“Do you want to know what the secret to good rowing is?”
~Of course.
“You have to read the water.”
Just minutes into my first ever rafting trip, I got schooled. And on the Chama River at 600 cfs (cubic feet per second), it’s all about reading the water. The water’s not deep, the rapids aren’t huge, but there are *a lot* of rocks to maneuver around.
Reading the water is similar to finding your line on a slope. You look ahead so you can set yourself up. It was the best lesson, as I’ve since realized.
Chama 2015 from Oarsin Tipsup on Vimeo.
Lessons aside, the Chama River in Northern New Mexico is a serene, beautiful place. The float was an overnighter, putting in just below the El Vado Dam, to the Big Eddy takeout 31 miles downstream.
Rounding a bend
Early morning
The Rower
The rower and his buddy
Paddling daze
New Mexico river bosque. Beautiful cottonwoods.
ain’t nothing to it!
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