by John Guetter
The year 2015 was a very big deal for me, mainly because it was the year I transitioned from my interesting and fulfilling career in psychology to the less predictable but oh so rewarding nomadic life on the road. The year began with a fabulous January trip to Ecuador, paddling 7 rivers in 7 days with my best paddling buddies Neil and Mark. Then off for a week of paddling whitewater rivers in April with a group of friends, especially Olly and David, in North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. In early July I joined about 450 other kayakers and canoeists for another "Week of Rivers" in Western North Carolina. In early August I joined my friends Jan and Linda for a couple of weeks of sailing in Canada's Gulf islands, just north of the San Juan Islands in Washington State. I did my first solo trip in my rig (a Ford Transit cargo van that I built out) in October, a month before I officially retired (had to make sure this was a good idea, you know!). On that trip, I headed into the New England states of Vermont and New Hampshire, and got an amazing dose of spectacular fall colors as well as confirmation that this solo travel plan might just work for me! Finished up the year with former colleague and paddling buddy Rebecca; we wanted to get out of town after Christmas, so we headed down for yet another week of paddling North Carolina rivers at the very end of the year! All in all, a very good year and a great start to the next chapter of my life!
Ecuador in January
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| Stunning cave on Rio Hollin (one of my favorite river spots in Ecuador) |
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| Three Amigos (r - l Mark, Neil, and me) at the entrance of the Canon del Chaco on Rio Quijos. |
Southern Week of Rivers, April
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| Bald River Falls, TN |
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| Tellico Ledges, a fun whitewater fun in Tennessee |
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| Lining up on the Watauga |
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| Boof on the Watauga |
Carolina Week of Rivers, July
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| The Smoky Mountains of North Carolina |
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| Spectacular waterfall in North Carolina |
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| Launching on Daddy's Creek, NC |
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| Rapids in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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| Forest stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Sailing in the Gulf Islands, July
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| Evensong, Jan & Linda's sailboat, took us up to the Gulf Islands |
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| Jan & Linda (and Liesl) |
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| Shoreline paddling in the Gulf islands |
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| Sailing in the Gulf Islands |
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| Mount Rainier "floating" above Seattle |
New England in October
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| Stunning visuals near Killington, VT |
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| Just another "take my breath away" view of a granite outcropping, along the Kancamagus Highway, on my way to Bretton Woods, NH. |
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| Moose hunting near Bretton Woods, around sunset. Spotted no moose on this 50 mile bike ride, but a pretty sweet reflection shot, right!? |
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| Lower Falls on the Swift River near Conway, NH |
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| The main waterfall, about 15' total drop, at Rocky Gorge Scenic Area, also on the Swift, along the Kancamagus Highway. |
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| Double Drop rapid on the Bottom Moose in the Catskill Mountains, New York state |
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| Magilla, the grande finale on the Bottom Moose. |
North Carolina in December
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| Rebecca running a big rapid on the Tuckaseegee River in NC |
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| Negotiating one of the trickier rapids on the Oconoluftee in North Carolina |
For more pics and stories about each of these trips, check out these photo albums:
Ecuador Rivers https://photos.app.goo.gl/r6jbMUwEm1PY37bi7
Southern Week of Rivers https://photos.app.goo.gl/mY5NTagqhkCPXwjH9
The Canadian Gulf Islands https://photos.app.goo.gl/gvjBoF54Jnvw32pD9
Vermont & New Hampshire Autumn Tour https://goo.gl/photos/v1GiPz1xsWRFr6V26
North Carolina in December https://goo.gl/photos/Zpok5cnXp53k4nhc6
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