Terra Ludis: Play Ground | Meet Mike Mayfield

Mike Mayfield, Ph.D is a hydrologist and professor at Appalachian State University. He has been a white water enthusiast since the 70's. We asked him to tell us what gets him on the water.

" I guess, the great thing about kayaking: any day can be your current favorite. Any moment for that matter...

One day that wasn't my favorite was the very first time I paddled the Watauga River back in 1977, there were two of us. We lived in Knoxville. We drove to the put-in, ran the river, and ended up all the way down in Pioneer Landing which is way down in Watauga Lake. I planned to hitch-hike, and no one picked me up. I was a runner at the time, running marathons, so I ran the 11 miles or so all uphill back to the put-in. I’ve only done that once and will never do it again.

Sometimes I’d leave a bicycle down at the more modern, closer take-out that we use, and ride the five or six miles back to the starting point. Other times you just hope to run into someone at the take-out, and eventually you usually do. "

Photo provided by Mike Mayfield.

Read their full interview at blowingrockmuseum.org/play

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