Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Our goal reached!

While Michael is still up for pushing the teams vertical miles in the Eddyflower Vertical Challenge this weekend with Devin as they plan on a weekend of lap after lap on the Little White. Well, OK. 5 laps since that's the limit that can be logged in.

But our goal of $2000.00 has been blown away with currently $2240.00 and a few days to go for anyone that wants to give.

It is gonna be awesome to help out with the First Descents Camp in Washington this year knowing we helped fund one of the campers trip their!!!

Well done Team Midget Torture

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Memorial Update for the Eddyflower Challenge

We are within five dollars of our being halfway to our $2000.00 goal for First Descents! As for our vertical mileage we are sitting around 19,000 feet total which is currently over twice that of the others in the Weekend Warrior class. Not too shabby....

The past weekend, we found outselves with the Williams clan up on Icicle Creek campground "8 Mile". we spent the first day on Ingles and Peshastin Creek. Devin and Michael got two laps in on Ingals. Sunday was my birthday and we attempted to access Little Wenatchee but after a few hours tring to get the Dodge truck through snow drifts and having a few miles to hike in on a run no one had done. We opted to through in the towell and drive all the way back to Ingals and Peshastin for a lap. Gotta love when you break camp at 930am to make it to a run by 4pm? Ouch..... it wsa still fun as the levels had risen a few inches and the entrance rapids were much more stout. With some 8 or so paddlers on a creek only 30 feet wide you can imagine the excitement that got created around every corner.

Monday was our last day and with levels still rising on Icicle Creek, EJ took a group down lower Icicle and we all did the play run on the Wenatchee from the dam to Cashmere. At just over 9000cfs almost all the waves were good to go. For the first time Trinity was in and we had a blast catching several surfs in the crowded eddy line that is the Wenatchee on Memorial Weekend...

I've got some good pics and vid I'll get though soon and post...

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Team Midget Torture off to a good start

While the midget opted to not boat this weekend. Midget Torture logged in some quality mileage! Michael Williams put in three laps on the West Fork of the Hood, One lap on Dee to Tucker while instructing his OKCC class and a lap on the Upper East Fork of the Hood. Shannon Williams did three laps on the WF Hood and the Dee to Tucker run. Myself did three laps on the WF Hood and EJ Etherington boated up in Washington somewhere and we'll see what he adds to the 8850 vertical feet already logged in to Eddyflower...

Things are going well with great weather and with the upcoming three day weekend  where all but EJ will be up on the Wenatchee drainage. We'll see what gets logged in!

The mileage doesn't mean anything without sponsors donating money to the challenge! Our goal is to raise $2000.00 to bring one teen to the White Salmon's first First Descent camp!!! You can help make that happen by pledging anything you can spare to a great cause and a good tax deduction as well.....

donate at: http://www.eddyflower.com/MakeDonation.aspx

Thx, Corey

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

MIchael's Time was Due!!

Last Sunday, May 10th myself, Devin, Shannon and Michael Williams went out to the Tilton River to run the Gorge section. A fun class IV run that we all enjoy for several reasons. It's got several quality drops spread out through the gorge. The river is usually ours alone as few from the PDX area trek the 1.5 hours to get there. It's one of those runs that you can take your playboat if your adventurous at normal flows to catch the many quality waves and holes along your way or you can bring your creeker so a safer passage downstream. We tend to find ourselves on the run in the Winter with low 30 degree air and cold water so the creekboats come out.

This trip was in the Spring which is a rarity for us so all four of us were in our playboats. The lead in to the run is a few miles of class I+/II till you reach the gauge and the gorge and the action begins! Flows were around 1100 to 1200 cfs. I little lower than we tend to find ourselves there but that brings some of the play in with good eddy service. I don't know any of the names but the main play hole we usually stop at. It's a near riverwide hole was the best I'd seen it. It was retentive enough for Michael and Devin to throw down in but exiting it on either side or simply flipping and you were free. It was my first time dropping into it and after being away from my boats for a few I really found myself enjoying the rivers again.

We made our way down river to what we joke as the "last rapid" on the run. It's an inside joke from when Michael took me and Devin down it for the first time a couple of years ago. We ran the drop and he looked back at us and said, "well guys, that was the Tilton! What did you think?" We were all excited and were kinda bummed it was over. OK, except the fact that is was 20 degrees out and the water was freezing on our gear. The run was amazing!!

We float around the 90 degree corner to all see the biggest boulder garden that is longer than the eye can see as it drops down some 100 yards of hole/boulder dodging goodness. Michael then looks back and says, "OK, I think that was the end of the whitewater!" We all laughed and paddled the 1/2 mile of flatwater across the lake to the take-out at the day use park. A memorable trip that has kept us coming back every since. :)

OK, so back to the day at hand and we're all at the top of the "last rapid". Michael as normal heads towards the river center towards a island boulder that we run just off the right side of the rock with a right flair boof. Michael drives at the rock and what happens next I can only tell from my perspective, the next few seconds. He drove up, running dry onto the rock and launching his playboat vertical in dropped out of my side, off the ledge in a inverted burningman! We all laughed as he'd ate s**t on it. We watched and waited for him to come into view downstream. The rapid drops some 8' at a near vertical drop where we run it at. The right side goes but the right gorge wall is badly undercut so this line is fun and deemed safe.

It usually is, but what happened next is told to me via Michael Williams and Devin. When Michael did his "inverted burningman" off the drop it placed him into a low head style horseshoe pocket hole. We quickly found the pourover ripping the paddle out of one hand and then both. He tried handrolling but that didn't work and we soon was out of his kayak. His kayak, paddle and himself got to go for a proper cleansing cycle. He'd ball up and try to go deep but kept finding his shins slamming into a rock underwater. Resurface for a quick breather and repeat the cycle. Anyone who has spent a time in Bob's Falls knows the feeling! Been there! :( It's a bad place to swim and with everything Michael said he was doing right. Nothing was working and we were all out of sight above the drop that you can't set safety on, scout or portage! We assumed we would pop out in a sec or so we all hoped but nothing changed for the duration of maybe 30-40 seconds in real world time.

Devin was close to the drop and had been ferrying upstream waiting for the "all clear". After some time he decided to go ahead and run the drop. Michael missed the line so I think he was confident in making it so off he went. Me and Shannon sat on river right in a eddy waiting to see Michael. Devin hit the flake off the right side of the island and he was too out of our sights! Eek!!

According to Devin, as he approached the flake and was digging in to take his boof stroke his saw Michael's black Sweet helmet starting to surface right where he was about to boof to. I quick adjustment and next to no boof and he landed just off of Michael. Michael hesitated to grab the shiny new Biscuit playboat Devin was in to not pull him in with him. Once Devin was out enough Michael grabbed onto the stern grabloop and Devin pulled him free of the nasty hydraulic. Best even was at the same time Michael playboat and paddle came free. Weird!

Me and Shannon then ran the drop in the same spot as the others had and joined the two recovering the boat to run the "real last rapid"

It was Michael Williams first swim in 15 years in which we wasn't able to self resue himself and he got rescued by a 14 yr old who thinks of him as a big brother and mentor to all that is kayaking. Michael said he knew that day would come but he hoped it would be a few more years down the road.

I'm just happy everyone was ok and our Eddyflower Vertical Challenge team is still complete. Go Team Midget Torture!! Oh a quick vid of Michael booty drink out of Devin's shoe which was filled with Rum and fruitjuice! :)
 

Monday, March 2, 2009

The big brother on Big Brother

Devin has been running the Green Truss for some time now and has ran BZ Falls several times but Big Bro' has a element he was unable to get his head around. He's kinda affraid of heights! That's not good when you're running a vertical waterfall in the 20' range.

Sunday the plan was for me to take him out to run the Little White with Todd Anderson, Boomer and the Wells brothers. Levels ended up at 3.5-3.6' on the stick and Devin was uncomfortable to run it that high so when I mentioned it to Todd. Boomer and Todd were both awesome and just said, "let's go do the Truss then?" I really respect people that aren't into pushing people into things. It's a bad combination on whitewater.

I did not have my creekboat so I zipped down to the clearcut to hike in to Big Bro' and got there just as the crew that had grown to around 9 paddlers reached the lip. I got into position with my camera. Trying to not get myself or the camera soaked with the downpours. I noticed Devin was still in his boat in the eddy on the top left of the falls. He was thinking about giving er'!? Wow, a weird place for me not being available for safety but I know the others in reach will provide any support needed if he was to end up in the cave or get injured in the drop.

Several ran in and the next thing I know Devin is ferrying out into the current. Here are the pics in sequence of his first lap over Big Bro'.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

New blog started

To keep my kayak adventures seperated from those that follow the midget's I've started my own for TR's and personnal crap.

paddletheaddiction.blogspot.com

cheers, Corey

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Wind River on Ice



No footage of actual kayaking but of the put-in and take-out. Is that weird or what!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Slideshow of EJ Etherington's playboat clinic on Lake Cr



OKCC and instructor EJ Etherington had a good turnout out for the first playboat clinic on the season on Lake Creek at 9.5'. These are pics of the class. I've got pics of Devin I'll be putting up seperately as well as a few of Todd Anderson as he and his girl Nicole came through Grassy Lawn while we were there.

till then,

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Playboat spot on Butte Creek

Last weekend Devin was off the water after having a day surgery to remove a lump on the inside of his mouth. It's developed since last January when we were down in Jalcomulco Mexico. He bit through his lower lip after running a slide and taking his paddle to his face. Andrew Holcombe was down in Mexico around the same time teaching a clinic with Esprit Rafting and mentioned it took him several stitches and finally a broken tooth or two before he learned to correct it himself. Hopefully Devin doesn't follow that path!! :)

So last Sunday with Butte Cr estimation flows off the Pat Welch's site of 1400 and slowly dropping. Myself, Lisa, Michael Williams, and Andrew met up for the normal run down to the falls that with Michael we've always taken out at. My neck gasket tore at the put-in so I opted to play shuttle bunny and set safety on a few of the log point we saw on the drive up. All wood was ducked and Michael and Andrew fired up Butte Cr Falls without incident. Prior to running the falls I offered them if they wanted to paddle the runout down to the Hiway 213 me and Lisa could pick them up there. I saw several good ledges downstream of the falls past the bridge. They opted for it and off they went.

When we met up at the lower take-out on 213 they both had smiles on their faces and said their was a couple perfect playspots that Michael referred to as good as Lake Creek. At 1400cfs which was juicy for the run above the falls in a playboat. It would be a good idea to maybe take both boats and switch to a playboat or just hit up the play on the lower leg of the run.

Next time it's at similar flows we'll head in with the Biscuit and camera for hopefully a good time.

cheers, Corey