I learned on Friday that there would be a First Stage Divers team meeting for training in Concord and that I could attend my third Scuba/Dive "Open Water" Certification session in the YMCA pool there. Awesome! When I got up this morning, the weather was so great that I decided to leave immediately - I was on the road by 0815. The drive down I-89 was quite easy and I got to the outskirts of our Capital City by about 0915. There seemed to be enough time for me to tackle a short hike/climb in the area so I headed to Hooksett. After passing Pinnacle Park many times over the years, I wanted to finally stop there for a walk on the trails. The prominent terrain feature, located between I-93 and the Merrimack River, was supposed to have some great views of central New Hampshire. At 0930, I parked in the lot there and started my walk in the woods. The Pinnacle itself was only about 0.8 miles from the trailhead but there were plenty of side trails and deer paths that allowed me to get almost two miles in one hour. I enjoyed the climb and view of the river and then had a pleasant stroll along Pinnacle Pond. The photos I took from the Pinnacle give the impression that this was a rural area - nothing could be further from the truth but I got lucky in the camera angles. I would have been glad to paddle but boating was prohibited (it was a town water source). Very glad I stopped to explore! At about 1030, I drove a short distance to the YMCA in Concord for my Scuba/Dive training. The pool venue was just a few blocks from the bright, shiny golden dome of the State House. While trying to find everyone else, I made a big mistake when I drove into a parking garage. The roof clearance looked just fine (at the entrance, especially) but then I noticed a "6 feet 10 inch clearance" sign. With my kayak still on the roof of Nessie, this was a big warning! I then had to figure out how to turn around and exit again. I was partially successful - after doing a five-point turn with some "rubbing" sounds above me, I was out of the garage. The kayak didn't appear damaged when I looked at it later - whew! Street parking was much easier and safer for Tequila Sunrise... At 1045, I found my instructor, Marley, and the other students. Lisa was there (I'd met her during my first dive) and we were joined by two more experienced divers (doing re-cert). The small group allowed for some good one-on-one with the instructor. The YMCA pool was much smaller than the one at Colby Sawyer but, fortunately, there wasn't anyone else there. Our group reviewed all the training we'd previously seen (gear up and gear stowing) and I learned a few new things. I made a mistake and didn't inflate my BCD properly; this meant it sank to the bottom of the pool and I had to dive down to get it. A good lesson, though. We did mask & regulator drills, out of air buddy drills, unconscious diver drills, pool side entry (fully geared up) and taking off our BCD while underwater. We also got to swim around a lot! That actually made the session much more enjoyable. In the end, I spent about two hours training (one full hour in the water) and I felt very comfortable after the third session. Afterwards (1300), we put the gear and Marley's truck and then walked to eat lunch at a taco place called Dos Amigos (it was only about two blocks from the YMCA). I ordered the Chicken Burrito Bowl and a beer called "Forever Buddy". While I was hanging out with the group (everyone except Lisa, who had left to celebrate Mother's Day with her family), I learned more about each of them and we talked about our diving plans. After we finished (1345), I walked back to the car and then followed Marley to his Dive Shop, located next to the Concord Airport. After learning more about his set up and making plans to buy some gear for myself, I departed Concord and drove west. Using surface streets and US-3, I made my way to Penacook Lake. I'd hoped to paddle there but never really found a good place to launch the kayak. And, like this morning, I also saw signs that the lake was a the town water supply - they implied that no one should get in the water but I'm not 100% on that rule. Anyway, the wind had picked up by this time and I didn't want to get swamped in the water. As a result, I drove west (using US-202/NH-9 and I-89) towards some other locations (Lake Hopkinton and Kezar Lake in Wadleigh State Park) that seemed promising. Unfortunately, the wind and waves were bad at both of those places too. Too bad - the sun was shining and temps were in the 60s. Oh well... I headed towards Hanover after that and arrived at my condo by 1545. Since I've completed the online training, Marley told me I am ready for a dive in a lake or the ocean. It looks like my first Open Water dive will scheduled for early June - wow!
