RememberingHaroldDeal
ouwonderwhathethought aboutduringthose43non-stop hoursofhissolocanoe marathon.
Washeentrancedbythemoonlight,asit playeduponthewavesoftheDelaware River?
Ordidhismindweighmorepractical matters,likemeetinghisbelovedwife, Bets,forresupplies?
Haroldpaddlingthe AdirondacksinanSRT, oneofmanycanoeshe designed.
Withtherhythmofconstantpaddling,he mighthavefallenintocounting countingthepassingmiles(200),orhis NationalOC1RacingChampiontitles (24),oreventhenumberofnewowners ofhishigh-performancecanoes(inthe hundreds,andstillsellingat hemlockcanoe.com.Justaskthenew SRTconsumer,agiddyMaryAnnHoag)
Onethingforsure,HaroldDeal,whose passingthisfallsaddenssomanyinthis club,wouldnothavethoughttoboastof thisadventure,noteventohailits successasafundraiserfortheAmerican CancerSociety.
“INorwouldhehavegloatedoverhis overnight,open-watertrekacrossLake Ontario,acrossingheandtwoothersolo canoeistsaccomplishedfromNewYork toCanadainabout15hours.That,too, wasafunfundraiser,thistimebenefiting theBreastCancerSociety neverheardofanyfundraising,”saidDaveCurtis, Hemlock’sowner,aswellas Harold’sclosefriend andlongtimetripping partner.Couldhe reallyhavebeenthat humble?
Yep.
“Haroldaccompanied usonseveral Evergladestripswhen weoutfittedand guidedthoseinthe 80s,”Daveexplained. HeneveraskedDave formoney,justto comealong.
PaddlerMagazinehonoredhimasoneof thetop100canoelegendsofthecentury. Theiraccoladesforthisboatdesigner, NationalCanoeRacingChamp,and naturephotographerincludedhis influentialstylingsasafree-style canoeist
Asoneofthefoundersofflatwater freestyle,Haroldhadasignaturemove. Onlythehullofacanoeglidesby, impossiblybalancing onitsside.The “HidingHarold,” theycallit.
"Thereisnotmucha personcan’tlearnwithan openmindandacanoe.”
HaroldDeal
“Hewasagood friend,awonderfultrippingcompanion, andasuperbpaddler,”saidDave.
YetHaroldhadplentyofreasontobrag.
Histeachingtechniquesinfluenced suchprosasBob Foote,TomFoster, andKentFord.Even CanoeMagazine wantedapieceof him,requestinghe guidetheirexpeditionforafeature storyontheMinnesotaBoundary Waters.
WheneverHaroldshowedupatthe MonguaporLehigh,abuzzofhushed, “Do-you-know-who-that-is?”murmurs zippedaroundtheput-in.
“Theremaybestrongerpaddlers,butthe skillandfinessewithwhichhepaddled madeitamazingtowatch.Welosta goodone,”saidStephenFerder.
Haroldfirstbeganwilderness canoetrippingasachildon familyCanadianexcursions.
Sincethen,hehadamassedan impressivenumberofextreme adventuresinplacesliketheGrand Canyon,CostaRica’shighlands,andthe remoteNorthwestTerritories.
“Helovedwintercanoeing,”Curt Gellermanrecalls.CurtandHarold frequentlyledtheirself-supported wildernessadventurestogether.Harold’s favoritewinterriverwastheBigFlat BrookupinNorthJersey.
“Oncehesawamotherbobcatandher twobobkittens,”hesaid.“Somany memories,”Curtadded.
“OnetimewecameoutontheDelaware, buttheiceflowsonthebankswereat leasttenfeethigh–Ihavepictures,”Curt insisted.“Wehadatleasthalfadozen baldeaglessoaringaboveus.”
Anotherwinteroutingdidn’tgosowell.
Asaboy,hewassentouttoretrievea pairofshotducksfromafrozenpond. Thebirdsweretoofartobereached evenwiththelongestbranch,sohe wadedintotheicywateruptohisbelly andfeltinstantparalysisEvenhisdry upperlimbsstiffenedandgrewimmobile. Aswiftfire,thenavigorousjoghome finallyrevivedmovement,butitwasa soberinglessonheneverforgot.
Itwasalsoasaboythathefirst dippedhishandsintoboatdesigning Anearlyphotoshowshimrivetedin attentionashisyoungfingersrepairthe ribsofthefamily’sbirchbarkcanoe.
Harold(left)and Curtbetween rapidsonUtah’s SanJuanRiverin 2016.
PhotobyMarty Plante.
AteenagedHaroldresewingthefamily’s birchbarkcanoe(about 1963).
Hisinnovativecanoedesignsfor whitewater(theShaman),and flatwatertripping(theSolo RiverTripperorSRT),aswellasracing paddlesarehighlyrespected.
“TheShamanisoneoftheprettiest canoes,plusresponsiveandfast,”Cath Kraftsaid.“Thespeed,glide,and maneuverabilitymadeplayingtherapids fun,”sheadded.Overtheyearsshe ownedthree
“IhadafantasticalwishthatHarold’s boatingskillswouldmagicallytransfer tomeasIpaddledtheShaman,”admits Cath.
“Haroldsomuchlovedpaddlinghisown canoesthathehaddesignedthatforour MountainRivertripintheNorthwest Territories,hewenttogreatexpenseto bringhisownboat,”Curtnoted. Everyoneelsecompromisedwiththe softshellpack-canoestolightenthebush
pilot’sload,butnotHaroldHeheldfast tohisvision.Hewantedhisprecision, hardhullforthethreeweektripfromthe river’sheadwatersdowntothe“Mighty Mack,”theMackenzieRiver.
Hewasgoodatdreaming:designing boatsorexpeditions,orevenhisdream housealongthescenicDelaware.
Whateverhisdaydreamswereduring thatmarathonfundraiserdownthe Delaware,hemadeitknownthathisfeat wasdedicatedtoallthevisionarieswho, likehimself,preservethenatural characterofthatrivercorridor.
Hecalledcanoeinga“journeyof thesoul.”
Shaman,indeed.
Thereinmayliehisgreatestlegacy:he remindsusalltobetruetoourdreams
BYLORETTABRADY
Getting Schooled
“Paddle!!”
“Don’tforgettobreathe!”
“Oneisavictim.Twoisawitness.Threeisa rescue.”
“Don’tunderestimatethepotentialpowerofwater ateven100cubicfeetpersecond.”
Theseandsomanyotherwordsof wisdomfromourpastChairof Instruction,ButchFutrell,liveindelibly insomanymindsHissought-after kayakcoursesandtrainingseries encouragedsomanyofustogoforit,to
daretofeeltheeuphoriaofwhitewater paddlingCanoeists,too
NowthatButchpassesonthetorch, we’llattempttohitthegroundrunning tokeephislegendarymomentumgoing.
RamTripathi,leader-intrainingandinternational raftguide,demosfor students.
We’vestyledseveralinnovationstoget moreboatsonthewaterandsafely.
First,noticingKCCNYhaslonglackeda formalwhitewaterkayakcourse,this yearwe’repartneringtomakeithappen.
“Themagicofpaddlingclub communitieswilldieoutwithoutstrong instructionalprograms,”saidDavid Rosenfeld,akeyinspirationtothis strengthenedKCCNY-AMCcollaboration.
JordanYaruss,aClass4boaterawarded advancedICWcertification,andwho hasledmanylevelsofpopularclinics andinstructionalsforKCCNYinthe past,isourleadkayakinstructorthis season.
Jordanwillbejoinedbyskilledcoaches KerriKlinger,MarkTiernan,and Leader-in-TrainingRamTripathi. Togethertheyhaveaworldof experience,andinRam’scase,quite physicallyinternationalexperience,too.
TomHart,KCCNY’snewestleader,has jumpstartedtheirclubwithimpressive marketingskillsandavisionthatramps upbothsafetyandschmoozing.We’ve enjoyedblendedclubpaddling barbecuesandcampingfestivalsat DeerfestandtheMonguaplastseason, andlookforwardtojointeventsthis season:likeJuly’sSalmonRiver weekendalreadypostedonline.
Second,we’veexpandedthecourseto spantwoepisodesofinstruction,thereby
includingbasicswiftwaterrescueskills forstudentsearlyon.
Soforbothcanoeistsandkayakers, you’llseethecourselistedastwo required,bonusevents:
PART1:Strokes,Maneuvers,&River Running
&PART2:SwiftwaterSafety,River Reading&Running
ThePartOneeventbeginsFriday afternoonatthebarn,gettingfittedfor gearandlearningtosafelycar-topboat
ThenextdayislakeinstructionatHigh PointStatePark,offeringpractice& gameswithfeedback.Thethirddaywe runtheDelawareRiver,StaircaseRapids toSparrowBushBeach,guidingferrying andeddycatchingwithmoredemos, practice,andfeedback.
ThePartTwoeventcanbefulfilled eitherthenextweekendatDeerfest,orat amorelocalriverwithdateTBD dependingonstudentneedsandskills. Alongwithropethrowingpracticeand self-rescuedrills,we’llagaincoachnew paddlerstosafelyuptheirgame.We’ll alsodemoandguidestudentson maneuverswhiletheyimprovetheir riverreadingskills.
Experiencedsupportpaddlersareoften neededforthoseriverdays.Reachoutto Lorettaatlorettajbrady@hotmailcomif youareinterested.
ApartTogether
BysharingtheHighPointStatePark campsite,allstudents–whethercanoeists orkayakers–willblendoverHappy Hoursandcampfirestories
“Whenwearrangedthissharedsitelast year,therewasasubstantialuptickin
InstructorMarkTiernan cruisingbetween students.
newpaddlerswhojoinedthefollow-up trips,”observedthecoaches.Someare evenreturningthisseasontolearnmore.
Afewrecidivistsarecrossovers:folks who’llpaddlesingleordoubleblades, kneelingorsitting.
CKCinstructorsincludeACAcertified andfullyexperiencedteachersand coaches.Theaverageteacher-student ratioisoneinstructorperfourorfive students
ChrisVianiheadsthesolocanoeist instruction,andastrongteamofdiverse talentmans–or,ratherhumans–the tandemcourse.Thatteamincludes HerbSterner,StephenFerder,“Mac” MacCauley,LorettaBrady,andNeil Grossman.
OtherCourses&Clinics
EileenYinhasalsoscheduledawide selectionofcoursesbothforthose seekingbasicskillsandforClass2-3 strivers.Beginnerscanattendher paddlingworkshopatHarrimanduring theJune9-10ChapterPicnic.
DLestweforgetthosestrivingtostep-up inwhitewater,Eileenhopestoschedule aclinicaimedatClass2drills.Buteven moreso,NeilGrossmanisagainleading aspringseriestowarm-upandstep-up newpaddlers,singleanddoublebladers alike.Heplanstorunfourseparate, progressivelymorechallengingrivers fromMarchtoApril.
NeilspeciallywelcomesKCCNY members,duallypostingtheserieson theirnewwebsite,too.
Therearealsoopportunitiesseveral weekendsthroughoutthesummeratthe AMC’sFireIslandcabin,wherecoleadersareonhandtoguideguestsin seakayakingorcanoeing.
Sensearecurringthemehere?Truly there’smorestrength–andfun–in numbers “Threeisarescue,”andthestartofa barbecue.
oyouknowofaconservationprojectonariverorwaterwayyoulove,suchasanaccesspointimprovement,that needsfinancialsupport?AMC’sWatersandRiversProtection Fundinvestsinconservationprojectsacrossourregionthanks tothegeneroussupportofourChapterandothers.Ifyouhave aprojectideaoraprojectthatanotherorganizationisalready leadingandlookingforfunding,AMCmaybeabletohelpwitha giftofupto$10,000,thoughlargergrantsmayalsobepossible Clicktosubmitaproposal.
RECORD IT’SA
TomsRiver,NJ,nowholdstheworld recordforthe“largestparadeof canoesandkayaks."Amile-long groupof1,105boatsfloateddownthe riveronAug20,2022.(photobelow byJimLowney/NJAdvanceMedia)
TheNortheastwaspreviouslythesite ofapaddlingrecordwhen,onSep13, 2014,atotalof3,150canoesand kayaksconvergedonFourthLakein theAdirondacktownofInlettoseta newGuinnessWorldRecordforthe world’slargestrafteverassembled. (photorightbyNancyBattaglia)
BYLORETTABRADY
swe’regetting ter-trendy
ver35paddlers–a ashmob,forus–astedarobust artogetherat seyCity’shot ue,ZeppelinHall Garden.
Perhapstherevelingweddingpartyby thehearth,ortheraucoussportsfans backdeeperinthecavernoushall, influencedourbuoyantmoodthat JanuarySaturday
OrmaybeitwasMaryAnnHoag’s centerpiece:theyear’srecapasan action-packed,loopingslideshow.
“Wewantedtoreachmoremembersin NorthJerseywhileallowingManhattanitesasimplejourneyjuststepsfrom thePATHtrain,”saidChairBrian Horrowitz
Fittingly,thetraditionalpre-pubhike thistimespannedthemarinasand grasslandsofLibertyParkdowntoa viewofEllisIslanddocks.
ovingthedatetoapost-New Year’seventmayalsoexplain theatypicaldiversityofboaters attending:fromsailorstocanoeists; fromesteemedHarrimanProgramming Director,JimOm,toacropofnew millennialleaderslikeRoseSuarez whoisschedulingFireIslandprograms
ZepplinHallBeerGarden.
“I’vebeenabittiredofseakayaking onmyown,”saidaccomplishedsea kayakerSarahOsborne.Shewas amongahandfulwhoeventraveled fromfarflungeasternLongIslandto revelwithus.
“It’sgreattohangoutwiththiskindof groupandseewhat’sgoingon,”Sar EvendemigodlegendslikeCurt GellermanandDonGetzinmingledin ourmidst
oyourealizetherearefour recentAppiesoftheYearatthis partyalone?”HenrySchreiber, himselfarenownedAppieandrecent RegionalDirector,observed.
ThentherewastheclassicAwards Roast-er,LeaderAwardsCeremony.
Henry,alongwithButchFutrell,Marty Plante,RussFaller,TimWatters, LennyGrefig,andDonGetzin, receivedLifetimeAchievementAwards fortheirconsistentcare,feeding,and trainingofgenerationsofclubleaders.
Overadozenverydedicatedtrip leadersreceivedourheartfelt appreciation,expressedthroughwarm hugsandcoolswag:AMCtotebags, T-shirts,NatureConservancy Calendars,andselectedgiftbooksto matchtheirpassionsfromThe
EmeraldMile:TheFastestRideDown theGrandCanyon,toAgainsttheIce: TrueArcticAdventures.
Theliquidspiritsblendedwithcosmic ones,aswell.
Spiritanimaldesignationswere playfullyassignedtoeachleader honored,reflectingtheuniquegifts eachdesigneeshareswiththeclub. Herewereafewhighlights:
ButchFutrell,whosesuperhuman dedicationtothewhitewaterinstruction programhasbeenakeysourceofour club’sfameandmembership,is bestowedwiththePeregrineFalcon spiritanimal–thefastestandmost successfulhunterontheplanet.
artyPlante,HenryandLenny, whoallsowiselysteerus diurnallyandnocturnally,24/7, arerepresentedasBoreal,GreatGray, andGreatHornedowls
DonGetzin,forhiscuriosityandplayfulnessinrivers,isbestowedwiththe NorthAmericanRiverOtterspirit animal.
RussFaller,whoseendurance,drive, loyaltyandaffectiontouchusall, sharesthepowersofthelegendary SiberianHusky.ThinkBalto.
BrianHorowitz,whocarefullymonitors usallastop-of-the-food-chainChair, andguidesasteepuptickinquiet waterandwhitewateractivity,justas thisavianspeciesisenjoyinganuptick initsriparianpopulation,isbestowed theGoldenEaglespiritanimal.
tephenFerder,alinchpinfor yearsinourinstructionalprograms,wholendshisflexibility, keenstrategizing,andversatileskills,
thusearnshisspiritanimalasour “OctopusTeacher”
MaryAnnHoag,whoseincredibleskills atgatheringussocially,andhelpingus findsustenancemetaphoricallyand otherwise,ishonoredwiththeunderappreciated,soaringNewWorld Vulture Yes,theuniversehassmileduponthis club.Nowwejustneedacrystalballto foreseefuturewaterlevels
Somepartierstalkedofmeetingagaininspringfora pubnight.Ifthere’sinterest,letBrianknow!Atleast there'stwozoomgatheringdates,forlazycommuters.
BYLORETTABRADY
aterspringseasonopenersgo,therewasonethingseriously herewerecrowdsateachoftheday-tripruns–subdividedinto groupsof10–attheHousatonicRiveronApril15.
nd,OK,therewasacecoachingfrombothCTandNY-NoJ AMCchaptersandKCCNYfolkthatformerstudentsofcanoeing andkayakingpraisedas,“afun,finewaytoexperiencenew rivers.”
No,whatfeltterriblywrongwerethe80degreetemps!
Satan'sKingdomsectionontheFarmingtonRiverApril1ststartedoffwithfrostyrain, butbrightblueskiesandsunemergedtoteasepaddlerswisely“over”dressedforthe watertemps–inthe40s(RivertonSectionat488feetonthegauge)
Eachtripprogressivelyuppedskilllevels,askeenteachersPaulEdwards,Neil Grossman,andPaulDanielewiczcleverlystrategized.TheTariffvillesection,Class23ontheFarmingtonRiver,capsthisAprilspringseries.
Beyondtheircontrolwasthe“fakesummer”climate.
Butsome,likenewcanoestudentBeverlyWind-Wild,felttheunexpectedwarm warm-uprunsgaveherachancetoscrambletofindmoreandbettercoldweathergear forfutureneeds.You'lleasilyspotBev.She’stheonewhosepreschooldaughters scribble-designedhershinyredhelmet."MOM,"itsays,amongtheartfuldoodling. Oristhat,“WOW”?
Image1PaulDanielowitz ontheWallkillRiver PhotobyMartyPlante. Table1PaulDanielowitz byMartyPlante
PaulDanielowicz ontheWallkill River(right)and leadinstructorPaul Edwardsatthe WestCornwall CoveredBridge. PhotosbyMarty Plante.
Addingtothetripreport,boatersspottedonepicked-overcarcassofabuckonriverbankleft,“withfullrib-cageandantlers–quiteasite,”MaryAnnobserved.
“Don’tforgetseeingthebaldeagles!”Cathadds.Somestunningclose-upstherewere.
PaddlerMichaelJordanfeltthat,“CoveredBridgeRapids[Housatonic]were definitelyahighlight,aswellasitsscenery!”
PerhapsMichaelexpresseditbestforallluckyenoughtoattendthewarmwarm-ups. “ThanksPaul,Neil,andPaulandcrewforagreattripwithalotofgreatinfoand teachingpoints,”hesaid
2PaulEdwardsattheHousatonicBridgePhotobyMartyPlante
Congratulationstothe2022AppieoftheYear:
CHARLESMICHENER
TheAppieoftheYearawardwaspresentedbyNominating CommitteeChairHenrySchreiberattheNewYork-North JerseyChapter’sAnnualMeetingonNovember30.
TheAppieawardisforanindividual whogivesselflesslyofhim/herselfforthe goodoftheAppalachianMountainClub; onewhoworkstirelessly,oftenbehind thescenes,organizing,leadinginfact andbyexample;someonewhohas servedinthismannerforseveralyears,
thusovertimecontinuingthis commitment;anactivevolunteer,rather thansomeonewhoservedwellinthe past,orforalimitedtime.TheAppie exemplifieswhatisbestaboutthe volunteerethicthatmakesourClub,and particularlyourChapter,sospecial.
Hiswarmthand generositymagnetically attractskayakers,quiet waterfolk,whitewater experts,andcanoeists andboatersofeveryage,flavor,and worldview.It’snowonderDiversity, Equity,andInclusionincentiveswerea drivingforcebehindhisvisionasa belovedCKCchair.
Charles’enthusiasticinfluence,infact, couldnotbecontainedjustamongour ownAMCpaddlingcommitteeand chapter.
Heisanatural“bridge”leader, expandingourpartnershipswithother activitiescommittees,otherchapters, andotherorganizations.Forexample, KCCNYnowregularlyjoinsusin HappyHoursandcampingateventslike “Deerfestivities”ontheDrywayand Fifebrookextendedweekends.
CharlesalsomentoredthePotomac AMCchapterastheyrevivedtheir paddlingprogram,guidingleader trainingandjointexpeditions.Underhis tenureatrendtowardmulti-activity paddlingtrips(hiking,biking,paddling anyone?)flourished.
Hehasbeenalerttokeepconnections withyoungerpaddlers–theYounger MembersofAMCandtheBergen CommunityCollegeOutingClub,for example–easingtheexcludingbarriersof carelessnessandboatlessness
Andapopulartraditionseemsnowin place,thankstoCharles,tojointly explorethePineBarrenseachspring withacrowdfromWorcesterAMC
Aslong-standingQuartermaster andEquipmentChair,his expertisehascarefullyimproved ourfleetwithhipSUPs,sporty whitewatercanoes(aSilverbirch),a niftynewtrailer,andmore,while tendingconstantlytotheupkeepofthe barn’sinventory.Foryears,we’veall dependeduponCharlesfortheroleofhe whopacksthestoves,pop-uptentsand extratablestotheEsopusweekends,or ourinfamousFallFoliageorWeekof Riverstripsandmore.Welearnedlast yearthattomatchhisefficiency,ittakes atleastthreeofus.
Asthemanynominationlettersmade abundantlyclear,wewouldnotstillbe thrivingasauniquelydiverseandfarreaching,long-livedpaddling communitywithoutCharlesMichener.
Ashemighthumblyputit,hekeepsus “relevant.”
2023ActivitySchedule
PineBarrensExpedition (Mon-Sat,5/1-6)
Michener/Tiernan
6-7
OswegoRiver (Sat,5/6)
Watters
3-4
10-11
17-18
MullicaFamilyTrip (Fri-Sun,6/2-4)
Watters
Beaverkill (Sun,5/7) Plante/Brady
ChapterPicnicatHarriman (Fri-Sun,6/9-11)
24-25
1-2
MovingWaterCanoe Instruction (Fri-Sun,6/16-18)
Brady/Viani/Grossman WhitewaterKayakInstruction (Fri-Sun,6/16-18) Tiernan/Yaruss/ Klinger/Tripathi
Canoe/KayakFishing AtHarriman (Fri-Sun,6/23-7/2)
Om
FireIsland Paddlesports Weekend (Fri-Sun,6/30-7/2)
Barcia/Osborne
Showmeasign
NorthernForest CanoeTrail,NYS
Everglades,Florida
SaranacRiver, Adirondacks
HudsonRiver, Adirondacks
