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The Green River Game Lands contains just over 18,000 acres of wilderness and lies along the Blue Ridge Escarpment in Henderson and Polk counties. It is home to the Green River which cuts a rugged chasm as it descends the Blue Ridge escarpment providing numerous whitewater sports opportunities like kayaking, canoeing, tubing, and fishing in wild trout waters. At its most impressive point, the Green River drops 400 feet in just over 1.5 miles running through a crevice known as the Narrows, which is full-on Class V savage whitewater.
In this episode I sit down with John Grace, Executive Director of the Green Race. We talk about the race’s 26-year history, the hugely talented racers, the race’s influence on boat design, emerging young paddlers, and the challenges of putting on an extreme event in a relatively remote and rugged wilderness area. We also talk about the Green River Games which is a collection of running, mountain biking and paddling events in the Game Lands that takes place each year in May. And, John shares how he earned the honor of being named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
We also plug John’s Hammer Factor podcast where He, Louis Geltman and John Weld offer listeners an insider’s look into the athletes, expeditions, controversies and gear in the sport of whitewater paddling.
LINKS
The Green Race
Hammer Factor Podcast
Outdoor Alliance, Louis Geltman
Immersion Research, John Weld
Green River Adventures
The Gorge Zipline
H2O Dreams
Thermal Belt Outreach
Pisgah Map Company
Saluda Mountain Land Trust
Green River Keeper
Dagger
Liquid Logic
Polk County
Henderson County
Mike Andress, Host
Exploration Local Podcast
Email: mike@explorationlocal.com
Website: https://explorationlocal.com/
Instagram: explorationlocal
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/explorationlocal/
