Going big before going home after the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium

Tide Race Sea Kayaks recently sent me down to San Francisco as a guest coach for one of the best rough water sea symposiums found anywhere in the world.  Made bright by warm sunshine and big smiles from some of the toughest, most enthusiastic students I have ever had the pleasure of coaching, The Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium was again a great success.

The event attracted some of the best coaches and instructors from the West coast and across the globe.  There was a touching tribute and memorial to Tsunami Ranger Commander Eric Soares.  The amazingly entertaining explorer and professor Jon Turk presented his circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island.  San Francisco it's self seemed to shine in the late day sun, but it was the students that proved to be the true stars of the weekend!

They were up before the sun each day ready for whatever challenges lay ahead; be it a dwarfing swell barreling in off the Pacific or whirling currents coursing through the bay.  Unforgiving barnacle encrusted rocks continually emerged from the depths to transform the heavy blue water to a bright white foam, then disappeared again in an instant, leaving behind only subtle traces along the water's surface before re-emerging once again moments later.

Those who ventured outside "The Gate" often experienced an exhilarating combination of these forces.  I was fortuitous enough to have the opportunity to coach rock gardening all weekend with good friends such as Matt Nelson and Jeff Laxier along with some new friends like Jake Stachovak, Rowan Gloag, Nick Castro, Roger Schumann, and Duane Strosacker.

In defining moments of well timed determination and commitment, our rock gardening students punched through slots and over shelves turning the sea into a vast playground filled with endless opportunities for personal challenge and exploration.  I remain truly humbled by their passion, their courage, and the heartfelt expressions of appreciation shared after each day on the water.  It takes a certain breed to do what we do, and the participants at the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium have what it takes!  I'm proud of you guys and I know Eric Soares would be to!  I thought of him often as we were passing under the gate and entering Eric's favorite realm.  I, along with a few others, had the opportunity to lead a class just like this one with Eric at last year's event.  He will be missed.

Photo By Anders

Thank You:  Tide Race Sea Kayaks for sponsoring this year's symposium and making my attendance possible.    

After all the symposium action was wrapped up, Richard Davis and Nick Scoville of Saltwood Paddles gave Kate and I a lift up to Mendocino for our annual coaches after-party paddling sessions.  We spent a couple days paddling the coast of Northern California with Bryant Burkhardt of CCK and Cate Hawthorne of Liquid Fusion Kayaking in Fort Bragg.  Check out a couple parting shots from the symposium AND all the fun had after the event below:

Will Jones went big just outside the gate for my favorite photo of a student in action!  Nice Job Will.
Photo By: Paul Kuthe

Event Organizers Matt Palmariello and Sean Morley makin it happen!
Photo By: Kate Ross

The view back towards the city from the ridge behind the hostel.  Til'
Next Year San Francisco...
Photo By: Paul Kuthe

It was time to hit the road and head North to the promise-land... Mendo
Photo By: Kate Ross

This is always a nice sign to see at the put-in.  Cate Hawthorne showed us the back yard spot for Liquid Fusion Kayaking at Noyo Beach.  
Photo By Paul Kuthe

Photo By: Kate Ross

Chicken Point was going off while we were there.  There is no feeling like dropping into big waves that are peeling and bending through the reef and into the steep cliffs above.  The closer to the rocks you were able to get the better the ride.  Almost everyone won their game of chicken on this occasion.  I did fine at the point, but I would not be so lucky at another spot not far away.
Photo By: Paul Kuthe

I was just poking around the rocks looking for fun little moves to make when I let my guard down.  I caught a good wave pictured along the set of rocks above.  I was almost beyond the rocks making my exit when another wave wrapped in at an angle pushing me high up on the rocky outcropping...

Gelcoat is temporary...glory is forever!

Photo By: Kate Ross

A couple pieces of Nick's foil tape later and I was back on the water in no time.

Chicken Point was so good.  Once we got the hang of it there were plenty of good rides to be had out there.  We just had to warm up to the rocks a bit.  

Photo By: Cate Hawthorne

mmm...tastes like chicken.

Photo By: Cate Hawthorne

Just as the wave crashes over the rocks inside, we would come tearing down the wave carving hard left to avoid impact.  

Photo By: Cate Hawthorne

The next day we were met with wall to wall sunshine.  We headed a few minutes South to the Van Dam Access.  There we explored caves, surfed through the labyrinth of slots, and found some cool blow holes.  Kate edges ever closer to one above.  Just as the big waves come in, the wall explodes into a foamy mist.  

Photo By: Paul Kuthe

Paddling in California is always a treat.  Thanks again to all the participants at the event this year.  Thanks to all the coaches, the organizers (Matt Parlmeriello and Sean Morley, and all the volunteers that made it happen once again.  Thanks to Jon Turk for his amazing presentation.  Thanks to Tom Shores for providing the event motor boat and giving my students a ride around the Gate on Sunday.  Thanks to Cate and Jeff from Liquid Fusion.  Thanks Bryant!  Thanks to Richard Davis and Nick Scoville for being such great travel companions, and thanks to Kate Ross for putting up with me and joining me on my adventures.  See you all next year!  Or who knows, perhaps I will see up this way at this year's Lumpy water Symposium.

   

Who invited THIS guy?

I have to try and show a little class this month.  I will be doing some sea coaching with some of the very best, at two amazing venues in February!  Who's ready to get back on NW waters for 2012?

To start things off, I will be heading North into Washington's Deception Pass to teach with one of my favorite coaches, Gordon Brown over from Scotland.

Gordon and I will be presenting helpful ideas and techniques for smarter paddling in dynamic waters.  Everything from breaking in and out of swirling whirlpools to mopping up the mess with incident management will be covered.  Follow all the action from the weekend or jump on last minute cancellations by visiting this link:     https://www.facebook.com/events/148496055257573/
This is truly a unique opportunity.  Gordon's classes always fill up fast.  I can't wait to coach with him again.

After all the "Deception" you won't believe where we are headed next...

GOLDEN GATE SEA KAYAK SYMPOSIUM HERE WE COME!!!!!!

There are still a few spaces left at the big symposium in San Francisco.  If you have not been before, I HIGHLY recommend the experience.  Visit the site and sign up NOW before it fills up too!!!

  I have been down for "Golden Gate" every year.  This February, Tide Race Sea Kayaks and I will be heading back down to the city by the bay.  San Francisco Bay offers some of the very best coaching and learning venues anywhere.  Work on refining basic technique in the calm waters of the inner bay, or tackle the beginner tide rips off yellow bluff or tour around Alcatraz.  Slip under the Golden Gate Bridge and out into the wild blue ocean beyond for more advanced training grounds with caves, rocks, and explosive swell.  San Fran has it ALL!

World class coaches from all over the world will be there including a special visit from the legendary Jon Turk!  There is something for everyone down at the Golden Gate Symposium.  It's a truly iconic backdrop to an incredible sea paddling event with some of the very best coaches from all around the world.  Hurry...don't miss this opportunity...I'm not sure how long that dock will hold all the amazing coaching talent!     

Visit http://www.ggsks.com/  to get signed up!  Don't wait!! It's filling up fast!!!

Farewell Scotland!

I have had an amazing week of paddling here in Aberfeldy; Thanks mostly to the generosity of good friends like Steve Macdonald of Beyond Adventure.  They are true professionals and river experts.  If you are ever up over this way, check them out.  You will not be disappointed.

Steve and his two oldest boys are all fantastic paddlers.  It was a true pleasure to be on the water with them for my last trip down a Scottish river for awhile.  (Hopefully not too long though).  The last time I was here was 3 years ago.  In that time, the boys have become giants.  I have a feeling I will be back for another visit soon enough.  Hopefully before Steve's youngest lad becomes taller than me too!

  
We had a friend's wedding to get to later in the evening, so we opted for a short run on the Lyon.  The Lyon is a quintessential river in Scotland and is one of my favorites.  It has a little of everything.  It's tight twisting gorge provides enough entertainment to keep you on your toes without being too threatening.  The banks are lined with beautiful autumnal colors and the shuttle is an easy jog or bike ride providing a great one car option close to town.

We arrived at the river just as the morning light was warming the hill tops.  The air was clam and the water glassy smooth.  The morning fog still hanging low over the river provided a touch of mysticism and intrigue.  The stage was set for an amazing day celebrating life and good times with friends and family. 

We slipped downstream deeper into the gorge.  Struan, Ben, and Steve followed behind hopping in and out of eddies with slalom like precision.  It's so fun to watch these guys ripping through curves and carving their way down the river.  I have always and will continue to maintain that slalom paddlers make the best paddlers, but perhaps I am biased as a slalom paddler myself.  

While scouting and setting support along the bank I stumbled upon this cauldron of swirled rock.  It's amazing to think how long it must have taken the pebbles and swirling water to carve out these pockets of granite.  The special things we paddlers get to see are part of why I continue to explore rivers.  I may never have seen this special spot had I not taken the time to get out of my boat along the bank.  It's something that no hiker, hill walker, or mountain biker would ever have experienced.  

The crux rapid was too low to get through so we made the short hike around and ended the day with a fun seal launch into the silky pete colored water below.  

I will miss the rivers here in Scotland, but I will miss the friends I have made here far more.  Aberfeldy will always hold a special place in my heart.  I know I will continue to travel and explore other amazing places, but it's the people here that will keep me coming back in the years to come.  Thanks Macdonald family and all the new and old friends I've made during my visits!  I couldn't have done it without you.  I will be back!    

  

2 in 1

One of my favorite parts about paddling Scottish rivers is the ability to easily paddle multiple runs in a day. While the rivers are typically short lived, they are often quite exciting.   I had been keeping my eye on the rain forecast.  When I arrived to pick Nell up from Grandtully he said it had been raining all night and his rain gauge (his topo left cockpit up) indicated about an inch had fallen.  His boat was already at the gate when I arrived.  Let's go boatin!!

The Hermitage viewing room

Nell had yet another new river to show me.  I had paddled the easy section of the Bran before, but this time we were headed to the goods.  The lower Bran was one that I have been meaning to check out.
With only one rig we dropped the boats at the bridge then drove to the take-out below The Hermitage.  There Nell showed me the observatory hermitage building that gives an amazing view point of Hermitage falls while channeling the deep roaring sound given off by the water cascading into the pool below.

The circular concave room in the gallery was said to be built to allow fair ladies (likely Victorian) to view the falls safely.  The story was that the falls were considered so awesome that ladies could not look directly at them lest they should faint.  The room it's self was fitted with several mirrors that would allow a "safe" viewing experience while protecting the ladies from the raw power of nature!  I know at least one lady that would find that just a bit insulting.  I know a few other ladies that may just huck themselves straight off the thing.  Oh how times have changed...for the better.

 

Rumbling Bridge falls looks disgusting.  It has a manky lead in that would drop you onto bedrock from about 30 feet up.  From there you would be twisted down towards a nasty undercut cave and into the opposite bank with some force.  Just after the base of the falls the river squeezes under a boulder that has fallen into the gorge from above.  Needless to say, it does NOT get run and is considered a "grade 7"?  I had to ask, but over here if it's considered "un-runable" they call it a 7.  It always amuses me what gets called a 6 around here, but there is no doubt about what a 7 is.  Just goes to show you that rating systems differ depending on region.  A simple number can never tell you everything you need to know.

The run from the bridge down had a portage or two and was quick blast down, but was well worth the effort.  With a bit more volume than the other rivers we have been exploring I felt right at home.  Check out Nell giving the crowd a thrill.  I chose the slightly slower route down to the river.

For the afternoon we hit up a section of the Tummel below the dam.  We took a gamble and it paid off!  They were releasing a bit of water due to the overnight rain so we put on before they turned off the river for the night.  I have run fish ladders in the past, but none quite like this.

The run it's self was pretty and secluded with a really good class IV drop in the middle.  After a quick scout from the road on the walk up we put right on and were done within an hour or so.  

My time in Scotland is quickly coming to an end.  I have one more blog post from the Lyon to go.  After that I'm off to Ireland for some quality time with my lady.  Stay tuned for my last day on the river for a couple weeks.  The withdrawals are going to be painful, but I have a feeling she will keep me  sufficiently distracted until we get back home.  

 

Ben down The River Etive and Alt a Choaruinn

Today was another great day on the water here in Scotland.  (My 13th day on the water in a row to be exact).  We left Aberfeldy this morning jonesing hard.  We felt a serious need to feed our vertical addiction.

One of my favorite things is taking someone down a section of whitewater for their first time.  Not just any stretch, but one that they have propped up on a pedestal as being THEIR big goal; their personal benchmark on their road to whitewater bliss.  Ben Macdonald, now just 15, has had his eyes set on the Etive for quite some time.  Today was the day.  So critical to his personal development infact, that his folks gave him a pass for the day off school.  Here's to having your priorities in line!!  Thanks Ben's Mom!!

Nell, Justin, Ben, and I made our way into the highlands to likely the most infamous piece of whitewater in all of Scotland.  The Etive is a right of passage for whitewater boaters in the UK.  It is not the hardest run in the land, but it is likely the most photographed and videoed runs around and is ALWAYS a blast to paddle.  Check out my post from a few years ago here.

Ben drops into triple just below the put-in.  If things don't go as planned here, you may as well call it a day.  This drop is indicative of the rest of the run, and is within sight of the shuttle rig.  He styled it!

Nell hits his line on this sweet angled boof move.  Is that a Topolino?  Oh yes it is!

Justin styles the move here too.  If you punch out too far you can nail the wall opposite the drop.  He did well here with a sweet side boof.

The crux rapid on the run is Right Angle Falls.  The lead in is tricky and technical involving a class IV move into an eddy right at the lip of the drop.  Those that miss the eddy typically end up dropping over the falls with less than ideal results. 

 Ben absolutely stuck this one.  How's this for your first waterfall?  

We just weren't done yet.  When we got to the take out it seemed our vertical addiction was only made worse by the previous drops, so we hiked up the glen into the Alt a Choaruinn to find a fix.  I remembered this one from my last trip.  It's unbelievably fun.  While it looks "a bit dodgy" it's good to go and go we did!  Never before has so many feet per mile felt so welcoming.  I compare it to a water park for big kids.  It's a MUST if you've had a good day on the Etive.  

The view down into the Etive valley is incredible from high atop the Alt a Choaruinn.  Justin, Ben, and I posed for this shot after running "Speed" to start our descent.  You can really get a sense of the gradient here.  The horizon line is enough to raise even the most seasoned paddler's eyebrows. 

This is the first drop on the Choaruinn is called "speed".  Hey diddle diddle...right down the middle!  Ben drops in as Nell plays catch at the bottom.  

I don't think he will be able to wipe that grin off his face for a week!  

"Pinball" is the crux of this trib.  You basically come bouncing off the lip into a center rock that projects you down into the right wall and off a slide into the pool below.  It was described to me my first time down as "a bit physical."  (elbow pads are not a bad idea here).

Chasm is the last drop in gorge and is by far the easiest.  Just tuck your paddle and hang on for the ride!  Justin show us how it's done.  I challenge anyone to drop into this one and not come out with a smile a mile wide.  It's just too much fun!

A little flesh is a small price to pay for such a memorable experience.  Justin is heading home today, so Nell and I will have to find someone else to boat with tomorrow.  I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for rain.  I need to get my 14th day in a row in tomorrow!!  The addiction is like any other... it needs to be fed DAILY.