Paddled the Lower Green River Gorge at about 1350cfs.
This is a remarkably wonderful Class III run (at these flows) with the takeout exactly 55 minutes from Belltown.
Reaffirms my belief that climbing out after only running the Upper Green River Gorge was a mistake.
Most of the "good rapids" are in the top half of the run but there are Class II+ / Class III- rapids till after 20 minutes paddle from the takeout which is at the upstream end of the Flaming Geyser State Park. Certainly a bit easier than the Upper Green River Gorge but, I though that this section had more rapids that the "middle middle". However, on the middle middle "House Rock" rapid is a significantly harder rapid that any other either on the middle middle or on the Lower Green River Gorge.
The guys I paddled with (Bill & Ryan) say it's too all the way down to 400 cfs and quite sweet at 600 - 700 cfs and doable till about 3000cfs although that is quite a rare occurrence
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Paddling the SF Snoqualmie
I have "discovered" a new gem, an absolutely delightful backyard paddle. I am talking about the South Fork of the Snoqualmie from Twin Falls State Park to the bridge at 436th Avenue SE.
It is rated in the Bennet book as a Class II+. HUH?
Luckily, since it has been over 9 months since I paddled anything more substantial than Class II I decided to take my "safety boat", the Dagger CFS.
The run starts of quick but calms down after the first rapid.
However, the "Canyon section", at ~ 1000cfs is a full-on continuous Class III for about 1.5 miles. I guess one would call each individual rapid / drop / wave train a Class II+ but it's all back-to-back-to-back and non-stop.
Reminds me a bit of the middle section of the McCloud, after the creeky section....
As I was entering the "Canyon Section", I realized this was no Class II+ run, tripped over a approaching hole and flipped. Luckily I rolled up, albeit on my second attempt.
This makes it only my third successful combat roll in 2 years. On 3 other flips, I have swum :-(
I will be back again and again and again to run this section.
I am told that it is runnable from 300cfs to 2500cfs
It is rated in the Bennet book as a Class II+. HUH?
Luckily, since it has been over 9 months since I paddled anything more substantial than Class II I decided to take my "safety boat", the Dagger CFS.
The run starts of quick but calms down after the first rapid.
However, the "Canyon section", at ~ 1000cfs is a full-on continuous Class III for about 1.5 miles. I guess one would call each individual rapid / drop / wave train a Class II+ but it's all back-to-back-to-back and non-stop.
Reminds me a bit of the middle section of the McCloud, after the creeky section....
As I was entering the "Canyon Section", I realized this was no Class II+ run, tripped over a approaching hole and flipped. Luckily I rolled up, albeit on my second attempt.
This makes it only my third successful combat roll in 2 years. On 3 other flips, I have swum :-(
I will be back again and again and again to run this section.
I am told that it is runnable from 300cfs to 2500cfs
Friday, March 11, 2011
2011 Paddling Days
Pool Days
River Days
- Friday, March 11th: 50 rolls
- Saturday, July 21st: 70+ rolls at RiverStore Pool
- Thursday, Sept. 29th: Barely 10 rolls
- Friday, Nov 4th: 90 rolls
- Thursday, Dec 2nd: 90 rolls
- Friday, Dec. 2nd: 60+ rolls
River Days
- Saturday, March 12th: Lower Middle Snoqualmie - Club Run @ 1100cfs (Class II)
- Saturday, April 2nd: SF Snoqualmie - Twin Falls to 436th Ave bridge @1000cfs(Class III)
- Sunday, April 10th: Middle-Middle Snoqualmie @1000cfs (Class III+)
- Sunday, May 1st: Lower Green River Gorge @1350cfs (Class III) - 6.5 miles
- Thursday, May 5th: SFA C-to-G (Class II+) @5500cfs
- Friday, May 6th: SFA C-to-G (Class II+) @6000cfs
- Saturday, May 7th: SFA C-to-G (Class II+) @4000cfs
- Saturday, May 28th: SF Snoqualmie - Twin Falls to 436th Ave bridge @460cfs (Class II+ / III-)
- Monday, May 30th: Lower Green River Gorge @1250 cfs (Class III) - 6.5 miles
- Saturday, June 4th: SF Snoqualmie - Twins Falls to 436th Ave bridge @650cfs (Class II+)
- Saturday, June 25th: SF Snoqualmie - Twin Falls to 436th @530cfs (Class II+)
- Thursday, July 21st: SFA C-to-G (Class II+) @3600cfs+
- Friday, July 22nd: SFA Chili Bar (Class III+) @2800cfs+. Walked TroubleMaker
- Saturday, July 23rd: NFA Chamberlain's (Class IV) @450cfs. Walked Bogus Thunder. Combat roll at Staircase, Practice combat rolls at Nosestand
- Sunday, July 24th: NFA Chamberlain's (Class IV) @450cfs.
- Tuesday, July 26th: SFA Kyburz (Class IV+) @550cfs
- Wednesday, July 27th: SFA Gorge (Class III) @2000cfs+ Combat roll at Satan's & Scissors
- Thursday, July 28th: SFA Chili Bar (Class III+) @1750cfs. Walked TroubleMaker
- Saturday, Sept. 3rd: SFA Gorge (Class III) @1750cfs
- Sunday, Sept. 4th: SFA Chili Bar (Class III+) @1750cfs. Ran TroubleMaker
- Saturday, Sept 24th: Sky Split Rock to Big Eddy (Class II+) @940cfs
- Friday, October 7th: SFA C-to-G (Class II+) @1500cfs
- Saturday, October 8th: SFA Gorge (Class III+) @1500cfs
- Sunday, October 9th: SFA Chili Bar (Class III+) @1500cfs
- Saturday, October 15th: Sky Split Rock to Big Eddy (Class II+) @2700cfs
- Sunday, Dec. 18th: Quijos River Lodge Run (Class III+ / IV-) @ ~ 5000cfs+
- Monday, Dec 19th: Jatanyacu (Rios Ecuador putin to Puerto Napo: 18+miles) (Class III+) @8.5ft on the gauge. Felt like ~ 6000cfs
- Tuesday, Dec 20th: Jatanyacu (Rios Ecuador putin to 2nd bridge: 12 miles( (Class III+ / IV-) @ 11.5ft on the gauge. Felt like ~8000cfs. Upper Tena (Class III creeking). ROLLED
- Wednesday, Dec 21st: Upper Misuahalli (2 laps), Class III+ / IV- creeking. Very continuous, PERFECT level, seemed like 800cfs and dropping. TWO ROLLS on Lap #2
- Thursday, Dec 22nd: Upper Misuahalli (1 lap), Seemed like 650-700cfs
- Friday, Dec 23rd: Upper Cosanga (3 miles), Cold water, Class III. Not feel too good. ROLLED
- Saturday, Dec 24th: Upper Cosanga (3 miles)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Glories of bygone times
The actual saying in kannada (derived from Sanskrit) is "Gatha Kaala Vaibhava".
This past couple of days (Friday Sept. 10th & Sat Sept. 11th) I paddled the Class III sections of South Fork of the American river. This was my first Class III paddle since returning from Ecuador on Jan 2nd 2010.
The absence of paddling and the loss of mental confidence since 2006 has resulted in my becoming a Class III paddler who once upon a time used to run Class V's.
I never would have thought that possible.
Once upon a time, I could run the SFA at flows upto 10000cfs with gay abandon. At summer flows of less than 2500 cfs, I could catch every eddy in every rapid, I could surf across the hole at Satan's cesspool, I could boof Bouncing Rock, jump the hole right into the upper most river right eddy. I could jump into the Hospital Bar hole laughing.
Once upon a time, I had a 1000% confidence in my river roll. I have rolled up 12 times inside HellHole and in the far river left room of doom eddy on the Trinity at 2500cfs. I have surfed my way out of plenty of Class IV holes in SF-Yuba and NF-American
And I did all this in a playboat... well... at least MY playboat, the Dagger Medieval.
I have run Burnt Ranch Gorge at 1300cfs with perfect lines all day long. The next weekend, I have had to roll 18 times in gnarly Class IV+ / Class V whitewater. While I was having a bad day on the river, there was no question about my confidence in always rolling up.
I have lead down Class IV+ rivers that I have never seen before..
BUT... all this has been in the days gone by.... Glories of bygone times....
The last couple of days I was GRIPPED paddling the SFA; more mentally focused and stressed than when I ran Burnt Ranch Gorge or the Giant Gap or the NF Stan....all Class V runs....
I was petrified about flipping due to a lack of confidence in my ability to come right back up. My paddling was all defensive and I relied on a decade of paddling experience to stay on line. I was not paddling "whitewater" but "greenwater". I ran Hospital Bar without getting my face wet by sneaking it on river left. My paddling was DEFINED by my unwillingness to risk being flipped which needless to say made it far more likely that I would flip.
The one time I did flip (in spite of myself), I did roll up. This makes for 5 "combat flips" over the past 3 years and only the second "combat roll", the last one being on the White Salmon back in July 2009.
On the positive side, I did paddle the Chili Bar section solo, got out and scouted Troublemaker (have not seen that rapid in 4 years) and did run it, albeit with poor form after almost talking myself into walking the bugger...
How do I get back my paddling mojo? Is it just time on the water? Is it gone forever? Or am I only 3 consecutive combat rolls from being my old self on the river?
Only time will tell....
This past couple of days (Friday Sept. 10th & Sat Sept. 11th) I paddled the Class III sections of South Fork of the American river. This was my first Class III paddle since returning from Ecuador on Jan 2nd 2010.
The absence of paddling and the loss of mental confidence since 2006 has resulted in my becoming a Class III paddler who once upon a time used to run Class V's.
I never would have thought that possible.
Once upon a time, I could run the SFA at flows upto 10000cfs with gay abandon. At summer flows of less than 2500 cfs, I could catch every eddy in every rapid, I could surf across the hole at Satan's cesspool, I could boof Bouncing Rock, jump the hole right into the upper most river right eddy. I could jump into the Hospital Bar hole laughing.
Once upon a time, I had a 1000% confidence in my river roll. I have rolled up 12 times inside HellHole and in the far river left room of doom eddy on the Trinity at 2500cfs. I have surfed my way out of plenty of Class IV holes in SF-Yuba and NF-American
And I did all this in a playboat... well... at least MY playboat, the Dagger Medieval.
I have run Burnt Ranch Gorge at 1300cfs with perfect lines all day long. The next weekend, I have had to roll 18 times in gnarly Class IV+ / Class V whitewater. While I was having a bad day on the river, there was no question about my confidence in always rolling up.
I have lead down Class IV+ rivers that I have never seen before..
BUT... all this has been in the days gone by.... Glories of bygone times....
The last couple of days I was GRIPPED paddling the SFA; more mentally focused and stressed than when I ran Burnt Ranch Gorge or the Giant Gap or the NF Stan....all Class V runs....
I was petrified about flipping due to a lack of confidence in my ability to come right back up. My paddling was all defensive and I relied on a decade of paddling experience to stay on line. I was not paddling "whitewater" but "greenwater". I ran Hospital Bar without getting my face wet by sneaking it on river left. My paddling was DEFINED by my unwillingness to risk being flipped which needless to say made it far more likely that I would flip.
The one time I did flip (in spite of myself), I did roll up. This makes for 5 "combat flips" over the past 3 years and only the second "combat roll", the last one being on the White Salmon back in July 2009.
On the positive side, I did paddle the Chili Bar section solo, got out and scouted Troublemaker (have not seen that rapid in 4 years) and did run it, albeit with poor form after almost talking myself into walking the bugger...
How do I get back my paddling mojo? Is it just time on the water? Is it gone forever? Or am I only 3 consecutive combat rolls from being my old self on the river?
Only time will tell....
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010 Paddling Days
Pool / Lake Days
- Monday, April 19th
- Monday, May 3rd
- Saturday, June 19th
- Saturday, August 14th (SAC)
- Friday, Dec. 3rd (Kirkland)
- Friday, Jan 1: Upper Misahualli (Ecuador) at low water (Class III+/IV-)
- Sarturday, Jan 2: Lower El Chaco Canyon run on the Quijos (Ecuador) at about 1800cfs (low water) (Class III+)
- Saturday, May 8th: Main Snoqualamie - Powerhouse run at ~3000cfs (Class II)
- Sunday, June 27th: MF Snoqualamie - Club run at 1400cfs (Multiple SWIMS) (Class II)
- Saturday, July 3rd: Elwha below the dam ~1800cfs - Class II+ / Class III-
- Friday, August 13th: Coloma to Greenwood ~1400cfs Class II / Class II+
- Saturday, August 14th: Coloma to Greenwood ~1000cfs Class II / Class II+
- Friday, Sept. 10th: SFA - Gorge Run at ~ 1300cfs (One combat roll) (Class III+)
- Saturday, Sept. 11th, SFA - Chili Bar at ~ 1200cfs (Class III+)
- Sunday, October 31st, SFA - Coloma to Greenwood at ~ 1800cfs (Class II+)
- Friday, Dec. 13th, SFA - Coloma to Greenwood at ~ 2800cfs (Class II+)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Paddling in Ecuador
Day 1 (Sunday, Dec 27th) : Paddled the "Lodge Run" on the Quijos. 2+ hours on the water, Class III run with biggish water.
Day 2 (Monday, Dec. 28th): Sat the day out! Too tired and sick, it´s all that getting soaked in the rain in Mindo ...
Day 3 (Tuesday, Dec. 29th): Paddled the Upper Misahualli. 2+ hours on the water, Class III, maybe Class III+ creeking. An easier version of E2P on the SF-Yuba. Fun, but a little low
Day4 (Wednesday, Dec. 30th): Paddled the lower Jondachi. 5+ hours on the water. Class III, maybe Class III+ with a couple of Class IV wanna-be´s. The first half was creeking and the second half, after the confluence with the Hollins was biggish water. Beautiful rain forest paddle. Tedious amount of flat water and Class II wanna-be whitewater. A painful slippery 30 minute hike in. Luckily we had local porters to carry the kayaks. The humiliation is that I swam in the creeking section when I was doing a second run on a rapid with a nice boof. Got flipped and missed my first roll and washed up on the rocks and punched! UGH! UGH! UGH! Will not recommend this run....
Day 5 (Thursday, Dec. 31st): Paddled the best whitewater ever. The Piatua! 6.5 miles of wonderful very very very busy Class IV whitewater. The best comparison is that it is a longer, more continuous, steeper (110ft /mile as opposed to 65ft/mile) version of E2P on the SF-Yuba. Another way of looking at it is that this is a 6.5 mile version of the Upper Kyburz run on the SF-American.
And oh, by the way, after acing all the hard rapids and doing really really well and being happy with myself and my lines all day long, I fucked up on Class III boogie water I was leading on and swam!
Day 6 (Friday, Jan 1st): Paddled the Upper Misahualli again. To make it more interesting, we put in about a mile upstream. However what made it REALLY interesting was that I am badly badly badly hung over! YUCKS! I swear never to drink even a beer near a river again! This time we started about 1-2 miles further upstream. Even thought the water was lower it was still a fantastic Class III+ creeking run....
Day 7 (Saturday, Jan 2nd): Last day of paddling in Ecuador. Paddled the Lower El Chaco canyon on the Quijos down to the confluence with the Oayachi. Class III biggish water. Nice easy finish. I am quite ready to head home and back to the "real world"
Some pictures
Day 2 (Monday, Dec. 28th): Sat the day out! Too tired and sick, it´s all that getting soaked in the rain in Mindo ...
Day 3 (Tuesday, Dec. 29th): Paddled the Upper Misahualli. 2+ hours on the water, Class III, maybe Class III+ creeking. An easier version of E2P on the SF-Yuba. Fun, but a little low
Day4 (Wednesday, Dec. 30th): Paddled the lower Jondachi. 5+ hours on the water. Class III, maybe Class III+ with a couple of Class IV wanna-be´s. The first half was creeking and the second half, after the confluence with the Hollins was biggish water. Beautiful rain forest paddle. Tedious amount of flat water and Class II wanna-be whitewater. A painful slippery 30 minute hike in. Luckily we had local porters to carry the kayaks. The humiliation is that I swam in the creeking section when I was doing a second run on a rapid with a nice boof. Got flipped and missed my first roll and washed up on the rocks and punched! UGH! UGH! UGH! Will not recommend this run....
Day 5 (Thursday, Dec. 31st): Paddled the best whitewater ever. The Piatua! 6.5 miles of wonderful very very very busy Class IV whitewater. The best comparison is that it is a longer, more continuous, steeper (110ft /mile as opposed to 65ft/mile) version of E2P on the SF-Yuba. Another way of looking at it is that this is a 6.5 mile version of the Upper Kyburz run on the SF-American.
And oh, by the way, after acing all the hard rapids and doing really really well and being happy with myself and my lines all day long, I fucked up on Class III boogie water I was leading on and swam!
Day 6 (Friday, Jan 1st): Paddled the Upper Misahualli again. To make it more interesting, we put in about a mile upstream. However what made it REALLY interesting was that I am badly badly badly hung over! YUCKS! I swear never to drink even a beer near a river again! This time we started about 1-2 miles further upstream. Even thought the water was lower it was still a fantastic Class III+ creeking run....
Day 7 (Saturday, Jan 2nd): Last day of paddling in Ecuador. Paddled the Lower El Chaco canyon on the Quijos down to the confluence with the Oayachi. Class III biggish water. Nice easy finish. I am quite ready to head home and back to the "real world"
Some pictures
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wandering about the cloud forests of Mindo
First off, it is confirmed! It is not that I am a old, balding, fat, out-of-shape geezer (well..... maybe old and bald but not the others!) it is that the altitude can take the wind out of anyone!
Yesterday (Friday, Dec. 25th) I took a 7 hour hike thru the cloud forests around Mindo up and over a ridge and down into another river canyon to a bunch of cool water falls (pictures to follow!). I probably covered about 12+ miles and traversed up at least a 1000meters elevation gain, about the same as the killer "hike" along the flanks of Volcan Ruminahui
Unlike then, this time around I was barely tired. The only difference was that Friday´s hike was at less than 1500 meter altitude (unlike the 3800 meter base on the Ruminahui hike!)
Arrived in Mindo day before yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 23rd) by bus. Super convenient! $2.50 for the 2.5 hour bus ride from Quito to Mindo.
Stayed the last couple of nights at the Mindo Garden Lodge about 4 kms outside of Mindo, along the Rio Mindo. Nice place, but I am not likely to stay there again. For $50+ per night I would expect at least running hot water 24 x 7 in the sink and shower not spotty hot water in the shower and none in the sink. The $20 hostal in Quito was "nicer"! Nice and very very helpful manager called Rodrigues and a nice restaurant
Spent the afternoon wandering around the one street that constitutes Mindo and took a zipline tour, a.k.a "Canopy Tour" of the cloud forest. 10 traverses including one that was 700 meters long. Fun!
And oh, it rains all the time in the cloud forest. The last 1/3rd of the hike was in pouring rain and I returned to the lodge sopping wet! The good news was that it was nice, warm, tropical rain!
Yesterday (Friday, Dec. 25th) I took a 7 hour hike thru the cloud forests around Mindo up and over a ridge and down into another river canyon to a bunch of cool water falls (pictures to follow!). I probably covered about 12+ miles and traversed up at least a 1000meters elevation gain, about the same as the killer "hike" along the flanks of Volcan Ruminahui
Unlike then, this time around I was barely tired. The only difference was that Friday´s hike was at less than 1500 meter altitude (unlike the 3800 meter base on the Ruminahui hike!)
Arrived in Mindo day before yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 23rd) by bus. Super convenient! $2.50 for the 2.5 hour bus ride from Quito to Mindo.
Stayed the last couple of nights at the Mindo Garden Lodge about 4 kms outside of Mindo, along the Rio Mindo. Nice place, but I am not likely to stay there again. For $50+ per night I would expect at least running hot water 24 x 7 in the sink and shower not spotty hot water in the shower and none in the sink. The $20 hostal in Quito was "nicer"! Nice and very very helpful manager called Rodrigues and a nice restaurant
Spent the afternoon wandering around the one street that constitutes Mindo and took a zipline tour, a.k.a "Canopy Tour" of the cloud forest. 10 traverses including one that was 700 meters long. Fun!
And oh, it rains all the time in the cloud forest. The last 1/3rd of the hike was in pouring rain and I returned to the lodge sopping wet! The good news was that it was nice, warm, tropical rain!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Day 5: Only a moderate whopping on the Cotopaxi
After the last two days of self inflicted pain and agony, any sane person who have opted for the quick cab ride back to civilization and a 5 hour hot tub soak and tequila.
But, as has been ample established, smart, I am not.
Today (Wednesday, Dec 23rd) I opt to punish myself by hauling my sorry ass up to the edge of the glacier atop "the world's highest active volcano" - Volcan Cotopaxi. At ~5800mts this is Ecuador's 6th highest peak.
Compared to yesterday, today was only painful (as compared to agonizing!)
The parking lot is at ~4300 mts and the Glacier's edge is at ~5000 mts. At least I was smart enough not to attempt a climb to the summit.
Yeah, I know, why am I whining about a mere 700 meters (2300 feet). Beats me, but do try it, not at sea level but starting at 14000 feet! I am humbled and horrible unfit!
The guide said he blitzes to the top of Cotopaxi from the parking lot (4300 mts to 5850mts) in about 2 hours. The typical experience is to spend the night at the refuge (4800mts) and take 4 - 8 hours to summit, starting at midnight to 3AM and reaching the summit as the sun rises. I hate him!
By the way, 5000 meters is SIXTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED feet!!!!!! That is over 3000 feet higher than Mt Whitney, the highest point in the continental US
And I was on snow at the equator! AMAZING!!!
By the way, any idiot who doubts global warming has only to check out Cotopaxi. In the last 30 years, the glacier has receded 200 meters and snow fall (many feet each winter) once common at the overnight refuge (at 4800 meters) is now unheard of.
Pictures will speak louder than words
Well... I am done with climbing! Two days of chilling at a resort in Mindo; west of Quito, lower and warmer than Quito and apparently an equitorial splendor of colors
But, as has been ample established, smart, I am not.
Today (Wednesday, Dec 23rd) I opt to punish myself by hauling my sorry ass up to the edge of the glacier atop "the world's highest active volcano" - Volcan Cotopaxi. At ~5800mts this is Ecuador's 6th highest peak.
Compared to yesterday, today was only painful (as compared to agonizing!)
The parking lot is at ~4300 mts and the Glacier's edge is at ~5000 mts. At least I was smart enough not to attempt a climb to the summit.
Yeah, I know, why am I whining about a mere 700 meters (2300 feet). Beats me, but do try it, not at sea level but starting at 14000 feet! I am humbled and horrible unfit!
The guide said he blitzes to the top of Cotopaxi from the parking lot (4300 mts to 5850mts) in about 2 hours. The typical experience is to spend the night at the refuge (4800mts) and take 4 - 8 hours to summit, starting at midnight to 3AM and reaching the summit as the sun rises. I hate him!
By the way, 5000 meters is SIXTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED feet!!!!!! That is over 3000 feet higher than Mt Whitney, the highest point in the continental US
And I was on snow at the equator! AMAZING!!!
By the way, any idiot who doubts global warming has only to check out Cotopaxi. In the last 30 years, the glacier has receded 200 meters and snow fall (many feet each winter) once common at the overnight refuge (at 4800 meters) is now unheard of.
Pictures will speak louder than words
Well... I am done with climbing! Two days of chilling at a resort in Mindo; west of Quito, lower and warmer than Quito and apparently an equitorial splendor of colors
Day 4: Triple dose of spankings on the Rumiñahui
Some people take heed when ma nature kicks your butt, others are too stoopid to pay attention. It turns out that I belong to the latter category of sorry people!
Today (Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009) I decided to take a "hike" in the Cotopaxi National Reserve. Not a simple loop hike, not something where safety and sanity is, at best, just a few short miles away.
Noooo.... such smart decisions are for people with a higher sense of self preservation. Either my mom dropped me on my head (repeatedly) when I was a baby or I was taking a leak when the big guy upstairs was handing out "smarts"
I venture on what turns out to a 7 hour, 20 km cross country hike up and over multiple ridges, along the flank of Volcan Rumiñahui ending at the Hostel Tambopaxi within the Cotopaxi National Reserve. The total altitude climb was about 1100 meters (3630 feet) and I was so so so dead tired at the end of it that I lay down in the dorm bed at 8PM but could not get to sleep till past midnight!
Seeing the carcass of a dead animal about 4 hours into the hike and just before I crested the last ridge and saw my destination (two more ridges away) did not help my morale.
I mean, this is absolutely the first time I have been too tired to sleep!!! Never ever been this tired!
Pictures of the area that humbled me and then some!
Today (Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009) I decided to take a "hike" in the Cotopaxi National Reserve. Not a simple loop hike, not something where safety and sanity is, at best, just a few short miles away.
Noooo.... such smart decisions are for people with a higher sense of self preservation. Either my mom dropped me on my head (repeatedly) when I was a baby or I was taking a leak when the big guy upstairs was handing out "smarts"
I venture on what turns out to a 7 hour, 20 km cross country hike up and over multiple ridges, along the flank of Volcan Rumiñahui ending at the Hostel Tambopaxi within the Cotopaxi National Reserve. The total altitude climb was about 1100 meters (3630 feet) and I was so so so dead tired at the end of it that I lay down in the dorm bed at 8PM but could not get to sleep till past midnight!
Seeing the carcass of a dead animal about 4 hours into the hike and just before I crested the last ridge and saw my destination (two more ridges away) did not help my morale.
I mean, this is absolutely the first time I have been too tired to sleep!!! Never ever been this tired!
Pictures of the area that humbled me and then some!
Day 3: Serious whopping on the Rucu Pichincha
Today (Monday, Dec 21st, 2009) was the day I was going to quickly "jog" up Rucu Pichincha, the dormant volcano that is in Quito's backyard. After all it's a "simple" hike from ~4100 mts (~13500ft) to ~4700 mts (15510ft). I mean a "mere" 2000ft!!! How hard could THAT be???
At this point, a saner person would have pointed out to himself that 13500 ft is higher than the highest point in the continental US and the top of Half Dome at ~8500ft is 5000 feet below the base of Rucu Pichincha. But then, I am dumb ass who, as a Swede I know says, has a "lowered sense of self-preservation"
One can take the Teleferico, a very slow tram that takes you from Quito up the lower flank of Rucu Pichincha to a height of 4100 meters
Simple put, I got my ass kicked!! I did not make it all the way to the top, passing on the last 150 meter "rock scramble" that makes the Mt. Si haystack scramble look like walk in the park!
I started too late (noon!), took only a camel pack (2 liters) of water and was under dressed with only a light fleece jacket (and no gloves) and I HAD NO FOOD!
Had an headache that lasted 5 hours, thought that my heart was going to explode in a red mess right up there on the flank of this volcano.
Pictures of my ass whopping on Rucu Pichincha
Note to self: Bring netbook next time to work on pictures while on travels
At this point, a saner person would have pointed out to himself that 13500 ft is higher than the highest point in the continental US and the top of Half Dome at ~8500ft is 5000 feet below the base of Rucu Pichincha. But then, I am dumb ass who, as a Swede I know says, has a "lowered sense of self-preservation"
One can take the Teleferico, a very slow tram that takes you from Quito up the lower flank of Rucu Pichincha to a height of 4100 meters
Simple put, I got my ass kicked!! I did not make it all the way to the top, passing on the last 150 meter "rock scramble" that makes the Mt. Si haystack scramble look like walk in the park!
I started too late (noon!), took only a camel pack (2 liters) of water and was under dressed with only a light fleece jacket (and no gloves) and I HAD NO FOOD!
Had an headache that lasted 5 hours, thought that my heart was going to explode in a red mess right up there on the flank of this volcano.
Pictures of my ass whopping on Rucu Pichincha
Note to self: Bring netbook next time to work on pictures while on travels
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Day 2 - Colonial Quito and the Equator
Took in the "old town", i.e "Colonial Quito". Pretty place, but doable in 1/2 a day. Cobblestone streets and 15th / 16th century Spanish architecture with Moorish influences.
After about 3 churches with gory, masochistic imagery of the crucifixtion, I was pretty much done and my appetite destroyed.
The climb up the steps to Parque Itchimbia brought that appetite back. Huffed and puffed up the 1000 ft climb but I think I am getting used to the altitude.
In the afternoon I did a 3 hour trip to La Mitad Del Mundo, the monument at the Equator. Quite the touristy place but well worth doing.
I am south of the equator now and the water still drains just as in North America since they have the same plumbing!
Proud of the fact that I did not do the touristy thing but traveled like a local using public transportation all along. Total transportation cost, including the taxi ride (got lazy) from the bus station was $5.90 of which the cab ride was $5.00. The 22km ride from Del Mundo was only 40 cents.
Tomorrow, I plan on hiking the Pichincha (4680 mts) If I can handle that without keeling over, I can take on the Illinizas (5126 mts) on Tuesday. I really really really want to climb the Cotopaxi (at 5897 mts is the world's highest active volcano) but the 2 day ascent and additional day of acclimatization means that my entire week is blown and I will have to give Mindo a miss which I am not quite willing to do.
Looks like I will likely climb the Illinizas and hike within 900 meters of the Cotopaxi peak. So close and yet so far ....c'est la vie...
Note to self: The Lonely Planet (published 2006) is dated and information accuracy is, IMHO about 60%. Also, The Traveller's Inn aint all that cool a place to be and the guy is either unhelpful or not knowledgable. I think the place to be in the "new town" would be "The Magic Bean", great food, middle of the party and pretty co-eds from all over the world! :-) :-)
Quito Old Town pictures are here
La Mitad del Mundo
After about 3 churches with gory, masochistic imagery of the crucifixtion, I was pretty much done and my appetite destroyed.
The climb up the steps to Parque Itchimbia brought that appetite back. Huffed and puffed up the 1000 ft climb but I think I am getting used to the altitude.
In the afternoon I did a 3 hour trip to La Mitad Del Mundo, the monument at the Equator. Quite the touristy place but well worth doing.
I am south of the equator now and the water still drains just as in North America since they have the same plumbing!
Proud of the fact that I did not do the touristy thing but traveled like a local using public transportation all along. Total transportation cost, including the taxi ride (got lazy) from the bus station was $5.90 of which the cab ride was $5.00. The 22km ride from Del Mundo was only 40 cents.
Tomorrow, I plan on hiking the Pichincha (4680 mts) If I can handle that without keeling over, I can take on the Illinizas (5126 mts) on Tuesday. I really really really want to climb the Cotopaxi (at 5897 mts is the world's highest active volcano) but the 2 day ascent and additional day of acclimatization means that my entire week is blown and I will have to give Mindo a miss which I am not quite willing to do.
Looks like I will likely climb the Illinizas and hike within 900 meters of the Cotopaxi peak. So close and yet so far ....c'est la vie...
Note to self: The Lonely Planet (published 2006) is dated and information accuracy is, IMHO about 60%. Also, The Traveller's Inn aint all that cool a place to be and the guy is either unhelpful or not knowledgable. I think the place to be in the "new town" would be "The Magic Bean", great food, middle of the party and pretty co-eds from all over the world! :-) :-)
Quito Old Town pictures are here
La Mitad del Mundo
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Day 1: Getting to Quito
Just getting to Quito has been an adventure! Door to Door from my downtown condo in Seattle to the Traveller's Inn has been a 38 hour soujourn. Seattle to DFW to Miami and then to Quito. Alas, after a 6+ hour layover in Miami (lousy airport!!) the flight to Quito could not land and was diverted to Guayaquil on the coast.
We were within 1500 feet of touching down when the pilot pulled up and away.....
I got lucky and was put up at a nice 4 point Sheraton but it was 3AM when I hit the sack. Others on the fligh were less lucky. Some got put up in a "OK" Hampton's Inn and it was past 4AM when they turned in.
The good news is that since I had nowhere to be and nothing to do, this too was an enjoyable adventure. Made for GREAT people watching
There was the stereotypical loud brash American family with the aging, bald (but with a pony tail) southern CA man who ran around complaining about the diversion and lack of attention from all of American Airlines 3 people in Guayaquil. The captain and co-pilot could not have been nicer!
Then there was the middle aged fit single woman was complained incessantly about everything and complained loudly.
Let's not forget the cute, flirty college junior on a trip to the Galapagos with her family who did not even know she was being flirty. In the immortal words of one Smokey Pittman, "Baby serpants, as yet unaware of their potency"
The absolutely gorgeous tall woman clearly of russian / slavic roots with this shorter bald guy ...
The couple with the most adorable 2 year old, so much like my own niece Deeksha and the other couple with a hyper 3 year old boy who too was a great sport in the midst of super long delays. In fact these two provided great entertainment while struck on the ground at Guayaquil for over 2 hours.
It was all good....
Lunch was at this place that served "hindu food" :-) I had a naan stuffed with vegetables and a Saag Paneer that did not have Paneer and was not made from Saag, but hey! it was better than Indian food in Seattle! Just had to do it!
Mariscal is the "New Town" and the center of the Quito nightlife. I am going to hit the sack and take in the "old town" tomorrow and straddle the center of the earth.
By the way, now that I have been to Guayaquil, I have officially been to the southern hemisphere! Woooo hooooo.....
We were within 1500 feet of touching down when the pilot pulled up and away.....
I got lucky and was put up at a nice 4 point Sheraton but it was 3AM when I hit the sack. Others on the fligh were less lucky. Some got put up in a "OK" Hampton's Inn and it was past 4AM when they turned in.
The good news is that since I had nowhere to be and nothing to do, this too was an enjoyable adventure. Made for GREAT people watching
There was the stereotypical loud brash American family with the aging, bald (but with a pony tail) southern CA man who ran around complaining about the diversion and lack of attention from all of American Airlines 3 people in Guayaquil. The captain and co-pilot could not have been nicer!
Then there was the middle aged fit single woman was complained incessantly about everything and complained loudly.
Let's not forget the cute, flirty college junior on a trip to the Galapagos with her family who did not even know she was being flirty. In the immortal words of one Smokey Pittman, "Baby serpants, as yet unaware of their potency"
The absolutely gorgeous tall woman clearly of russian / slavic roots with this shorter bald guy ...
The couple with the most adorable 2 year old, so much like my own niece Deeksha and the other couple with a hyper 3 year old boy who too was a great sport in the midst of super long delays. In fact these two provided great entertainment while struck on the ground at Guayaquil for over 2 hours.
It was all good....
Lunch was at this place that served "hindu food" :-) I had a naan stuffed with vegetables and a Saag Paneer that did not have Paneer and was not made from Saag, but hey! it was better than Indian food in Seattle! Just had to do it!
Mariscal is the "New Town" and the center of the Quito nightlife. I am going to hit the sack and take in the "old town" tomorrow and straddle the center of the earth.
By the way, now that I have been to Guayaquil, I have officially been to the southern hemisphere! Woooo hooooo.....
Monday, August 24, 2009
Kayaking and Fear
I have been reading and re-reading Doug Ammon's Whitewater Philosophy and have been particularly enjoying his three part essay on Fear in Kayaking.
I only wish I had read that essay back in 1998 when I first started kayaking. This could have helped me avoid having to understand and learn to control fear all from first principles.
I particularly enjoyed his sections on the physiology and psychology of fear and finally about controlling fear. The section about how one goes about controlling fear seems like an elaboration of philosophy of a warrior athlete which I first heard articulated by my buddy Smokey Pittman.
The very first time I got into a hard shell kayak was back in 1997 in a 2 days class with Smokey. Within 3 minutes of getting in to the kayak, before I had even learned about a wet exit, I managed to go upside down in about 2 feet of water in the pool at Camp Lotus. It took me, what seemed like an eternity to get that darned spray skirt off and tumble out clucking like a wet chicken.
I could not make that darned kayak go in a straight line if my life depended on it. This whole business of left stroke turns the boat right was bizarre. On the second day of the class I gave up and got into an inflatable and could at least paddle down a Class II- section and kinda sorta "enjoy" it.
By the next year, I had spend time in a sit-on-top kayak in a lake learning to make it go in a straight line and finally got into a Dancer-XT.
My first time down the river (Friday, July 24th 1998) was on the South Fork of the American from Coloma to Camp Lotus. I was miserable! I swam five times in the first 1.5 miles. What this meant is that I flipped at each eddy line and at every wave and out of the boat I came. I was all ready to get off the river, burn my kayak right then and there and call it good. An older woman, whose name I don't remember, who was getting back into kayaking after a 10 year hiatus, "talked me down" the rest of the river; about 1.5 miles.
I was exhausted and disgusted. I did not have fun and I felt humiliated that I sucked so bad.
As a matter of principle, I decided that I could not be that bad at anything and that I needed to get good enough to paddle the Class II Coloma to Lotus section of the south fork of the american river before quitting. I called Smokey Pittman and signed up for a couple of weekends of private one-on-one instructions.
Over those two weekends, I suddenly "got it" and was making my way down the river and lo and behold! I was "kinda sorta" enjoying it
I decided that I needed to know how to roll, just 'cause. Again this was an amazing pain in the butt. Took me 8 sessions in the pool to get my roll and I eventually taught myself (the first and only failure for Pat, the guy who is now my paddling partner and tried unsuccessfully to teach me how to roll) to roll using a paddle float.
Over the rest of the summer of 1998, I paddled a lot on the Coloma to Greenwood section of the South Fork of the American river and got very comfortable. Heck, I was even pulling off combat rolls consistently. As such, I was at that point when per plan, I should have quit. But I was having sooooo much fun.
Smokey agreed to take me down the Class III SF American "GORGE" (Brrrrr...) on Sunday, September 6th 1998. The night before I was so psyched that I hardly slept. I was mentally so frayed thinking about "running the gorge" that I swam twice in the Class II section. The day ended at 7:30PM when Smokey and I were the last to get off the river. I had swam 7 times in the gorge (not counting the two Class II swims); pretty much every single rapid (apart from the ones I walked)
I wanted to have nothing to do with this stupid sport. It sucked! But I could not quit while I was sooooooo down. I decided that I just had to get good enough to confidently paddle the gorge and then I'd quit. Hmmm... was I not down this path before.
In the spring of 1999 (Saturday April 3rd, 1999), I paddled the gorge again with Smokey. This time, I swam only twice. The river was still a mysterious beast and my only goal was to survive. Eddies were a foreign concept.
Then on Saturday, June 19th 1990, Pat, my soon to be paddling buddy & partner took me down the gorge for my first no swim, no flip run. We eddy hopped our way down and I was hooked.
Luckily for me, as I transitioned from occasionally kayaking while mostly swimming alongside my kayak to occasionally swimming while mostly kayaking, I did not have a repeat of my seven swim adventure on Class IV or Class V whitewater. I had many more "mis-adventures" on rivers but none have been as terrifying as that first day on the gorge back on September 6th 1998. Never since have I felt so lost and scared on a river. The fear I felt that day was intense and debilitating.
Along this painful path, I realized the path to progressing up the difficulty ladder, why I wanted to do and what I was not willing to do.
In the beginning, it was purely a matter of ego. *I* could not be that bad at anything and *I* could not quit when I was "down". Over the next couple of years, the reason I kayaked became more personal. It was the only activity that allowed me to focus on purely on the present. It was where I had to face my mental demons and learn to control and manage my fear. It was a metaphor for life itself.
The break through was on Saturday, April 3rd 1999 when Pat took me down the gorge and broke it down for me. I was very very scared when I entered the gorge (given that I had a total of 10 swims in that 4 mile section over 2 runs) but I was whopping and hollering with joy and relief by the time I got to Hospital Bar, the last Class III rapid. I had not even flipped and it was not because I was lucky but because I had attained a semblance of control in that chaos.
One of these days, I intend to write that book title, "Everything I needed to learn in life, I learned kayaking", till then these random rambling ruminations will have to do.
I only wish I had read that essay back in 1998 when I first started kayaking. This could have helped me avoid having to understand and learn to control fear all from first principles.
I particularly enjoyed his sections on the physiology and psychology of fear and finally about controlling fear. The section about how one goes about controlling fear seems like an elaboration of philosophy of a warrior athlete which I first heard articulated by my buddy Smokey Pittman.
The very first time I got into a hard shell kayak was back in 1997 in a 2 days class with Smokey. Within 3 minutes of getting in to the kayak, before I had even learned about a wet exit, I managed to go upside down in about 2 feet of water in the pool at Camp Lotus. It took me, what seemed like an eternity to get that darned spray skirt off and tumble out clucking like a wet chicken.
I could not make that darned kayak go in a straight line if my life depended on it. This whole business of left stroke turns the boat right was bizarre. On the second day of the class I gave up and got into an inflatable and could at least paddle down a Class II- section and kinda sorta "enjoy" it.
By the next year, I had spend time in a sit-on-top kayak in a lake learning to make it go in a straight line and finally got into a Dancer-XT.
My first time down the river (Friday, July 24th 1998) was on the South Fork of the American from Coloma to Camp Lotus. I was miserable! I swam five times in the first 1.5 miles. What this meant is that I flipped at each eddy line and at every wave and out of the boat I came. I was all ready to get off the river, burn my kayak right then and there and call it good. An older woman, whose name I don't remember, who was getting back into kayaking after a 10 year hiatus, "talked me down" the rest of the river; about 1.5 miles.
I was exhausted and disgusted. I did not have fun and I felt humiliated that I sucked so bad.
As a matter of principle, I decided that I could not be that bad at anything and that I needed to get good enough to paddle the Class II Coloma to Lotus section of the south fork of the american river before quitting. I called Smokey Pittman and signed up for a couple of weekends of private one-on-one instructions.
Over those two weekends, I suddenly "got it" and was making my way down the river and lo and behold! I was "kinda sorta" enjoying it
I decided that I needed to know how to roll, just 'cause. Again this was an amazing pain in the butt. Took me 8 sessions in the pool to get my roll and I eventually taught myself (the first and only failure for Pat, the guy who is now my paddling partner and tried unsuccessfully to teach me how to roll) to roll using a paddle float.
Over the rest of the summer of 1998, I paddled a lot on the Coloma to Greenwood section of the South Fork of the American river and got very comfortable. Heck, I was even pulling off combat rolls consistently. As such, I was at that point when per plan, I should have quit. But I was having sooooo much fun.
Smokey agreed to take me down the Class III SF American "GORGE" (Brrrrr...) on Sunday, September 6th 1998. The night before I was so psyched that I hardly slept. I was mentally so frayed thinking about "running the gorge" that I swam twice in the Class II section. The day ended at 7:30PM when Smokey and I were the last to get off the river. I had swam 7 times in the gorge (not counting the two Class II swims); pretty much every single rapid (apart from the ones I walked)
I wanted to have nothing to do with this stupid sport. It sucked! But I could not quit while I was sooooooo down. I decided that I just had to get good enough to confidently paddle the gorge and then I'd quit. Hmmm... was I not down this path before.
In the spring of 1999 (Saturday April 3rd, 1999), I paddled the gorge again with Smokey. This time, I swam only twice. The river was still a mysterious beast and my only goal was to survive. Eddies were a foreign concept.
Then on Saturday, June 19th 1990, Pat, my soon to be paddling buddy & partner took me down the gorge for my first no swim, no flip run. We eddy hopped our way down and I was hooked.
Luckily for me, as I transitioned from occasionally kayaking while mostly swimming alongside my kayak to occasionally swimming while mostly kayaking, I did not have a repeat of my seven swim adventure on Class IV or Class V whitewater. I had many more "mis-adventures" on rivers but none have been as terrifying as that first day on the gorge back on September 6th 1998. Never since have I felt so lost and scared on a river. The fear I felt that day was intense and debilitating.
Along this painful path, I realized the path to progressing up the difficulty ladder, why I wanted to do and what I was not willing to do.
In the beginning, it was purely a matter of ego. *I* could not be that bad at anything and *I* could not quit when I was "down". Over the next couple of years, the reason I kayaked became more personal. It was the only activity that allowed me to focus on purely on the present. It was where I had to face my mental demons and learn to control and manage my fear. It was a metaphor for life itself.
The break through was on Saturday, April 3rd 1999 when Pat took me down the gorge and broke it down for me. I was very very scared when I entered the gorge (given that I had a total of 10 swims in that 4 mile section over 2 runs) but I was whopping and hollering with joy and relief by the time I got to Hospital Bar, the last Class III rapid. I had not even flipped and it was not because I was lucky but because I had attained a semblance of control in that chaos.
One of these days, I intend to write that book title, "Everything I needed to learn in life, I learned kayaking", till then these random rambling ruminations will have to do.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Another magical day on the "T"
The main tuolumne has to be my absolute favorite run. In my opinion it is the perfect Class IV training ground at summer flows of ~1300cfs. Many many Class IV rapids, a couple of Class IV+ rapids (Sunderland's chute and Clavey Falls) and no shortage of Class V moves, should one feel up to it. And all of this in a wilderness setting.
18 miles on heaven on earth....
I have also run it (commercial raft trip) as high as 14000cfs in July 1998. At these flows, the river is a big water Class V monster where the consequences of a swim is likely death by flush drowning. I was on the river exactly a week after an OARS guide died after his raft flipped at the monster hole at the top of Greys. That was the last commercila rafting trip I ever did...
What I love about this river is that the whitewater comes to you. There are no blind corners, no places where the river "disappears". As you enter the rapid, it all unfolds beautifully
Excellent for learning to read and run. The river is long enough and the rapids numerous enough that unless you run it a lot, you cant possible remember the lines.
My first time down (back in August 2000), it was just Pat and I (just like yesterday - Saturday, August 22) and he had no clue what the rapids were or what the lines were. Needless to say, I was "gripped" following him down. I walked Clavey but the most memorable moment was when in the middle of some Class IV rapid (probably Steamboat) in the lower section, we eddyed out in the middle on river left. Turns out we were right above, what at that time, seemed like a hole from hell. He looks at me and says, "Uhmmmm .... we are on the wrong side of the river. You need to make this ferry out to the right. Follow me" and then he takes off. To poor ole me, that looked like a death ferry but watchya gonna do? I took a deep breathe pulled out with my heart going at about 200mph and made the move....
From my first time, I seem to recall that the section from the putin to below Clavey Falls was a blur of whitewater. At that time it sure was since this was the most continuous stretch of whitewater I had run.
Esp. yesterday it was obvious that the top five miles, while they have some great rapids are nowhere near continous. But back in 2000, I would have been LOST in that stuff.
Yesterday was a good day, I'd rate it a "B". Why a "B"? First off, my physical fitness has reduced in the last 6 weeks and I was tired by the end of the day. Not good. Second, I did not make my "Plan A" line on three rapids: Sunderland's chute, Clavey Falls and Grey's grindstone. That's the three hardest rapid. The only saving grace was that I made my "Plan B" lines and did not get taken down (aka flipped) all day long.
Gotta say again, that shuttle is killer and I am happy to pay the $160 to get someone else to drive the vehicle from the put-in to the takeout...
18 miles on heaven on earth....
I have also run it (commercial raft trip) as high as 14000cfs in July 1998. At these flows, the river is a big water Class V monster where the consequences of a swim is likely death by flush drowning. I was on the river exactly a week after an OARS guide died after his raft flipped at the monster hole at the top of Greys. That was the last commercila rafting trip I ever did...
What I love about this river is that the whitewater comes to you. There are no blind corners, no places where the river "disappears". As you enter the rapid, it all unfolds beautifully
Excellent for learning to read and run. The river is long enough and the rapids numerous enough that unless you run it a lot, you cant possible remember the lines.
My first time down (back in August 2000), it was just Pat and I (just like yesterday - Saturday, August 22) and he had no clue what the rapids were or what the lines were. Needless to say, I was "gripped" following him down. I walked Clavey but the most memorable moment was when in the middle of some Class IV rapid (probably Steamboat) in the lower section, we eddyed out in the middle on river left. Turns out we were right above, what at that time, seemed like a hole from hell. He looks at me and says, "Uhmmmm .... we are on the wrong side of the river. You need to make this ferry out to the right. Follow me" and then he takes off. To poor ole me, that looked like a death ferry but watchya gonna do? I took a deep breathe pulled out with my heart going at about 200mph and made the move....
From my first time, I seem to recall that the section from the putin to below Clavey Falls was a blur of whitewater. At that time it sure was since this was the most continuous stretch of whitewater I had run.
Esp. yesterday it was obvious that the top five miles, while they have some great rapids are nowhere near continous. But back in 2000, I would have been LOST in that stuff.
Yesterday was a good day, I'd rate it a "B". Why a "B"? First off, my physical fitness has reduced in the last 6 weeks and I was tired by the end of the day. Not good. Second, I did not make my "Plan A" line on three rapids: Sunderland's chute, Clavey Falls and Grey's grindstone. That's the three hardest rapid. The only saving grace was that I made my "Plan B" lines and did not get taken down (aka flipped) all day long.
Gotta say again, that shuttle is killer and I am happy to pay the $160 to get someone else to drive the vehicle from the put-in to the takeout...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
An Ode to San Francisco
Siiiiiggghhhhh.... After spending last weekend in San Francisco, I was reminded again as to how much I miss the SF Bay area and how San Francisco is one of the top 5 cities in the entire world.
The other four, in my books would be New York City, London, Hong Kong and Bombay.
Of all these, San Francisco is without any doubt the First Amongst Equals.
Recently Outdoor Magazine came out with their Top Ten Cities. San Francisco did not make the cut due to it being way too expensive and Seattle was #2 with Cincinnati being #9.
I stepped out of my Union Square hotel on Saturday morning at 10AM. It was glorious. Bright blue skies, clear ocean breeze, not too warm and not too cold, just perfect!
Walking 10 blocks to my cousin's place in SOMA, I overheard 8 languages (English, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, German, French, Russian, Spanish and Mexican :-) ) I encountered 5 different races / ethnicities; Cauasians, South East Asian, Far East Asian, Hispanic and African (as opposed to African American). Yes, most of these are tourists, but where else in the US (except NYC) do people visit from all over the world???
As I walked past Powell Station at Powell & Market, I was saw two amazingly athletic, lean and muscular clean shaven sweating black men (Africans, not African Americans) performing on the street. It was captivating, energetic and almost erotic. What really created cognitive dissonance in me was that 10 feet away, an evangelist preached the coming end of the world. Both, a world apart in ideology and yet in relative harmony.....
Sure, California is right now pretty close to "bankrupt", but then if the US could not print money, the nation would also be officially "bankrupt"
Sure, California has a 9%+ sales tax on top of a 9% state income tax, but it is still the center of the universe :-) :-)
Later on Saturday evening I did dinner at this "funky" place on Fillmore called Dosa. What can I say.... it was a Californian place. Crazy south indian inspired fusion cooking that incorporated meat and sea food. The place had a fantastic full bar with the most exotic cocktails...
Oh... for a place like this in Seattle....... Hmmmm.... Maybe there's a business idea...
What used to be true of only NYC & London, the adage that "Even the ugly people are beautiful" now applies to San Francisco...
And the women.... ahhhh... the pretty smiling and friendly women....
I sure do miss the place......C'est La vie...
The other four, in my books would be New York City, London, Hong Kong and Bombay.
Of all these, San Francisco is without any doubt the First Amongst Equals.
Recently Outdoor Magazine came out with their Top Ten Cities. San Francisco did not make the cut due to it being way too expensive and Seattle was #2 with Cincinnati being #9.
I stepped out of my Union Square hotel on Saturday morning at 10AM. It was glorious. Bright blue skies, clear ocean breeze, not too warm and not too cold, just perfect!
Walking 10 blocks to my cousin's place in SOMA, I overheard 8 languages (English, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, German, French, Russian, Spanish and Mexican :-) ) I encountered 5 different races / ethnicities; Cauasians, South East Asian, Far East Asian, Hispanic and African (as opposed to African American). Yes, most of these are tourists, but where else in the US (except NYC) do people visit from all over the world???
As I walked past Powell Station at Powell & Market, I was saw two amazingly athletic, lean and muscular clean shaven sweating black men (Africans, not African Americans) performing on the street. It was captivating, energetic and almost erotic. What really created cognitive dissonance in me was that 10 feet away, an evangelist preached the coming end of the world. Both, a world apart in ideology and yet in relative harmony.....
Sure, California is right now pretty close to "bankrupt", but then if the US could not print money, the nation would also be officially "bankrupt"
Sure, California has a 9%+ sales tax on top of a 9% state income tax, but it is still the center of the universe :-) :-)
Later on Saturday evening I did dinner at this "funky" place on Fillmore called Dosa. What can I say.... it was a Californian place. Crazy south indian inspired fusion cooking that incorporated meat and sea food. The place had a fantastic full bar with the most exotic cocktails...
Oh... for a place like this in Seattle....... Hmmmm.... Maybe there's a business idea...
What used to be true of only NYC & London, the adage that "Even the ugly people are beautiful" now applies to San Francisco...
And the women.... ahhhh... the pretty smiling and friendly women....
I sure do miss the place......C'est La vie...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
An exciting Friday
Sometime on Friday (it was a rare slow day at work!) I landed up on Doug Ammon's website and signed up to be notified when his new book on the Grand Canyon of the Stikine is released.
I spent the rest of the day exchanging emails with a living legend. It was SO COOL that I felt like a gushing giggling school girl...
Very down-to-earth. I am tickled and it made my day, nay, week.....
And then on Sunday I went out paddling on the Sky. I was supposed to paddle with a few others. When I got to the Big Eddy take, there were a couple of guys (don't even know if they were paddling with us but they seemed to know the one person I knew in the group I was supposed to be paddling with). A random comment from one to the other was enough to turn me off and saw me quit that group and choose to paddle solo.
I put in above Boulder Drop, did a few laps on Boulder Drop, paddled down to Split Rock and ran back to my truck. The run back was the scariest!
I paddle to leave an "alpha attitude" behind and even an hint of that attitude in the group I am considering paddling with, makes me quit then and there. Being on the river is about as spiritual as I get and anything that messes with that is, to me, like pissing in a temple or church
This is not the first time and it will not be the last time either. The last time, I drove away from the Sierra City (NF Yuba) put-in after not liking the group I was supposed to paddle with and instead soloed the Goodyear Bar section further downstream.
Pat now knows that there are certain people, who if included results in my mysteriously need to walk my non-existent cat!
Paddling the Sky solo was still a lot of fun. Boulder Drop, even at 800cfs remains a significant Class IV rapid, it's now about 5 back-to-back Class III technical drops that will scare the hell out of a Class III paddler but allow a Class IV paddler to work various lines. It is beautiful
I spent the rest of the day exchanging emails with a living legend. It was SO COOL that I felt like a gushing giggling school girl...
Very down-to-earth. I am tickled and it made my day, nay, week.....
And then on Sunday I went out paddling on the Sky. I was supposed to paddle with a few others. When I got to the Big Eddy take, there were a couple of guys (don't even know if they were paddling with us but they seemed to know the one person I knew in the group I was supposed to be paddling with). A random comment from one to the other was enough to turn me off and saw me quit that group and choose to paddle solo.
I put in above Boulder Drop, did a few laps on Boulder Drop, paddled down to Split Rock and ran back to my truck. The run back was the scariest!
I paddle to leave an "alpha attitude" behind and even an hint of that attitude in the group I am considering paddling with, makes me quit then and there. Being on the river is about as spiritual as I get and anything that messes with that is, to me, like pissing in a temple or church
This is not the first time and it will not be the last time either. The last time, I drove away from the Sierra City (NF Yuba) put-in after not liking the group I was supposed to paddle with and instead soloed the Goodyear Bar section further downstream.
Pat now knows that there are certain people, who if included results in my mysteriously need to walk my non-existent cat!
Paddling the Sky solo was still a lot of fun. Boulder Drop, even at 800cfs remains a significant Class IV rapid, it's now about 5 back-to-back Class III technical drops that will scare the hell out of a Class III paddler but allow a Class IV paddler to work various lines. It is beautiful
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Yet another day on the Sky
I paddled the Sky again (at about 1900cfs) last Sunday (July 19th). This was the first time I actually joined in on a trip posted on professorpaddle.
Met a couple of cool paddlers, esp. a east coaster; Jon who's a pretty darned good paddler.
Maybe I can paddle the Bend section of the NF Nooksack and if that goes well, I might have me a paddling partner for the Tumwater canyon.
I then paddled the Sky yet again on Saturday, July 25th at 1500cfs all the way down to Big Eddy
Irene was pretty excited abut her first no flip, no swim run of Boulder Drop. We scouted the bottom section from the airplane turn eddy
Jon was there on his second run of the day in a creeker with hand paddles
Entertainment was a Ohio boy (Stephen) who has a self-taught roll that is bizzare and has him dropping his paddle while he hand rolls. H I L A R I O U S! He's a good sport too
Plan on paddling this again tomorrow
Paddled the sky again on Sunday. The entertainment today was a commercial raft that shed people upstream of the picket fence, including their guide. One guy swam thru the Needle and the guide swam to shore. The raft with three very very scared passengers surfed the hole for 2 minutes, came free and they almost made Airplane turn but got hung up on the rocks downstream of the airplane turn eddy.
Myself and another paddler (JP) paddled over to the airplane turn eddy and pulled their raft off the rocks and into the eddy as another guide came up to help them finish the run
First time since 2005 (Antelope Creek) that I have had to actually use my rope. Woo Hoo!
Nice entertainment!
Looks like Boulder Drop is entertainment central. Two days of LMAO on the run ...
Good times....
Met a couple of cool paddlers, esp. a east coaster; Jon who's a pretty darned good paddler.
Maybe I can paddle the Bend section of the NF Nooksack and if that goes well, I might have me a paddling partner for the Tumwater canyon.
I then paddled the Sky yet again on Saturday, July 25th at 1500cfs all the way down to Big Eddy
Irene was pretty excited abut her first no flip, no swim run of Boulder Drop. We scouted the bottom section from the airplane turn eddy
Jon was there on his second run of the day in a creeker with hand paddles
Entertainment was a Ohio boy (Stephen) who has a self-taught roll that is bizzare and has him dropping his paddle while he hand rolls. H I L A R I O U S! He's a good sport too
Plan on paddling this again tomorrow
Paddled the sky again on Sunday. The entertainment today was a commercial raft that shed people upstream of the picket fence, including their guide. One guy swam thru the Needle and the guide swam to shore. The raft with three very very scared passengers surfed the hole for 2 minutes, came free and they almost made Airplane turn but got hung up on the rocks downstream of the airplane turn eddy.
Myself and another paddler (JP) paddled over to the airplane turn eddy and pulled their raft off the rocks and into the eddy as another guide came up to help them finish the run
First time since 2005 (Antelope Creek) that I have had to actually use my rope. Woo Hoo!
Nice entertainment!
Looks like Boulder Drop is entertainment central. Two days of LMAO on the run ...
Good times....
Day 8 - Sky
Wrapped up the paddling vacation on Saturday, July 11th with a quick run on the Sky from Cable Crossing all the way down to Big Eddy.
The gauge said we had 2500cfs. It's either been a really long time since I was on 2500cfs (and it has!) or the gauge is still reading too low.
Walked Boulder Drop and let Pat sole it.
That's the conclusion of 9 days paddling vacation of which we actually paddled 6 days.
The gauge said we had 2500cfs. It's either been a really long time since I was on 2500cfs (and it has!) or the gauge is still reading too low.
Walked Boulder Drop and let Pat sole it.
That's the conclusion of 9 days paddling vacation of which we actually paddled 6 days.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Day 7 - Sauk
River Section: Sauk
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 161
Flow: ~ 3600cfs at Sauk (~50% of this on the river)
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 42 fpm
Put-in: Whitechuck River
Take-out: Darrington Bridge
Date: July 10th, 2009
We wanted to run Suiattle River (a tributary of the Sauk) but were thwarted by the fact the road to the put-in has been washed out for over 3 years. This looks like a spectacularly beautiful river that must be run at some point in time, once the road is repaired and restored.
The fall back option was to run the Sauk from whitechuck river to Darrington. The gauge at Sauk read about 3600cfs and per the guide book this meant we had about 1800cfs on our run.
The section from Whitechuck river confluence to Clear Creek is Class III - Class IV. Even at these "low flows" this section had 3 good Class III+ rapids that would be more significant at higher flows.
Below Clear Creek, the river peters out to become a slow Class II float.
In the future, I'd take out at the Clear Creek bridge on the mountain loop hwy. This results in a easy bikable 6 mile shuttle and about 4-5 miles on the river.
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 161
Flow: ~ 3600cfs at Sauk (~50% of this on the river)
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 42 fpm
Put-in: Whitechuck River
Take-out: Darrington Bridge
Date: July 10th, 2009
We wanted to run Suiattle River (a tributary of the Sauk) but were thwarted by the fact the road to the put-in has been washed out for over 3 years. This looks like a spectacularly beautiful river that must be run at some point in time, once the road is repaired and restored.
The fall back option was to run the Sauk from whitechuck river to Darrington. The gauge at Sauk read about 3600cfs and per the guide book this meant we had about 1800cfs on our run.
The section from Whitechuck river confluence to Clear Creek is Class III - Class IV. Even at these "low flows" this section had 3 good Class III+ rapids that would be more significant at higher flows.
Below Clear Creek, the river peters out to become a slow Class II float.
In the future, I'd take out at the Clear Creek bridge on the mountain loop hwy. This results in a easy bikable 6 mile shuttle and about 4-5 miles on the river.
Day 6 - NF Nooksack
River Section: NF Nookisack
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 146
Flow: ~ 750 cfs
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 53 fpm
Put-in: Douglas Fir Campground
Take-out: Just past Mile 29 marker
Date: July 9th, 2009
First off, this is a long long way from civilization (aka Seattle). The take out's described in the guide book work but we took out just downstream of mile marker 29 where there is a dull yellow gate that blocks a side road. One of the braids of the river is about 150 yards down the road
The put-in is at the Douglas Fir Campground and the shuttle is a 6+ mile easy bike shuttle
The section from the put-in to Glacier Creek is the so called Canyon section and is straight Class III. Beyond Glacier creek the river is Class II.
This is a continuous gradient river and the Class II section is still a lot of fun, even at ~750cfs.
The quicker takeout is at Glacier Creek
After the run we carefully scouted the Class IV+ section above Douglas Fir campground.
Apart from SAT, the rest are runnable. SAT seems like a Class IV+ to V- rapid, even at ~750cfs
We got lucky and watched a few Bellingham locals (including a body board surfer) run this section and got home at 1:30AM after a waffles dinner at the local Denny's.
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 146
Flow: ~ 750 cfs
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 53 fpm
Put-in: Douglas Fir Campground
Take-out: Just past Mile 29 marker
Date: July 9th, 2009
First off, this is a long long way from civilization (aka Seattle). The take out's described in the guide book work but we took out just downstream of mile marker 29 where there is a dull yellow gate that blocks a side road. One of the braids of the river is about 150 yards down the road
The put-in is at the Douglas Fir Campground and the shuttle is a 6+ mile easy bike shuttle
The section from the put-in to Glacier Creek is the so called Canyon section and is straight Class III. Beyond Glacier creek the river is Class II.
This is a continuous gradient river and the Class II section is still a lot of fun, even at ~750cfs.
The quicker takeout is at Glacier Creek
After the run we carefully scouted the Class IV+ section above Douglas Fir campground.
Apart from SAT, the rest are runnable. SAT seems like a Class IV+ to V- rapid, even at ~750cfs
We got lucky and watched a few Bellingham locals (including a body board surfer) run this section and got home at 1:30AM after a waffles dinner at the local Denny's.
Day 5 - Stopped by traffic
We were supposed to go back and paddle the White Salmon again.
Alas, traffic and the Oregon Highway Patrol though otherwise.
For some bizzare reason I-84 was closed for over 30 miles and as a result, the road on the WA side of the columbia river was jammed
We bailed, scouted the Toutle (again, worth a once a year paddle, probably enroute to the White Salmon) and got back into Seattle
Alas, traffic and the Oregon Highway Patrol though otherwise.
For some bizzare reason I-84 was closed for over 30 miles and as a result, the road on the WA side of the columbia river was jammed
We bailed, scouted the Toutle (again, worth a once a year paddle, probably enroute to the White Salmon) and got back into Seattle
Day 4 - The White Salmon
River Section: White Salmon
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 29
Flow: ~ 870 cfs at Northwestern Lake gauge (90% of this on the river)
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 45 fpm
Put-in: Anywhere below BZ Falls
Take-out: Northwestern Lake
Date: July 7th, 2009
This run ROCKS! The section from below BZ Falls to Husum Falls is a fantastic transitional Class III to Class IV run. Once can put it anywhere below BZ Falls (depending on how long a carry one is inclined to do) including a 12 foot seal launch right below the BZ Falls. Another option is to take the upper putin to the top of Maytag, the Class IV starter rapid. We put in at the base of Maytag and at the start of Tophole, a Class III rapid
Husum intimidated Pat and I enough for us to pass on it this time around. Koushik ran it in his playboat and proved that one needs neither skill nor the ability to hold a line to survive this rapid.
The real hidden gem and pleasure find was the section below Husum Falls to the Northwestern Lake. This is the best Class II+ - Class III- transitional run I have ever paddled, bar none. It's got everything one would want. If one can make all the moves on this run, one is a solid Class III paddler. It's better than the Colomo-to-Greenwood section of the SF-American, it's even better than the Moke. Amazing stuff!
The absolute highlight was, after the day's paddling when we were checking out BZ Falls and saw a TN paddler run it.
Guide Book: Jeff & Tonya Bennet, Page 29
Flow: ~ 870 cfs at Northwestern Lake gauge (90% of this on the river)
Rating: Class III - IV
Gradient: 45 fpm
Put-in: Anywhere below BZ Falls
Take-out: Northwestern Lake
Date: July 7th, 2009
This run ROCKS! The section from below BZ Falls to Husum Falls is a fantastic transitional Class III to Class IV run. Once can put it anywhere below BZ Falls (depending on how long a carry one is inclined to do) including a 12 foot seal launch right below the BZ Falls. Another option is to take the upper putin to the top of Maytag, the Class IV starter rapid. We put in at the base of Maytag and at the start of Tophole, a Class III rapid
Husum intimidated Pat and I enough for us to pass on it this time around. Koushik ran it in his playboat and proved that one needs neither skill nor the ability to hold a line to survive this rapid.
The real hidden gem and pleasure find was the section below Husum Falls to the Northwestern Lake. This is the best Class II+ - Class III- transitional run I have ever paddled, bar none. It's got everything one would want. If one can make all the moves on this run, one is a solid Class III paddler. It's better than the Colomo-to-Greenwood section of the SF-American, it's even better than the Moke. Amazing stuff!
The absolute highlight was, after the day's paddling when we were checking out BZ Falls and saw a TN paddler run it.
Day 3 - Scouting the Cispus
The idea was to get my bike repaired and boat the Cispus River (FR 23 to FR 28 bridge - Page 81 in Jeff & Tonya Bennet's guide book)
What I did not figure was the Randle is a long ways away. By the time we got to the takeout it was past 3PM. Faced with a 10 mile paddle followed up a harder than I like 12 mile uphill bike shuttle, we bailed.
The river looks invitingly beautiful. Given the distance from Seattle, this is, at best a once a year run.
Instead we chose to scout the upper run's (Adam's Fork campground to FR 23 bridge) waterfalls.
Wicked cool and a total Class V / V+ undertaking
What I did not figure was the Randle is a long ways away. By the time we got to the takeout it was past 3PM. Faced with a 10 mile paddle followed up a harder than I like 12 mile uphill bike shuttle, we bailed.
The river looks invitingly beautiful. Given the distance from Seattle, this is, at best a once a year run.
Instead we chose to scout the upper run's (Adam's Fork campground to FR 23 bridge) waterfalls.
Wicked cool and a total Class V / V+ undertaking
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Day 2 - The middle middle
Paddled the middle section of the middle fork of the snoqualmie again
A bit less water than yesterday. The gauge read about 900 cfs and that left about right
Still a lot of fun. I think that this run is a sweet run between 900 cfs and 1800 cfs
Spent the afternoon checking out Deception Creek Falls, Alpine Falls and Eagle Falls along the South Fork of the Skykomish and it's tributaries.
We've decided that guide books be dammed, Boulder Drop on the main Sky at 4000cfs is a full on Class V rapid. Either that or drops like Jaws and Number 2 on the Burnt Ranch Gorge run of the Trinity, Locomotive Falls and Nutcracker and Dominator on the Giant Gap section of the NF of the American are not Class V. Having run all these drops, they sure dont feel like Class IV or even Class IV+
A bit less water than yesterday. The gauge read about 900 cfs and that left about right
Still a lot of fun. I think that this run is a sweet run between 900 cfs and 1800 cfs
Spent the afternoon checking out Deception Creek Falls, Alpine Falls and Eagle Falls along the South Fork of the Skykomish and it's tributaries.
We've decided that guide books be dammed, Boulder Drop on the main Sky at 4000cfs is a full on Class V rapid. Either that or drops like Jaws and Number 2 on the Burnt Ranch Gorge run of the Trinity, Locomotive Falls and Nutcracker and Dominator on the Giant Gap section of the NF of the American are not Class V. Having run all these drops, they sure dont feel like Class IV or even Class IV+
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Day 1 - A low flow paddle on the "middle middle"
Started off out 9 day paddling soiree with a "warm up" run on the 'middle middle", a.k.a the Middle section of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualamie.
Per all indications it was low side of low at 950cfs. In practice it was GREAT.
Rocky and a bit bony in spots but a lot of fun play water. The Class IV drop - House Rock was still Class IV, technical and interesting with multiple lines but not intimidatingly scary
Plan on doing it again tomorrow
Per all indications it was low side of low at 950cfs. In practice it was GREAT.
Rocky and a bit bony in spots but a lot of fun play water. The Class IV drop - House Rock was still Class IV, technical and interesting with multiple lines but not intimidatingly scary
Plan on doing it again tomorrow
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