A solid crew

I think when moving to a new place, many people wonder where and how they will make new friends.  Who am I going to watch the Sunday game with?  What will I do for happy hour?  Am I only going to meet people I work with?  For me, almost every weekend now I find myself spending time with someone I have never met before, and usually those hours are some of the most precious I spend all week.  For this, I blow off golf with my father-in-law.  I don't go out and party all night.  And I try really really hard not to make plans that could potentially cut into this valuable time.  I make these sacrifices because that time is spent building a unique bond that can't be emulated by any sized group  doing anything other than whitewater kayaking.

Having a solid crew for kayaking is crucial.  There is a certain level of responsibility you have for others on the river when shit goes down so you want to make sure you surround yourself with athletes that want to get it done and will be there for you when mistakes happen.

People in my office think I'm crazy.  The husbands of my wife's friends don't understand why I don't want to do one more shot.  My family wants to understand but it's just too far removed from anything they would ever attempt or enjoy.  People wonder why we do it.... I still don't have an answer for that. Or maybe I do, but that answer would go on and on because it changes constantly.  The questions from the people I interact with on a regular basis are always the same:  Where did you go?  Who did you go with?  How do you meet those people?  Is it cold?  Do you wear wetsuits?  Do you go upside-down?  

Sometimes I go upside-down but I try not to.  It is cold but we wear sick Kokatat dry suits.  We went to Robe which is near Granite Falls.  The question that always intrigues me the most is the one about how I "find" the people I go with.   "How do you know these guys?"

How do I know these guys?  I was first introduced to the Seattle crew by one of my boys from Colorado and fellow transplant to the Pac NW... one of the household names of kayaking, Nick Hinds.  If you don't know or haven't heard of Nick Hinds you should probably quit kayaking.  Nick is a staple to the sport.  

  Nick on Big Brother

another sweet shot of Nick on one of my favorite runs in Washington, the Ohanapecosh

  On previous trips to Washington Nick had introduced me to Scott Waidelich.  Scott always has a beat on what is running and who is going.  Without him I would probably have only half the days on the river I have so far in Washington. He is as smooth as butter on the river and the nicest guy you will ever meet.  As per his latest facebook post, right now he is down in Chile on the Rio Futaleufu.

Scott getting style points on the top tye

I met Adrian Wigston at his brother Nick's wedding a few years ago.  Nick is a living legend in Colorado and one of the best kayak and swift water rescue instructors on the planet.  Nick and I have logged some serious road trip hours together and had countless special days on the river.  

Sweet photo of Nick Wigston dropping on the NF Little Wind

I hooked up with Adrian as soon as I got to Seattle.  Adrian is a great person to know up here... so fired up all the time.  He is a sick surfer too.  If you are ever surfing in El Salvador make sure to connect with Adrian.  He is always ready to charge!

Adrian in the Chelan Gorge

Adrian introduced me to the Tom Janney of the Pac NW, Dan Patrinellis.  Speaking of Tom, he was a breath of fresh air to my kayaking career.  Tom was young ripper that moved to Boulder, went to CU and was ready to fire!  I had heard about Tom on many occasions before I ever met him.  Everyone made such a huge deal about how he swam in the Gore race.  I never knew why the local Colorado crews thought this was so funny until I finally met him.  The first time I paddled with Tom, he showed up at the NSV put in wearing shorts.  The temperature was below freezing, there were snowflakes in the air, and we were putting on at what we think were record high levels - close to 600 on the gauge.  I asked him if he was slow or something. Tom ran the entire river and didn't get his face wet.... I was thoroughly impressed.  I wish this guy would move up here.

Tom gettin some on one of our road trips to Hood River

Back to Dan!  Dan and Tom are similar in many ways but I'm doing my best to keep this post as kosher as possible so I won't go into details.  I love paddling with Dan.  He has a great sense of humor and always has a smile plastered on his face on the river.  Lately he has been getting on Robe 3+ times per week which is awesome!  I'm looking forward to letting him show me down some of the runs on the OP this spring.

Dan on Ohany falls

Through Adrian and Scott I was able to meet up with Kiwi Mike Nash.  Kiwi Mike is one rad dude.  He hasn't been in the States that long but already has an in-depth knowledge of the local runs.  I was lucky enough to have Kiwi Mike guide me for my first runs on Robe and Ernie's.  He loves to fire and is all about having fun all the time on the river.  

Kiwi Mike showing some Spirit

A few years ago I put on the Skykomish for a solo lap and ended up paddling with a guy named Sam Grafton.  Sam's name is starting to get out there now but he is not a big self-promoter and is probably the hardest charger you have never heard of.  Sam is not flashy, he is not about getting the perfect shot, and I don't think he even owns a dry suit.  I'm not sure how you can live in Index, run the shit all year long and not own a dry suit, but Sam pulls it off.  He is a soul boater to the core.  

Sam punching a little curler to avoid a massive hole on Eagle Falls at a juicy level.  Most class V boaters won't touch this drop but its just another Tuesday morning for Sam.  David Spiegel took this sick photo.  He has recently moved back up this way from Colorado as well and is just killing it out there!

Sam's mentor is a guy named Rob McKibbon.  Rob is a local legend here and another name you have probably never heard of.  Rob does things in a kayak that even the best in the sport wouldn't dare.  He has run Sunset Falls multiple times, Log Choke Falls is mandatory, and somehow he manages to run portages on a regular basis even when they shouldn't be run.  He is well into his 40's and getting it done with the best of them.  I'm thoroughly convinced he can breath under water.

Rob pretending to be human on another Robe lap

In spite of enjoying the hell out of the Washington crew, the core of my kayaking career have been my two best friends in Colorado and the two guys I have spent more days on the river with than anyone else... Andy Blakeslee and Forrest Noble.  I miss these guys a ton and couldn't imagine two better bros to spend a day on the river with.  Forrest and Andy are just sick!

Here is Forrest on his favorite run - Upper Cherry

Andy Blakeslee always making it look easy

I have been lucky enough in my kayaking career to connect with some world class athletes.  These guys are not only great kayakers but they are even better people.  Of course there are endless names I have not mentioned here but I'll throw in a few more shout outs for good measure...  Ben Martin, Jesse Steele, Wilson Bell, Gary Edgeworth, Josh Bruckner, Jared Johnson, Alex Clayden, Trey Chase, Max Sullivan, Chris Menges, Chuck Sission, Damon Hoydysh, Gordon Banks.... The list goes on and on.... 

Thanks again to Dan Patrinellis for some of these sweet photos.