Green River Narrows from Michael Barbre on Vimeo.
Horsepasture from Michael Barbre on Vimeo.
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Every time Michael has taken me kayaking it terrifies me. I feel like I'm going to drown or something terrible will happen but I love the sport itself. I think it's so cool to watch kayakers and see someone after their first decent of a new river and how excited they get or just to sit and watch a video that Michael or one of his friends has made. I've talked a few times about Michael kayaking but I think it's so much cooler to actually see it, so I've pulled together some of his videos so you can see what this sport is really all about. I've never met someone in this community who didn't love being on the river so if you ever want to try it I definitely recommend it, it isn't a sport for me but I would never discourage someone from trying it. Green River Narrows from Michael Barbre on Vimeo. Horsepasture from Michael Barbre on Vimeo. This next video shows the not so fun reality of kayaking. This sport is dangerous, and although these guys all know what they're doing it doesn't take away from the fact that they all have to pay attention and help each other out. In this video is Michael's friend who got caught up in some trouble and became pinned, you see Michael and his friend Matt run up to help him and thankfully they were able to get him going again. and lastly, just for fun here is a video with some of the worlds best kayakers. The stuff these guys & girls run is insane and it blows my mind watching them
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Michael & I have lived together the majority of our relationship so sometimes it may seem like we're always on "date night" because we see each other every night, but that isn't true. Since it's summertime Michael sometimes goes kayaking after work and won't get home until late...usually I'm already asleep or maybe one night he wants to play video games so I catch up on my TV shows in the other room, browse pinterest or work on my blog. I think that's an important aspect of our relationship because we need that time apart to do our own thing and that's why I love date night with him so much. It's our time to be together and do something fun or adventurous and talk about things. When I got home last night I just wasn't feeling like cooking dinner and Michael wasn't either so I suggested we grab something to go and head up the parkway for a picnic. We live less than 5 minutes from the park way so it's an easy spot to get to. We drove down and picked up Chick-fil-a and headed up to one of the many lookout spots along the parkway. We chose one that we've been to plenty of times before (Tanbark Ridge Overlook) but it has a nice big grass area and it was perfect because no one else was out there so we had the entire place to ourselves. This week the weather has been pretty chilly at night and being so far up in elevation it was quite cold up there. Michael told me before we left to make sure I brought a jacket....he didn't bring one and quickly regretted that decision once we got out of the car. We ate dinner and talked about our day and plans for the weekend. Yesterday at work we had a client who was extremely rude to me, which I took pretty personally and last night was the perfect time to talk to Michael about it and get it off my chest since I was pretty hurt by it. After we ate we laid around, took pictures, Michael yelled to hear himself echo and then we took more pictures. I love that even though he hates taking pictures he always gives in because he knows how much I love them. I really enjoy date nights with Michael, he never fails to make me laugh until my ribs hurt and I love that we can do something as simple as a picnic with Chick-fil-a and still have the best time. this was his solution to getting warm since he didn't bring a jacket
Girlfriend to professional kayaker Chris Gragtmans wrote an article on How to Date a Kayaker and literally hit almost every point, but I thought it would be fun to add a few points of my own....dating one of this boys is an art form y'all. 1. Learn to love hanging out with a bunch of guys. There have been plenty of times where our house is filled with boys getting ready to head out or just getting back from boating. They come in and start talking about water levels or the best "boof" or line to follow down the river. Or on a return hang out you hear all about who swam or had the worst lines of the day. 2. Get to know other kayakers girlfriends/wives. They'll be your saving grace on kayaking trips or at festivals. Majority of them won't kayak so they'll be there with you to watch the boys and hang out with while they're out on the river. Most of my closest girlfriends that I've met while living up here have all come from dating other kayakers. 3. Know the lingo. Chris' girlfriend hits on this point but it's so true. Understand that a booty-beer is disgusting and stems from a swin, know that "boof" comes from the sound a boat makes when it hits the water, know what a splat is, and know the difference between a creek boat, play-boat and long boat. Also get to know which river is which. 4. Know how to tie a boat onto your roof rack. I still haven't mastered this but I'm working on it. Michael uses this fancy knot that I'm still trying to learn, so usually I stand there and make sure the boat doesn't fall off. There was one time that I had Michael's boats on my car and the knot came loose and I thought for sure it was going to fall off and I had no clue how to tighten it. 5. Enjoy kayaking festivals. I've only been to three, Ocoee Fest , Tuckfest and GAF, but all were really fun experiences. People come from all over, even if they don't kayak. Everyone is so friendly and something is always going on. Concerts, venders, craft beers and people who are just out to have a good time. And I love that we can always bring Pax along with us. 6. Get used to not hearing from them. They either don't have cell service, their phone is dead or they could honestly care less about checking it because they're so hyped up for the river. I used to struggle with this and sometimes still do because I'm a worrier but I trust the guys Michael boats with and know they're just out having fun. 7. Appreciate the Green Race. And the awful hike down into the gorge that kicks my butt every year. I love the kayaking community and the friends that Michael has made from it. They are some of the nicest most genuine people you come across and are all so laid back and just enjoy life as it comes. Dating a kayaker can be hard sometimes with the spontaneous trips and lack of communication at times but I would trade it for anything in the world. |