Paddling Leaders

We’d love to have you come paddling with us and welcome you to the group!  Our trip leaders and instructors would like to introduce themselves!

Here are a few of our paddling leaders …

Leaders: We welcome including you here. Contact the committee chair with a photo a short write-up.

Patty Anderson
HikerPatty is her handle but she is an enthusiastic paddler and paddling leader. She brings great enthusiasm and her distinctive laughter to any activity. Oh, yes, she is also an excursion hiking leader.

 

 

 

 

Allan Berggren
Took first AMC WW Course paddling solo whitewater canoe in 1994, then went over to the dark side of microcreeks and Downtown Sugar River in Claremont. He has only paddled 25% of his 75 years. Teaches roll class at Goodwin Community Center in Claremont, NH Chainsaws strainers from Redwater Brook in Claremont Biggest adventure: Big Branch of Otter Creek in western VT. Comment of paddler when emerged from Agers Falls on the Moose River in NY and came up on the 4^th roll attempt: “I see why you wear a face mask, shoulder, elbow and knee pads, and gloves.”

Paul Berry
Started paddling in 1967. Started leading AMC Paddling Trips and teaching in 1985. Loves to paddle tandem or solo open canoe from easy to class IV water. Also, loves to talk with people about paddling.

 

 

 

Bill Burke
Primarily paddles open canoes but has been sighted in a kayak occasionally. Enjoys challenging technical rivers and teaching swift water rescue skills. Off the river works as a Firefighter/EMT and as a professional mariner. Likes to see the “I get it!” grin on new paddlers’ faces.

 

 

Robin Diamond

Robin brings more than a decade of paddling experience to the group. Initially self-taught, but has taken some organized training (level I & II), and has a lot of practice on Casco Bay and Portsmouth NH. She is also an active skier and cyclist and brings those skills to sea kayaking … “It’s all connected”, she claims. She likes paddling with others that can challenge her. She has made many friends through the  paddlers on the trips she leads and attends and at the annual Knubble Bay sea kayaking training weekend she organizes.

Roscoe Diamond

A co-chair of the NH AMC Paddlers group. Co-leading our annual Knubble Bay training weekend in Georgetown Maine and a annual recreational paddle car camping weekend out of a Freeport Maine since 2010. It’s allowed me to share my passion navigating the Casco Bay waters while introducing the experience to others. Training basics kayaking skills, rescues, group dynamics, Leave no trace, navigation and more. Loves to paddle and island hop with his sea dog “Chewie”. When not on the water we can be found manning a USFS trail head in the WMNF.

 

Kerry Frazier
Loves to paddle with his wife, Debbie. Their tradition of Androscoggin River Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends brings lots of paddlers together for great paddling, fun and great food. Proud to be a leader, he likes to help out with the Whitewater School and enjoys meeting new paddlers.

 

 

 

Bill James

A retired AF vet, Bill was bitten by the kayak bug in 2009 and has been paddling ever since. Mostly self-taught and always looking for new places to explore, he has been organizing and leading kayaking trips all over New England and beyond. Happy to chase Tall Ships or quietly hang out with wildlife, Bill’s adventures range from open ocean to the tiniest of navigable brooks. He has a strong connection with nature & the water and absolutely loves showing people the bottom of his kayak. That’s just how he rolls.

 

Jason Little
Is a wilderness tripper, backpacker, and skier, who began excursions at a very young age. He has paddled Canadian Arctic rivers, and waters in Maine, Montana, the Everglades, and Costa Rica. In addition to paddling and poling, Jason enjoys teaching and meeting new friends of all ages. All of his four sons and wife are avid paddlers, who have completed numerous family adventures.

 

 

Dick Morin
Loves to paddle whitewater but his true passion is for wilderness expedition trips. He thanks the NHAMC paddlers for teaching him the tandem canoe skills to go on such expeditions to such places as the Elk and Thelon Rivers in NWT & Nunavut, Wind and Peel Rivers in the Yukon, and even the excitement of canoeing the Grand Canyon as well as the “local” rivers such as the St. John and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. He loves to teach new paddlers. Dick is a true gentleman of the river, a joy to paddle beside.

 

 

Conrad Nuthmann
AMC Whitewater Paddling School was the best thing that ever happened to Conrad some twenty years ago. He spent a dozen or so years paddling an open canoe until his daughter was getting big enough to paddle a kayak. Conrad paddles both kinds of boats now in all kinds of weather, and Jessie the teenager still paddles with her Dad. Paddling whitewater is still his passion! He likes to run rivers with lots of “features” and surfing opportunities, but at least once a year he’ll go to the ocean for some surf kayaking.

 

Tom Sawyer
AMC Whitewater Paddling Leader for 10 years. Paddles Class IV Whitewater as well as long-distance expeditions in the South, Northeast, and Canada, recently doing the Northern Forest Canoe Trail from Old Forge, NY, to Swanton, VT. Loves teaching new paddlers.

 

Phil Sego
Has been paddling quiet water, tidal rivers, and remote lakes, seeking wilderness and natural beauty. “It just doesn’t get better than waking up to the sound of loons on a glass-smooth lake.” He paddles tandem canoe, solo kayak, sit-on-top, or, as he puts it, anything that floats. He especially welcomes new members on his trips.

 

 

Jerry Smith
AMC Member since 1990. NH AMC Sea Kayak Trip Leader since 2005. Registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide, ACA Certified Coastal Kayak Trip Leader, Former PSIA Alpine Ski Instructor, Former Bicycle Trip Leader. Loves to teach people to roll.

Casco Bay en route to Eagle Island

 

 

Marcy Stanton
Loves the challenge of whitewater. She sometimes paddles a canoe but is much more comfortable in a kayak … besides it is easier to carry! She enjoys the camaraderie of the paddling group and likes to encourage others to paddle with us.

 

 

 

 

 

We hope you enjoyed meeting us in virtual space …  now come and meet us in the real world …  And bring your paddle (or we’ll loan you one.)