Tommy Hagg "The Gnarls Canoe Movie"

[Jim]

It is not just about being able to choose a line and stay on it. Even more important is having the ability to recover when you are knocked off your line. That is what makes paddlers like Dooley, Michaud and Eli capable in the rough stuff. They go to plan 2 (or 3 or 4) and still make it look smooth.

[FullGnarlzOC]

Yeah I agree. 'Making it work'. Very imporant, and very real skill. Something that I've been practicing from the get-go....pretty much happens naturally when you are always pushing what you are capable of doing. I have spent a great deal of time on the water paddling on "plan b and c".

I really want to just stay on plan A... 100% of the time. That would be awesome

[oopsiflipped]

online 100% of the time? wouldn't that make you just another virtual paddler?

you can tell a really good paddler by how well they mess up.

[FullGnarlzOC]

dude i'm a world class armchair paddler.

[jatakasawa]

" I thought "i am done for. this is gonna be real embarrassing if i die. everyones gonna say i told u so'... "

i was trying to stop busting your chops, but really? that was went through your head when you thought you were done for? man, you are really insecure. i'm not even trying to be a jerk for once, but that is seriously messed up, bro.

Actually, drowning victims go through many emotions such as embarrassment, shame, guilt, anger etc., as they progress into the stages of drowning. Check out the end of the book, "The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger for more on this. How Mr. Junger came to that conclusion, I don't know.

[jscottl67]

I don't remember the name of the spot, but there was a spot on the New that I used to catch that would suck you under and spit you out after about 20 seconds. When I rafted a bit years ago, I would swim it every chance I got.

Getting used to the timing of breaths between waves, moving to swimmers position(s), not panicking and moving laterally across the river to avoid obstacles, etc. It came in handy on Double Z once.

[oopsiflipped]

I don't remember the name of the spot, but there was a spot on the New that I used to catch that would suck you under and spit you out after about 20 seconds. When I rafted a bit years ago, I would swim it every chance I got.

Getting used to the timing of breaths between waves, moving to swimmers position(s), not panicking and moving laterally across the river to avoid obstacles, etc. It came in handy on Double Z once.

halls of karma, perhaps? awesome squirt spot, so i'm told, and even custies in hi-floats can get 10 seconds of downtime. i took to jumping out of my raft on the pig at lost guide this summer, but a good ride there is 10 seconds

[jscottl67]

That could have been it. It's been more than a decade - probably close to 2. We dump trucked on vulture rock (young girl not paying attention fell out and almost got between the raft and the rock took guide's attention) - I kicked out and swam when everybody started falling on top of me 'cause it was safer in the water. I came out laughing, others got banged up pretty bad. I was glad I felt comfortable with taking the swim.

[Louie]

Gable I ain't tryin to bust your chop, but the fact that thatwas what goin through Tommy head and would never go through your head in the same sistuation is the perfect example of the major difference between you two. What you would be thinkin is what makes you normal and like most people, this is also the reason you more than likely changed from open to closed canoe. The fact that Tommy was thinkin what he did is what makes him a hellva a open boater, no offence but we got plenty of normal people. People with Tommy attitude is the rare and valvued person. Same difference as being a Air Force personal and a Navy Seal, ya we need both but we really like one better than the other.

Remember Gabe not every one get to die in a firey car wreck.

[Creeker]

0-6

[Creeker]

you are wanting for a swiftwater rescue class Tommy....when I teach in June you need to tighten that up with me. training helps slow the mind and open the sphere of awareness when things are racing out of control. Often you only have to do one thing right to work it out...even when mostly everything is out of control.....like riding on top of a kayak all the way down colton

[oopsiflipped]

Gable I ain't tryin to bust your chop, but the fact that thatwas what goin through Tommy head and would never go through your head in the same sistuation is the perfect example of the major difference between you two. What you would be thinkin is what makes you normal and like most people, this is also the reason you more than likely changed from open to closed canoe.
Remember Gabe not every one get to die in a firey car wreck.

Well there is a first time for everything. I have never been called 'normal' or 'like most people' before. Thanks Louie! But in the words of Teddy Pendergrass, 'If you don't know me by now, you will never, ever, ever know me' But seriously, I switched to c1 because i don't like canoeing. Which I guess does make me normal and like most people after all.

But seriously, seriously, you always trot out your cute little car wreck line. How many people have you seen die in your years on the water Louie? Any close friends? It's not fun and I sure don't think it is something to joke about. Watching someone leave this world on the river bank changed me and none of the deaths I've encountered are something I would ever joke about. But I guess that's what makes me so normal.

[OhCeeOne]

Great video. Very inspiring. This guy definitely needs to fly south for the winter.

[Larry Horne]

But seriously, seriously, you always trot out your cute little car wreck line. How many people have you seen die in your years on the water Louie? Any close friends? It's not fun and I sure don't think it is something to joke about. Watching someone leave this world on the river bank changed me and none of the deaths I've encountered are something I would ever joke about. But I guess that's what makes me so normal.

Glad you said it, Gabe.

[Craig Smerda]

I still haven't been able to watch it... can a lo-fi version get posted or is it that it's a 17 minute HD feature film??? Whatever... maybe it'll be better on my home computer.

Tommy... I'm going to say publicly what I've told you privately... this _hit ain't worth dyin' for and with more experience comes more respect for the river... you can have all the "ballz" in the world but you'd better use your dam'n head as well if you want to be in this sport for more than a few years. I'm really glad that you didn't get messed up at Pillow on Saturday but as Dooley and I watched you ride down that left side we both knew exactly what you were going for... it didn't work out... no big deal... but as I said... experience might have gotten you into the room of doom upright or kept you away from it completely... who knows. I'm actually glad to see some new young guns like yourself charging forward in open canoes out there... did you see Phillipe' make it into the "room" on his second run of Pillow? If you had hung with all of us up on the rocks and listened to everyone talking about their lines and what they were going to do... and maybe watched a few people make their runs you might have learned a thing or two... and completely styled it... but you didn't? That's all part of that experience thing.

On Sunday as we went past the folks from the raft company, the rescue diver and the park service personnel that were preparing to extract a young womans body... I saw their faces and thought about how fortunate we were the day before that our group of canoes had a good day on the river. One of the rangers waved me over to ask me to tell everyone on the river I saw to please walk around Iron Ring... I expressed my sympathy not only for the victim but for those involved in the recovery. When we got to Iron Ring there were people running it (raft guides and "heroic" types)... all very stupid and very thoughtless people in my opinion and of the opinion of everyone in our group... they had no consideration or regard for what had occured earlier that day. I saw all the hardboaters walking around it... and I saw the fools running it and most of them had close calls... the risk compared to the reward was simply not worth it... that's something that simply comes along with experience.

I have a little rule on the river with my close paddling friends... that rule simply put is "Don't do something so dumb that I'll have to call your wife, your family or our friends tonight to tell them you didn't make it off the river"... and Tom that goes for you as well. Don't ever make one of your friends do that... but do keep progressing and pushing things in due time. You've gotten peoples attention now... don't mess up a good thing.

That's all I've got for now...