Topic: King of clubs - Labour day weekend

[ChristianG]

What happened?
I thought AT paddles were bomb proof.

From the looks of the damage on (what's left of) the paddle, there's some giant prehistoric crayfish with 4-foot long pincers living in the crack that forms the big hole at the top of the rapid, and he/she does not like to be disturbed while doing its afternoon yoga. Maybe we can start a legend, and print t-shirts and make other souvenirs, to generate revenue for the club? What an original idea...

--C.
 

[attachment deleted by admin due to low storage space]

[LouisD]

What happened?
I thought AT paddles were bomb proof.

[Robertm]

Hey Robert, what's the status of your paddle? Any chance it will be replaced? --C.

Thank you for asking Christian, the paddle is on it's way to AT for inspection.
Robert

[ChristianG]

Hey Robert, what's the status of your paddle? Any chance it will be replaced? --C.

[ChristianG]

Here's a video from the first time I went there, with John Rathwell, Grahame Hamilton etc. That was the 2nd run, and I had lent my Blunt to Cl?o since his kayak was leaking big time (in fact I did most of the filming you see--I was cold, hence the shaking of the camera). You see the Beaverator, Great White Slide and the take out wave:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mmmpaddle#p/u/5/iWdJk62djlM

[Mark.D.]

 the great white swim   !!   time to bail when your creeker is doing rodeo tricks    This creek is awsome , just a perfect little creek , next time I'll be at the put in at 9:59 ready for laps ,  I can wait !   fun little play hole at the take out too.

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzgvHrPZkso

 

[ChristianG]

As for the Ottawa on Sunday... There were great videos and photos of us trying Garburator, of Robert's brand new C1 paddle... And my memory card decided to malfunction. It's all gone... So Tibor, don't lose what you filmed! I'd like to see it...

--C.

[ChristianG]

"It's a beginner's run, class III at most"
"Oh but the Beaverator is easy to avoid..."

 

Ha! Ha! I stand corrected, litterally... Screwing up that rapid was pure stupidity from my part, I didn't paddle enough coming down. Plus the seat was too far back, I wasn't feeling my legs from the hip pads pressure... I don't blame the equipment, I should have fixed that long ago. Anyway, I spent a couple hours last night redoing the outfitting and backband, that's definitely going to help...

As Rob said, you get spanked for not being careful enough! And I agree that there seems to be a strange timing...

There was one guy with an elbow so swollen, looked like a golf ball had been inserted under his skin. After running the little chute on river left at Dogleg (I think they call it Mindscrambler), I decided to bring elbow pads and gloves next time....

Next releases are Sept. 11, 25 and 26, both Taylorville and Eagle.

--C.

[robert monti]

Payback is a ....?  The river goddess always finds the right time to dish out a dose of humility and remind us who is in charge and not to underestimate her impeccable sense of timing when it comes to dishing out those reminders. You just gotta love the river! The state of my knuckles will be prompting questions from my office colleagues for sure.

On the way back we stopped at "Jumbo's Diner" in Gouverneur for a snack and I've already made a mental note that next time through there, mmmm that humongous combo order fries/sloppy Joe I saw the locals ordering looks like a great post paddle pig out choice and is definitely on my hit list!

[Late Ray]

"It's a beginner's run, class III at most"
"Oh but the Beaverator is easy to avoid..."

 

[ChristianG]

Hey! Bill, Mark D. and I went to the Beaver, and met up with Robert Monti and Adrian E.

Well... I visited the Beaverator. By accident, and I'm not proud of it as I had run this rapid many times before... While I was being worked in the pourover, with paddle against rocks every other windowshade, I remembered the 'klung' I heard last year in the same place and the poor guy with the two half paddles... as well as poor Robert Miech yesterday at Butcher's Knife with his 'modified' AT paddle. So I though I should save my paddle and pulled the plug, knowing I was above a bay. As soon as I got out of the boat, I started drifting down slowly, boat and paddle together and intact--the hole was not that retentive it turned out. There are interesting marks on the paddle to show, though.

Rest went fine, including Mark Dubois' 'surf' at the bottom of the Great White Slide... Luckily a C1 guy caught his elbow pad! This is a fun rapid, as long as you remember, near the end, to paddle left. Or right. It doesn't matter, just don't hit it straight unless prepared for the (unplanned) whole spectrum of freestyle moves...

Adrian got some more knuckles and leg damage, but coffee and pie helped fix it all...

As Mark said, we'll be back. Too bad Moshier runs once a year, but Taylorville+Eagle will be there again this month. Then the Moose...

--C.

[ChristianG]

Turns out i have some family issues today and will not be able to make it... Next time!! Sorry guys.girls!

John, don't worry. We had our own eventful day (you'll hear everything) and there'll be many more runs before ice... --C.

[LouisD]

Sorry I missed the KOC and you guys, but not sorry I was on the Beaver instead.
Taylorville on Saturday with plenty of CdeB members and then Sunday a double feature starting with the Moshier section; a step up from the Taylorville section, with a few boofing steps. At the bottom, the Moshiers falls...with a special thought for Bill's ribs - skipped that short section; nothing to prove.
Then the 2nd part of the double feature; the Eagle section. A short and steep creeking adventure into class V.
Rob Monti, Adrian were great sport showing me some of the lines and some of the things not to do.
The avid creekers were all salivating on the Eagle section.

Adrian and I backed each other up.
Starts with a seal launch onto a ramp/slide into the main current, couple of drops, a limbo move under a tree trunk, then the 2 major slides and also the sites of most of the carnage next to a nice big slanting rock as a natural auditorium for the dense peanut gallery.
Not much space for error. Not even wide enough for 2 kayaks side by side and the slope is 30 degree, so you pick up speed quick.
Managed to fix my slides before they turned into nightmares. Yes! Got my line, great exit!
Waited for Adrian who had a lapse of memory at the first slide and needed a 2nd look.
Didn't need that, I just kept my eyes closed.
Once reunited with Adrian we proceeded to wrap up the run....but what was ahead? darn, didn't scout any of that. Let's ask around.
Let me tell you that we didn't look like pro asking around...something about a rock and sticking to the right up to the last 6 footer.
Oh! There you go, that must be the said rock I nail myself to. Right he said? How about left and backward? That should add up to right, right? No? Anyway, let's fix that by rolling around, there you go, much better. Aiming right and forward now. All the way right to a grinding halt at the lip of the 6 footer. Humpf! Into the lower pool and reunited with Adrian. Now, where is the take out?

Glad to report I do not sport any sore or red/bloody spots. But others didn't fare as well.
Some legs, knuckles and ego bruised and a broken paddle. Cheers to you.

The end of an amazing paddling weekend for me that started Friday with my first encounter with the Rouge falls (safe and sound and a lot of fun) and ended earlier today with a solid 3 hours surfing session on la Vague a Guy.
Off to celebrate the 18th birthday of my baby girl.
LD

[Mark.D.]

 Beaver River Taylorville section was awsome today , I will definetly be back !

[ChristianG]

 Where are you leaving from Monday? , I'm not sure but may head also for the Taylorville/Eagle on Monday . need a change from the Ottawa.

Bill and I are going. I'm meeting him at his house tomorrow morning at 7:30. PM me for details, or call me at 613-355-2470 before 1 am tonight... --C.