The Beaverator Kid: Canyon Creek

Showing posts with label Canyon Creek. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The year so far...

10:26 PM | Posted by Eric |

Straight to the point: The last few months have been busy and exciting.

While a variety of easier Class 3-4 rivers made up the first month or two, in March I found myself once again at the lip of Celestial Falls. It's about as clean as any 45 foot waterfall can be, and Harrison made a second lap look super appealing.

The next day I rallied ahead of the racers at the Upper Wind Festival with Benny Small to get a couple shots. The Upper Wind is a great class 4+ race course with continuous waves, holes, and rocks to dodge. We posted up just below Ram's Horn, one of the steepest rapids on the run, although definitely not the hardest.

Dropping into the meat

Kim Becker charging hard to stay ahead of the Nicole Mansfield/Katrina Van Wijk Duo

The lead-in to Ram's Horn, note the gnar gash on Paddler #1!

As much fun as paddling is, it doesn't pay the bills. So I spent the majority of my time working at the Portland Aquarium.

That is an octopus arm.

Lurking hard...

Meanwhile, my car was breaking down. Time to find a new grand investment. And by that I mean a car that won't breakdown within a year for under about a grand. As always, the internet provided, and I got hooked up with this sweet rig!

Mazda B2000 Pickup, better known as Maria. It was at this moment I fell in love...

A photo mission out to the coast the first night I got her seemed like the perfect test. Besides a brief interruption of my sleep by a very friendly police officer ("No camping in city limits...but you can drive a mile that way and nobody will give you problems") and an apparently murderous forest, the mission was a great success.

Now if you look carefully, you might see an issue. The bottom photo was taken about 30 minutes after the one to the left.

As it turns out, I still don't have an answer as to whether a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it does or does not make a noise. I do, however, know that a tree falling in the forest will obliterate a trail whether there's anyone around to hear it or not.

Also, trees are really big.

After dodging that (wooden) bullet, Harrison Rea called me about running Punchbowl Falls on Eagle Creek. It's one of the most visually appealing waterfalls I've ever seen, so that answer was a no-brainer. There were 2 other questions that required a bit more contemplation: How to get out of work on Easter Sunday, and whether or not I'd run Metlako, the 80+ foot spout shortly below Punchbowl.

A slow day at the Aquarium and some begging answered the first question, but I was still unsure about the second. I had done it once before, but only with people who could offer some guidance and safety. The mental pressure had me pretty maxed out without even considering running a 35 footer just before. I decided to decide at the overlook, after getting an idea of how much water would be in the creek, and to decide again after seeing how Punchbowl worked out.

Harrison had a sweet line, but busted his face a bit.
Dan Phillips Photo

I thought I was having a sweet line, but got rotated and busted my shoulder a little (more than I thought)
Dan Phillips Photo

Unwilling to take another hit to his face, Harrison opted out of Metlako, despite perfect flows. I was left with a tough choice, but opted to paddle down into the quiet gorge alone. Harrison and Dan would be unable to do anything to help except run down trail in the fading light and call for a rescue, but I was confident I would nail the line.

Dropping Metlako for the second time.
Harrison Rea Photo

And with a couple hand strokes midway down, I did just that. It was a great feeling to paddle over such a huge horizon again, and an even better feeling to find my paddle wedged at the lip of the portage rapid just downstream.

Unfortunately, the hit I took at punchbowl had done far more damage to my left shoulder than I had thought. I spent the next day in a sling, and the next 3 weeks trying to recover in time for the Northwest Creeking Competition. (<-- By Eric Adsit, hey, I know that guy!) I also published Issue 5 of The Dirtbag's Guide to Whitewater.

When I finally got back in a boat, things felt good. Really good.

To the left, John Edwards on Sunset Falls

To the right, Benny Small planting a solid one on Champagne

Everything went as smoothly as I could have asked. 3 laps down the East Fork, a rowdy night amongst new friends, and a solid lap down Canyon Creek at a great flow had me stoked on boating and boating culture. Since then, I've been taking as many photos as possible on the familiar runs.

Nate Merrel taking headed into Swizzle Sticks

John Edwards on Big Kahuna

Tony on the same

Stacked action for Gus Kilgore and Eli Nicholson on Champagne/Hammering Spot

The 'Illusive' Gnarsper on the same

When I can't paddle, I've been going on some stout hikes with Mike "I'm serious, it's an ass-kicker" Braun, who likes trails that go up and down a lot.

and down

For hazy vistas and really tasty peanut butter honey burritos...

To top it all off, I bought a camera. A real one! To celebrate I'm starting the classic Project 365. A photo a day, every day for a year. Probably easiest to follow along here.

Labels: 2013, Canyon Creek, Celestial Falls, Eagle Creek, East Fork Lewis, Hiking, Kayaking, Metlako, Northwest Creeking Comp, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, punchbowl falls, Washington, Whitewater |

1 comments

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Bigger things to come...

3:02 PM | Posted by Eric |

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I've been pretty busy ghostwriting, instructing, and yard working for the last little bit. So instead of writing silly blogposts and assembling magazines about kayaking in my free time, I've actually been kayaking. It's a tough world, man...

Especially in places like this...
Sahalie Falls, McKenzie River, OR
Sam Drevo Photo

The last few months have been a blur of new friends, new rivers, and a lot of work. It's been very rewarding, but not without its fair share of frustrations. It's hard to teach intro classes on Class II when the gnar is running. It's also hard to constantly be surrounded by elite paddlers that think nothing of multiple laps on the Little White Salmon (LDUB) and multi-day first descents. It sorta puts you in your place and makes you feel like maybe you're not as cool as you think you are...

Those feelings are enhanced when you find yourself in situations like this...
Canyon Creek, WA

But feelings like that, when handled correctly, can inspire growth. They set the standards just a little higher. And when you make friends with a similar drive, great things can be accomplished.
This:

Kate Daniel gettin' stylie on the Lower Clack

Becomes this:

Kate, equally stylie in downtown Portland on a SUPer moon adventure

With the right people, those challenges that seem so frustrating become something to laugh about.

Like a waterfall that you just aren't nailing the boof on like you want to.

Or taking those blind strokes off the lip for your first time
(Gus is killing it, btw)

So I made the most of my time on the mellow rivers. I taught, learned to teach, and just learned more about kayaking. We created EDDY, SUPed, and watched the pros race down Canyon Creek.

Harrison Rea about to boof the rainbow...
Canyon Creek, WA

Of all of the above, EDDY has been the most influential in my skill development. "Beaverator Kid, please bestow upon me the wisdom of this great and powerful creation," you say. And truly, the information is too important to be kept a secret.

EDDY is a game. A game not unlike HORSE or PIG as played in basketball, but applied to the river, and, specifically catching eddies.

EDDY
Suitable for 2+ players, ages 0-160+
Objective: Create a line through a rapid that ends in an eddy that is difficult or impossible for the other player(s) to repeat. For each line missed, paddlers progressively receive the letters E-D-D-Y. Players alternate turns creating lines. End the game with as few letters as possible.

The Rules:

The player creating the line must broadcast his/her intentions. If they don't hit the line they said they would, they get a letter.
The following player must catch the same eddies and use the same features as the creator, unless otherwise specified. If they do not succeed, they get a letter and must catch the next eddy possible.
Players may not return to an eddy previously used, unless it is part of the specified line.
Surfing waves, holes, hitting boofs, and cross bow strokes qualify as part of "the line" created.
If a horizon prevents a significant line from being created, the creator may create half of their line and commit to the second half after the follower(s) have caught the staging eddy.
Rules are meant to be broken. Adapt this game to the river and your needs, but stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the challenges set.

So there you have it, young grasshopper, the game of eddy, and the key to me surviving this:

The LDUB aka The Little White Salmon aka The GNAR

The Little White Salmon pretty much deserves every bit of its reputation. It's a nonstop tumult of whitewater pouring down the side of a mountain, with crystal clear water, and some of the best rapids in the world. It is difficult.

This is about as mellow as it ever gets.

There are a lot of places you don't want to be.

Like here...
a little far right on Boulder Sluice.

or here...
a little coser to the meat of Wishbone than I had hoped.

There are some really big holes and a handful of pretty stout drops.

like the sweet boof at the top of S-Turn

It is incredibly gorgeous.

A pretty classic move in Gettin' Busy...
ride the pillow, take a boof, repeat. Whitewater as far as the eye can see...

All the challenges and small frustrations were washed away as I drifted in the twilit flatwater at the end of the Little White. Truly it seemed that though "nothing was different, everything had changed." My perceived lack of progress was really only a product of my ever raising standards set by the elite paddlers around me. The feelings of stagnation were indicative of expansive growth. And for that, I have my great friends to thank.

The next few weeks are sure to hold more growth with bigger things to come. Until then, here are some of my favorite shots from my time out here so far.