>Should we take these discussions to "rivers" and let gcboaters and
>riveraccess go back to charter? Or should we continue them here?
It's true that when Kent and I set up the gcboaters list, the primary goal
was to help potential Grand Canyon boaters find each other. I think that
function of the list is working, e.g., the Gayle Jann trip which launched
Sept. 30, is exclusively composed of folks she found via this
list.(Incidentally, someone in the River Sub-District Office originally
told Gayle about gcboaters!)
I guess I think of gcboaters as a group of river runners standing around a
campfire late in the evening, kicking off their Tevas, shuffling their feet
in the sand or making patterns with their toes, waiting, in silence only
broken by the soft roaring of a distant rapid, for someone to begin the
next line of conversation.
That conversation might be about so-and-so's permit coming up in two years,
helicopters dropping warnings to "camp high" in '83, how low the water was
in '77, the old "V" wave, The Quists, hydrology/geomorphology/grand canyon
science, or why real boatmen don't wear speedos.
I suppose some of the scientific discussions might make some subscribers a
bit sleepy and want to head for the sack (we usually have few
"unsubscribes" per week too). However, my feeling is, as the river flows,
so should the converstation on gcboaters. If that includes a few folks
going over to "river" at hydrosphere for some serious scientific discourse,
I see that as a positive thing -- like friends leaving the fire circle to
go down to the beach to skip a few stones -- they're still part of the
group and within earshot of the campfire.
I have honestly thought about modifying the charter of the list a bit
anyway. Call it a personal whim, but I love river stories -- any river
story, whether it's about Martin's last run, where the hole is in Unkar
now, or a group of nude boaters discovering camelthorn up the Little C. I'd
enjoy reading subscribers' tales, especially the tall ones. They might
enhance the mix of conversation, including science topics, and help keep
the campfire lively until the news of a permit, a trip, or a trip opening
comes up.
As the discourse evolves, Kent and I will just try to keep the fire going.
LEN
Leonard Thurman http://river.ihs.gov
Len@Songbird.com Grand Canyon River Running
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