our lives when Parker was born almost eight months later. Parker and Jay were thrilled that they were able to return to the Nolichucky and paddle with Hugh and Dan. They had a great day! While the boys were at the Noli, Kristie and Ansel headed off to the Tuckasegee River. The girls had a blast.
Ansel has picked up the kayaking bug. With her newfound excitement, we got a new boat for her. On July 13, we took it on its maiden voyage back at the Tuck. We were joined by Lowater Dan for an beautiful day on the river.
