Richmond Outside

At Cheswick Park, a little green goes a long way

By Leonard Adkins | February 28, 2012

It had been a frustrating morning and I was already running late for a doctor’s appointment when traffic came to a standstill where I-95 meets I-64. Sitting there minute after minute I could feel my frustration level—and blood pressure—rising. I pulled out the Richmond area map and plotted a route on city streets that would eventually get me to the doctor’s office once I was able to take the next exit.

Of course, then I had to face the annoyance of being stopped by every red light along the way and, upon checking in with the receptionist, finding that not only was I running late, but, because of an over-scheduling of appointments, it would probably be a least 90 minutes before the doc could see me.

Not wanting to spend an hour and a half reading outdated People magazines describing in minute detail the lives of Kim Kardashian or Snooki, I decided to take a short walk along the sidewalk. That’s when I discovered one of those wonderful little green spaces that are so easy to overlook within our crowded urban area.

Yes, tiny, 28-acre Cheswick Park is bordered on three sides by office complexes and housing developments and four-lane Forest Avenue runs along the fourth, yet within its small space is a winding one-mile trail that enables you to return to the natural world for a short time. Taking the footbridge over Upham Branch, where kids were wading through the water, turning over rocks in search of aquatic creatures, I entered a woodland of oak and black gum trees. Also known as tupelo, black gums develop a broad base when they grow in or near water, the better to anchor themselves in the moist soil. The leaves are some of the first to change color in the fall and range from deep red to bright yellow.

I took a break at a quiet spot and was soon absorbed, not in the goings-on of some tawdry, media-created celebrity, but rather in the entertaining exploits of several gray squirrels. Jumping expertly from limb to limb like trapeze artists and running up and then back down tree trunks at paces as frenzied as those at auto races, these little creatures soon had me smiling and no longer thinking about the day’s earlier aggravations.

Just before returning to the parking lot, I was stopped by a drop of water from the previous night’s rain that was still clinging to a leaf on a lower branch. What caught my attention was that that the droplet was a bright blue, reflecting the clarity of the sky above. Upon close examination, I found that the drop of water was like a globe, mirroring miniature copies of the trees and plants around me.

Taking a seat back in the waiting room, I knew that I was now going to have a good checkup, as my attitude—as well as my blood pressure—was in much better shape than it was when I had first arrived.

Lesson learned: There are many little spaces like Cheswick Park scattered throughout the Richmond area. Don’t forget about them when life’s insignificant frustrations start to get to you.

 Getting there: Take I-64 Glenside Drive South Exit, merge onto Glenside Drive, go less than .4 mile, turn right onto Forest Avenue, continue 1.1 miles and turn right into the park.

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The inescapable lure of trout

By Tee Clarkson | February 23, 2012

I spent the majority of my 20’s chasing trout from one end of the continent to the other and down into Patagonia, Chile and Argentina. So, when I hitched up my drift boat in Oregon at age 27 and headed east to a teaching job in Atlanta, I thought to myself, ‘I will be back!,’ as I crossed each glorious trout stream from the Deschutes, to the Green, to the Colorado.

Now, over a decade later I still have yet to return to the clear, trout-filled waters of the Rockies. Actually I just about gave up trout fishing for the better part of eight years. Selling my drift boat and purchasing a skiff, I quickly became enamored of salt water and the variety of species it holds.

Just last year, however, I pulled out the old 4-weight and headed west again, just not as far this time. A friend invited me and my wife to spend a weekend at his property in West Virginia, which just happened to have a little over a half mile of private, stocked trout water. My wife was anxious to learn, so we found a temporary home for the kids with the grandparents and hit the road. It was early spring and the conditions were perfect, the water clear and cold.

When you spend the better part of five years on the water, more than 100 days a year, chasing fish with a little fur tied to a hook, it comes right back without much trouble. Before I knew it, I was into a beautiful brook trout in a deep trough under a gorgeous rock bluff. Suddenly, I was asking myself why I had taken so much time off from trout fishing.

For those of you who have ever tried to teach your wives to do anything, you know it can be a touchy situation. I knew she needed some distance and space, but she also needed a little help catching her fish trout on a fly. I simplified the rig as much as possible, placing a single nymph just 3 feet or so under a pinch-on indicator and pointed her in the direction of some fishy looking water after a quick tutorial on nymphing for trout.

My wife is nothing if not independent and persistent. I watched from a distance as she made cast after cast into a nice looking run, as she untangled a few messes without looking my way, and eventually as she set the hook on a fat little rainbow that had her rod bobbing up and down and her stumbling back toward the bank on the slippery rocks.

She landed that fish and several others. It was a wonderful afternoon, and just as enjoyable an evening around the campfire, listening to the water rush through the darkness.

Spring is the perfect time to escape to the mountains in search of trout, whether for a day trip or even more preferably for the weekend. There are a wealth of cabins for rent and miles and miles of trout streams to explore right here in the Commonwealth.  

 Mossy Creek Fly Shop in Harrisonburg, The Albemarle Angler in Charlottesville or the Orvis store in Richmond are great places to begin your search for a Virginia trout getaway.

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Safe SUPing in the winter

By blackdogpaddle | February 19, 2012

 With this kind of winter, we can paddle year round! Without snow in the forecast (except for today, of course), 50-degree days can be invitations to paddle with the Grim Reaper, and he never brings hot chocolate! 50-degree days can go from play to panic in less than 2 minutes. Even with the “proper gear”, you may just about have your hands full regulating body temperature, hydration, blood glucose, hypothermia, and hyperthermia.

I write this article after reading about a person’s near death experience just a few weeks ago on the Chesapeake Bay. An experienced kayaker decided to paddle into conditions which they thought they could handle, a wave overturned them and they missed their roll, and ended up in very cold water without proper clothing. If not for a random boat nearby, this story would not have had a happy ending. The complete story is on our Black Dog Paddle Facebook page.

Years of whitewater kayak instructor experience, raft guide experience, and training as a certified scuba instructor have drilled into my head the idea you always “dress for the swim.” We at Black Dog Paddle teach in our Basic SUP course that water, air temperatures and wind chill play an important part in any paddle sport or activity. Since we are somewhat more exposed to the air and wind standing on a board, we must understand our actions and decisions.

Let’s jump past a cotton T-shirt and jeans, after all it is 50 outside and you are on the water. I’ve decided I won’t be in whitewater today.  Great! That means I will be on flat water and can wear my nylon paddling pants as a wind breaker and a short sleeve jacket since I will be “working hard” and building a sweat.  Think about the result if you fall into a 40-degree river. Your pants fill with water and get heavy, your arms chill instantly and your furnace, which has been running hot, quickly chills and slows to a slumber.

A wetsuit, while warm by itself just due to neoprene and cutting down of the wind chill, needs water inside it to properly insulate the body in water. You may not even have water sweat in your suit while paddling, so the second you hit the water cold warps it way up your spine taking the breath from your lungs. Shock is a real and present danger. The dry suit is another option which has it’s own problems.

Paddling the Haxall Canal is best done during warmer months.

We, as SUPers and paddlers have a HUGE dilemma on colder water, warmer air days.  How do we properly dress to swim and keep from overheating?

Let’s start with the basics: The 100 degree rule.  Air + water temperature must be greater than 100 or hypothermia may be quick to set in. 40-degree water temp + 50 degree air temp = strong chance of hypothermia. Personally, we up this to the 120 rule! 60 and 60 is a lot nicer with a stronger margin of error. My wife would prefer the 180 rule!

Plan your trip and ask yourself some questions. Whether it is a mile sprint, or a six-mile lazy paddle, think about the journey. Is the water level on the James at Robious Landing higher than six feet, a modest current, or higher than seven feet — a stiff current — or higher than eight feet, a downright workout to stay in place going upstream? What are the air and water temperatures? Wind speed? Are there others around to help me? Am I able to help anyone else? Do I have a phone in a waterproof box, inside a waterproof bag? Do I need gloves or a wind proof hat? What is my footwear? Have I told anyone where I am going?

After falling into the water, the U.S. Coast Guard says shock may occur within 2 minutes, functional disability within 2-15 minutes, and hypothermia within 15-30 minutes, with full collapse outside that time frame.

What happens when your heated body falls into cold water? You first gasp, then hyperventilate. Can you keep your head above water? You may see stand up paddlers using a waist style USCG approved PFD during warm water months. This is fully approved and encouraged! Much better than no PFD at all, though against the USCG Federal Regulation, as of now. During the cold-water months, we wear a jacket-style PFD. You may not be able to physically pull that rip cord on the waist-style PFD, or you may forget until your body goes into shock. I also have a dry suit. I layer my undergarments to plan for the water temperature. So, this causes me to sweat while working out. So, I bring a water bottle and plan my drinks knowing that I am burning water faster than I can consume it. I wear a wind-proof hat and bring gloves, and shed those as needed to try to regulate temperature. The head is a great place to regulate perceived body temperature without sudden changes to actual core temperature. 

There is no formula. Each body is different and regulates temperature according to many factors. You can’t plan for everything, but you can at least give yourself a good fighting chance when it comes to paddling with the eagles, or floating with the sturgeon. Paddle smart and take a lesson……when it is warmer. 

To learn more about coldwater exposure, read the U.S. Coast Guard’s PowerPoint: www.uscg.mil/pvs/docs/coldwater1.pdf

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Why Do We Ride?

By Dave Kern | February 3, 2012

 Why do we ride? This is a question many of us have most likely asked ourselves somewhere along the trail. The complexities of this question will vary depending on the individual rider and their past experiences on two wheels. Before we get into trying to answer this question, let’s go back to a day that I would suspect 90 percent of us remember. The first day we learned to ride a bike! Learning to ride a bike has always been a rite of passage in our culture, and the joy it brings is hard to match. I remember vividly the first time I realized that dad was not holding on to the seat anymore and I was cruising unassisted down the street.  There was an anxious feeling of fear that was quickly replaced by a sense of freedom I never felt before.  Once I got a taste of this freedom, I never looked back again.

Some of us are content riding the neighborhoods with friends and family on the weekends.  Others are driven to find new adventures off road that lead to the discovery of single-track mountain biking. Some exalt in pedaling for miles and miles on their road bikes. Still, most are content to leave this childhood ‘hobby’ behind once the driver’s license hits their wallet.

That was never an option for me. No sir, I was bitten by the bug and was hooked for life.  For me, riding became an extension of who I am. It became a way for me to escape the routines and feel calm even if it did mean careening down a mountainside at breakneck speed. Some argue that riding bikes, especially of the mountain variety, can be dangerous and poses a risk to your personal safety. On the surface this statement is true, but the answer to why we ride goes much deeper than that.

So then, why do we ride? The answer takes me back to the first day dad let go of the seat.  We ride because it brings us joy! I am happy when my feet are planted firmly on the pedals, my hands gripping the bars, and the noise of the wind rushes by my ears. We ride to reconnect with nature! My preferred type of riding is mountain biking because of the shared experience with the natural world. I value my two-wheeled experience in nature and know how important it is to my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Your senses become attune to your surroundings as you rip through dense forest on a ribbon of lush single-track. It’s quiet. You’ve forgotten about your breathing as you unwind all of life’s problems into the repetition of each pedal stroke.

We ride for the challenge of it! Challenges come in many forms along the trail, and we have all experienced our own set of triumphs throughout our riding history. I have encountered many challenges in my long history of riding. I can remember the first log I popped over successfully without falling. I remember the first time I shot off the lip of a makeshift ramp, launching me over the creek in our backyard. Bittersweet memories of climbs that made me feel like my lungs were going to explode, casing my first gap jump only to get pitched over the bars, and struggling to clean epic rock gardens, just to name a few. Time after time we come across these challenges and for some reason the passion to get up and try again remains strong. 

We ride to commune with friends!  Along with riding to experience the natural world, we ride to spend time with friends. Whether it is with an always-reliable riding partner or an unfamiliar group you join spontaneously mid-ride, there is a shared love of circles turning circles that exists.  Getting out for a solo ride also holds a special place in any biking enthusiast’s heart.  Most will tell you that these solo rides are where you find that true sense of how your body, bike, and trail are all interconnected. There are personal limits to riding a bike, but age doesn’t seem to be one of them. So get out outside with friends, get involved with the biking community, and ride!

At this point in the column many of you are probably asking what does this have to do with Richmond. Well, Richmond has had a recent surge in its riding population and this community has ‘stretched its legs’ to promote all types of riding and positivity on the trail.  Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts and the James River Park are leading the way to get more people involved, both young and old.

My riding has taken me places I never imagined, and each experience on my bike is different from the next. I am happy to call Richmond home and do 80 percent of my riding in and around the River City. I have also been fortunate to have the opportunity to develop a youth mountain biking program through Virginia Outside, and my passion for this program grows every day. It brings me immense joy to share the passion of mountain biking with a new generation. Furthermore, it is important to me not only to teach these youth the skills needed to be successful on a bike, but also how to pay it forward, teaching young people how to sustain the beautiful trails we ride. 

Sometimes answering a ‘why’ question is not easy.  Some answers are drawn from naiveté, some from previous knowledge, and others are in the eye of the beholder. My answer is based on past experiences and my love for all things two wheeled. All this writing has given me a restless feeling in my legs. I am going out to ride!!! Hope to see you out there on the trails.

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