I started canoeing around 1967 but never went bigger than class II until in 1998 I did a commercial raft trip on the middle Ocoee with my 5 brothers and a professional guide, over 1400 pounds of meat in a single Reiken on class III (it was running big that day), which scarred me for life. I watched in awe as kayakers and canoers did amazing things in those big features all afternoon and as a result, started buttboating on big water later that year. Now I am up to the occasional class IV, but I still love flatwater as well, and everything in between.            
            
I consider all paddling sports to be nothing but a good excuse to go swimming. Water - it's so much more than just a solvent.            
            
"GCA" stands for Georgia Canoe Association, a large and diverse paddling club populated with more or less equal numbers of open and decked boaters, despite the name. I served as Cruisemaster and Webmaster for the club for about 4 years between 2004 and 2008.      
Come paddle with us -- http://www.gapaddle.com       
          
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