COP Boating Schedule

Boating Schools

Rafting 101 • Wednesday, May 14 • 6:30 pm
Learn the basics before you get on the river. We'll go over what to wear and what to bring, helmets and PFD's, Inflating the raft, how to paddle as a team and how to retrieve a swimmer. This is a short evening of flat water instruction on Alum Creek Reservoir. Enjoy your summer and put this class to use on the Yough Trip in June. There is a $15 fee for this class. Ann Gerckens volunteer_ann(at)sbcglobal.net 614/ 351-5135

ACA "Quickstart Kayak Class • Wednesday, May 28 & Saturday, May 31
(Revamped for this year!) • Wednesday, May 28, 7:00-9:00 p.m. (indoors) & Saturday, May 31, 9:00-1:00 or 2:00-6:00. Fun, fast paced introductory class following ACA "Quickstart" lesson plan, including a mandatory "wet-exit". The course covers safety topics, types of gear/boats, clothing and strokes. The class is taught by ACA certified instructors and qualified assistants. New this year, we will conduct the land-based portion of the class indoors at the COP office on Bethel Road the Wednesday prior to the Saturday outdoor/on the water class. Participants must be present at the indoor session; this material will not be repeated at the outdoor portion of the class. This course is a prerequisite to the "Get Your Feet Wet" Kayak Day Trip Class and Essentials of River Kayaking. Application was in April newsletter, pg. 5 cost $60.00. For further info: Beth Thomae 740-965-4285 (after 6:00 p.m.) or kiawahbeth(at)yahoo.com

Essentials of River Kayaking • Saturday, June 7
This one-day class is for beginning kayakers who want to develop the skills needed to travel down Class I rivers. Students will learn about river hazards and features, paddle strokes, and fundamental skills such as eddy turns and ferrying. This class is ideal for anyone who wants to do day trips down easy rivers and streams. Kayaks and other necessary gear provided. Course length is approximately 8-10 hours. Class location will depend on water levels. Before signing up for this class, students should be comfortable performing a wet exit and should have some very basic kayaking experience. See the May newsletter pages 4 & 5, or the COP web site for an application. Applications should be mailed to Doug Eldridge, 49 Amazon Place, Columbus, OH 43214. Cost: $55. Prerequisite: ACA Quickstart Your Kayak; COP Kayak I; or equivalent experience. Doug Eldridge dougeldridge(at)earthlink.net

Family Kayak Class • Saturday, July 12, 2008
It's time for the family to dump the X-Box and forget about the TV, get out in the sunshine and learn something new! Come try out our 2-hour introductory class for a taste of kayaking. Both kids and parents will enjoy our sit-on-top kayaks as we introduce them to kayaking through the use of the American Canoe Association's "Smart Start" curriculum. These courses will teach safety basics and beginning paddling strokes. The courses are taught by ACA certified instructors and qualified assistants. The minimum age for kids in these classes is 8 years; there is no minimum age for parents. There is a maximum of 2 kids per parent. We will provide all necessary equipment. Fees: Kids $5.00/each, Parents $10/each. Times: 9:00 - 11:00 & 1:00 - 3:00. Application will be in June Newsletter. Questions: Beth Thomae (740) 965-4285 or kiawahbeth(at)yahoo.com

2008 PADDLE SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY NIGHTs & Saturday Mornings

Saturday Morning Paddle, (SMP)
The Saturday Morning Paddle is a social (no lessons on these trips) paddle for experienced members and friends who have their own boats and gear. PFD's must be worn at all times when on or near the water. All trips will be run rain or shine, but we will not paddle in thunderstorms. Distance 5-10 miles. Check each event for its start time. Start time is on the water, so plan to arrive early to check-in, unload and park (30 minutes is good). WNP will return to parking areas will be between sunset and full dark, flashlight or boat light required. Rental boats may be available with a minimum 7 day advance notice (COP members' only who have taken COP canoe/kayak classes and are able transport the boat themselves). Please contact trip leader for further information or Jacalyn Slemmer 614-451-2325

May 3, 10:00 a.m. • Middle Alum Creek Reservoir, Hollenback Marina. • Rick Taylor, 614-204-9370 taylorr1(at)nationwide.com
May 10, 10:00 a.m. • North Hoover Reservoir, Baldridge Launch Ramp. • Brian Marcus, 614-599-3159 abrmarcus(at)earthlink.net
May 17, 10:00 a.m. • Frisbee Park to Downtown Paddle on the Scioto River. • Walt Taylor, 614-519-8633 4runner54(at)sbcglobal.net
May 24, 10:00 a.m. • Indian Lake, Please contact Jim Hill for information on put-in site. • Jim Hill 614-578-8075 hill.2(at)osu.edu
May 31, 10:00 a.m. • North Alum Creek Reservoir, Howard Road Boat Ramp. • Rick Taylor, 614-204-9370 taylorr1(at)nationwide.com

Wednesday Night Paddle (WNP) • Beginning in June
WNP is a social paddle (no lessons on these trips) for members and friends who have their own boats and gear. PFD's must be worn at all times when on or near the water. All trips will be run rain or shine, but we will not paddle in thunderstorms. Distance 5-10 miles, depending on conditions and available light. Check each event for its start time. Start time is on the water, so plan to arrive early to check-in, unload and park (30 minutes is good). Return to parking areas will be between sunset and full dark, flashlight or boat light required. Rental boats may be available with a minimum 7 day advance notice (COP members' only who have taken COP canoe/kayak classes and are able transport the boat themselves). Please contact trip leader for further information or Jacalyn Slemmer 614-451-2325.

2008 • ALUM CREEK BOATING EVENTs • ACBE
Tuesday Evenings - June to August

Tuesday night Alum Creek Boating sessions have returned. ACBE is held June through August. This is an opportunity for canoeists and kayakers, to practice on Alum Creek and work on strokes, rolls and rescues. This is not an instructional or trip lead event. This is an open practice session. All skill levels are welcome. Participants provide their own boats. Participants are required to sign a liability release, at the event. Alum Creek Boat Events are at the NORTH end of Alum Creek Lake State Park Beach. This is the part of the beach, furthest from the dam on the west side of the reservoir. Check on the COP Boating Event Web page for last minute updates. www.outdoor-pursuits.org/activities/boating/schedule.htm Start time approximately 6:30 pm. Cost is FREE! Note: no event on July 3rd.

Cheat Fest • Class II/III trip • Saturday, May 3 - Sunday, May 4
The Friends of the Cheat River Festival will be held on May 3 and we will be heading down to Albright, West Virginia to attend and paddle the Narrows section of the Cheat River. This annual trip offers recent graduates of COP's Kayak II school and anyone else with whitewater experience a chance to test their skills against this Class 3+ section of the Cheat River. We will paddle the Cheat Narrows and under no circumstances will we head north to the Lower Yough! Although, if the water levels are too high we will consider paddling the Casselman River. Although the river has significantly more water and more push than Rocky Fork and Paint Creek it is an appropriate step up for aggressive graduates of KII. We will be camping at Cheat Canyon Campground Approx. 1/2 mile down Rt. 26 from the festival. (304)329-6522. Large open field by the river with flush toilets and pay-per-use showers. $15/per adult for the entire weekend. No pets. Sites are located in an open grass field along WVA Route 26 just south of Teter's Campground and the festival site. The Cheat Festival offers a host of bluegrass bands, food and kayaking gear, including a collection of used and new boats. Paddlers and campers should be prepared for chilly spring weather and the possibility of rain. Wet or dry suits and adequate paddling jackets will most likely be needed. (No cotton!) We will meet at the Cracker Barrel restaurant along I70 East in Pickerington on Friday evening. Please call Chris Russell at 614/486/4868 or email at crusselloh(at)earthlink.net

Class I • Saturday, May 10
Licking river or other Class I depending on water levels. Bring a lunch for a full day of play. Doug Hurst 614-397-9376

Class III/IV • Saturday, May 10 - Sunday, May 11
As I write this in March, May won't come soon enough! We'll be looking for the best class III/IV water in W.Va, Penn./Maryland area that weekend. Hopefully we'll need our creek boats! River destination dependent on water levels and interested paddlers. Camp out, eat out or in, whatever floats our boat(s) depending on weather conditions, i.e, details TBD nearer the date. Can't wait - hopefully see everyone on the river well before then. Contact: Janice at 614-747-0400, jhogrefe(at)columbus.rr.com and Jim at 614-747-1004.

Greenbrier • Class II trip • Friday, May 16 - Monday, May 19
Jeff Haven 614-871-0639, kayakjeff(at)gmail.com

Narrows/Casselman • Class II/III trip • Saturday, May 17 - Sunday, May 18
If you just graduated from KII School and want to test all those new boating skills out, or you just want a spring warm up paddle, this two-day trip may be for you. The Casselman River in Southwestern Pennsylvania is a beautiful tributary of the Lower Youghiogheny and at 2ft on the gage is mostly class II with one or two class III- rapids thrown in for fun. The Cheat Narrows in West Virginia is a pretty roadside run which, depending on water levels, starts out class II and ends up class III- with a solid class III (Calamity) rapid just upstream of the lunch stop. We'll most likely stay at the Yough Stop in Confluence Pennsylvania (We'll provide directions closer to the trip date). Plan on bringing lunch for both days on the river. Breakfast and dinners will be eat in or eat out depending on your preference/budget. The weather in May can be unpredictable so be prepared to layer for a variety of conditions. Contact Information: Mark Noltimier, noltimier(at)guildassociates.com Phone: 614-258-2819 Cell: 614-557-6098

Cheat Canyon • Class III/IV trip • Saturday, May 24 - Sunday, May 25
Join Jim Murtha to paddle the Little / Upper Big Sandy, Canyon, Laurel Fork, Cranberry, or other interesting rivers. You should have a good river roll to do these rivers and feel confident on the Yough and Narrows. We will try to do something new or the Canyon (one of the most beautiful rivers in the east). We will gauge the river to the group and participants to the possible rivers so call to sign up if you are seeking a bit of more adventure and fun than your standard COP trip. (235-8193, jmurtha(at)wowway.com).

Class II/III • Saturday, May 24 - Sunday, May 25
A bit of class 2/3 fun to season the new boater or knock the winter rust off the seasoned paddler. Hoping to head to the Slippery Rock area if mother nature approves, if not it'll be where ever our search for rain takes us. A two day weekend is scheduled but we may drag it out to encompass the holiday if you're looking for a extended weekend away from home. A skill set and experience to handle class 2/3 water required and some foundation of a roll is recommended. Ron and Jocelyn Metzger, (513) 519-3970 Ron_Metzger(at)yahoo.com

Casselman • Class II/III trip • Saturday, May 31- Sunday, June 1
Here's a great opportunity for less experienced paddlers to get out of Ohio and step up their game. Join us for a fun class II run (Casselman? Cheat?) and a stay at the infamous Yough Stop. This is a good trip for KII students; we will be prepared to help you work on your new river running skills. Depending on interest, meals may be potluck with the group at the Yough Stop or eat out on your own. There may be some light chores (sweeping, wiping down counters) to open the Yough Stop for the season. Mike Wadkowski (614) 231-6820 mandk2canoe(at)wowway.com; Joyce De Leo (614) 488-9387 joycedeleo(at)yahoo.com; Carol Wheeler (614) 486-5748 Carol.Wheeler(at)osumc.edu

West Virginia Whitewater • Class III Trip • Saturday, June 7 - Sunday, June 8
Hone your skills and find paddling Nirvana....Join Erica Cheyney, Dave Seslar and Jim and Patrick Murtha for a Class 3 whitewater trip. Where are we going? We will follow the water - presumably to the West Virginia area. This is a good trip for K2 graduates. Leave Ohio Friday night and eat dinner & breakfast out. Contact: Erica Cheyney <ericacheyney(at)yahoo.com> 614/946-5369 (evenings) or Dave Seslar dseslar(at)rrohio.com 614/334-9352 for the weekend trip. If your interested in a little more boating in the days before or after the trip contact Jim Murtha (jmurtha(at)wowway.com) 614-235-8193 much earlier as Jim and Patrick will be in WVA for the entire week 6/4-6/12 warming up for kayaking this summer and their July 4th vacation.

Raft/Kayak Lower Yough • Class III/IV • Saturday, June 14 - Sunday, June 15
Leaving Friday night and staying at COP's Yough Stop, this is a great river for your first rafting trip. Please contact me after June 1, but before midnight on June 10th. Rafters will need to pay a $10 deposit which will be non-refundable after June 10th. Ann Gerckens volunteer_ann(at)sbcglobal.net 614/ 351-5135

Class II/III • Saturday, June 21 - Sunday, June 22
Intermediate whitewater trip. We will know where we are going when we know which rivers are flowing. Contact Joyce De Leo (614) 488-9387 joycedeleo(at)yahoo.com or Carol Wheeler (614) 486-5748 Carol.Wheeler(at)osumc.edu

Yough/Cheat • Class III/IV • Saturday, June 28 - Sunday, June 29
Please call Chris Russell at 614/486/4868 or email at crusselloh(at)earthlink.net

South American WhiteWater • July or August 2009
Rafting/kayaking the Tambopata (IV to I) and possibly Apurimac (V) Rivers, Peru with commercial help. I expect that I will have to firm up plans in September of 2008 so start thinking now. See backpack schedule too. Please drop me a line if you think you might be interested. Ann Gerckens, volunteer_ann(at)sbcglobal.net or 614/351-5135

Boating Newsletter Submissions

The deadline for boating trips write ups, stories and photos for the COP newsletter will be due to me, by 9:00pm on the 3rd of every month. Items are due 1 month prior to, the month that you want an item published. For example, April Newsletter items will be due by March 3. We publish 2 months worth of trips at a time. In April, we will publish April and May trips. All submissions need to be either in a word doc, rich text doc or within the body of an email. They need to be sent to my home email address. Also, please do not send your submissions to the COP newsletter editor or the webmaster directly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

If you are leading a multi-activity trip, you must go through the appropriate listing volunteer for each activity!

Toni_hartley (AT) hotmail.com 614/523-3191