Video of The Wrap Up here!
(I still expect you to read the post though)

Although it didn't yield my biggest drops to date, 2011 was indeed the year of the stout...

While some paddlers in more mild regions or with the means to travel abroad enjoy an endless kayaking "season," I yield to the grip of the harsh northeastern rivers, at least, for a time...

I made my paddling debut this year in the Delaware Water Gap, an area with a concentration of big, runnable drops that rivals anywhere else I've ever heard of. It was March 5th, and surprisingly warm, though the walls of Raymondskill Creek still held large icicles. And here lies highlights 1 & 2...

Highlight 1: I got a drysuit for Christmas the year before, and it was my first opportunity to use it...

for paddling.

Highlight 2: Paddling this as my first rapid of the year...

After an evening spent harassing the Cobb family and eating their pizza, Dylan and I headed to Harveys Creek. The pouring rain through the night brought flood conditions and cold temperatures as we pulled up to the put-in to meet Elliot. Rain turned to snow as we dropped over the first rapid, and Dylan mentioned that the water was a bit high.

As we paddled down to the lower put in, Mark Zakutansky and his group confirmed that water was higher than most people had ever seen it. Check out DJ Scott's video here!

Highlight 3: Not swimming, and finishing Harvey's when only 3 of 8 did. Also the fact that my second day was spent on ridonkulously high water.

Rain turned to snow throughout the day, and nearly a foot of snow the next morning prevented further paddling excursions in the PA area, so I headed home to relax for a few days before we were struck by more rain. Enter Highlight 4...

 Running The Lowville Trifecta, 3 different waterfalls on 2 branches of Mill Creek.

All 3 had been on my list for a while, and I can only confirm that the last one featured in the film had been run before. With an auspicious start to the season, I returned to Vermont for several river trips on runs both familiar and unfamiliar.

Highlights 5 and 6: My first lap down Ridley Brook with renowned guidebook author and C1-er Alden Bird, later joined by several other VT mischief makers, and a trip down Devils Washboul, discovered by Dave Packie, and a true gem of a creek!

Less than a week later, I found myself paddling in NH. Pond Brook and S. Branch of the Baker filled the day, a worthy endeavor. After having my first strainer experience (mild, yet frightening) on Pond Brook, I nearly boat scouted myself into Cannibal Falls. Which is a shame, because without knowing there's a huge ledge at the bottom, the it would be one of the most fun rapids in the North East. 

Of course, knowing my limits and being more confident in my abilities would dissipate the importance of that ledge quite a bit. Proof I still have a reason to kayak...

Highlight 7: The Big Branch and the spectacular Clarendon Gorge (both in VT) in April both provided incredible memories that will take a long time to fade. The Big Branch also marked the steepest river to date at over 350 fpm, with no vertical drops over 10 feet. I'm proud to say I ran everything but Cave Drop...

Highlight 8: My now annual trip to The Forks in Maine resulted in consuming fresh rabbit meat, enjoying the freebie playboat I got days before (Thanks Dave!!!), and running the Kennebec gorge at just over 15,000 cfs.

Highlight 9: Rafting the Bottom Moose, leading UVMers down Mill Creek, and the week and a half of near nonstop paddling that followed including many descents of the Indy, a few of Otter Creek, and my personal first descent of the Oswegatchie. Check out Scott Martin's Blog for some more shots...

That week and a half in May yielded the highest concentration of class IV+ boating I have experienced... It was AWESOME! A few days later I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed. They dry socketed, causing some intense pain. The day before I drove across the country with my dad we had them packed to heal. I then performed "minor oral surgery" in various motel rooms across the country for the next week. Enter lowlight #1...

Lowlight 1: Dry sockets suck, but Ohio, Iowa and 3/4 of South Dakota suck a lot worse. Fortunately, a 28 hour push minimized the dull and the drab.

Fortunately, Highlight 10 negated Lowlight 1.

Highlight 10: An evening hosted by Doug and Robin Ammons, an evening hosted by the Jirasko family, and the slow realization that I was living in Portland, OR for the summer.

Highlight 11: Working for Sam Drevo of eNRG Kayaking, a great instructor and better friend! The entire crew at eNRG are some of the best friends I have made, and they did a great job showing me around some of the classic rivers of the Pacific Northwest. The Lower Wind, Wenatchee, Fall-In-The-Wall, and Skykomish were all incredible rivers with amazing scenery. Learning to surf, SUP, and all the incredible people I met along the way are subhighlights as well.

When I got back, I missed SUP so much I tried it on my sister's kayak...

Highlight 12: A no portage personal first descent of the Green Truss confirmed my belief that I'm a solid class IV boater that sometimes paddles class V, a fact I'm quite content with. For those with the skills, this river is without a doubt a must run.

Highlight 13: A trip to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, where I got to meet some of the top athletes in several sports and won/was given a TON of awesome gear (and stickers!!).

Unfortunately, my time answering phones and reciting the history of Willamette Falls had to come to an end. But not before a sweet bungee jumping excursion, made possible through Drevo's endless connections... definitely a mini highlight. Then followed another lowlight....

Lowlight 2: Driving across the country...again. After the necessary stop to visit the Jiraskos once again, we drove 33 hours from Montana to Ohio.

Lowlight 3: Attending community college. I backstepped from a university setting to what felt like the 13th grade. 'Nuff said.

Lowlight 4: While my pals from UVM were enjoying the Beaver River releases, especially the Moshier section, which release only 4 hours per year, I was left hobbling around the riverbank with a Staph infection. Despite multiple visits to the doctor, I still ended up hospitalized wondering if I'd get to keep my leg.

Danny doing it left

Did I mention I love when Taylor screws up

After a lengthy recovery process, I joined Scott Martin for a Gauleyfest trip. We kicked it off on the Upper Yough with Drevo at 2.7 feet and met up with with Will "C-money" Crimmins of Yakima fame.

Highlight 14: Not having to sleep outside the first night. It was freezing. Also picking up my first ever brand new boat, a Liquidlogic Stomper 90. On the Upper section the next day, I didn't want to even set it on the rocks, but boofing that thing was just too much fun. The Stomper is an incredible design for sure!

Highlight 15: Working with AW and several members of the VT paddling community on my birthday weekend to perform a Flow Study on the Green River. Check out the original writeup here!

Highwater Moosefest was bittersweet, and though very fun, just misses the standard for a highlight as I lost a borrowed GoPro mounted on my bow.

Lowlight 5: Losing a GoPro, and having to fight Danny about what constitutes a "swim." Personally, I like to think of it as a skirt implosion to aquatic boat retrieval. It also dented my Stomper :(

Finally hitting the regular section of Roaring Brook does count as a highlight though...

This drop isn't easy to get to, but it's pretty fun.... Mike Mainer Photo

Highlight 16: Roaring Brook is awesome. The UVM crew rallied to paddle since the Moose was scary high and Brokeback Gorge was also too high (plus very woody), so we made the day a double header. I led them down Roaring Brook, though it was also my first time down, and then we headed to Otter Creek. Mini-highlight: Running the Eagle's Talons in the topoduo with Ben Schott!

Highlight 17: The Blizzard of OS

Highlight 18: Taking my father on his first whitewater kayaking trip on the Middle Moose, and managing not to lose any gear in the process, despite a swim in the lead in to House Rock.

My next foray on the Moose resulted in a broken paddle, but fortunately Uncle Jim was prepared with a  breakdown. Fortunately, a replacement is in the works, and even better, it's an upgrade! A trip to PA to explore some steep creeks in the Rock Run area with Scott Martin followed, and then later a visit from Dylan Cobb that resulted in some fun exploring and another personal first descent near my home.

As the temperatures finally started dropping, boating became scarce. Despite this, I still made it out on Christmas day, resulting in highlight 19.

Highlight 19: Soloing the Independence on christmas. It was low flow, but still a great way to get out and celebrate.

And finally, Highlight 20: Producing and editing an online magazine, "The Dirtbag's Guide to Whitewater", and not doing a terrible job!


The wrap-up:

It was an incredible year, filled with great friends, new and old. I wrote a novel, produced a magazine, and paddled a lot. By paddling a lot, I mean more than ever before...
Stats:
River sections and trips: 92
River miles: 230+ (not counting numerous lower clack trips)
Gradient loss: 12,500 + (incomplete records)
10 of 12 months paddled
31 Personal First Descents
2 Probable First Descents
2 flood runs
and a hell of a lot of fun!

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone that made this year great!
Especially you, dear reader, your comments and continued support is downright inspiring!