Adirondack Steep Creeking

[FullGnarlzOC]

This is a short video I put together of my first steep creeking trip. I only got a few shots on my camera, since my buddy was video boating with his HD the whole week. It'll take him a while to get that video done, so I wanted to make something in the mean time. Check it out.

http://www.vimeo.com/14632942

I'd describe the experience as 'daunting'... any of you guys remember your first real big 'steep creek rapids'. Were you as puckered up as I was!?!?!

The general thought as I paddled over every horizon line was "NO FEAR!!!!" It worked that for that week... lol

[Longboatin]

some cool footage, those r some biggie drops.

Tho tell me agin how kayakin will be so easy with a brace on both sides, cuz I notice u flippin over on yer onside in the oc all the time

[gumpy]

love the hand slap, followed by the hand brace!

[jscottl67]

some cool footage, those r some biggie drops.

Tho tell me agin how kayakin will be so easy with a brace on both sides, cuz I notice u flippin over on yer onside in the oc all the time

That's the Tina Turner method of open boating "Rolling on the River", and waiting for the next beat down. Axe Ike 'bout dat.

Some ballsy paddlin' but everything looked pool and drop. I'd like to see a section of continuous Class III

[FullGnarlzOC]

u mean like the UY which is child's play.....except it's continuous IV/IV+

[milkman]

Very cool. Be sure to post the HD video as well.

[jscottl67]

Dude, you roll more than a kayaker! You should get Cinnabon to sponsor you...seriously.

[yarnellboat]

Wow, good on ya for having the stones to run some big stuff!

Not to say you're not paddling hard stuff... but, I do agree that running big drops into a pool where you roll up - well, that 7 seconds of "no fear" paddling is easier than kayaking!!

I'd be much more impressed to see you ace a class III slalom course, so we can actually see you paddle your boat. But since I'm not a fellow hair boater, a kayaker or a rafter, I guess you're not out to impress me anyway.

Thanks for the vid tough, keep 'em coming.

P.

[TheKrikkitWars]

Those are some fairly large looking drops, but if you think that's scary (if somewhere inside you don't, you have issues)... wait until you do your first "OH MY GOD THE WORLD IS FALLING AWAY IN FRONT OF ME" gorge...

Anyway, something I've noticed as a common theme in some of your videos is that you appear to stay kinda central (both position and aim)... most notably you're hitting eddies part way down and having to paddle in, you might find if you aim to clip the rock at the top of an eddy (or edge of a boof) and don't worry about being near sideways you'll be able to translate all your momentum into flying into the eddy on an improbable upstream edge (often dumping a load of water as you do).

Something else I have a feeling you might appreciate is one of the classic north-waleian tricks (and may well do already unbeknownst to us); the "Rock Boof" basically, pick a part covered sloping rock, and hit the water covering it at a slight angle with lots of speed and boof! It's a great way to get comfortable for some of the classic low volume creeking moves, and has the added advantage of providing an instruction in what to do when you hit rocks hard and sideways by accident.

[FullGnarlzOC]

Already on it krikkit. I started doing that after my first UY run, and i realized where the 'game' was headed.

After this weekend... I'm ready to start taking it easy again on some UY runs to work on some stuff. I had one hades of a weekend again this weekend. This time running the Racquette (only open boater), and the beaver.

Some carnage for sure this weekend. There were a couple points, where I felt myself getting really really frustrated, as screwing up a 'move' slightly, quickly turns into getting trashed on some really gnarly drops. At this level, the 'move' is sometimes something simple as crossing a class III+ hole, into a cross current, and where you need to use a wave, to turn the boat a certain way to hit the correct line.

Whereas kayakers, can propell themselves through some stuff, and not have water fill up in there boat if they make a mistake.... IN an Open Boat, the margin for error on a true class V rapid is so slim it's quite unreal.

I can't expect that I am going to be a flawless class V paddler at this point, but that's the standard I have been holding myself too, and I'm just at a point, where I need to establish way more experience to be able to be 'flawless' on some of these runs/rapids.

Real frustrated... and having a hard time finding the good out of some of the runs. I keep telling myself, I should be happy with where i am at, that I went 2 whole weeks running steep class V drops, for the first time in my life...and I only had one swim(colton falls, Racquette River, NY). But I don't want to settle for "oh...well at least i only swam once"

Definitely need to keep charging forward, and working on all that I can, whenever I can. Keep pushing the envelope. AND KEEP GAINING EXPERIENCE. That's the most important part.

BTW - Racquette, might seriously be one of the most vicious rivers in the country. I AM GLAD...that I survived that with only losing skin off knuckles. Something to be proud about?!? probably not...but i'll take it at this point.

[FullGnarlzOC]

I did stomp some lines very well...but I feel like i screwed just as much up this weekend. Probably divided into thirds... 1/3 stomping, 1/3 'making it work', and 1/3 'carnage'

Need to work on that. Getting to the point where im' getting FED up with flipping. I guess that's the price I pay for paddling for glory!

Full Gnarlz my brothas.

[jscottl67]

Some carnage for sure this weekend. There were a couple points, where I felt myself getting really really frustrated, as on some really gnarly drops. At this level, the 'move' is sometimes something simple as crossing a class III+ hole, into a cross current, and where you need to use a wave, to turn the boat a certain way to hit the correct line.

That's what everyone has been telling you, myself included, about tweaking your skills on "easy" water so you don't get trashed on something bigger. You can throw a stick in a V+ river and most likely it will make it's way down. Taking an OC down upright (not rolling through it), somewhat dry, and in control is a different story. [/b]

[FullGnarlzOC]

define easy water bro.... I've completely scoured class III/IV+ rock gardens all summer.

Bottom line is... You don't know exactly what you need to work on until you run certain things, and see certain situations. Now that I see some of the stuff on steep creeks, I know certain things I can work on. ya dig.

[FullGnarlzOC]

"I throw my hands up to the sky just to watch them burn"

[jscottl67]

yeah, I dig. I'l quit wasting my breath and you need to save yours for the trout counts. Good luck.