Woody's Words… by Woody Wood

I would say most of us are safe paddlers. I would also say none of us would do anything to hurt another person.

We have a speech before each paddle. We say: It is not always safe to paddle! Wear your PFD and wear it correctly! Look for the person in front and behind you. This means that you should slow down if you cannot see the person behind you, or speed up, if you can, to try to keep up with the group. This is what we NEED to do. You never know what will happen. We talk about it but HEY WE NEED TO DO IT. When help is needed, it is needed quick.

Lets not be the club that just talks about doing what is needed.

On another note and I have seen this several times - I love the fact that people are in there helping out. We do well with this!

For the people that may not have been on trips with us yet I will tell you. We put gear in and out of what ever boat we are riding in. Everyone seems to pitch in. What I have been seeing and would like EVERYONE to think about is the way we lift up bags. The bags we use are not cheap. Most of them have a handle and a way to buckle them closed. We need to lift them by the handle. Carrying them any other way than by the handle can damage it. It's nice that we help others but we need to be sure to look at what we are doing. The same goes with other stuff.
Let's not just think about getting it done but how we are doing what we do. No one would like to have their gear mistreated. I am sure it is not done on purpose. Lets look for a handle before we pick up something that is not ours. I guess we should look even if it is ours. It will help gear last longer.

Paddlefest is coming up. If you have a boat that needs some sort of rigging lets talk about it - for example gluing in pads and drilling holes or installing eye loops. Simple stuff. Foot braces are nice to have in a canoe. I don't know of any kayaks that don't have them. If you have never tried them you should. The ropes we use to hold air bags in canoes also work for well to keep camping gear in your boat. So something to think about.

We have a good group so lets keep it up. Hope to see y'all on the water.

-Woody

Paddlefest - October 2-4
Canoe & Trail Outpost

Well I've finally updated the website with Paddlefest information. I've had a lot of requests for information about it from new members, old members and some non-members.

This year it will be at Canoe and Trail Outpost in Tylertown, MS. We had our "Not" Paddlefest Event there last year and it is so comfortable and easy to do it there we decided to just go ahead and have it there this year. Events planned so far include:

• Moonlight Paddle on Bogue Chitto on Friday night
• Pot Luck Dinner on Friday night
• Paddling Clinic by the Hagers on Saturday (see page 3)
• Magee's Creek Paddle on Sunday
• How to Set Up a Tarp
• Rigging Your Boat with Woody
• Gear Swap
• Breakfast Saturday and Sunday (provided byt the club - hopefully sponsored by the Backpacker and Massey's)

The fee for Paddlefest is $5 for members and $10 for non members (for early registration). This includes breakfast both days and participation in any event. This does not include camping and shuttle fees. The primitive camping fee is $6 per person per night and shuttle fees are $15 per boat. Please go to Canoe and Trail Outpost's website for more information including their fees for boat rentals, cabin rentals, and RV hookups

Please register early - you can do so ONLINE or by mailing in your registration. Click here for a printable pdf.

For more information go to the Paddlefest Section of the website