INTERESTING TIMES

 Yesterday I brought my new inflatable on a run with my usual crew of hardshell kayakers.  We ran what we call the B2B (bridge to bridge) section of the North Fork Washougal, down to the Mercantile.  The level was about 5.5" on the stick at the put-in, and about 7' on the Hathaway gauge.  We had  10 solid boaters.

I travelled with the boat gently inflated to reduce the amount of pumping I'd need to do at the put-in.  I topped it before hitting the water, and again at the first portage (Crack in the Earth).  The water is cold, it definitely shrank the air in the boat.

I have a medium wolverine and it is BARELY big enough for me.  With the backband all the way back (no room for a seat bag behind it) my feet are firmly jammed in the front of the cockpit area.  The knee brace straps require some fiddling every time I get in the boat--it isn't like a kayak where you just drop in the seat, slide your legs into position, put the skirt on and go.  The knee brace straps take more fiddling than a sprayskirt: there is no fast start.  I also learned that when launching from a rock it's hard to get the straps over my knees--I have to let them out, then get my legs in, then tighten once I'm in the water.

The boat actually was able to bow surf small waves--it has enough hull speed.  That was a relief.  It pivots very well and boofs pretty good.  I have the self-bailer option, so there's no deck on there.  If I fail to boof a hole the boat fills up.  There are two dams on this run which both filled the boat to the top, and it takes about 5 second to fully empty.  I theorize that it empties faster if I put my body weight on the tube behind me, lifting my butt off the floor.  This emptying lag could be problematic in bigger and more challenging whitewater but at this class 3-4 level it was OK, I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do.

In one rapid I wasn't able to get around a large-ish breaking wavehole and had to punch it, and was surprised that the bow scooped up over the hole and the boat did not fill up on that one.  Waves that come in from the side definitely contribute to filling the boat so I had to mind my angle a little more carefully, instead of simply surfing laterals as I do in my 9R.

I was thinking I won't try to roll it but now I think I will.  It's not that hard to lean it up on edge, and if I can put it up on edge from upright, I can probably flip it back up from upside down.

I was a little amused and a little irritated that my friends, who I have been boating with for a decade or more, started treating me as if I were a beginner, just because I was in a fancy blue innertube.  Yeah, I already know how to straighten up to punch a hole, I don't need to be told.  Yeah, I already know to give wood in the river a wide berth.  The amount of protective information-giving was a surprise.  There is already a preponderance of mansplaining on the river based on my gender, but the inflatable-mansplaining was just as obnoxious.

My feet got cold.  I have no issues with circulation and was hoping this would not be the case, but the water splashing over my feet chilled them down.  I wore heavy nylon fleece pants to keep my legs warm (in a kayak I go with just tights under the drysuit) and by the end of the run my toes were froze.  There may be some $80 electric socks in my future, but first I need to get them for my husband who has circulation issues.  His new packraft should arrive in late January.

One of my kayak crew said he is going to get a packraft and we are going to do the Minam river which is a 7 mile hike in.  Springtime I guess.  The Chetco is my ultimate objective, it's the reason I bought this boat.  Today, however, I'm getting back in my kayak.  There's something about having edges and hull speed that I absolutely love.

This quiz is designed to help whitewater paddlers assess what class of whitewater you have the skills to run with success.  For each question, pick the answer that is most true for you now, not historically.  Rigorous and honest self assessment is difficult, but it may be your most important skill for longterm enjoyment in a risky sport.  If you are not honest with yourself, this tool is of no use.  Our abilities shift throughout life so keep checking in about what you can do, adjust your paddling choices accordingly.  You do not have to tell anyone else about your process. 

To take the quiz: Jot down a single number answer to each question, making a list that looks something like this: 1, 3, 2, 2, etc.  You should have a list with 11 numbers by the end.

1. Rolling
   1. I roll most/all of the time in the pool but tend to bail in combat situations.
   2. When I flip on the river I immediately get into a tightly tucked set-up position and try a roll or a T-rescue.
   3. My roll is 90% or more successful on the river.
   4. I roll on both sides, have a hand roll, and can usually do one of those in a pinch.
2. Ferrying
   1. I can get across mild currents but sometimes I flip over.
   2. I’m confident doing a ferry across moderate current with turbulence.
   3. I can jet ferry across intense current and hit the other side where I want.
   4. I am comfortable using waves and holes to cross a rapid upstream from a dangerous obstacle.
3. Catching Eddies
   1. I catch the big eddy at the bottom of the rapid.
   2. I enjoy catching medium sized eddies in the middle of rapids.
   3. I like to "sew up" rapids by hopping from eddy to eddy all the way down.
   4. I catch tiny eddies in weird places for strategic positioning or to get a view of what’s downstream.
4. Reading Water
   1. I need someone to follow because I'm not great at picking lines.
   2. I usually follow through new rapids and feel OK leading through familiar rapids.
   3. I can find my way down a new class II.
   4. I pick my own routes in unfamiliar class III rapids without scouting or following.
5. Playing
   1. I don't play because I don't want to flip over.
   2. I play at the best spots when I am in my playboat.
   3. I bow surf on waves when they have eddy service.
   4. I catch waves on the fly and drop into holes sideways for fun.
6. Rescue
   1. I hate swimming rapids and often need help getting my gear rounded up.
   2. I am good at self rescue and often get my kit to shore before anybody shows up to help.
   3. I always carry a throwbag and have used it to pull in swimmers and boats.
   4. I have training and practice getting boats and people out of pins and other situations.
7. Strength
   1. I need help loading my boat on the car.
   2. I do shoulder and core exercises regularly.
   3. I can lift my own boat overhead and set it on a vehicle.
   4. I can carry my boat 0.7 miles and then paddle and portage for 4 hours with energy left over.
8. Cardiovascular Fitness
   1. My most vigorous workout is walking.
   2. I run, bike or do cardio at the gym at least twice a week.
   3. I do aerobic paddling workouts like sprints, slalom, or continuous/high water whitewater runs at least twice a week.
   4. I can carry my boat four miles uphill and then paddle big rapids without problems.
9. Mental Toughness
   1. I get emotional or angry when things don’t go well on the river.
   2. I am anxious sometimes on the water but manage my fear without requiring reassurance.
   3. I can take a bad swim or a beating on rocks/in a hole and still have a good day.
   4. I am cool as a cucumber and can function in life and death situations.
10. Flows
    1. I let other people decide when the flows are right for a run.
    2. I know what CFS stands for and how to find gauges on the internet.
    3. I get gauge readings for each run I do (maybe even log them) and study the runoff/release patterns.
    4. I investigate flow recommendations and patterns for new runs and enjoy high and low water.
11. Crew
    1. I participate in pick-up trips with people I find via the internet or clubs.
    2. The folks I usually paddle with are mostly weaker paddlers than me.
    3. I’ve had the good luck to fall in with a crew that’s stronger paddlers than me.
    4. I paddle regularly with friends who are strong paddlers and whose habits and idiosyncrasies are well understood.

SCORING
Don't cheat yourself!  Write down your answers to all 11 questions THEN follow this link.
 

Today I finally got my updated living will / medical power of attorney updated, witnessed, and notarized, and I also officialized my first last will and testament.  My friends asked me if I was planning on leaving.  It's a good question to ask a person who is settling their affairs at my age, but no, in spite of the depressing state of affairs in the world, my life is good enough that I'm planning to stick around and see what happens next.   In my living will today I specified what I want done if I lose my mind (travel to a country where euthanasia is allowed for dementia--Switzerland or Nederlands allow it as of now), and also where I want my brain to go (for research purposes, to the Oregon Brain Bank of OHSU).  I'm excited and glad to have this done.  I've been meaning to do it and rewriting it for a decade now.

The real reason I was motivated to complete these documents at the age of 50 is that I can tell that I am losing cognitive function.  It shows up in many ways, and people routinely fight me on this observation, saying that I'm fine, it's normal aging, blah blah blah.  Let me just say that I used to be very smart, and I'm not any more, and I know the difference.  A minor example is that I make more mistakes in typing, for example I switch "their" for "they're" and vice versa.  This is a mistake that I used to find utterly mystifying, and now I am doing it.

The other day I updated my lifetime river log with the rivers I have run this year.  I've done 20 new rivers around Oregon this year!  But the shocker finding was that one day in July when I went paddling on the Lower Wind, I could not remember what had happened when I logged the day.  All I remembered at the time (a few days after the actual day when I logged it), was that I had planned to go paddling with Todd.  I did not remember where we went or what happened.

What happened that day was that I hit my head, again, and had short term memory loss as a result.  I have had many traumatic brain injuries over the years, from biking, skiing, and kayaking.  This is the reason that I want to donate my brain for research.  I suspect that my brain will prove that recreational sports participants can also suffer from CTE = chronic traumatic encephalopathy.  It's not just for football players anymore.

On that day I flipped over at the top of a rapid known as the Flume, and was battered on my head and shoulders as I floated through the rapid upside down.  I was afraid to try to roll up because getting in position to roll puts you in a more open and vulnerable position, so I "went turtle" which in this case simply means to tuck tightly under the boat and get my elbows in so nothing gets broken.   I rolled up at the bottom of the rapid and was dazed but otherwise OK.  And yes, for you who do not know me, I was wearing a top notch helmet.  There is no helmet that can protect your brain from the knocking it takes when your whole head is getting walloped around.

This was the third time I'd floated through that particular rapid upside down.  It is a steep, fast, shallow and rocky rapid....brutal, really.  One of my three upside down runs I didn't hit a thing.  Twice I've been beaten silly.  I vowed after this day to not run that rapid at low water anymore.  It's much easier at higher flows and that is the only time I will attempt it.  Unfortunately the portage is difficult and dangerous too... so I may not go on the Lower Wind as much anymore.  Too bad because I do love the waterfalls.

Something else happened that day.  I've thought of it many times since my memory of the day returned.  At the end of the Lower Wind run there are four major drops, three falls and one slide, not in that order. We'd run the first 12 foot falls without incident and were running the tallest single waterfall, about 18 feet vertical.  It's so high that you can't see if the person ahead of you made it, so we just wait a few seconds between boats and then go.  Todd went ahead of me and I waited probably eight seconds, then committed to the drop.  When I crested the horizon line and could see my landing zone at the foot of the falls, he was swimming in it.

He had plunged too deep in the hole below the drop, gotten caught and held, and wet exited from his kayak in the hole.  It took him a while to surface and start floating downstream.  When I saw him I was already mid-air and headed straight for him.  I was afraid that the bow of my kayak would plunge into the water and hit him in the abdomen, rupturing his organs and killing him. That didn't happen.  Thankfully I'd hit a good enough boof from the top that my bow skipped off the surface of the water and I went right over his head.  But the trauma of believing that I was about to kill Todd has not left me.  I am going to require a better signalling system for running blind drops from now on.  I need to know that the landing zone is clear.  We have had trouble at this drop before and still we are too casual about it.

The most basic part of rolling a kayak, the most important part, is being able to orient yourself to the boat before you start the motion. In whitewater the paddler can get pulled in any direction, and needs to be able to assume a protected, turtle-like tuck when they flip over. This forward tuck makes it possible to get your paddle situated parallel to the boat at the water line, for a proper roll. These days it is modern and cool to be able to roll from any position. Playboaters master the back deck roll because it is integral to the moves they do. For the regular whitewater kayaker, a regular forward tuck leading into a basic sweep or C to C roll is all you really need. Getting the offside is great, and then explore. First, get a good tuck and set up position, which requires hamstring flexibility to touch your toes and them some, and crunch strength to pull your body to the front deck no matter what the river wants to do to you. If you have that strength, you've no excuse, save the panic of being upside down underwater, which happens to almost all of us. Stop going for that rip cord, and TUCK. From there it will be much easier.

Paddling Fitness: Core and Hamstring

Want to go run this.
http://vimeo.com/54237575

Downward facing dog aka Adho Mukha Svasana. Re-invigorates the person who has settled into a slouch. Enlivens the gaze. Practice for at least five minutes after 4 hours of sitting. Ok to play with it, go into Wild Thing or whatever variation makes you happy. Try getting around on all fours--feet and hands, no knees. The dog knows how. The heart is the center for this asana.

I don't think I've been keeping up with recording all my river runs, perhaps because mostly they've been repeats of runs we've done before. The Trask was a new run for me. I went on it with a local canoe club (group of 12, 9 kayaks, 3 canoes, 1 tandem) because my elbows have been bothering me and I wanted to do something relatively easy. Little did I know that the surfing would be great and I'd work my elbows harder than I do on a creek run. Nothing needed to be scouted here, but there was some wood shifting around so stay on guard.

But what I really want to document here is this vimeo of Portland local Nate running Opal Creek. He runs Big Fluffy, the falls that I have never run, and also the gorge down below. His run of Big Fluffy as at 2:20 and as you can see, there isn't much there to convince a person that it's a good idea. Still I think I can see where he went wrong. He slides toward the left off the rock at the top of the drop, when it appears to me that you want your mo going left to right. So something in the approach has to be different to set up for that mo. Like I said, I've never run it, but it's nice getting to study on the line using someone else's mistakes. I've seen only one good run of that falls, and it was Willie doing the right side teacup line at moderately low water.

I'm studying on the Opal gorge too. I'd like to run it. Looks intimidating in all that black basalt, and there are some definite must make boofs. And there's a mandatory portage which is shown. Note to self: re-watch this before running the gorge.

Another note: at good water levels, at the last rapid on the regular Opal run: Door #4 at Thor's rapid is good. A few waves slap you in the face and then there's a nice boof. Go there again. Don't go through Door #2 at low water; it's best from medium up. I think Door #1 is best at low water.

The EFL on Sunday was a fine day. Group of 9 locals, a little bit of hole surfing carnage, nice runs overall at the falls. I posted a bunch of pix on fb.

Here's a friend's photos from Saturday on the Lower Wind. The flow was 112cfs Saturday, 109 Sunday, on the gauge up top.
http://s740.photobucket.com/albums/xx42/chermes/Lower%20Wind%202012/
And some video: http://vimeo.com/47493659

We did it again Sunday and I hand paddled it for the first time. I'm finally learning the lines---it sure did take long enough. I listened to the locals too much and got worked a lot, instead of just doing what I know how to do. In the final set of falls one of our number suffered a shoulder dislocation. We've been having a lot more carnage in this set of rapids than we have in previous seasons, and everybody is somewhat sketched. I think it is a psychological shift due to the two recent kayaker deaths in our area, as well as having one of our regulars swim the bottom two falls after a bad run in the tall one (#2).

Kayaked both days this weekend on the Wind. Lovely river, waterfalls, hotsprings....fantastic place. Perhaps I should have been studying for boards, but the practice test I did last Friday convinced me that I'm pretty well prepared. I just now studied up on G6PD. There are a few glaring areas of ignorance but overall I feel good about what I've been able to assimilate. Going to buckle down again this week and then the big test is next week.

Here's a nice new post on the NRS blog by a friend of mine. It's about Staying Connected to Boating... The author gives examples of several different ways of negotiating the river, and makes the point that a full connection to river running and to the river itself comes from trying many different craft and styles.... which is in my view what adds up to true mastery. And joy.