Who AM I?

I started my white water pursuits amongst the 2020 pandemic as a way to cope and grieve the losses I incurred due to the pandemic. I had very little white water experience and mostly paddled flat water with my dog Stash prior. We relocated to North Carolina early 2019 from the Southwest with no intention or understanding of the white water mecca Stash and I moved to. After an eye opening train ride from Bryson City to the Nantahala River and NOC, curiosity led to booking a white water adventure with Green River Adventures in Saluda, NC. This was an opportunity to paddle class III & IV rapids on the upper section of the Green River in an inflatable kayak with experienced guides (Keith Sprinkle & Bryce Kinsey). After such a positive and amazing experience paddling strong currents and big rapids I decided to purchase my first skirted white water kayak (Pyranha Burn 3).

The seed was planted and through the pandemic I had ample time to gain and refine white water kayaking skills. Within a couple months I was paddling class II white water very comfortably, I was taught the kayak roll as well (Instructor: Brian Davis – H2O Dreams). At this point it was late October, 2020 and getting colder. luckily, I found a heated pool and hot tub to rent by the hour to help me and my new paddling friends work on improving our kayak roll comfortably. This evolved into semi-mastering the pool roll and helping other paddlers trouble shoot their roll. Now armed with a somewhat reliable roll my aim was to gain more comfort paddling class III rapids. I set a goal to run the upper section of the Green River in a skirted kayak with a roll by spring 2021. I completed this goal mid December 2020 and continued paddling class III and a few class IV rapids. By spring I was comfortably paddling class III with a reliable roll and focusing on class IV skills and mindset.

During my progression I felt a time for change and recognized the passion and rapid progression I had experienced. I was reminded of Green River Adventures and the positive vibes and energy felt there and decided to inquire about becoming a Kayak River Guide. GRA loved my story and attitude, I was hired  for the 2020 season and to this day continue guiding for GRA. To better accommodate GRA and to more safely paddle rivers privately I elected to acquire Wilderness First Responder and Swift Water Rescue Certificates. As a kayak river guide and a known private paddler within the paddling community I was meeting many wonderful people and felt the need to better communicate with them all. Thus being said, the catch phrase Osborne2paddle and the Facebook Messenger group was born.

At this point I was dabbling with many different kayaks to determine what worked best to perhaps unlock more potential and inspiration. After experimenting with about 12 different style kayaks over time I narrowed my focus on two (Pyranha – Loki & Verus – Gladiator). Focusing and paddling these two kayaks allowed me to feel more confident, comfortable and stable to better push my limits and continue progressing into the class V rapid realm. As I challenged myself I felt I was running into road blocks which resulted in injury and confusion. A one step forward, two sometimes three steps back process which was foreign and cumbersome. I was making beginner mistakes on expert level rivers/rapids which was causing doubt and confusion as to how to safely proceed. I had a few scary swims that left me wondering if continuing was a rational decision. I lost my beloved paddle 5 times within a few months and was forced to hand paddle uncomfortably to finish the day. Luckily, every time the paddle left my hands it was found somewhere down river which was so relieving since it’s hard to replace a left handed paddle. In this weird few months of discontent I began to learn and adapt to paddling with hand paddles. I took time to master the hand paddle roll in the event I was without my paddle again. Slowly, I began to better appreciate hand paddles and decided to paddle all the rivers I was accustom to with them. This was what I call my unforeseen delicate conversion process.

Eventually my confidence resolved and I was ready to push on and decided it was time to run the Narrows (middle section of the Green River, class IV & V). The Green River is where the love for white water began so this was a monumental decision. Leading us down the Narrows was Tim Bell the owner of Green River Adventures along with his son Finn Bell and kayak guide Bryce Banks. This was a true full circle moment and first decent I would never forget. I decided to paddle a creek boat (Liquid Logic – Alpha 90) that I wasn’t very familiar with but felt it was a safer option for the challenges I would face. We opted to paddle both the upper and middle sections the same day to avoid the long .7 mile hike out/in with a kayak on our shoulders.

Things were going well and we made it to Pencil Sharpener and Notch unscathed which was the beginning of the notorious 5 part Gorilla rapid. Most of Gorilla rapid was portaged which is common for Narrows first timers. We all sealed launched from the Gorilla Flume rapid and headed down river feeling confident and comfortable. However this is when my luck changed. I nailed the seal launched but didn’t anticipate such a strong current pushing river left and was not able to ferry river right in a timely matter. This resulted in running Gorilla’s Scream Machine just left of center and getting stuck in the nasty hole that it generates. I surfed the hole and maintained control for about 5 seconds until I was violently window shaded. Disoriented and fearful of running the rest of Gorilla upside-down I pulled the skirt and safely swam to a river right eddy. Once safe, I realized I was only holding half of a left handed paddle and missing my right shoe. Now I’m faced with getting down river back to the crew and boat below Power Slide rapid. In an effort to try and swim to the safer middle island the current pushed me river right directly into Power Slide rapid which resulted in a minor bruised tailbone.

Once reunited with my boat and crew I faced another big decision… to continue on with hand paddles or use Tim’s right handed paddle? I wasn’t confident in my ability to handle strong currents successfully with hand paddles and was feeling pressure to use Tim’s paddle. With little time to spare as the water release was soon coming to an end I quickly decided against the hand paddles, which to this day I still consider my biggest Narrows mistake. My focus and control seem to have diminished at this point and now I was forced to quickly adapt to a right handed paddle. This caused a few more minor mistakes which resulted in two more swims, one just below Colonel Dicks and one at Black Fish Falls. The swims were short since there were pools below both rapids however at Black Fish Falls I was pulled back into the hole while Bryce Banks ran the rapid which resulted in a cut just below my left eye from Bryce’s paddle. Despite the injury I was glad Bryce was there to grab his boat and kick my way to safety. Fatigued and disoriented I had to continue on quickly and decided it would be best to portage Hammer Factor which is the last class V rapid. Tim gave me his right shoe to make the portage a bit more comfortable. We continued on and finally arrived at Fish Top to take-out which was a big relief.

It was a successful paddle with no major injuries luckily. A bruised tailbone and ego would heal over time as well as the cut under my left eye. I was proud of my efforts and willingness to paddle the Narrows but confused as to how my luck had changed so drastically. I arrived home with a sense of accomplishment and a splash of discomfort, finally coming down from the adrenaline I felt lackadaisical, my temperature rose and chills started to begin. I was running a high fever and my body felt like I was hit by a Mac truck. I figured it was a delayed reaction which was masked from the adrenaline. Sadly, I was incorrect and tested positive for Covid-19 the very next morning.

In the process of healing and preventing spread of the virus I came to a crossroads. Looking back at the multiple times loosing my paddle on the river and now with only half a paddle left I was forced to re-evaluate my paddling desires and take inventory. Perceiving my paddle predicament as a sign from the River Gods it was time to complete my conversion and become a full time hand paddler. This decision of course eventually led to an interest in making my own hand paddles. In time I decided to share my work with other paddlers and began selling my hand paddles. During this time I also decided to stop paddling hard shell creek boats and sold my LIquid Logic Alpha 90 to pursue my interests for packraft’s as an alternative, the Stashraft™ was born. Eventually it made sense to utilize the name Osborne2paddle (O2P) for my product line since it was already recognized within the paddling community. I eventually decided to offer other products I designed to increase the product line (Portage Pads, Tow Tethers & the mighty Stashraft™).

So… in a nut shell Osborne2paddle is my steezy brain child, I’m a one man band, creative do it yourself hands on type of guy with the best dog in the world. I made these products to better enjoy white water paddling and to more safely guide paddlers down rivers. I designed, developed, produced and tested these products all over the Southeast States. I even built this crummy web site and all the logos and graphics for my products. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for visiting and taking time to better understand my efforts, failures and success’s. I hope to paddle with you someday, See you on the river!