Mountain Rivers Offer Adventure for Paddlers
Students often become teachers in Outdoor Program activity
Above all else, the Christ School Outdoor Program takes advantage of its surroundings. Paddlers from all over the world flock to western North Carolina, and many a Greenie has floated down neighboring rivers over the years.
Math instructor Mike Mohney has worked with Christ School paddlers for a decade now, and said at least ten boys have gone on to teach at summer camps. A handful have even competed in the prestigious Green River Narrows Race. Eli Dowler '21, Davis Flachs '18, Seamus Gavin '20, Jonathan Gooch '18, Jim Huang '20, Tommy Li '21, and Ben Witnitzer '22 are the boys who have signed up to learn this semester from Mohney, Mallary Clay, and Leigh Harris.
Boys are allowed to learn at their own rate in kayaks provided by the school. Greenies primarily paddle four different rivers: the French Broad, Green, Nantahala, and Pigeon. The difficulty level, or class, of each river is taken into consideration to find the best match for each boy's ability.
"As well as a nice progression into paddling, we stress safety," Mohney said.
Eli and Jonathan both had no experience in a kayak before coming to Christ School. "One of the really enjoyable parts of Christ School is that it exposes you to new activities like this," Eli said. "I never would have done this without the school, and now I love it. The scenery along the rivers have offered some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."
"It really makes you look at the water differently," Jonathan said. "I didn't even know how to roll a kayak when I started, and now I'm getting a chance to paddle a Class III river like the Pigeon."
