Facing New Experiences with Confidence: "Say Somethin' "
Easter break I
went on another adventure that brings a new story of sweetness and fun. My
sister and I took our friend from Idaho on one of my dad’s Webb School
Outerlimit’s kayaking trips. We drove to Thunder Rock near the Ocoee River and
camped. The next day we drove to Dillsboro, North Carolina to paddle the
Tuckaseegee River. We had all beginner paddlers with us from The Webb School.
We set out to spend two days on the river teaching ferrying, peel outs,
eddying, and reading lines in the river. The Tuckaseegee is unique for its
narrow river path, sweeping s- curves, and the beauty that surrounds it. As a
group we made our way down the river so everyone had an opportunity to get use
to their edges and paddling strokes.
 |
| Camping in North Carolina for an Easter paddling adventure. |
We were about half
way down the river, busting through a rapid, and I noticed that our Idaho
friend did not make it through the wave train. She being the raft guide champ
that she is, she was able to hold on to her boat through the entire section of
white water. However she did not keep a grip on her paddle, so we had to search
for it. I walk up one side of the river towards the rapid, and saw the paddle
on the opposite side. My sister, B climbed up some boulders on the opposite
side of the river to retrieve the paddle. B was about to be successful in
grabbing the paddle to return to our friend, but then these two geese advanced
towards her with their necks out and hissing.
These geese were bound and
determined to guard this paddle. On the other side of the river I witness B
moving backwards across a log and up a boulder reacting to the attack of the
geese. It was as fast as lightning or a
character in a video game would move all in self- defense. She grabs a paddle
to use as a weapon of defense if the geese were to flock towards her again.
They flew at her again and she held the paddle with confidence, thrusted her
shoulders towards them while saying “Say somethin’”. B was the hero of the day
returning Katie's paddle so we could run the river.
 | ||
| Our Idaho Adventure Sista! |
 | ||||
| Running a Rapid! |
 |
| The Webb students gearing up to tackle their second day of paddling! |
The next day we
ran the same river so everyone could show improvement and tackle their trouble
rapids head on with confidence. The
learning curve was incredible, because each student had a great time and showed
improvement. Instead of being timid or scared of new things, the theme of the
trip was to face that fear head on with an attitude of confidence. After a challenging rapid sometimes I will
look at my sister and then the rapid and say “Say somethin’”. I have to think about the borderline. I like
to push myself to try new things, but it’s not always about how much for
instance in terms of distance. Sometimes it’s all about the camaraderie. In
terms of measurement I look at the amount of hurdles, sweat, and sweetness of
all of the good things that happened in the outdoors that outweighed the bad
ones! In this story all of the students pushed themselves to try something new
and face their fears, but they also had a great trip due to the relationships
built with the other participants. You never know what nature will deal you,
but it is how you choose to react to it and take away from it. I chalk it all
up to experience that creates rich memorable stories. So if there is something
that creates fear or anger in you, you can say in your mind “Say somethin’” and
gain some confidence to tackle the obstacle head on.
It's All About the Adventure!
(Some of the sweetness captured on our Easter North Carolina Paddling Adventure.)
 | ||||||||
| My favorite Paddling buddy. (My sister, B!) |
 | |
| B and Katie! |
 |
| Katie and I |
