Scariest Experience

[Yonder_River]

Heh, everyone that paddles in Colorado for any length of time is required to swim out of Tunnel at some point or another. When I did, my paddle never resurfaced, none of us had a spare, so I used a raft paddle I had found (walked Kirschbaum's) and C1'ed it. Props to the C1'ers out there.

Since moving to the Northwest, I'm definitely enjoying not smacking my head as much. It's made up for, though, by the monster holes and no-portage rapids.

[Badger]

I guess I've been insufficiently dumb, but some of my friends have scared the crap out of me: Josh getting stuffed in an undercut on Elevenmile in CO, Clea swimming Boulder Drop in WA, getting flushed through all the bad spots and leaving a trail of gear a quarter-mile down the river, Ryan somehow finding a rock on the Wenatchee at 12K and coming up with blood all over his face... actually, that one was just freakin' funny.

There was the time I flipped in Hollywood Gorge on the Toutle in WA, washed into the bottom hole and got dropped on my head. Hard. Although that was pretty funny, too. After the fact.

[wannabe]

Harv,

Was that you and that blonde dreaded guy from RMT? That did the high water pine creek run?

If so I was on the bank checking it out when you guys did that run and all I can say is that you guys were going f---in fast.

We were sitting on that big rock at the entrance and the cliff was vibrating from all the boulders running into it.

Scariest expereince,

Was on the Rouge in Quebec. My first year raft guiding we went on this fun trip up there and not really getting any true training from working the lehigh river they talked me into duckiing the rouge.

First drop is called steep throat, well it is about a 10-12 ft constricted drop that I had zero speed going over, got surfed left into this crazy swirling boil right next to the cliff, did the classic upstream brace and well you guessed it I was swimming.

I tried to swim to the cliff but it was too steep and couldn't get out. After getting swirled around that for about a minute it finally sucked me down. I was under water for about 100 yards which was like 47 seconds (I have it on vid so we timed it) when I finally popped up I got a small breath and then went down again for another 5 seconds thankfully that was it because I started to black out.

[0BernhardFranz]

i never kajaked dangerously as no river is around like that

but once it was football festival tribune at main river so i started at 5 shipping my diesel 75 over the river normally we go at 6 but i decided to go to the tribune rowed till 10 continously totalling 10 km - danger of heart attack !

bf

[gearjunkie1]

Whaa? Your either sticking to class III's or your some kind of stud!

Make that studdette! Actually I can just hold my breathe for a hell of a long time, and when I first learned to paddle, it was at a park and play wave so there were always a ton of guys in the eddy waiting to give the lil blonde a t-rescue. Someone was always looking out for me....

[420Powderpimp]

Bullshit, the fact that you stick with your story is proof you don't fire anything up. The best paddlers in the world still swim.

[gearjunkie1]

Bullshit, the fact that you stick with your story is proof you don't fire anything up. The best paddlers in the world still swim.

I wasn't trying to be cocky or anything. I was just trying to emphasize how scary it was because my first swim was in huge water, so it seemed extra traumatising since I hadn't worked my way up with smaller swims. I have had lots of swims since then, but that was just the scariest because I didn't know what I was in for when it happened.

[Yonder_River]

Easy on the ladies, eh?

[kayaktheworld]

Easy on the ladies, eh?

Maybe powedr*PIMP* isn't the best description?

[420Powderpimp]

I did not realize she was woman. Besides, I "pimp" the powder not the hoes. I guess it has been covered enough but come on people, who learns to kayak and does not swim for 6 years!! I swim more in a canoe on a lake.

Sorry for the post, I will let this die.

[Yonder_River]

While not a scariest experience example, I took a stupid swim this weekend that illustrates the inevitability of swimming.

This was on a moderate rapid (Boulder Drop on the Sky) at a moderate flow (~3k). Took the Ned's Needle chute and got stuffed! I was throwing all kinds of ends trying to get out, but it just kept sucking me back in. Used up most of my energy, pulled, then proceded to get pulled back into the pourover until I began to actively swim hard, then got hammered thru the rest of the drops, probably underwater for most of it.

Nothing more humbling than to get spanked on a rapid your very familiar with and consider benign.

[Tye 1on]

ya gearjunkie, i could see how the first swim being a biggie would be a bit harsh. Like many, i had a bunch of swims, including on my first duckie trip on the Gallatin. Those swims convinced me that even the worst roll is better than the best swim...

Worse one tho, hmmm, i guess the worst feeling of panic was [engage severe dumb-ass alert now] on the Main Salmon, surfing solo before dinner, flipping, missing roll[s], reaching for grab loop to discover i had put the skirt on over the loop, it wasn't sticking out. Minor panic. All worked out. Oh, yeah, I was hammered at the time also.

[gearjunkie1]

What about scary paddling incidents that don't involve water? One time after a extended swim I decided to hike out because I lost my brain space. I was on my own, headed for the road and a 40m tall tree crashed down within feet of me. I don't remember if it was windy, but there is a ton of beaver activity around that river, the Cottonwood. I am moving to CO on Friday, guess I won't have to worry as much about the wood hazards on or off the river there. BC has a ton of wood choked runs. I bet with the pine beetle epidemic, the log problems are going to increase with all that dead wood falling down in the next couple of years.

[Harv]

Harv,

Was that you and that blonde dreaded guy from RMT? That did the high water pine creek run?

If so I was on the bank checking it out when you guys did that run and all I can say is that you guys were going f---in fast.

yeah, Andy and I and Kevco I think. that is funny. long time ago. I wish we could have a season like that today with today's boat technology. There would be some epic surfing in today's playboats. I am off subject...sorry...proceed...

[FrankZappa]

I kayaked the green river in Utah once for 5 days. It was fun, pretty mellow and all, but being in water that I can't wade in and/or more than 30-50 feet from the shore scares the crap out of me. Anymore I've resigned myself to water in it's frozen form. I can't even remember the last time I was in anything bigger than a hot tub... years. Consequences of being a CO native that spent all summers in the high country growing up I guess.


I SUCK at swimming!

[gh444]

third day on the river i blew up a boat in Kirschbaums during the gore race. swam it from the top.

watched a guy go over stupid falls on the east without a boat.

boating partner swam for about a half mile on the upper A. still gives me chills thinking about that one.

and possibly the scariest was a rescue of one of the best boaters i know on the taylor who had been trying to help his girlfriend who was in a ducky when he got hung on a log upside down and none of us were in the best position to help.

off river, i was holding onto a cam strap with one hand and my boat with the other driving down I-70 after boating westy from on top of a pickup bed fully loaded. doing 80 with a semi behind you for a half hour gets the nerves a bit.

oh yeah and i swam in the surfer's left eddy of the m-wave in my first season.

some of your stories are pretty hairy. spiders everywhere!

-aaron

[kayaktheworld]

M-Wave is scary. The wave, the eddies, getting in. All of it. Super fun though.

I don't envy you for swimming that one.

[420Powderpimp]

Gonehuckin' you boated Gore on your third day on the river?!! That is some huge balls. What does blow up a boat mean?

We are going to need more details on the swim of Stupid falls.

I have had some long swims on the Upper A. I lost my boat and had my booties blown off in a hole. That was one long walk out with no shoes.

I have been thoroughly worked in the left eddie of the M-wave. That pipe over there is fucked up. I finally got out and threw up on my boat.

Boating in CO is sic!

[gh444]

yeah gore, it was pretty dumb, but i didnt know any better at the time. i had a decent playpark roll and i had run the taylor, shoshone and then most of gore without a problem. then the shit hit the fan. I'll post pics of the boat when i get home from work but Riot told me they thought it had been hit by an 18 wheeler and therefore wouldn't warranty it, as they shouldn't have because it was totally my fault. corran gave me a bunch of shit on boatertalk for lying about how the boat was destroyed until i had him talk to one of Riots spancered boaters who was with me and assisted in my rescue.

the guy going over stupid falls was an idiot. he swam up high, after the the last slide, he then proceeded to run down the bank after his boat and jump in to try to retrieve it. well he lost his footing while throwing his boat back to shore and went over the falls while trying to recover. we ran down to the bottom of the falls and pulled him out. he got lucky and managed only a broken hand/wrist. his boat was fine because in his effort to toss the boat it managed to stay on shore.

I was too much of a beginner to be in m-wave nd therefore it wasn't much of a surprise that i swam. we once had a moonlight paddle there that was a ton of fun and totally nerve-racking. the muddy slippery drive in was as hair raising as the paddling.

walking out of the upper a without shoes...fuck that.....i would have freaked cause i'm a puss when it comes to my footsies.....

-aaron

[420Powderpimp]

Did you run Gore and Tunnel? It seems the people who took you down should have known better. I have done that before and watched my buddy take the beating of lifetime. He literally swam 20+ times and was in a couch for a week after.

I would have paid money to see someone swim stupid falls.

[gh444]

took the sneak on gore but paddled tunnel. I still say that toiletbowl is by far the worst rapid in that canyon. that pourover is just deadly. I saw a cow in there for what looked like days.

-aaron

[G]

This forum has been slow for a while so I thought I would ask everyone: What is the scariest thing that has happened to you while kayaking? This can be things you've witnessed, safety, drops, carnage. Anything.

The road to the Shotover river put in is always good for a serious clench, especially when riding shotgun in a 20-seater bus.




Heh, nice picture. The guy who built that floater is a most excellent dude. I highly recommend his book. (sorry for the spam)

Amazon link

[gh444]

the gore boat

-aaron

[420Powderpimp]

"Blow up", I get it now. Nice pics. Good job on running Gore and Tunnel! That is one fast learning curve.

[chrismo720]

the gore boat

-aaron

O no man!
That sucks, They going to warentee it?