[Ambridger]

So the season for Jodi and I started in April when we were invited for a spur-of-the-moment run on Beaver Creek. The weather had cleared and warmed a bit, making for just the right kind of day to paddle. Neither of us had been on Beaver Creek before. This trip also gave Jodi a chance to use her cold-water gear for the first time. Jodi was in disbelief when I got our helmets out of storage, however when everybody else was helmeted, well ... let's just say we looked very fashionable in our helmets. We floated from the bridge at Echo Dell Road down to Fredericktown, and it was an enjoyable trip for sure.

In late May, we took my brother and his family out on the lake at North Park (Allegheny County, PA) for their first time ever in canoes. Upon arrival, my youngest nephew jumped out of my brother's car looking like a frog-man, complete with mask and snorkel. This was to be a practice run for a trip on the Clarion River through Cook Forest in June. The lake was crowded with other folks enjoying the day as well. For their first time out, my brother and his family had a great time.

Next up was Riverfest and the Riverfest paddle event. Honestly, I was glad to finally get to this day and see it all come together. The FOM and TCT put a lot of work into this event, particularly so this year. With the help of all the members of both organizations, the Trumbull Sheriff Office divers, and the Girard Fire Department water rescue team, the paddle played-out as smoothly as any of us could have hoped. The weather held nicely, and there was a good crowd.

In early June, we were off to Cook Forest for some outdoor adventures. We hiked trails in the park, biked the Sandy Creek Trail, fished, and canoed the Clarion. The river was a little low, but we still had a great time on the water. Months later, my nephews were asking about when our next canoe trip was going to be.

Later in June we participated in the club trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I had been looking forward to this trip, as I am also a train buff. Getting a little extra train ride was an added bonus in my book, and the twists and turns of the Cuyahoga made for a fun day on the water.

Disaster struck as we were about to leave the house to head to the club picnic in July. The tail of one of the straps that was holding one of the kayaks to the roof was hanging along side of the car, and when I moved the car, the strap got pulled under the tire. As the tire turned, the strap got pulled more, until it pulled apart the roof rack and dented the roof. As we had the burgers and hot dogs for the picnic, the boats were quickly unloaded, the damaged roof rack quickly removed, and we were on our way. So we didn't paddle this trip, but we enjoyed the picnic, and I even let Jodi ride home with me. Oh, did I mention that she decided to put that strap where it could get sucked into the tire.

After Jodi bought replacement parts for the roof rack, we were back in action in time for the evening paddle on the Shenango in late July. This was a new section of the Shenango for us, and the later start time was good for us, as we weren't rushing around as much as usual.

In August, we paddled the Allegheny for the Foxburg trip. Jodi's dad, Dave, joined us for this trip. He and I paddled my Old Town Tripper, only the second time I had it on the water.

Our next trip was to Deer Creek Reservoir. Ken & Cheryl designed an on-water scavenger hunt that gave an interesting twist to this trip. We hadn't been to Deer Creek before, and enjoyed the calm lake and the thrill of the hunt.

In September, we were off to Buckaloons. The river was high enough that the local livery was not running any trips. While some folks ventured up to Kinzua Bridge, Jodi and I explored locally, stopping at the Allegheny Outfitters store, and then driving up Route 62 to eye ball Conewango Creek. The creek was flat and placid, as it was not being fed by the dam. There is an outfitter on the creek that offers trips of various lengths. We might try them some time in the future. The paddle from Buckaloons down to Tidioute went off without a hitch. The river was still a little high, but the path was wide and we all stayed together for safety.

Rotary to Swift was a nice float on the Mahoning later in September. Somebody forgot their paddle, and had to have Ken drive them to the take-out and back while we all waited on the water. Fortunately, the drive between start and finish was only about ten minutes. We had paddled up river from Swift in this section last year, but only as far as the golf course.

We finished the season with a trip back to Canoe City for the Chili Run. I headed out onto the water with the other nuts, while Jodi stayed back enjoying the warm fire, plentiful food, and the clean and convenient porta-john.

In addition to a great year of paddling, we made a trip to Virginia in April for a 50 mile bicycle ride, and we did a fall hike with the Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail. It's not easy for me to get weekends off from work, so considering all that we were able to do, I'm saying this was a pretty good year, with lots of great folks, and plenty of firsts this year as well.