Continuum Weekend!

From Continuum

We had an awesome and groundbreaking group for the Canoe U Continuum this year! They flew through all the skills we could teach them with time to spare. So, with the extra time, we decided to run them down sections that (to my knowledge at least) no Canoe U class has done before.

From Continuum

We spent both days practicing on the Lower Louey, using our normal stomping grounds above and below the 210 bridge to work on some skills. For the first time, though, we had students running over Tablesaw to start their runs off. Everyone did great, and even a boater that slid off kept his cool and dug his way out of the eddy jail on river left.

From Continuum

More significantly, though, was what we did downstream. Normally we do some work at Big Glassy and take out after that. With this group, however, we were able to actually run both First and Second Sister! First sister was particularly difficult at the low levels we had, but the students were charging it! Most people were taking the left line down and going for a boof over the hole. There were a couple flips but to my happy amazement those students just picked up their boats, took a second shot, and conquered it! It was great to see that level of enthusiasm and drive.

From Continuum

We walked Octopus and made our way to the bone yard where the students got a trial-by fire on choosing lines, technical maneuvering, and dealing with rock pins.

From Continuum

Finally, we scouted Swinging Bridge though the students decided to save that for another day. Something to look forward to! After a long weekend in which we pushed them hard, it was good to see that they weren't afraid to exercise judgment and make the call to save that one for later.

From Continuum

In all, it was a great weekend with awesome students. I've come to love Canoe U because the students have such awesome stoke that you can't help but catch it. It's a great shot of enthusiasm as your coming down off the spring boating high.

To all of the students - GREAT JOB! You guys are becoming really solid boaters and I hope to see you guys on the river this summer. And if you ever need someone to join you on a run, just let me know! Also, to see all of my pics from the weekend, click on the "My Web Albums" link on the right of this page open the Continuum one.

To Bob and Jeremiah - It's always awesome working with you guys. As the new kid on the block, I feel like I'm learning as much as the students. You've got me looking forward to next year!

From Continuum

New Friends, Old Favorites, and a Surprise BLT

Early Saturday morning Caleb and I drove up to the Lower St. Louis for our first run of the year. It was just us in one vehicle, so we packed a bike along as our shuttle. When we pulled up to the put-in, however, we saw that the bike was definitely not going to be necessary. There were several boaters in the lot, and more that were already running shuttle for the Upper section.

Everyone was interested in running the Upper first, but Caleb and I didn't have time to do both. Luckily we met Todd (aka Metrix) in the lot and he was up for hitting the Lower with us. Todd turned out to be both a really nice guy and a great boater, so the trip was a blast.

The level was about 650cfs and we all managed to keep ourselves upright for the most part. The only flip was me getting lazy on the 210 drop and having to roll along the river-right side rocks.

The highlight of the day was Caleb making his first decent of Octopus - Congrats Caleb! All three of us took the right channel, down the curving slide at the bottom. I had almost forgotten how forceful the eddy fence at the top of the rapid is, but managed to just squeak by the rock downstream.

On the way home we got a bit of humor, too. Caleb and I stopped at the Hinckley Dairy Queen, where Caleb ordered a bacon Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, etc. We got the order to go and were back on the road. After the first bite, Caleb noticed something missing from his burger - the burger! Yup, they had put bacon, cheese, veggies, etc all on the bun, but forgot the actual burger. So, he had a surprise BLT for lunch instead.

Despite the food glitch, it was a really great day! Check out the helmet cam photos and footage in the video below!

Continuum Class

What a great weekend! It was graduation weekend at Canoe U and I helped teach the Whitewater Continuum class. With Bobzilla as the lead instructor, 7 motivated and talented students, and 2 awesome safety boaters, it was tough to go wrong.



We had perfect weather on Saturday for our run of the top portion of the Lower Louey. We practiced skills and played on the features from just below the big rock tongue (which I've now found out is called Tablesaw) through Big Glassy. The dam was releasing 660 cfs for us, so there was plenty to challenge the students with. We refreshed the basics, worked on boofs and attainments, talked about how to get the most out of a short boat, and spent lots of time practicing moves in and out of the swift current.




Bob and I were lucky to have Jeremiah and Brian J, both expert-level boaters and great teachers, as safety for us. We were even luckier, however, to have students that were so good at rolling and self-rescue that the safety boaters were barely necessary. That left them free to help teach and keep students engaged.



Day two was on the Upper St. Louis, which was running at about 1700cfs. Our students spent lots of time working on draws and draw ferries, as well as surfing skills. It was amazing to see how much their paddling improved just over the weekend. By the end of the day Sunday the whole group was comfortable with moves that were brand new on Friday. Whether it was ferrying out onto 1st Wave using only a draw, taking charge and controlling the tempo through a rapid, making a mid-air boof turn to catch a micro eddie in the middle of 210, or any of the awesome moves made this weekend, the students were tearing the Louey to shreds. Throughout the weekend I saw every paddler in the group hit at least one major milestone moment like that. Watching them hit those moves and really take control was nothing short of inspiring and I was smiling all the way home thinking about the weekend's highlights.




Much of the credit for those improvements has to go to the students, who gave 100% to every skill we showed them. The rest, however, goes to Bobzilla for putting together a program that really pushes paddlers but never loses the fun and adventure that makes the sport so great. His creativity and technical expertise really show and I feel fortunate for the opportunity to teach with him.

A big thanks goes out to Bob Dodds for cooking a wonderful meal on Saturday night, complete with a flaming dessert! Also, thanks again to Alan, Chad, Art, and all of the others who put in the effort behind the scenes to make Canoe U happen.




Finally, big thanks to Jeremiah for taking the river pics this weekend. I didn't get a chance to take any, so he stepped in and got some shots of the students in action. Now I'm looking forward to spending a weekend in the Twin Cities and then to the Survivor's Party!

Water and Pics

The rains are here, and the rivers are up! Both the Kettle and the Louey are at good levels and rising. I hope somebody gets out and takes advantage! I can't paddle this weekend, so I'll have to live vicariously through those who can. Get out and enjoy the water while it lasts!

These are some pics from the Wolf and Lower St. Louis that I got from Pike. I just thought they were cool, so I figured I'd put them up. Enjoy.

Lovin' the Lower....

Yesterday Dennis, Dan, Aaron, Arthur, Andy, Swails, Dave, and Myself all ran the lower St. Louis. For most of us it was either the first time on that section or the first time to run the whole thing. We made a fast trip through the tongue, the 210 bridge, the ledges, Twisted Sister, and second Sister all without stopping to scout. All went well, with a bit of a heart stopper when Dan flipped upon entering Twisted Sister and ran it upside down. Much to everyone's relief, however, he rolled up in the eddy afterward not too much worse for the experience. To his credit, he just shook it off and continued downstream. We did get out at Octopus, which was looking even more gnarly than the last time I saw it. Swails and Andy both ran the beak twice and both spent their share of time upside down in it on each run. Swails took the cake, however, by getting the bow of his creek boat sucked down into a perfect ender, then doing a 1/4 rotation before flopping over forwards. I think Arthur got it on video, and it would be really cool to watch.

The Lower 1/2 of Octopus also had its share of drama with Dan getting hung up on the Rock above the last pitch, getting flipped, going over the slide upside down, rolling up and getting stuck in the hole at the bottom. While he was alternating between fighting to get out and rolling back up from repeated flips, Aaron came down (unaware that Dan was still in the hole), flipped in the same spot Dan did, ran the slide upside down, somehow managed to miss Dan being recirculated in the hole, and made it into the eddy where he was able to roll up. After a couple minutes in the hole, Dan made it out and we were on our way again.

The Swinging Bridge Drop was my favorite of the day. It starts with a 25' long, three foot wide chute that the river gets channeled into. It's a steep, splashy ride that's too narrow to use your paddle in. It was crazy fun to go through and spits you out into a hanging pool. To get out of the pool we took a seven foot high "slide" into a narrow eddy. The only problem was that at this level, the "slide" was a vertical falls with a sticky seam at the bottom. I didn't know this, so I went over the horizon line quite leisurely, only to go perfectly vertical into the seam, pop right back out the way I came, and wound up in a side surf with the bottom of my boat on the curtain of the falls. I was able to get out before anyone else came over the falls, but it was a nervous moment. I think Arthur also got that on video, and I'd give anything to see the look on my face.

We all made it over Snakebite without issue and took out at the swinging bridge. Andy, Swails, and Arthur went on to Finn Falls, but the rest of us called it a day. It was a really fun trip and I'm glad to say that I've finally run the lower louey!

The only problem was that I didn't get any pictures from the trip. The pics I have posted here I stole from Nora's blog from a trip she made a couple days prior, or from other places on the web. The paddlers are different, but the rapids are the same.

News... (and the lower Louey)

Well, this weekend is proving to be quite memorable. Today I will graduate from law school, which is something I really wasn't that sure would happen for a while. While it does feel great to have achieved that milestone, the fun is tempered by the bar review classes that start this week.

Second, today is the day that Laura is leaving to experience life outside the Midwest. She's been an awesome neighbor, a great friend, and even a good paddler! I failed to post about this, but Laura made a very successful descent of the upper St. Louis, proving how quickly a beginner can become a solid paddler. Laura - if you get to read this, thanks for making 998 such a fun place, and I wish you nothing but the best in CA.

Third, yesterday was my dad's 67th birthday. He's definitely the coolest old guy around. Happy Birthday, dad.

Last is the thing that probably makes the best blog material. I finally ran (part of) the Lower St. Louis. Dennis, Caleb, and I made the run from the tongue above the 210 bridge down through the Second Sister. The weather was freezing cold (cold enough that the water was steaming), but the paddling was awesome. Our plans to paddle with some Lower Louey veterans fell through when they were all shivering after having already spent several hours on it that morning. So, we got a couple of tips from Scotty (which we tried, but largely failed to, remember) and headed out on our own. The area above the 210 bridge was my favorite, with a variety of features that were all different and packed fairly close together. Our Creek boats (mine was rented) made pretty short work of them, however, and down we went. 210 was followed by a couple of splashy rapids that wouldn't require scouting, though we did look at the second one for fear it was Twisted Sister. We blew through those easily and were having a great time. We hit the first Sister and everybody had a slightly different line off the little rooster tail that forms. Caleb takes the cake, however, by landing in water that was so aerated that he just sunk right through it, completely submerging. He hit his line totally clean, then he just disappeared. Very cool to watch. Second Sister was, as Dennis put it, "God's own low head dam," making a very stick hole at the bottom. We chose a safe route, boofing over a small seam of a hole. Not sure, but I'm guessing that was the chicken route.

That was the end of our paddling, though I was seriously considering a line in Octopus. Warnings about hidden rocks and inability to get a view of the last hole helped me to decide to play it safe, but I would like to give it a try if I run it with someone who can give me some good info about it.

On the whole, it was a great day. Caleb and Dennis were total rock stars and not one of us got flipped throughout the run (exclusive of Caleb's submarine impersonation). It was a great time and finally getting on the Lower after looking at it for so long helps tick off one more memorable moment from this weekend.