Getting ready…

Well, we’re definitely getting close to the summer. Our FLOW 2009 course has 8 students accepted, registered, and excited to paddle. We still have three spots left, though we hear from new families every day. We’ve been hitting the boat swaps here in Boise. We’re the lookout for a raft, kayaks to add to our fleet, and more. Today it was the swap at Idaho River Sports, which annually supports the Idaho Whitewater Association. We’ve had good luck so far, finding a sweet paddle for one of our students as well as coolers, oars, and crash pads.

We’ve also been getting on the rivers ourselves, fine-tuning our skills so we can keep our students on their toes. Last weekend, I was able to paddle both days, hitting up the Lower South Fork with some of the guys from the Idaho River Kids. Talk about some skilled paddlers! The rivers are starting to come up, which means we’ll start seeing the amazing play spots on the Payette coming out (the Bladder, Bennett’s, Climax). Some of our friends have even been able to hit up the Murtaugh Section of the Snake, one of Idaho’s big water classics.

Other projects have included getting new hats made, fine-tuning our curriculum so our students can earn college credit, and wrapping up the school year. Kristin has only a couple of weeks left of her first year in the MBA program. That means final papers are due, exams are looming, and she’ll be off to Durango for Team Trials. I’ve got a few more weeks ahead of me, with loads of grading and prepping still ahead. My job for next year is still up in the air. Between the two of us, we’ll squeeze in as much paddling as possible.

More later,
Sean