Saturday, January 30, 2016

Release the Kraken

There has been continued, lively discussion amongst the inner circle on naming the boat.  Many excellent suggestions have been made.  Then there was at least one submission which I won't dignify by mentioning here.  But those involved are at serious risk of banishment from the naming committee.

 Echo Park - Beautiful place.  Junction of two of my favorite rivers. Love Steamboat Rock.  We've been through there at least 5 times and it would be great to honor M. Litton who helped prevent the dam which would have buried it, not unlike Glen Canyon, under several hundred feet of water.

Huerfano - this is an inside family joke arising from our passing by the "Little Orphan" on several family trips back home to visit the folks.  Surprisingly, this is moving to the top of several lists.  I'm still not sure if it works.  Especially since it has nothing to do with a river or a desecrated place. But it does perversely make some sense, since I'm building this boat all on it's own, without any real ancestry.  Without parents, if you will.

Dark Canyon - partially under water by Lake Foul when it's up.  Right now it's a nasty, muddy campsite although that seems to change with each trip down Cataract. But you'd be an idiot to camp at the bottom of this huge watershed, at least on the downstream side. Farther up canyon, way up, are a bunch of cool Anasazi ruins and pictographs.

Bright Angel - Cheryl likes this one.  I do too, but it seems there are a few other ones out there.  I'm trying to be original but that may be impossible.

Dirty Devil - part of the reason Powell later came up with the "make up" name Bright Angel downstream.  Don't think this one will make the cut.

Arkansas - my home state, plus if you've ever been down Browns Canyon on a summer weekend with the endless line up of commercial rafts, that qualifies as "desecration" by any version of the definition. Especially if you're in a kayak and getting run over every time you eddy out.

Then there are the early favorites, some still in the running.  Pemigewasset, Mascoma, Ledyard.

Proposals which were instantly banished to the penalty box - Proud Mary, The Kraken.




2 comments:

  1. +1 for echo park!
    Dark Canyon and Bright Angel are part of the OARs fleet, for what its worth...

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  2. I still say Proudmarigewasset is the best of the options you've presented here

    ReplyDelete