Here Comes the New Kid

October 22, 2014

I guess I should introduce myself, I'm Gnar Fairy Hannah Groves. You could say that water has always been one of my elements. I learned how to swim before I could walk and I was always finding a way to explore the creeks at the park down the road from my house. When I was a kid my Aunt would take me on float trips down the French Broad and I would swim and mess around in her friend's whitewater kayak in branching off creeks. You could say that I was being gently coaxed into the world of whitewater. By the time I was 12 I had experience whitewater rafting on the Pigeon River and Section 9 of the French Broad. I would continue to raft on the Pigeon until I was 15. I wouldn't get back on a river till I was 18.  But during that time I was always trying to find a way to learn how to whitewater kayak and I would dream about the days I would spend on the river with camps, youth groups, or family.
By my senior year of high school I decided to act on my dream of being a raft guide. I tried to apply for a rafting job and failed to find a good starter outpost and sadly had to put my dream off another year. This only fueled my drive even more and in the Summer of 2013 I began my rafting career with Rolling Thunder River Co. on the Nantahala River in Bryson City, NC.  Since then I have been trying to further my knowledge and experience on the water. This past January I began breaking ground on my new adventure of whitewater kayaking. I went to different local colleges an attended their roll clinics, absorbing as much information as I could. After that I continued on gaining experience with another summer on the Nantahala with Thunder and a few more experiences with kayaking.
This past summer definitely immersed me even more in the love of whitewater. I started planning for festivals and fun runs on different rivers so that I could keep it a constant in my life.  It also helped my learn what I want to do for the rest of my life as a career.
This all eventually led me to meet fellow Gnar Fairy Lee Turner at Gauley Fest 2014. We rafted the Upper Gauley together and with mutual friends. We had an instant connection and our paths became woven through some sparkly helmets and the urge to experience whitewater to the fullest.
Yeah, I am an extreme novice when it comes to kayaking but, this crew isn't about experience and skill. It's about being a girl who wants to have an epic time on the water. I am so excited to have this opportunity to increase my knowledge, skill, and integration of my love of art and my love of whitewater.  So stay tuned for the triumphs, the failures, the learning experiences, the boofs, the bails, the art, and the airs!

- The New Kid (Han-Gnar)