C-Forum

yarnellboat wrote:
There's probably lots of "paddling"/kayaking festivals where we canoeists could encourage each other to go - piggybacking might be the best idea if there's no critical mass locally. However, this would probably just be an opportunity to meet & paddle with other canoeists.

Can't argue with you, Pat. You can learn a lot, while having a ball at the big Fests.(Hey -- Going to the Beavers' May-Long-on-the-Nicola was what got me hooked up wit da PaddleNetters -- and some great mentors -- in the first place!)

And the Fraser Valley WW webpage write-up / pix on the T-50 was a great step toward promoting mutual respect between K and C boaters.

But I think Phil nailed it when he said. . .

philcanoe wrote:Large gatherings are great to see where you stand in a group, and to see what's possible. However it's not always the place to learn, but rather see what to learn or from whom.

There comes a time when it's worth the $$ to be with someone whose ONLY focus for the weekend is to tell you, show you, and critique you while you learn. Then make you try it again. And again, until you get it right!

RodeoClown wrote:I'd be interested in a Western and/or Rocky Mountain armada (assuming I can fit it in my schedule). Pick a place and a date and start spreading the word.

Hold that thought, RC. Hope to get back to you!

truckeeboater wrote:Open boaters of the west UNITE!

OK, TruckeeB, let's get busy. Get back to me -- le's talk!


Rick

I might be interested in a West Coast armada. Some place where there are a lot of runs in one area. Maybe something centrally located like Oregon, maybe Bend? Or else Northern California, but the runs are kind of spread out. Unfortunately, you don't have the convergence of runs like in the Southeast.

How about if we build a giant wooden canoe and light it on fire at the end?

Payettes.... just north of Boise. Tons of runs concentrated in one area, with a five feature playpark just up the road.

Tons of camping at the Payettes and tons of different runs with a variety of difficulties.

Main Payette 3
Staircase 4
Swirly Canyon 3+
The Canyon 4
Grandjean 3+
North Fork, lower/middle/upper 5 miles 5
Cabarton 3+

Ok west coast c-boaters. sounds like we've got some good votes for the Payettes. Camping plus mellower to more challenging runs plus ease of logistics all sounds great. NorCal or Oregon would be good too, but I agree the runs are fairly spread out geographically and in terms of difficulty.

I'm assuming that most of us are into this idea not only based on achieving a sense of solidarity within our tiny community but also to receive some bit of coaching or feedback on our paddling. Personally, I'm not hucking ANYTHING right now (not unless it's February and there's 6 feet of fresh POW!) so the idea of running some non-threatening water with good-hearted folks is very appealing!

Let's get this ball rolling!

PS- Really dig the improved site BTW. Way to go admins!

I'll most likely head back up to run the NF at low level this winter if anyone is interested. I normally go up to the payettes four times a year. Love that place. I'm the prez of the Utah ww club and we go for four days around July 24th every year. Normally a group of about 30 attends and trips leave each day going to different runs. If you guys want to jump in on that it would make for a good time. Just gotta deal with butt boaters.

Westcoast Cboat armada huh. What time of the year is the water best?

If you bring beer, they will come. If you add rain, they will play.

Smurfwarrior wrote:Payettes.... just north of Boise. Tons of runs concentrated in one area, with a five feature playpark just up the road.

Thanks for chiming in, Smurf. This project begins to take shape!

Variety of runs. . . Playpark. . .

Some formal instruction. . . Some informal mentoring. . .

Some commercial displays, along with boats to demo. . .

Some post-paddling rehydration. . .

T-shirts: "WestFest?" "WALF?"

Keep talking, folks!

It can be a real challenge to step up your game. Attending events can be hit or miss as to the real value. Things to think about first- Are u in Paddle Shape? Is the water comparable to what u paddle on? Will you have your boat or have to borrow one? etc. and ask yourself some questions What do you want to learn? How much time and commitment are u able to put forth? As you progress it is the little things that end up making the difference and sometime the learning curve is much more gradual.

Seek out better paddlers with you to paddle with and push yourself.

I have attended Spring Events like Palmer Fest and at the end wondered if it was worthwhile. I was not in paddle shape- as ice just left our rivers, I was in a borrowed boat and the water was very different that I was used to. In 3 days it was difficult to take advantage of what was available.

Last year I went to Mexico for 2weeks and my paddle went up leaps and bounds. I made sure I was in paddle shape by playing polo or going to weekly pool sessions. It was worth every penny.

Paddle,Paddle and Paddle some more

Where the heck are "Payettes"?

Hey, it's no "WALF", but we should actually plug club get-togehters. I don't know about south of Portland or east of the mountains, but the Beavers in Vancouver, the PTTC in Seattle and the LCCC in Portland offer great opportunities to get on fun rivers with lots of open boaters - maybe nobody famous and all that, but a good startingpoint if you're up for the drive.

Pat.

Pat-

The Payettes are in western Idaho, a great place to paddle if you've never been. I've only rafted in Idaho (Hells Canyon, and Middle to Main Salmon) and it's pretty epic. I think the Idaho tourism and recreation page mentions something like 'Idaho boasts more boatable miles of whitewater than any other state'. I'm not sure of the validity of that claim, but it IS intriguing!

Personally, I like "WestFest" better than "Walf", but what's it really matter what it's called. I'm pumped on the idea of getting something like this going!

Payette's sounds like a good plan to me. I'll be selfish and suggest either the weekend before or after the Freestyle (rodeo) National Championships, which will be at the ww park in Cascade. I don't have the exact date yet, but it'll be the beginning of July.

Do it after July 4th and the NC folks that go to Week of Rivers can just load up and head west.

Anyone have quality, first-hand knowledge of these Payette runs? Smurf?
Where is the playpark you mentioned, on the main Payette (near McCall) or on the Boise?

the best date would probably depend on when is the highest probability of having the most canoe-friendly river levels during a typical snowpack year. It would be nice to have a day or two of instruction from somebody good.

Idaho would offer the possibility of hitting a few runs in Oregon on the drive there/back for West Coast canoeists. Which is like two or three boaters total , maybe. We could all carpool in the same vehicle.