# good place to live for kayaking?



## Debslass (Mar 24, 2009)

Hi there. I'm exploring moving to the USA (I'm from N Ireland) to gain experience in the field of wilderness therapy for at-risk youth. Ideally I'd love to live somewhere where I can get some paddling action too! I enjoy river-running and playboating as well as creeking and i've also done some surf kayaking too. Can anyone recommend states or cities to focus my jobsearch?

Thanks for your help!


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Colorado. and the east coast.


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## nervouswater (Jun 3, 2008)

North Carolina. You can paddle 365 days a year and the distance between the mountains and the ocean is only four hours. The Asheville area has some great creeks, some decent playboating options, and there are tons of paddlers around.


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

One better, in my opinion.

Pacific Northwest, more rivers than I can count, more wilderness, Portland for instance is 1.5 hours to the Ocean Beaches or about the same to the Cascade Mountains. Or in the Seattle area, you are on the ocean so to speak and close the Olympic Penn. which is pretty amazing wilderness IMHO.

Also Portland is caulk full of transplants so you won't feel like a much of an outsider, unlike some cities (Boston I am talking to you) ----I am a Oregon Native and sometimes I am the outcast 

A nice health kayaking community ensures you don't need to paddle alone--- check out PDX kayaker.org for more info.

Plus and Minus, way fewer people than N. Carolina, lots of open space, also fewer jobs etc.

Oh and 365 days a year of paddling weather. Give a look to google WKCC or OKCC as well.

Good luck


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## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

I'm with Beaver.


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## scottdalton95 (Mar 22, 2009)

Try looking at Fort Collins Colorado. Voted best place to live money magazine 2006. Also the mountains are five minutes away and the poudre river has all ability levels of waters. With a local kayak shop R.M.A. that have people that actually care about us, they can tell you all about the good rivers in this area.


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## CanyonEJ (Jul 28, 2008)

All good suggestions. And this is coming from a rubber pusher, but I do know a bit about wilderness therapy. And Durango, Colorado has a great program. It's called Open Sky Wilderness Therapy. It's a great program. I have a lot of friends who work there and they are all really solid people. Oh yeah, there is pretty phenomenal boating here.


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

I think Colorado is quite beautiful, but wouldn't trade it for Portland.

That and I just visited my college buddy this winter in Colo Springs and there isn't anyway I would boat in that ice box.


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## CanyonEJ (Jul 28, 2008)

Don't let C. Springs have any influence on what you think of Colorado. Ever.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

The Chaffee County, Colorado - Boys & Girls Club has been looking for help working with local youth for a little while now. We have more 14 thousand foot peaks than anywhere in the lower 48 states and the headwaters of the Arkansas River - offering everything from class V creeking on Lake Ck. to class I-II fishing floats.
There are several other youth camps in the area that work with Wilderness Therapy - most of them are centered around a strong Christian Faith, like Young Life (that may or may not be a good thing for you).


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## nervouswater (Jun 3, 2008)

Oregon is cool if you like crappy weather and chicks with armpit hair. If you prefer nice weather and sweet southern girls, NC all the way!


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## Claytonious (Jan 17, 2008)

*Oregon*

Oregon/Washington is where to be if you want to kayak all year round. Don't get me wrong, Colorado has good boating, but for like three months a year. There are always lots of quality runs flowing in the NW. But...it rains all the damn time, the water has got to come from somewhere.


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

The idea that it rains all the time in Pac NW isn't really true. But a lot of locals will never tell you any different because they think there are too many people here already.

West of the Cascades we actually get far less accumulation of rain that most places in the South say Mississippi. But it rains a little bit 80% of the days for about 8.5 months.

Summers here are basically perfect, typically 85 degrees, no humidity, rarely rains at all, no thunderstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes etc.

I have been to NC, I have lived in NC, although there are more total women, the level of attractiveness wasn't noticeably different than Portland. I mean I wouldn't step off the plane in Charlotte and think I was in Orange County CA or anything.

I might also point out that crappy weather is what puts water in the river. Don't worry Colo. you can just keep stealing it from the Mexicans.


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## nervouswater (Jun 3, 2008)

Give me bluegrass, warm weather, warm water, classic creeks, and an ocean you can swim in without a wetsuit! NC all the way!


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## FrankC (Jul 8, 2008)

I would head to northern West Virginia. This place has everything Colorado and the NW lacks.

1.Weather: Plenty of rain and sun but none of that year round drizzle like the NW. I would kill myself if I had to put up with that. Colorado is basically a semi-desert with a 3 month boating season (but the weather is great).

2. The boating season would be from at least March to November and you could probably get out in Dec, Jan and Feb if its not too cold out.

3. Plentiful of scheduled dam release water (Yok, Gauley etc..) so you never get totally skunked by the weather.

4. Probably more boatable creeks and rivers within drivable distance than you could ever hope to run. 

5. Females: Hot but not as sophisticated as CO or the NW. Usually knocked-up and married by age 15. Plenty of worn out toothless cougars looking for city slickers.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

CanyonEJ said:


> Don't let C. Springs have any influence on what you think of Colorado. Ever.


Ouch!


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## cbcboat (Jan 26, 2009)

Don't Move to MT  Water suck, weather is horrible and the women are ugly.
Good Luck Though
B


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Claytonious said:


> Don't get me wrong, Colorado has good boating, but for like three months a year.


I have boated quality whitewater, in Colorado, in every month except December and January (and know plenty of people on this site who have boated during those months). But, I would say the bigger issue would be - what do you guys have to promote for "Wilderness Therapy for at-risk youth"?

Chaffee county has at least 7 wilderness areas within an hour drive, multiple youth camps who seasonaly need help, and a central location to run every river in the region...


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## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

CanyonEJ said:


> All good suggestions. And this is coming from a rubber pusher, but I do know a bit about wilderness therapy. And Durango, Colorado has a great program. It's called Open Sky Wilderness Therapy. It's a great program. I have a lot of friends who work there and they are all really solid people. Oh yeah, there is pretty phenomenal boating here.


Great suggestion, EJ. I also had friends who lived in Durango and worked for the Aspen Achievement Academy program out of the Torrey, Utah area (Durango is WAY better to live in than Torrey). Most of them went out in the field 3-4 days a week and it was about a 4 hour commute each way. It's a great program - I used to be in the Youth-at-Risk business myself. I've also heard good things about the Open Sky people (I think I heard they were ex-Aspen folks?) but I don't know anyone who worked there. 

PM Brad on the Buzz (his username is *bradslob*) and see if you can't get a direct connection to Aspen - he worked there for 3-4 years & commuted out of Durango.


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## Claytonious (Jan 17, 2008)

lmyers said:


> I have boated quality whitewater, in Colorado, in every month except December and January (and know plenty of people on this site who have boated during those months). But, I would say the bigger issue would be - what do you guys have to promote for "Wilderness Therapy for at-risk youth"?
> 
> Chaffee county has at least 7 wilderness areas within an hour drive, multiple youth camps who seasonaly need help, and a central location to run every river in the region...


Of course you can probably find something to boat in CO most months out of the year, if you constantly check the gauges and are willing to drive 4 hours. But you can't say that colorado has year round boating. 

In the North West there are areas where there are 4 or 5 really good runs within a 45 minute drive and half of them are flowing the majority of the year. Take any month in the NW, if you are willing to drive a few hours there will be 5+ quality runs flowing. But, I want to slit my wrists after spending a winter slodging throught the mud and sitting in the rain, so it is a trade off.


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

As far as therapy programs in Oregon, I know there are a couple in the Bend/Redmond Area, which also brings up another point, the climate there is closer to Colorado, drier and colder. But there is LOTS of sun.

Second Nature is in Bend, OR
Sagewalk is in Redmond, OR
Catherine Freer is in Albany, OR.
There could be more, if you are a googlemaster.

Albany has the most easy access to boating; I mean the Santiam Drainage has multiple runs that go all year, Creekin', ocean is really close at Newport. Heck the Columbia Gorge is only 2 1/2 hours by freeway. And you have all the Coastal Mtn Drainages, Siletz.

Oregon State University is only 15 miles away and the University of Oregon is 40 miles to the South. So access to Co-eds can be a nice diversion, but you will be in the Willamette Valley home of 8 months of drizzle and fog.


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## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

How do you know Debslass is a guy? All of you rating the hotness of chicks in the various regions??

What about hot guys?? I'm probably wrong but Deb is a chicks name and lass is an Irish or Scottish name for girl right?

So where do I go in the US to find hot guys in boats?


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## Mr Beaver (Mar 8, 2009)

Hard for us to rate Jen, cause the only guys I think are beautiful are the ones on the other end of the throw rope.


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## Debslass (Mar 24, 2009)

Folks, your comments have been invaluable - thanks! All I have to do now, is get a job! And yes I'm an Irish lassie very much of the female variety, it seems that too many American ladies are stealing good Irish lads so if I get to the US I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for good American blokes!


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## haclabau (Mar 15, 2007)

Asheville, NC! Warmer weather, warmer water. Great biking, great boating, shitting skiing.

There are a lot of wilderness therapy jobs in NC, check out camp woodson.


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## psu96 (May 9, 2006)

take a look at Emily Griffith Center online. They have several sites throughout CO, and truly are wilderness therapy. I worked for them in the past, we took kids to boundary waters, yellowstone, trips ranging from 4-45 days etc...They have a high/low ropes course, equine therapy etc...They mostly work with sexual offenders, CD, ODD.


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