Big Clean Green, Sunday!!
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11712
Printed Date: 28 Apr 2024 at 9:58pm
Topic: Big Clean Green, Sunday!!
Posted By: jP
Subject: Big Clean Green, Sunday!!
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2012 at 9:03pm
|
Ok I just made up my mind: I am DEFINITELY running the Green tomorrow. C'mon, James!! Come out kayaking for once. Its so close by and flows will be deluxe!
Who else is in and what time should we meet at Pair'o Dice? ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Replies:
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2012 at 9:12pm
|
Last I checked it was 5,900 and dropping. Who knows how this rain will effect it. Its raining a decent amount in Auburn right now, but that doesn't necessarily reflect what's dumping into HH. So who knows? Higher or lower or the same I know it'll be good.
Those who would be on the fence, I could underdtand if it remains above 5,000. But then you may want to consider sunday. 4,000 and lower is beginning to resemble normal flows a lot more. I'll run it all weekend if it stays above 3,000. I'd be happy to put down some reliable lines for PPeeps who want to step up to the plate yet still have someone to follow. This is a good opportunity for people who want to stretch out into bigger water and expand their range. It's very wide open. The last two days I barely got my head wet. There are definitely some big holes to avoid, but as Fish says you have a "country mile" to skirt around them. True, you sorta got to run the gaunlet at The Nozzle, but nothing a little precise boat handling and some forward momentum can't take care of. No real wood hazards except the right side of Stano Rock in Let's Make A Deal. Easier to stay left anyway. Silky Smooth like a Triple Grande Americano with creme on top 
Just quality big water boat'n! ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2012 at 9:34pm
im in 
how about 11 ?
|
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2012 at 9:57pm
|
Saturday:
11am @ Paradise!!! ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 24 Feb 2012 at 11:53pm
|
5800 @ midnight ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 4:12pm
|
just read this JP , sorry bud... was super busy this weekend getting some stuff put together for the baby on the way. I can get out tomorrow afternoon, say 11:00 or so? |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 6:19pm
|
Dude! C'mon out!!
Sunday: 11am @ Paradise!!! Thursday: 7,500 > 7,200 Friday: 6,500 > 6,000 Saturday: 5,000 > 4,500 Sunday: ? ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 8:00pm
|
man i had a blast today .. thx for the run guys ..... i love the Green with water in it !!!
im not sure what the local Tilton crew is doing on Sun yet ... but if the Tilton is under 2k and the green is over 3k i think i may head to the Green again
ill have to make the call in the morning
|
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 8:10pm
Sounds good. I might be a tad late maybe round 11:15 but I will call you earlier in the morning too be sure.  |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 8:14pm
|
Sounds great! Tell you what- I'll be there at 11 chilling. In no hurry. If 11:15 or 11:30 works better I can hang out till then no prob. If people would rather push it back to noon (might give the Olympia crew more driving time if they cruise up) just let me know before 10:00. I may do some early trail maint. And once I drop into the Paradise Parking zone I no longer get cel coverage. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 7:36am
|
im not gona make it up to the Green today .... the Tilton crew twisted my arm so ill be heading south for a mello afternoon Tilton run have fun on the Green ! hopefully i can catch it with water once more this season |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 7:51am
|
Ok, great boat'n w/ ya yesterday, chris! Glad you made it up this way- we had BIGWATER ON THE BIGWATER
So the only thing now is, who wants to rally today? Looks like I'm going to need to hear from.anyone and everyone interested. I need to get some feedback from anyone who wants to join me. Sooner than later so I know what's up. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 7:58am
|
Because I was hoping to assemble a Class IV+ strike force. My bicycle is in the shop so solo option is out. I can connect with some rafts it sounds like. Franz has a crew meeting at Headworks at 9am but they gotta rig/run shuttle. I could always shoe horn onto their trip, and run all the way to Flamin G. I guess I'm hoping to hear from people by 9am now.
Its 4100 or so right now, and should be slightly below 4,000 by noon. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 8:03am
|
Headz up: BIG FAT LOG (Large Dia.) Broached on Stano Rock in center of "Let's Make A Deal". W/ the water dropping it should be manageable on the Left, maybe even duckable in rafts (high enough off water). But it will poke into your psychological space when you see it. Kayaks should have no problem getting/ staying left, there's even a sneak route far against the left wall that was clean yesterday that made avoiding it easy. Hopefully it didn't shift, a possibility. Stay LEFT until you assess. Sticks out into both channels. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 10:02am
|
Final update: Nutty P and an Old School Kung Fu Master are meeting me and another solid PPeeps at Noon. Paradise.
I'm gonna swing up to headworks n say hi to my inflatable friends then be at Paradise early w/ the bowsaw doin trail maint. Come rally of you want some sweet Class IV/IV+ Push! ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 8:28pm
|
Well today wrapped up one of the best 4 day blocks of boating I had in a long time, all in the Exquisite Upper Green Gorge with great flows all weekend!
Stoked to see everyone who sampled the goods all weekend at various flows- on the trips I was on as well as other parties. Thurs: 7,500 Fri: 6,500 Sat: 5,000 Sun: 4,000 Except for today those were all first time flows for me. Running it at each water level each consequetive day gave me a very thorough understanding of how the run changes in difficulty and where the trouble spots are. I must confirm what some of the other boaters who are familiar w/ these higher flows have said: 5,000-6,500 is roughly the "Bad Hair" zone. More difficult than 7,500 at least. For very specific reasons. Today at 4,000 and dropping it resembled "normal water levels", but it was still quite big and class IV+ pretty much the whole way. The Nozzle wanted fresh meat today. It didn't get any from our group though! 
I'm stoked that so many PPeeps rallied throughout the weekend. It was just way too much quality water for just a few boats to indulge in! A few of us even took the Echanting "Secret Paradise Passage"!!! You got to find that line for yourself though or follow someone. It's only in at flows above 3800. Maybe 3,500 and above is too much water for some boaters to feel at home, but, then again maybe some of those PPeeps have Monday off. Last I saw it was 2800 dropping fast. Tomorrow will still be a nice casual medium flow, I bet. If I didn't have to work I'd go back again. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 8:35pm
|
I'm finishing the weekend with a much deeper understanding of why the Green is considered such a classic. It ain't because of those 900-1400 flows.
2,000+. You can't go wrong. 2,000-8,000 captures the true gestalt of that gorge. I feel it in the water beneath my boat. All those rocks in there at the lower flows are just un necessary clutter. That said, there were a few incidents this weekend. Not on any of my trips, but some yardsales did occur in the Nozzle/ Let's Make A Deal vicinity!  ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: mokelumnekid
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 8:59pm
| Sure be nice to get a full wood report all the way to FG after this last big flush, prob won't have another of that volume this year? |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 9:14pm
|
You may be right. Probably the last big flush till late fall. Ask Franz. He Cat boated all the way to Flamin G. I bet it's all cleaned up, though. 8,000 is the kind of flow that sends stuff downstream all the way. And the slow reduction over 5 days only helps this. If it spiked high and dropped out quicker like natural streams wood could potentially get hung up before making it all the way out to the valley, but I'd bet it'll be squeaky clean.
I gotta say I regret not running the Lower all weekend. Not once. Next time its high I'd like to do Headworks to the Yo Yo take out. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: dave
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 9:47pm
|
I have to completely disagree with you about flows on the Green. It is a spectacar run at lower flows around 1,000 - 2,000 cfs. It is pretty and fun and much less dangerous at lower flows. I will be getting on it around Thursday if the flows hold out and see if any wood is in there at lower flows.
You know, not everyone kayaks for the rush, some of us senior and weathered kayakers just like the exercise, scenery, and water. It is unfortunate when people make unsaviory comments about low water flows like that John. It may discurage others from enjoying the low flows or temp those not prepared for what can happen in there if you have problems at higher flows. ------------- Nomad |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 5:38am
|
Originally posted by dave
You know, not everyone kayaks for the rush, some of us senior and weathered kayakers just like the exercise, scenery, and water. Well, you know dave, I'm glad you brought this up because that statement actually perfectly describes where I'm at. I don't really kayak for the rush. I am senior and weathered (though yes I've been paddling whitewater for three decades). I'm really mostly paddling for the exercise, scenery, and water. I don't need an adventure. I just want to kayak. Yeah, 3,000 is starting to be burly in there, requiring STRONG ASSERTIVE PADDLING. But 2,000-3,000 really is a very sweet zone that flows rather harmoniously. 2,000-3,000 in the upper gorge is actually very accessible to any paddler with a few avid seasons under their belt, a solid roll, and someone supportive to show them lines, give them beta, and generally look out for them. It is very doable. To each their own, it's true. But Dave, what you forget, my friend, is that for every person who wants to cap out early in their paddling career and never progress beyond low water, rocky class III, there are at least ten paddlers who want to move past that stage to loftier ambitions. Many of these aspiring paddlers get into these transient class IV-ish limbo zones where they maybe run Boulder Drop or whatever, but don't yet have the confidence to venture into the realm of big pushy water full time. Some aspire to one day run class V, some just want to be more solid on the IV. But sometimes Washington class IV has some burly aspects to it. Whitewater is unpredictable by nature, so comfort on pushy water is the best way to innoculate one's self against this inherent fact. SO. Where do they find their intermediary steps? How do these boaters gain a truly solid foothold on the Class IV riverscape so they can confidently import their skills to Washington's varied Class IV runs? Dave, people post on Professor Paddle all the time with questions like "what should I do where should I go if I want to 'step it up'". Well, 2,000-3,000 in the Upper Green Gorge is a great place to start. Its pretty forgiving if you have solid fundementals. Nick and I took a (very solid) first year boater down the Upper Gorge at 3,600 or whatever it was last fall. He did fine, and brought his best "A game" but he also had really good trip leaders. It makes a huge difference. The thing is, if you never ever paddle any rivers with water in them, of course you're never going to feel comfortable on rivers with water in them besides the Wenatchee. But you can inner tube the Wenatchee. But, take a step back and look at this objectively for a moment. Paddling on nothing but lubricated rocks every weekend can become sort of a hydro-phobic mindset. Does that not seem the slightest bit ironic when discussing a sport that takes place on moving water? Dave, you took offense, and maybe I did bait you a little. Its true I do that sometimes. But my intent is not to mislead anyone into oblivion, nor is it to "lord my skill and experience" above others to make them feel inferior. While I may occasionally be percieved as doing that online, anyone who's spent quality time on the river w/ me knows I won't lead them into oblivion with my beta or my actions, and that I'm generally supportive. More supportive than most paddlers of any stripe, in fact. A big part of what I'm doing with these posts in the wake of these water levels is sharing my highly qualified observations because there is a doorway to a fabulous world that many paddlers never step into. That's fine if you are content to remain in the world of the Muggles. But for those who want to become more intimate w/ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, to boot up a random metaphor, well, these posts of mine are meant as an invitation into this magical world. The Green at 4,000 can be a great range for intermediate paddlers who want to solidify their class IV skills. Only one person took me up on it all weekend, but that paddler absolutely shined. In this case the flow was a perfect match for what that paddler was looking for as far as being personally challenged, yet legitimately qualified to be there. It's called calculated risk. Most paddlers like to play in that fuzzy grey zone, if they wish to progress. That zone is different for everyone, and can shift. There is a fantastic world awaiting them on the other side. One that can be explored with control, confidence, calculated prudence, and joy. It's like a muscle. But until you work those muscles you don't know where those limits are. Rest assured, Dave- there are legions of hungry aspiring boaters silently lurking on these forums who are looking for a road map for the next steps along their path of progression. They are all at various stages and progress at different rates. Some find it on their own, others are looking for clues. This thread is such a clue. This post is a huge clue for the right person(s). Many will gloss over it, and that's fine. I'm not here to pander to hyperactive short attention spans. If this post resonates with only one paddler, it was worth the time, thought, and consideration I spent writing it. It contains a wealth of nuance. Just like the river. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 10:55am
|
All this flowpolitics is silly unless your getting out a ton. For some folks just breaking away for a quick trip is so needed that an extra 2000 cfs or a bone low run can be equally enjoyable. I used to be soaked in the crowd that liked to etch away higher flow or more technical descents, and of course we all started by enjoying what we could without yard sale'in all day long... Bottom line though is no one should forget that regardless of your preference, just getting out and enjoying this sport is a luxury that life does not always afford. As the factors that support paddling decrease in life, one can find more and more pleasure in what was once a seamingly overlooked experience. Last I checked everyone around here is getting older not younger, and at some point everyone will become more and more limited to what you can or can not do, so here is a toast to enjoying what you are doing to the highest possible level, and not taking it for granted while you are still there! I agree Dave, the Green is the best at the levels you mentioned... I agree JP the Green is the best at the levels you mentioned... |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 7:10pm
|
Ok, ok-- I give up. You guys (Dave, James, and Slick) missed the whole point of everything I said. Maybe once, just once, someone else will support my perspective. But your counter points only serve to polarize the discussion and manipulate it away from my intended point (and my intended audience as well). You just always have to drag it right back to where it already is permanently parked. There's no room for any nuance.
I give up. So go on and keep stating the obvious. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 8:21pm
|
And I ain't playin no flow politics. That's silly. Yall yanked this whole thread off topic into Professor Poopy Place, not me.
James, sorry you felt the need to strap on the Moderator voice, but This thread is titled "Big Clean Geen". That's what its about. Dave and Slick, if you wanna wax passionately about the enchanted wonders of the Green at 900, the most common flow there is year round, why don't you go start that thread instrad of blasting my stoke with an online fire extinguisher? ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 8:22pm
|
Uh oh. A two pager now. And most of these posts don't even belong here.
But I ain't gonna cheat by hittin delete, or moving posts. There may be hope for this thread yet... ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 8:24pm
|
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. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: irenen
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 6:13am
|
Well, I'm not the New Ager, but I'll put my two cents in anyway - hopefully this will not be making it worse, although it would probably not be the first time. :) It seems like in the beginning JP's main point was just that the Green at higher flows is a great place to step things up and a real gem of a run because of how the character changes, and Dave was just saying it's also a gem of a run at lower flows too, in a different way. In that respect I agree with James, in that you're both right, in my opinion. I think where people start feeling like there's an issue popping up is when something can be interpreted as saying that the stepping it up route is the loftier goal, which would leave out a lot of people who love the sport and everything that goes with being on the river but who don't have the desire or time or resources to always be pushing towards more challenging whitewater. I basically have the kind of personality that is always trying to do something harder (which is not to say always better, unfortunately ;), but I find that if I don't paddle more than once a week it gets hard to progress, so even just the time factor leaves out some people who don't have a ton of spare time - not that I do either, but I at least have some flexibility on scheduling. And I don't necessarily think that my approach to paddling is better than maybe someone else who can style a Class III in perfect comfort and happiness and is happy to keep doing that, or who is challenged by whatever level they're on even if it's less difficult, but who absolutely loves whitewater and enjoys themselves every time they paddle. So I'll admit I get a little defensive on behalf of those people when I hear the term 'Muggles' - maybe also because my Harry Potter spells never seem to work on the river. :) ("Ex-hydraulicus!" has been a big disappointment so far.) Anyway, the ironic thing is that based on all my conversations with JP and pretty much everything I've read of his posts, I have the feeling he is of the same mindset on that score, although correct me if I'm wrong JP. I think the point originally was really just about how stellar the Green is at higher flows and that it creates an awesome opportunity for people in the in-between zone who do want to move into harder whitewater to hone some better skills. Not trying to put words in anyone's mouth though. ------------- It's all fun and games until someone loses a paddle. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 7:51am
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!    |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 10:27am
|
well jP wants me to chime in so here it goes, forgive me if i ramble
the bottom line is that the Green gorge is an amazing place ... even if it was dry all the time id like to think i would hike down it once in a while just to be in there ... and my original motivation to get into kayaking was to see these places, not to run the stouts or surf the epics
that being said, over the years i found out that water is softer then rocks, and that i dont like hitten hard things with my boat or body ... so now for me id rather take a playboat down the green at 5k instead of run a creakboat over wet rocks.. but thats just me.. i say to each his own and what ever floats your boat or whatever
there is nothing like peeling out of an eddy into a flooding or high water river .... hooking into a power that is so much larger then yourself , surendering to it yet staying in control and working with the water (since you simply cant overpower it)... and if that gets old (wich it never realy seems to) try it in a tail stand or bow stall
the original point (wich i have been saying for years) is that the Green realy is an amazing big water run when it high, that does not get run enough (and yes i portage the nossel every time i run it over 4500, there is no glory in that drop at thoes flows, just a epic beatdown waiting to happen) ..
yes its a great place to be at any level, but if you want to truly exsperience what a rain on snow pineapple has to offer, you need to get out on the big stuff not wait a week for it to all drain away ... not that i ski much, but its like getting out on a power day vs. waiting till its all groomed (people like both, again to each his own)
this may be getting off topic but this is the northwest , its rains a ton , we are blessed with big water events all winter long most years... its a huge resourse ... for me its all about how to get the most out of a storm , we are after all, riders of the storm ...... after years of trial and error i have come to see a pattern in my flood boating ....
Day 1 storm hits things go crazy big ---- i go to the Nassell or Moshpit for a epic surf day (nice thing is i can do this solo if no one else can bail on work)
Day 2 or 3 things are still high but dropen fast --- hit lower Matheny (queets at 20k) or the Tilton at big water (4k+)
Day 3 or 4 things are droping into more normal flows --- go to the Green for more big water (4k+) since they will still be letting water out a few days after everything else has droped ..... the Green at high flows is an esential part of the post storm bigwater buffet
there are many other runs that are great at highflows too.. but thats just what i seem to do alot of the time out of Olympia in a playboat
there are many places to run rivers , but there are not many places that get rain on snow events like we do ... when a storm hits there is a difrence in watching the river gauges go huge or actualy going huge youself (it doesnt have to be class V, some of the best surfing in WA is on flooding class 3 runs)
last week i had to work so i didnt get to hit it all, but i got the moshpit on wed, green on sat and tilton on sun ... some friends of mine got on the Tilton on thurs at over 3700 (man i wish i was there instead of work)
i understand that big water is not for everyone, its taken me years to dial it in and some day i may have to hang up the playboat on thoes flood days (i duno how many 7k+ runs on the Tilton i got left in me).....but the fact is we live in a big water place and very few people take full advantage of this resourse
anyways have fun on whatever you are boating ....WA is a great place for low water , big water, steep water , flat water and everything in between
 just go get wet its easyer then staying dry around here haha |
Posted By: huckin harms
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 10:39am
|
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. ------------- |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 1:53pm
|
Originally posted by huckin harms I should say that you, my friend are underappreciated for your committment to seeing the paddling community thrive and flurish. Here here, nothing but full agreement on that one. |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 4:23pm
|
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  ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman |
Posted By: STLboater
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 5:24pm
|
This past weekend was a great one on the green. I have to admit, I have only been in there at 1400 and under for paradise and I have always had an incredible time. I think that the gorge AND the lower provide the escape from the city that we all need. Those gorge walls, the mossy trees, the green is an amazing place. That being said, paddling the green at 5k and 4k has been incredible. The gorge will always be amazing and worth paddling, but I can't see how 1400 will ever be as much fun as 5k. That being said, the river is always fun, and I weigh company and getting on the water more heavily than the perfect flow. Great weekend. ------------- Kayak Academy Whitewater Instructor |