tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-191489922024-03-07T02:04:09.835-05:00Team Swain SE BoatingRyan Sherbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06078923240075767880noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-79252035557860507822011-12-13T08:48:00.011-05:002011-12-16T09:51:18.776-05:00MAYU- Ecuador needs your support<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1520/2204/1600/443944/Eccuador2007%20188.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 800px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1520/2204/1600/443944/Eccuador2007%20188.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It's the season of giving and here at Team Swain the top of our list to give to is a project that would help bring a little exposure to a place that is very special to us.<br /><br /><br />Matt Terry of the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute (E.R.I.), has been fighting to protect the rivers of the upper Amazon River basin free flowing for over two decades. He has done so with very little funding and no recognition. His approach has always been to educate the community first and present them the tools to protect the resources that they depend on.<br /><br /><br />In the past few years as in many other nations in South America, the pressure is on in Ecuador. Construction has begun on the Rio Topo, in Banos, and one of the greatest tragedies is a dam on the Quijos river below the beautiful San Rafeal falls.<br /><br /><br />The project is called MAYU which is the Kichwa word for "river". Once the project has been funded a film would be produced to bring a little exposure to the work of E.R.I. to help fund future projects. It could be the difference of Ecuador remaining one of the most in-tact, biologically diverse regions in the world, or an environmental disaster.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1643982696/mayu-the-fight-for-ecuadors-rivers">Click this>>Here is the link.</a>Jason McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01966179979692054532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-73502971350560649592011-03-21T14:22:00.000-04:002011-03-21T14:22:38.999-04:00Chile 2010 Video UpdateAnother great video by Gareth Tate on our recent adventure to Chile this past winter. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19912989" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/19912989">Trip Report: Chile 2010</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3362665">7 Finger media</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-56216097572790165492011-03-21T12:07:00.002-04:002011-03-21T12:07:22.169-04:00Its Hard to Beat the Southeast When Its Raining!Over the past couple weeks the Southeast has been getting a lot of love from the rain gods, and it just reminded me of just how good the southeast is when its raining! With tons of great options within a couple hours of Asheville, it really is hard to beat. In the past couple weeks, I have managed to get on a number of NC classics that rival the best rivers in the world.<br />
<br />
Upper Big Creek, The Green (with water in it), Big Laurel (flooded), Overflow, Horsepasture and the Linville all in a 10 day time span. Gotta love it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFmEIdG3JpqwLHRsbTjGisa26gq9VH4FJyDRAmNJ4FbZFn3NnbMxIJG7_AFDkzyFFN82Mbdkre8UmiArMnSKoPoUTPBhNoLuw1e5-UlfXXfFUpwS74YlCYPKmVyW9D-K0-xrq/s1600/Anne+Overflow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFmEIdG3JpqwLHRsbTjGisa26gq9VH4FJyDRAmNJ4FbZFn3NnbMxIJG7_AFDkzyFFN82Mbdkre8UmiArMnSKoPoUTPBhNoLuw1e5-UlfXXfFUpwS74YlCYPKmVyW9D-K0-xrq/s320/Anne+Overflow.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anne Sontheimer at Singley's Falls, Overflow (Photo by Jason McClure)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkHPnBZFkcGCbffdPRQ2_Bf8ncAJX5tSz6h0A9WCyXPWDczS84X0zb7rMIaKwV1AiWMlmzt2g0u-m_zy2KE5o9F6NXqdqT6IM96duI37xKumW7d0KXTK6xpOFHQR_mxawJKIB/s1600/Laura+Overflow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkHPnBZFkcGCbffdPRQ2_Bf8ncAJX5tSz6h0A9WCyXPWDczS84X0zb7rMIaKwV1AiWMlmzt2g0u-m_zy2KE5o9F6NXqdqT6IM96duI37xKumW7d0KXTK6xpOFHQR_mxawJKIB/s320/Laura+Overflow.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me at the final drop of Gravity, Overflow (Photo by Jason McClure)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tyMy_gxVJoRP-72_0l7eHGvhQISfoHYSt2Zu7FNBD0p-ABP5d8xLaEUFalYp9uXI-VxNulTsBMfLDGlIbfDS9JLe-JnfABAEHFapLaQcLd-sXI8sZL64wC60wFbNU0_TJAOM/s1600/Laura+HP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tyMy_gxVJoRP-72_0l7eHGvhQISfoHYSt2Zu7FNBD0p-ABP5d8xLaEUFalYp9uXI-VxNulTsBMfLDGlIbfDS9JLe-JnfABAEHFapLaQcLd-sXI8sZL64wC60wFbNU0_TJAOM/s320/Laura+HP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me entering Thrasher Pike B, Horsepasture (Photo by Robbie Gilson)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6F20bxjgAg2CPh2PZNfLFE_OjC7WlNQKjgc2NKHuF94Zzx8d-huVmULhjnc1Tz8cg8-vLg-KdnJRc85o9q2vY5AOtabt1OUl4-3KCvWEi4GNX10sw4dyFhevrllClVYxKWiy/s1600/Anne+HP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6F20bxjgAg2CPh2PZNfLFE_OjC7WlNQKjgc2NKHuF94Zzx8d-huVmULhjnc1Tz8cg8-vLg-KdnJRc85o9q2vY5AOtabt1OUl4-3KCvWEi4GNX10sw4dyFhevrllClVYxKWiy/s320/Anne+HP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anne Sontheimer exiting Thrasher Pike B, Horsepasture (Photo by Robbie Gilson)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0kJdjA6ECKpY9tN_NnajxeBCJcDMljCfRjsBJT6te56g0wYtRbWX1arP6ZRCa2qXHzy6iSY0ZMLNnKqxqlFFp5x_xpGv6i1KfxUi6cP_zZB5nHZmvLQIfHc0DLQUsAhAcgv6/s1600/DaveHerman.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0kJdjA6ECKpY9tN_NnajxeBCJcDMljCfRjsBJT6te56g0wYtRbWX1arP6ZRCa2qXHzy6iSY0ZMLNnKqxqlFFp5x_xpGv6i1KfxUi6cP_zZB5nHZmvLQIfHc0DLQUsAhAcgv6/s320/DaveHerman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dave Herman coming through S-turn, Linville (Photo by Paul Stamilio)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMQ1pLcQeCaRnrmKO9ThAfUoOgdX6BTJLFgk_L9qpH2OxibyJe0DN8_Vyq5tRM-HLsVRL4qIj2MJVXBEohsJqMp19q6hpQ_3oXauXv85La50-zD8iD2uZMnDo_OAOSM2blNng/s1600/AnneCatherdral.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMQ1pLcQeCaRnrmKO9ThAfUoOgdX6BTJLFgk_L9qpH2OxibyJe0DN8_Vyq5tRM-HLsVRL4qIj2MJVXBEohsJqMp19q6hpQ_3oXauXv85La50-zD8iD2uZMnDo_OAOSM2blNng/s320/AnneCatherdral.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anne Sontheimer at Cathedral Falls, Linville (Photo by Paul Stamilio)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8krJtQ7OZKXax26iXQPL2AW2XaDPR4rkqMF3_rjS5QxhMJXVQRhGCCaDo_DTYbpSymaIFZMLOdOMOAWZlixKpioJ-3gs12gzBqfsaoRZTQ0U5ETXGWGHThfrsfJ9fRbbAJlfL/s1600/Forreal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8krJtQ7OZKXax26iXQPL2AW2XaDPR4rkqMF3_rjS5QxhMJXVQRhGCCaDo_DTYbpSymaIFZMLOdOMOAWZlixKpioJ-3gs12gzBqfsaoRZTQ0U5ETXGWGHThfrsfJ9fRbbAJlfL/s320/Forreal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me at Cathedral Falls, Linville (Photo by Paul Stamilio)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I must note that another thing that made this recent boating so awesome was getting my best friend Anne out on three big southeastern runs that she had never been on before (Overflow, Horsepasture and Linville) all in the same week! It was the first time we had gotten to do something new and big together since she gave birth to her son two years ago. Just goes to show that moms can still go big!Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-91781992566934949292011-03-04T22:00:00.005-05:002011-03-07T07:52:03.998-05:00Second Descent Las TruchasThe Nuble river valley is situated in Region VIII of Chile. Often overlooked by kayakers visiting Chile in search of waterfall the laden runs Chile is known for. The Nuble itself sometimes has the feel of the "Numbers" of the Arkansas River in Colorado and sometimes the Gauley River in West Virginia, but all of the time it is graced with stunning Andean scenery. For those in search of unknown whitewater the Nuble river valley delivers, in the two weeks we where there we did the first descent of the Estero Las Damas, and the second descent of the Las Truchas.<br /><br /><br />The Las Truchas, a tributary of the Nuble was first run in 2007 by my friend Jon and two other friends after Jon had been combing over Google Earth trying to figure out what lie in the upper reaches of the river valley. The one problem was after the town of San Fabian road access is sketchy and very remote. The only way to make it to the top of the run would be by horse. After sorting out the logistics and finding some cowboys who were wiling to make the trip the first descent was completed, Jon spoke highly of the run but as most first descents go there was not a lot of time for documenting the run as your never quite sure of what lie ahead. Maybe you will encounter an un-runnable gorge, maybe you will have to make epic portages, on first descents it's always difficult to prepare for the "what if". It turned out that all was runnable for the most part and the run was completed with only a hand full of portages. The second descent is when you can return and really enjoy the place for what it is, a super remote river with outstanding whitewater.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJQorYGRbwZ-sDY0qihAWMKAzHrZ0cw0GW7cD6AHoK6qrjLxz0IiCmlBqT3YcwrcQO6RjOEZHg1G7L9baZ_ew88umF-K39qaWvmsTEg6uaBKur5z9aMytch6pNivPXeAO6UC3NA/s1600/bus+station.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJQorYGRbwZ-sDY0qihAWMKAzHrZ0cw0GW7cD6AHoK6qrjLxz0IiCmlBqT3YcwrcQO6RjOEZHg1G7L9baZ_ew88umF-K39qaWvmsTEg6uaBKur5z9aMytch6pNivPXeAO6UC3NA/s320/bus+station.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580351886233895442" border="0" /></a> Waiting for the Bus<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After arriving in Santiago Jon, our friend Jeremy and myself made an obligatory stop at the Rio Claro for a run down the viente dos saltos and the siete tazas which is an amazing place, it was hard to resist staying longer at the Rio Claro, but Jon had already made arrangements with the cowboys who would transport our boats and gear to the top of the Las Truchas. So after a day of waterfall running we loaded up in Jon's truck and headed further south to the town of San Fabian. The next morning we would spend a few hours shopping and packing for our trip. The plan was to paddle the Los Sauces river, the largest tributary to the Nuble, then camp on the beach at the confluence where we would meet the cowboys to load our gear and boats on horses then hike seven hours to the put-in. We needed to be prepared for four nights of camping, three days of paddling and one full day of hiking. The one hitch in the plan was our shopping day turned out to be a Chilean holiday, which meant all the supermarkets were closed so we were forced to purchase all of our food from a "tienda", which has a selection of food slightly better than a well stocked US gas station.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQOCY8uLDV9SBW8pQ-NcbF9xtua5bvJOddRSGQQN4M3khewe1IkdjJgfKt59FBue9nxWPiJRhSiBF8xMjEFEl_MKISDYT5tKwJ-aZNMKgsMdG4OIW0LwAlchMF5ZZwcU5rY3v8Q/s1600/Chile+2010+081.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQOCY8uLDV9SBW8pQ-NcbF9xtua5bvJOddRSGQQN4M3khewe1IkdjJgfKt59FBue9nxWPiJRhSiBF8xMjEFEl_MKISDYT5tKwJ-aZNMKgsMdG4OIW0LwAlchMF5ZZwcU5rY3v8Q/s320/Chile+2010+081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580351893428702754" border="0" /></a>Food for the trip<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After piecing together our food and packing our gear we loaded the truck and headed up river toward the Sauces. The weather could not have cooperated any better as we had perfect Andean spring weather, warm and sunny the snow was definitely melting. As we headed upstream the excitement grew as we got our first glimpses of the Nuble full of water. As we passed the Estero Las Damas, Jon noted he had never seen that much water flowing out of it, for a minute he almost talked us into doing the first descent of it that day. After considering the fact that we had a seven hour hike the next day we decided against shouldering our boats to carry up to run it, we would return four days later to do that very thing. We pushed on over the terrifying, steep boulder exposed road to the put-in for the Los Sauces. We got our first good look at the Sauces from about one thousand feet above the river from up there it looked a little on the high side and pretty scary, we stopped many times scouting rapids from far above hoping once we got to river level they would look a lot better. As the road descended the mountain and got closer to the river the rapids looked much the same. Of course we put-in anyway and the portage fest ensued. After passing the crux gorge we joined our friend Pablo back near the road to get our overnight gear out of the truck and head downstream to the beach where we would camp for the night. As the sun set we relaxed by the fire eating fresh trout we had caught Pablo said "this is living".<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWi6EeNUDGTeLoeDAnDZ57AFI_VLxPWnJQAmXwnvCDJMYc4rrkmSJLICP4-AovoCk7Efsqpox6NcHmNfnbeNy8EnBEzC7sLgwbcfmKMl10YJjtMWCh4oLrGYVZkIZINRtVwDeALQ/s1600/Chile+2010+087.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWi6EeNUDGTeLoeDAnDZ57AFI_VLxPWnJQAmXwnvCDJMYc4rrkmSJLICP4-AovoCk7Efsqpox6NcHmNfnbeNy8EnBEzC7sLgwbcfmKMl10YJjtMWCh4oLrGYVZkIZINRtVwDeALQ/s320/Chile+2010+087.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580351897855777394" border="0" /></a>On the road to the Los Sauces<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG20RXiV_epJjhbz5AAyUvxvKY2T-bZZLdQb1s8SxZLL8jGqc_AzoYyXC85eENWDA9PGFn_aM9hVTwvCa4tVYFuVhSlUWUzc13kENJY1FbMT23CCM6K2XvgOMMA-T0X1sfQ6j-2A/s1600/Chile+2010+097.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG20RXiV_epJjhbz5AAyUvxvKY2T-bZZLdQb1s8SxZLL8jGqc_AzoYyXC85eENWDA9PGFn_aM9hVTwvCa4tVYFuVhSlUWUzc13kENJY1FbMT23CCM6K2XvgOMMA-T0X1sfQ6j-2A/s320/Chile+2010+097.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580352193472800338" border="0" /></a>Los Sauces<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-cw2wuhZFYF6Zs9edqDpi0fWnB453X8hptqj2q76BSQI_6IIk6616dlCZDIjrwkc0OLEeeccx8zlJLyCumzzKZE0jGR-1-37in19D48fpTlzTSBfcDm5lETC5tImc3syMF-IqA/s1600/Chile+2010+116.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-cw2wuhZFYF6Zs9edqDpi0fWnB453X8hptqj2q76BSQI_6IIk6616dlCZDIjrwkc0OLEeeccx8zlJLyCumzzKZE0jGR-1-37in19D48fpTlzTSBfcDm5lETC5tImc3syMF-IqA/s320/Chile+2010+116.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580352206032916258" border="0" /></a>First nights camp<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7D_gZ6gxG9oZTDcZ8KBcPS0KxW-RcdTCpS8P4jPG9t9t2RTxlvb8_gAfVTPxuRM9-BsLz0NjDFaZoPBJekmM148ebsuPG89Rg-Qkm3H3cG-l1AFYDsFx6_eRbLTG29X1iINuaA/s1600/Chile+2010+113.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7D_gZ6gxG9oZTDcZ8KBcPS0KxW-RcdTCpS8P4jPG9t9t2RTxlvb8_gAfVTPxuRM9-BsLz0NjDFaZoPBJekmM148ebsuPG89Rg-Qkm3H3cG-l1AFYDsFx6_eRbLTG29X1iINuaA/s320/Chile+2010+113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580352195648089506" border="0" /></a>Dinner<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Next morning woke up early and quickly packed our gear into our dry bags so they cowboys would not be waiting on us when they arrived. Just like planned they showed up with two pack horses and they two horses they would ride. Jon had told us of many epic failures loading gear on to horses, obviously the horses are somewhat startled by the bright colored kayaks and it is hard to bet the load perfectly balanced on their backs for the seven hour trek. It was clear though that these guys were professionals and in no time they had the horses loaded one with a kayak on either side, the other with all the gear and one boat. Loaded and ready to go we said good-bye to Pablo and started the hike. The first part of the walk was like walking back in time as we passed homestead after homestead of people living a stones throw away from civilization with no modern amenities. When the Nuble is low it is possible to drive across it with a truck but in the spring when it has good water it is not passable. On one side of the river in San Fabian people live a life with cellular telephones, satellite t.v., and wireless Internet. On the other side people don't have electricity, they still use horses for their primary transportation, they live this life not by circumstance but by choice. The irony is that there are two dams purposed for the Nuble River, one of which is already under construction. Chile has sold of its water rights to other countries who will build the dams and sell the power back to the Chilean people for profits. These people who have scratched out a simple existence will be forced out of their homes and into a life they know nothing about and do not seem to want. It's hard to see the fairness of that situation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxewolBzIc-DmzwYwvqRxOk8M6j4Viov2WVteIaw9duwZWg69wRQSmDWewcUCj9mn4m9vaMXaeylTgCknLtRagg0adCCz1XLERAXr5u2I7WoHPSSHIWgc4BR7Eju-bG2vKuQMnvA/s1600/Chile+2010+126.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxewolBzIc-DmzwYwvqRxOk8M6j4Viov2WVteIaw9duwZWg69wRQSmDWewcUCj9mn4m9vaMXaeylTgCknLtRagg0adCCz1XLERAXr5u2I7WoHPSSHIWgc4BR7Eju-bG2vKuQMnvA/s320/Chile+2010+126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580352993497143042" border="0" /></a>Loading up<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ksrWo_jYkj3-S0VcBNuI8YBSE2CjGhz2LAofJKXOpvDDC-R1jxFetyBr9SYh3KwhY0Y7WZ2uv4ekvF8vJQKT5GSNmK6hEzHq5g-VI6shztx0Za_hXTcLes657OiTC1q33YkK_Q/s1600/DSC_4800.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ksrWo_jYkj3-S0VcBNuI8YBSE2CjGhz2LAofJKXOpvDDC-R1jxFetyBr9SYh3KwhY0Y7WZ2uv4ekvF8vJQKT5GSNmK6hEzHq5g-VI6shztx0Za_hXTcLes657OiTC1q33YkK_Q/s320/DSC_4800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353926650055890" border="0" /></a>Leaving Robles<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4pWFh7PsDg2pjhLspRwpHdfIW00Pg2xR2GJqHutp5SypYJT21Ndeer4tufrm_NbBPU7XYWh_KiA4Y2bcW8df87a-D0RQndkr9rMYfUZh7dk3Q9Od93xWbInBdIq8oxCR_27iEQ/s1600/Chile+2010+134.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4pWFh7PsDg2pjhLspRwpHdfIW00Pg2xR2GJqHutp5SypYJT21Ndeer4tufrm_NbBPU7XYWh_KiA4Y2bcW8df87a-D0RQndkr9rMYfUZh7dk3Q9Od93xWbInBdIq8oxCR_27iEQ/s320/Chile+2010+134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353005268776370" border="0" /></a>Homestead<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The first hour or so of the hike was in the comfortable shaded low part of the valley, we crossed a few small streams before the valley opened up at we arrived at the confluence of the Truchas and the Nuble. Here the Truchas was wide and flat and there was plenty of water. We held our breath as we waded nearly waist deep in the icy cold water our feet completely numb by the time we reached the other side. On the other side the well traveled road led us to the community of Robles, as we walked down the main road of the town it was like a scene of an old western movie, holding pens for livestock on both sides of the road and ranch hands stopping work for a few minutes to have a good laugh at the ridiculously dressed gringos walking down the road. Our cowboys had stopped here briefly as well I sure to tell the people in the town about the three guys that were making the death march to the top of the Truchas, our lifestyle is as foreign to them as theirs to us. At the end of the town we arrived at a gate at the base of a steep rocky, exposed slope. The cowboys asked if it would be OK if they rode ahead so they could get back home before dark we paid them their wages and thanked them. The plan was for them to tie a White burlap sack on a tree near the put-in where they stashed our boats. Now the real hike began with the sun beating down we pushed on over scree slopes, rocky outcrops, and steep mountain sides. At times I expected to see our boats and gear in a jumbled pile at the base of a slope, I was amazed the horses could be so sure footed on such difficult terrain.<br /><br />After six hours of hiking we got our first good look at the river we would paddle the next day there was defiantly water and it was white! We stopped several times to admire the amazing scenery from the top of one mountain we saw the cowboys traversing the slope on the far side of the river. The horses were boat free which meant that we were close. Eventually the steepness gave way and we were in an open alpine valley probably no more than five miles from the Argentina border. From about a mile away we could see my yellow kayak leaning against a tree, we were finally there after an exhausting seven hours of hiking. We spent the rest of the afternoon fishing, and napping in anticipation of the next few days of kayaking ahead.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWTHG97d2PPXj0oXRmNxuNcJJgIp2V6lTffNlds-UefX32Kw_hFQL0vUdD4LgMCq1tsV_fE7wO1GkhlTTjMjbvwcOoXduVGaK3fUzR34PiBxX-fPKYtYZWizl3SHmf9POjezekQ/s1600/Chile+2010+149.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWTHG97d2PPXj0oXRmNxuNcJJgIp2V6lTffNlds-UefX32Kw_hFQL0vUdD4LgMCq1tsV_fE7wO1GkhlTTjMjbvwcOoXduVGaK3fUzR34PiBxX-fPKYtYZWizl3SHmf9POjezekQ/s320/Chile+2010+149.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353010921403602" border="0" /></a>View of the put-in<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lNxEdFZEvbiyVSSfonE_Ftxlg43Do60cyYNDugzOY0ADC4YQe5108iH0xPB29WskO9-ma_U1IMR8ACsCbA5iye5aDHWIkSV9AEp6q01RjlAcYcgFuaV0r0cO5upQsQ6ASwNFNA/s1600/Chile+2010+150.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lNxEdFZEvbiyVSSfonE_Ftxlg43Do60cyYNDugzOY0ADC4YQe5108iH0xPB29WskO9-ma_U1IMR8ACsCbA5iye5aDHWIkSV9AEp6q01RjlAcYcgFuaV0r0cO5upQsQ6ASwNFNA/s320/Chile+2010+150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353389756555010" border="0" /></a>Camp at the put-in for the Truchas<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We woke the next morning well rested ready for the day. We casually loaded our gear waiting for the sun to get high in the sky to push away the cold. We slid our boats into the water and began to work our way through the boulders. It did not take long for the river to gain momentum as we paddled downstream the gradient quickly increasing. We were able to boat scout most the rapids in the first few miles. Jon had remembered one rapid that had a fairly good sized waterfall which they had portaged on the first descent. We hoped to make it through the steepest parts of the run before the water got too much higher, snow melt runs always get higher as the day goes on, and with several days worth of food and gear in our boats we already had our hands full. We arrived at a noticeably steeper rapid which turned out to be our first portage of the day. We walked the rapid on river left and put-in right above one of the best boofs in the world. Shortly after we arrived at the waterfall for the top there was no mistaking there was a big drop downstream. We got out of our boats to scout the beast. The waterfall itself was not all that tall but it had a complicated lead with an intimidating hole, then the waterfall with sieves on both sides at the bottom then another big rapid. It was fairly easy to see why they portaged it on the first descent. After scouting it out Jon and I decided we would run it, I can probably count on one hand the times I have been that nervous in my kayak. We have both run bigger rapids but if something goes wrong out there, your really out there and help is a long way away. All you can do in that situation is push the doubt out of your head and go, so that's what we did. The feeling you get after having run a rapid like that is worth every but of mental anguish. After the waterfall we stopped and ate some lunch and relaxed for a few minuets while we were eating we were watching the water rise and decided we had better keep moving. As the day wore one it became harder and harder to make the moves as our forearms were so fatigued it was hard to keep a grip on the paddle. The river was not letting up either, we wanted to make it to the Nuble before stopping for the day. But the rapids kept coming and we started to entertain the idea of stopping but with a lack of good flat ground we kept on. Finally after eight straight hours of kayaking the rivers started to ease and the gorge opened up. We made our way into the Nuble and found a nice sandy beach to camp on. That night as we sat around the fire exhausted from the day we all conceded we had just had one of the best days of kayaking of our lives.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JRp7AYyYMFLwH1W5TO4TrLknManZ0W_fLD3lYi25TEt8WAX_udF5prGLo9OMgnCjMcyMTHg-_r5aTQ5FuiUMN7L8JoAOD1cQevP0KUrMyriPgKWAi1nkUEirQmX50zUmi3LDQQ/s1600/Chile+2010+189.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JRp7AYyYMFLwH1W5TO4TrLknManZ0W_fLD3lYi25TEt8WAX_udF5prGLo9OMgnCjMcyMTHg-_r5aTQ5FuiUMN7L8JoAOD1cQevP0KUrMyriPgKWAi1nkUEirQmX50zUmi3LDQQ/s320/Chile+2010+189.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353913566792658" border="0" /></a>After the portage<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r1YnRv8DtfEx0jPTRKlNnKrnD5z9Gadj79EBSy5VnVcPBJiz8RqnY-C6V88oM27Ihava5p6ip-aGGskpeh4KIRgTwmmjrocglBak17qEDh1MJOaDa-rUff-Zpn0lg6oMA8sTRw/s1600/Chile+2010+162.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_r1YnRv8DtfEx0jPTRKlNnKrnD5z9Gadj79EBSy5VnVcPBJiz8RqnY-C6V88oM27Ihava5p6ip-aGGskpeh4KIRgTwmmjrocglBak17qEDh1MJOaDa-rUff-Zpn0lg6oMA8sTRw/s320/Chile+2010+162.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353388444187666" border="0" /></a></div>Typical Truchas whitewater<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxycWQ1KxS0H34ta13-rzJP0HjG2j7uP3M0gfTUa-7hCR0Md1go6PXtQ04PtTwfF-vHvjv7nWB1rBRjzG8YCij2lON_GUeNFajYf3bE4BTKsBt736BSCN_xzusa5HoWXC9S-J9Q/s1600/Chile+2010+192.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxycWQ1KxS0H34ta13-rzJP0HjG2j7uP3M0gfTUa-7hCR0Md1go6PXtQ04PtTwfF-vHvjv7nWB1rBRjzG8YCij2lON_GUeNFajYf3bE4BTKsBt736BSCN_xzusa5HoWXC9S-J9Q/s320/Chile+2010+192.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353916058801442" border="0" /></a>The waterfall<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0x9DOXno0g1ENKI7LR500q9J39GYe4NaHKi0osPXlTS3ILMdjkD-BpPd60JR1rL92lQE-kTyKxAhitLe5n0EybIvu5gTINvgiTJhbOoLEPnBG9YAB97MHl0IS1bTYXp051NljA/s1600/Chile+2010+168.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0x9DOXno0g1ENKI7LR500q9J39GYe4NaHKi0osPXlTS3ILMdjkD-BpPd60JR1rL92lQE-kTyKxAhitLe5n0EybIvu5gTINvgiTJhbOoLEPnBG9YAB97MHl0IS1bTYXp051NljA/s320/Chile+2010+168.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353398541902354" border="0" /></a>Gorge scenery<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_2_22ht19zNnIjSUDK3a9jp0N4IUqxjHcvxvPxCvQwM8-_Idc2GH-LJzplmsn6Sqbe_MSosiqQwUjtGVX1FvCt_k_ObTGacIdya8Rflrji6LWm912w4q0LkOQ2gPNIJatg4BxQ/s1600/Chile+2010+175.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_2_22ht19zNnIjSUDK3a9jp0N4IUqxjHcvxvPxCvQwM8-_Idc2GH-LJzplmsn6Sqbe_MSosiqQwUjtGVX1FvCt_k_ObTGacIdya8Rflrji6LWm912w4q0LkOQ2gPNIJatg4BxQ/s320/Chile+2010+175.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580353910964586210" border="0" /></a>Boofing<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhMqmC7EYlQASW_iWsYpA_7ms-Xk4u8k9oRTY9ejz_r5F23qHgrWeiJLYdDfojeIKPPqqAVa1nvYUQSIvG5ICazSk4E1PxnF_kz4_XzD4Z9oguIbm5hO64UFkhyphenhyphenOL4n1ZvBA7SQ/s1600/DSC_5025.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhMqmC7EYlQASW_iWsYpA_7ms-Xk4u8k9oRTY9ejz_r5F23qHgrWeiJLYdDfojeIKPPqqAVa1nvYUQSIvG5ICazSk4E1PxnF_kz4_XzD4Z9oguIbm5hO64UFkhyphenhyphenOL4n1ZvBA7SQ/s320/DSC_5025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580354304311292946" border="0" /></a>More gorge scenery<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDInxkOXANV9tDN8p04b-EnitjVb0xhthnN7U8bKSKCL434ZMBb8RIjBUmlgHfkYWqvWxMm-QU2pc7DeZpm-YDsOruTMj47Sh15yXiPunAcx01IQoAXLkI3w_uD-0FEE3scf2_Yw/s1600/DSC_4938.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDInxkOXANV9tDN8p04b-EnitjVb0xhthnN7U8bKSKCL434ZMBb8RIjBUmlgHfkYWqvWxMm-QU2pc7DeZpm-YDsOruTMj47Sh15yXiPunAcx01IQoAXLkI3w_uD-0FEE3scf2_Yw/s320/DSC_4938.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580354300389370754" border="0" /></a>More Boofs<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If your planning on visiting Chile add this one to your short list even it is just to see the Nuble river before it is gone.<br />For Information and lodging in the Nuble river valley Contact: Pablo Jimenez at extremosurexpediciones@gmail.comJason McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01966179979692054532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-73623930590308951882010-12-17T12:27:00.002-05:002010-12-17T12:27:37.905-05:00Going Big in PuconThe last part of our trip, Gareth and I ventured down to the town most people think about when they hear of going creek boating in Chile- Pucon. We got there by hitching a ride with some people we met at NubleFest and took a few days to make our way down and paddle a few rivers along the way. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBfMtV6Rp_pu2SiehMt4O551ddoZZJx3uFc6cJk6dgSG9AcfQLdearqhA51c4tfBB8sw7CeGGhT1K9XJr3vTHNbYOhL5ppU-cO08QkHgzutq8nX-2g2Kx3i4Nhv2HpkCLcntp/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBfMtV6Rp_pu2SiehMt4O551ddoZZJx3uFc6cJk6dgSG9AcfQLdearqhA51c4tfBB8sw7CeGGhT1K9XJr3vTHNbYOhL5ppU-cO08QkHgzutq8nX-2g2Kx3i4Nhv2HpkCLcntp/s320/IMG_2011.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Taking a break to enjoy the view and review the map</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD18W19Cu04GuZohz263wiZRB4rB3xW9kFm5RMXVTJZMG6d9fXtOKCrQFvP8-prtdRmfXC99n9j0mxVjpDQIpZk286r8QerUl54SMXUbfGQ_yuCG2xDwbdMdx5_KMyAuwesYH/s1600/IMG_2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD18W19Cu04GuZohz263wiZRB4rB3xW9kFm5RMXVTJZMG6d9fXtOKCrQFvP8-prtdRmfXC99n9j0mxVjpDQIpZk286r8QerUl54SMXUbfGQ_yuCG2xDwbdMdx5_KMyAuwesYH/s320/IMG_2014.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>The Laja (one of the rivers we paddled on our way to Pucon)</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBps8ZaksjOS0kKzgv_Kn0uFgrMfJ_xutfU6T4wweyZKc3vFA9LdlIW0OMRpVLSiutdzeszHWm8zWQl4TwL7iBeolzef5O7Uhj0ZcnNjiVQgyzlyg7qCwSHGEz1vVtXavR2pU/s1600/IMG_2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBps8ZaksjOS0kKzgv_Kn0uFgrMfJ_xutfU6T4wweyZKc3vFA9LdlIW0OMRpVLSiutdzeszHWm8zWQl4TwL7iBeolzef5O7Uhj0ZcnNjiVQgyzlyg7qCwSHGEz1vVtXavR2pU/s320/IMG_2025.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>One of many volcanoes in Chile</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After arriving into Pucon we quickly hooked up with Matias (an Argentian friend who lived in the states for a long time) and spent the weekend hitting up the Pucon classics. That weekend we knocked off the Puesco, the Upper Palguin and multiple laps on the Nevados. The nice thing about Pucon is that everything is super close and relatively short so you can usually squeeze in 2-3 different sections of river in one day. Unfortunately while I got a photo on just about every rapid of the Nevados, I didn't get any shots on the other sections we did. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTu-EEE496V4LvZvZi88jBDuO9osexgdD66XuzGzGPDvmdeBXjwY2jLhiaf3Kxc_Shluy00uiJbwm8WCm6ocGGsRgeFlKIdTDgUK5niNlW6MOlL8k7VqCvVGF78mpETnf2jm4k/s1600/IMG_2029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTu-EEE496V4LvZvZi88jBDuO9osexgdD66XuzGzGPDvmdeBXjwY2jLhiaf3Kxc_Shluy00uiJbwm8WCm6ocGGsRgeFlKIdTDgUK5niNlW6MOlL8k7VqCvVGF78mpETnf2jm4k/s320/IMG_2029.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Matias and Gareth trying to figure out the stove</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMPb0RiOR90PdOybLGo7aFjTpEylRM68cHGPOMVuipKIMLBVe3MWsh3CPtGytVWHRFdLWKGmsEdgLzX_mn7OSSclEt2qmpliljgLllY0nQd7XPHQL3528_sI166EqIMNxBFe5/s1600/IMG_2038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMPb0RiOR90PdOybLGo7aFjTpEylRM68cHGPOMVuipKIMLBVe3MWsh3CPtGytVWHRFdLWKGmsEdgLzX_mn7OSSclEt2qmpliljgLllY0nQd7XPHQL3528_sI166EqIMNxBFe5/s320/IMG_2038.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Gareth at the first drop of the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKzrpFLLW6s4hShkkb7qduLgsWCMHUlJLqnHiHSEVLe_XZUN8nftZkB4K25FK87C6UoAmyRxAkWxjcj2IfJszsrMc9PgcISAqAncTkArfFzOZRfm5rkmdHRVUP3KXVVbZ5Ngr/s1600/IMG_2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKzrpFLLW6s4hShkkb7qduLgsWCMHUlJLqnHiHSEVLe_XZUN8nftZkB4K25FK87C6UoAmyRxAkWxjcj2IfJszsrMc9PgcISAqAncTkArfFzOZRfm5rkmdHRVUP3KXVVbZ5Ngr/s320/IMG_2042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Matias sliding down the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxU23FegK9bZ1LaUGT-jTmOu7fERSZB9qnZTEidP2bCkJN5ibpGNvrUqkH1Ut2Lpo2JZhY-TaySdcCh8Yu4W_83BoJg63smDCsxQerjiLFRbh81vCjBIoJdZ7aW4HeR-IoKfn/s1600/IMG_2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxU23FegK9bZ1LaUGT-jTmOu7fERSZB9qnZTEidP2bCkJN5ibpGNvrUqkH1Ut2Lpo2JZhY-TaySdcCh8Yu4W_83BoJg63smDCsxQerjiLFRbh81vCjBIoJdZ7aW4HeR-IoKfn/s320/IMG_2044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Gareth dropping off the edge on the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1F6tD_2u9v5ogcvwG_iNZxrg4KsuUKXR1woAbmHhyphenhyphenXBJIWctnL1V9kVkorBaTpnrxxkEW6jAsQ8r_FroEQU-bv1vYGcJjo6wCSmPML2mChjiJhXnhMAubqjkGV3mLbyhNd2R/s1600/IMG_2047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1F6tD_2u9v5ogcvwG_iNZxrg4KsuUKXR1woAbmHhyphenhyphenXBJIWctnL1V9kVkorBaTpnrxxkEW6jAsQ8r_FroEQU-bv1vYGcJjo6wCSmPML2mChjiJhXnhMAubqjkGV3mLbyhNd2R/s320/IMG_2047.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Nicole Mansfield stomping the crack falls on the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9WccXAqFi-4YMDpXDMZjK-B_8Wu5PsnBmGc3O9zfd6prDEaUze80GPINs-ORSeKyFDLFs3hJDLiY5-vKqtiiDOWXyDqD4vkpQgcBgZIuaKA3yDAW7yemh7mtmQYJk-eGRy2-/s1600/IMG_2069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9WccXAqFi-4YMDpXDMZjK-B_8Wu5PsnBmGc3O9zfd6prDEaUze80GPINs-ORSeKyFDLFs3hJDLiY5-vKqtiiDOWXyDqD4vkpQgcBgZIuaKA3yDAW7yemh7mtmQYJk-eGRy2-/s320/IMG_2069.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Gareth at the Auto-boof rapid on the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs4kKKhC-nYKvB1-v6jzCm0PdWCK_42aQEcGayOU2wLOm1gNfms1PrYFZWyA5eRxc2o3aOZup1GwUtRQZfwGu-27YDHY5N_QHnTFVsxrv5_Rf9fHO_PWKYKOuVFF0FuI9e8L_/s1600/IMG_2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs4kKKhC-nYKvB1-v6jzCm0PdWCK_42aQEcGayOU2wLOm1gNfms1PrYFZWyA5eRxc2o3aOZup1GwUtRQZfwGu-27YDHY5N_QHnTFVsxrv5_Rf9fHO_PWKYKOuVFF0FuI9e8L_/s320/IMG_2075.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Matias at Dulce Amor aka the wall boof on the Nevados</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHVXfPOrX1LNAGJgfhdlyeh3sNRt9xhj6DVVlRCEoNlLcvizygsNugF2Fyec6vzxystNUYBYcR7exhHAwWvji8ifnqVL3AcuTWoSa6BoviemrnMfPZuH8RkN8CtOO0mHEDzB9/s1600/IMG_2050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHVXfPOrX1LNAGJgfhdlyeh3sNRt9xhj6DVVlRCEoNlLcvizygsNugF2Fyec6vzxystNUYBYcR7exhHAwWvji8ifnqVL3AcuTWoSa6BoviemrnMfPZuH8RkN8CtOO0mHEDzB9/s320/IMG_2050.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole scouting the Demshitz drop</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>After saying goodbye to Matias, Gareth and I spent a few more days exploring some other runs in the area, including the Maichin and the Llancahue, both very enjoyable and beautiful sections of river. But before leaving town, there was one more beast so slay, the Middle Palguin waterfall. While Gareth was sold on this being something he had to do before leaving town, I was less certain of my interest in dropping off a 70 foot waterfall in my kayak. The second to last day we were in town, the opportunity arose to run the drop. I am the kind of boater that makes deciscions by the way I'm feeling, and I just wasn't feeling it that day. Gareth on the other hand was fired up and so I went for moral support to take photos and play safety. After a bit of scouting, our friend Danielle fired off the drop with a clean line and it was now Gareth's turn. I was anxious watching him up there alone getting ready to seal launch. That's one of the scariest parts about this drop, that to get in the water to run it, you either have to run a very stout 10 foot drop above it or seal launch in right above the falls. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcNAzMTIMUU62AoSnY5W0k82kPfKDYHg5DuUs8yayp8NC-fGfYzI2pTj2WKAiDHKOLKw7EoI36GAuFrkKnfWHZieL4QrXO88n1a_G6nfIv2pIKp5OziypyyL4VX2GGRRT0quk/s1600/IMG_2087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcNAzMTIMUU62AoSnY5W0k82kPfKDYHg5DuUs8yayp8NC-fGfYzI2pTj2WKAiDHKOLKw7EoI36GAuFrkKnfWHZieL4QrXO88n1a_G6nfIv2pIKp5OziypyyL4VX2GGRRT0quk/s320/IMG_2087.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Gareth scouting the falls</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuP1zKNy1XAMFL1a7o9lnqArEmAEM8wY3wO_ADxFB4gpSPs5QFBXLFJFSYLinkn3aVdHFQAOHee5rKVkmW8e6mwxhPCW9DLZxoamH4qP7r_8kkDfdufgCg8hz-VckOxImFM-pB/s1600/IMG_2094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuP1zKNy1XAMFL1a7o9lnqArEmAEM8wY3wO_ADxFB4gpSPs5QFBXLFJFSYLinkn3aVdHFQAOHee5rKVkmW8e6mwxhPCW9DLZxoamH4qP7r_8kkDfdufgCg8hz-VckOxImFM-pB/s320/IMG_2094.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Danielle at the bottom after his run of the waterfall</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oSudF5m3SRjlNxCG5VsMY4Q8Y2b_MatFSewRlAyemja9503eK8MlCCJB6aNuOPuxwX4wZXf33DjiUtZ4srpfV_MLTtTqJ08qgKX2evbB2n5YCspioY3K3jfoAhROtE9H3Tgn/s1600/162992_10150097797055210_501220209_7521133_387394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oSudF5m3SRjlNxCG5VsMY4Q8Y2b_MatFSewRlAyemja9503eK8MlCCJB6aNuOPuxwX4wZXf33DjiUtZ4srpfV_MLTtTqJ08qgKX2evbB2n5YCspioY3K3jfoAhROtE9H3Tgn/s320/162992_10150097797055210_501220209_7521133_387394_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Gareth going big off the Middle Palguin</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Gareth had a beautiful line off the drop, but definitely took a hard hit at the bottom. He ended up hurting a couple ribs and rupturing his ear drum. That's part of the risk of running something that big- you might get hurt even if you have a good line. All in all though he was excited for the experience and was still encouraging me to have my go at it. I decided to see how I felt the next day. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I woke up our final morning in Pucon to cold and rainy weather, but also with a feeling of urge to go huck off a big waterfall. We joined up with the Demshitz crew and after managing to squeeze eight of us into a tiny truck, we were off to the falls. After watching a few of the boys give 'er, I decided it was my time to jump. I visualized what I needed to do one last time, then slid off the rock into the water. My seal launch went great, which I was pretty psyched about. Now it was time to go big, and I paddled off the lip. My plan had been to slowly get into my tuck and once there, simply drop my paddle right before hitting the water. I was a bit nervous about throwing my paddle since I had never done that before but it ended up working out really well. I tucked up tight as I slid into the water. I was waiting for the hardest hit of my life, but alas, it never came. The hit was soft. I couldn't believe it. And my skirt didn't blow. Another plus. I hit my first hands roll and paddled over to where my paddle was floating and smiled big because I had just run the biggest waterfall of my life. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj861E3CNq08aOR0Xlk18lRQEI-fG91AnbSF72anCQg5TGR5t0dkns3A0iVZ08e3iliZgeKVchoH78tggtJfgEtouOzDC5ATVbWedataG8aa7iz-iJDNVP7u7hpainJzG1DlCaH/s1600/IMG_2098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj861E3CNq08aOR0Xlk18lRQEI-fG91AnbSF72anCQg5TGR5t0dkns3A0iVZ08e3iliZgeKVchoH78tggtJfgEtouOzDC5ATVbWedataG8aa7iz-iJDNVP7u7hpainJzG1DlCaH/s320/IMG_2098.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Me getting ready to tuck up and toss the paddle</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We then quickly headed back to Pucon where we grabbed our bags and made our way to the bus terminal (after a few celebritory beers of course). An overnight bus ride, a layover day in Santiago and an overnight plane ride later I was back in the states with only the memories of what turned out to be a way too short but very awesome trip to Chile. </div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-90009566749616141692010-11-29T05:47:00.003-05:002010-11-29T05:47:06.252-05:00NubleFest 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76QnkoJ56oi5G5XQghP4sB_fh-4R1sZLigXq_LZTaYRMIruohyEdnzbDocySNXLeEy0A_VqnJ8VDSjFY4CY4R0S8SgN9DC_DZpe5t6HCFdN-mRcz4Ppl-ACQmyunifnc-1Vz9/s1600/IMG_2004crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76QnkoJ56oi5G5XQghP4sB_fh-4R1sZLigXq_LZTaYRMIruohyEdnzbDocySNXLeEy0A_VqnJ8VDSjFY4CY4R0S8SgN9DC_DZpe5t6HCFdN-mRcz4Ppl-ACQmyunifnc-1Vz9/s320/IMG_2004crop.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When most people think of kayaking in Chile they think of the steep creeks of Pucon or of the big water at the Futa, but I was fortunate enough to spend the past week experiencing another gem of Chile, the Rio Nuble Valley located in the small mountain town of San Fabian. I was brought to the town because of my good friend Jon Clark, who found this place many years ago and has since been returning yearly to experience the beautiful vistas, play on the river's waters as well as to support a movement to fight the hydro electric projects that threaten the Nuble River and its tributaries.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyDLTAsA8pjHiqLvqxJVZP7uQRZWte16luMlK1V8gKy7y7NLxcNSJkuVQY5YssHFG2F6CzD8dxEdB5MdTHjh7FzJxWPWP4CRjKrwzPzTzKmphHPV_4ZTqFj_aGQ55KxCFqrz7/s1600/IMG_1782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyDLTAsA8pjHiqLvqxJVZP7uQRZWte16luMlK1V8gKy7y7NLxcNSJkuVQY5YssHFG2F6CzD8dxEdB5MdTHjh7FzJxWPWP4CRjKrwzPzTzKmphHPV_4ZTqFj_aGQ55KxCFqrz7/s320/IMG_1782.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>San Fabian's town square</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Five years ago Jon started organizing "NubleFest," a festival to promote the town of San Fabian and showcase the value that the river can have to not only the people of San Fabian, but to greater Chile. The festival lasted the whole weekend with its primary goal to get as many people as possible excited about the river. This involved taking hundreds of people on free rafting trips, a boatercross event, a raft race as well as a freestyle rodeo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnB0YvIz96ghmrpLZNJ0UeIXVs5q3eNbWCoh-8n04T7vDpfg_M7iC7_v7tS0UA0kmJZ0KI_xrJTNRYH3YDFDFQ98WVvyfS5AaxSZ6yF5svWyCcKDV6sErYy0IWoyJt0ZJ3gbB/s1600/IMG_1972.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnB0YvIz96ghmrpLZNJ0UeIXVs5q3eNbWCoh-8n04T7vDpfg_M7iC7_v7tS0UA0kmJZ0KI_xrJTNRYH3YDFDFQ98WVvyfS5AaxSZ6yF5svWyCcKDV6sErYy0IWoyJt0ZJ3gbB/s320/IMG_1972.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>The raft racers plowing towards the finish line during NubleFest</i></div></td><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The Nuble watershed has something for everyone. The Nuble River itself consists of over 25 miles of whitewater with a number of different sections including a harder class four upper section, a class three middle section and a lower class two stretch. When the water is flowing good, it has a feel similar to a cross between the Gauley and the Ocoee. If creeking is your thing, there are a number of tributaries to the Nuble that will give you what you're looking for. The week leading up to the festival, Gareth and I were fortunate enough to get to experience the magic of one of the Nuble's tributaries, Las Truchas.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I had heard about Las Truchas from Jon years ago when he went up there and got the first descent of it. He spoke of an overnight trip, with a big hike in and lots of creeky style rapids. Immediatley I knew it was right up my alley. Then a few weeks ago Jon did the second descent with some other friends from the states, and again the stories drew me there. With Jon busy preparing for the festival, Gareth and I decided to venture into the upper reaches of the Nuble Valley for a little expedition of our own.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The adventure started by hopping on a bus from San Fabian that took us as far up the watershed as you can reach by road. We were dropped off next to another tributary of the Nuble, Los Sauces and proceded to gear up and paddle ten minutes downstream to the beach where we would be meeting our cowboy in the morning to load up our boats on a horse and start the long hike to the creek.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfYCfeHJ0e2n2DbtvowomwrnT3-uC_9ARt4oB4Srrj_DhqeMG40qkbMe_wJc-mdHHUGa2f_pmD7VI5sSpemGtyOaD3hLI_ThOs1PKcm78NOvrOg9fkeL1s7sh0ySGNW0W9RR3/s1600/IMG_1790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfYCfeHJ0e2n2DbtvowomwrnT3-uC_9ARt4oB4Srrj_DhqeMG40qkbMe_wJc-mdHHUGa2f_pmD7VI5sSpemGtyOaD3hLI_ThOs1PKcm78NOvrOg9fkeL1s7sh0ySGNW0W9RR3/s320/IMG_1790.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The view from Camp One on the banks of Los Sauces</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">First thing in the morning our cowboy arrived and we helped get everything loaded up on the horse and started the 8 hour hike to the put in of Las Truchas. Intially, Gareth and I were skeptical about paying for a horse to carry our boats, but by the end of the hike we both conceded that Jon was probably correct to push us in that direction. The hike itself was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We were staring at snow capped peaks and mountain waterfalls pretty much the whole journey. We spent the night camped out by the river ready for a full day of kayaking down the Truchas the next day.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB0QhyphenhyphenWDa5697rYNcTwZLyOMd494SFlltbsoKq7FCOMiqEqnylyL5P8aRNz6pcyxSyrkfo2AOJUlP4mFnFjeVv90A86_gTCAT1kgNXjQcr90b9HqcC-G6XBkFzpP7Edp16YUe/s1600/IMG_1834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB0QhyphenhyphenWDa5697rYNcTwZLyOMd494SFlltbsoKq7FCOMiqEqnylyL5P8aRNz6pcyxSyrkfo2AOJUlP4mFnFjeVv90A86_gTCAT1kgNXjQcr90b9HqcC-G6XBkFzpP7Edp16YUe/s320/IMG_1834.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Our hard working horse getting loaded down with Nomads</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDUA-jLc61aDwG1xAgvJc8j3OQlIqQoInHPYYmHHHjW2pglOq4NNWoz3OiAU5DaHtW6c-u6aXfHp5UapbE8FRcGskf68f6eyf6nL3gWgRPydNitx-vDdxtVYEcC5-jknlLwF-/s1600/IMG_1851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDUA-jLc61aDwG1xAgvJc8j3OQlIqQoInHPYYmHHHjW2pglOq4NNWoz3OiAU5DaHtW6c-u6aXfHp5UapbE8FRcGskf68f6eyf6nL3gWgRPydNitx-vDdxtVYEcC5-jknlLwF-/s320/IMG_1851.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Preparing to cross one the first of many cold creek crossings</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsdNr5x9QksCtwVQrH_Otmhf_KUVRZuae_G49ssgGbgYzy7f3GAycUOSy0HUGY_FFi8FeahBQAg6QIqvKj5gCNMmhd0bWlML09zSdoD2KUsGd-NMAioh8oVtFOgkh0Kk39cmT/s1600/IMG_1889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsdNr5x9QksCtwVQrH_Otmhf_KUVRZuae_G49ssgGbgYzy7f3GAycUOSy0HUGY_FFi8FeahBQAg6QIqvKj5gCNMmhd0bWlML09zSdoD2KUsGd-NMAioh8oVtFOgkh0Kk39cmT/s320/IMG_1889.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Our first view of Las Truchas from high above on the hike</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9A8MPxQC5RzQgRQ9K2t77s7BVwc97pu10otEECCXOq_2xoUh-QLd9JUBbLnP71Y0GOLEMt7N5ax_hu1qV8sT6EKKjKKXXGHR_Wn9QxYQYLb4pDh8uXop7iPLWZZxEr3CMyMt/s1600/IMG_1894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9A8MPxQC5RzQgRQ9K2t77s7BVwc97pu10otEECCXOq_2xoUh-QLd9JUBbLnP71Y0GOLEMt7N5ax_hu1qV8sT6EKKjKKXXGHR_Wn9QxYQYLb4pDh8uXop7iPLWZZxEr3CMyMt/s320/IMG_1894.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth taking a break to enjoy the view</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsNrXP97VpWEcD9DgXCsUQA2P6TrzcPLolqeNtCOg7ITsHz-VFOXa4hIGRtty4FPinnO5ztV9yW0e7KvnSn6pClckfWOZeD_83PC_4bBSwvfpwgrQidA5YpWqp2yhLh60q8mP/s1600/IMG_1899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsNrXP97VpWEcD9DgXCsUQA2P6TrzcPLolqeNtCOg7ITsHz-VFOXa4hIGRtty4FPinnO5ztV9yW0e7KvnSn6pClckfWOZeD_83PC_4bBSwvfpwgrQidA5YpWqp2yhLh60q8mP/s320/IMG_1899.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The aftermath of our little box of wine in the food bag disaster</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1T6Uz9lCCKKVpmO79pfw0zQqT_zpBjfB6AkyKmrw0yVzegkcTYwwnC2axnlT2FiPMGW7jR6-undvdD-trLRNzZgvtXnxjxg1jbU4WcCS6d7LOH2oCWfLG_G4VXJpDdHevrNV/s1600/IMG_1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1T6Uz9lCCKKVpmO79pfw0zQqT_zpBjfB6AkyKmrw0yVzegkcTYwwnC2axnlT2FiPMGW7jR6-undvdD-trLRNzZgvtXnxjxg1jbU4WcCS6d7LOH2oCWfLG_G4VXJpDdHevrNV/s320/IMG_1914.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The shelter we made at camp two after spending the previous night soaked by dew</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Las Truchas turned out to be a great class 4-5 creek, with a steep boulder garden feel and lots of moves to make and boofs to hit. The steepest miles involved a lot scouting and managed to keep us both on our toes the whole day. In the end it took us eight hours to make it down to the confluence with the main Nuble and because we wanted to shorten our final day, we pushed on another hour down river before discovering an epic campsite below the Andean peaks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgaI3iyWiEvj_RTSHpVLlRWnO7pCDgTsD2U0OM7JLYTMMIaYkMkRtU-T-sPSx4_TxtG35UxudzLXbLL4HOarj1kqYpvgqzjnxD7Bj1cYJf0_PMxkjdqcCn4RMDZVY895-qY57/s1600/IMG_1928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgaI3iyWiEvj_RTSHpVLlRWnO7pCDgTsD2U0OM7JLYTMMIaYkMkRtU-T-sPSx4_TxtG35UxudzLXbLL4HOarj1kqYpvgqzjnxD7Bj1cYJf0_PMxkjdqcCn4RMDZVY895-qY57/s320/IMG_1928.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth nailing the line at the waterfall</span></i> <span style="font-size: small;"><i>rapid (I personally decided to nail a rock instead, not recommended)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5GEej8evT7zZRikEJX3uzGyK1V_8EIRT9WXP3-OltKMwTs0Fw27LUMBUB9vbLUsFn9Kpp70Jsytoj8diuPUe7Kok2EYELN-zs90VHro6lobYf0cj_sYOkDkKzPTnQyX1vrSL/s1600/IMG_1929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5GEej8evT7zZRikEJX3uzGyK1V_8EIRT9WXP3-OltKMwTs0Fw27LUMBUB9vbLUsFn9Kpp70Jsytoj8diuPUe7Kok2EYELN-zs90VHro6lobYf0cj_sYOkDkKzPTnQyX1vrSL/s320/IMG_1929.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Another big boof by Gareth</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1OUnTUuaD3YXyTr_wKPHEFc0oKj-QZc3zpFw1bP0CfY0X-fbhmCI9g4kd7b7S0OwR4y0DnKHuwNVgZyLEjXpSiuCkY8W33HW0oRU4VUqYJgNHerIFTuMzPSUjNKQ_UlwIUl8/s1600/IMG_1949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1OUnTUuaD3YXyTr_wKPHEFc0oKj-QZc3zpFw1bP0CfY0X-fbhmCI9g4kd7b7S0OwR4y0DnKHuwNVgZyLEjXpSiuCkY8W33HW0oRU4VUqYJgNHerIFTuMzPSUjNKQ_UlwIUl8/s320/IMG_1949.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></i></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Enjoying an Andean sunset by the fire</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c8XgAAGZJKZHC-SYnB5TIzCPqI4TClWZOFnb1uckRLLkSHrqPhuatukqEhV4-KQ0hqnmQjSBbmpVeD9KNPDhFRib3VQgAenDsQJTZLDMgEPnD2WqERXucnj-enUsHpo9gU3U/s1600/IMG_1961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c8XgAAGZJKZHC-SYnB5TIzCPqI4TClWZOFnb1uckRLLkSHrqPhuatukqEhV4-KQ0hqnmQjSBbmpVeD9KNPDhFRib3VQgAenDsQJTZLDMgEPnD2WqERXucnj-enUsHpo9gU3U/s320/IMG_1961.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Our magnificent night three campsite</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Our final day consisted of a full day of paddling on the Nuble, from the top most section all the way back down to the town of San Fabian. We arrived just in time to get showered and experience a real Latin American Thanksgiving, complete with a lamb asado and to make us feel at home, they even threw in some turkey and mash potatoes.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If the proposed hydro electric projects were to happen, it would flood the Nuble valley all the way up to the confluence of Las Truchas, eliminating the Los Sauces tributary (which is known to have some steep creeking class 5+ sections) and creating a lake where the best rapids of the Nuble currently sit. The easy logistics of the Truchas, with busing up from town and paddling all the way back to town would be lost and the experience not nearly as magical.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you come to Chile, make sure to make the beautiful town of San Fabian and the waters of the Nuble watershed a must make stop on your itinerary. The more people that come and experience this wonderful place the better chance that we will have it in its current state (without dams) for many many more years to come.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you would like more information on the festival or the logistics of visiting San Fabian, feel free to email me or contact Paul Jimenez of Extremo Sur Expediciones at extremosurexpediciones@gmail.com.</div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-20561992081057294032010-11-29T05:44:00.001-05:002010-11-29T05:44:31.772-05:00Experiencing the Rio Claro, Chile 2010<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7GHAwHLudz8OVnlbx5NYwurEyN__x3roP7qnLVvDkwHXk86rZWfDP-x5ktUibUFhRT-rRr15myiUKA0ZGX0Rma7vIB9qjgWMBUp4dTVJiQUHncAj7QWtkqIgytKlB3Feqaam/s1600/IMG_1740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7GHAwHLudz8OVnlbx5NYwurEyN__x3roP7qnLVvDkwHXk86rZWfDP-x5ktUibUFhRT-rRr15myiUKA0ZGX0Rma7vIB9qjgWMBUp4dTVJiQUHncAj7QWtkqIgytKlB3Feqaam/s320/IMG_1740.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gareth on hour 36 of our travels to Chile</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Last week Gareth and I decided to break away from the impending winter back in North Carolina and sneak away for a few weeks of kayaking in Chile. Our trip started out with getting denied at the Greenville airport with our boats, managing to change our flights to leave from Charlotte and eventually finally getting both of us and our boats on a plane South. After two full days of traveling, we finally made it to our first destination, San Fabian where we met up with my good friend Jon Clark.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EmAmpMylaWBBT-clIw_w3xlnBxphZmCBl_604Bm6uOSsxtjCLT4ZicaEqkTxlArajGRmtNtgDefgwh7w2Bcx8n4xhHdK7RUPVuqzFlAMgAkFMjpXmuSuuI67azmNxRTsqaHk/s1600/IMG_1744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EmAmpMylaWBBT-clIw_w3xlnBxphZmCBl_604Bm6uOSsxtjCLT4ZicaEqkTxlArajGRmtNtgDefgwh7w2Bcx8n4xhHdK7RUPVuqzFlAMgAkFMjpXmuSuuI67azmNxRTsqaHk/s320/IMG_1744.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Looking for a ride to San Fabian</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Our first adventure took us up to the Rio Claro, most known for the Seven Teacups section. What I hadn't realized before, was that the Rio Claro also contained two other steep waterfall style sections that were exactly what I was looking for. First we did the Veintidos Saltos (22 waterfalls) section, which was aptly named as it contains 22 pretty sweet waterfalls. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI_pxL6LcXqaqpsN-kObJW4_3JvN1CPEbtavXyMbYpA3YghkWGdO4RxpRjPrmHhraeLGsxZ4NKFr4YQ9Z3fhdweNCFZ3zvuNJNYKp-uBvnlw4-ursklaa78sFK4241Y4fwII6/s1600/DSC_5517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI_pxL6LcXqaqpsN-kObJW4_3JvN1CPEbtavXyMbYpA3YghkWGdO4RxpRjPrmHhraeLGsxZ4NKFr4YQ9Z3fhdweNCFZ3zvuNJNYKp-uBvnlw4-ursklaa78sFK4241Y4fwII6/s320/DSC_5517.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="212" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Me at one of the veintidos waterfalls (Photo by Jon Clark)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha60flZz5pralZ_revziPLhOn6E7myzMJe9x8fluy65TulX9eFDyZuUZXQn4ceMvbSf6e8fHwqecehH_rUtK3sTVRClE9vdcdTSoL4bnCY1zL1R52kFLee7m-44Ej-4sbNtjRD/s1600/DSC_5532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha60flZz5pralZ_revziPLhOn6E7myzMJe9x8fluy65TulX9eFDyZuUZXQn4ceMvbSf6e8fHwqecehH_rUtK3sTVRClE9vdcdTSoL4bnCY1zL1R52kFLee7m-44Ej-4sbNtjRD/s320/DSC_5532.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gareth disconnecting with the water on a huge boof (Photo by Jon Clark)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">After a quick snack we headed back on the water to venture into the section (and more specifically the one rapid) which we had been talking about since our arrival into Chile. The section is called the Entre Saltos which contains the infamous, Throat of the Devil rapid. The section starts off with some fun drops then quickly walls up. This is when you know you've arrived. The Throat of the Devil probably drops about 50 feet in total, with the first 20 feet dropping steeply through what I would describe as a mix between a skate park and a drain pipe following which the water falls about 30 more feet of verticle. Jon went first and I followed quickly behind him. Gareth shot video of the drop before taking the plunge himself.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQMBxVbUKcIwtrSXPUePq5IzHkFXSql4aAwatWqnoqu4B_Sapep_q7iU2Wy8xxVBWWpTs3Sutu4yh8iO8euMcSOG-JYfOl6G8WI2bbzHw9AMq7f0wwV71qEot67pIh9Rf8x9u/s1600/DSC_5368+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQMBxVbUKcIwtrSXPUePq5IzHkFXSql4aAwatWqnoqu4B_Sapep_q7iU2Wy8xxVBWWpTs3Sutu4yh8iO8euMcSOG-JYfOl6G8WI2bbzHw9AMq7f0wwV71qEot67pIh9Rf8x9u/s320/DSC_5368+%25283%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Jeremy Anderson dropping into the skate park/ drain pipe on a previous trip to the river (Photo by Jon Clark)</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAFEweBwp670y33L5-4zn_6e_eyeodel_o_JQjdAv3m3BfpBpT2yb15iAL9ojEzzb6qqnDV4RMgx8kXXwzFGV8psilTBuP_kSk7tc_4Cql5BtF3sL1kOFL6ePDLlXnyxLqm5A/s1600/DSC_5570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAFEweBwp670y33L5-4zn_6e_eyeodel_o_JQjdAv3m3BfpBpT2yb15iAL9ojEzzb6qqnDV4RMgx8kXXwzFGV8psilTBuP_kSk7tc_4Cql5BtF3sL1kOFL6ePDLlXnyxLqm5A/s320/DSC_5570.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="212" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth beginning his ride (Photo by Jon Clark)</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">At the bottom of the drop you end up in a toilet bowl pool with a pretty sizeable exit drop to get through. What happens next is something that you really can't put into words. The river narrows down and the gorge walls fly to the sky and you find yourself paddling through the most magical place I've ever been in a kayak. Then you turn the corner to find a 30 foot tributary making the most beautiful waterfall pour down just beside you. Unfortunatley because of the nature of this, it is very difficult to take pictures, so you are just going to have to come experience it for yourself.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Finally we dropped through the "Vaginas," two very narrow slot rapids which its best to stay upright in. After a couple more drops the walls start to open up and you are transported back to the real world. That section of river is officially at the top of my list for one of the msot amazing places I've ever seen.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The next morning we dropped the classic, Seven Teacups section, which includes, you guessed it, seven waterfalls, before hopping in the truck and cruising back to San Fabian.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhuauM1bwlpUob5CrNPKxlgnyeS3pgjSCizQ2iraXFC1rgmM68O5SrdbU2_1z0yZMhQCGNnlLxI2sfgJLDTNcWGv_7U4DBOoaG2TNVed6FjeM_FelJSyELpq1j1rFa67BbdKV/s1600/IMG_1757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhuauM1bwlpUob5CrNPKxlgnyeS3pgjSCizQ2iraXFC1rgmM68O5SrdbU2_1z0yZMhQCGNnlLxI2sfgJLDTNcWGv_7U4DBOoaG2TNVed6FjeM_FelJSyELpq1j1rFa67BbdKV/s320/IMG_1757.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth at the first of the seven teacups</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAok0uY3444XM5qca7JQQTdLW9hQyshM6r96jTFI63go3PuM-iu_z3Qjv27FPqPhwaVI4tRnVzVdxc-dVaHJs53gVL-g2K3ZOxEcMKXJXn-EajqCKmcQWCFnFw4acA1HFJAQDr/s1600/IMG_1759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAok0uY3444XM5qca7JQQTdLW9hQyshM6r96jTFI63go3PuM-iu_z3Qjv27FPqPhwaVI4tRnVzVdxc-dVaHJs53gVL-g2K3ZOxEcMKXJXn-EajqCKmcQWCFnFw4acA1HFJAQDr/s320/IMG_1759.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gareth finishing off the seven teacups section dropping the final 25 footer</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ4-hFDUSpsk_zGMDchlTnlO9LHiVya0lYoctf-8CJBHITVm7V11d2SbxeQP82KR-cDvWcth7EBu1jdFID34EN0fAs-cyQqhb2XijOf2vEng1SX7RLKDwdcuM0FFoeCWLtpj5/s1600/IMG_1771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ4-hFDUSpsk_zGMDchlTnlO9LHiVya0lYoctf-8CJBHITVm7V11d2SbxeQP82KR-cDvWcth7EBu1jdFID34EN0fAs-cyQqhb2XijOf2vEng1SX7RLKDwdcuM0FFoeCWLtpj5/s320/IMG_1771.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Waterfall vista on the way out of town</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVDxUEtDxOUbtkINyiFfR8S-KqKIkQcvV21Yvq40Z5h4rm_BZjxI60Oah_oswPXW6HofNy3Y_Xk4nO-8IdJn8u_yBBP2H_HnOKW_AQ_kBrDi3MqLAPXIRjN3RzhjMqgkWV3LE/s1600/IMG_1773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVDxUEtDxOUbtkINyiFfR8S-KqKIkQcvV21Yvq40Z5h4rm_BZjxI60Oah_oswPXW6HofNy3Y_Xk4nO-8IdJn8u_yBBP2H_HnOKW_AQ_kBrDi3MqLAPXIRjN3RzhjMqgkWV3LE/s320/IMG_1773.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The Hillux loaded down for the trip home</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-2524106779664785962010-08-02T18:39:00.005-04:002010-08-02T18:51:25.380-04:00Exploring the Granite Planet on Upper Cherry CreekLast week I was fortunate enough to take a trip to the granite planet on Upper Cherry Creek. Due to a work commitment and coordinating a plan for Gareth's dog, we had to wait a couple days to put on, which led to the water being lower than preferred. As it turns out though, Upper Cherry with any water in it is a spectacular place not to be missed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69Fr9pyqFCo3mBX9fxpxI264w_Ou-Bz8-ycQRDfLEsG22-2u-6BbFFOw-NC8ktsARgT51mLZNt2olIjMJk7xQC9SGiXHUjP2qdYXG-v6MSsYmEJOLzjTwW_EHZoekp8B4GVB_/s1600/P1040701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69Fr9pyqFCo3mBX9fxpxI264w_Ou-Bz8-ycQRDfLEsG22-2u-6BbFFOw-NC8ktsARgT51mLZNt2olIjMJk7xQC9SGiXHUjP2qdYXG-v6MSsYmEJOLzjTwW_EHZoekp8B4GVB_/s320/P1040701.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Typical Upper Cherry scenery</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I feel like most things great require work, and for Upper Cherry that means a 12 mile hike to the put in with a loaded down kayak strapped to your back. The first two hours were pretty miserable for me as my kayak backpack system more or less fell apart on me. Eventually I decided to give up on it and create a new system for myself with made the remaining 5 hours of the hike much more bearable.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-a3sxXQp3_d37MtFlNybWGoleeh3BpfdyNzM5U7dZG8bcuBM8YqVw9PLmTxi_OixlkfGfuKcqNzysUBLVWdoSun0m7uOLineNKii3UeGUZHQJgDsGTr9sDG3V6a4jdHso1Vq/s1600/DSC_0853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-a3sxXQp3_d37MtFlNybWGoleeh3BpfdyNzM5U7dZG8bcuBM8YqVw9PLmTxi_OixlkfGfuKcqNzysUBLVWdoSun0m7uOLineNKii3UeGUZHQJgDsGTr9sDG3V6a4jdHso1Vq/s320/DSC_0853.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Taking a lunch break on the hike in</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuq_hnptnSACJj-35T-3oemK4sY7VrwLuNoQTYLD0jW9bGaR6T8MeVq1nLhwABAGe9_FL66WqiH81YQSOSVut-CCHfpbQzNDVz9gS4jWdjnR59qYkotQYii3VoG0Gy-irLCJ-/s1600/P1040688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuq_hnptnSACJj-35T-3oemK4sY7VrwLuNoQTYLD0jW9bGaR6T8MeVq1nLhwABAGe9_FL66WqiH81YQSOSVut-CCHfpbQzNDVz9gS4jWdjnR59qYkotQYii3VoG0Gy-irLCJ-/s320/P1040688.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hour six of the hike </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After arriving at the creek we spent some time relaxing in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Eventually we decided to get away from the notorious mosquitos at the put in and head downstream a few rapids to find a campspot. The put in slide/drop was super fun. Just downstream we found a sweet granite slab with its own sandy beach to rest up for the night.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx53rtd35dW8BBQl9Dn1eZu24fg9NoFMIQolYn3Im-kWJMfOLCyU4X69S6VvbfSIgRlUHt9fuwyaB0mBVdNRjPLzvH7pnceM1dLCDE3wy3MIJp24kJqyDC_7JwAIEdaxFiQMG/s1600/DSC_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx53rtd35dW8BBQl9Dn1eZu24fg9NoFMIQolYn3Im-kWJMfOLCyU4X69S6VvbfSIgRlUHt9fuwyaB0mBVdNRjPLzvH7pnceM1dLCDE3wy3MIJp24kJqyDC_7JwAIEdaxFiQMG/s320/DSC_0877.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Me hitting the first boof of the run (Photo by Eric Giddens)</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblB6Klik9ohBW019WBPdl_27XhMq_j2sn418_CfvZHoo8tI1m6P9Z7G6xO1P5PAfnGAUi2zLNaJD-eIwq5OjNeCdZf01IxMwY7l4GurB2MI4BUJElfVa8c5xN5tbIk3L8OByR/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblB6Klik9ohBW019WBPdl_27XhMq_j2sn418_CfvZHoo8tI1m6P9Z7G6xO1P5PAfnGAUi2zLNaJD-eIwq5OjNeCdZf01IxMwY7l4GurB2MI4BUJElfVa8c5xN5tbIk3L8OByR/s320/IMG_1288.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> Introducing Gareth Tate, the newest up and coming videographer to the whitewater world</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvnYkFS0OYiS12PCSrV0b5xcZMKkmujgzppvNqSwm6rY-mJ7cGHcz-vykO96OpB_bDVIbUazBs1ksW5FkHq52G5ZyJDyukdhySP8_p-bTit1TXsacPqCL1WztdaHWuDBKKkmM/s1600/P1040749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvnYkFS0OYiS12PCSrV0b5xcZMKkmujgzppvNqSwm6rY-mJ7cGHcz-vykO96OpB_bDVIbUazBs1ksW5FkHq52G5ZyJDyukdhySP8_p-bTit1TXsacPqCL1WztdaHWuDBKKkmM/s320/P1040749.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Chilling at Camp One (Photo by Eric Giddens)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdZZwobktywlvlHeWq1Ko1XXnl9g9Kt25pHzxMGHw_sSa9LgRychqjPjGVLwJPdGKNwXXt1dW1PheAAPzdAWlkKHczmv4KtrnDk3o3Pk-n7NQVbmmaoFetnH5KvBdQkOuJ6nL/s1600/DSC_0893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdZZwobktywlvlHeWq1Ko1XXnl9g9Kt25pHzxMGHw_sSa9LgRychqjPjGVLwJPdGKNwXXt1dW1PheAAPzdAWlkKHczmv4KtrnDk3o3Pk-n7NQVbmmaoFetnH5KvBdQkOuJ6nL/s320/DSC_0893.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Waking up on Upper Cherry (Photo by Eric Giddens)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>This trip was special in that it not only included two friends, Rebecca and Allison, who hiked the entire trip along side us in our kayaks, but it also included Bishop, Gareth's dog. Bishop now has the first known dog descent of the entire Upper Cherry Creek, from hike in to paddle across the lake. It was a pretty difficult feat for him, as he is not exactly fond of steep slick granite slabs, but he made it happen. Congrats Bishop!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHenEjtEtk6aAzJOK6vKaW-D_dTDBpFHOjvodJylNYUDBI5bDjCIwQo2dr8wuh8Knnar43qDpj3XzEsr72RE6QVSfTPmq2DEi1rY7hv53piKGufrGULFYH6ceiArJXCA8mouHL/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHenEjtEtk6aAzJOK6vKaW-D_dTDBpFHOjvodJylNYUDBI5bDjCIwQo2dr8wuh8Knnar43qDpj3XzEsr72RE6QVSfTPmq2DEi1rY7hv53piKGufrGULFYH6ceiArJXCA8mouHL/s320/IMG_1281.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Bishop checking out his new territory</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7SC30QPtFTM4I03HeSNJyHvPwpsQBAjCDBGWPLdxHehmXRsR0P4Hahl8a0aGPiq2bpUvDq5gIrRREmxr8Dhrz47VAI7eiVC1-Kq2Y3ujE0jbkcuGHQqfvgCchup3lbDkkKza/s1600/P1040777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7SC30QPtFTM4I03HeSNJyHvPwpsQBAjCDBGWPLdxHehmXRsR0P4Hahl8a0aGPiq2bpUvDq5gIrRREmxr8Dhrz47VAI7eiVC1-Kq2Y3ujE0jbkcuGHQqfvgCchup3lbDkkKza/s320/P1040777.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>No words can describe it (Photo by Allison)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a great day of low angle slides and low water creeking, we finally arrived at the most well known rapid on Upper Cherry, and probably all of California- Cherry Bomb Falls. There was a big debate here as to whether or not to scout the gorge, or just go in there. With the water low, the fact that all of us have seen numerous videos and pictures of the place, and having multiple people that had been in there before, we felt pretty good about bombing (no pun intended) in there. The only thing we werent so sure about was how the exit drop of the gorge, which is backed up by a rock, would handle the low water. Eric was a bit concerned that there might not be a line there with the water being so low. After hiking up the first part of the scout, we all got lazy, had a group meeting, and inevitably decided we'd just deal with whatever we got in there and went back to our boats.<br />
<br />
After a quick scout of cherry bomb proper at water level, we all launched off it. There were mixed results on whether or not it was better to go left of the rock at the entrance, or right of it. I decided to go right of the rock and had as good a line as I could've hoped for.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcnDyvbFPk15VOOFNyshHUSc7V_aJzZzwmsA6GDm7mmJga-6QjvdZ-6tJFbl6K_jhNIGLN7Y877e-Vumlxbi6cvYMJXj4U7WkhQcEhukrxGsuZnfBsRbVTTGi-vpAv4qvY4Xw/s1600/P1040806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcnDyvbFPk15VOOFNyshHUSc7V_aJzZzwmsA6GDm7mmJga-6QjvdZ-6tJFbl6K_jhNIGLN7Y877e-Vumlxbi6cvYMJXj4U7WkhQcEhukrxGsuZnfBsRbVTTGi-vpAv4qvY4Xw/s320/P1040806.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rachel Curtis launching off Cherry Bomb (Photo by Allison)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdob-Zk6bdJSgYjlhyZnKTtZ8aXqB5qPQlT3HcpTGc5sH0IVVeyexrJJj5bfP8Mxz0pof9NHPNa9VerrckdjkbedM4w-twvKUrssMoFVeH8Gb8ZqCRlIrhCj8j0eLy9mfxfCm/s1600/DSCF1751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdob-Zk6bdJSgYjlhyZnKTtZ8aXqB5qPQlT3HcpTGc5sH0IVVeyexrJJj5bfP8Mxz0pof9NHPNa9VerrckdjkbedM4w-twvKUrssMoFVeH8Gb8ZqCRlIrhCj8j0eLy9mfxfCm/s320/DSCF1751.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Me dropping the Bomb (Photo by Tim Collins)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After we all got through the main drop, we still had the left, left, center, right, center, left sequence of drops in the gorge to get through. It was the final left that we were a bit worried about, but Drew was able to do a sketchy scout and give us the thumbs up that the final drop still went. That was a bit of a relief...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHVteWbSNhQ1WcJ_-myfzZJuwB5uOEav0pmtV7_kwbtHJfEnwH9F1o-JJ1IJdaQ8XnttuTnMs1PNFG0UKGlv2XutR5AlfpKyIeXorI_Vtqdh4BDKLjPrIGOPFeu64VxsxV2B4/s1600/P1040816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHVteWbSNhQ1WcJ_-myfzZJuwB5uOEav0pmtV7_kwbtHJfEnwH9F1o-JJ1IJdaQ8XnttuTnMs1PNFG0UKGlv2XutR5AlfpKyIeXorI_Vtqdh4BDKLjPrIGOPFeu64VxsxV2B4/s320/P1040816.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Our team making it through Cherry Bomb Gorge</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>After Cherry Bomb the creek just keeps delivering. Next up is the oh so fun Jedi slide followed by teacup drops which take you right into Flinstone Camp. We had a great evening of lapping these drops, racing them, swimming them, fishing, drinking tequila, and all around enjoying the company of everyone there. It was hear that Josh, Nick and Taylor caught up to us and joined the party.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yt8E_yH68gJ8T0hFBr-t6h-UXWHcIWZ3pOWgxfVBfIAPYqOMwbReDSnD1GtOdQdDbWfEpGfsKA61QoniE5jwkcw0OYkV0G_vyOSzFwjO8zdsEAH0ZqEeZyskCscrXX8imtj1/s1600/DSC_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yt8E_yH68gJ8T0hFBr-t6h-UXWHcIWZ3pOWgxfVBfIAPYqOMwbReDSnD1GtOdQdDbWfEpGfsKA61QoniE5jwkcw0OYkV0G_vyOSzFwjO8zdsEAH0ZqEeZyskCscrXX8imtj1/s320/DSC_0985.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth boofing into Camp Two</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjOiKMX6H_jPSl481twaYYJKC9-uYTCsJasal-GnaGG25vclaUsP19ItdxXJ-A8H-budNH6RyCcvsCoeH0KECZkcXLL0i8GFFcFPqQGp5oeB1pDmylOaH43xmUsetVanY3FpF/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjOiKMX6H_jPSl481twaYYJKC9-uYTCsJasal-GnaGG25vclaUsP19ItdxXJ-A8H-budNH6RyCcvsCoeH0KECZkcXLL0i8GFFcFPqQGp5oeB1pDmylOaH43xmUsetVanY3FpF/s320/IMG_1335.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Josh and Taylor swimming into Camp Two</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSjl6PhRzMvnK4UBo32-UsRAQVGWa8LE-86PxYNS-BXVrJG9ftN0DJUqORFD8gNORMDcjqrAfjSmXgShDm-ixQr_4pqahWUy4sussJj2t_2qh6BT_Jv5hFt5uqXsN_NIAI-7h/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSjl6PhRzMvnK4UBo32-UsRAQVGWa8LE-86PxYNS-BXVrJG9ftN0DJUqORFD8gNORMDcjqrAfjSmXgShDm-ixQr_4pqahWUy4sussJj2t_2qh6BT_Jv5hFt5uqXsN_NIAI-7h/s320/IMG_1337.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Drew fishing at Flinstone camp</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9-dFiKXHe2SpFpLR9erJfRRC0FAvEfNGgUfCVq2hJ4jz8RhLCK3pKEWQBUU8zmwRXZG2nlTWxP03TujJ0gJQJ5rzqL4YVsr_4aBh5KgvayNU0FD3iPZ-5s1g1Y8j9z8l5pu2/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9-dFiKXHe2SpFpLR9erJfRRC0FAvEfNGgUfCVq2hJ4jz8RhLCK3pKEWQBUU8zmwRXZG2nlTWxP03TujJ0gJQJ5rzqL4YVsr_4aBh5KgvayNU0FD3iPZ-5s1g1Y8j9z8l5pu2/s320/IMG_1356.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Gareth prepping his camera</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRGpQcGc8rX6tCjeGEUn8ow-YG1kKHyvq5wWCUwLEoa97tN7PKWCDVTxcY0rfEE8bOF1p_VrCJtobodMxSULnVkufOuC1_Ppag4IMh8zJxY8N84m54tnE6wGVefLq7CYjlUVm/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRGpQcGc8rX6tCjeGEUn8ow-YG1kKHyvq5wWCUwLEoa97tN7PKWCDVTxcY0rfEE8bOF1p_VrCJtobodMxSULnVkufOuC1_Ppag4IMh8zJxY8N84m54tnE6wGVefLq7CYjlUVm/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Enjoying the night </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimooumjGDmXYcuilJCcAQadid9UOUgldcNqgKpPgaDtmq267onsBT0TBGAsVvzVRppXbtbDdkkt3aShPRULu-BJ6zklWt-a_4Vl5oCH5R5PeVZjNAzSkpIjyEuxITZ6s0rm_OT/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimooumjGDmXYcuilJCcAQadid9UOUgldcNqgKpPgaDtmq267onsBT0TBGAsVvzVRppXbtbDdkkt3aShPRULu-BJ6zklWt-a_4Vl5oCH5R5PeVZjNAzSkpIjyEuxITZ6s0rm_OT/s320/IMG_1427.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Flinstone Camp, Morning Three</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next morning we awoke to morning laps on the tea cups before making our way down to the good below. Right off the bat you have a series of back to back sweet drops... West Coast Groove Tube, Perfect Twenty, Douple Pothole, Waterfall Alley, Kiwi in a Pocket and Dead Bear. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1smohepLjesY4BgQ0XqsMVQNH7i7k5EshQMImB39tnYXLGz7vcowsveA2FCIG01dbxmypy5aJw3A8Zm7bfB5nUFyjQIzCtKDGvvDFXGmFYa0Fs1nd0fkFFQDE3yW2766vjpMG/s1600/P1040878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1smohepLjesY4BgQ0XqsMVQNH7i7k5EshQMImB39tnYXLGz7vcowsveA2FCIG01dbxmypy5aJw3A8Zm7bfB5nUFyjQIzCtKDGvvDFXGmFYa0Fs1nd0fkFFQDE3yW2766vjpMG/s320/P1040878.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Taylor Cavin at West Coast Groove Tube (Photo by Allison)</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitm-vqJKyYPEvokeFsYwVQYZCTmmJFcgbzWe2IaQ_PT5BGvLxpkbIHFS7IpIqYNpkgkBOdLG9Y2Syar8_rg6BFCO6l22i4hagylLaM37e_vNbLwd8BPKX78vlzXHV1Ap7ShDLv/s1600/P1040877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitm-vqJKyYPEvokeFsYwVQYZCTmmJFcgbzWe2IaQ_PT5BGvLxpkbIHFS7IpIqYNpkgkBOdLG9Y2Syar8_rg6BFCO6l22i4hagylLaM37e_vNbLwd8BPKX78vlzXHV1Ap7ShDLv/s320/P1040877.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Me at the Perfect Twenty Drop (Photo by Allison)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrkBE8E-OPeVO4p28mCnDpn89f1VD3usAdQ_APCJdZCRBNjhh9LaveFZLF3hEkmaAeyZz7hH1uxzzmLI8UZOavEpcrCdMHKU79udUfTRRY5K4WbYS-J1erYAwvVfwgtewLPi8/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrkBE8E-OPeVO4p28mCnDpn89f1VD3usAdQ_APCJdZCRBNjhh9LaveFZLF3hEkmaAeyZz7hH1uxzzmLI8UZOavEpcrCdMHKU79udUfTRRY5K4WbYS-J1erYAwvVfwgtewLPi8/s320/IMG_1447.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gareth at Double Pothole</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tI0_y4X7S3XyJgMJApzFAPksviX_VwwkAyfuOZwggA3yVJ3XlP1-CtU6H7hvDqgClCIARxKg5QUOlPseTB6mwogIhIRnHzlQwvFAmuw6k0S-eWM2wGtS3h0NwK7bRexfUM3U/s1600/IMG_1458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tI0_y4X7S3XyJgMJApzFAPksviX_VwwkAyfuOZwggA3yVJ3XlP1-CtU6H7hvDqgClCIARxKg5QUOlPseTB6mwogIhIRnHzlQwvFAmuw6k0S-eWM2wGtS3h0NwK7bRexfUM3U/s320/IMG_1458.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Waterfall Alley</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKfIP_NMCX9DVacoQF86JA64nDDJkK7crvZ_KwXFwm_YqYgFsKJukmk_Pg3SLnXk6P6ScIGixTyi6RjxCoxwuw0jhUPjHuQrfaLVQcXI7IKbUNa8sVssGnqo6JiFc16HNj3WB/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKfIP_NMCX9DVacoQF86JA64nDDJkK7crvZ_KwXFwm_YqYgFsKJukmk_Pg3SLnXk6P6ScIGixTyi6RjxCoxwuw0jhUPjHuQrfaLVQcXI7IKbUNa8sVssGnqo6JiFc16HNj3WB/s320/IMG_1462.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Nick Urquart at Kiwi in a Pocket</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1KT5UDTO0Vq9hrwNgD_5tVf6tyeVeCFkphAxjv79EkgYkObhbxGh3wWYTwKvrvIU2k-M9Ld3UerpE0qaxIxeOjdNhDlo9Zg_NqK5e9iEklbIetfetKxPf6kBiGamKqncXOS0/s1600/DSC_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1KT5UDTO0Vq9hrwNgD_5tVf6tyeVeCFkphAxjv79EkgYkObhbxGh3wWYTwKvrvIU2k-M9Ld3UerpE0qaxIxeOjdNhDlo9Zg_NqK5e9iEklbIetfetKxPf6kBiGamKqncXOS0/s320/DSC_1029.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Taylor Cavin at the second drop of Kiwi in a Pocket (Photo by Rebecca Giddens)</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmEoi8Gq5xFqZsAlQBy8Cid9UaMOpNhFei8EQD3ogMPwrtFjSbQjRykWhwo5ljm8G_t_fDo5SqVINL3wOYUiX8_Yvo3EMPChAUjE0cgprYgi1RHo63omqrY5nRR_gulq287go/s1600/IMG_1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmEoi8Gq5xFqZsAlQBy8Cid9UaMOpNhFei8EQD3ogMPwrtFjSbQjRykWhwo5ljm8G_t_fDo5SqVINL3wOYUiX8_Yvo3EMPChAUjE0cgprYgi1RHo63omqrY5nRR_gulq287go/s320/IMG_1471.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>My boat going big off of Dead Bear (Photo by Gareth Tate)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A big group of us all ran Kiwi in a Pocket and were psyched to get to do so. This was one place where the low water allowed us to run a rapid we may or may not have otherwise. This did lock us into a somewhat gnarly portage around Dead Bear, but we worked as one happy team and made it happen with relative ease. It actually turned out to be fun in the end as we all launched our boats off of Dead Bear with everyone else sitting on a rock just downstream cheering us and our boats on. Some boats had great lines, some not so much....<br />
<br />
After lunch at Dead Bear we had a bit of a low water paddle out until reaching the last of the goods right before dropping into the lake.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHpzWDxI3LkgJoHZ-9dp9RpJgp631eHKLPLsIVk95BeWkhKvNVEVngSf0sI5gefA4QgMk8kcrkey8Qqp2pKYyuDlkRvoGzaiR09NlQ4SpZaCmOzdvZBf-ipNv1ONp9ItDdJ1_/s1600/DSCF1819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHpzWDxI3LkgJoHZ-9dp9RpJgp631eHKLPLsIVk95BeWkhKvNVEVngSf0sI5gefA4QgMk8kcrkey8Qqp2pKYyuDlkRvoGzaiR09NlQ4SpZaCmOzdvZBf-ipNv1ONp9ItDdJ1_/s320/DSCF1819.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> Getting Bishop, the hikers and their packs across the lake (Photo by Tim Collins)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>What can I say? It was an amazing experience filled with lots of beautiful granite, fun rapids and quality time with good friends. Low water is definitely better than no water on Upper Cherry Creek!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr></tr>
</tbody><tbody></tbody></table>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-85927449700627221202010-07-12T17:13:00.002-04:002010-07-12T17:14:13.383-04:00Living a Fantasy (and at times a nightmere) on the North Fork of the Mokelumne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrd9I3-nnZgms_CntLcZTr4MN1csyF6dI3K3GTbPuV5Z7c3fB32J17Ic6Kmad-lNuurKa_1n-32InwByLDsNYyps75KWX6dW4J4S8ssfpMRdEE_XXqcIrenyM2-jALcVESNUm/s1600/IMG_1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrd9I3-nnZgms_CntLcZTr4MN1csyF6dI3K3GTbPuV5Z7c3fB32J17Ic6Kmad-lNuurKa_1n-32InwByLDsNYyps75KWX6dW4J4S8ssfpMRdEE_XXqcIrenyM2-jALcVESNUm/s320/IMG_1141.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote><i>Team NC geared up for the Fantasy mission </i></blockquote></div>After getting off Dinkey Creek we had to hit the road immediately once again to check another high sierra classic off the list. This time it was Fantasy Falls of the North Fork of Mokelumne and we were all excited to get into this run which we had heard was one of the most beautiful of all the California classics. One rest day and a food resupply was all we needed before meeting Darin and Jonas at the put-in to get started on our descent.<br />
<br />
Knowing the water was low and the first few miles filled with mank, we decided to hike the first mile of river rather than abusing our boats in the water. Even with the hike, because of the low water, Day One still involved a decent bit of manky rapids for us, but it also had some pretty fun rapids tucked in there as well. After about 30 min. on the water the sky got dark, the air cold and we were all reminded of the fact that no one but Jonas brought any type of shelter with us. Fortunately, the hail storm that ensued didn't last too long and the sky cleared by the time we made it to camp. The best part of Day One was definitely the camp spot. Sleeping by the river totally surrounded by granite in the middle of no where is really something everyone should experience. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_UUCpN6RE7UXdAMMNhbW81Yis1H3MOiYdtQP9xr1ASQz5FMyLL6bgk2qKgov4xT8n1IdUxZrLgIO2TO8CfTHd70MIOh-dy9OclNwK84FlVvePAgrXErF0ukn2Dwbno8ENrS5/s1600/IMG_1145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_UUCpN6RE7UXdAMMNhbW81Yis1H3MOiYdtQP9xr1ASQz5FMyLL6bgk2qKgov4xT8n1IdUxZrLgIO2TO8CfTHd70MIOh-dy9OclNwK84FlVvePAgrXErF0ukn2Dwbno8ENrS5/s320/IMG_1145.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Beautiful Fantasy scenery</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpA6VCfSh8uPT-zs5e0sioe8bQKl9ZPMgtZZhaHivzHCs5RfcucQT3i7L77h156lYU37EUYzMMuKCUqgxsbMWfLzBpgc8qivYXWiE9Fa9j-y7zyUAHj36efOQUufZVOe6bq-7D/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpA6VCfSh8uPT-zs5e0sioe8bQKl9ZPMgtZZhaHivzHCs5RfcucQT3i7L77h156lYU37EUYzMMuKCUqgxsbMWfLzBpgc8qivYXWiE9Fa9j-y7zyUAHj36efOQUufZVOe6bq-7D/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Our Bratwurst BBQ</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY21Gib_ilaoMk3_D16zbdbCKqnMZFjLzMThFEGiVN1gV9J4asrpYnU5WbWjUUXG2RM0Xp1W_fLMJfp0SoE4We786yipGsv1MwhVl539e0XryjI2lLWY__6dhI4l0SxNu20wf/s1600/IMG_1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY21Gib_ilaoMk3_D16zbdbCKqnMZFjLzMThFEGiVN1gV9J4asrpYnU5WbWjUUXG2RM0Xp1W_fLMJfp0SoE4We786yipGsv1MwhVl539e0XryjI2lLWY__6dhI4l0SxNu20wf/s320/IMG_1159.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Scenery at Camp One</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">We woke up to more or less clear skies for Day Two and started making our way down the river, hoping the extra flow of the morning would provide us with a bit cleaner rapids. The day started off well, but by lunch time the sky darkened and rain fell again and started to set the tone for what was to come. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYLuk2AU9OYErryi2mzUfQrzpH4fVyNvM9kom6XbtiJJQHJ-d4AnGeOVNVnoWWzv8w_EThjeR3Fne92K0xpxDt9dHWLIcwAaq8W-9FmlCiULWMbVUkvHCiojyGhlmpGu4H10M/s1600/IMG_1170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYLuk2AU9OYErryi2mzUfQrzpH4fVyNvM9kom6XbtiJJQHJ-d4AnGeOVNVnoWWzv8w_EThjeR3Fne92K0xpxDt9dHWLIcwAaq8W-9FmlCiULWMbVUkvHCiojyGhlmpGu4H10M/s320/IMG_1170.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas showing us how to do it at one of the first rapids of day two</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sometime in the afternoon, after the storm had passed, we arrived at our biggest portage of the run up and over a big granite dome. While at one section where you walk along a granite slab about 15 feet off the ground, Ben slipped on some slick granite. As he started to slip he realized that there was no recovery, so he did the best thing he could have possibly done, he spotted his landing, threw his boat and jumped. He landed on his feet, but unfortunately, his left ankle landed in a hole and as he fell forward, he broke his ankle. Gareth was on him quickly, and after stabilizing him, a splint was built and an evacuation started. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40NpJ9wLMutdSwWiYM9YZxZOcgHELkeao9iUySc7b0UFD-bWuyOUKtk8Dbdg52oM7xfRPY0K66kaGhGjBnZv9Ym_yls3HeAVVuN_0JqWZpobgb2IWgr0p2xHU1bSJ3pciyeVm/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40NpJ9wLMutdSwWiYM9YZxZOcgHELkeao9iUySc7b0UFD-bWuyOUKtk8Dbdg52oM7xfRPY0K66kaGhGjBnZv9Ym_yls3HeAVVuN_0JqWZpobgb2IWgr0p2xHU1bSJ3pciyeVm/s320/IMG_1183.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Ben Blake keeping a smile on his face after the accident</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For whatever reason, I had decided to bring my phone along on this trip, and out there, in the middle of no where in the Mokelumne wilderness, I got cell service. Quickly realizing there was no way Ben was getting out of there on his own, I called for a California Highway Patrol Helicopter (I specifically called CHP because they offer offer free heli evacs if they're not busy). Within an hour of falling we had Ben loaded into the helicopter and on his way to the hospital. ***See bottom of post for an update on Ben's condition***</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJbn2ilwH2JeIr39vzT0C4oeOfHz2_kTOfsDERSekCmmtIuek2o9IyXidjNyplLg_GmttMKiBif39TGK7RKyfUcyNWcf8-mo85uftX61R5mm-YRCKrTupspp0AtCNCD0I5ku4/s1600/IMG_1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJbn2ilwH2JeIr39vzT0C4oeOfHz2_kTOfsDERSekCmmtIuek2o9IyXidjNyplLg_GmttMKiBif39TGK7RKyfUcyNWcf8-mo85uftX61R5mm-YRCKrTupspp0AtCNCD0I5ku4/s320/IMG_1197.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Ben loaded up and ready to fly</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_eU7C7Z-PjTj9J9Ws5sf__5dv0Za5XwFNKp7WFpIu6dM1u1sbrRZgX3M1K4yC8DL_5SuLgCy3MrkbL37e_Y1_udrAbh3mjLxiJyYX04LK9MgryW_CraoFbrpu_NWcXch4Mx0/s1600/IMG_1203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_eU7C7Z-PjTj9J9Ws5sf__5dv0Za5XwFNKp7WFpIu6dM1u1sbrRZgX3M1K4yC8DL_5SuLgCy3MrkbL37e_Y1_udrAbh3mjLxiJyYX04LK9MgryW_CraoFbrpu_NWcXch4Mx0/s320/IMG_1203.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Goodbye Ben! We miss you out here.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">It was an eerie feeling to put back on the river as group of five instead of six, but we knew we had to keep moving downstream if we were going to make it out of there the next night. We only paddled probably another mile that night before finding a nice campspot to lay our heads and get some rest for the next day. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Minus the fact that we didn't have Ben along, Day Three was awesome. The scenery only got better, the rapids cleaner and the weather hot and sunny. <i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LbmWyWc46ea9jhKyvBFFcnucb6_iSRpaOJzwA6kdR3hgNhq1aqJZJUKrLBGgpyuQnPcZrMXZEiLJBi8RrqFNeChviV88bEIcDFzUzUZbH3O6AAgdzTbI6zfuXaPXjHxMVIpi/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LbmWyWc46ea9jhKyvBFFcnucb6_iSRpaOJzwA6kdR3hgNhq1aqJZJUKrLBGgpyuQnPcZrMXZEiLJBi8RrqFNeChviV88bEIcDFzUzUZbH3O6AAgdzTbI6zfuXaPXjHxMVIpi/s320/IMG_1206.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas missing the log and hitting his boof</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEPLgTlMBI1ZTmV878S3d5nOtUYuwJnedtmMQ6tI3w382cBpwZPsqM-p_xAQewd_draw0AmivRIFkt_9PWqTQyfxJtcYGx5gdOzVQ5J0n0RAxOIHV6urGyH_V0PaItA9ZYLZY/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEPLgTlMBI1ZTmV878S3d5nOtUYuwJnedtmMQ6tI3w382cBpwZPsqM-p_xAQewd_draw0AmivRIFkt_9PWqTQyfxJtcYGx5gdOzVQ5J0n0RAxOIHV6urGyH_V0PaItA9ZYLZY/s320/IMG_1212.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth lining up for Fantasy Falls</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0l0fgl71GJ6w7YRpjbu6OdlR5uTUNIMBcyeKN1KBSab8RkSa80oc5rn5HNAYvGXoL8JPdGNzfQYQMK3VDe2aaJIfisM2MLaBbA62WB9wr78zYYvuvCt94CpeHUjij_fP0WyN/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0l0fgl71GJ6w7YRpjbu6OdlR5uTUNIMBcyeKN1KBSab8RkSa80oc5rn5HNAYvGXoL8JPdGNzfQYQMK3VDe2aaJIfisM2MLaBbA62WB9wr78zYYvuvCt94CpeHUjij_fP0WyN/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth boofing the fifteen footer after the Fantasy Falls drop</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx87RGFjjLHGILH32dJy5UeVAdBsnA6PGQAjWZt4W8BZOKNBc_FryTugKQmbSl_tMDVHN6XZ6JC3TJHtkIXOLARedjw4xZZUeaV7aK8xeDlqbbJHHrWrDY7kav4SJaUQInQqBw/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx87RGFjjLHGILH32dJy5UeVAdBsnA6PGQAjWZt4W8BZOKNBc_FryTugKQmbSl_tMDVHN6XZ6JC3TJHtkIXOLARedjw4xZZUeaV7aK8xeDlqbbJHHrWrDY7kav4SJaUQInQqBw/s320/IMG_1219.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Taking an afternoon break in the middle of some unbelievable scenery</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Rc7Zzn5BnS8VzuUT1FMQtV0dZOkgj-ji9Mm9zNR2vg219Ik8Wl8WJ6TBGaXtkUJDyjSiBaMA3Ay3jFEO0_tbzABkNajJbJapzqQaQ_W_6Mstl0hdSgkz16WF9u8lxMLx_lTO/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Rc7Zzn5BnS8VzuUT1FMQtV0dZOkgj-ji9Mm9zNR2vg219Ik8Wl8WJ6TBGaXtkUJDyjSiBaMA3Ay3jFEO0_tbzABkNajJbJapzqQaQ_W_6Mstl0hdSgkz16WF9u8lxMLx_lTO/s320/IMG_1222.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas entering the Island Slide</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ubAuJU8r8OsZBRQ44mNhH1OcO4OdUYhkOYnMnW06MNWDHUkajVqkii7T6AL-mIOKxFFjT4Ph65NeXQX-JgElHMNddhAqXlSUZxJNV2mnaxS9NC0H2-ylfeSC97O_1fo_Itkb/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ubAuJU8r8OsZBRQ44mNhH1OcO4OdUYhkOYnMnW06MNWDHUkajVqkii7T6AL-mIOKxFFjT4Ph65NeXQX-JgElHMNddhAqXlSUZxJNV2mnaxS9NC0H2-ylfeSC97O_1fo_Itkb/s320/IMG_1228.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Darin about to enter the meat of the Island Slide</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DFU3qNKrw0qZW5FMFxOSSLHRBAE5qeX3lEISMHmkuj-HRfkEAl0o1lOQRd_OlGeEa80qLNwcDLC3nsmIZ2SRC-ecx8aavOCjSEwcd9hIoCAvaBn8YRwlXQHLZvS1IQIY6-eK/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DFU3qNKrw0qZW5FMFxOSSLHRBAE5qeX3lEISMHmkuj-HRfkEAl0o1lOQRd_OlGeEa80qLNwcDLC3nsmIZ2SRC-ecx8aavOCjSEwcd9hIoCAvaBn8YRwlXQHLZvS1IQIY6-eK/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas hitting his boof over a hole everyone else walked</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRWaacRRF8-ADeMj5J97DdRgR47wrVRcYxfyLYJ6VzGB7DWnUXLiDOmPz-pcEbmZU8ENUyT9V1VxArLxb70tBs2cyfb82NtQ1FJoxCHgOZFcp81adiiYTfjGFiISs24kDyt3Y/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRWaacRRF8-ADeMj5J97DdRgR47wrVRcYxfyLYJ6VzGB7DWnUXLiDOmPz-pcEbmZU8ENUyT9V1VxArLxb70tBs2cyfb82NtQ1FJoxCHgOZFcp81adiiYTfjGFiISs24kDyt3Y/s320/IMG_1231.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Cali Class Three!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBCROhF2-AzUfI-j9W1KtRYgn1KqpvGRj9M0Yl2e7VyCZf9bVaryEPadB-aO71fMepRgHF_o6B1aUiX4aFdmKXXe5NsXm9F0pqJROK-Er_BQNI0gccH6bY7FyhsUJW3YVLBAK/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBCROhF2-AzUfI-j9W1KtRYgn1KqpvGRj9M0Yl2e7VyCZf9bVaryEPadB-aO71fMepRgHF_o6B1aUiX4aFdmKXXe5NsXm9F0pqJROK-Er_BQNI0gccH6bY7FyhsUJW3YVLBAK/s320/IMG_1233.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth pulling up to the dock after the big lake paddle</i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In total, everyone in the group besides Darin swam at least once, some others who we will not mention chalked up two swims. The rapids were committing and consequential and the overall feel rugged and tiring. I definitely recommend everyone who has the skills to check out Fantasy Falls, just don't expect it to be a Fantasy the whole time...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think our trip might have been especially cursed. Check out the list below of all of the crazy things that happened in those three days:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First on scene to motorcyle accident on the way to put in</li>
<li>Flat tire at put in</li>
<li>Broken paddle during first mile</li>
<li>Dropped video camera in the water during second mile</li>
<li>Hail storm on Day One</li>
<li>Swim off of a log pin</li>
<li>Swim on first rapid of day on Day Two</li>
<li>Ben falls off cliff and gets helicoptered out</li>
<li>Swim at last rapid of day on Day Two</li>
<li>Strong headwind on lake paddle (ok I guess that ones standard but it still sucked)</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">***Ben Blake Update: After being evacuated to a hospital in South Lake Tahoe, Ben got X-rays to determine that he broke two bones in his ankle and needed surgery. A couple days later he flew home to Gainesville to be with his family during surgery. The surgery went ok, but was extremely painful for him, and he has still yet to be released from the hospital due to their inability to manage his pain. It could be six months before he is walking on his leg again. Please keep Ben in your thoughts and send all the good energy you can his way. He's an awesome friend, boater and all around person and deserves all the love and support he can get. ***</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-7995669507954592222010-07-12T17:12:00.001-04:002010-07-12T17:12:00.365-04:00Fourth of July on Dinkey CreekWhile we are all pretty beat down from a long three days on Royal Gorge, Dinkey Creek was dropping in and dropping out fast, so after a day off we charged south to the put in. <br />
<br />
While our crew started out with Gareth, Ben, Adam and I, along with our Kiwi friend Rachel, by the time we finished the hike and made it to the put in, crowds of people were showing up behind us. Turned out we weren't the only ones excited about spending the Fourth of July weekend on Dinkey creek.<br />
<blockquote><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5g2PtEe0_0mXpRNqf0gs-tOZQHSD9fd_AARcJ5kBfj0V5V7ZpzhZ2TSvP9MetbEBuD44_4SbObJISpz35sXCv3xqtmSTm6TO6vUTaBqxVtXqH43iHWzPsH_liCBIJJBhL9_G/s1600/IMG_1072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5g2PtEe0_0mXpRNqf0gs-tOZQHSD9fd_AARcJ5kBfj0V5V7ZpzhZ2TSvP9MetbEBuD44_4SbObJISpz35sXCv3xqtmSTm6TO6vUTaBqxVtXqH43iHWzPsH_liCBIJJBhL9_G/s320/IMG_1072.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Getting ready to hike into Dinkey</i></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJFv9PlSBHLHvseDa-crOsQGMooxjwyNoLLEcFZbIwiZCow8cbgyYelPceIbPEaRDA12EtdyWhnZfON0xDis8M3WlFfKb0TzC6DkQZZT8tFhyphenhyphentjuDkvegs9_Xp99_7t0JgiRO/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJFv9PlSBHLHvseDa-crOsQGMooxjwyNoLLEcFZbIwiZCow8cbgyYelPceIbPEaRDA12EtdyWhnZfON0xDis8M3WlFfKb0TzC6DkQZZT8tFhyphenhyphentjuDkvegs9_Xp99_7t0JgiRO/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" /></a><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hiking down the granite to get to the goods</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">We quickly peeled out of the put in eddy and started our way downstream hoping to beat the crowds at least for a little while. After a few big slides to get warmed up, we quickly arrived at the infamous Willie Kern Slide, the biggest unportable rapid on the run. Starting off with a fifteen footer into a low angle slide, it finished off with a 40 foot high angle slide. Following this the river continues to drop off into a granite wonderland all the way to camp, including two 20 footers, a big portage and a number of other sweet drops. <i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKTQltkSNI0WRzOolpB6KESz5aT2v1KrJrE7AwrthAFWBQ7U9mhUgSaHXzkSaF6trfi6B50SqHuvKk42KV_6B8_bJxCMIsBo9xjqI7YZXUJb-AiC1N-kDWBcXqMCA1YrX14qc/s1600/IMG_1081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKTQltkSNI0WRzOolpB6KESz5aT2v1KrJrE7AwrthAFWBQ7U9mhUgSaHXzkSaF6trfi6B50SqHuvKk42KV_6B8_bJxCMIsBo9xjqI7YZXUJb-AiC1N-kDWBcXqMCA1YrX14qc/s320/IMG_1081.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Rachel Curtis hitting the entrance boof to the Willie Kern Slide</i><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpi5n1_wqsPhAx_GXYFOFQZ8by4fjmSGNRyPle3f0Dooc9VFrCBy_6b-7IdKl1HBVUZyIYiG41Vds-YWr64Mkqx0WQdMNbVjwk-CPBpW-zGbedxNgehaurhYqHyD-H0pz2YAj/s1600/IMG_1089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpi5n1_wqsPhAx_GXYFOFQZ8by4fjmSGNRyPle3f0Dooc9VFrCBy_6b-7IdKl1HBVUZyIYiG41Vds-YWr64Mkqx0WQdMNbVjwk-CPBpW-zGbedxNgehaurhYqHyD-H0pz2YAj/s320/IMG_1089.JPG" /><i> </i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Adam Bixby about to fall off the lip of Willie Kerns </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8_uA5NwKGxZR_LtKEKXCf4iKkC7SWQZCpeQ5muohAYUipWNEX1uT_GlDos-2gLPvwBb5vAj4snX0spw1hYnMfaiJtWSgSzRkecFdcLqoNapVKoOHoPzqMzbzVa2ib8NZzeTJ/s1600/_DMM7174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8_uA5NwKGxZR_LtKEKXCf4iKkC7SWQZCpeQ5muohAYUipWNEX1uT_GlDos-2gLPvwBb5vAj4snX0spw1hYnMfaiJtWSgSzRkecFdcLqoNapVKoOHoPzqMzbzVa2ib8NZzeTJ/s320/_DMM7174.jpg" /></a></div></blockquote><i>A new perspective on the Willie Kern rapid (Photo of me by Darin McQuoid)</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qt2FBWRqHkBAaHLPJ_gyVb1zcFfs5CQxa4E7DFsdwEFUf1F7vruDutvvuScO1kaL8lCaviX2a7hBCnr1Q0tnPkT2RxXOOjhT1_eW0ykQEs9Gu5NBcmvLywj54w2Z-HRz_5_v/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qt2FBWRqHkBAaHLPJ_gyVb1zcFfs5CQxa4E7DFsdwEFUf1F7vruDutvvuScO1kaL8lCaviX2a7hBCnr1Q0tnPkT2RxXOOjhT1_eW0ykQEs9Gu5NBcmvLywj54w2Z-HRz_5_v/s320/IMG_1091.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth stomping the sieved out twenty footer </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZSsJntO2xp3gFMpG3VMHcewd88ZGX8uegatMUnneQlqHiXKMtYQyQuCjXNXUqNXW8YkM_jGxZqvZEWmw5hiqVPV2y-n5Kavtu6K94sCxW64gjllPq3by5KpGd-qz_cm6S1wC/s1600/IMG_1092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZSsJntO2xp3gFMpG3VMHcewd88ZGX8uegatMUnneQlqHiXKMtYQyQuCjXNXUqNXW8YkM_jGxZqvZEWmw5hiqVPV2y-n5Kavtu6K94sCxW64gjllPq3by5KpGd-qz_cm6S1wC/s320/IMG_1092.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The manky exit to the twenty footer</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFyj_DjAJ7FQjaMOALvHY4D2D6hoavvhyKQtzH4n4HTymzJf_tnl_wR_Sf-vD29jmnYSC6LH1maIpvcgHUrDU_o3ASK_S5HOu0sS5xMJbPwQhoglfvN21tcF_OGq_z3NXBnzU/s1600/IMG_1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFyj_DjAJ7FQjaMOALvHY4D2D6hoavvhyKQtzH4n4HTymzJf_tnl_wR_Sf-vD29jmnYSC6LH1maIpvcgHUrDU_o3ASK_S5HOu0sS5xMJbPwQhoglfvN21tcF_OGq_z3NXBnzU/s320/IMG_1098.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas Grunewald dropping in on the granite planet</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27H3QHcojxjWDwQhWZMDZU1FITVYryxCGkYggEtrzUaidOMOTPNhqMhtzFSLNHSPOxLqpMQZ7EewVc6CVYs2J0OBHlzePDrYKLHG33oC1nVQiRGotxregzYCDCw-2uNT9bVPf/s1600/_DMM7548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27H3QHcojxjWDwQhWZMDZU1FITVYryxCGkYggEtrzUaidOMOTPNhqMhtzFSLNHSPOxLqpMQZ7EewVc6CVYs2J0OBHlzePDrYKLHG33oC1nVQiRGotxregzYCDCw-2uNT9bVPf/s320/_DMM7548.jpg" /></a></div><i>Me on the Good Morning slide, which was the Good Evening slide for us because we decided to run it on Day One and camp just below</i> <i>(Photo by Darin McQuoid)</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After an awesome day of kayaking, we were all psyched to get to camp early and spend some time relaxing and fishing and just chilling out. Once dusk settled in and all of the groups had found a camp spot for the night, we did a total count of everyone on the river. There were 35 people paddling and camping in Dinkey on July 3rd this year. Among the five different groups, there were four different camp spots being used, all of which were in eyesight of each other. It was quite the fourth of July party, with fireworks and all!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Day Two we paddled with Darin and Jonas for most of the run and had a great time firing off the oh so many classic class five rapids Dinkey has to offer.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbPKkzyKjZSoL-x5CJdWU2ym1Rmc7axBRLg0nVRRd1jEyYzBuf9PPa3C3sss5MNIS1N2p7ON7QjqGkriDLNcrkg4VbdPjtnndAuDtUI_UYlTjcTNacCksK9iBAhKuLZVwuCPK/s1600/IMG_1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbPKkzyKjZSoL-x5CJdWU2ym1Rmc7axBRLg0nVRRd1jEyYzBuf9PPa3C3sss5MNIS1N2p7ON7QjqGkriDLNcrkg4VbdPjtnndAuDtUI_UYlTjcTNacCksK9iBAhKuLZVwuCPK/s320/IMG_1101.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jonas Grunewald running the pothole drop</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqNIVoOvnWysKx8hZrhYLzCjXRoumWwmrp6tkrdMI-A13J1jCE2u4-QMDdLDJwCqLs2giebzgjkP5myNJyWA0mXNOo9q9U4AvvpV4ORJYUlI0zfTgMtDjkJWLpsWLYf-5BoS3/s1600/IMG_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqNIVoOvnWysKx8hZrhYLzCjXRoumWwmrp6tkrdMI-A13J1jCE2u4-QMDdLDJwCqLs2giebzgjkP5myNJyWA0mXNOo9q9U4AvvpV4ORJYUlI0zfTgMtDjkJWLpsWLYf-5BoS3/s320/IMG_1103.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Darin McQuoid boofing into beautiful Dinkey scenery</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVCkixkUXPK6vIOhl3zp4ScmqiTCU3u3KzZ739qMJEHS14XevKAJDpl-QjcUKae1XvSmfHNOd9p1r_sP0wDhiKg4QqHdc6-m8p_qo71sS3X6vEB5FWCVLBCqTeVu5CLu6hOpP/s1600/_DMM7618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVCkixkUXPK6vIOhl3zp4ScmqiTCU3u3KzZ739qMJEHS14XevKAJDpl-QjcUKae1XvSmfHNOd9p1r_sP0wDhiKg4QqHdc6-m8p_qo71sS3X6vEB5FWCVLBCqTeVu5CLu6hOpP/s320/_DMM7618.jpg" /></a></div><i> Adam and I cruising through a steep rapid (Photo by Darin McQuoid)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuYC8wwVAC4ydO-Iuk5qXeGjHAQgaWUo0IwlT_zzRD93SyUVh2Pq3O_d9TBtlHNQ8YFUlRmeT7qbcxou8ZL0zC5vKKaQqsw6J_2V9h67_n5aSh2qGvQgotLu3G1hLMppekjn7/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMuYC8wwVAC4ydO-Iuk5qXeGjHAQgaWUo0IwlT_zzRD93SyUVh2Pq3O_d9TBtlHNQ8YFUlRmeT7qbcxou8ZL0zC5vKKaQqsw6J_2V9h67_n5aSh2qGvQgotLu3G1hLMppekjn7/s320/IMG_1106.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Ben Blake showing us how to boof</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdsBRsQrE8NTt4XMpx5th4eBDopBWN8U4xuD64HuxlN2dFOpQBxrV_sUFjki13jfqJ3Dbne7DMaLXiydXBaxQOLe7nKFL3VDmuQgqv_t5RsDuPlHSfwp8mMv-EB6hahf9DbqV/s1600/IMG_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdsBRsQrE8NTt4XMpx5th4eBDopBWN8U4xuD64HuxlN2dFOpQBxrV_sUFjki13jfqJ3Dbne7DMaLXiydXBaxQOLe7nKFL3VDmuQgqv_t5RsDuPlHSfwp8mMv-EB6hahf9DbqV/s320/IMG_1116.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> Darin and Macey tag teaming a twenty footer</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTmeDkWBPVpFN5ieRPio9iz1opjIzkXejy4AkuTk4fqw2TWSXhvdX45i0rMqpFBwpdLp9YyrbAYdHUMWs3rhD7Mke7dJJQJNqk4tO6YpiHj4wHkhp6ptV2zeUVM9wmJEWUNv2/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTmeDkWBPVpFN5ieRPio9iz1opjIzkXejy4AkuTk4fqw2TWSXhvdX45i0rMqpFBwpdLp9YyrbAYdHUMWs3rhD7Mke7dJJQJNqk4tO6YpiHj4wHkhp6ptV2zeUVM9wmJEWUNv2/s320/IMG_1119.JPG" /></a><i><br />
Darin hitting the perfect line in the Nikki Kelly Slide</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2a20LWZl9aGdvpy9aw2dyCmDbnZBRYIqmdFS-C783oIB1LwyYfu2vDjQdyd4NgVLagqpqWwyuSqK7nmFRpq0pkJOH7u9EuinbXVDMpFNucxdCTbnmCdwy3lGsnMUlXVK5mzO/s1600/IMG_1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2a20LWZl9aGdvpy9aw2dyCmDbnZBRYIqmdFS-C783oIB1LwyYfu2vDjQdyd4NgVLagqpqWwyuSqK7nmFRpq0pkJOH7u9EuinbXVDMpFNucxdCTbnmCdwy3lGsnMUlXVK5mzO/s320/IMG_1127.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth Tate entering one of the last big rapids of the run</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">This was my third trip into Dinkey Creek and it just gets better every time. For only having two mandatory portages and tons and tons of big clean beautiful rapids, I truly believe that Dinkey Creek is one of the best creeks in the world. <i><br />
</i></div></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-15416421401830677892010-07-12T17:11:00.002-04:002010-07-12T17:33:48.263-04:00Feeling Royal on the North Fork of the AmericanWith the California snowpack high and the weather staying cool, it seemed like it was taking forever to start off the high sierra multi-day season out here. Friends from the Southeast made their pilgrimage across the country and for the the first week they were out here I showed them around my favorite day runs in the area, including 49 to Bridgeport and Golden Gate, while we waited for the water to drop. So when we heard that the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American was dropping into a good level, we geared up for a mission. Taylor Cavin was leading the charge as our local expert (he had just did the run the week before at a bit higher water, so it was fresh in his memory) and Gareth Tate, Ben Blake and Adam Bixby were representing team NC.<br />
<br />
Because we were a bit worried about the level rising, we intentionally had a late start on day one so we would be able to check the level before fulling committing to doing it. Fortunately, the level showed the perfect trend and off we went to put in. Geared up and packed up we arrived at the bridge to put on and made sure we had a swift entry as not to bring any attention to ourselves from unhappy land owners.<br />
<br />
Day one starts off with a bang, with a number or tight slot drops meandering through mini gorges. Eventually the rivers opened up a bit more and granted us with some really sweet rapids, including the awesome double drop rapid seen below. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jwMy46odw1rC_has82C3O8NQQTHpEN20uyxou3s4bA_IQWpRyCEOgz2xeeV05tFpTfbjUl26v6rHj_gHAdRH_BsURY2rokT1Fe31r8Nz_9TjNhkprXeK3kCUzPGnlCUipTZ9/s1600/IMG_1010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jwMy46odw1rC_has82C3O8NQQTHpEN20uyxou3s4bA_IQWpRyCEOgz2xeeV05tFpTfbjUl26v6rHj_gHAdRH_BsURY2rokT1Fe31r8Nz_9TjNhkprXeK3kCUzPGnlCUipTZ9/s320/IMG_1010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Adam Bixby entering the double drop rapid on Day One</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoAFLdMkAjzN9xo6UeVE7RhZFEvRpDhITMb1XDQB4b6le-Z-fhL-JBFtyNinf_VJ8xxThXyeASQlHM0pNGUIqNkXVDKcv17q04-FcdhbQBU-V0_RIGHnRrEekulTsWeSVPGlQ/s1600/IMG_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoAFLdMkAjzN9xo6UeVE7RhZFEvRpDhITMb1XDQB4b6le-Z-fhL-JBFtyNinf_VJ8xxThXyeASQlHM0pNGUIqNkXVDKcv17q04-FcdhbQBU-V0_RIGHnRrEekulTsWeSVPGlQ/s320/IMG_1011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Adam firing off the bottom drop of the double drop</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXSegPmfDDjK4HaU4pFCOMnZXCVCYlw_NCmYClcV9y_dapZaPrjaMPaWOzaCWFM40Xd4Nc3XhIQyu8BzzVkbPXgww79Rwdy0cgwxIE4z71GsyvZMMWbmuqNlztBjIAtgcNtOV/s1600/IMG_1014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXSegPmfDDjK4HaU4pFCOMnZXCVCYlw_NCmYClcV9y_dapZaPrjaMPaWOzaCWFM40Xd4Nc3XhIQyu8BzzVkbPXgww79Rwdy0cgwxIE4z71GsyvZMMWbmuqNlztBjIAtgcNtOV/s320/IMG_1014.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Taylor Cavin cruising through a random rapid on Day One</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With dusk settling in and our energy a bit low, we finally pulled into our first camp. I've seen some pretty cool campsites before, but this one definitely topped the list. The site was located on a grassy field located up above and in between<i> </i>the Heath Waterfalls. Heath One is a perfect 40 footer and is followed pretty quickly by Heath Two, a slightly higher waterfall and much more consequential due to being backed up by a bad cave. After taking time to get dried off, we spent some time staring down at Heath One and choosing our lines for the next morning. <i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KHVZWR9ydEdSbiaNq-VWchNfeJ5MUn60r0Rw2JtykxzszImqf1IexdqGJ3c_kzRHb__jEcSXDHhO8VyrmUrTARpPJyNwi4_4wFyzuLLF4lS3bBzw9hqP9b1NAOso_cWAAgJ1/s1600/IMG_1021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KHVZWR9ydEdSbiaNq-VWchNfeJ5MUn60r0Rw2JtykxzszImqf1IexdqGJ3c_kzRHb__jEcSXDHhO8VyrmUrTARpPJyNwi4_4wFyzuLLF4lS3bBzw9hqP9b1NAOso_cWAAgJ1/s320/IMG_1021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Night One Camp</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYe0TC1qTLGxo01bSCPCPB9APVQQPyxZBy1_HhRivsKYvFQwvAg_uV4JQQ6HmAMK7dGXT2Tdzes3o9CKYumgJa9AzhDz5kEVRXEamGqeHbKb_byqmmlgoMxVQ3vt6uR1zE_mw/s320/IMG_1027.JPG" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Gareth and I checking out the Heath Falls from camp one</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOy4aah36EFHBqubesnCNZ505eYrt_QA1DnyWJYRwPOoQPxvAcnjL5eJy1EosZcLiz_ur5DoCYFBetXqD7hBfTiLy-L-JNpGknTedQw2ffHbCtFbvwRL_PFNXa1LE7PMu-Gj/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mOy4aah36EFHBqubesnCNZ505eYrt_QA1DnyWJYRwPOoQPxvAcnjL5eJy1EosZcLiz_ur5DoCYFBetXqD7hBfTiLy-L-JNpGknTedQw2ffHbCtFbvwRL_PFNXa1LE7PMu-Gj/s320/IMG_1016.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><i> A view of Heath One and Heath Two Falls</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">There's nothing like waking up in the morning to the thrill of running a 40 footer! After getting up and making breakfast, the whole crew geared up to run Heath One. Once safety was set, Taylor and Gareth made their way up to the top of the falls to kick off the huck fest. Ben and I were next and we both nailed our lines and had big smiles at the bottom. <i><br />
</i></div></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLhJnoLkg8KVHdZaHEL7XygASVvPnaehBhayQ78dVc_Y8pSUMRUaxmuUfYCmweSpbiwtQvV82_PmXioj-8bUC4nnkSl9QCHiaTvP9Oum7FB25eOr-Iqf764y-mWkD1kIyXcqU/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLhJnoLkg8KVHdZaHEL7XygASVvPnaehBhayQ78dVc_Y8pSUMRUaxmuUfYCmweSpbiwtQvV82_PmXioj-8bUC4nnkSl9QCHiaTvP9Oum7FB25eOr-Iqf764y-mWkD1kIyXcqU/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Me waking up to Heath One</i> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDfj1XZ1bGOXwUkYafHdTGOQ7xUojmxDUG3Tv8TPsKYYQZtkYfmF3NrNJs30El-g3QJSiN2EqLBumb3TLVSTroTtluR1a3mWCmXn4CkJuA3ypa5M-lg0N3LfICi_iJYiJFqs-/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDfj1XZ1bGOXwUkYafHdTGOQ7xUojmxDUG3Tv8TPsKYYQZtkYfmF3NrNJs30El-g3QJSiN2EqLBumb3TLVSTroTtluR1a3mWCmXn4CkJuA3ypa5M-lg0N3LfICi_iJYiJFqs-/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Ben pulling the trigger on Heath One</i></div></blockquote>After getting our waterfall running on, the crew portaged our boats around Heath Two and started making our way downstream. Day Two was filled was tons of excitement, including watching Taylor Cavin go big on two of the larger waterfalls on the Royal Gorge, 50 foot Rattlesnack Falls and 70 foot Wabena Falls.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLgmNH1U2ZFuW9g7APwZXPWKBuKOMCZq7kUe01yeV6344GClAPw_fYcsOPgNEIeii8GeM6onItQJ9jO07XfLbA5tOiFSBJnT74sIRkPFntVyG3-DMs8fIuIKL-sFAtnu42RgI/s320/IMG_1051.JPG" width="240" /> <i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Gareth stomping a perfect twenty footer on Day Two</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIUmjAI2wY_3_M6VzbBprlQdZKLPftelnctBtnx4C9R1Y_kDHXorcO85nVXREMtNwzsz6WI9ctl2HK35t3217tUkCQbj94s0gJu0R_6uwaxr7Bw5zr8f4tL-m-eRSNGmRwREV/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIUmjAI2wY_3_M6VzbBprlQdZKLPftelnctBtnx4C9R1Y_kDHXorcO85nVXREMtNwzsz6WI9ctl2HK35t3217tUkCQbj94s0gJu0R_6uwaxr7Bw5zr8f4tL-m-eRSNGmRwREV/s400/IMG_1047.JPG" width="400" /></a><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Taylor coming through the white rock gorge</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pNIr7dpGSo91tbNbeBCCgPU8KO6wDikeBLo0cesQjKnLPSzE48giukcLmJl3b70J_gBcgNzyTNZ6M8Nj5PD3jpvELm1daryYvy4lu8kaS5mwh96FtslqmLkpDmxp_uNnIelM/s1600/IMG_1049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pNIr7dpGSo91tbNbeBCCgPU8KO6wDikeBLo0cesQjKnLPSzE48giukcLmJl3b70J_gBcgNzyTNZ6M8Nj5PD3jpvELm1daryYvy4lu8kaS5mwh96FtslqmLkpDmxp_uNnIelM/s320/IMG_1049.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Taylor showing us how its done on Rattlesnake Falls</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tydzjmSl2nqKEXIjTvnEBuaNh6eFeXlSzI2NE71aM18gz6rIHjNFkUWeD1ty4dH36jyPDtvMp-1zWjF2NnNNYvKnq03blgeglXVgvLRRLfX3snb-j2vbFoCShIpK4raiVIbC/s1600/IMG_1055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tydzjmSl2nqKEXIjTvnEBuaNh6eFeXlSzI2NE71aM18gz6rIHjNFkUWeD1ty4dH36jyPDtvMp-1zWjF2NnNNYvKnq03blgeglXVgvLRRLfX3snb-j2vbFoCShIpK4raiVIbC/s320/IMG_1055.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Taylor going big once again at the lip of 70 foot tall Wabena Falls</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After firing off Wabena Taylor was a bit sore from the hit, so we decided to camp for the night pretty soon after. We spent our time at Camp Two reflecting on the day and all of the amazing rapids and spectacular scenery we experienced along the way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Day three was long. While days one and two involved paddling around 3-5 miles a day, day three involved paddling almost 35 miles of whitewater. It took us over 10 hours to complete the mission, which included 8 miles of whitewater before arriving at the Generation and Giant Gap section of the North Fork. While mostly class 2-4, the day still involved many class 5 rapids and pretty much took every bit of energy we had to complete it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">To reward ourselves for such a successful mission, we did the classic California thing and hit up the In and Out Burger for some double doubles animal style!<i><br />
</i></div></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-42076447679505810692010-06-14T09:50:00.000-04:002010-06-14T09:51:54.351-04:00Yuba Gap Big Kimshew Double HeaderA few weeks ago I had one of my best weekends in Cali to date. I got to run what I would consider some of the best day runs California has to offer: Yuba Gap and Big Kimshew.<br /><br />After having left the state for about two weeks to return to the Southeast for a work commitment, I was anxious to get back on the water. Fortunately, my first weekend back coincided with a release of Yuba Gap as well as the first few days of Big Kimshew for the season.<br /><br />Yuba Gap was only releasing 200cfs which we were told was low but still good and worth doing for such a rarely gotten run. After having done it, I would completely agree with this assessment. While it wasn't the easiest day Ive ever had (because of the low water there were lots of extra portages) it was still one of my better days of kayaking in California. The rapids were big and challenging and lots of fun all at the same time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBuZCLWsnfY3dTDFX0DdHitaowA9oFi7teoerAumS54Cq-ckRMbWbAQhcy4mSReUDMNrPv1jiPXKANI-hvTXcH51NKXhpXMgTnOHKER4w6DGBJcRiviO8CEQVGXAvZuZG2swi/s1600/IMG_0952.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBuZCLWsnfY3dTDFX0DdHitaowA9oFi7teoerAumS54Cq-ckRMbWbAQhcy4mSReUDMNrPv1jiPXKANI-hvTXcH51NKXhpXMgTnOHKER4w6DGBJcRiviO8CEQVGXAvZuZG2swi/s320/IMG_0952.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481686792743247970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A chill but cool rapid on Yuba Gap</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After getting off Yuba Gap I was initially thinking there was must no way I could put on another class 5+ river the next day as I was totally worn down. But after a couple of beers on the drive back to get our cars, I quickly pepped up and realized being tired was no excuse for missing Big Kimshew, one of the more elusive runs in California. So with that it mind I followed the crew back to Chico for dinner and drinks and a plan to go into Kimshew the following morning.<br /><br />I cannot say enough good things about that run. Its big (with two 40+ foot rapids), its clean (with no mandatory portages and only two commonly portaged rapids) and absolutely beautiful.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSeZS5-0vKzz3kPfmxr6dgjPIkumRb5hn36c2xg1LT3w9wgHDITM6SHSQIZbEpV68K9nZGopyiZ61jfc6miE5IVoKR4C6Z4zUsBwP2URfkIbmpaQPpRSDO-ZZGNRfKtgX_4Gw/s1600/Laura+Farrell+-+Kimshew+Falls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSeZS5-0vKzz3kPfmxr6dgjPIkumRb5hn36c2xg1LT3w9wgHDITM6SHSQIZbEpV68K9nZGopyiZ61jfc6miE5IVoKR4C6Z4zUsBwP2URfkIbmpaQPpRSDO-ZZGNRfKtgX_4Gw/s320/Laura+Farrell+-+Kimshew+Falls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481688947681785234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me firing into Big Kimshew Falls (Photo by Darin McQuoid)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyN1ABOBKoc7c3xPL9BErAsekicteL7TqdVBjCIclIWKLRmgqXbBgMhyphenhyphenO_AOAZYfhSdN_p2N0sI0y_HKMzdZOI-5M9jeZhze4avRA2XtM02fRBwY25DGb7Y4tetB7P2b1PE3M/s1600/IMG_0965.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyN1ABOBKoc7c3xPL9BErAsekicteL7TqdVBjCIclIWKLRmgqXbBgMhyphenhyphenO_AOAZYfhSdN_p2N0sI0y_HKMzdZOI-5M9jeZhze4avRA2XtM02fRBwY25DGb7Y4tetB7P2b1PE3M/s320/IMG_0965.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481686780795401266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jonas hitting his boof at the top of Big Kimshew Falls</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uenez4MbaPkx1t1kD__Rr11evtKLHj5goXFihIzW94nbNHxri6eoPHwh819Sj4PX8hArBdxHmpFGG99zLFZdn52dkFEPbtAuV5Gib9V47lmkbtZUvqRPPcu3rggBM4fbea_F/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uenez4MbaPkx1t1kD__Rr11evtKLHj5goXFihIzW94nbNHxri6eoPHwh819Sj4PX8hArBdxHmpFGG99zLFZdn52dkFEPbtAuV5Gib9V47lmkbtZUvqRPPcu3rggBM4fbea_F/s320/IMG_0970.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481683051142638018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Darin lining up for Frenchy's Forty</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-48043683976305049602010-05-26T22:57:00.001-04:002010-05-26T23:02:42.246-04:00The South Branch of the Middle FeatherA few weeks ago I had the opportunity to get on one of California’s best day runs, the South Branch of the Middle Feather. Anticipating a snowy and log filled road, we headed up a day early with a shovel and chain saw in hand to clear the way. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the forest service had brought in machinery and cleared the road for us. So instead, we drank cocktails riverside at one of the best camping spots I’ve ever had.<br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIh38h8rpfVvHCwJzWtUzUJ1C7zhB9TIeIybtZ1UhLBUPpfDuoz-Lcawr9gBEP3KK5t-LUh1gmOknebIrocok-eNOg4WtQf-mAjLYAisXs905frbYN44-1_5UQ9N6tggdV5fP/s1600/IMG_0891.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIh38h8rpfVvHCwJzWtUzUJ1C7zhB9TIeIybtZ1UhLBUPpfDuoz-Lcawr9gBEP3KK5t-LUh1gmOknebIrocok-eNOg4WtQf-mAjLYAisXs905frbYN44-1_5UQ9N6tggdV5fP/s320/IMG_0891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475406309918947378" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Camping at the put-in<br /></div><br />Throughout the night, more and more people started showing up, and by the time I woke the next morning, our group had grown from four people to ten people, included in which were those who I will simply refer to as the Chattanooga Chargers. The level was also on the rise, but we decided to charge on anyways.<br /><br />The run starts off mellow and slowly gets steeper and steeper. It goes from class 2, to class 3, to a 10 footer, to 15 footers, to 20 footers, to a 40 footer and finishes off with a beautiful 50 footer. Doesn’t get much better than that!<br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCwQCPOhu4kPGOABTBn5mGN1d08YSkwD4ZeQtQ223Vqw_Me-69NNA8o9dLmCIQgJEdBtcOuBjV-SpvgsnoVGnyMluN1T3Ci-K33kr6SdmRJyDLKDKfyAD1yI4NWMa0BdhbiYz/s1600/IMG_0903.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCwQCPOhu4kPGOABTBn5mGN1d08YSkwD4ZeQtQ223Vqw_Me-69NNA8o9dLmCIQgJEdBtcOuBjV-SpvgsnoVGnyMluN1T3Ci-K33kr6SdmRJyDLKDKfyAD1yI4NWMa0BdhbiYz/s320/IMG_0903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475406302835836610" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Darin McQuoid running the 10 footer which signals the beginning of the goods<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGd_XUu6JCMPQEPa9IF5x-cbtued92T_jpUdUd-cj4zqpG8PTvw2cDAhzfDctGGcTkc1bCdV8o3SxxXLJ700f2iRo3ABBZIae4szKlpzgU41vddlu6WnIc_RwPhkAKB-vQd12r/s1600/IMG_0905.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGd_XUu6JCMPQEPa9IF5x-cbtued92T_jpUdUd-cj4zqpG8PTvw2cDAhzfDctGGcTkc1bCdV8o3SxxXLJ700f2iRo3ABBZIae4szKlpzgU41vddlu6WnIc_RwPhkAKB-vQd12r/s320/IMG_0905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475406287601166322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim Collins stomping the first 20 footer</span><br /><br /><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0dX2QeDQGJBL7rvkGFmr2o2dEvje4m8p7ZB0CX8X6weDgnCEslQ4zFV8TrdRwUODaln9zQc0MMV9XhWVbBhFxW_d1WGxd8YKQlJA850daTbyBN0JA5yeb9XXkVPW_i5qpeC4/s1600/_DMM3232.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0dX2QeDQGJBL7rvkGFmr2o2dEvje4m8p7ZB0CX8X6weDgnCEslQ4zFV8TrdRwUODaln9zQc0MMV9XhWVbBhFxW_d1WGxd8YKQlJA850daTbyBN0JA5yeb9XXkVPW_i5qpeC4/s320/_DMM3232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475406281078178834" border="0" /></a></p>Meat the lip of the second 20 footer (Photo taken by Darin McQuoid)<br /><br /><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIqhgUNMuRcYlWDEwWoewVY3VbZaYd4QYwoQzqbF3Fp2IgLIeJXShlBzZ-PAARI1stVQkPE9fRTEqUHf989uWNhSEdS1h_i6O6cwn5EvaWa_IbsDN3m1zKIHVZg6OHecoix1W/s1600/DSC_0094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIqhgUNMuRcYlWDEwWoewVY3VbZaYd4QYwoQzqbF3Fp2IgLIeJXShlBzZ-PAARI1stVQkPE9fRTEqUHf989uWNhSEdS1h_i6O6cwn5EvaWa_IbsDN3m1zKIHVZg6OHecoix1W/s320/DSC_0094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475405795845349586" border="0" /></a></p>Me at the first of the back to back 15's (Photo taken by Jonas Gruenewald)<br /><br /><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4DGN_5aH4aWImZkFBH7NSYaHpBjk7kJdgb1_oCjwU-kKCiFiXkg7hKZfvfHiXG2ZoyCfNvsmlWjV7pSGImyx_Z_EqU4nRWR2MyXseySFPXZ0oSYjVuK5OXUypJtXQ3NLhl6B/s1600/IMG_0911.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4DGN_5aH4aWImZkFBH7NSYaHpBjk7kJdgb1_oCjwU-kKCiFiXkg7hKZfvfHiXG2ZoyCfNvsmlWjV7pSGImyx_Z_EqU4nRWR2MyXseySFPXZ0oSYjVuK5OXUypJtXQ3NLhl6B/s320/IMG_0911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475405787316255266" border="0" /></a></p>Darin McQuoid at the second 15<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCHqKXXZVy4Axigi5sJEEMhJOqSPKo7yAqCKTtyA8glvzNLwha6xxkyzudp5q-xo7UgS2gZvz_SgvgLUj7eb000ajPTL-BGUxonafgS2U03nHo_ewCjPWXVMgvps44_-soCkc/s1600/IMG_0914.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCHqKXXZVy4Axigi5sJEEMhJOqSPKo7yAqCKTtyA8glvzNLwha6xxkyzudp5q-xo7UgS2gZvz_SgvgLUj7eb000ajPTL-BGUxonafgS2U03nHo_ewCjPWXVMgvps44_-soCkc/s320/IMG_0914.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475405807080224418" border="0" /></a>Lunch time<br /></div><br />I will say though that while each of the individual rapids on this run may not be super hard (but still class 5), the consequences to making a mistake are very much there and should not be taken lightly. There is one section in particular that starts off with a 20 footer that flows pretty directly into a marginal 40 footer (named 99 problems), which flows directly into a 15-20 foot drop that flows directly into a mandatory portage around a 100-foot waterfall. A mistake at any of these rapids could very quickly escalate into a fatal mistake (which one unnamed member of our group almost showed us when he ran 99 problems backwards, pitoned, got stuck in a hole, ran the next drop backwards and eddied out just before the portage).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnq8dFI2R8yTqYcL8meRwL7sU-uC_zjEQa0-klxuFBQLRVOxo50na0bgsPJGY0Lh8quMOAl8LXaVqnpkBNYs3FCn_KY54uEzZOko-Z3mrMR4j4dlPYK-7WjhqPdVuZkN4GCr8/s1600/IMG_0923.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnq8dFI2R8yTqYcL8meRwL7sU-uC_zjEQa0-klxuFBQLRVOxo50na0bgsPJGY0Lh8quMOAl8LXaVqnpkBNYs3FCn_KY54uEzZOko-Z3mrMR4j4dlPYK-7WjhqPdVuZkN4GCr8/s320/IMG_0923.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475404447705520466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jakub Nemec soaring off the 20 footer just above 99 Problems</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc_fnDzUOIhMksewXjx8A6l5DDtpBIKYmeY4Q-38tJDGE11wSFTWsVFeczFejwv7heWePY7kqkVp1YY2I-jQuWLBwCyTyAf7HZeWbMkfmMVmT6rsByNa2NZiqZAfHCTkrtdFg/s1600/IMG_0929.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwc_fnDzUOIhMksewXjx8A6l5DDtpBIKYmeY4Q-38tJDGE11wSFTWsVFeczFejwv7heWePY7kqkVp1YY2I-jQuWLBwCyTyAf7HZeWbMkfmMVmT6rsByNa2NZiqZAfHCTkrtdFg/s320/IMG_0929.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475404461137859890" border="0" /></a>Will Pruett showing us how its done at 99 Problems<br /><br /><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocQfi0GNx9iSqudGFWZOZ-7EckMbiUeGy-aXOxdgfLmp8RDWDVU5mX-KJJY7M_9YTpd6pbCsL_Os9hMRNE6n1QFIf1Nw86w8Nj6CRkjDpD8SlRHcFqcsPj6aRc9eCCv0wCOXx/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocQfi0GNx9iSqudGFWZOZ-7EckMbiUeGy-aXOxdgfLmp8RDWDVU5mX-KJJY7M_9YTpd6pbCsL_Os9hMRNE6n1QFIf1Nw86w8Nj6CRkjDpD8SlRHcFqcsPj6aRc9eCCv0wCOXx/s320/DSC_0151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475405778120017218" border="0" /></a></p>Me running the China drop, which is just below 99 Problems and just above the portage (Photo taken by Jonas Gruenewald)<br /><br /></div><br />After a not so quick portage around the large unrunnable waterfall, we did a sketchy seal launch and were on our way toward the 50 footer (it might be more like 40-45 but everyone else calls it 50 so I’m gonna go with that). Besides a few imploded skirts we all had good lines and celebrated our successful day relaxing at the lip of another big waterfall before beginning our steep and not so fun hike out.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3aFJIuH3CAxV_Lo-o5SJFLfPA6FoLuL1jvJ4oDuH8pNpyiTJLm9fX3igjOskIhXTfZBM8RoUAw4kl4L73E_oSON2q9spQzmD_BL9VKhq8RdM9brDXTy93X_XOiWpp-itC190/s1600/_DMM3389.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3aFJIuH3CAxV_Lo-o5SJFLfPA6FoLuL1jvJ4oDuH8pNpyiTJLm9fX3igjOskIhXTfZBM8RoUAw4kl4L73E_oSON2q9spQzmD_BL9VKhq8RdM9brDXTy93X_XOiWpp-itC190/s320/_DMM3389.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475404479815494786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me approaching the lip of the 50 footer (Photo taken by Darn McQuoid)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqofIW7Qa1R0QJmHPd8pb_bendmLunO-fZL_YOQpDcENt0FqmzTEv2R1jVENp1itnR0xMbl8CG7TJNKYMok192Fx_36klPz8ufBw6cfaOiqXc5a-SIk_EsnjjLUi7eb_Qc4at/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqofIW7Qa1R0QJmHPd8pb_bendmLunO-fZL_YOQpDcENt0FqmzTEv2R1jVENp1itnR0xMbl8CG7TJNKYMok192Fx_36klPz8ufBw6cfaOiqXc5a-SIk_EsnjjLUi7eb_Qc4at/s320/IMG_0945.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475404471965622402" border="0" /></a></p>Tim Collins on the charge!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9l62l5nncDPig5nbgFAUnGMzH1ShRkN4HFNJbxScDY_DGMzaFqu20qmYj78DbsXoyhj2ekNUjFeH322o1GH-8pQW8U7hvfZXBTNUNe7m5AhE7czpa0_4yrq_CJlU6zcFZfMw/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9l62l5nncDPig5nbgFAUnGMzH1ShRkN4HFNJbxScDY_DGMzaFqu20qmYj78DbsXoyhj2ekNUjFeH322o1GH-8pQW8U7hvfZXBTNUNe7m5AhE7czpa0_4yrq_CJlU6zcFZfMw/s320/IMG_0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475404489903140018" border="0" /></a>Taking time to enjoy the scenery</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="360" height="216"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.moab.cz/v/aZJqkGJzjoL"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.moab.cz/v/aZJqkGJzjoL" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscree="" n="true" width="360" height="216"></embed> </object><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Check out this video of the trip put together by Jakub Nemec</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-87968464744985433572010-04-18T22:26:00.001-04:002010-04-18T22:26:43.403-04:00Dinkey Creek: The Spring MissionLast week we ran Dinkey Creek. During the summer, this might not have been such an epic adventure but in the spring, when the roads are locked in by snow and the rivers are on the rise, running Dinkey creek can turn into a mission.<br /><br />After attempting to drive Stephen Wright's van to the trail head of the standard hike in, we quickly realized that the snow would simply not allow that to happen. After pushing the van up a few hills and out of a few ditches, we finally decided that it was simply not going to happen. So from there part of the group decided to start hiking. We knew we had somewhere between 5 and 15 miles to go until we reached the trail head, and chose to commit to walking there.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh587v7a9smZsNl1oT2-PW-vGPWXuSHOEdNaiIGZ8moB3_Yia2EgWVAtlGGmPWPfeS-X7eqZ353fM1Fhx0ddPYfuXQKU4UgqigBbxMRTir37gPdgCGiQXZB02ADCPF6ibZFTQ/s1600/IMG_0839.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh587v7a9smZsNl1oT2-PW-vGPWXuSHOEdNaiIGZ8moB3_Yia2EgWVAtlGGmPWPfeS-X7eqZ353fM1Fhx0ddPYfuXQKU4UgqigBbxMRTir37gPdgCGiQXZB02ADCPF6ibZFTQ/s320/IMG_0839.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461651020467453186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The team using our paddles to dig the van out of a ditch</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTwahDfzPZbQW0BVJvKSrgrfEjULcZ8dAWU5fOwM87hKS-j7ZXmnHhn2Kb2W_1Q0azlxQ221PdTXo1HyRq62TGNHGyrctrzYwiXiXJ433rUxaTnHtoESSZZSn3YeU0rUDJw/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTwahDfzPZbQW0BVJvKSrgrfEjULcZ8dAWU5fOwM87hKS-j7ZXmnHhn2Kb2W_1Q0azlxQ221PdTXo1HyRq62TGNHGyrctrzYwiXiXJ433rUxaTnHtoESSZZSn3YeU0rUDJw/s320/IMG_0879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461651010086120258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dragging our boats through the snow up the road</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpX_FJresV3TkKfRpFixiOPYmfWhQTrUt5aVfmbBVqGmXWGsREWfrrlzdO8XA2sJcFaPeQzHaKfgQsKo2X2L1XvKqagzizlIUOZjbWD0URTUmpTtFYwzzoqKMJg26Z77BSEg/s1600/IMG_0881.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpX_FJresV3TkKfRpFixiOPYmfWhQTrUt5aVfmbBVqGmXWGsREWfrrlzdO8XA2sJcFaPeQzHaKfgQsKo2X2L1XvKqagzizlIUOZjbWD0URTUmpTtFYwzzoqKMJg26Z77BSEg/s320/IMG_0881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461650998724607378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Will Pruett charging!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After seven or so hours of hiking about ten miles of road, we eventually we made it to the standard trail head and started working our way down the two mile trail to the river. We were tired and sore and way over carrying our boats, but we still managed to take some time to enjoy the scenery on the hike down. </div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWRRDJndnRnjfXNcOM4IbZvTDy4WJlEDYORhC1jtwG8ThDiHd9u_Lv7bv9nH4dLA1DgMH80uvAFNBkFxMD3j-zVfZlfTfBpD8FP6D81_sJX4XvzgqDkXirfyVOLIZ-Y_84Q/s1600/IMG_0887.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWRRDJndnRnjfXNcOM4IbZvTDy4WJlEDYORhC1jtwG8ThDiHd9u_Lv7bv9nH4dLA1DgMH80uvAFNBkFxMD3j-zVfZlfTfBpD8FP6D81_sJX4XvzgqDkXirfyVOLIZ-Y_84Q/s320/IMG_0887.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461650995071095522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinkey Creek!</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6rDekhON4xgJbuNLVBFRl_9rNdm2-IdxcbOigTm6rUrpTyqJ38Xkv5Qu9oUIq0LpUQMSneT33PhFn42oHGIujUTFCbOPNHYr_8jLYuPkIEbW4Ae2eEJOPXwW3by7fb5JNA/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6rDekhON4xgJbuNLVBFRl_9rNdm2-IdxcbOigTm6rUrpTyqJ38Xkv5Qu9oUIq0LpUQMSneT33PhFn42oHGIujUTFCbOPNHYr_8jLYuPkIEbW4Ae2eEJOPXwW3by7fb5JNA/s320/IMG_0889.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461650980600563762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A tributary on the hike in</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Right around dusk we finally made it down to the put in of the river. We decided to set up camp there and rest up to charge the entire river the next day. Dinkey Creek is generally paddled as an overnight, but because of our late start, we would have to paddle the entire river in one day. It was awesome.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3D7WQn94z1e3hN2aPCbVp8i8op6NBTSZA_35nfgPy5H5p5XHWM6VUrG7qTaB8Mk3n5lDFWTm4tj4RMwmI9r04G8WPlj62qbfCQ7R5cG8ldKoRj2OXx3TAEahtkA2k2HKgw/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3D7WQn94z1e3hN2aPCbVp8i8op6NBTSZA_35nfgPy5H5p5XHWM6VUrG7qTaB8Mk3n5lDFWTm4tj4RMwmI9r04G8WPlj62qbfCQ7R5cG8ldKoRj2OXx3TAEahtkA2k2HKgw/s320/IMG_0856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461648659180067330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taylor Fearrington at the Willie Kern slide</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphJGCn3pwoQPPi0bDBrGiRdOJyhon-dvaLiRmKWMiTC2stUQn3j6La5a670FHPciJnquQT8yGbt7Fr2TrApP7cNqxMUKxXYvAlzKxUEKNCYgR3beUPX_6sLG05bFHmy7hyphenhyphenA/s1600/IMG_0857.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphJGCn3pwoQPPi0bDBrGiRdOJyhon-dvaLiRmKWMiTC2stUQn3j6La5a670FHPciJnquQT8yGbt7Fr2TrApP7cNqxMUKxXYvAlzKxUEKNCYgR3beUPX_6sLG05bFHmy7hyphenhyphenA/s320/IMG_0857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461648648068623986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taylor taking a moment below a big rapid under the rainbow</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoEu2EnqtK6GtuZTPFxdnCNYfmGCKluWYUec3cPOrXCmbYVLHEEK5CJ4GhxV-1RtoXNwQux6kY45RbfxKnkoGNQmefSsz-2wRyv1cWFgtKcF1JC09CUpuWIRWPn7xiCyzcg/s1600/Laura+Farrel+-+Spike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoEu2EnqtK6GtuZTPFxdnCNYfmGCKluWYUec3cPOrXCmbYVLHEEK5CJ4GhxV-1RtoXNwQux6kY45RbfxKnkoGNQmefSsz-2wRyv1cWFgtKcF1JC09CUpuWIRWPn7xiCyzcg/s320/Laura+Farrel+-+Spike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461660464065036610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me at the bottom drop of Spike</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDQH1cUkRjvVdd_0cn-HHtV78FD-7dkHRkP-OUMSf7ZR54Rk72gTNH0bkes0oZwAwGlKj2uFFkOEetQZ9r9s7wDMYYJIQKdExy4kNQ84vlwx_k-1_lhD2VIZM0j9v3d0AFA/s1600/IMG_0605.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDQH1cUkRjvVdd_0cn-HHtV78FD-7dkHRkP-OUMSf7ZR54Rk72gTNH0bkes0oZwAwGlKj2uFFkOEetQZ9r9s7wDMYYJIQKdExy4kNQ84vlwx_k-1_lhD2VIZM0j9v3d0AFA/s320/IMG_0605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461648628496211730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drew Duval entering one of many big rapids</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtFMZkt7PIbOKTeSv_LRCsHa2c3A7VA8sATbVmPXLajudHtGxodWWl-P6IB88lTQv6ogXiFCOvXhRIzlSnkKzT3mBPjtUAMZsJ6LRVNfuwGnsxUYExZyoIPMfpRA65rFzsg/s1600/_DMM1466.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtFMZkt7PIbOKTeSv_LRCsHa2c3A7VA8sATbVmPXLajudHtGxodWWl-P6IB88lTQv6ogXiFCOvXhRIzlSnkKzT3mBPjtUAMZsJ6LRVNfuwGnsxUYExZyoIPMfpRA65rFzsg/s320/_DMM1466.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461648621539346290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beautiful scenery on the Dinkey Creek</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zKULOa3qs8ovqis-hxOdrkCgorlj5nzAWHTD4t9qmeOsKNZFn80lJrLwHNNBK9abJ78yj2O3nbuMsAUVuPH8NJsvbvXxvdh8tfrxWDqC0IV8NLatFtJ6JaDW-tS7aQ2GfQ/s1600/IMG_0627.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zKULOa3qs8ovqis-hxOdrkCgorlj5nzAWHTD4t9qmeOsKNZFn80lJrLwHNNBK9abJ78yj2O3nbuMsAUVuPH8NJsvbvXxvdh8tfrxWDqC0IV8NLatFtJ6JaDW-tS7aQ2GfQ/s320/IMG_0627.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461647124074045858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taylor going for it on a classic Dinkey rapid</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYm6PNUivDxzGM0oj2Cj4IFgqjI63ytRzvd80GARlUyAXyJg06k-ltfmta-16zH94P2RzlL8KGVUlsAQMw6cmulf-pHI3fsOMvz_R3eGei9p3YWYWi0VGwwG45bxrF0-HRew/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYm6PNUivDxzGM0oj2Cj4IFgqjI63ytRzvd80GARlUyAXyJg06k-ltfmta-16zH94P2RzlL8KGVUlsAQMw6cmulf-pHI3fsOMvz_R3eGei9p3YWYWi0VGwwG45bxrF0-HRew/s320/IMG_0615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461647114953663330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me running the bottom 20 footer</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPX1a9EtQ0B5S32l6hrdjMNRGB5aF1fDRTJ2xjaomwD-oQGHieP9vfeLLJvZIRoLFWVoHRBK07ynGxK1CRqrDEM9cyrMrylgIgwpPZK8bKJwKVYUKjmNn8Mn1fxyBi95rXEA/s1600/IMG_0621.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPX1a9EtQ0B5S32l6hrdjMNRGB5aF1fDRTJ2xjaomwD-oQGHieP9vfeLLJvZIRoLFWVoHRBK07ynGxK1CRqrDEM9cyrMrylgIgwpPZK8bKJwKVYUKjmNn8Mn1fxyBi95rXEA/s320/IMG_0621.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461647133806344354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drew in the middle of the Nikki Kelly Slide</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTI3p0cIXKHpgAa0lYQ3qPm-ikKVfGOBt9QulJkBFYVgFrkZKAqAwk3rA7GsOiPBPVrF-nqLx5VJovMZeWd9UUDcwOns05XJZaRmhg6_Ksk0lFeJMzUJg6wiEempac33i2gw/s1600/Laura+Farrel+-+Nikki+Kelly+Slide.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTI3p0cIXKHpgAa0lYQ3qPm-ikKVfGOBt9QulJkBFYVgFrkZKAqAwk3rA7GsOiPBPVrF-nqLx5VJovMZeWd9UUDcwOns05XJZaRmhg6_Ksk0lFeJMzUJg6wiEempac33i2gw/s320/Laura+Farrel+-+Nikki+Kelly+Slide.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461647111789112594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me entering into the meat of the Nikki Kelly Slide</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkCcELxCR1233aTXZd0WN7GXhvXCiq8zesT_7mNpP6GNq9EBzQfLhVuqzS2Fw8QFCGVY_eratiq9w4QIDf8kWkhVittf_kQ0eEVeVpS9Il3_Pb1nMC1i3G9quB8Hs1M3uhA/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkCcELxCR1233aTXZd0WN7GXhvXCiq8zesT_7mNpP6GNq9EBzQfLhVuqzS2Fw8QFCGVY_eratiq9w4QIDf8kWkhVittf_kQ0eEVeVpS9Il3_Pb1nMC1i3G9quB8Hs1M3uhA/s320/IMG_0633.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461647101511550834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our group hiking around the water blasting out of the dam</span><br /><br />Was it worth the hike? Hell yea!!!!Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-75017041730438347242010-03-23T16:12:00.001-04:002010-03-23T16:16:30.460-04:00Mexico 2009 Video<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMFr4aj0m2A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMFr4aj0m2A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mexico 2009<br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-71020550714820847842010-03-14T00:52:00.007-05:002010-03-14T09:21:33.091-04:00California 2009 VideoWith California creeking season on its way once again, I thought I would share this video recently put together from our 2009 trip. Most of the footage is from Dinkey Creek, South Merced and West Cherry. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mosz6zpup0E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mosz6zpup0E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-3686104974470891112009-12-18T17:34:00.002-05:002009-12-18T17:38:02.714-05:00Adventuras en Mexico<div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNL8wlTN4kDzR3gt7Z9xhEaxh4vse32do1pJ9JJruva5YBc002eK9bu0TxrZ2FouCHUfz3T4Ad5dXhxJHXomGbHPn6IxmdTD_VDlfEN6O1iD74vOc64GoT9DcZtWdAczleg/s1600-h/IMGP0318.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNL8wlTN4kDzR3gt7Z9xhEaxh4vse32do1pJ9JJruva5YBc002eK9bu0TxrZ2FouCHUfz3T4Ad5dXhxJHXomGbHPn6IxmdTD_VDlfEN6O1iD74vOc64GoT9DcZtWdAczleg/s320/IMGP0318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414747008728287970" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Gareth and our fearless guide Fernando </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">Last month Gareth and I decided it was time to get out of the cold weather of Western NC and head south to the land of cheap tacos, warm weather and big waterfalls. We had heard nothing, but great things about Mexico (besides people scaring us about the border) and were excited to check it out for ourselves. After the long drive down to Southern Texas we decided to spend our last night stateside camped out on the beautiful beaches of South Padre.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_tZtP1uJ69ANU07W_gOCPydJI41IQZjHygQDnHpQrs32zllfKqJ5SCaEjwYgG9u65XbVBPXYzMZf3l4-UmzYtPyPPRyP_HNgnmP8sifjw4bIPRVaktjJ3kIxy0gI3CyXKw/s1600-h/P1150457.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_tZtP1uJ69ANU07W_gOCPydJI41IQZjHygQDnHpQrs32zllfKqJ5SCaEjwYgG9u65XbVBPXYzMZf3l4-UmzYtPyPPRyP_HNgnmP8sifjw4bIPRVaktjJ3kIxy0gI3CyXKw/s320/P1150457.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414747004209787842" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Finding our campsite on South Padre Island, TX</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">After almost being arrested at the US border (Gareth decided it would be fun to set up the video camera to tape our border crossing which as it turns out is a federal offense and resulted in us being frisked, searched and the video camera almost being confiscated), we drove straight to the Micos River, outside of Valles City. The Micos is only a class 3-4 river, but totally worth doing for the fun factor of running lots of low stress waterfalls in one of the most beautiful places Ive ever seen.<br /><br />After playing around in the crystal clear waters of the Micos, we headed to the Salto River, which turned out to be another one of those magical places. Lots of fun drops, super clean and super scenic. Unfortunately it is also the place where my camera stopped working. That said, the rest of the pictures from the trip are not great quality, but at least you'll get the idea...<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6oFxSRfQlhaZDy2myQ2lB1iMmg4BgIV3pSOLCsEZhAXcYDBVE9iNCE8CrzVm42tat5TcEG3l7midGQMCX7RkFEGDiudO586UK7yKjAleJUYZF2EBTIik-TEU_70eZ7dcAg/s1600-h/P1150480.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6oFxSRfQlhaZDy2myQ2lB1iMmg4BgIV3pSOLCsEZhAXcYDBVE9iNCE8CrzVm42tat5TcEG3l7midGQMCX7RkFEGDiudO586UK7yKjAleJUYZF2EBTIik-TEU_70eZ7dcAg/s320/P1150480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414746995279398802" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Me at the put-in below the 60 footer on the Micos</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TS0V99b8aMMCmSxdan3vZ2NgdNdQJ6UhHofYANc7WakNhuVWWuaVZAMD1LO8BHPC2ih-STrU7xHWXnHuKLm9tpmeEF1Vkp06aACOiMWBF8MfrTUd0ktXyX6STqmpCybN-Q/s1600-h/P1150500.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TS0V99b8aMMCmSxdan3vZ2NgdNdQJ6UhHofYANc7WakNhuVWWuaVZAMD1LO8BHPC2ih-STrU7xHWXnHuKLm9tpmeEF1Vkp06aACOiMWBF8MfrTUd0ktXyX6STqmpCybN-Q/s320/P1150500.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414746993312559874" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Classic Micos Scenery</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCPDxauyXagKtpWG_S5bDTCek0ziMLISIRXzbuPRBc8e90IOdpSNFhyphenhypheniJlKx4cBCrj8ZXSMSs3AumXQOM9dTCjnUdo8rc0mB_pm8cIiP3EJwsge55WkhDkag15ed03guYBg/s1600-h/P1150504.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCPDxauyXagKtpWG_S5bDTCek0ziMLISIRXzbuPRBc8e90IOdpSNFhyphenhypheniJlKx4cBCrj8ZXSMSs3AumXQOM9dTCjnUdo8rc0mB_pm8cIiP3EJwsge55WkhDkag15ed03guYBg/s320/P1150504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414746985315976994" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Me boofing a classic Micos drop<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiAj6OmA61NqVlmtwS1pGK0uYKslxU7qsim7EogZ0pvI6YAF6cBD_l19OU0RuPVbEdimRR_-h7_2LQSUdG5ns6OiIAKGbGbPrJK9I5k1_l_UlQEGoEX8jd7VBasBjXNwlfQ/s1600-h/DSCN1292.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiAj6OmA61NqVlmtwS1pGK0uYKslxU7qsim7EogZ0pvI6YAF6cBD_l19OU0RuPVbEdimRR_-h7_2LQSUdG5ns6OiIAKGbGbPrJK9I5k1_l_UlQEGoEX8jd7VBasBjXNwlfQ/s320/DSCN1292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415502838001832482" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Gareth on the Micos </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEiSkhO7zk7LvKOV8yTl26WbmUZWEygyypz1XstytmwCfTObHbQ57qFL2lSnEvcoR9YNU_x6lXybzAFExb9UsuGN3XUfZ6IGsn6Gk3WdnouTklf3UhlTAZ0OD3tUWM30NyA/s1600-h/DSCN1305.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEiSkhO7zk7LvKOV8yTl26WbmUZWEygyypz1XstytmwCfTObHbQ57qFL2lSnEvcoR9YNU_x6lXybzAFExb9UsuGN3XUfZ6IGsn6Gk3WdnouTklf3UhlTAZ0OD3tUWM30NyA/s320/DSCN1305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415502829085212818" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Playing behind the waterfalls of the Micos</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD4W732M9Z6GzfoovqLMH4zRYVUh6_M2oFCcrZaYHMLITBAEcbCyXGVXHLhXTGUJD1fgOOqKSwph3TzFLkJ5CEP2v9lLyBIStmPBbIhMUKTLSUeZmTwEyksMcaUE8PJcuZw/s1600-h/DSCN1313.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD4W732M9Z6GzfoovqLMH4zRYVUh6_M2oFCcrZaYHMLITBAEcbCyXGVXHLhXTGUJD1fgOOqKSwph3TzFLkJ5CEP2v9lLyBIStmPBbIhMUKTLSUeZmTwEyksMcaUE8PJcuZw/s320/DSCN1313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415502813442125666" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Having a beer at the takeout of the Salto</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">After getting off of the Salto (and a quick stop at a sweet Taco stand), we hit the road for the town of Tlapacoyan, the launching point for running the Alseseca River. We spent two days exploring the Road-side section of the Alseseca and had a blast. The river is dirty, like the dirtiest river I have ever seen, and while that was hard to get past, the rapids definitely made up for it. There were lots of lots of clean fun drops, including one especially big rapid called "S-turn" which involves a 15 or so foot drop into a really narrow canyon. I actually decided to walk it on first inspection, but after watching Gareth fire into it it looked so much fun I carried my boat back up and fired it up!<br /><br />On a whim we decided to leave Tlapacoyan before having paddled all the rivers we wanted to there in an effort to try and catch up with some other Southeast boater friends. We headed five hours South down the coast to the Rio de Oro, a run we'd heard nothing but great things about.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCtJwo-CJ3jJ0b0fXir_5oHUWLssaPFXWdLO6T2xai9rTWlohl0s-2HUN6KMd3JD7wxaGYJPGyEtRjX5PHRrDc_ZLvMFGNvw12_Wyzsj9fmvpkgXQ3as2hS5Q7yhLGUbXg/s1600-h/IMGP0211.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCtJwo-CJ3jJ0b0fXir_5oHUWLssaPFXWdLO6T2xai9rTWlohl0s-2HUN6KMd3JD7wxaGYJPGyEtRjX5PHRrDc_ZLvMFGNvw12_Wyzsj9fmvpkgXQ3as2hS5Q7yhLGUbXg/s320/IMGP0211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415502821361822690" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; ">Gareth on the drop above "S-Turn" of the Roadside Alseseca<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wWkrCbKPmI0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wWkrCbKPmI0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Gareth and Jon running "S-Turn"<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgkfWkf5ZLKCo2Ubbcq2L7v0WVyl6xyH9nAzQprFqAoa7V8Z2vQgsCvtiqHqHxM213-Mq2x3o614p25smgVxZAWE6thyh4OMMKMoqlyDpUwAwkOWK91DReX7aLXoh0O2etw/s1600-h/DSCN1322.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgkfWkf5ZLKCo2Ubbcq2L7v0WVyl6xyH9nAzQprFqAoa7V8Z2vQgsCvtiqHqHxM213-Mq2x3o614p25smgVxZAWE6thyh4OMMKMoqlyDpUwAwkOWK91DReX7aLXoh0O2etw/s320/DSCN1322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735679501385730" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">A typical morning on the Costa de Oro</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">After camping out near the beach, we woke up early to start figuring out how we were going to get on the Oro. We knew absolutely nothing about the run besides that it had some sweet waterfalls and finished in the ocean. The only beta that we had was from a website that said to drive to this little town and ask for Pepito and that he'd show you the way to the river. At this point we hadn't found our other friends, but just knew that there was some chance they'd be there that day. After about 2 hours of cruising around the tiny town of Arroyo de Lisa, we found Pepito's parents, who took us to Pepito, we then took us to his brother Fernando, who fed us a breakfast of shrimp at his restaurant on the beach and then finally we were off to the river. We didn't fully understand what was going on, but Fernando was wearing flip flops and carrying repelling gear telling us we was going to come down the river with us.<br /><br />As we were about to the start of the hike in, we heard someone honking at us and looked behind to see a truck loaded down with boats and our friends Toby, JJ, Ben and John as well as their friend Rocky. So as one big team we headed to the river with Fernando by our side.<br /><br />After about a 45 minute hike in we arrived at the river. The first move of the day involved ferrying across the river above a 50 foot waterfall that has yet to be run.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFNCI8eLbdUJxHGQ-pERhBNpO5WBPBPB9KBFRNzzrmlgtJaAnT-ktVI7dNvIq9Z9BR8vUABSxJX0tgrF9smRxFuHwich_dMx9_8U6ynPcFTRObANzWeymWs0lqNnn7Ve_6Q/s1600-h/IMGP0222.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFNCI8eLbdUJxHGQ-pERhBNpO5WBPBPB9KBFRNzzrmlgtJaAnT-ktVI7dNvIq9Z9BR8vUABSxJX0tgrF9smRxFuHwich_dMx9_8U6ynPcFTRObANzWeymWs0lqNnn7Ve_6Q/s320/IMGP0222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735677242949890" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Gareth checking out the waterfall at the put-in</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2el699ZEkLv92wBAhvFiZCivczApm8RP8TtKAGQ2o7Vk4RcdJWsO0K417OzCsVW69khNKqsVsZEhkSX9Ahyphenhyphen2VZ-jiJWT_fdEI_9yVx94GLMAnFICaUmfuE_XNh5i7cifedA/s1600-h/IMGP0225.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2el699ZEkLv92wBAhvFiZCivczApm8RP8TtKAGQ2o7Vk4RcdJWsO0K417OzCsVW69khNKqsVsZEhkSX9Ahyphenhyphen2VZ-jiJWT_fdEI_9yVx94GLMAnFICaUmfuE_XNh5i7cifedA/s320/IMGP0225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735254575432354" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Our man Fernando</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">The Rio de Oro turned out to be nothing short of spectacular. After a couple miles of beautiful, clean class 4-5 gorges the river drops off the first 30 foot waterfall. We all fired off it with reasonably good lines (I got a little worked and ended up behind the veil which was a bit scary for a moment) and headed downstream. None of us really knew what to expect, so imagine our surprise when after paddling for only a few hundred yards in a totally walled in gorge we came to our next horizon line. We were at the second clean 30-footer of the run. I was a little nervous because of my mediocre line at the first waterfall, so I took that opportunity to have a little "How to Run a 30-Footer" lesson with Toby Macdermott. Turns out he knows what he's talking about. I stuck my line beautifully.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_68rJc5dfcSIbSwW_ZjBGVN90upVLCfWYy1StfmEd9F5zC6HQROz7PpMtwKV2HOorm8zBB1UWscdA8vfT9UCzoHT-FE1iWPBhNFbGTNE_uB1Deo4s_8hLq857RDoWFKaIQg/s1600-h/IMGP0233.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_68rJc5dfcSIbSwW_ZjBGVN90upVLCfWYy1StfmEd9F5zC6HQROz7PpMtwKV2HOorm8zBB1UWscdA8vfT9UCzoHT-FE1iWPBhNFbGTNE_uB1Deo4s_8hLq857RDoWFKaIQg/s320/IMGP0233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735246922488674" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Toby at one of the drops before the waterfall gorge</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXOTrW_lGgBer_f5GMKZ6auL-hb5axrWH7efQplbe80TpoMXDLu-Wtn9JvJgD-mnn_DAiJbFBov5GiK-0Pm9y7KRC-27TTcYmJ1N0NBYTaO79dTVeGtPIYPWG4hiY03oHRg/s1600-h/IMG_1346.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXOTrW_lGgBer_f5GMKZ6auL-hb5axrWH7efQplbe80TpoMXDLu-Wtn9JvJgD-mnn_DAiJbFBov5GiK-0Pm9y7KRC-27TTcYmJ1N0NBYTaO79dTVeGtPIYPWG4hiY03oHRg/s320/IMG_1346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735243183980146" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Me running the first 30-footer</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3In66leGrqgfh-7sj2-rZIoUrqt15AfTZ0TLzJEAfVIWGxyou0d5xDwwhrbzKyczrAyleZuYoDjed5AUtAoWCOLhMSixx4DResjTPr2sFvwAsaEACdrecfxqqFMAcvIgeJA/s1600-h/IMGP0238.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3In66leGrqgfh-7sj2-rZIoUrqt15AfTZ0TLzJEAfVIWGxyou0d5xDwwhrbzKyczrAyleZuYoDjed5AUtAoWCOLhMSixx4DResjTPr2sFvwAsaEACdrecfxqqFMAcvIgeJA/s320/IMGP0238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735236208673810" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Toby showing us how its done on the first 30-footer</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrMihh0i32CyVcGefhlDqAJkmJN_p_w7xQKokt9TVxwhc8hNpw1ie4qlZRS0SLw11aYczSzwMyODsDyV98yX7_FRlbIwNmbAGbXu9VV2zuFl3m25nPgxmy614qtO8Ifnf1g/s1600-h/IMGP0252.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrMihh0i32CyVcGefhlDqAJkmJN_p_w7xQKokt9TVxwhc8hNpw1ie4qlZRS0SLw11aYczSzwMyODsDyV98yX7_FRlbIwNmbAGbXu9VV2zuFl3m25nPgxmy614qtO8Ifnf1g/s320/IMGP0252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414735230752868130" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Gareth below the second 30-footer</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">Besides being really clean, extremely beautiful and having two clean 30-footers on it, the next coolest thing about the Rio de Oro is that it finishes in ocean. So after finishing our run we all spent some time surfing it up in the ocean waves. Then it was time to celebrate an amazing day with fish tacos and beer on the beach. We finished off the night with a bottle of tequila camped out on the beach. Best day in Mexico ever.<br /><br />The next day Toby, Gareth, John and I got up early for a sunrise lap on the Oro. It was just too good to do just once.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXtRMaO8MzprPh7alaje2BUjHAeoGInElJmGIMz0LJ_k0XbuYExzEPaeknZOEcgg1niFBiqHMalbxZFP6xcXr_888dNKqAgJsqCHn1XGmC-QwooER67EFbgiRbMx2rq-GrA/s1600-h/IMGP0263.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXtRMaO8MzprPh7alaje2BUjHAeoGInElJmGIMz0LJ_k0XbuYExzEPaeknZOEcgg1niFBiqHMalbxZFP6xcXr_888dNKqAgJsqCHn1XGmC-QwooER67EFbgiRbMx2rq-GrA/s320/IMGP0263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414734387885904258" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Gareth surfing it up on the coast</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqnCmUAZ9_f8bmzxTAM0KtaU4kzJORKay4YO9SexVeMwy9ybQKYHlVhLrUreo6cOwfq3djOiimBgG-VT9BKI1gto7fRs4CHcSwcNqxQkLPg5hLJSrAxzj7T9iVTOA-l9hOw/s1600-h/IMGP0270.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqnCmUAZ9_f8bmzxTAM0KtaU4kzJORKay4YO9SexVeMwy9ybQKYHlVhLrUreo6cOwfq3djOiimBgG-VT9BKI1gto7fRs4CHcSwcNqxQkLPg5hLJSrAxzj7T9iVTOA-l9hOw/s320/IMGP0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414734380607038242" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Beers and Tacos on beach</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOWYHq-8Tl3lvZouEEkV-LakDeWe8GCbRzYXNlByGWAela57JcilVTR3EanLtWzxLf4kWY-lMGR72Q4l1rtYGnaHNh5QI6_WoIHociUIgYlaSYvLbUw5NCpwvrYhy3QqGlQ/s1600-h/IMGP0279.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOWYHq-8Tl3lvZouEEkV-LakDeWe8GCbRzYXNlByGWAela57JcilVTR3EanLtWzxLf4kWY-lMGR72Q4l1rtYGnaHNh5QI6_WoIHociUIgYlaSYvLbUw5NCpwvrYhy3QqGlQ/s320/IMGP0279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414734375933724066" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Paddling back to our campsite after our morning run of the Oro<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left; ">From here the story gets less exciting... Rocky was writing a guide book and needed to do some exploratory runs. So as a group we decided to follow him along on his adventures. We basically drove all around, ran a couple class 3-4 rivers, portaged a 150 footer and then decided to drive even farther to do a multi-day on the Rio de Cajones.<br /><br />It was on the second day of the Rio de Cajones that I fell while scouting a rapid and broke my hand. I grabbed a log that fell, and I fell with it, right on the backside of my left hand. I knew that it wasn't good, but at the time I wasn't thinking it was actually broken. I suffered through a few more miles of Class 4 just ruddering my way down rapids and doing my best to make it to the first bridge where I could take out. When we finally arrived at the bridge most of us decided to take out. John and I hitchhiked the shuttle back to the put in while Gareth and JJ hung out with our gear at the bridge.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDltdvFprAPwcyMfdxCOBjmsET-OHhD-yNzQfTGP0Mrt9okCr2iTTsepOeiLs_a0iuhGkiKBR3Yt_VlwzMZHOD-idr3kSl4w-0mYVuMJJumKkAEokl9VpNK6CICKfF8DCIAQ/s1600-h/DSCN1329.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDltdvFprAPwcyMfdxCOBjmsET-OHhD-yNzQfTGP0Mrt9okCr2iTTsepOeiLs_a0iuhGkiKBR3Yt_VlwzMZHOD-idr3kSl4w-0mYVuMJJumKkAEokl9VpNK6CICKfF8DCIAQ/s320/DSCN1329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414734367855761746" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Ben loading up at one of the put-ins</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbOcS_NoZQjdkzsNnPte-i7BSDS5Id_FxhYnS8yve35oRzRfGUgdbdz8EHa_5TK6nqbbDGwfvXz6Pegd5LO9vv1GYPUtC4k0tMFKxvIRC8_oB3M0kus3uhs8AvAcKGCybQw/s1600-h/IMGP0319.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbOcS_NoZQjdkzsNnPte-i7BSDS5Id_FxhYnS8yve35oRzRfGUgdbdz8EHa_5TK6nqbbDGwfvXz6Pegd5LO9vv1GYPUtC4k0tMFKxvIRC8_oB3M0kus3uhs8AvAcKGCybQw/s320/IMGP0319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414734365889919986" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">A local boy hanging out with us at a put-in</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjoKLSvxcQUTvwAGFaiWNxwJIX-WuvJxek0J5QcUQdA1rjx_gg4zfCI14H22v96MGqv03oAcbInfjFY5dNOdJ5taXI8Sgl0EbcDX0dvHtWDadXcQ6Ol7D0RK_GLRiJ4_MuA/s1600-h/IMGP0303.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjoKLSvxcQUTvwAGFaiWNxwJIX-WuvJxek0J5QcUQdA1rjx_gg4zfCI14H22v96MGqv03oAcbInfjFY5dNOdJ5taXI8Sgl0EbcDX0dvHtWDadXcQ6Ol7D0RK_GLRiJ4_MuA/s320/IMGP0303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414731361609605746" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">John waiting for a ride while hitchhiking the shuttle</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfX_15KWcUP0AaSCWucq3STbaSl2SB1YhBlQtLlfv5Vt1ZK0Aj0aed69Po8BzCGA1mUZ5E8OdzwP5QmCRshbBJgk_yqlcTe4Tjfi3Y4ERE1geG3jITARzdy0CtkkSnUBERA/s1600-h/IMGP0307.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfX_15KWcUP0AaSCWucq3STbaSl2SB1YhBlQtLlfv5Vt1ZK0Aj0aed69Po8BzCGA1mUZ5E8OdzwP5QmCRshbBJgk_yqlcTe4Tjfi3Y4ERE1geG3jITARzdy0CtkkSnUBERA/s320/IMGP0307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414731360368283890" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">A view from the back of a pick up truck on one of our rides on the Rio de Cajones shuttle</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeKH9sYYIvIb8IfE8hWQmMbulFhyTW6MQPNk8fbbBkpVnVlvYxaic-zKlLyyoevCoKiNBXZSbheEAT4ch7QqD-1S0CBbx_WCL3EmohUUfvRBIX6YnsCFSACjQLKXHFbevbA/s1600-h/IMGP0311.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeKH9sYYIvIb8IfE8hWQmMbulFhyTW6MQPNk8fbbBkpVnVlvYxaic-zKlLyyoevCoKiNBXZSbheEAT4ch7QqD-1S0CBbx_WCL3EmohUUfvRBIX6YnsCFSACjQLKXHFbevbA/s320/IMGP0311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414730525637993634" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">A tarantula we saw while shuttling</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; ">Once we got back to civilization after way too may hours of driving from the Rio de Cajones I got my hand x-rayed and confirmed that I fractured my index metacarpal. That was the end of paddling in Mexico for me... I spent the rest of the trip running shuttle, drinking and practicing my Spanish.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWe0CMifzWU3KdiM2sax9qP-1jEIKQSUuPp7HMqWBYV8aGuIMbWh3EsyUNoiZgOYRsTu3cblLnAuTYp6lNdCzBrf-ZDdjMAdoTRheOuC3o0iBazvHKrNCYX_ikT3AGJ1-xQ/s1600-h/IMGP0313.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWe0CMifzWU3KdiM2sax9qP-1jEIKQSUuPp7HMqWBYV8aGuIMbWh3EsyUNoiZgOYRsTu3cblLnAuTYp6lNdCzBrf-ZDdjMAdoTRheOuC3o0iBazvHKrNCYX_ikT3AGJ1-xQ/s320/IMGP0313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414730532835156562" border="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span style="font-style: italic; ">Our Mexican Thanksgiving</span><br /></div><br />After about three weeks in Mexico Gareth and I were both running out of money, and with my hand broken we decided it was time to high tail it home (after a night of fresh seafood and drinking on Bourbon Street in New Orleans of course).<br /><br />And in case you're wondering, I have one more week in a cast (and one week after that of "being careful") and my hand will be back in action and on the river again!Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-6144667028106536352009-11-06T11:28:00.003-05:002009-12-30T11:23:56.758-05:00Fall Foliage on the Toxaway<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWHZc7j8WNDLmAREC-8G1H34GVau0imB2UxrdqgIHVTJwQ9R1Fzi4A8Pz2K2QLnP4CIAyxOjIX6hCSzq7BBEkEW-IcvMkhnX1sEb9bnuJqJRDZ22vftn6Bg_Kg84E3xuiVw/s1600-h/P1150332.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWHZc7j8WNDLmAREC-8G1H34GVau0imB2UxrdqgIHVTJwQ9R1Fzi4A8Pz2K2QLnP4CIAyxOjIX6hCSzq7BBEkEW-IcvMkhnX1sEb9bnuJqJRDZ22vftn6Bg_Kg84E3xuiVw/s320/P1150332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400463054871918194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth getting pumped for the day loading up at the take-out</span> </div><br />Last week I checked off a new Southeastern classic from my to-do list. I had been wanting to do the Toxaway for a while, but was waiting until the right day to do it. I'd say that a late October day with sunny, 70 degree weather during peak leaf season could not have met my requirements for a perfect day any better. The level was -4" (medium-low) and the team solid.<br /><br />The Toxaway fullfilled every expectation I had for it and more. Slide after slide after sweet slide we moved our way down the beautiful gorge, making sure to take the time to stop and enjoy the fall colors surrounding us.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6CS6DsMM6YNNvTPIhlmtkp24FAcnOdK5Lzrmwx_UJ2ykdQQUuPKEqO9GmpaZMku4s3zWWvKSL_cVk_FpsJwcXQhOL7osY8wj2jVwsZVzkJC5gRfxqqilt8EqnKpZPN3ycw/s1600-h/P1150336.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6CS6DsMM6YNNvTPIhlmtkp24FAcnOdK5Lzrmwx_UJ2ykdQQUuPKEqO9GmpaZMku4s3zWWvKSL_cVk_FpsJwcXQhOL7osY8wj2jVwsZVzkJC5gRfxqqilt8EqnKpZPN3ycw/s320/P1150336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401026665579637794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drew Duval at the put-in slide</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsl74nTSFDntXns-tJ6GJyTmaqYIF9IMeNXFjieF4XZhzZgPLfCs5EMMVk4M7ybVSU-X3kHaT2PePIeOjRcKCxQVpcr0wvfMZ85CofmC3zSNH1WpOfrZ1Cacp37pVTeWs3g/s1600-h/P1150338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsl74nTSFDntXns-tJ6GJyTmaqYIF9IMeNXFjieF4XZhzZgPLfCs5EMMVk4M7ybVSU-X3kHaT2PePIeOjRcKCxQVpcr0wvfMZ85CofmC3zSNH1WpOfrZ1Cacp37pVTeWs3g/s320/P1150338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400463063013433202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drew Duval at the bottom part of the put-in slide</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifz1XSMS15iWJ7PJE3eYxIjrL6PZhEwCnfZFjrQi2A_SO6DwVievFtmvZJDmkFwjaUv33PcJoJietuJTDg4rbz3EdEjnfDehknGGAmEEq6Yqf-N0D7Z15RLnP3ZNd1Usr49A/s1600-h/P1150365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifz1XSMS15iWJ7PJE3eYxIjrL6PZhEwCnfZFjrQi2A_SO6DwVievFtmvZJDmkFwjaUv33PcJoJietuJTDg4rbz3EdEjnfDehknGGAmEEq6Yqf-N0D7Z15RLnP3ZNd1Usr49A/s320/P1150365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400463065027792290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth scouting Energizer before firing it up</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_t7-OzqFNAmr_2F29RHuYGRhTTrJ9CQbXpE7ZBvWuUvKSZQCMCzDfVZ11TgyGLNgQOB9LDwt67vEsIIFKriCRhuePEJuH7ZvI-sDmXKDNkAvXvWZMzkA2jJ0jVximj_qCQ/s1600-h/P1150372.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_t7-OzqFNAmr_2F29RHuYGRhTTrJ9CQbXpE7ZBvWuUvKSZQCMCzDfVZ11TgyGLNgQOB9LDwt67vEsIIFKriCRhuePEJuH7ZvI-sDmXKDNkAvXvWZMzkA2jJ0jVximj_qCQ/s320/P1150372.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400463072089129586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chad Pickens in the meat of Energizer</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpcAR3bfV6fNinLAJd0bIldANBqsHrW95sw5lq5MUBBZ7rDWehWZ2yDmspa4bkyoFioVy7mKWgjtt6ndJbPNxFaVkzs6_ttpacYS8l8uBHy68_76JtAOGgpEgASR7q1RRtQ/s1600-h/P1150382.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpcAR3bfV6fNinLAJd0bIldANBqsHrW95sw5lq5MUBBZ7rDWehWZ2yDmspa4bkyoFioVy7mKWgjtt6ndJbPNxFaVkzs6_ttpacYS8l8uBHy68_76JtAOGgpEgASR7q1RRtQ/s320/P1150382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400463078325253042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris Baer entering the Feeding Trough</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE1_5ct5ijgnt8SgdsRFdp0Qq6TFQhorDfzLsAye28xCAuUAfnczHXxcCu91h4sEzWzz2wghXvszNyPX3oM6-wccDj1uDzvzf52dU_S16viuGMyPVOvErrz3Y9zj2uTNm8w/s1600-h/P1150389.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE1_5ct5ijgnt8SgdsRFdp0Qq6TFQhorDfzLsAye28xCAuUAfnczHXxcCu91h4sEzWzz2wghXvszNyPX3oM6-wccDj1uDzvzf52dU_S16viuGMyPVOvErrz3Y9zj2uTNm8w/s320/P1150389.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400460844092513186" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth Tate about to launch into Landbridge</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic55SBYjwK-QnUzude4yYdFbqFORCfbWE2btoR2SSJByxDi9gIZBY8xmQkk6rYvE4tUq7VGSH_uZ8ctXVgONFablMOLDnew83_ngt1lifUejDX8kginc0cuRY6tkLNcOvgyA/s1600-h/P1150407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic55SBYjwK-QnUzude4yYdFbqFORCfbWE2btoR2SSJByxDi9gIZBY8xmQkk6rYvE4tUq7VGSH_uZ8ctXVgONFablMOLDnew83_ngt1lifUejDX8kginc0cuRY6tkLNcOvgyA/s320/P1150407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400460849121188770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jakub in the middle of Landbridge</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHEWq1mlc6OUks31JYK62IBPc3C_BT7yfhLJ80Lhjutom86qCJPFR_a8vbX7iGzfM-Uph4V9j66SR9WZks8eRMEOLBfigdKWXs4B6u_ggQz30jH17TLc3gcIYXNYXbhvPBQ/s1600-h/P1150410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHEWq1mlc6OUks31JYK62IBPc3C_BT7yfhLJ80Lhjutom86qCJPFR_a8vbX7iGzfM-Uph4V9j66SR9WZks8eRMEOLBfigdKWXs4B6u_ggQz30jH17TLc3gcIYXNYXbhvPBQ/s320/P1150410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400460856075530818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Beautiful fall colors looking over the lip of Wintergreen</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T4eVM7KiOFJJhQXz3I5uMbPgawceRMwJR-Zsv8yGX_nHOZvC09BlKuCasqrb_hw2IbtI4sEmcc3Gtoqq6QMqWuUsKURdJPI_Tqty0ErcsnjKWpelfobSWl7t6x6zNg1ryQ/s1600-h/P1150429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9T4eVM7KiOFJJhQXz3I5uMbPgawceRMwJR-Zsv8yGX_nHOZvC09BlKuCasqrb_hw2IbtI4sEmcc3Gtoqq6QMqWuUsKURdJPI_Tqty0ErcsnjKWpelfobSWl7t6x6zNg1ryQ/s320/P1150429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400460864920222642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A spectacular view from the bottom of Wintergreen</span><br /></div><br />Can't wait to go back next time it runs!<br /><br />Make sure and check out the video Gareth put together from the trip below.<br /><br /><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3VJHgBqz-f4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3VJHgBqz-f4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-24924817942565979542009-07-08T21:18:00.000-04:002009-07-08T21:19:32.067-04:00California Trip Report: Lower Tuolumne and West Cherry Creek<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimORQfSZkIYptGaeKBbmoYDc9CWLtzMQ0ivNsN-DNUKsLCSNvkGUhdb1_aIBZT98sdIdGu2d08Mx3OPaSW_Snw7NmbXoE_0iTjFQzYPZIBtzzOuriv3Y1iM6CMgBKrghRIRA/s1600-h/P1150180.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimORQfSZkIYptGaeKBbmoYDc9CWLtzMQ0ivNsN-DNUKsLCSNvkGUhdb1_aIBZT98sdIdGu2d08Mx3OPaSW_Snw7NmbXoE_0iTjFQzYPZIBtzzOuriv3Y1iM6CMgBKrghRIRA/s320/P1150180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353900341732966146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a "California Lunch" on the Lower Tuolumne</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">After picking Gareth up from the airport in Sacramento we were both fired up to get back on the water after each taking a week off. Our plan had been to head down to Cherry lake and get on Upper Cherry. Unfortunately, the weather/water did not cooperate with us and due to a heat wave, the water levels rose back up, making upper cherry out of the question, and even making West Cherry too high. So we were forced to wait it out and take another few days off the water. Gareth headed into Yosemite to hang out with some friends and I spent the weekend on the coast with my family who happened to be in town.<br /><br />Following the weekend we were dying to get back on the water so with West Cherry still too high, we opted for a big water class 4 day on the Lower Tuolumne. After getting some questionable beta on the run/shuttle, we stashed our bikes at a rafting place half way down the shuttle and drove to the put-in to camp for the night. The next morning we were met by "straight charger" Tim Collins and we put on for what turned out to be a really great day on the river. Since all three of us generally opt for low volume creeking over any big water runs, it was fun to change it up a bit and bust through so huge holes opposed to the creeky verticle drops we'd been paddling for the past month. We were told it'd be really easy to hitch from the takeout to where our bikes were stashed however that turned out to be very incorrect. We almost got stuck at some sketchy bridge far from our bikes but fortunately the one rafting trip that was taking off that day finally decided not to leave us stranded and gave us a ride. Gareth and I then hopped on the bikes and rode the 10 miles down to the cars.<br /><br />The next day consisted of doing our research and pulling together all the beta we could to figure out just what was going on with the water levels on the Cherries. Eventually we concluded that the water level on West Cherry was somewhere between high and good and the three of us decided to hike in the next day. Tim Collins had done the run once before and became our fearless leader for the trip, successfully navigating us to the trailhead and down the two mile mosquito fest hike to the river.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnIsuk70I-kxzdTVlDhyphenhyphen-77qGG9pkykcwrAtp7M0b3gRwqZsHYvHw8tZSP_zo-Rlg4_tmaJeeezsj4QvDPK5UskC5RT0OhtCq3ikDoomHG10yUPdr__1uF7VTrr3kL_b3jg/s1600-h/DSCN1207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnIsuk70I-kxzdTVlDhyphenhyphen-77qGG9pkykcwrAtp7M0b3gRwqZsHYvHw8tZSP_zo-Rlg4_tmaJeeezsj4QvDPK5UskC5RT0OhtCq3ikDoomHG10yUPdr__1uF7VTrr3kL_b3jg/s320/DSCN1207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352137583877195202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a break from the hike </span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQesEUBOmF_9OzPQqAv0LDHfoxVdJqDV3qxiWGp6yR7ezkaoIvtl5pLhMSoUFZe2BhiWGoH8T4m4SVxAAzf1CQXmdY9If5rUs04G8IF0iJ-Dg-FY-D4Tn1PY5Pm3rLzVbgfQ/s1600-h/DSCN1212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQesEUBOmF_9OzPQqAv0LDHfoxVdJqDV3qxiWGp6yR7ezkaoIvtl5pLhMSoUFZe2BhiWGoH8T4m4SVxAAzf1CQXmdY9If5rUs04G8IF0iJ-Dg-FY-D4Tn1PY5Pm3rLzVbgfQ/s320/DSCN1212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352137572891349506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim hiking into the granite planet</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlpbh9CXXCkiFlezg28ZI9JxsjL2TPr4z2wsNbflUJw0oZA7qUWKCDjwEMWWzyG9hCNReh9bg85F5q7JGpu2ybSvx6bBPP_g43JUwheYq5vXp2A7zphxIBlNxDNITOJx9OQ/s1600-h/DSCN1234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlpbh9CXXCkiFlezg28ZI9JxsjL2TPr4z2wsNbflUJw0oZA7qUWKCDjwEMWWzyG9hCNReh9bg85F5q7JGpu2ybSvx6bBPP_g43JUwheYq5vXp2A7zphxIBlNxDNITOJx9OQ/s320/DSCN1234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352137571715835426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me hiking in</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We arrived at the put-in earlier than expected, but instead of paddling down decided to simply enjoy our time taking in the beauty of the area. We spent the afternoon relaxing, fishing, hiking around, and scouting some of the rapids for the next day. As soon as dusk set in the mosquitos came out in full force and caused us all to retreat to our sleeping bags before it was even dark. That was the most intense mosquito attack I have ever experienced.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg9krMxbdqWYBLMymfujVPnLBqj10Za-N4wLoGAzu8nLc3NdSofTMHnke5i-KVdQ8zCbDSU4A_QkXO9eTNv2gCN8aJDBTBHzOX0EOUbWqjzNFXk2u2cKFrb5zgQHs73ImDQ/s1600-h/DSCN1242.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg9krMxbdqWYBLMymfujVPnLBqj10Za-N4wLoGAzu8nLc3NdSofTMHnke5i-KVdQ8zCbDSU4A_QkXO9eTNv2gCN8aJDBTBHzOX0EOUbWqjzNFXk2u2cKFrb5zgQHs73ImDQ/s320/DSCN1242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136679714798530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">At the put in- campsite #1</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eY8aDd6C9IN7IV2CNThz9qZJ3jHAiGkZDl6BFxs4IvQiTdk0gtcMx_L2-MfTVhWdsMFI7uJIIrm82PvL0iC5_xuNrRnAjvmyJ82fsVtObviXS1ZfPy0b-YqwsJ4qFMou8Q/s1600-h/P1150200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eY8aDd6C9IN7IV2CNThz9qZJ3jHAiGkZDl6BFxs4IvQiTdk0gtcMx_L2-MfTVhWdsMFI7uJIIrm82PvL0iC5_xuNrRnAjvmyJ82fsVtObviXS1ZfPy0b-YqwsJ4qFMou8Q/s320/P1150200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136676702889394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim admiring the scenery</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAheJiOHmblk-L_JioG4PJilnEkuj2gOvVuTj4O4Cp7eRu39bUaMvAPxVtQjjSTCizK25xPbHxNFAAKpHnKkTivosuoNmXvAO1xe9-Kz_AyAZErSYWI7ajUB-W682aVssPQ/s1600-h/P1150221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAheJiOHmblk-L_JioG4PJilnEkuj2gOvVuTj4O4Cp7eRu39bUaMvAPxVtQjjSTCizK25xPbHxNFAAKpHnKkTivosuoNmXvAO1xe9-Kz_AyAZErSYWI7ajUB-W682aVssPQ/s320/P1150221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136671347295762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Exploring the gorge after our hike in</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IU4W_Yr2U1LPnMs_eKo6xjpwqTRbLJAwf_rMO9oOcFbhzS3rrmXpLV3pFgiUKbkqXjigDUZvLLj-SqLmy00GbEeDoSrHb9W0p2H4fZkyNcGtYp37wP2uwfwy1q9sE46qEg/s1600-h/P1150241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IU4W_Yr2U1LPnMs_eKo6xjpwqTRbLJAwf_rMO9oOcFbhzS3rrmXpLV3pFgiUKbkqXjigDUZvLLj-SqLmy00GbEeDoSrHb9W0p2H4fZkyNcGtYp37wP2uwfwy1q9sE46qEg/s320/P1150241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136663982937010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sun set on West Cherry Creek</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXnRdqlwbIRQ43NDsC52gzgB4y8Jm1czRNk7RKQZQ527Z8nudMkQC8auXvScxMkp_qPdghjCe11SVqRoLEU-AnGCkPxPXs3frdmxj0qG-QcYRDJrV8IKZOUn-VZl7gjkNsw/s1600-h/P1150249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXnRdqlwbIRQ43NDsC52gzgB4y8Jm1czRNk7RKQZQ527Z8nudMkQC8auXvScxMkp_qPdghjCe11SVqRoLEU-AnGCkPxPXs3frdmxj0qG-QcYRDJrV8IKZOUn-VZl7gjkNsw/s320/P1150249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136659675111090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Using the nomads to set up the mosquito net<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">The following morning started off with lots of low angled slides followed by this sweet twenty footer that falls off with rock ledges on either side. The line is to boof off the middle narrowly missing the "goal post" rocks on the sides. Just below the that rapid is a big 15 foot drop with a meaty hole at the bottom that you would not want to be stuck in. <span>After a few more </span>class 4-5 rapids we arrived at one of the bigger runnable rapids on the stretch, known as Charlie Beavers Mega Rapid. Only Tim decided to fire this one up (which involves four big drops back to back) but after watching him style it I am fired up to run it next year.<br /> </div> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkc2U8pryCZI3-csCpRh15FVaNyzekoanLYvCGuIBaFqtYzALpv5cPFi2eKTsETBgX4_tHpbPpCYFpDw5_Q06NmVETB_UTYhe_ebV2jCItRA926aX9AvDlmied67ejg13zA/s1600-h/P1150254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkc2U8pryCZI3-csCpRh15FVaNyzekoanLYvCGuIBaFqtYzALpv5cPFi2eKTsETBgX4_tHpbPpCYFpDw5_Q06NmVETB_UTYhe_ebV2jCItRA926aX9AvDlmied67ejg13zA/s320/P1150254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352134307896775202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim running the "goal post" twenty footer</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoYSv9t8xUG-lYrAZbttC3NbSCr43syX0U2rF6qYsOI28yT2UC5Pvd7lnSUfDTTbVebr616JVaTNq3pYbHRPbhjEgMO8-Vde0uyeoyXIkz6Qu7WLU0m2yBZ5tWHeEyFS0Yw/s1600-h/P1150256.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoYSv9t8xUG-lYrAZbttC3NbSCr43syX0U2rF6qYsOI28yT2UC5Pvd7lnSUfDTTbVebr616JVaTNq3pYbHRPbhjEgMO8-Vde0uyeoyXIkz6Qu7WLU0m2yBZ5tWHeEyFS0Yw/s320/P1150256.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352134301443215538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth at the same rapid from above</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB_GCwIbWZ89X8qJag7bYRL8He3U0IJ24mx4X0ith53EVd3R9QsxBgX_qsznKtAQ05agvNrCtXFTr1M-B805DjY8uT1QWBtF2axfEm6UvSHCV1I0bREsVUyrRIs86FEbYaA/s1600-h/P1150257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdB_GCwIbWZ89X8qJag7bYRL8He3U0IJ24mx4X0ith53EVd3R9QsxBgX_qsznKtAQ05agvNrCtXFTr1M-B805DjY8uT1QWBtF2axfEm6UvSHCV1I0bREsVUyrRIs86FEbYaA/s320/P1150257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352134295980492354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim stomping the boof below the twenty footer<br /><br /></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvGVfruApPXOt74hQuRKdlDSL6PbCkWQmq863CXRRX3t8kP1YOFPN_rsMDEEROKuhBnCsuHtxZ6MkK2iF3tBXl_gZICzkTc9VeAvg6nZB-7w_qnVJRCgDw4ucr9UFFvVf9Q/s1600-h/P1150259.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvGVfruApPXOt74hQuRKdlDSL6PbCkWQmq863CXRRX3t8kP1YOFPN_rsMDEEROKuhBnCsuHtxZ6MkK2iF3tBXl_gZICzkTc9VeAvg6nZB-7w_qnVJRCgDw4ucr9UFFvVf9Q/s320/P1150259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352134289334175346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim firing up the second drop of Charlie Beaver's rapid</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnaLbrfkr63JtB8NWayLZ2Bgz5cZvxPmS0Gzv-xLLDTT8xyMVBzmVtTth12ko8hsokHSHFsHTidK3JXeISWl1wGOiAoiUGXYs4kuMiN9FMMNll72tZTip8ZQ8qXa_cS33yg/s1600-h/P1150262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnaLbrfkr63JtB8NWayLZ2Bgz5cZvxPmS0Gzv-xLLDTT8xyMVBzmVtTth12ko8hsokHSHFsHTidK3JXeISWl1wGOiAoiUGXYs4kuMiN9FMMNll72tZTip8ZQ8qXa_cS33yg/s320/P1150262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352134284417594754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our lunch spot looking up at Charlie Beaver's Mega Rapid<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually we got down to what most people call "the big portage" on West Cherry which includes the Edge of the World slide. I can definitely see why the slide has that name because as you come around its edge, you get the most spectacular view of the Cherry gorges and Cherry lake in the distance. It was the most dramatic portage I've ever walked.<br /><br />We decided that the scenery was too good to not stop to camp, so we ended up putting in and paddling down to the spine that separates Upper Cherry from West Cherry and camped there. This spot gave us a view of Upper Cherry creek and West Cherry creek as well as Cherry lake.<br /></div> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3j9wrLT2rqbAnDIA8TB2Ok8L2U7SjpaDhDlPHJ4VmacayFZReNPiEUaOMAvk07mSXama1IbZ-_RAmKnf1WnMgg62w7nyvmUuw-fHH8gxBOurYdSgcW5qFcglADUh14ld1Q/s1600-h/P1150271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3j9wrLT2rqbAnDIA8TB2Ok8L2U7SjpaDhDlPHJ4VmacayFZReNPiEUaOMAvk07mSXama1IbZ-_RAmKnf1WnMgg62w7nyvmUuw-fHH8gxBOurYdSgcW5qFcglADUh14ld1Q/s320/P1150271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352132503098011106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth hiking around the Edge of the World slide with a beautiful view of Cherry lake</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDl3ZXdz0G2JWD_FhSWy1aGDRC19fHWtPGZn1Da0dsQ_CPIgr0-2YrPXvU8HoLRSkK0I1eC8okJESUaKAtB0u4esv6_GQS2Z1J13vEnC1dGOF_YiLX7X6LbTOMzyheVYUQg/s1600-h/P1150277.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDl3ZXdz0G2JWD_FhSWy1aGDRC19fHWtPGZn1Da0dsQ_CPIgr0-2YrPXvU8HoLRSkK0I1eC8okJESUaKAtB0u4esv6_GQS2Z1J13vEnC1dGOF_YiLX7X6LbTOMzyheVYUQg/s320/P1150277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352132498502565698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The crew</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvr79weh4enUmUm37niio42fL-M9PrlVI_4XwG-F13vc7-vGGkdYqsP7aZNIzm8-382EpdSiRY3a6KjqZngE0XYV7hYCpfR1KNu57OGCiQywAzPTGuAxLPigh2_20jrhwmw/s1600-h/P1150295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvr79weh4enUmUm37niio42fL-M9PrlVI_4XwG-F13vc7-vGGkdYqsP7aZNIzm8-382EpdSiRY3a6KjqZngE0XYV7hYCpfR1KNu57OGCiQywAzPTGuAxLPigh2_20jrhwmw/s320/P1150295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352132488580872642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Part of the big portage</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVYQ9a_xJ9bbxMF1ZGPe6ZUUgo0MHsOZyoOgaH3W3hLTIY5CzHP34ufmJ0mMNpPJkOgj4WzrsgWfOaAqPDiXwsTpDu0-5M88Q4dtJej7R6gZ06UNeliSs_y9Ko5e9z7EM1Q/s1600-h/P1150299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVYQ9a_xJ9bbxMF1ZGPe6ZUUgo0MHsOZyoOgaH3W3hLTIY5CzHP34ufmJ0mMNpPJkOgj4WzrsgWfOaAqPDiXwsTpDu0-5M88Q4dtJej7R6gZ06UNeliSs_y9Ko5e9z7EM1Q/s320/P1150299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352132485580332402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth relaxing at camp #2</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After a beautiful night at our second camp, we hiked down to the river and put on at the confluence of Upper and West cherry. The level was stompy for the Red Rocks gorge and gave us an early adrenaline fix for the day. Eventually we made it down to the final gorge which we decided was too high for us and did our final portage of the day around it before putting in again just above the lake.<br /><br />West Cherry turned out to be hands down the most scenic run that I did in California. Its high sierra granite nature made it unlike anything I'd ever see before. And the whitewater wasn't so bad either...<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8ixFxFpPHunx_fRX-wZfHGkuSBwXw3Rb_g5CLTMNrcQcNTrUoXuNeYhrbQ2JggLwMw1OSiBzAdeAPtMQa1TqJmdejBJO-jZBOo5lWLfrJtyYXzVqXaY5PbqG28nxP-AvSw/s1600-h/P1150309.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8ixFxFpPHunx_fRX-wZfHGkuSBwXw3Rb_g5CLTMNrcQcNTrUoXuNeYhrbQ2JggLwMw1OSiBzAdeAPtMQa1TqJmdejBJO-jZBOo5lWLfrJtyYXzVqXaY5PbqG28nxP-AvSw/s320/P1150309.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352132479647701762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The final rapid leading into the lake</span> </div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-42606113057045277672009-06-18T03:36:00.001-04:002009-06-18T03:36:49.752-04:00California Trip Report: Hiking Yosemite with my Mom<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgR8Cs2iEsDyLvOQP_BQOVHTHtdTtoXuH_HoHBXvdLRx3TiGApAtaWFfEvhk-WmGmJ6yIV9mSYoWxJYuTreeDfIPdbxO5RTFmC8gQ-ZacmcINbGKux8z1eSPwn4m6ShH8uw/s1600-h/P1150110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgR8Cs2iEsDyLvOQP_BQOVHTHtdTtoXuH_HoHBXvdLRx3TiGApAtaWFfEvhk-WmGmJ6yIV9mSYoWxJYuTreeDfIPdbxO5RTFmC8gQ-ZacmcINbGKux8z1eSPwn4m6ShH8uw/s320/P1150110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348555122497176690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My mom and I at the top of Quarter Dome (right before the big push up to Half Dome)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After driving up to Sacramento from the Kern, I dropped Gareth off at the airport (he had to fly to Philadelphia to teach a swiftwater rescue course for a few days) and picked up my mom so that we could spend a few days exploring Yosemite National Park.<br /><br />From the second I arrived in Yosemite valley I was blown away by the scenery. I was immediately surrounded by so many huge waterfalls and granite domes that I did not know how to take it all in. The first day we took a hike up to the Cathedral lakes (located at almost 10,000 feet). The hike was interesting as a good bit of it was in the snow and we managed to get pretty lost to the point that we almost turned around. Fortunately we found our way back on the trail and were able to enjoy the breathtaking views from the lakes (my camera was malfunctioning so no pictures).<br /><br />The following morning we went for the most epic day hike ever, and the most famous in Yosemite- the Half Dome hike. The hike up to Half Dome involves over 17 miles of hiking and an accent and descent of 4,800 feet. My mom had been a little nervous about taking on such a hike, but was also the one that really pushed us to do it. Following the advice of others, we woke up at 4am to start our epic day in order to avoid the afternoon storms and masses of people also attempting the hike. The trail began without much warm up as we climbed up over 2,000 feet of elevation in our first three miles past two spectacular waterfalls.<br /><br />Eventually we made it up out of the Yosemite Valley and across the Little Yosemite Valley, before starting to climb again, this time headed towards the top of Half Dome. Before reaching the infamous cable section of the climb, you must first walk up the steep granite steps of Quarter Dome. Because of her extreme fear of heights, this was extremely difficult for my mom, as the steps are not exactly lined with railings. I was very proud of her for making it to the top of Quarter Dome and approved of her decision to stop there. The climb up to the top of Half Dome looked steeper than I ever imagined, and I was nervous for myself, let alone my mom.<br /><br />Deaths on the climb up to Half Dome are not uncommon, and there was actually a death there last Saturday (which was comforting to hear as we were about to start the hike). The climb involves a very steep granite grade, lined by cables which you use to literally pull yourself up the rock. It was full on to say the least. I cannot believe so many people do it, and I am surprised there aren't more deaths. I made it to the top without many troubles and took some time to take in the 360 degree view of Yosemite Valley and its surroundings.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5jIYlRfHIKgLHB4P-dPUi7fls58iEMgpvPwXBSHhBX2Q2DkrPm5EuM9ntPaDnKK8CxqcsB0UoZD575kJShyphenhyphen97yB-6quB4GB96nV1sr0Kxx9lApDaaI761109IorXy6qhcw/s1600-h/P1150111.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5jIYlRfHIKgLHB4P-dPUi7fls58iEMgpvPwXBSHhBX2Q2DkrPm5EuM9ntPaDnKK8CxqcsB0UoZD575kJShyphenhyphen97yB-6quB4GB96nV1sr0Kxx9lApDaaI761109IorXy6qhcw/s320/P1150111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348555110844204578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A view from the top of Half Dome</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOowdisRjytGma54pw-xDsWEUczU9xbYUVYqecR9qfNqU8lmGorBl3EIjIS322zZm2QYoE7aHsFLCDHAAYgFt9VgGSAFxMTEq783M3_gPhvexFR6IRPPqAkUv_bBNTcstNwA/s1600-h/P1150112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOowdisRjytGma54pw-xDsWEUczU9xbYUVYqecR9qfNqU8lmGorBl3EIjIS322zZm2QYoE7aHsFLCDHAAYgFt9VgGSAFxMTEq783M3_gPhvexFR6IRPPqAkUv_bBNTcstNwA/s320/P1150112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348555108455980050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Another view from the top of Half Dome</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg6Va29tmpACLmYiH8YLTbZBYJHl6T3gJrv3ofdABwD5BdW1uS6Zurejpq-53UFKJF52VkAPU0pp0wJkheUuKe7XpdOB0BHVQQHxU2l2-ozXvrGeVBf6Q5Xtrt-MNj1zwIA/s1600-h/P1150120.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCg6Va29tmpACLmYiH8YLTbZBYJHl6T3gJrv3ofdABwD5BdW1uS6Zurejpq-53UFKJF52VkAPU0pp0wJkheUuKe7XpdOB0BHVQQHxU2l2-ozXvrGeVBf6Q5Xtrt-MNj1zwIA/s320/P1150120.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348554733197352130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me looking down into the valley from the top</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48ySaNQWMqpbynJUoS57EyWHraUbjKYeZnctl8RwubYwqltZI1vtFolKDiV-ROaZ-1TvXg40rcnGcL0KPsL0jRiYq_VXc0frfjktbtculpZLFwCkdp6cOSc94EimcRnsaYA/s1600-h/P1150125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48ySaNQWMqpbynJUoS57EyWHraUbjKYeZnctl8RwubYwqltZI1vtFolKDiV-ROaZ-1TvXg40rcnGcL0KPsL0jRiYq_VXc0frfjktbtculpZLFwCkdp6cOSc94EimcRnsaYA/s320/P1150125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348554725260234226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The infamous cables (this is on a not so steep section, there was no way I was pulling my camera out during the steepest part)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEtJ538AvxmPYDoBwBwG9m73UsHWrOW1EfiNumSxM8nqqNkynFh2FiDTwx7xgc1h2hCA2ArHAVtfwOOZkdW8hkZrWndMfg24-MswbfOsVfwqR9L40gS5wg4CSScIXhoOMfQ/s1600-h/P1150138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEtJ538AvxmPYDoBwBwG9m73UsHWrOW1EfiNumSxM8nqqNkynFh2FiDTwx7xgc1h2hCA2ArHAVtfwOOZkdW8hkZrWndMfg24-MswbfOsVfwqR9L40gS5wg4CSScIXhoOMfQ/s320/P1150138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348554720244631890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A view from the hike down</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After such an exhausting day, My mom and I decided to spend our final day in Yosemite a bit more relaxed. We started off with a drive to Glacier Point where we were granted some spectacular views of the park.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv5JHEvp8u2ba-PqH1gtCrxthtILxaAT2H7b8O_I3mzFmARWmk1LQZ23pyhU4bDHZh-YYOunc4jEroXVCYE3EZh1G_-0_D-KOBPsk6lRcM7kqSpLPtGlm0diiTnRy-7LAjg/s1600-h/P1150144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcv5JHEvp8u2ba-PqH1gtCrxthtILxaAT2H7b8O_I3mzFmARWmk1LQZ23pyhU4bDHZh-YYOunc4jEroXVCYE3EZh1G_-0_D-KOBPsk6lRcM7kqSpLPtGlm0diiTnRy-7LAjg/s320/P1150144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348554717101275474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Yosemite Valley</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">including upper and lower Yosemite Falls</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRC89ZANeih94LdRdJwcZV_6tMzomNhXX0b8bdt2I3GtZ1wqHbX0-DPk_UzTkd_rf5tK6fIPo7IiZmHqkfeAT9LhgshSPNvXwR1yxXHv7inUzp8bYR_UoPIQVs63BxEGb1iQ/s1600-h/P1150151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRC89ZANeih94LdRdJwcZV_6tMzomNhXX0b8bdt2I3GtZ1wqHbX0-DPk_UzTkd_rf5tK6fIPo7IiZmHqkfeAT9LhgshSPNvXwR1yxXHv7inUzp8bYR_UoPIQVs63BxEGb1iQ/s320/P1150151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348554711553503746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A nice view of Half Dome (the left most granite dome) and Nevada Falls</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Following Glacier point, we drove a little ways and arrived at the trail head of Taft Point, a little 2.2 mile hike with relatively easy terrain. At the end of the hike we were given some great views of the valley from a different perspective.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO-iaNKgn7j6b6wshDDmDJaW8zKIziGod29v0Vlshtfif_wqzt-ie3fN7SlxNxZYabNRVpl6wFD_EvI7RuswS3gnvHrwWmyHPZ-Qnv-WSRFC7lvPwaXirgxrOjs4iGqMNDQ/s1600-h/P1150158.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO-iaNKgn7j6b6wshDDmDJaW8zKIziGod29v0Vlshtfif_wqzt-ie3fN7SlxNxZYabNRVpl6wFD_EvI7RuswS3gnvHrwWmyHPZ-Qnv-WSRFC7lvPwaXirgxrOjs4iGqMNDQ/s320/P1150158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348553504756848898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me hanging out at Taft Point</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After an awesome lunch at the grand Ahwahnee Hotel (the most expensive hotel in the park), we decided to head over to El Capitan to watch some of the climbers do their thing on the world's largest piece of granite monolith rock.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkT2aX2pIqkP9DI3NNfLZM-AAH-RoPVM8u_5V7MHXVNvAn_Dwv3zop_SpQDNwT_6iC5ceBNYEGOr10Ff_USOiRDX_ESosXK89RHjO4MFWFiGMH2WEcd0BBWDwRmgv8pasjg/s1600-h/P1150165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkT2aX2pIqkP9DI3NNfLZM-AAH-RoPVM8u_5V7MHXVNvAn_Dwv3zop_SpQDNwT_6iC5ceBNYEGOr10Ff_USOiRDX_ESosXK89RHjO4MFWFiGMH2WEcd0BBWDwRmgv8pasjg/s320/P1150165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348553499931733106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me free climbing the first twenty feet of El Capitan</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy1u3DX5adrhAtTeExdXIYQiNzZIpbq03dBlpnnKRDktYlju7jlshH3GEcJdEGJhcD_WtokRxwWixJ29uM5XubOwHEauL92Fnj0B2TTXkpT-ctb3xwq2rMs6itOBiQkH-zQ/s1600-h/P1150170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy1u3DX5adrhAtTeExdXIYQiNzZIpbq03dBlpnnKRDktYlju7jlshH3GEcJdEGJhcD_WtokRxwWixJ29uM5XubOwHEauL92Fnj0B2TTXkpT-ctb3xwq2rMs6itOBiQkH-zQ/s320/P1150170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348553498693840978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">El Capitan</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g_1A7tXOJKdL-JEKdoy3GuV912ZgIsLITe1cjRF4fwG5X9t3RStKCQ5PfSiExxVSShT1ghM-sRf5qvZ8o4-8TNEc3HIhAnY41RKB1LnkUCOGQ3KIL9-7I3lauV0v7qk8aQ/s1600-h/P1150172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g_1A7tXOJKdL-JEKdoy3GuV912ZgIsLITe1cjRF4fwG5X9t3RStKCQ5PfSiExxVSShT1ghM-sRf5qvZ8o4-8TNEc3HIhAnY41RKB1LnkUCOGQ3KIL9-7I3lauV0v7qk8aQ/s320/P1150172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348553490525609682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The climbers slowly but surely making their way to the top</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually it was time to say goodbye to the stunning Yosemite rocks and head back to Sacramento to pick up Gareth from the airport. Upper Cherry here we come!<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHztUtC2B9m77k-dsciGnOt1hIZVcja_UcaFrp5BnnRDQT211KS6E3HXHxSzbtaTif-OLdHbuthwZg9Mkl6OVwEAKYQw-Wxe1zesCLf3UHiR6HMteYyEGBplHmq5NPwkWaA/s1600-h/P1150175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHztUtC2B9m77k-dsciGnOt1hIZVcja_UcaFrp5BnnRDQT211KS6E3HXHxSzbtaTif-OLdHbuthwZg9Mkl6OVwEAKYQw-Wxe1zesCLf3UHiR6HMteYyEGBplHmq5NPwkWaA/s320/P1150175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348553483583690946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A parting view of Yosemite</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-20010556442531708022009-06-18T01:58:00.000-04:002009-06-18T01:59:04.051-04:00California Trip Report: The Forks of the Kern<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciFmriBwkKdSh4ix4obRzaFXHepLwCNKCKoYnMd0TCydGunYRkSFKLNgLrZ088ki7Gsq1JJc2nRjeYGywnJUxOG7lOL3bjLAzRbpInBoNMM1ebvNzJwiv8y_j426EErULkw/s1600-h/DSCN1200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciFmriBwkKdSh4ix4obRzaFXHepLwCNKCKoYnMd0TCydGunYRkSFKLNgLrZ088ki7Gsq1JJc2nRjeYGywnJUxOG7lOL3bjLAzRbpInBoNMM1ebvNzJwiv8y_j426EErULkw/s320/DSCN1200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538677759664082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Testing out the backpack system on the Forks of the Kern hike in</span><br /></div><br />While camping at the Kaweah we met a nice couple (Rebecca and Eric) from Kernville that suggested Gareth and I go check out the Forks of the Kern run outside of Kernville. Because Gareth's shoulder was tweaked (he hurt it on the South Merced and aggravated it during his swim on the East Fork) we had been looking for a mellow option for the following few days and the forks seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. We were told it was an amazingly beautiful class four run that could be done as an overnight with some sweet side hikes. Sounded great to us so after taking off hospital rock we followed Eric and Rebecca south to Kernville.<br /><br />Following a night camping out at the take-out, we were met by Bob (our shuttle driver) who took us the 20 miles up river to the put-in. The run had a two mile downhill hike in that Gareth and I decided would be a good opportunity to practice using our backpacking systems in anticipation of the 12 mile Upper Cherry hike in our near future. Turns out the carrying a loaded kayak on your back really isn’t as comfortable as one might imagine. I am glad that I got the practice using my backpack system but I am really not looking to ever putting it on again.<br /><br />The river turned out to be just as beautiful as we were told and was filled with granite walls and tall peaks. We took our time moving downstream and managed to squeeze in some naptime by the river. After paddling over half of the total 18 miles of the run, we finally found a nice campsite and settled in for the evening.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKvIQuVKk4PqxwiWDAG2SXSPR5zNZxRvwnZSgiNKOmEQagN2-1hiGq3IhSHYCf0FghS4PxL9FhxJuNFzcovC0p7mNm0eARxab_XmJrjTzzPz9YSw7oIOPZ1hIdpepDiGCvQ/s1600-h/P1150001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKvIQuVKk4PqxwiWDAG2SXSPR5zNZxRvwnZSgiNKOmEQagN2-1hiGq3IhSHYCf0FghS4PxL9FhxJuNFzcovC0p7mNm0eARxab_XmJrjTzzPz9YSw7oIOPZ1hIdpepDiGCvQ/s320/P1150001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538349521828530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A view from the hike</span> in<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FD1LqxC3TQQ4L2Iy049IIDQHi9AgUPESBYaXu7WDmM8y32Kr_pGBPuzONIJMJn1fsSuQV_6WJdXHmioUrmTcRQNUqFHvCMtQjkwCy2RaWHWpufJ_hlj4GxkzqhFd3nF5rA/s1600-h/P1150006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FD1LqxC3TQQ4L2Iy049IIDQHi9AgUPESBYaXu7WDmM8y32Kr_pGBPuzONIJMJn1fsSuQV_6WJdXHmioUrmTcRQNUqFHvCMtQjkwCy2RaWHWpufJ_hlj4GxkzqhFd3nF5rA/s320/P1150006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538346031559506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth on the hike</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqYri50wheAExq3PAFKDFKhUX5M9vU-3k5QsLtmRAnc-05fe5HEXU8Slxpa8rPxvRBb4eg2t1_myQSO8Y63SgTGCK2Ah7nwi7y8hkYxvQiV-QecUDzABaVgt40c786YE4zg/s1600-h/P1150009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqYri50wheAExq3PAFKDFKhUX5M9vU-3k5QsLtmRAnc-05fe5HEXU8Slxpa8rPxvRBb4eg2t1_myQSO8Y63SgTGCK2Ah7nwi7y8hkYxvQiV-QecUDzABaVgt40c786YE4zg/s320/P1150009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538337547262290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth enjoying some of the 5 liters of wine we (aka Gareth) hiked in</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LDbmWCxg997ReJc8YHGX1NqJROWyyflwwChy-NCbr_vFXmrznHRSHTVzoiMWunuJsPqquq-x2Kl-PFuZGtNVRq7Au0UVFEJXu8UJnuzwR2lg6FIRePUd_89wJ3XhpBTBhQ/s1600-h/P1150012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LDbmWCxg997ReJc8YHGX1NqJROWyyflwwChy-NCbr_vFXmrznHRSHTVzoiMWunuJsPqquq-x2Kl-PFuZGtNVRq7Au0UVFEJXu8UJnuzwR2lg6FIRePUd_89wJ3XhpBTBhQ/s320/P1150012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538330152502626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me hanging out in the hammock at camp</span><br /></div><br />We spent the next morning relaxing at camp and catching up on some reading. When we eventually got back in our boats we only paddled for a couple hours before seeing a creek coming in that Gareth wanted to fish. After further inspection we realized it was the Dry Meadows creek side hike that had been mentioned to us. We decided to go check it out and man am I glad we did because it was absolute paradise. There were about ten teacup style drops, most of which were beautifully sculpted circular potholes. We probably spent around four hours just hanging out at this spot fishing and hiking and napping. The fishing was unbelievable considering we caught over thirty total trout within the pothole pools, one of which was over 13 inches (Gareth got that one). After catching four fish that we thought were sizeable enough to eat, we hiked back down to our boats and cooked them up over a granite slab fire by the river.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTsy7yCyJuNxZwrGDYCM7XfTLN6DFdX7QaRNiyv9_E-D4jbrRL30EBcXAMWcQZ33QFTbQraUJKFRBwVaaMyBkkkiTXgzRzU2EqTSIoux9LArgJG82aDSTrxwiozpRcZ-Sig/s1600-h/P1150045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTsy7yCyJuNxZwrGDYCM7XfTLN6DFdX7QaRNiyv9_E-D4jbrRL30EBcXAMWcQZ33QFTbQraUJKFRBwVaaMyBkkkiTXgzRzU2EqTSIoux9LArgJG82aDSTrxwiozpRcZ-Sig/s320/P1150045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348538326375508930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Thats me unhooking one of the fish I caught</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ABKGpUP-MzYPkfV97GUts3CE1SwpyqWPpJ5wCOr_3HkPUs7VaSij2oxYkOEo99beVT6PfzhTKDRiSY1_kPNyst_yz9VWDScuzjmoXJIM5ncEUJdt3PHgbvbf7lsjv53IXA/s1600-h/P1150061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ABKGpUP-MzYPkfV97GUts3CE1SwpyqWPpJ5wCOr_3HkPUs7VaSij2oxYkOEo99beVT6PfzhTKDRiSY1_kPNyst_yz9VWDScuzjmoXJIM5ncEUJdt3PHgbvbf7lsjv53IXA/s320/P1150061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537842973326322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth fishing the pothole pools</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuROPSJqKupknl9M1f39cKnf0wRE6neevZSVL1ErPfxnkoQA7QqIIoJIHLBkiW_M_lR8W4f_gynaTqMI_aFvsM7fKdhbay8bRaz-ZjATOwR8MWuRfPEoG_gEykJ8cvhF-_ug/s1600-h/P1150054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuROPSJqKupknl9M1f39cKnf0wRE6neevZSVL1ErPfxnkoQA7QqIIoJIHLBkiW_M_lR8W4f_gynaTqMI_aFvsM7fKdhbay8bRaz-ZjATOwR8MWuRfPEoG_gEykJ8cvhF-_ug/s320/P1150054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537838351707410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth reaching out for a fish that fell off the line at the last moment</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sEkAPS75U68uP4ZItqgFBfuHjrSX7T_aSqwzenAMLY915UiRlc7MS3QRKNGFLaGe3VdhYaxNN_5JnR1Js4edfY1bFQcXZsF_wJ6aP7WsVUesg7fgrHAHHOPuHQwmGLMNew/s1600-h/P1150081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sEkAPS75U68uP4ZItqgFBfuHjrSX7T_aSqwzenAMLY915UiRlc7MS3QRKNGFLaGe3VdhYaxNN_5JnR1Js4edfY1bFQcXZsF_wJ6aP7WsVUesg7fgrHAHHOPuHQwmGLMNew/s320/P1150081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537835308338914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cleaning the trout</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrB0L465SjcNxsprjLc8mGO0gD6JwQQ5-1irmqqZCtV5pqmnEzV9za5O7inC51HTlHDqg2SWgw75HdXkBK3w1tVKPR4NvmS2STiElc2tNYRASOxl0AfFC94hLJwo4KWFbcQ/s1600-h/P1150091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrB0L465SjcNxsprjLc8mGO0gD6JwQQ5-1irmqqZCtV5pqmnEzV9za5O7inC51HTlHDqg2SWgw75HdXkBK3w1tVKPR4NvmS2STiElc2tNYRASOxl0AfFC94hLJwo4KWFbcQ/s320/P1150091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537825786854898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fresh trout cooked over a granite slab...delicious!</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAooTty4fIQ9JUZiYaa5VqWEM64CDpUqFmLy37pzOHC-DhAa27yPyH38BFeXliK1VP5PafcndguVuaB7pvDXx1SyVbQ8Vz2OO9h_zYcXPgynl1x-hbZpBrr2WHiK1Z8Bx4g/s1600-h/P1150097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAooTty4fIQ9JUZiYaa5VqWEM64CDpUqFmLy37pzOHC-DhAa27yPyH38BFeXliK1VP5PafcndguVuaB7pvDXx1SyVbQ8Vz2OO9h_zYcXPgynl1x-hbZpBrr2WHiK1Z8Bx4g/s320/P1150097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348537820323177762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth cooking up the fish</span><br /></div><br />Eventually we decided we had to keep moving downstream and finish up the river. It wasn't much further before we arrived back at the truck. We decided the best way to finish up such a great day was to hit up the Kern River Brewing Company, owned and run by Eric and Rebecca, the couple that brought us down to Kernville in the first place. We ate, we drank and we slept in the parking lot.Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-35064851693309332262009-06-18T01:21:00.001-04:002009-06-18T01:21:24.561-04:00California Trip Report: The Kaweahs (East Fork and more Hospital Rock)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJhTUPafIB2vG_eISiXWoBnHQZJEggfr41O5lWeuHU2zynFv4Btjs51ny4i-u7arnROmqY1bv9Z6WA8dGe12Sdyd1hyiGXmVASUDYfQSiQlhGtLScl-pvJKcoK8x3_G8sg/s1600-h/San+Fran"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJhTUPafIB2vG_eISiXWoBnHQZJEggfr41O5lWeuHU2zynFv4Btjs51ny4i-u7arnROmqY1bv9Z6WA8dGe12Sdyd1hyiGXmVASUDYfQSiQlhGtLScl-pvJKcoK8x3_G8sg/s320/San+Fran" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348531030931518882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Relaxing out on my bother's apartment's rooftop terrace in San Fran</span><br /></div><br />After taking the weekend to relax and enjoy the beautiful city of San Francisco, we were antsy to get back on the water. Although we were a little unsure of the water levels, we decided to head back down to the Kaweah drainage with the hopes of getting on the East Fork of the Kaweah, said to be one of the best day runs in Cali.<br /><br />Upon arriving at the camping area we talked to some boaters who ran the East Fork the day before and said it was low but going, so we decided to head up to the put-in the next morning. When we arrived we were excited to see that due to the hotter weather of the previous days, the river had come up to a nice low end of high level, which was absolutely perfect.<br /><br />Gareth, Matias and I spent the day picking our way down the 4.5 miles of classic class 4-5 rapids. The portages were a bit epic but the abundance of clean rapids made up for them. The only carnage of the day involved Gareth getting thrown into an undercut pothole wall that after multiple attempts to roll (it would have been impossible to roll there) caused him to swim and lose his very important paddle. Knowing the paddle was still being recirculated in the wall, we decided to send me in after it. So Matias held a rope, which was attached to my PFD, and I jumped in and swam in the wall until I managed to knock the paddle out. Gareth still owes me a beer for that one….<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPqiqTugCuLEgaaCEX38swd7Y2fZac7xqSIEXYLaWn0ZAOggXduZD4yeRnYKaNJmCL4n_f2cCczOU7LcUlGUUVIzFIOwabbMV_158n-sy8-vNrhVDqaR3VueG6CY3HmyvZw/s1600-h/IMGP0115.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPqiqTugCuLEgaaCEX38swd7Y2fZac7xqSIEXYLaWn0ZAOggXduZD4yeRnYKaNJmCL4n_f2cCczOU7LcUlGUUVIzFIOwabbMV_158n-sy8-vNrhVDqaR3VueG6CY3HmyvZw/s320/IMGP0115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348531027226311282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me at the bottom of a sweet East Fork rapid</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_WdptfI01OsC_OavAIyoSGYo8iG7f_1d_76vtyAG9yNggvfwUlzU0A_I15VEMgO3DzUbdJOIvPXptlmlC1iQvk61il9CMaygrELGP2D0rAyVKkK27TKM1OXHe9wcz38-IA/s1600-h/P1140894.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_WdptfI01OsC_OavAIyoSGYo8iG7f_1d_76vtyAG9yNggvfwUlzU0A_I15VEMgO3DzUbdJOIvPXptlmlC1iQvk61il9CMaygrELGP2D0rAyVKkK27TKM1OXHe9wcz38-IA/s320/P1140894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348531021563532594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Matias styling a big slide on the East Fork</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarlINN-_UI4_bRw2ncuvGu6kUUQtqHawQYJqzQplk5AYwxY-8Ds03bbRFaVvf4_cYG6ypCHAvACEfORG4RbcTrwrL2IsAZ2sMXbrYDUxgGMCDd0oL5rF2ybBYaJfZMcJFDw/s1600-h/IMGP0112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarlINN-_UI4_bRw2ncuvGu6kUUQtqHawQYJqzQplk5AYwxY-8Ds03bbRFaVvf4_cYG6ypCHAvACEfORG4RbcTrwrL2IsAZ2sMXbrYDUxgGMCDd0oL5rF2ybBYaJfZMcJFDw/s320/IMGP0112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348529893276962466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Matias at the lip of another drop</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gVY0o032OJpKNsDeotXfm1RURzJHVi6KxZ__wdIokozOh4I0UdI0hXCco-ziqPemhOA3kktkfcY06vEq6UMHmjaWmwSgPBHcvGqhNjD2OUEVZ7v3v7jd0FXCizZBnNV_bg/s1600-h/IMGP0108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gVY0o032OJpKNsDeotXfm1RURzJHVi6KxZ__wdIokozOh4I0UdI0hXCco-ziqPemhOA3kktkfcY06vEq6UMHmjaWmwSgPBHcvGqhNjD2OUEVZ7v3v7jd0FXCizZBnNV_bg/s320/IMGP0108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348529888566788882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Eric from Kernville perfectly hitting the line at Triple Drop</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWeuSfMcwu4IVma5proL7qF-iOKz1yVXhuKVMxEgDVlCxYSSbwipRnSPN9Bj2q-VF3nueMaX5hx1OzyySej5frD2G1B4YorxoPErSYnmXlCyt7cBEmg2y9la5TGcNdUHhig/s1600-h/IMGP0109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWeuSfMcwu4IVma5proL7qF-iOKz1yVXhuKVMxEgDVlCxYSSbwipRnSPN9Bj2q-VF3nueMaX5hx1OzyySej5frD2G1B4YorxoPErSYnmXlCyt7cBEmg2y9la5TGcNdUHhig/s320/IMGP0109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348529881397839874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Matias scouting as Eric makes his way through the second drop</span><br /></div><br />The next day we decided to take advantage of the higher flows and get back on the hospital rock section of the main Kaweah. Hospital rock is one of those sections that is so classic that it can be enjoyed over and over again. It was a beautiful day on the water.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTvKXQygyduf6mjelk8fV0uP5uIBoUwLz0vUTo8Gu9Fq3So_8IlB35ugr_asNMNS9_XOBbOjc-9McSOGF0l3Ct4WGOofnLW3JXRLVFhP8qrzfMM1_tKDSPds3GT7Gf67mKA/s1600-h/P1140905.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTvKXQygyduf6mjelk8fV0uP5uIBoUwLz0vUTo8Gu9Fq3So_8IlB35ugr_asNMNS9_XOBbOjc-9McSOGF0l3Ct4WGOofnLW3JXRLVFhP8qrzfMM1_tKDSPds3GT7Gf67mKA/s320/P1140905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348529876815137746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth and Katie coming through the 420 gorge</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOo4Zj90E2dlCdFaLgxOkZ_NxH7yAClopFPCazubF1WipxzJ7_HbClhVd_o5roogobpCqCp7iewckBWqJN0qsFmNyzZwFerRCE287yZKvSonBoZb-dgy_ph85J3VxCHo6gA/s1600-h/P1140916.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOo4Zj90E2dlCdFaLgxOkZ_NxH7yAClopFPCazubF1WipxzJ7_HbClhVd_o5roogobpCqCp7iewckBWqJN0qsFmNyzZwFerRCE287yZKvSonBoZb-dgy_ph85J3VxCHo6gA/s320/P1140916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348529871656785138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth stomping a boof in the 420 gorge</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-87191815301240111912009-06-17T17:34:00.022-04:002009-07-05T21:31:48.648-04:00Team Swain North: Checking In<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1xLka4iI4sRT1ovsmCYOFgIaMy4Vq_yIOIrvLUxjhos5GBmh8m2UNuAN13IgrNvK1FuCc9zTpuWG-U4QexMB-2SVqFDPRIo4Eq0aR8xzp1za1bt0Ba35U0w343y_i5hroDRFMQ/s1600-h/IMGP9854.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1xLka4iI4sRT1ovsmCYOFgIaMy4Vq_yIOIrvLUxjhos5GBmh8m2UNuAN13IgrNvK1FuCc9zTpuWG-U4QexMB-2SVqFDPRIo4Eq0aR8xzp1za1bt0Ba35U0w343y_i5hroDRFMQ/s200/IMGP9854.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355151083694374546" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I almost paddled with Laura</span>....A contingency from Oregon swept south in route to Fantasy Falls when Laura politely declined my offer to go for a paddle. We had been on the road for about ten hours when we accepted the fact that we did not have a shuttle for the river we were traveling towards. Despite the many, and often creative, scenarios we created it was now clear that he was not going to call. Our shuttle driver had fallen off the radar and I was now faced with living up to the remark I had made earlier. Trying to stay positive, I said something to the degree of, "if we can't get a shuttle I will just leave some shoes at the takeout and run it on Sunday." Tasting the potential ramifications of my comment, I called Laura and pleaded with her to come join us. The Fantasy Falls section of the Mokelumne River is a classic 3 day trip in the Sierras that, similar to other rivers, requires a fairly significant shuttle. Though I truly wanted to paddle with some old friends; the honesty reality was that I didn't want to run 50 miles on Sunday, nor did the boys want to sit around ALL day and wait. Following her decline, Laura did Mention that Tim Collins was in the area. So, even though I did not get to paddle with Laura I will give her credit for saving the day. "Onward to Salt Springs Reservoir!"<br /><br />After exploring some of the areas finer logging roads, sometimes twice, we finally arrived at the Salt Springs reservoir. The frustration of driving around for hours and being less then 15 miles from our destination was washed away upon seeing Tim happily asleep in the dirt. The next morning we geared up and packed into Alex's truck and began our drive up to 7,000 ft. <br /><br />For the next three days we made our way through one of the most beautiful river valleys I have ever witnessed. Long quality gorges mixed in with equally long quality portages offered no shortage of challenge. I could ramble on, but sometimes words can not explain how rewarding it is to just to get up, push off, and work your way down the river with a great group of friends! So, I will leave it at that! <br /><br />To offer closure to our shuttle saga; upon crossing the lake we were happily surprised to discover that the someone (possibly the previously mentioned missing shuttle driver) had driven Alex's truck and left it at the put-in? <br /><br />Hope to paddle with you soon Laura!<br /><br />Breakfast day #2<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzEhVau0lrxGDl8jCIU-pX8fFW3a8zMKIy21uOcprxmEbJ4OaOs3qUbguhZcp2PcrBGHOO9XtaCCP2Q8AtpjsCYXml2FXrXMjCW7YPq7bId4A8TPDeBcWfRPGNYB1vpsOdunMdA/s1600-h/IMGP9744.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzEhVau0lrxGDl8jCIU-pX8fFW3a8zMKIy21uOcprxmEbJ4OaOs3qUbguhZcp2PcrBGHOO9XtaCCP2Q8AtpjsCYXml2FXrXMjCW7YPq7bId4A8TPDeBcWfRPGNYB1vpsOdunMdA/s400/IMGP9744.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348416844027784562" /></a><br />CA Gorgeous!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ppzQomHEYeQk6d0gvw3ElO07aMfZdgMKhthXiwV5uSnzNFPUP9QX520FzJaUPHWsv0Rcaav0Dj2HYLb74t6GVuYCLchrhrfKWBQnA0qcyGEolNcpJ4sP9I7EF5-T9vaQ5q3V1Q/s1600-h/IMGP9722.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ppzQomHEYeQk6d0gvw3ElO07aMfZdgMKhthXiwV5uSnzNFPUP9QX520FzJaUPHWsv0Rcaav0Dj2HYLb74t6GVuYCLchrhrfKWBQnA0qcyGEolNcpJ4sP9I7EF5-T9vaQ5q3V1Q/s400/IMGP9722.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348416847863813554" /></a><br />"You only get to run something blind once." -DD<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrCB2Vveq_QlBmy9aQ6Akh1CePJn5442jsg2KmZaCFjyFzIFVLE0WNdn3qX7PNxkSkEb6B4RMrDnKs1tvsjIG6tb0I67jiXrBYfjpnsEuZBq-55bjM85BNKclAAIOPAoq1O9buw/s1600-h/IMGP9726.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrCB2Vveq_QlBmy9aQ6Akh1CePJn5442jsg2KmZaCFjyFzIFVLE0WNdn3qX7PNxkSkEb6B4RMrDnKs1tvsjIG6tb0I67jiXrBYfjpnsEuZBq-55bjM85BNKclAAIOPAoq1O9buw/s400/IMGP9726.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348416852797307586" /></a><br />Camp #1<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oJqHhHKOTy9DNwdiPUJHtN_3_V_dAV7FNf_QshJ40KA2wo22Dg7Obw2AW2tFCnxAO45oxk92esaz9Oyjon6McxaRQR7glUcV7NrGwBdfx_hqbPtFUpJRViJLc3MkOpYq7e2h-Q/s1600-h/IMGP9746.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oJqHhHKOTy9DNwdiPUJHtN_3_V_dAV7FNf_QshJ40KA2wo22Dg7Obw2AW2tFCnxAO45oxk92esaz9Oyjon6McxaRQR7glUcV7NrGwBdfx_hqbPtFUpJRViJLc3MkOpYq7e2h-Q/s400/IMGP9746.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348417838869316770" /></a><br />Group scout<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUII9DEHttvztKCpmUYTnOg22QzEqVK2glesMfT_IjaMy286m42FyVgV4Zq0VFy3EZWxJdmn4v34cZSWvmaU7u2yYHIupDjPtfS_mqxM2IonLp4vc7HhXLQcdbwJ2j5SiAg4eug/s1600-h/IMGP9743.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUII9DEHttvztKCpmUYTnOg22QzEqVK2glesMfT_IjaMy286m42FyVgV4Zq0VFy3EZWxJdmn4v34cZSWvmaU7u2yYHIupDjPtfS_mqxM2IonLp4vc7HhXLQcdbwJ2j5SiAg4eug/s400/IMGP9743.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348418335740452882" /></a><br />Looks good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEq-678ooMz4R99J8R01Vid0iKlk-lEuYUqrPMFZxaSfjwmm_g8dGi0QQX_VNpU_2wXt2DWDvpvqyzJz2Ur21hwQheD4tVz_7598Ju2DlN7oaXLczzEY2932FcNAR1ZUpn8Fwcw/s1600-h/IMGP9721.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEq-678ooMz4R99J8R01Vid0iKlk-lEuYUqrPMFZxaSfjwmm_g8dGi0QQX_VNpU_2wXt2DWDvpvqyzJz2Ur21hwQheD4tVz_7598Ju2DlN7oaXLczzEY2932FcNAR1ZUpn8Fwcw/s400/IMGP9721.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348418330094305394" /></a><br />Elevated perspective<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS7fCTFaEfFAFzVrhMW5_Amn-EUfzrXIOEE76DaBSGrlfsOGEOn0Km_i4GAvi8tl-6JREaQ524ZgB1jw0iKeIhz6gPPsqteRyfk2pXBIF9njTSg2RJ6MwjdlrWiwmNjGuiO1uOA/s1600-h/IMGP9821.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS7fCTFaEfFAFzVrhMW5_Amn-EUfzrXIOEE76DaBSGrlfsOGEOn0Km_i4GAvi8tl-6JREaQ524ZgB1jw0iKeIhz6gPPsqteRyfk2pXBIF9njTSg2RJ6MwjdlrWiwmNjGuiO1uOA/s400/IMGP9821.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348419446715967922" /></a><br /><br />Alex<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf-jTybohrxKwlRYtpJniZ78tGKeCrGQr5roJjfb6tmn6Yqx710sr83r6lZQ9ab4-To1ozzFf9g4VgO8Qhyphenhyphen7pzFskry45dtxJrzrQqdKIClI49nlF1XUHvEMWqiVLnSJS77YzKw/s1600-h/IMGP9755.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf-jTybohrxKwlRYtpJniZ78tGKeCrGQr5roJjfb6tmn6Yqx710sr83r6lZQ9ab4-To1ozzFf9g4VgO8Qhyphenhyphen7pzFskry45dtxJrzrQqdKIClI49nlF1XUHvEMWqiVLnSJS77YzKw/s400/IMGP9755.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348419433129889442" /></a><br /><br />Rob<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L1CBZjt6mjDycDQTLiK7HO9KoSl4SZZcAru8pHt2vqw8CjCKwWUdx2BbqO2cuAookl_2YAGJ2gNt2O3QRRGlgkrbmXMaF7NQhoa3XyKwY7qiWyW8ga9P4tDYlxyqPm0EeQoGLw/s1600-h/IMGP9740.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L1CBZjt6mjDycDQTLiK7HO9KoSl4SZZcAru8pHt2vqw8CjCKwWUdx2BbqO2cuAookl_2YAGJ2gNt2O3QRRGlgkrbmXMaF7NQhoa3XyKwY7qiWyW8ga9P4tDYlxyqPm0EeQoGLw/s400/IMGP9740.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348419442741436386" /></a><br />Tim<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOK4KsRhdonHqfEAQpzJLjqB1FJtrpIXkIkeZ7mu_sJoz14o2N7gNRA-007dwrVZT5WGEhyphenhyphen-eJNhENWWVDuxhc4G-we9jTeHzXKnzGNGRYDk6eSI3YEvDuT3x9WGxjuFeG1hejQ/s1600-h/IMGP9784.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOK4KsRhdonHqfEAQpzJLjqB1FJtrpIXkIkeZ7mu_sJoz14o2N7gNRA-007dwrVZT5WGEhyphenhyphen-eJNhENWWVDuxhc4G-we9jTeHzXKnzGNGRYDk6eSI3YEvDuT3x9WGxjuFeG1hejQ/s400/IMGP9784.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348428025628100994" /></a><br />CA limbo<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx2sLtUSP1HO9Cpj-xZyoIo13S3rk5WCROWZCI10oWwtEZRes8cennIRO3LnqtKU3E3iWvkMG0my5HxRoK7fi_Zgaw1mCqIkx93GwxMtnlHQogYzD4Rgzgq840_-dqxD7mMCXkA/s1600-h/IMGP9781.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIx2sLtUSP1HO9Cpj-xZyoIo13S3rk5WCROWZCI10oWwtEZRes8cennIRO3LnqtKU3E3iWvkMG0my5HxRoK7fi_Zgaw1mCqIkx93GwxMtnlHQogYzD4Rgzgq840_-dqxD7mMCXkA/s400/IMGP9781.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348428019830788514" /></a><br />High portage<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfWifwMP2oOQGJvsi6S_boMepYXsTALCwSzIYSqTdIcK9DkdCWG7X6KF02GAWGdvzm2UTwhdzOpWyJaxs6vwI_XouZEeUtIk5BIwzVh1I98vU-wMMj1AAi1S2C4eHwrcFtj4s0w/s1600-h/IMGP9798.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfWifwMP2oOQGJvsi6S_boMepYXsTALCwSzIYSqTdIcK9DkdCWG7X6KF02GAWGdvzm2UTwhdzOpWyJaxs6vwI_XouZEeUtIk5BIwzVh1I98vU-wMMj1AAi1S2C4eHwrcFtj4s0w/s400/IMGP9798.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348428687427240818" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid33176ze5HoSMa-ihvEncdIfXKOcZQ62HvKnalV0wUCoscOaD3aRLvCihdP07_o6ej-gSd5vqvcV5VSSHQqsZnG_1-5ZwP9aNTk8NwIvmzvWQjwSAZ6YA8rGhO3Bn43S2lah9Cg/s1600-h/IMGP9787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid33176ze5HoSMa-ihvEncdIfXKOcZQ62HvKnalV0wUCoscOaD3aRLvCihdP07_o6ej-gSd5vqvcV5VSSHQqsZnG_1-5ZwP9aNTk8NwIvmzvWQjwSAZ6YA8rGhO3Bn43S2lah9Cg/s400/IMGP9787.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348428679820573490" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd6MyPOaImQr4cy0w1oEyPNyo0PXh55k6Cxbk3Tmg0ib8rtQnrwXTsvcCc2mUQrxbAf37JKpgzqYlGdpQuFj5fCVuG94s6hU5_ZJ88oQhOPVQkZlZzEKw_Grq_x6WmXtUuKqoJQ/s1600-h/IMGP9786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd6MyPOaImQr4cy0w1oEyPNyo0PXh55k6Cxbk3Tmg0ib8rtQnrwXTsvcCc2mUQrxbAf37JKpgzqYlGdpQuFj5fCVuG94s6hU5_ZJ88oQhOPVQkZlZzEKw_Grq_x6WmXtUuKqoJQ/s400/IMGP9786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348428679273007026" /></a><br />Tim getting ready to go DEEP on Fantasy Falls!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG05z2fQNlEoqkPNVA17T1vz07jFd4tw89fO0bexUH3SvMYAXyi61hmP2e0sXW50tHO65lPPYDDnYfQI5kmEg8PRMgbfHssrDFoPB8xl5Ysr8OtG8NzjFdXmIVMHFn2ih12HZIA/s1600-h/IMGP9864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG05z2fQNlEoqkPNVA17T1vz07jFd4tw89fO0bexUH3SvMYAXyi61hmP2e0sXW50tHO65lPPYDDnYfQI5kmEg8PRMgbfHssrDFoPB8xl5Ysr8OtG8NzjFdXmIVMHFn2ih12HZIA/s400/IMGP9864.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348429577316073474" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9ndwwOHDsPXC7jkAvhdeh6gI7SHjNQuAYaP1DM5zHt9X3zr22vnE7LqnlZHx00yjCz7uhxr4blLx6PaLlT_GExF1YG-LGGCtLuSft7DrgbAgFzGfGpAJtgW6e2xlo6KSFQauXA/s1600-h/IMGP9836.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9ndwwOHDsPXC7jkAvhdeh6gI7SHjNQuAYaP1DM5zHt9X3zr22vnE7LqnlZHx00yjCz7uhxr4blLx6PaLlT_GExF1YG-LGGCtLuSft7DrgbAgFzGfGpAJtgW6e2xlo6KSFQauXA/s400/IMGP9836.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348429575788984802" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurBcE4ikHiAgfgohEjXeqfKY64QvtbuCu0ZBMynk0psNx0Itnf0iBGLvg7YnWUvA0EOER02X8QelpyVtTsCj8rLG82WaxUNaiET9mvymBYx_SewuEkZMmqLbl-KkHHxwLDG8tLQ/s1600-h/IMGP9850.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurBcE4ikHiAgfgohEjXeqfKY64QvtbuCu0ZBMynk0psNx0Itnf0iBGLvg7YnWUvA0EOER02X8QelpyVtTsCj8rLG82WaxUNaiET9mvymBYx_SewuEkZMmqLbl-KkHHxwLDG8tLQ/s400/IMGP9850.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348429573894676786" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNtBEDgMhhKgbwqz6xwR9SwLGHSEu7XEfpUWJ5wqL7IlcVCxETD6q9ezWtigU9mHWbAXslSFV2ecMcPLeExUKzPwINnPrFMiVseiJ0TuGqjddypHbxR2xW5K_RL7shlEkA9n5BQ/s1600-h/IMGP9895.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNtBEDgMhhKgbwqz6xwR9SwLGHSEu7XEfpUWJ5wqL7IlcVCxETD6q9ezWtigU9mHWbAXslSFV2ecMcPLeExUKzPwINnPrFMiVseiJ0TuGqjddypHbxR2xW5K_RL7shlEkA9n5BQ/s400/IMGP9895.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348430053041577842" /></a><br />Jeff<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRU_8KuYf2PM4cRw2ZDLzpT74yCexNxyYGxFlkDwyl74C3qZ6tIrHstK8FzgZrt_O_-zqA7tKPTMfJ6wvNbQLxr_SEEZR-8eSd37gkWeneFzddonsk7fhmyDwgaIGnI1nKizdzA/s1600-h/IMGP9869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRU_8KuYf2PM4cRw2ZDLzpT74yCexNxyYGxFlkDwyl74C3qZ6tIrHstK8FzgZrt_O_-zqA7tKPTMfJ6wvNbQLxr_SEEZR-8eSd37gkWeneFzddonsk7fhmyDwgaIGnI1nKizdzA/s400/IMGP9869.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348430053541239506" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66n4HuK5DhS1D2De8FA125k5-oYRj-xCERI1kAZJmh3eeQGNEB2ESDBZIlFHAQN7Z-bEFY4zr1xuu_J2tEBtj9hfub9VfgLxkikdM_4DpV2Hn3kOOr1QhX3PTGzy7002P3I10hw/s1600-h/IMGP9859.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66n4HuK5DhS1D2De8FA125k5-oYRj-xCERI1kAZJmh3eeQGNEB2ESDBZIlFHAQN7Z-bEFY4zr1xuu_J2tEBtj9hfub9VfgLxkikdM_4DpV2Hn3kOOr1QhX3PTGzy7002P3I10hw/s400/IMGP9859.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348430427696503378" /></a><br />Salt Springs Reservoir<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxUAmv6g9cO0vO9mkiAzPLTvb9tB1T6tmpJIV9XwW4LTVyo8-LYgi0D5xrRP76mucG4Ml-NgimpQWZ8LoveBLPIQ9rP4M2nAH1atZukm6pbYAn71NSMl7jThTNTc8J_gRbqb1JA/s1600-h/IMGP9913.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxUAmv6g9cO0vO9mkiAzPLTvb9tB1T6tmpJIV9XwW4LTVyo8-LYgi0D5xrRP76mucG4Ml-NgimpQWZ8LoveBLPIQ9rP4M2nAH1atZukm6pbYAn71NSMl7jThTNTc8J_gRbqb1JA/s400/IMGP9913.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348430433990503922" /></a>Jay Giffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12302501970824680181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-49055918030111163302009-06-06T12:41:00.001-04:002009-06-06T12:41:50.152-04:00California Trip Report: The South Silver<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDOrU-Jnw7Lbh_01hxAnifyHW73ZG-LHnIqdt4hbF9TJ84-pdpjDCcRejpq3zsz1Qj-L3mfo8_Hc8XFd7mznClPPQugkxZ8oPpN7q5EYK2AKInLjOaIelP1sHTPYFnVWa2A/s1600-h/P1140854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDOrU-Jnw7Lbh_01hxAnifyHW73ZG-LHnIqdt4hbF9TJ84-pdpjDCcRejpq3zsz1Qj-L3mfo8_Hc8XFd7mznClPPQugkxZ8oPpN7q5EYK2AKInLjOaIelP1sHTPYFnVWa2A/s320/P1140854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344248438287819890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Camping out with the truck</span><br /></div><br />After spending a day in the big city of Sacramento getting some much needed errands done, I was ready to get back in the California wilderness. So Gareth and I decided to head up into the Eldorado National Forest to camp out for the evening.<br /><br />The following morning we took a short drive up to the South Silver to check on the level. At first inspection it seemed low, so we relaxed by the lake for the afternoon hoping it would come up as the day warmed up. Eventually we drove back over to the takeout and hiked up the river to find a better level as well as couple of boaters out there that needed a ride back to the put in. This turned out to be very convenient for us because we didn't have a shuttle vehicle either. We made a trade and drove them up to their cars and they drove ours back down.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_w5uhHDsml7pFI71Xmk3Z51ALx-8gpqCUa7cYdJ_uPBeXdvUpzGsVAgt3sLMP6rkUQBn62UWqSBMRGAxVTvZFG4SriKrARyVmZ1xpnSGPrbQWRxxqqG-vr_P4f-mG_eZkg/s1600-h/P1140858.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_w5uhHDsml7pFI71Xmk3Z51ALx-8gpqCUa7cYdJ_uPBeXdvUpzGsVAgt3sLMP6rkUQBn62UWqSBMRGAxVTvZFG4SriKrARyVmZ1xpnSGPrbQWRxxqqG-vr_P4f-mG_eZkg/s320/P1140858.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344248433868494162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chilling by the lake</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOwh4sW1OHnx2jNx2ZkBADgS-PC11W_z4Z8wOrHAy1Mg3n5X6KWqPt2tbvTIPiWwjLMAKQ2fa_zEWi7rUA_XacuBel_43QTHGBxia63u8vifoHOOB85F9Il5bZIOu0VNuug/s1600-h/P1140863.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOwh4sW1OHnx2jNx2ZkBADgS-PC11W_z4Z8wOrHAy1Mg3n5X6KWqPt2tbvTIPiWwjLMAKQ2fa_zEWi7rUA_XacuBel_43QTHGBxia63u8vifoHOOB85F9Il5bZIOu0VNuug/s320/P1140863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344248427235707298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The truck loaded down to the max while giving the other boaters a ride</span><br /></div><br />The South Silver is only a mile long, but within that mile the river drops over 650 feet. Its hard to believe that a section of river that is 650 feet per mile would be good to go, but the South Silver is exactly that. The run starts off with a long series of slides before dropping into the teacups section, a series a waterfalls dropping down the bedrock channel.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitA-JYZe1R1M0fgsWvdHpQMogTZC693OOwo_xuD8G0J21GAiKvGoyyCJ39MIJaGTOzCLJHQWvL9wOrzJiVzjs9SAP-pcQk1zX7jJbIiap3EaPPXHOLs2aMHm0pwMIw6V1zwA/s1600-h/P1140867.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitA-JYZe1R1M0fgsWvdHpQMogTZC693OOwo_xuD8G0J21GAiKvGoyyCJ39MIJaGTOzCLJHQWvL9wOrzJiVzjs9SAP-pcQk1zX7jJbIiap3EaPPXHOLs2aMHm0pwMIw6V1zwA/s320/P1140867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344247602959160978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me at the top of the teacups</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66XOHrdvPGcR4AiqJ11TugG4jRKQKksWvJCw7vDJNLfeUFQQp8ytwLdwM4mxcFjD3uNtEejrg8IufKZ2LzuYtkRwiBrIXuXk4KWDoP5oIOrjvjDcYfFbQU4fGXKvzodpbag/s1600-h/P1140870.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66XOHrdvPGcR4AiqJ11TugG4jRKQKksWvJCw7vDJNLfeUFQQp8ytwLdwM4mxcFjD3uNtEejrg8IufKZ2LzuYtkRwiBrIXuXk4KWDoP5oIOrjvjDcYfFbQU4fGXKvzodpbag/s320/P1140870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344248425406535970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me in another teacup drop</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xTzTajugAukS5COxsjsLMjyrhxqQhSTpnx2ZcIg181l2Vk60Tp096jjC2-uMnhkw-u8BYocA_n8Qm0Dg5EUFJNUDjXxyxdO7Fbs_YRgXkJjZiihRiC7uZldWd03q6t5Wsw/s1600-h/P1140877.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xTzTajugAukS5COxsjsLMjyrhxqQhSTpnx2ZcIg181l2Vk60Tp096jjC2-uMnhkw-u8BYocA_n8Qm0Dg5EUFJNUDjXxyxdO7Fbs_YRgXkJjZiihRiC7uZldWd03q6t5Wsw/s320/P1140877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344247599269593842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth scouting</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uPX-g3ieNNT27LdGYXamfDWsMgbKdQlS3183siR3m1pW_xZB6sRXUigFoEWdWxlh7fbZrxL8Cdk0h-pqzBKusrZMRD3Qm3hSMoIb2UoFmswA_or725UkL8BgNELvHVjoNw/s1600-h/P1140881.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uPX-g3ieNNT27LdGYXamfDWsMgbKdQlS3183siR3m1pW_xZB6sRXUigFoEWdWxlh7fbZrxL8Cdk0h-pqzBKusrZMRD3Qm3hSMoIb2UoFmswA_or725UkL8BgNELvHVjoNw/s320/P1140881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344247593532493730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth in the teacups</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After finishing the teacups section (and the portage that follows) Gareth and I were set up to run the last big rapid of the day. It was at this time that I saw what is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen on a river before. As I was literally about to peel out into the class five rapid, Gareth started yelling at me to look at something. It was then that I looked up to see a big brown bear coming down the mountain side on the opposite side of the river. The bear then proceeded to jump across the river in the middle of the rapid! This all took place about 25 feet away from the eddy we were sitting in. Had I peeled out when I had planned to, the bear and I would have been hitting that spot on the river at the exact same time. We then decided to get out of our boats and see if we could sneak a peak at the bear and possibly get a picture, but no luck.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7dYudIW94tMjD1jtuIbb_MjLkzRgia6xzo0asxfqGnPEwEWGHvlbb5VGzdqufxuADfe4iMrtPgaJgdIfoaftBjOA89kXJml88CcWZfmDQwsmFpaMpZETGP3OUh-pl47XHA/s1600-h/P1140884.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7dYudIW94tMjD1jtuIbb_MjLkzRgia6xzo0asxfqGnPEwEWGHvlbb5VGzdqufxuADfe4iMrtPgaJgdIfoaftBjOA89kXJml88CcWZfmDQwsmFpaMpZETGP3OUh-pl47XHA/s320/P1140884.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344247589147013122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth pointing to the spot where the bear jumped across the river</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVhmxnla5YxVm3pWCbzXDoaaff58nO7H51h2M4sAfQQyjLY5StLnr69gz-KKbdwruXGktK0ZOE8yerckE3YSidgk8u7ZvS5JUL8caBdV8DRiNV2vDEciqdHAwYRn4rPN1Sg/s1600-h/P1140888.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVhmxnla5YxVm3pWCbzXDoaaff58nO7H51h2M4sAfQQyjLY5StLnr69gz-KKbdwruXGktK0ZOE8yerckE3YSidgk8u7ZvS5JUL8caBdV8DRiNV2vDEciqdHAwYRn4rPN1Sg/s320/P1140888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344247588076796770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me running the main drop of the rapid with the bear sighting</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19148992.post-89099976333051953642009-06-06T12:04:00.001-04:002009-06-06T12:04:12.442-04:00California Trip Report: The South Merced<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7letjd4qk39Cueoc68kwGHsozXq8q6lYnwurEFMombLbf3kJyMO_I9prDbWO2-X0BjdaIA1Jz-c-jgi9o0I1pf1pqLb8Da2mhxDpWKHRU2BJaN2AOHGAOpj-BbmREcfpEbQ/s1600-h/P1140819.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7letjd4qk39Cueoc68kwGHsozXq8q6lYnwurEFMombLbf3kJyMO_I9prDbWO2-X0BjdaIA1Jz-c-jgi9o0I1pf1pqLb8Da2mhxDpWKHRU2BJaN2AOHGAOpj-BbmREcfpEbQ/s320/P1140819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344234384168121218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Doing the touristy thing in Yosemite National Park</span><br /><br /></div>From the Kaweah drainage we headed North to Yosemite National Park and the South Merced river. The South Merced was a river that we thought had dropped out on us, but a few thunderstorms put a little extra water back in it so we decided to go for it.<br /><br />The South Merced is a 23 mile run, with over 15 miles of those being class five. We put on Tuesday afternoon in Yosemite National Park and began our two day trip down the river. The water turned out to be a bit low, but for those of us from the Southeast used to paddling in low water conditions, it seemed like a fine amount of water. Day one involved paddling for only about six miles but it seemed to take a lot longer than expected. There were lots of great rapids, some manky ones and a few sieves to keep us on our toes. We camped just below super slide, the biggest rapid on the river, which was a series of slides culminating in a big 30 foot slide to finish off the day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJUfJTuNAy7iAOZ_Y877BFszmGX8JcBYRTsCrNx7K1xNSYib9vm4P5jb0spy-BeDzmcxrfOmxuiCU-3CeQUNwK1ZmvAJ-vUm1O-Yfic73j3Lq5tyvwkWGz5b-hVOq2yHZDQ/s1600-h/P1140821.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJUfJTuNAy7iAOZ_Y877BFszmGX8JcBYRTsCrNx7K1xNSYib9vm4P5jb0spy-BeDzmcxrfOmxuiCU-3CeQUNwK1ZmvAJ-vUm1O-Yfic73j3Lq5tyvwkWGz5b-hVOq2yHZDQ/s320/P1140821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344234380649746674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth packing his boat for the trip</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QomZcGOjMsMz984i-67qvsZBYs4-B6vnNO9XPK9hwdEZOXGWmfFkQSdndL2GLH3dJdmCUdKxQkqG0OtkSGzuZFTQsmkQvzlc3cqBjtEbS9vrjVmzl5xyIPzjZihhQlTQRA/s1600-h/P1140829.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QomZcGOjMsMz984i-67qvsZBYs4-B6vnNO9XPK9hwdEZOXGWmfFkQSdndL2GLH3dJdmCUdKxQkqG0OtkSGzuZFTQsmkQvzlc3cqBjtEbS9vrjVmzl5xyIPzjZihhQlTQRA/s320/P1140829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344234375440049202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me at the beginning of Super Slide</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKneXOvmQ7gbSlhjuBKXbsahRrsZ8qXm7k5b07t_EjXAJQZokVmfF3GXjfcMkt2J9moW3zlfFwViDqAtTmlhIb5Vq0ifOUfbbSAT50lOcHPuJhzJCTACUP0rKh0ePARzNmCQ/s1600-h/P1140834.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKneXOvmQ7gbSlhjuBKXbsahRrsZ8qXm7k5b07t_EjXAJQZokVmfF3GXjfcMkt2J9moW3zlfFwViDqAtTmlhIb5Vq0ifOUfbbSAT50lOcHPuJhzJCTACUP0rKh0ePARzNmCQ/s320/P1140834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233689737652498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Me in the middle of Super Slide</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKFZ7PCPbLQhVan0bkvh5mRCWifbU28p6ZWhY9dFiUSM-hU8XtHLhlQYjRlwUQh332x4uP-ZO_mdVA9E1G7GE-0s4qwAszwrbTpXkIHnPu2DrV8AwlT09pSOd3DYEhm8fDw/s1600-h/P1140835.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKFZ7PCPbLQhVan0bkvh5mRCWifbU28p6ZWhY9dFiUSM-hU8XtHLhlQYjRlwUQh332x4uP-ZO_mdVA9E1G7GE-0s4qwAszwrbTpXkIHnPu2DrV8AwlT09pSOd3DYEhm8fDw/s320/P1140835.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233686127879298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The final big drop of Super Slide</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiawkAKgxIJfkWcZt2za754HvrRdP7QSGuRbu_mC99m2H1MftgnG2dwObX-z9NTnKpXFtiDBFL5zKo7x4HORnFs_fxEfW8e3vtkrzj_9rkf9hl_fyY5A61GIoqBoa3UUc7rQ/s1600-h/P1140837.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiawkAKgxIJfkWcZt2za754HvrRdP7QSGuRbu_mC99m2H1MftgnG2dwObX-z9NTnKpXFtiDBFL5zKo7x4HORnFs_fxEfW8e3vtkrzj_9rkf9hl_fyY5A61GIoqBoa3UUc7rQ/s320/P1140837.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233671348184002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinnertime on the river</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsC2B0TAeOZiZkWZUz1cdqgC1yD2a8cCKKuHVtM7BLoGtkPv3KNGvwgjdFhKqQbApJLC29Pslfi-CATVmlJ03ispQF605GAAX09-4U5MDxreogaMczgtm4MReAVifLwqCAVg/s1600-h/P1140845.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsC2B0TAeOZiZkWZUz1cdqgC1yD2a8cCKKuHVtM7BLoGtkPv3KNGvwgjdFhKqQbApJLC29Pslfi-CATVmlJ03ispQF605GAAX09-4U5MDxreogaMczgtm4MReAVifLwqCAVg/s320/P1140845.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233672791741282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hanging out by the fire</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We decided to get an early start on day two because we had 18 miles left to paddle, half of those being class five. We were a bit worried about how long the day was going to take, so we all made an effort to keep moving downstream and not waste too much unnecessary time. That said, there were unfortunately really no pictures taken from this day. It actually worked out to not take as long as we had expected, and the day was filled with lots of amazing rapids and even a bear sighting. We were off the river by 4:30pm and celebrated with some cold beers at the takeout.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcPnzDT0n5yRvVaJHpcta7z30goe52ppjVtsmQ0fkXjusZyy0HImRBGZWpHuGag3w-D-R4fdhG9S0n1wD_sDlMEKeupbdgq1_6nPGivQRelXALICVj3hSFwVFK3FoSO9Oug/s1600-h/IMGP0102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcPnzDT0n5yRvVaJHpcta7z30goe52ppjVtsmQ0fkXjusZyy0HImRBGZWpHuGag3w-D-R4fdhG9S0n1wD_sDlMEKeupbdgq1_6nPGivQRelXALICVj3hSFwVFK3FoSO9Oug/s320/IMGP0102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233680552966114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gareth at a random South Merced rapid</span><br /></div>Laura Farrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16196792931217515805noreply@blogger.com0