Sunday, January 14, 2007

Samantha Brunner: Bio and Top Three Paddling Days of the 2006 season!

Samantha Brunner photo by: Boyd Ruppelt


Name: Samantha Brunner
Birthdate: 03/24/1987
Hometown: Memphis, Tn Currently Resides in: Memphis, Tn
Work: Student at the University of Memphis and a physical therapy tech
Years Paddling: 4
Top 3 Rivers: Oh Be Joyful Creek, Daisy Creek, and the Cascades of the Nantahala The Perfect Vacation is: Spending more time creeking in Colorado Hobbies other than kayaking: photography, snowboarding, working (I love my job), and surviving school Favorite website: the Jackson Kayak site (http://jacksonkayak.com/)
Recent playlist on my MP3 player: haha, I haven't updated from my portable cd player yet…
Best day of paddling ever: it's so hard to choose… maybe my first day to huck Big Wood Falls on Daisy Creek
Sponsors: Stohlquist Waterware, Kavu Clothing, Fortress Watches, Keen Footwear, Gaia Paddlesports, Snapdragon Designs, and (of course) CKS
See more of me at: my blog, my fortress team page, and my myspace
Anything else: I paddle in waterproof mascara!

Samantha's Top 5 Gear Picks:
(clickable links)
Stohlquist Kitty, Jackson Star, Stohlquist Wet Dry Gross bag, NRS Kayak Pin Kit, Snapdragon Armortex Skirt (size: XXS!)


As a new member of the CKS Squad I was asked to write about my top three of last paddling season, I decided to write about my top three days on the river. I know this may sound quite cheesy, but there are so many river days that stand out to me that it is a little hard to choose from. It just so happens that two of my top three are from Colorado…

One of my most favorite river days had to definitely be on Oh Be Joyful. It was the first place that Boyd and I visited when we went to Colorado this year. Being my first time to ever paddle in Colorado, OBJ was a pretty intimidating run! It took me four times hiking up that wonderful mountain (we didn’t have 4 wheel drive) to finally get up the nerve to run it! I had so much fun once I ran it; when I was at the bottom of the waterfall section I could not believe that I had been so nervous. It is definitely my most favorite run ever! All of the drops completely rock, even though I ran one or two of them backwards. Oh Be Joyful taught me that even though the river may look intimidating, if you think you can do it then you should try.




Another top paddling day was at the hole in Salida, CO. Until then, I was completely terrified of holes! The Salida hole is perfect, and surprisingly friendly for its size. Working in the hole, along with some great friends, I was able to get over my fear of holes. I hopped in that hole and tried whatever I could in it. It helped me learn my cartwheels and I began to learn my loops. I was able to come back to the Southeast and hop into holes that I wouldn’t have dared to try the season before. Also, the holes surprisingly didn’t look as big either, go figure.



Me in Arkansas, after getting used to the Salida hole



The lesson I learned at Oh Be Joyful got me through another one of my top three paddling days: Upper Big Creek, NC. Just like Oh Be Joyful, it took two visits to get on Upper Big Creek. It is the epitome of a Smokies style run. I had run Lower Big Creek before and had a blast, so now it was time for me to hop on the Upper. I took pictures of the guys that ran Action Alley, the hardest rapid on the run, and then put in just below it. I only had a slight idea of what to expect, and I was completely blown away! It was so continuous and full of boulders, but I think my most favorite part of the run was the technicality.


My favorite pic from Upper Big Creek.

There have been a few runs last season that have stood out to me, and have even made me quite nervous. One of the things I love most about the river is that it teaches me and I grow with each run. With the days that I just shared with you, I was able to overcome the apprehension that I had before I put on, and that’s what puts them in my top three.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is great info to know.

Anonymous said...

buy diazepam online purchase of diazepam online - 5mg dose of diazepam

Anonymous said...

cheap ativan online lorazepam hexal 1 mg - effects of ativan and alcohol

Anonymous said...

buy zolpidem online buy ambien online overnight delivery no prescription - generic ambien available

Anonymous said...

discount xanax buy real xanax bars - xanax dosage for flying anxiety

Anonymous said...

ativan drug long ativan your system - order ativan online no prescription

Anonymous said...

valium diazepam diazepam 5 mg tab - diazepam dosage for anxiety

Anonymous said...

diazepam cheap buy diazepam online+paypal - buy diazepam usa only

Anonymous said...

ativan without prescription buy generic ativan - lorazepam 1 mg daily

Anonymous said...

xanax 0.5mg xanax side effects in teenagers - xanax pills g3719

Anonymous said...

diazepam without a prescription diazepam vision side effects - diazepam 5 mg injection

Anonymous said...

order ativan ativan side effects muscle spasms - ativan no rx

Anonymous said...

buy diazepam generic valium diazepam 10mg - drug test for diazepam

Anonymous said...

alprazolam buy alprazolam malaysia - xanax side effects on fetus

Anonymous said...

buy xanax online overnight cheap generic xanax no prescription - how much 2mg xanax

Anonymous said...

buying xanax just took 2mg xanax - xanax withdrawal length of time

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online buy cheap ambien online no prescription - zolpidem side effects weight gain

Anonymous said...

ambien without prescription ambien cr 12.5 mg price - ambien sleep patterns

Anonymous said...

buy valium online buy cheap valium online in uk - buy valium online visa

Anonymous said...

ambien pills ambien withdrawal time - ambien 70 mg

Anonymous said...

buy ambien online ambien side effects elderly - ambien 10mg pill

Anonymous said...

diazepam online buy valium 20mg online - effects of generic valium

oakleyses said...

coach outlet, michael kors outlet online sale, nike air max, tiffany jewelry, michael kors outlet store, michael kors handbags, christian louboutin shoes, tory burch outlet online, prada handbags, kate spade outlet online, michael kors outlet, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, christian louboutin outlet, christian louboutin, nike air max, gucci handbags, louis vuitton handbags, michael kors outlet online, prada outlet, jordan shoes, burberry outlet online, coach outlet, ray ban sunglasses, true religion outlet, michael kors outlet online, chanel handbags, louis vuitton outlet online, red bottom shoes, louis vuitton, oakley vault, ray ban outlet, kate spade outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, nike outlet, longchamp outlet online, tiffany and co jewelry, burberry outlet online, nike free, polo ralph lauren, longchamp handbags, longchamp outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, true religion, louis vuitton outlet, coach purses, coach outlet store online

oakleyses said...

chi flat iron, ugg, ugg outlet, uggs on sale, asics shoes, p90x workout, vans outlet, herve leger, celine handbags, valentino shoes, replica watches, lululemon outlet, giuseppe zanotti, ugg boots, nike trainers, ferragamo shoes, jimmy choo shoes, soccer jerseys, wedding dresses, mont blanc pens, soccer shoes, mcm handbags, beats headphones, north face jackets, ugg boots clearance, reebok shoes, canada goose, abercrombie and fitch, north face jackets, instyler ionic styler, mac cosmetics, ugg soldes, nfl jerseys, ugg outlet, insanity workout, babyliss, canada goose outlet, canada goose outlet, birkin bag, bottega veneta, new balance outlet, canada goose outlet, longchamp, nike huarache, ghd, hollister, uggs outlet, marc jacobs outlet, nike roshe

oakleyses said...

swarovski uk, thomas sabo uk, gucci, vans, baseball bats, air max, moncler, pandora uk, pandora charms, louboutin, swarovski jewelry, replica watches, converse, juicy couture outlet, converse shoes, moncler outlet, karen millen, ugg, canada goose pas cher, canada goose, montre femme, louis vuitton canada, wedding dress, lancel, ralph lauren, parajumpers outlet, iphone 6 case, uggs canada, juicy couture outlet, hollister clothing, oakley, supra shoes, canada goose, moncler outlet, moncler, pandora jewelry, coach outlet, timberland shoes, nike air max, moncler, moncler, hollister canada, moncler, hollister, canada goose, toms outlet, ray ban, links of london uk