New Kayaking Skills . . .

Since we didn't go on our usual rafting trip to the Lower Slalom in Idaho, my parents took us to Coloma instead. We kayaked, saw friends, met new kids who kayak, and played board games. I even took kayak lessons with Dan Crandall at Current Adventures. He's the best roll teacher ever. Anyone can learn from him. The best part of the trip for me is when I got my combat roll at Old Scary!

Dan teaching Alex to roll

I also recently tried Slalom Kayaking for the first time. It combines two things I love: slalom racing and kayaking! I never knew this sport existed.

I went to the Moke Races and the Feather Fest with Sue Norman. My mom came too, but she had a hard time making the gates in her inflatable kayak. I just hope that more kids join this fun sport with me.

Moke Races 2017: My First Slalom Race

The Rogue River was Awesome

For our family rafting trip this year, we went to the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. It was awesome. It is a multi-day wilderness trip. No idea how my parents got permits at the last minute -- we were supposed to go to the Lower Klamath but fires closed that river.

We were a really big group, with lots of kids. And some fun adults without kids, like Canella, Kurt, and Cliff! And a dog. There was a natural water slide, a wilderness lodge with ice cream, wild blackberries, and we had a talent show. And best of all, I kayaked as much of the trip as my parents let me. I even kayaked my first Class IV rapid, Blossom Bar (and swam at the bottom). Since we were having so much fun and didn't want it to end, the kayaking kids stayed after the trip was over and we kayaked Hellgate Canyon.

Blackberries in camp

Canella!

Kayak kids: me, Athan, Quinn, Jayce 

Post-trip ice cream at Galice Resort

Summer Camps

So, this year, I got to join my Ecole Bilingue friends for a week at Camp Ravencliff. I was tired and jet-lagged since I had just gotten home from France, but I loved it! Camp Ravencliff was on the banks of the Eel River. My cabin had no electricity, lots of spiders, and 7 fun girls! The swimming hole at the river was very refreshing and fun. There was a lot of activities to choose from. I played canoe dodge ball, went creeking, and swam. There is a camp fire every night where we put on skits and tell jokes.

Sophie, Cahyani, Clarissa, Mia, Sebastien, Kael, and me

I also went ro Kennedy Meadows Horse Camp! We rode and took care of horses and went on a wilderness packing trip. It is just down the road from my cousins' cabin on Sonora Pass, so I got to hang out with them too. My dad also took us to Bodie.

Anabelle, Lylah, me, and Mia

France!

My brother and I spent the summer again this year in France visiting our great-grandmother, Grannilou, with our grandparents. In France, we mostly spend time at the beach and go to sailing camps. Here are some photos from our trip.

Carnon

Carnon beach kids

Manon in Pont Saint Esprit 

Our front deck in Carnon

Alex in Pont-Saint-Espirt

Stalagmite and Stalactite caves

At Grannilou's house

Back at SFO saying bye to Nana and Grandpa

Father's Day at the East Carson River

Well, the river was really high. And we had never been to the East Fork of the Carson River before. So, my parents didn't let me kayak. Instead, I got to ducky (inflatable kayak) with my friend Luke. We camped out at wilderness hot springs and went fly fishing. I didn't catch anything, but we had a blast and wished it had been more than just a weekend trip. I hope we go for father's day again next year.

Truckee Source To Sea!

Thank you Sue Norman, Jay Wild, Danielle Katz, and Jane Weeks for taking me and the other Student Ambassadors on the Truckee River Source to Sea Environmental Learning Adventure. Thank you also to everyone who made a donation to make it possible.

Here's the link to my profile on the Team page, along with the other Student Ambassadors. Chloe Tippett Student Ambassador

Before going on the trip, we had to fundraise. I participated in an Earth Day booth at Squaw, contributed to a newspaper article for Moonshine ink, and started a go-fund-me campaign (I raised over $800!).

Here's my interview in the May issue of Moonshine Ink (online or on page 34 in print). They interviewed me and Annsley. www.moonshineink.com/sports/truckee-river-source-sea-paddle

Here are some pictures from our expedition.

Me and Annsley on Donner Lake for Moonshine Ink

Fundraising at Earth Day before the trip

Off we go!

Upper Truckee in South Shore

Kayaking the Upper Truckee in South Shore

Outrigger Canoe on Lake Tahoe

Outrigger Canoe on Lake Tahoe

Outrigger Canoe on Lake Tahoe 

Truckee town run 

Camping at Nature Conservancy in Nevada

Put in for Reno town run

Reno town run

Channel 2 News in Reno

And boating is a wrap!

Biking to Pyramid Lake

We're done!

Pyramid Lake

The Truckee River is huge this year. I was very lucky to go on it when it is this high. The two core team adults (Sue and Jay) paddled the entire 150 miles. The student ambassadors did about 80 miles with them.

We started off a week and a half ago kayaking the Upper Truckee. We kayaked 6 miles of the Upper Truckee River. It was very fun to kayak with other kids. It was also very beautiful. Some parts though were a bit sketch because of all the debris in the river caused by the huge snow pack. About half way down the river, we stopped and a naturalist talked about the Upper Truckee Restoration Project. The restoration project helps the vegetation grow back. This is important because once it grows back it creates new habitats for wildlife to return.

Then, we outrigger canoed across Lake Tahoe. We used a Hawaiian outrigger canoe. We went through Emerald Bay and the water was a beautiful greenish blue. We paddled 14 miles.

We then rafted through downtown Truckee. And through Reno. We then kayaked in the Nature Conservancy in Nevada. Our permit was revoked to kayak the last stretch, so we finished off the last stretch to Pyramid Lake on bikes. It was a beautiful Plan B - we saw thousands of pelicans with 8 foot wing spans.

Along the way, we learned about the watershed, local fish and birds, and the vegetation. We spoke to people who are working hard to restore and preserve our river. And we gave news interviews.

On our way home we stopped and did a tour of Marble Bluff Dam Fish Hatchery. There, we saw Cui-ui fish. They are such cute sucker fish and we even got to hold and measure them. These fish are native to the Lower Truckee River and Pyramid Lake. They are endangered.

The best part, though, was hanging out with kids that share these same interests.

The hardest part was asking for money. Thank you to the following donors:

Me and Mikaela

Mikaela Shiffrin (I know, right!)

Michael Rosen

Jo Abbott

Sid Crockett

Mark Mirviss

Annette Mirviss

Brit Crezee

Jeff Rouse

Dick Banfield

Scott Flint

Sarah Powell

Joel Martinez

Sean Whelan

Chiara Gajar

Katrina Smolen

Uncle Loulou

Nana and Grandpa

Grannilou

Alicia Doherty
Maureen Garvey
Christine & Cathy
Aga Nowak
Sue Campbell

Dawn Preisendorf

Tom Brand

Brian Maher

Brooks Alldredge

Darby Stienmetz

Todd Wees

Rachel Rohler

Kim

Murray Sandford

Creekside bake sale (thank you Jack for baking)

Spring in Tahoe

It was a busy spring - though it really still seemed like winter. So much snow!

Still powder skiing well into spring . . .

Me on Siberia Spring Skiing 2017!

Yummy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe . . . 

My brother and I were at our community garden helping my mom plant tomatoes and cucumbers for the summer. Another gardener offered us some of their rhubarb. So, we decided we would make rhubarb pie. Just in time for June 9th, National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day!

Here's the recipe. Tip: you don't have to use the full amount of sugar.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 2 pints of strawberries
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pie crust in tray
• 1 flat pie crust

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
• Combine sugar and flour and lightly cover pie crust (in tray) 
• Heap rhubarb and strawberries over this mixture
• Sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour
• Dot with small pieces of butter
• Cover with top crust
• Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes

See some other National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day ideas at ChopChop Magazine here.

Home-grown, kid-made Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Memorial Day Weekend - Still skiing lower mountain!

KT Closing 7pm Party
My dad, Cliff, Andrew, me, Daniel, my brother, and Dawn
(my mom is taking the picture)

Gearing up to Memorial Day Weekend - Made in Tahoe

I can't wait for Memorial Day Weekend! I love browsing the cool stuff at Made in Tahoe. Check out this video to see what I mean. This year, I even have my own booth. We will be selling kid-made bath bombs, soaps, lollipops, baked goods, and jewelry.

Me and Alex before we had a booth!
Made in Tahoe 2016

May the 4th be With You . . .

Look how cute these turned out! Stormtrooper marshmallows and bubble wand lightsabers.

Stormtrooper marshmallows and bubble wand Lightsabers

Hibernation? The bear in my backyard . . .

There's a bear that lives under my deck. Sometimes, he lives under my neighbor's deck. Or down the street. And after a very big winter, he's come out of hibernation. If you also live with bears, you should read my brother's presentation Don't Feed the Bears and the Bear League website.

Photo Credit: Doug

Kayaking home from school!

There's a creek that runs between my house and my school. This time of year the creek is rushing because of the snowmelt. So, today, my dad picked us up in an inflatable kayak and we boated home. Thanks to my dad, I got soaked. Burr, that water is cold!

Come Volunteer

Come join me as a volunteer at the humane society. As a volunteer you will get to hang out with cats, socialize kittens, play with bunnies, pet puppies, and walk dogs. Here's the link if you want to become a volunteer. http://hstt.org/volunteer.

Me, Maddie, and a pile of puppies.

Photo Shoot

Today was a beautiful spring day. My brother and I spent the day with our dad and photographers from The North Face. I got to miss school, ski and get paid!

Me, Alex and my dad in Shirley Canyon for a photo shoot Spring 2017

We've done photo shoots and videos before. We were in a Visit California Commercial last year and in Squaw advertising the year before.

Visit California Commercial February 2016

Squaw Photo Shoot Winter 2015

Want to come too?

I am so excited. I have been accepted to be a Student Ambassador for the Truckee Source to Sea paddling and environmental learning expedition. The trip combines two of my favorite things: kayaking and nature studies!

Here's information about the team and about the trip. If you want to come, you can be a guest paddler. Register here. You can also donate at GoFundMe.

Kayaking with my cousin Athan. August 2016

Applying

Earlier this year, I was a flag bearer for the World Cup. It was my first time applying for something myself. I learned that you need to do a good job on the essays.

So, when it came time to apply to be a Student Ambassador for Rivers for Change, it was easier for me. Here's my essay.

On the river, I am home. I have been going on river trips since I was a baby. I have spent more days than I can count on the South Fork of the American River. And have swum almost every rapid! In the summer, my family takes me and my brother on a month long rafting road trip to places like the Lower Klamath and the Lower Salmon. I love it so much that I never want to leave. A few years ago, we even did a very long trip that connected the Middle Fork of the Salmon, the Main Salmon, and the Lower Salmon. I have been down the river on oar boats, catarafts, paddle boats, inflatable kayaks, hard shell kayaks, and paddle boards. I got my first hard shell kayak when I was 4 years old. I learned to roll in the pool when I was 7. But, I’m still working on my river roll! I have taken Junior Guides Rafting Camp, as well as kayaking classes in Coloma. I have also completed an adult Swift Water Rescue course.
            I love running the river, but I love camping along the river just as much. I like finding edible plants that I have learned about in my Native American studies class. I also like identifying animals, fish, birds, snakes and bugs (except for spiders) that are in my waterproof nature guide book. I have seen a bear, an island with thousands of tiny frogs, bald eagles, river otters, ducks, and lots of fish. I learned how to fly fish a few years ago, but I always catch and release.

I want to go on this trip to learn more about the Truckee River and then teach it to kids in my school. I want to do this so that kids know what is happening to their environment and together we can help fix some of the problems. I also want to spend time with other kids that feel the same way that I do about the river.

Flag Bearer for Mikaela Shiffrin's World Cup Win!

As a girl growing up at a ski resort and on ski team full time, Mikaela Shiffrin is our role model. She is so focused and determined and such an incredible skier. I recently got to watch her win a World Cup title in Slalom here at Squaw Valley. And I was fortunate to be selected to be the French and then the Canadian flag bearer in the two days of opening ski parades and to be the American flag bearer in her award ceremony. Best experience ever!

I'm the flag bearer for Mikaela Shiffrin World Cup Win at Squaw March 2017

Mikaela Shiffrin wining World Cup Title - with me holding the American Flag

The flags are surprisingly heavy