| September 1999 |
| Volume 1, Issue 5 |
| THE |
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RAP |
| Inside this Issue: | Season Finale | ||||||
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Annual End-of-Year Used Equipment and Consignment Sale |
2 | As we near the end of summer and prepare to say goodbye to long hot days on the water, we begin to contemplate the coming of cooler weather and get ready for fall CREEKIN?! Fortunately for us up here in the Northeast, some of our best creeks run in the autumn. We?ve compiled information on some fall paddling destinations where you can enjoy great whitewater and spectacular foliage at the same time. A great resource f or more information about most of these runs is Bruce Lessels? Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide. |
On page 2, look for some great deals on used boats from our instructional fleet.
Whatever kind of boat you?re after, Zoar?s used equipment sale is sure to have
something for you. The cool, crisp days of fall are the best times to take a rock climbing clinic at Zoar. We are blessed with some great local climbing spots and our top-notch instructors would love to share their secrets with you. Why not add another sport to your paddling obsession?! |
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| ACA Instructor Certification Workshop | 2 | ||||||
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Fall Paddling Destinations: Beaver River (NY) West River (VT) Moose River (NY) Farmington River (CT) Tohickon Creek (PA) Gauley River (WV) |
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| Fall Rock Climbing Clinics | 3 | ||||||
| Deerfield Riverfest Roundup | 4 | ||||||
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The Outfitters Shop |
Got Water?? | we do!! | |
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April 1 - October 15 Tuesday - Friday Saturday - Sunday (closed Mondays) |
9am - 5pm 8am - 6pm |
Even though most of the Northeast has been experiencing a serious drought this summer, levels on the Deerfield River have been normal to high. According to officials at Harriman Station, one of PG&E?s Deerfield River control stations, water levels in Harriman Reservior are above seasonal norms for August. This is due to several localized rain events in southern Vermont, where the reservoir is located, and to careful management of reservoir levels this spring and summer. Harriman Reservoir is 12 miles long and 1-2 miles |
wide and is the primary water source for PG&E?s hydropower operations and for
whitewater releases on the Deerfield River. As a result of record heat, clear weather and dependable water releases, whitewater paddling in this area has seen one of its best seasons in the last ten years. People have been calling us daily to ask how the drought has been affecting us, and we have been very happy to tell them that it really hasn?t affected us at all. That said, we could still use some rain for a good fall boating season - so, think RAIN! |
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October 16 - October 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
10am - 4pm | ||
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November 1 - February 29 Tuesday - Friday |
10am - 4pm | ||
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March 1 - March 31 Wednesday - Sunday |
9am - 5pm | ||
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The Dates: October 2-3 and October 9-10 |
| Used Kayaks for Sale |
October 2-3, 1999 Have extra used gear you?d like us to sell? Bring it on by! Want to sell that extra sprayskirt or paddle kicking around the house? Need some extra cash to buy new gear? Drop your used gear off at Zoar Outdoor Saturday morning, October 2nd, put a price on it and leave to enjoy the river. When you return, you may go home with some extra cash in your pocket!
If Zoar is able to sell your gear, we will retain a 10% commission on
the sale. If we are unable to sell your gear, you need to pick it up
by 6pm on Sunday, October 3rd. What could be easier?!
October 16, 17, 23 & 24 (1999 dates) This workshop is designed for paddlers who want to teach flatwater, moving water or whitewater kayaking. Our highly experienced ACA Instructor Trainers present the most up-to-date teaching and paddling techniques. This course has two parts: an Instructor Development Workshop, in which the Instructor Trainer presents teaching techniques and works to improve the paddling skills of aspiring instructors, and the Instructor Certification Workshop, in which the aspiring instructors teach a mock whitewater course. Certification is based on both paddling and teaching skills and is not guaranteed at any level. This course is for advanced paddlers with some teaching experience.
Outdated clinic info removed. |
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| These prices apply only to the specific boats listed above. A non-refundable deposit of $100.00 can be put down at any time to hold any of the above boats still available. The balance will be due upon pick up. Boats may be picked after October 15th, 1999. All boat sales are final. All boats are sold as is without floatation. |
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Some of the best paddling of the year is yet to come. Whether it?s
creekin?, playboating, or floating you?re looking for, you?ll find it
under a canopy of brilliant foliage this fall.
Beaver River (Belfort, NY)
West River (Jamaica, VT) |
Farmington River (New Boston, MA) According to Classic Northeastern Whitewater by Bruce Lessels, "The Farmington River above New Boston is a fine class III-IV run, provided there is enough water.... Except for the spring runoff, the river is usually too low for canoeing, although the fall water releases from Otis Reservoir via Fall River raise the level sufficiently for a trip. The river is very fast flowing, with essentially no flatwater and many rocks of all shapes and sizes. Due to the narrowness of the riverbed, strainers are a common hazard. In several locations there is only one canoeable channel, so the party should stay well spaced to avoid a chain-reaction pileup in case of trouble. Route 8 follows the river, and most of the rapids can be scouted from the road." There are releases scheduled on this section in 1999 for October 16, 17, 23 & 24, if reservoir levels are adequate. A slalom race is usually held on the first weekend.
Moose River (Old Forge, NY) |
Tohickon Creek (Pt. Pleasant, PA) The Tohickon is a fun class III tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania, within easy reach of New York City. The fall release, scheduled this year for November 6th & 7th, tends to draw large, but friendly crowds, reminiscent of the fall West River release weekend. The put-in is at Ralph Stover State Park in Pt. Pleasant, PA, which is about 1/2 hour north of New Hope, PA. The run is about 3 miles long and includes a couple of excellent play holes and good waves to surf. For a virtual tour of the river including pictures and maps, check out this website. |
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Cooler weather and fewer bugs make the fall an ideal time to try rock
climbing. Glenna & Earl Alderson?s recent slide presentation at Zoar
of their climbing adventures in Thailand inspired us to mention that
we have a great climbing program. We use two local sites, Chapel
Ledges in Ashfield, and Rose Ledges in Northfield, to teach beginner
rock climbing clinics. We offer one- and two-day clinics. The
schedule for the rest of the season is as follows:
Call (800) 532-7483 or email | ||
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I know, I know, West Virginia is not in the northeast, but I had to
mention the Gauley because it is my favorite river in the east.
Scheduled releases happen on the Gauley for six weekends starting
September 10th. (The 1st five weekends are Fri-Mon and the last
weekend is just Sat-Sun). The Gauley is the ultimate play river.
It?s technical, big volume water with tons of play and well worth the
long drive to West Virginia. The Lower section is solid and
challenging class III-IV and the Upper is class III-V and features
infamous class V rapids such as Pillow Rock and Insignificant.
American Whitewater?s Gauley Festival will be held on Saturday,
September 25th in Summersville.
For Gauley release times and schedule, check out this website. |
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American Whitewater sponsored another successful Deerfield Riverfest
in Charlemont on July 31st. Attendance was high, the weather was
glorious and the band was rockin?. The event grossed approximately
$13,000.00, from which the profits will aid American Whitewater in
their efforts to "conserve and restore America?s whitewater resources
and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely."
The 3rd Annual Dragons Tooth Rodeo went off smoothly with a record number of participants (25) and |
a large, enthusiastic crowd to cheer them on. Top 3 finishers in the womens? class were Kaz Armstrong of Kingston, NY, Dianna Townsend of Springfield, MA (and Zoar Outdoor - yeah!) and Linda Weiss of Burlington, Vermont. Top 3 men were Ted DeVoe of Woodbury, Connecticut, Dylan King of Montgomery, Massachusetts and James Sullivan of Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The winners in each class were awarded Perception sprayskirts. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated and especially thanks to all the great volunteers who made it possible. |
Thank you to all volunteers!
I would like to extend a hearty thank you to all of the people who
generously donated their time and energy making the Deerfield
Riverfest the great success it was and to congratulate Mike Coleman
for doing such a fantastic job organizing the event for the 2nd year
in a row. And, if you aren?t already, why not become a member of
American Whitewater? It?s only $25.00 a year and you get a
subscription to the best whitewater paddling magazine out there.
Just send $25.00 to:
American Whitewater
Or visit their website.
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Goodbye to Summer... (sniff, sniff)
As we hang up our shorties and start to pull out our drytops, we can
look back at another summer of great paddling. Though much of the
country was plagued with drought, Southern Vermont was blessed with
enough rain to keep our reservoirs full. Many happy days were had by
all on the Dryway and on Fife Brook. As we leave behind us the warm
weather and the long days on the water, there is only one thing left
to say:
Hello to Fall Creekin?! (Yahoo!)
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The Zoar Rap is edited by Evie Locke and Dianna Townsend. Contact us at Zoar Outdoor with suggestions, feedback, ideas, etc. Copyright 1999 Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort Inc. |
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