OK, on with the main point of this blathering knowledge sharing. I think the previous post makes apparent the point that I've been biking a lot lately. As a result, I had totally ignored my kayak. I hit the river a few time this spring, but only half a dozen times, and I didn't run anything of consequence all season. When my friends called and wanted to know if I would be up for a run on the Truss (link to info on Green Truss http://www.oregonkayaking.net/riverframe.html), my local favorite, I said sure, wondering how I would perform. I felt as though I'd be fine, although I hadn't even sat in a kayak since May 10th. Sometimes breaks are good, but then again, the last few times I had boated I had swam as I was having trouble with my roll. So with trepidation sprinkled gusto I told them I was in and we all agreed to rally at my house the night before. It turned out that there were about 6-8 people at my house and we even picked up a travelling motorcyclist from British Columbia, this all resulted in 2-3 days of great food, new friends, and the type of camaraderie I wish were more prevalent in today's society. Again, I digress.
I arrived home the evening of Friday the 17th, and Saturday the 18th myself three friends plus one random boater we met in the parking lot put on the Truss. This is a class IV-V kayaking run that I've completed maybe 30 times, so I felt comfortable with my ability to do fine despite my lack of boating in the recent past. I practiced a few rolls at the put-in and assured myself I wouldn't repeat the swims of my previous outings during the spring. Now, there are many rapids on the Truss but one sticks out more than any and that is Big Brother. It's a 25' waterfall with a tricky launching/landing zone. The lip is broken basalt offering only one acceptable place for take-off and the landing is perfect in the middle 10'-12' with a cave on the right and a shallow ankle crushing shelf on the left. It's not a place to "practice" so to speak; it's a place to get it right every time!
When we found ourselves at BB I seemed to be the only one seriously considering running it. I had previously wondered whether I should portage simply based on my lack of boating in the recent past. I had two successful runs on the drop from the previous year and knew how to run it. It looked good; I realized the ever present potential for injury was the only think keeping me from running it...no way to improve other than to throw your hat in the ring and get on with it! With that I got back in my boat and quietly began fastening my sprayskirt. As I waited for some safety to be set I looked at the lip from my boat at river level, realizing I could still call it off. As my friends gave me the thumbs up I took a couple small strokes and realized I was still within reach of the eddy for portaging, then quickly made the decision to charge for the lip and picked up speed, this puts a paddler in the position of no turning back and narrows the focus to a couple very specific details, getting to the lip and placing the paddle perfectly with each stroke in order to assure a successful and safe landing. The following is a short video my friend Lanson shot from the portage ledges. Needless to say the run was great and it's good to be back in the Gorge!
Enjoy!
My neighbors asked me why I do things that could potentially inflict physical harm. I thought about this and the best reason I could think of was that when the mind and body have to work together in order to achieve success under pressure, the ultimate in elation is possible. If a task only involves one or the other, mind or body, the reward doesn't seem as sweet. This is not to say that inviting injury is a worthy endeavor, but pushing the envelope is all about attempting to see one's own limits, engaging in activities that exist right up to the edge of those limits thereby often redefining new limits, without overstepping so far that injury is inevitable. Everyone's limits are differnt...live it up...although hopefully injury free!
