Art teacher Tam Salter splashes into her summer break with flat-water paddling trips, including this month’s 108-mile Paddle Georgia excursion. Salter puts an artist’s eye to her outdoor adventures and finds inspiration in the unexpected surprises nature has to offer.
Q & A
How long have you been paddling and how did you get into it?
My best friend, Pat Goldsmith, had been trying for a couple of years to get me to go paddling with her on a Chattanooga Outventure trip down the Tennessee River and camp overnight on Williams Island. I was not sure I would feel safe out on the river in a kayak, but I finally relented and went on a trip with her. It was a “Where have I been all my life?” moment! Flat-water paddling through the Tennessee River Gorge on a beautiful fall day and camping out along the way was such an exhilarating and fun experience that I have been paddling now for 12 years. I am grateful to my BF Pat and to Outventure for introducing me to a lifelong passion.
Tam Salter, art teacher at Tyner AcademyWhere are some of your favorite areas in the region to be on the water?