We dont go streakin' we go creekin'

Today was awesome. After waking up in our own little cabin on the sweet farm of Bowdoin alums Thorp and Kirstin Moeckel in the rolling hills of Buchanan VA, we had a fantastic day running creeks and are all thoroughly exhausted. The Moeckels own a beautiful farm where they raise bunnys, goats and sheep as well as several wiggly and cute puppies one of which we nearly ended up taking with us. After breakfast we found ourselves faced with the excellent problem that so many rivers/creeks were running that we didn't know what to choose. We got here at the perfect time as flood warning were all over the radio and creeks that only come up a few times a year were in. Ultimately Thorpe (who rocked the whole day in a C1) took us on two awesome little Creeks barely 10 minutes from his house in the Jefferson National Forest. We started on Jennings Creek a continuous class III+ that was the perfect warm up with some nice chutes and waves and that ended in a stout pour over ledge that we ran mostly successfully. Next we ran North Creek, a tributary of Jennings Creek. This fun, narrow, continuous class III-IV was littered with strainers that we managed to avoid -for the most part. Noah and Dave also showed up some locals by running a drop rarely run in these parts -and running it clean. We got off the river with the realization that our upper bodies could certainly be in better paddling shape but will no doubt be in bomber paddling shape by the end of the week. After some brews, playing with the puppies and lounging in the sun back at the Moeckel's farm we packed up the cars and drove to Roanoke where we are staying with Sarah's friend Caroline who she studied abroad with in Mexico. Tomorrow we head to Tennessee. We could not have had a better first day and are all the more stoked to continue our adventures. Adios for now.