Cameron County Race Report
A bit of low water certainly did not detract from record number of entries (almost 200?) in the Cameron County Race this year. Race conditions were good, there were clear channels if you could read the river well, and if you couldn’t read the river well, the race organizer had marked the channels with tape so that novices would know where to go.
River reading is not always my best subject, so I did paint a few rocks white with my hull now and then along the way, but given my history it would almost be wrong of me not to do so.
I had a score to settle with the Sinnemahoning this year, after destroying my K2 in the race last year. I had some serious pre-race anxiety both because of the K2 incident and because I was in my Delphine, a squirrelly ICF K1 that I was trying to learn before the General Clinton.
The ghosts of my K2 demons were quite present until I passed the spot where I wrapped the K2 around a tree, but after that I settled down and actually enjoyed what I consider to be some of the most absolutely beautiful scenery that our great Commonwealth has to offer.
The river is always changing, and the views of the mountains and valley are wildly spectacular. Randy Bailey does an excellent job of organizing this race, from the paddlers breakfast, to the shuttle, to the race itself, all the way through to the amazing hand crafted awards, dinner, and the raffles.
For the scenery alone, this is a “Must Do” race in my book. I can’t wait for the first Saturday in April, 2011.
It was a good day