Kayak Camping Catawba River (Pt 1) 

It didnt hang well...just so absolutely slow and heavy...but they are comfy!

he he! thats right!

@@RiverKingsKayak You need to gather the troops and hit up the #MR340, right up your alley.

Thanks siliilith!

Thank you Duncan! A fine morning indeed!

Right on hopeahead! Glad to have you along. Thanks for the support and kind words!

Right on FHC! Glad to have you on board!

For sure Chris!! It is that type 2 fun!! LOL. Greg is the last Jedi. Thanks Brother!

message me on facebook...Lloyd knows how to get me

Thanks for the retrieval!!!

Thanks Michael! He is a trooper and I'm sure he will be back!!

Thanks Sis!

Right on Bobby!! Sneak peek up either today or tomorrow...

You nailed that on all counts Th Pr!!!

Thanks TK! Just Google earth your runs, calculate the miles and put the plan in motion!

Thanks as always Brad!!

Right on Biscuit Technician! Love the handle btw. Biscuitville is my favorite restaurant here in NC...

@@RiverKingsKayak thanks man, im a big fan of your channel!. i've never tried Biscuitville, im hoping to go to the states when the travel restrictions are eased up though so i hope to try them soon 👍.

Thanks Chance!!!

Its just not fair is it?!?! lol. we talked about that seal launch! he he.

Thank you Bill! Hope to see you in the chat on Sunday!

We missed you out there!

missed you on this one Kevin.

Hopefully the next one😉

thanks Câu!

LOL!!! Experience is a great teacher!

Good lesson in risk vs reward

right on Scott!

Right on Jeff! You had an amazing camp site...I've been drooling over your pics!

@@RiverKingsKayak there are over 35 campsites that are awesome! And it is really cool to jump around to different ones as you get deeper into the wilds! Thanks for the compliments! BTW, the canoe was sporting RK decals on the nose! ;-)

Right on Robert!

@@RiverKingsKayakUsed to be Prudy Famous round dem parts🤪

Yes sir, and that boat did not do him any favors!

You are right about that Mike! Thanks!

Mike when I chose the sit on top water levels were at 300 cfs. Thought it would be easier to get out and drag across the shallows. Had a great time just lost confidence after that swim. It was cold, and makes u think instead of just do.

@@iowamatt2519 If you never make a mistake, you never get a chance to learn. You get it next time.

@@iowamatt2519 I probably would have made the same decision . I love my SOT mine has two hight positions it's very hard to flip in the low position. The higher one I could see it being much more of a problem. Good job brother.

@@ECCHellbilly1 if we hadn't gotten 5 inches of rain the day before the sot would've been perfect for the river part, the lake however was never going to be easy. I forgot who I was with and how fast they paddle.

LOL!! Only Greg knows! he he. It was running pretty hard at the put in!

very cool

You got that right Tom! I really never recommend them unless out for a leisurely float and fishing on flat water...

You got it Eddie! Thanks a ton! The crossovers or the stinger would be perfect for day one on this trek. They would suffer on the speed end of things over days 2 and 3 though. I have a Katana 10.4 and a Stinger XP as well. I usually reserve them for full on whitewater kayak camping trips such as the Chattooga trip we did in May. The Prijon Yukon that I use (as well as Brian and Greg and many of us) is the perfect compromise for most of the trips we run. It handled everything well over the course of this trip. I do not like sot's. Esp the pontoon hull design that Matt had. VERY slow, VERY heavy and VERY hard to maneuver.

@@RiverKingsKayak thank you very much for all this detailed information.

I like your thinking. However, there is already a fairly universal hand/arm/paddle signal language for doing exactly this. The orange would help to be seen at distance which can be important in an of itself. I am planning to make a video about this. For example, you ALWAYS point or direct towards the positive and never the negative. The reason is that without clarification, the signal reader needs only to know which way to go. An arm signal is super easy to Read in this situation. If sometimes you are pointing right to go right and other times you are pointing right at a hazard as a warning, it gets really confusing really fast especially when you cannot hear one another. The paddles are and can be used for different things such as a stop command or a river clear command etc...but not really so for directional signals. I have seen folks try to point right or left with a paddle, but this usually results in a confusing "stop" command or a confusing leaning "river clear" command and nobody knows what is going on. Good stuff Trish!!

Thanks C W!

booooom!

He loves it. He has never paddled a Yukon and I have never paddled a Stratos. However, I can tell you it is far better than the tsunami he had before.

@@RiverKingsKayak Awesome! Yeah, that Tsunami seemed to get pushed around in current a bit, was hoping the stratos would fair better.

Good call!!

Great question! Sometimes the river can give harsh feedback as to how prepared you really are for a situation. I love that you recognize where you need to improve. I would try to keep the focus there. Rescue skills are just as important as paddling skills. I often field related questions. I try to tell folks that the max end of what they should attempt are rooted in how capable are you in making a rescue/recovery in said waters. Most folks rate themselves by how competently they paddle a certain grade of river/lake/ocean etc...A better judge is how prepared you are to be able to fully assist and recover a fellow boater and gear on said water while staying in total control of your own boat/situation. Otherwise you are totally ignoring half of the possible equation. In your case, It looks like the river delved up a hearty reminder. I whole heartedly recommend getting some swift water rescue for your friend and yourself. Also remember that your experience was a snapshot in time - not where you will stay. It, also, has ultimately given you invaluable experience for next time. It was a positive although it did not feel so at the time. I'm nearly certain that if you relived that experience again today that you would perform better as you have had a situation like this under your belt. Dont dwell on the negatives. Always remember that moments like these will be some of your fondest memories later...in a wow that was crazy sort of way. Keep grinding, take what you can from it and address the issues where you felt inadequate by getting SWR classes as well as some kayaking instruction! ONWARD!

did you guys lose a paddle out there by any chance?

@@RiverKingsKayak we did not. Fortunately we did not lose anything except a little bit of confidence. I was in my new to me Necky Zoar Sport, so I have a lot to hand to that for keeping me upright. I tried to keep a calm and cool head during everything. I remember your words when Dirt Dobber got pinned in a tree, that sometime you have to take your time even if it doesnt seem right, but you cant turn yourself into a second rescue. I definitely look back on what happened and see where I could have improved. His pelican rode upside down for too long before I flipped it. If I could have flipped it sooner, I may have been able to get it to shore and him out of the water faster. Definitely need to look into SWR, I see that the WhiteWater center has some beginner courses available. I want to be safer for myself and the people paddling with me. I have always tried to pride myself on staying calm in situations, but with this one, his safety was in my hands and I had to do everything I was capable of doing to help both of us. Other things that went through my head that I learned from you was never tie yourself to another boat, unless it was a quick connect setup. I guess being totally unprepared for the conditions will make you realize what you should have done differently real fast. Thanks for the insight Pete, hopefully one day I can have the priveledge of paddling with the World Famous River Kings! 👑👑

@@timmcdaniels7083 you are all over it! Would love to paddle with you guys. message me on facebook and lets try to set something up!

@@RiverKingsKayak Thanks again Pete! I will be in touch on Facebook soon enough!

Thanks Dameron! I use a couple different ones. American Whitewater is a fantastic source of information that covers almost all whitewater in North America and bundles the information from the USGS gauges. Basically, it displays the gauge height for a particular run as well as giving you minimum/maximum and preferred flow rate parameters...super helpful. I also go straight to the USGS sites, find the location for the river in question and interpret the gauge myself. As you learn a river, you can pretty much do your own interpretation. Hope that Helps! www.americanwhitewater.org waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/uv?site_no=02096500

he he! right on Lawrence! It was so hot and muggy at the put in, we would have had heat stroke during the portage! LOL. It def chilled off later. Thanks for the kind words!!!

He Jeff!! We need to do a trip for sure!! I will message you on FB...I have a trip I'm thinking about doing...

River Kings sweet ! I’m ready! Thanks

Right behind the Stuckey's Gas Station on I-40. There is a bridge there.

@@RiverKingsKayak if I would have been paying attention at the beginning I would of realized lol Thank you and love the content by the way - I am just getting into the sport and have been watching your stuff non stop

@@RiverKingsKayak all I have right now is a pelican mustang 100x but I have no interest in fishing. Any recomendations for a kayak around 10ft that would be good for quick river runs and an overnight kayaking trip?

I worked as a contractor with SF for about 10 years...

@@RiverKingsKayak very nice, our paths might have crossed a time or two on Bragg

@@joshuas3282 right on!!