When winter comes to the States there is only one place to
go in my mind: UGANDA!
Although there are many other places I still crave to visit
I have a hard time putting Uganda behind those new exciting places. Mainly
because every visit is always an adventure, and one I will never forget.
Uganda is home to the White Nile where I paddle twice a day
when I can on some of the best waves and occasionally a world class hole. It
was home to two sections of river, the Day 1 and Day 2 located near Jinja,
Uganda. Recently a dam has caused the Day 1 Section to turn into nothing but
flatwater. What was a BIG water rollercoaster section of river is now literally
a lake. It was depressing to come back, as two years ago I was going down on
the “last free day of the Silverback Section.” This year there is nothing to
paddle on the Day 1 Section.
We have spent 99% of our trip on the Hairy Lemon. Which is
its own little paradise located on the Day 2 Section of the river. From the
Lemon you can paddle 15 minutes up to the two famous waves: Nile Special and
Club Wave. When you are finished you simply float back to the lemon.
The paddling has been incredible. I have truly been enjoying
every second on the water. I have
accomplished my goal of consistently throwing clean blunts and I am very
excited to have those added to my big bag of tricks. I have found the new kayak
to be so incredibly loose and fast, that many moves I struggled with on the
last trip have become much easier. Even on “sub-optimal” levels, the boat has
enough speed to retain itself on the wave. Meaning I get way more surf time as
a green wave does not mean I will flush off!
The water is so warm I have been wearing my Kokatat Knapster
Dry Deck with my Snap Dragon Bungee skirt. It is the perfect combination for
warm weather boating! This combo has kept me cool in the incredibly hot weather
and also it keeps me plenty dry. So all in all my kayaking has been truly
perfect thanks to all the perfect Uganda weather gear.
When not kayaking I spend my time playing volley ball,
bananagrams, reading and recently I went on a Net Sale with Jessie Stone for
Soft Power Health. We visited the largest sugar plantation in the World and on
a previous trip I actually met the sons of the owner of the plantation. I must
say the plantation was insane, it was its own little world, its own airplane
landing strip, hospitals, schools and more. It was very interesting as it was
nothing like I had ever seen before. We met out on the field in the middle of
all the houses and the staff was well educated on Malaria so Jessie was very
impressed. She sells the nets cheaper than anyone else as if you give them away
for free, they don’t get used or taken seriously. We sold over 100 nets and had
a great time running around with the kids. For a long period it was more or
less running away from the crazy Muzungu (white person) Nick Troutman, who was
playing tag with a group of 50 plus kids.
Nick and I started the Troutman Foundation last year. Which
really is just us raising money by doing what we love and putting the money
where we feel it should go. With the help from multiple sponsors and
individuals Nick came to Uganda with a check in hand for Jessie Stone. With
that check we haven’t fully decided what we would do yet as there are so many
exciting things we could be a part of. After looking over some photographs we
have decided to put part of it towards an organization started by a local
Ugandan lady. It’s a home for special kids, with mental and physical
disabilities. Recently Jessie was asked to visit a hut that had many kids and
the mother had passed away several years prior. When she got there, there was a
mentally ill kid as well as a kid with cerebal palsy both who were starving due
to the father not having enough money to feed his kids, and these kids due to
their disabilities, not having the capability of going to get food on their
own. Thus they were transferred to the Home for Hope. After seeing the images
of their pencils for arms and legs Nick and I knew we wanted to help this lady
to take care of these two newcomers. We have given many of our clothes and a
good chunk of the donations to ensure that they are well taken care of. At the
end of our trip we visited the home to check in on the kids. They were happier
and healthier than ever. They were gaining weight and very enthralled with the
trampoline and tv time!
Now I am back home dreaming of my sunset paddling and
amusing more adorable kids.
If anyone is ever wondering where they should go in the cold
months of winter, be sure to see Uganda at least once, and perhaps it will
become your new winter destination!
Emily Jackson-Troutman
