Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Baptism Video

I should have posted this a long time ago, but got too busy with actually paddling to remember. Here's a video of the Baptism from Eckbeck campground to Illgen Falls. More to come soon!

Monday, April 02, 2012

Illgen Falls!!

Finally!  After about 5 years of trying I was finally able to get up to the BaptismOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         River at a good level for a first run down 35’ Illgen Falls.   Illgen is the trademark feature of the Baptism and one of the highlights of Superior’s North Shore.

Standing at the top of the falls, you look out at tree tops straight ahead of you. Below, the curtain of the falls slams into the pool, pulverizing the water into foam. It’s exciting, inspiring, and scary as heck. 

We had 11 people in our group total, so we had split into two groups when we put on the river.  I arrived at the top of the falls Snapshot1 copywith the second group just in time to see Anthony’s green helmet disappear over the edge.   Even though I knew from watching photos and videos of others running the falls that it was a prime level for a first attempt, it was still comforting to see Anthony paddling around the pool below, still in his boat.  With that, we knew that the game was on!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our group hung out at the top taking photos and standing safety with ropes while Todd, then Dylan both had great runs off falls.  James was up next and had a great start, but over rotated a bit and landed a little past vertical.  The impact pulled him out of his boat’s seat, but luckily didn’t pop his spray skirt off.  He had the presence of mind to try to re-seat himself while he was still upside down, which was definitely impressive. 

Next up was Aaron, who threw just enough of a boof stroke to give his boat some positive angle and managed to stay upright.  Kyle was up next and had a great run, though his boat twisted sideways in the air and he landed a bit more forcefully than he had hoped.  The impact blew Dillon Bottomhis noseplugs off, but he took the high-power sinus flush and still managed to hit his roll. 

That just left me.  I had planned the run in my mind for years.  I knew exactly where I wanted to be, how I wanted to position my body, and where I wanted to land.  Naturally much of that went right out the window when I actually got out into the current, but I still managed to keep the run pretty close to the plan. 

Once I pulled out of the eddy, the nerves dropped into the background as I concentrated on finding the spot I wanted to hit on the lip of the falls.  ItTodd Middle seemed like by the time I had spotted it and lined up, I was already going over the lip and spotting the landing.  At the last second I tucked tight and gripped my paddle as I hit the water. 

The plan was to go in nearly vertically and use the deep pool to slow me down, then bob back to the surface.  Even with that technique, though, I was amazed at how hard the Me Bottomwater slaps you when you make contact.  It’s definitely something you notice! 

Another thing that was tough to miss was the big popping sensation I felt while the boat was under water.   The pressure of the water had squeezed my plastic boat, compressing the air inside it.  That pressure found its way out by popping the spray skirt that seals the boat and keeps the water out.  So, when I rolled up I got the unpleasant surprise of my boat being 1/2 filled with water.  Thankfully I was able to paddle it to shore that way, though, so it was all good!  3-24-2012-254-1-of-1

I’m super grateful to have had Joi, Nace, Amy, and Nora there catching all the action with photos and video.  It was an awesome day and I’m stoked about the footage.  Congrats to everybody who ran it!

 

Nora’s video of my run

Monday, March 12, 2012

Virgin Islands Sail and Dive! Part 2

In addition to great sailing, the main activity on our trip was logging some DIGITAL CAMERA                 amazing self-guided scuba dives.  When we’d arrived at our destination, it was time for some diving. 

We dove every day, and I wound up logging 8 dives before the trip was out.  I had initially planned to try to do multiple dives each day, but found that the relaxed pace of diving when we felt like, rather than whenever possible, was really nice. 

DIGITAL CAMERA                 All six people on the boat were scuba certified, so we’d usually dive in shifts, with 2 couples diving while the third couple stayed on board in case there were any problems.   Thankfully, all of the dives were great and the folks on the boat usually just helped the divers get in and out of the water. 

It turned out that the frequent diving was a good thing, because the shower on our boat had a bad hose and was out of commission by day 2.   Aside from some salt-crystal build-DIGITAL CAMERA                 up in the  ears and eyebrows, though, the daily water time kept things tolerable on the boat for everybody. 

The water was in the high 70’s with great (60-80’) visibility.  To make it even better, the dive sites were all pretty easy to navigate and full of vibrant, healthy coral and other sea life.  We saw a shipwreck, turtles, rays, a couple octopus (octopii?),  and all sorts of cool fish.  We spent a surprising amount of time in the presence of large (4-5’) barracudas, who paid us no attention except when I was chasing  them to get photos. 

DIGITAL CAMERA                 We saw lots of the cool looking little trunk fish, beautiful angelfish, and goofy looking cowfish.  Overall, the diving was great – especially considering it was all unguided. 

Between the diving, the weather, and the company, it was hard not to love the trip.   Hope you like the pics!  Till next time…

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Virgin Island Sail and Dive trip! Part 1

Whew, it’s been a long time since my last blog.   I’ve let lots of cool stuff go IMG_4513unnoted, but I’m finally getting back to it.   At the end of January, Kim and I joined four friends for a totally different kind of trip than we’re  used to - the British Virgin Islands!  I’ve got too many pics for one post, so I’m  doing one for the sailing and general trip stuff, then the next post will be about the (awesome) diving. 

Kim and I started our trip bound not for the BVI, but for  San Juan, Puerto Rico.   We would have had a layover there anyway, so we decided to stretch it out a bit and have a day to show Kim around San Juan.   I had been there a couple of years ago (the blog post is here), so it was really fun showing Kim around.  We did Old San Juan, Fort Morro, a tour of the Bacardi distillery, and more.  Really love that city!

After San Juan we caught a short flight over to Tortola in the BVI where we met up with the rest of our group.  We spent that night at the Treasure Island hotel, then got on the boat the next day.   That was the start of 6 days living on a 44 foot sailboat wearing huge floppy hats, drinking Ting, cruising from island to island, and scuba diving.  No cell IMG_4507phones, no computers, no internet.  Nothing but wind, water, islands, and great company.  It was awesome.  We’d get up in the morning, pick a destination, then hoist the sails and get moving. 

Neither Kim nor I had ever really done any large boat sailing, so we had a lot to learn to make ourselves useful.  Thankfully the other 4 on the boat had all done this trip before and got us  up to speed pretty quickly.  Before we knew it we were cranking on sheeting lines, reefing sails, and getting to know all of the cleats, drums, and other stuff that goes with sailing. 

We had great wind (~20 knots) the entire trip, so the sailing was more exciting than I had anticipated.  When we were under way,  we spent a good amount of time heeled over to the point where the leeward gunwales were  underwater and the waves were splashing up on the deck.   It took a bit of getting used to, but was really fun! 

Once we got to our destination, it was time dive!  We had amazing diving on the trip that’s worth it’s own post, so for now I’ll just leave it at that.  At night we’d find a sheltered bay, hook up to IMG_4610a mooring buoy (harder than it sounds, as you have to fish the mooring line out of the water with a long pole from a moving boat), then settle in for dinner, drinks, and games. 

The downside of the trip came on our last full day sailing, when Kim tripped on the very steep stairs and broke two toes.  Luckily, she’s a tough girl and even managed to get a dive in after that!   IMG_4469

On a trip where tight quarters could have made for tough times, it was wonderful to have such an easy-going group.  Ryan was our very skilled captain who managed to get us where we needed to go and keep us upright, Krissy was an amazing cook, Jason was the experienced first mate who caught mooring bouys and kept the halyards and reefing lines straight, and Kim, Suzanne, and I filled in wherever we could.   Thanks to such a great group, it was pure fun from beginning to end, except maybe that broken toe. 

 

 

 

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