River Magic

Tips for the Traveling Paddler

Having worked as a kayak guide in multiple countries over the years, I have definitely been a part of “experiential education” in paddling in foreign countries-- both first-hand and second hand. Over the years I have seen an improvement in the logistics of our own...

KAYAKING BUILDS BOND WITHIN FAMILIES

Kayaking builds a bond within families, says ERA, and to encourage this, our 2008 paddling season will focus on family involvement in kayaking.� �Our goal has always been to make our program accessible to families,promises Juliet Kastorff, one of ERA's instructors,...

THE SECRET MUSIC OF THE LADY

By Ken Strickland No Muse-poet grows conscious of the Muse except by experience of a woman in whom the Goddess is to some degree resident; just as no Apollonian poet can perform his proper function unless he lives under a monarchy or a quasi-monarchy. A Muse-poet...

There are two really great memories we have of Marlow. The first is when we became aware of Marlow and some of his friends getting into kayakingand being so enthusiastic that they even had their own team name (the name escapes me). Then a few years later Marlow showed...

The Last River in Pennsylvania

by eraBrian  Has it been dry this year?!!  The Southeast, parched from a year of pitiful precip, became all but a desert by September.  It wasn’t that the rivers dried up.  There was sand pouring down their washes.  Atlanta was in a panic.  The city water planners had...

Kayaking Goes Pink and Green for the Day!

The male/female gender percentages were way skewed to female this weekend in the Nantahala Gorge with the arrival of a group of kayakers from all-women's Sweet Briar College - who's colors are pink and green. Sweet Briar has always had an active outdoor program...

Taylor Cote: Team Wave Sport

Taylor Cote: newest member of Team Wave Sport. At 14 years old she keeps a pretty busy schedule: riding horses, playing soft ball, summiting Mt. Ranier and kayaking. Her paddling resume is already beginning to outdistance a lot of the boaters that helped get her into...

THE POPP FAMILY-WHEN A FAMILY PLAYS TOGETHER!

ERA has enjoyed paddling with Tom Popp on several continents–and now several members of his family back here at home. Tom has been a recognized figure in southeastern paddling for “a while.” We were all surprised the day Tom traded in his “star” helmet–a signature...

THE SISTERS BONNARENS & KAYAKING

Watching the passion for kayaking grow with each of the Bonnarens children (three of the four are already awesome boaters--the fourth and youngest, Bae, is dabbling her toes in the sport) has been a highlight. When Sara Hilda (12) gained some confidence on the Ocoee...

Tubing Through Life by K. Strickland

"There's a place on South Fork River Where clear waters tumble and spill Over moss covered rock formations. A place called Andrew's Mill." It was during the spring of 1961 that I discovered whitewater. As barefoot boys in cut-off jeans we braved those daunting...

The Magic Age for Kids to Kayak

by Juliet and the ERA Team Probably the question every paddling parent has about starting their kids in paddling is how old? This question sometimes comes as early as pregnancy!  Sit back and relax, your young one will be paddling with you before you can believe it!...

The Holden Family Secrets for Kayaking

by Horace Holden Note: Horace Holden may once have been known as “olympic paddler”, but today he is probably receiving as much applause for his role as the father of some super star paddlers! What has Horace done to help nurture his sons towards their own passion of...

A Private Run down the Upper Green

Here it was a Saturday morning in August, typically the driest month of the season, we are in a drought, and we still had the option of five different rivers to paddle (the advantage of being surrounded by dam-controlled rivers). So thinking through the options:...

Another Young Gun Learns to Kayak

Wanted to drop a note of thanks for the private instruction you and Juliet set up for my 9 year old son with Philly. After noticing most of our local “young guns” on the James were taught at ERA we saw no reason to break tradition with my son Philip. I came with a bit...

Yoga Made Me Soft

Wed 13 Jun 2007 Posted by erabrian Hard men don’t do Yoga. We don’t get in touch with our bodies or massage our inner beings. There’s too much ice in our veins for them to be coursing with love and gratitude. When something hurts, we punish it. It either heals or it...

Huge Improvement, More Confidence and Greater Response

Sun 10 Jun 2007 Posted by eraguest Comments Off Thanks again so much for your help with teaching me– I’ve seen such a huge improvement, more confidence and greater response using the things you showed me. I’ve been taking my playboat over to the WW Park and also down...

Hello to All from the Rockies!

Sat 9 Jun 2007 Posted by erasteve Wow! The end of the fifth day of our Rocky Mountain adventure and we are both feeling the miles–from both the road and river. We drove straight from Bryson City to the Embudo, roughly 1 hour south of Taos, New Mexico. By driving in...