River Rat Induction Ceremony: Beginner Kayaking

Last Sunday Swebop had the pleasure of taking 4 new kayakers on the Balcony Falls section of the James. Three Sweet Briar girls and one lucky UVA alum launched early in the morning for an exciting day. The river was high and running quick and we hit it hard. These pictures don't do it justice because I am not coordinated enough to run the rapid, safety boat and be the paparazzi all at once. But here are some of the best eddies on the river!

The Launch

Off to Great Start

The Lake. After t-rescues, eddy turns, peel outs and ferries we got to spend some quality time with nature in the slack water of the James River Dam. We saw plenty of basking turtles, some interesting birds and swam with the local fish:-)
















Careful Jenna, that primate looks rabid! Oh, my bad it's just on of the instructors...

I'd say my four years as a Swebop instructor couldn't have ended in a better scene.

Keep paddling Sweet Briar,
Sara

Riding in West Virginia, SWEBOP style...

Hey! Jenna here. I'm just chilling in the office right now, there's not really anything to advertise for. So I thought I'd talk about the past few trips I've been on...

We went horseback riding and camping in West Virginia from April 17th-19th. The trip was the first of it's kind that SWEBOP has ever sponsored. It took a lot of work to get this trip off the ground, and I am so proud that my co-leaders and I were able to make it a dream come true for me.

We had 15 participants and 5 leaders on the trip (wow...talk about a huge group)! I'm ecstatic that the trip was as amazing as it was...

There were two groups of riders: a beginner group for those with limited riding experience and an advanced group, which was mostly girls who have been riding for more than few years. The beginners got to ride for about 2.5-3 hours and enjoyed a delicious fresh cooked lunch on the trail, and the advanced group rode for about 5-6 hours, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all ate way too much of the delicious food on the trail. Although I've been riding for 13 years, I haven't had time to ride since Christmas break, so my butt was pretty sore for a few days afterwards... We galloped down the trail and through open fields!

This is the advanced group heading back towards the woods

The advanced group got started riding a little late, and by the time we got back to camp, Sara was almost finished cooking us a fabulous dinner! I think the participants were a little skeptical about our one-pot wonder meal, probably because it's called "Shit in a Pot". But everyone seemed to LOVE it (I knew they would!), I'm pretty sure I saw people going back for thirds! So a special thanks to Sara for cooking for us... it's not easy to figure out how to cook food for 20 people in two pots (one vegetarian, one with turkey), with only one propane stove! mad props on that, plus it was delicious.

While we cleaned up dinner, Debbie rounded up some of the participants to help make a fire. Then we all enjoyed S'mores!

I think it's safe to say that everyone had the time of their life on this trip, and we look foreward to doing it again in the future! If you want to see where we went, check out Equine Adventures at http://horsebackwv.com/

That's all for now!
Jenna

Everyone should come to "Mountaintop Summer: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail Lecture" being given by Mike and Corbin Hayslett tonight at 7:30 in Heuer Auditorium!

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." —Doug Lawson.

"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective." — Al Neuharth.


"Line of weakness: long involved explanation for not attempting a route."

"Blood /n./ substance commonly used to mark a climbing route."


"The best climber in the world is the one who's having the most fun." — Alex Lowe.







"But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live. Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom. Only a person who risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails." — William Arthur Ward.