The Green Race!
November 8, 2017 by Woody Noland
A Fall Weekend to Remember!
One of our favorite fall holidays came and went this past weekend – the infamous Green Race! Held at high noon on the first Saturday of November since 1996, the Green Race is a community-driven class V paddling race held on the steepest section of the mighty Green River. While the Narrows of the Green is less than an hour by car from High Rocks, the river’s headwaters originate a stone’s throw from camp. And even though the Narrows boasts enough class IV and V+ rapids to entertain any expert paddler, the Green has several different sections that allow paddlers of all abilities to enjoy the clean water and beautiful scenery of the Green River Game Lands. Specifically, our campers enjoy the lower section of the Green with our boating program in the summer.
On race day, spectators can hike a burly 1.5 miles down to the riverside, or race-abstaining paddlers can boat in. Two of our own High Rocks staff members, Will Johnson and Darby Dame attended this year’s event. Will, an avid paddler, kayaked into the event with friends. Darby took the land-based route and hunkered down with family to watch the action! Even though the weather was cool and drizzly, hundreds of spectators lined the riverbanks this year to cheer on some of the bravest athletes in the world!
While speed settles the score in any race, many paddlers during the Green Race focus most on keeping their lines smooth and in control. After all, our summertime Paddling Director Fritz Orr would remind us that “slow is smooth and smooth is fast”! This year was particularly fast, as both the first and second place finishers broke the standing course record! Check out the 2017 results here!
We hope your day is as good as a day on the Green, or at Camp High Rocks!
Green River Narrows Race Photos:
Credit to: Marc Hunt
