Los Tres Grandes del Río Verde

It's been a while since I've put anything up here but the results from yesterday's trip to the Green are blog-worthy. I headed up in the morning with some guys from ATL and we made it on the river by about 11. We cruised on down to Go Left and hopped out so a couple of the guys could scout and run it their first time. Here's a couple pics of Robbie and myself going left.

Yours truly

Robbie

After Go Left my mind was set on Gorrilla, I wasn't really satisfied with my first run having my skirt implode. I wasn't nearly as nervous this time either and was very deliberate with stroke placement.

In the Notch

Spankin' it

I got a little sideways when I landed in the flume and ended up in Speed Trap. I was so happy about being right side up and still having my skirt on though that I was smiling the whole time I surfed it.

Robbie fired it up also and had a good line.

I was feeling pretty good so when we got to Sunshine I got out to scout. After looking at it for a minute I made my decision and ran Sunshine for the first time, taking the left line. Here's a photo and video, courtesy of Mason and Greg (Please excuse the excessive yelling ;).

I gotta say it was pretty scary, but felt really good. Robbie took a few minutes to think it over and decided to try the left line as well.

Success!

It was a great day on the river for sure, and definitly my best on the Green.

On a playboating note, Toby and I met up at the Ottawa a couple weeks ago for some Mini Bus action. we are still compiling photos and a few video clips and will be posting that soon. Till then, later!

-David

Scudders Falls at 11,000 CFS

On my way back to NY from FL, I had the fortune of catching scudders at a decent level. It was dropping fast, and I could even notice a difference in the wave from when I started to when I ended 40 minuets later.

You'll see me trying the initiation of the Phonics Monkey. This is the first time I have ever tried this move. If you happen to know how to do them, please take a look at the footage and let me know what I am doing wrong. I could feel that I was starting to get the motion down, but obviously I have a long way to go.

Please just email your critique to Toby.Bucsescu@Yahoo.com

Here is the video

Talluah and Green in the same day!

Well I made the drive up from FL again for another great weekend of boating. I had not paddled for a while, and was definitively rusty. On sat, I paddled the Talluah for the first time! Wow what a fun river, although accessing it is no fun at all. Over 500 steps down into the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi with a 50 pound creekboat on your shoulder is no fun. But its worth it! Every rapid on that river is fun! And with a 7-5pm release on the green that day, me and Dave were the first on the Talluah, and the last on the Narrows! Incredible. Then we hit up the Talluah again the next day for some higher water action. Ran Oceana both days. What a fun rapid. The video below is of my first run ever of Oceana on sat. I have head cam footage as well as footage from the river left bank that Dave was nice enough to take. Also got some footage of Dave showing me the line in style. I'm back in FL for less then 2 weeks and then ill head up to NY for May and most of June. Hope to do some paddling up there if the rivers are still flowing.


Here is my first ever run of Oceana. When I ran it on Sunday, I did not flip at the bottom. Unfortunately I did not get any footage of that run.




Here is the Head cam footage. I did not edit out all the prep time before I dropped in. Just fast forward.



Here is Dave showing me how its done.

peace
Toby

Spring has sprung in the Southeast

With the weather warming and the dams releasing, the last few days have been good to me as far as boating goes. Last weekend was the first Tallulah release of the year, and my first time running the gorge. We put on Saturday around 10:30 and had a great run. The run is pretty short form the putin to the lake, but there are some really fun rapids along the way. Oceana was big and fast, and the hole at Bridal Veil is big and scary looking. We paddled across the lake, ran shuttle and got a second run in at a pretty good pace. Sunday we woke up to sore legs and 700 cfs. We put on a little later, and went a good bit slower so we only got one lap in but the extra water made it extra fun. Here's a few pics.

Dropping into the middle line on Oceana

Out at the bottom

Mason staring down the Thing

A few days later I made it back up to the Green for the first time this year. The weather was great and the level was a nice 8 1/2". For the first mile or so we boogied down at a good pace until we got to Gorilla. I've really been itching to run Gorilla so when we got there I hopped out, took a look at the Notch and decided to give it a go. I got in my boat, dropped over the right side of Pencil Sharpener, and ferried across into the eddy. I took a moment to get my head right, then peeled out and charged at the Notch. I came through and didn't think I would make the eddy so a took a few strokes and there I was, boofing off the pad. Upon landing in the flume and hitting speed trap I flipped. I rolled up and realized my boat was underwater, my skirt had imploded! Longer story short, I swam Scream Machine and it took a while to get back in my boat which also ran Powerslide without me. Anyways, here are the photos.

You can tell the skirt has imploded here, half the boat is underwater as I'm about to roll.

Thats it for now, more paddling to come this weekend so look for another post in about a week.

Peace,

David

Wrestling the Bear

So far this year I've been paddling a good bit, and really building some confidence on the river. I've mostly been paddling familiar runs though so I haven't had a real challenge in a while. My opportunity for a challenge presented itself Monday night with a phone call from Jeff. Lots of rain was coming and the original plan was for West Prong. I met Jeff in the morning and after checking the rain gauges we decided to head to Bear Creek. Just listening to Jeff describe the run on the ride over gave me butterflies. As we got to the put in there was a crew there gearing up, and the gauge was at 8.5". We put on and before too long the gradient picked up and the walls closed in. For the first mile or so I just followed Jeff. Surrealistic Pillow was a mandatory portage, but other than that I ran everything and scouted Fishbowl, Stairway, and Big Bang. Running Stairway to Heaven has to be the most fun I've ever had in a kayak and dwarfs anything else I've run to date. Big Bang is the most sketchy drop I've run, with a very tight landing between rocks. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, I was only out of my boat a few times while scouting. As we got to the takeout I was pretty happy about a hard day of boating and clean lines. After a bit of discussion on the ride back Jeff offered to take me down the Raven Fork. I am more excited about paddling now than ever, especially at the possibility of getting on the Raven Fork within my first year of boating. I started in the middle of March 07 and I can't think of a better place to kick off my second season of whitewater.



On the way home I stopped by Dick's Creek, apparently that area got 4"-5" of rain. This is what I found.

The Chestatee gauge peaked at just over 3000cfs. I did a couple quick laps on the roadside falls section and decided to call it a day. Anyways I'm outta here, keeping my fingers crossed for Raven Fork.

-David