Kayaking Adventures- New River

Over the weekend we decided to kayak on the New River in Radford, VA.  Despite it's name,  the New River is one of the five oldest rivers in the world. The New River flows backwards, from south to north. Only a handful of rivers in the world have this unique feature, including the Nile.  It is thought to be older than the mountains.

The New River is a very calm and slow float. It's more relaxing than some of the other rivers we've kayaked on. There are really no rapids or rough areas on the section we kayaked. It is almost all extremely shallow here too. 

i really enjoy the wildlife we see on the New River.  There are Great Blue Herons every where. 

We cross under a few bridges. i found it interesting that this tree was growing on the side of the pillar, out of a tiny crack. The water is calm enough that we can kayak in either direction, with very little work involved. Trying to paddle upstream on some of the other rivers we've kayaked is pretty much impossible. 

The river is really wide, and we passed a lot of other folks kayaking or tubing down it. Radford is a college town, so tubing down the river is very popular in the summer. 

i took so many pictures of Blue Herons. We saw so many of them, and they were not especially skittish being used to so many people always on the river. When we float the Little River or Big Reed island, we usually see at least one Heron, but they fly off before i even get my camera out. So it was really cool to see them and get pictures.

We several of these Cormorants up in the trees. i've seen these in Florida, but didn't realize they were also in Virginia. They are common around water, but i'm not sure how far north they go. 

i was thrilled to get a picture of this Green Heron. It's really hard to take a good picture from a moving kayak, and this guy was pretty skittish. i didn't know what he was and had to look him up when i got home. We also saw Kingfishers but it didn't get a photo. 

When we got to our ending place, we parked the kayaks and the kids went swimming while Kenan went back for his truck.  There is a little island here, and the water was less than 2 feet deep all the way across.

This Heron seemed to be following us, and he flew over to the island across from where i was standing and just watched us.  i'm really not sure how many herons we saw, or if it was just the same one following us down the River. The New River isn't as secluded as some of the other Rivers we've kayaked, but it's still a really nice float. i love all the unique birds and wildlife. We also saw a turtle, a snake, lots of fish, dragonflies and damselflies.  We did about a 3 hour float, but there are different places to put in and get out. Kenan wanted to do a 5 hour float, and i'm glad we didn't we were all pretty tired by the end of this one. Already looking forward to next weeks adventures!

Kayaking on the Little River

This weekend we finally got ourselves back out on the water for some kayaking fun.  We decided to float the Little River which is the main river that flows through Floyd County.  We found a good access area not too far from our house and spent the afternoon exploring the river.

Much of the area we kayaked is very shallow. You can look down and see the bottom, and occasionally even scraps a few rocks.  The section that we kayaked is very calm, with one little rapid. So it was a fun little expedition that lasted about 3 hours.

Although the river is quite calm, there are still dangers lurking around every corner.  You must be able to navigate around large rocks, downed trees and cows. ;) 

We saw quite a bit a wildlife while we were floating the river. We saw lots of  Blue Herons, a couple of  King Fishers, fish, turtles, a snake and even a beaver. :)  i was most amused by the cows though. 

Kenan took us to a special hidden spot the locals just call Blue Spring.  It's right off the Little River, on private land. There is a natural spring that comes up from the rocks and is a beautiful clear blue.  It is really deep, looks almost bottomless.  This is where we saw the beaver swimming.  It disappeared under the rocks.

This was a really place.  It's hard to capture the color in the photo, but it was a pretty crazy blue. 

We found an area of the river that was deep enough to swim, so we parked our kayaks and played in the water for a bit.

Near the end of our float, there was one little rapid.  It's actually bigger than it looks in the photo and my boy was the only one to flip his kayak on it. 

i really love getting outside and hiking or kayaking on the weekends.  We had a few busy weekends over the summer, and didn't get out as much as i would have liked. Now the weather is starting to cool off and we are really trying to go out and do something active every weekend before winter comes.  

The autumn always depresses me a bit, it feels like the beginning of the end. Every year i enter it kicking and screaming, holding on to summertime as long as i can. i will eventually submit and even embrace the change of season.  That's won't be any time soon though. 

“Wilderness is not a luxury but necessity of the human spirit.” –Edward Abbey

New River Kayaking adventures

Father's day weekend we grabbed our kayaks and headed out to the New River in Radford.  There are many places to access the river at Bisset park.  WE only took one vehicle, but my husband took his bike. So we scouted out a good ending location a few miles down the river, and he chained his bike up there. So that when we finished kayaking, he could ride back and get the truck. 

The New River is part of the Ohio River watershed, is about 360 miles long. The river flows through the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia before joining with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River at the town of Gauley Bridge, WV.  Despite its name, the New River is one of the five oldest rivers in the world geologically.  Often thought to be the second oldest in the world, with the Nile being the oldest. Unlike most other major rivers the New River flows north.

We recently purchased 3 kayaks. 2 singles and a double. My boy and i paddled in the singles and my husband and daughter used the double. Much of the New river that we floated down was extremely shallow. So shallow that we could reach right over and pick up the shells and rocks on the river bottom.

There are parts that are quite deep, so we all had our life vests on. The rivers flows slowly, so it was a nice relaxing float. i believe we went about 3 miles, and it took us close to 2.5 hours. 

Hard to see in the photo, but this tree was filled with huge water birds. Possibly, Cormorants. We also saw a turtle, little fish and either muskrats or river otters swimming. They were brown and furry and ducked under the water when we went passed, so i have no idea what they were just some sort of river critters. 

When we got to our end spot on the river, we stayed in the kayaks while kenan went back to get the truck.  i took over the double, because it's a little harder to steer and let my girl try out the single.  It was really shallow in this area, maybe 6"-8" deep.  There was an island in the center of the river here, with nesting killdeer.  We enjoyed watching them run along the edge of the island and yell at us for being so close. 

  

We usually hike on the weekends, so kayaking is a new adventure.  We have so many places around us to kayak.  Besides the New River, there is the Little River in Floyd and Big Reed Island, which is not too far down the road. We are excited to explore these areas this summer and spend as much time outside as possible. You can expect to see more kayaking posts in the future! #getoutside

Summertime fun.

Yesterday i spent almost all day in the garden. We finally had a couple days of rain, so i was really trying to finish up my transplanting and get a handle on the weeds.  Early in the afternoon Kenan asked if i wanted to go kayaking on the New River right then (instead of on Sunday) like we were planning.  i told him i really needed to work in the garden while the soil was still damp, but maybe in the evening we could just head down to our creek and practice kayaking before going out on the new river tomorrow. i had never kayaked before and though it would be fun on our creek where the water is only knee deep.

We only took one kayak to share and also took an inter-tube to float on and Kenan took his hammock so he could relax.  We each took turns paddling around the creek. It's a little tricky because we have to go upstream to avoid the rocks.  i had no idea i would get so wet. i took my waterproof fanny pack with me, so i could take the camera and i'm glad i did. Not only did i get completely soaked just from the paddling, but while trying to get out of the kayak i slipped on the rocks and completely fell in!!  My fannypack and camera completely submerged. Thank goodness i had closed it up, my camera was completely dry inside. Pheeew!! 

We took turns paddling around. It did take a little practice to keep from running into the trees and rocks. The creek isn't always so murky looking, but we'd had two days of rain so it was up a little more than usual and very muddy.  We are really looking forward to kayaking on the weekends. It's so important to unplug,  get all of us outside and to work on being more active, after of a winter of sitting around like slugs. 

Kenan seemed to enjoy his time relaxing in the hammock. Sage found this heart shaped rock and asked me to snap a picture. i thought it was the perfect image for Father day weekend, with Kenan relaxing in the background.

After a day of working outside, we spend a couple hours playing in the water, floating, kayaking and chilling in the hammock. It was a much needed break and time together as a family. As the kids get older, they are wanting more and more independence and are no longer as eager to hang out with mom and dad. So finding an activity were we can all enjoy our time together is very special.

Today we are planning to kayak on the New River in Radford. This will be a new experience for my girl and i, but we are very excited!  Already the summer seems to be going to fast, June is almost over and the kids go back to school early August. We are hoping to really enjoy every moment we can!

Summer Vacation, Kayaking and Treeco waterproof pouch review

Last week Kenan went canoeing with one of his friends. He parked at the destination spot, and then they drove back in his friends car to where they would start their canoe trip. He left his wallet and phone in his friends truck in case the canoe tipped, and without thinking put his keys in his wallet. So when they finished the canoe trip, he was locked out of his truck and they had to walk all the way back to his friend's truck. 

i know he was feeling a bit like an idiot, but then a few day later, his friend went canoeing again with a different friend, and the canoe did tip and his friend lost his keys in the river and again they had to walk all the way back to the first truck.

On June 3rd, my husband and i celebrated 16 years of marriage. Instead of buying each other gifts we decided to get a family gift of either a canoe or kayaks.  We owned a canoe when we lived up in Michigan and really enjoyed it.  We really want to start canoeing/kayaking each weekend this summer.

Since i knew that he was planning to get a canoe or kayak,  i got him a Treecoo water proof pouch. It has a double ziplock seal, and then folds down and velcros closed. So you can pack your keys, phone, camera etc and not have to worry about it getting wet. 
)

He ended up getting a double kayak, with plans of getting a second one eventually.  Since both my girl and i were not feeling too good the first week of summer vacation, he just took the boy kayaking. The #treecoo waterproof pouch (fannypack!!) worked great!  He was able to put his phone, keys and wallet in it and not have to worry about them getting wet. 

The pouch is inexpensive. You can get it on amazon for under $10 for a two pack of pouches with free shipping if you have prime.  You get one in black, and one in blue. It's a really a nice idea for anyone who likes to spend time on the water. This would also come in handy at an amusement park with water rides. The double ziplocking seal seems very secure. Once the zippers are locked, it folds down twice, and then the velcro holds it in place.

My only complaint with it, is that the adjustable extra long belt didn't fit around his waist. Hes a big guy, but he's not really that big. He wears a 38 in pants, and the belt was a little too tight to snap so the boy got to wear it. 

i'm guessing that the belt would work best for anyone who's waist is around 36 inches or less, which would be Mens M-L size, but not for the big XL boys.   It cinches down so it would also fit much smaller waists (my boy is a 29 waist).

The boys had a great time kayaking on the New river, and can't wait to go back. Once we get our second kayak, i'm sure you'll be seeing lots of kayaking posts along with our usual hiking posts. i really hope to spend as much of the summer outside as possible! 

So my disclaimer:  i received the Treecoo waterproof pouch at no cost in exchange for my honest review. i do not review products i wouldn't actually use. This pouch is great for keeping your belongings dry, the adjustable strap just needs to be longer. These are my honest opinions, i was not compensated for my review.