Magging the Green Again

Happy Holidays! Nate Dawg signing in... I've had an unbelievable two months of kayaking, and have been lucky enough to get on some of the best creeks in North Carolina. When it's not raining however, the Green is the place to be. With the dry 70 degree weather in Asheville, I've been paddling at the green a lot. My buddy Saunders Southecorvo came down from Virginia Tech a few days ago, and I've been out there a couple times with him. Saunders just got a new Magnum from Diamond Brand, and I thought it would be cool to document one of his first experiences in the new boat.

I called Gragtmans, and he was up for a study break. So Saunders and I met him around 11:00 at the take-out.

Here's a shot of Saunders practicing his forward stroke from the safety of dry land. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


Saunders at Boof or Consequence. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


Saunders showing how it's done at Go Left and Die. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee)


Me going Left. (Photo: Saunders Southecorvo).


Saunders screaming through the notch. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


Grag catching air at the Gorilla, while Saunders averts his eyes in sheer awe. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


Putting in to have a second go with the monkey. (Photo: Saunders Southecorvo).


I like the rock star eddy. (Photo: Saunders Southecorvo).


Gragtmans in the powerslide eddy. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


Saunders stomping it at Groove Tube. This rapid is great for learning how to stomp your bow down for a softer landing. (Photo: Nathan Silsbee).


This is me running the standard line at Sunshine. (Photo: Saunders Southecorvo).


Grag styling the Left line, Sunshine. (Photo: Saunders Southecorvo).


Saunders' opinion on his new Magnum: "The first couple days I tried it, I had great lines. Some of the places that I didn't have great lines, I was able to stay in control and recover quickly. I also had the courage to run Go Left for the first time in a while, as I got beat pretty bad the last time I ran it. As far as outfitting, I loved the seat especially and it's way more comfortable then my last boat. This boat is bad-ass like a samurai sword." -Saunders

Saunders seems to really like his new boat, and is looking forward to getting on some other stuff with it.

I hope you enjoyed the trip report, and I'll probably not see ya on the river!

-Nathan Silsbee