Swiftwater Rescue Conference Coming in October

The American Canoe Association has made plans for a Swiftwater Rescue Conference this October on the Tuckaseege River in Dillsboro, NC. These conferences and swiftwater rescue classes are training grounds for river rangers such as Mandy Tanner, the protagonist in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series. I observed a swiftwater rescue class before writing Deadly Currents, the first book in the series.

The ACA conference will include sessions on the future of swiftwater rescue, cinching systems, steep creek rescue, safety trends, boat unpinning, and other fascinating (to me!) topics. I wish I could attend, soak up all the knowledge, and interview river rangers there, but unless a sugar daddy comes up with funding for me, I'll have to sit by the sidelines for now and dream. If any of my blog readers is going, take notes and photos for me, please!!

Blind Adventurer Attempts to Kayak the Colorado River

I'm going to send my blog readers to an inspiring post on one of the whitewater sports blogs that I follow. It is an article on the ACA Water Blog about blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer attempting to kayak the Colorado River. The article also includes a link to information about ACA's (American Canoe Association) Adaptive Paddling Program to train people of all ability levels in paddling sports. Whenever I read about a disabled person tackling such challenges, my own challenges pale in comparison and I think, "If they can do THAT, I can do whatever I need to do, too!"