I need support right now. Maybe our resident New Age boater will drop some Watery Wackiness into this discussion, and save it from broken record low common denominator mediocrity, which is where we managed to drag it.

C'mon Bret!
Tell 'em all (except Dave, James, and Slick-they already have their established preferential flow-modes, guys I'm not trying to influence you you got your own charcs going strong already) something inspirational about climbing into a 8' long plastic broomstick, skirt'n up, and casting spells with both paddle blades of the magic wand. Taming that water dragon and riding its back with its complete permission and cooperation, Laughing With the Water Nymph style.

Or Perhaps an essay from BIGWATER on BIGWATER? He can relate his experiences of cartwheeling intentionally into the Dragon's Jaws to get tumbled and tickled by the Dragon's toungue. On the edge of scary at times, but when the Dragon spits ya out, he smiles at ya w/ love. That's a universal experience that any boater can relate too, but an experience enhanced and hieghtened by hieghtened water levels if you are in the right zone.

I'm talkin bout some Mr. Mojo Risin sh*t: Break On Through To The Other Side. It can be done on any class of whitewater. But more water helps to lubricate the passage required to get there. It's a physical thing. A vibrational frequency.

I like casual floats, too. But that's not what I'm talkin bout on this thread. That's another thread.

Edited by jP - 27 Feb 2012 at 8:28pm

Since the very first post of the thread had you calling me out, (which I'm glad you did) I felt like chiming in post run. Since I had not boated in 3 weeks I felt pretty stoked just to be on the water with my friends. I chimed in the way I did because it seemed like you were getting agro on dave because he disagreed with you, Talking about cappin out early and never progressing past low water etc... Just seemed like you were taking the fun out of it, so I thought I would try an put it back in. I won't post again in yer thread big Pizzle!

JP, I can appreciate your enthusiam for seeing others and encouraging others to step up and go big.  That is a pretty common theme among us kayakers... the desire to progress and be seen as progressing.  But we must be careful not to sugges that lack of progression is akin to driftwood, and I know that was not your intent... but it somehow came across that way in a nuanced fashion, at least thats what I kinda read into it.  Also, I don't think you can call the Green at 5k class IV plus or even V minus.  Lets not get lost in a veterans mindset and perspective.  Bigwater is BIGWATER as I am sure Bigwater can tell you.  AND there are class V boaters who have been taken down simply because it is BIGWATER.  So it seems a little odd to read your sandbagging the Green for more company... though I regret saying it like this cause I know thats not what you were doing.  Maybe its just best to keep some of the off river enthusiasm with Beers at the takeout, but then this forum wouldn't be half as fun, so keep on ranting cause it makes a few of us laugh! I should say that you, my friend are underappreciated for your committment to seeing the paddling community thrive and flurish.  So keep on motivating yourself and others to follow the way of the paddle fu. 

I feel JP's enthusiam. Sorry I'm comin' in late, Pizzle. I think what JP is trying to say is that stepping it up is a mindset. And what he's doggin' on 'driftwood' for is that he knows the thing that debilitates paddlers is paddling the same run at the same flow EVERY time... for example. We want paddlers to challenge themselves, because that's what we want for ourselves. We want to experience ALL the river has to offer because it is our individual path, not for every paddler, but mine and JP's to be specific.

We see the potential to ride the dragon's scales and hang on, gracefully. And truth be told, it ain't all about the flood. For me it's about a lot of things, but mostly it's about fun and unique new experiences. Tshletshy opened up a whole new world for me, as another example. Class V is a great meditative tool for me, it shuts off my mind and causes me to focus on what is going on right in front of my eyes. Hiking for 2 days with a 90 pound boat on my back was also "mind-numbing", but for different reasons. Sometimes just being in a new place calms the inner 'tribe'. I suppose, if one were extrapolate on that concept, JP, one could say that.. if a paddler hasn't been in the boat or really even thought much about the boat for, say, 6 weeks, then the MM @ 1200 is a world of magic. The drone of the 50-60 hour work week can be mind-blowing in a bad way and the Green at 450 on a sunny day is pure glee. I totally see that. When I had the construction company I remember months of working 80-90 BILLABLE hours a week. WORKED. Billable hours. The only boat time I had was 1 pool session a week. Wed night from 9-10:30 and I would always show up 45 minutes early so I could get dressed and ready in case people in the previous session got out a few minutes early. And I would do like 2000 cartwheels and loops by the end of that hour and a half. It was pure bliss. It was my only (self imposed) option. I had different motivations then. I was stepping up my life at that time, boating not so much.

And sorry to blaze off topic, this is the Big Clean Green, right. I am with JP. I've always encouraged my students and fellow boaters alike to challenge yourself, try something new or follow someone down an unfamiliar line. I also back JP and follow his lead that smack talk online is just that. Lord knows, it's what Professor Paddle IS FOUNDED ON!!! Shall I divulge Hugo's alter ego and really throw this thread into a meltdown? Squirting into 5 pages of melting down. Eardrums would pop for sure. However... when we're on the river, you and I, I don't give bad beta. I don't bait people. I lead down good lines and if anything I give TOO MUCH beta. I OVER-emphasize the hazards because it's just as scary for me to see someone swim some stuff, especially on the Green. I don't want to see anyone swim. Not really. I may joke about it, but truthfully I want everyone to be stoked on their runs. That's really why I started the blog and why I started teaching. I want people to have just as good a time as I do. I LOVE paddling. I just want to share the

So when JP says "step it up" he wants us to feel accomplished, even if that means running House Rocks your first time. I used to be terrified of that rapid. I didn't paddle the MM for a long time because of it. And honestly, I feel like I am so extremely lucky to paddle the things I do. Half the time I can't believe I can do it and that just adds to my own personal stoke. That's another reason I love sharing it. Because... I honestly feel that if I can do it, ANYONE can. And I'll show you how, just come paddle.

And the other point Slick and Professor Pappa are making is that we ALL can't get out EVERY time the river is the level we want, so the enjoyment comes from a different place. I hear that, too.

I know this kinda extreme flyfisherman who likes to go into places with a rod, where people probably haven't been with a rod before. Places like 'the dark place'. He paddles "class FUN". And I think that's the best way to put it. Anyway, I'm gonna go think about paddling. Love you boys. kisses