Big South '08 - Waiting for the Gate

By Evan Stafford

Photography by all the homies

ES Double Trouble - Photo By Leif Embertson

When the Gate Opens

Has it all melted out, the snow from the road

The meadows of gold, the moose in their home

The call of the water that might soon be gone

Bureaucracies stand still while we only long

For Long Draw to open, the gate to swing wide

To allow us to access our river of pride

We’ll show you the lines, the wilderness prime

It will open your mind, is it open this time

We circle like vultures our eyes on the prize

We want clean lines through Cool World and Fantasy Flights

We want so many moves by the end of the day

That some will be scared and will move to their legs

Will pick up their paddle and head for some ale

Before the last rush some will just hit the trail

Some will walk everything some will run it all

But the grins are the same and they’ll last until fall

For sure there is whitewater all over this state

But when that gate swings open you best not be late

Rick (ter) Starter Fluid - photo by Adam Mayo

Dan Piano Fantasy Flight - photo by Adam Mayo

Dan Piano Fantasy Flight run-out - photo by Adam Mayo


Alex Kilyk Fantasy Flight - photo by Alex Clayden


Andy Blakeslee Fantasy Flight - photo by Alex Clayden



Dan Piano Cool World - photo by Adam Mayo

Barrett Burke Cool World - photo by Alex Clayden

Planning stages Double Trouble log removal - photo by Holley Gardel


Working on the extraction - photo by Holley Gardel


DT is clean! Key'mon n'git sum - photo by Holley Gardel


Alex Clayden Double Trouble - photo by Barrett Burke


Alex's line was almost as good as mine - photo by Adrian Matthew


Jacob from South Cackalacka stoked as hell on Double Trouble - photo by Leif Embertson

And now... RAFTING

R2 w/Keith Pearen and Sean Davis cleaning it up Double Trouble - photo by Adrian Matthew

Rafting Double Trouble? Wow. - photo by Barrett Burke

Slideways... not so wow - photo by Carrie Wallace

But much props for givener! See you at the bottom when you get unpinned - photo by Carrie Wallace

Long Overdue Cañon City Update

I first surfed the Cañon City Wave 8 years ago in an XXX. Ever since I have been waiting for it to come back in and this year it finally did! In June the wave came in out depending on the level and it provided some great wave boating.

The wave is about 4 feet tall and has a little foam on top. There is a great eddy, no lines, and it is an easy day trip from Salida during my days off from work. It’s not huge but it is really fun and I could stick blunts, backstabs, and a couple of mcnasties. Enjoy the short video.

Oh Be Joyful running low, Spring Creek looks just right...

After catching the early bird special at the Evergreen Cafe, my buddy Fil and I drove across Cottonwood pass in the general direction of Crested Butte, home to the infamously famous Oh Be Joyful creek. As soon as we could we took a wrong turn, landing us at the not-so-exciting Spring Creek Reservoir. We found a dirty Colorado map in between the seats and found a road cutting back in the right direction. As we drove across marshes, beaver dams, and the occasional wildlife reservation for highly endangered RV populations, we noticed that there was water running downhill next to the road. Corner after corner we watched in hopes of discovering the new Grande Canyon of the Stikine (Don't pretend you don't know the feeling). When the not-so-grande canyon of Spring Creek narrowed a little we spotted the most telltale sign of any that there must be a drop somewhere near: a huge flock of nature photographers. They lined every inch of the shore, and sure enough there was a mini-gorge with about seven little drops in it. The only problem, other than the arsenal of zoom lenses ready play duck hunt, was two pieces of wood at really crucial places. We tried moving one with a rope, but without any luck. Instead, we ran only the upper half of the mini-gorge; a series of two to two and a half foot ledges. The photographers were stoked.
A little farther down the road we found more little gorges, all choked with wood, and all asking to be run. One rapid dropped something like a hundred feet in a little less than a hundred feet. I recommend this first descent to anyone willing to push the limits of hairball kayaking, get really rich and famous, and who has a working chainsaw--preferably attached somehow to the bow of their boat. Like so:
It was only 10:30 when we finished exploring all we could stomach of Spring Creek. We were told by a man on a four-wheeler that in twenty years he has never seen a kayaker even on that road. There were a lot of people on four-wheelers in that area. In fact, I saw more four-wheelers and American flags during that short drive than I had in my entire life leading up to it. It made me nervous.

Speaking of getting nervous, Oh Be Joyful was intimidatingly low, dislocated at least one shoulder that day and left me solo-boating a bunch of laps. Whee!




And now I leave you with a completely random picture of "The God of Death" entering a pond-skim competition back in Oregon:

Durango-A-Go-Go

A week after "roughing it" at the Oh-be campground eating hotdog macaroni and swatting mosquitos, the Ledyard graduates headed down to Durango for homemade meals, showers, beds, mountain biking, and a lil bit of creeking.

Thanks to Alfie's parents for their kind hospitality and Nate for fearlessly leading us so we didn't unsuspectingly fall of Adrenaline Falls like the staff at Four Courners said we would.

Alfie's Picture Perfect Line off Adrenaline Falls on 1st Gorge Lime

Notice where his hands are

Notice where the paddle is

The paddle was stuck for 20 minutes

Bravo!

Connor threw his paddle to save us the hassle of de-wedging it

No paddle makes rolling tough

Best line... You judge

Scottie Hucking the System on South Mineral Creek

Mike Shish-ka-bobbing his way down to the Cauldron on South Mineral Creek

Mike running the 1st tier of Ice Lakes Creek after using his space-physics degree to find a super slick sketch put-in

Running the third tier switch....intentionally....after intentionally trying to punch the hole on the 2nd tier sideways

Jakes Greenthincrum cleaning up Ice Lakes for the 3rd time

The crew floating down the Upper Animas


Mike & I bumperboating down a Uncompaghe roadside quickie

Conor's review of the Remix -- Plus some dam boofing...

Costumers at CKS have been asking lately about the new Liquid Logic Remix river runner. I usually assure them that it floats on water, which is pretty much the industry standard, but sometimes they have more specific questions.

Does it punch holes?
Yes.
Does it boof?
Yes.
Can I take it down creeks?
Can you?
Is it the type of boat I can take out after work in the evening and book it 25 river miles to the nearest party?
Yes, it is.

When I left work on Friday, the fourth of July, the party prospects in Buena Vista looked marginal. Everybody had gone to Salida, it seemed, and the only vehicles at my disposal were a light-bleu single-speed girls bike and a pearl white Liquid Logic Remix 79. I decided to pack up the boat and make a run for it.
Last summer I attempted the solo mission from BV to Salida without success. By that I mean I stopped at a party after Zoom Flume and never left. I packed overnight gear just in case I got sidetracked again; then put in at the BV play park at 7:13 pm.
The only other time I had paddled the Remix was on Meadow Camp in Oregon, and it felt surprisingly like the Pirouette-S I paddled ten years ago. Loaded with about thirty pounds of gear it still paddled like a long-boat from the days of yore; super-fast and super-stable.
Less than an hour after punching the holes in the BV play park I found myself about a mile from Brown's Canyon, the only whitewater in this section. I decided to back-paddle for a while to warm up my shoulders. The boat even tracked well backwards.
When I dropped into the canyon the sun was beginning to set and I hoped to make it through all the rapids before dark. The displacement hull underneath me liked to find the fastest way across eddylines and swirls in the rapids, and punching holes was super easy.
One of the last rapids is called Sydell's Suckhole, probably named in honor of a giant hole on the left and the poor bloke who discovered it. I ran down the middle and at the last moment sprinted to the right to avoid a thrashing. It was still light and I was making good time.
The water between the canyon and Salida is pretty flat, and as darkness settled in I focused on keeping a good speed downstream. After what seemed like an eternity of island dodging I saw fireworks exploding in the sky ahead. I had almost made it. The twists and bends in the river, however, slowed any linear progress. It seemed like wasn't moving any closer. When the fireworks show stopped I heard a roar coming from downstream. I paddled closer to the right shore, in case I had to catch an eddy, and turned on my headlamp.
What I saw terrified me. The water was moving fast over a horizon line as straight as an arrow, and one look at the cement outcropping along the shore confirmed my fears. It was a dam and I was going over it. I had time for two strokes to gain some speed and then I passed over the lip and cranked a late boof. The sight below me was a monstrous boil that twisted and curled back down into the incoming water. When I landed my head smacked solidly against the cockpit rim and my headlamp went out. I took three solid strokes to get over the boil and then sprinted on toward Salida in complete darkness. I wanted off the river as soon as possible. Hopefully there would be no more dams.
When the lights of the Salida park appeared around the corner I breathed a sigh of relief. I parked on the flooded walkway under the bridge and coaxed my legs back to solid ground. It was 10:17, so I headed to Bensons for a drink. I had some catching up to do.

Los Pinos 08: Photo Dump

After an absolutely phenomenal 07 trip on the Pinos, 08 made for a much anticipated return. Mike Haggadorn, Keven Driscoll and Master Skywalker: Luke Hanson (Former #1 fan of the boy band Hanson Brothers), rounded out the crew of corky kayakers. Making for yet other exceptional, three days of wilderness kayaking.

Kevin, day2

To view a lengthier trip report on the Pinos check out 07's report here: http://coloradokayak.blogspot.com/2007/06/los-pinos-river.html

For 07 Video: http://www.oregonkayaking.net/vidframe.html (Los Pinos the inner gorges)

Below is more of a photo dump of this years trip.

Flow: The best barometer for flow I can come up with is Vallecito. This year Vallecito was peaking at 900csf wile we were on the Pinos, which was lower than the year before. In comparing the two years, I've learned the higher the water, the bigger the smiles and a higher quality of whitewater. The higher water seemed to open up more drops and lessen the portaging. So next time I'm looking into a Pinos trip I'd personally be looking for flows higher then 900cfs on Vallecito, but that's your own call and you still had better have a nice pair of hiking shoes.

Wisky Bootie 1 of 2

Dealing with the Tupperware container. Sometimes it seems so tuff to keep the freshness in and water out.

10 Mile 1 Mile & Opening of Frisco Playpark

The opening of the Frisco playpark and the 10 Mile 1 Mile revival proved to be an exceptional event with a great turnout, fun times, and quality media coverage. The water level was really good for the new playhole, and the support of friends was wonderful.

Pre-competition sessions at the new play spot were spiced up with sneak peaks into the organization of the first annual Frisco Rodeo and revival of the 10 Mile 1 Mile. In preparation for the rodeo, I was shown some old newspapers of the 10 Mile 1 Mile and, much to my surprise, saw some old friends! EJ, of course, was on the front page of one of the newspapers, and on the inside was Ali Gober, former coach for the FIBArk Youth Paddling Team, who had set a record time in the race. Jono Stevens, wavesport sales rep, and old man Mark Poindexter, the U.S. Team member for water polo were also in the old newspapers. These friendly faces reminded me of the spirit of the sport. It was the rekindling of kayakers from event to event that brought me to fall in love with the gypsy family I’d originally connected with at FIBArk. The Summit Daily this year mentioned that Frisco kayakers would like to see the event be comparable to the Teva Mountain Games, yet in the newspapers from the original 10 Mile 1 Mile, it was FIBArk they strove to be like.

The event got started as the community gathered, and the ribbon was cut marking the opening of the playpark. Watching from the river, I was ready to take off so I could man my post in time for the race. RSN-X, the local adventure sports network, was across the river filming the opening of the play park. As the ribbon was cut, I took strong strokes into the current and punched the hole, on my way to safety boat downstream for the race. I was thrilled to be in the water as the competitors paddled by… pumping them up by cheering them on! Though earlier this summer, I did have to rescue a swimmer from the play hole on this stretch, the 10 Mile 1 mile was carnage free, even with the head to head struggle for placement, Todd Toledo taking first, Hobie second, and Kyle Hagadorn (fellow SQUAD member) in third, with first in women’s going to Jessica Marson. The experience and expertise of these kayakers, as well as the roll they play within the sport makes them exactly who I would want to see at the top of the standings.

The real fun began on the way back from the Marina where the familiar faces of the competitors came to life, sharing in the adventure and entertainment. I was amped to connect with Kyle Hagadorn, considering options for a SQUAD video, and finally met Todd Toledo, former member of the U.S. Raft Team. This winter when the whistful national champion in me saw an RSN-X rooted show on him, I’d gotten his email address. Dreamily wanting to connect with another accomplished kayaker, I’d been emailing him ever since. It was also good to see the guys I’d gone up to the Pole Pedal Paddle (3P) in Salida, CO with in the shuttle ride back from the Marina. We have such an amazing paddling community, here in Frisco and spanning throughout the state, nation, and world. When Hobie began telling us about the exceptional level of the Eagle right now, I considered how he “took the wheel”, wondering, what would it be like to be on a kayaking road trip with Hobie as navigator? Ahhh, memories of FYPT and HUGE from back in the day…

As soon as we arrived back at the 10 Mile play hole, I got geared up. “Don’t expect anything… I’ve barely competed in 4 years!” I told Hobie. Then, as I walked to the river, one of the Wavesport reps. grabbed me… “Wanna demo the FUSE for a bit?” Steve asked! I was thrilled… paddle in something other than the prototype EZG for once, even if it was a river runner/ play boat? I’d love to!

The warm-up for the rodeo was sweet as suddenly, there were tons of us in the river! We got to see the potential of the hole, hidden by skeptically flushy perspectives. It was GREAT to be in a competition again, as some distant part of me connected with the present, a memory of the past in harmony with the moment we shared. The last 10 Mile 1 Mile had been the same year I went to the World Championships, 5 years ago. To think that the Arkansas River Trust had revived the 3P the same year that the 10 Mile 1 Mile was revived brings back to life a spirit of the outdoor sports community that, like a mystery in a squirt boat, had disappeared for years.

The turnout was great, and coworkers from A-Basin were there to cheer me on, as well as friends from the skate park! Oh, how good it was to feel the support and encouragement of a kayaking competition again, knowing that each competitor was similarly woven into our community in the competition and festivities of the event.

Following the competition, I won my choice of a spray skirt. I got a new Bomber Gear one, with waves all over it… quite a prize after the IR pass me down Mike Harvey had given me had become tattered after years of boating in it.

We received awards at the Frisco Marina where children of all ages danced and socialized, soaking up the vibes of the kayaking community and the evening concert at sunset. I won my division, with Jeremiah, from 10 Mile Creek Kayaks, placing 3rd, with 2nd going out to a guy named Bob, and Pete Gallup of RSN-X won. When in the eddy, right as the competition was starting, Gallup had let two guys enter half price, one who placed 2nd. RSN-X did interviews for a 30 minute ROOTED show they’ll soon be having, and it was wonderful to see old friends and new ones from within the kayaking and Summit County communities. The generosity in prizes as well as the time and energy put into organizing such an incredible event was appreciated by all who joined in, as was the presence of every individual who took part in the first annual Frisco Rodeo and revival of the 10 Mile 1 Mile.

Photos taken by Ken Hardin...

Here's a picture of him making

the best of a kayak in the winter

with some STEAZIE style!