# 2014 Swim Board



## duct tape

Smart getting it over early. This can weigh on a person getting into April or May. Pretty soon you become an eddy wallflower.


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## Dave Frank

Hojo, you have a ski pass. Why haven't we seen you using it? And why would you go paddling on a powder day?


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## DoubleYouEss

Dave, it is because Hojo has his priorities mixed up, and was most likely dropped on his head when a small child...


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## bobbuilds

I know damn well I'm not the next person to swim since January....

Come on now people, we gotta confess to receive penance.

I swam on shellys cottages tonight. 450 cfs slide drop that ends in a hole.

The hole got me good, and drug me over some sharp shallow rock. I tried 2 rolls and swam.

I should have tried more, the beating my head and back took were nothing in comparison to the beating my legs took, and for future notice the hole is deep, the run out is not....

well, I'll be back to post again, hopefully not till next year.


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## mikesee

2 swims at Big Sur last night. Apparently 'panics-when-upside-down-in-big-water' is my middle name.

Which is ironic because last winter it was 'panics-when-upside-down-in-low-water'.

Meh.


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## jaybird72

As a second year paddler I'm still wondering if kayaking is more about kayaking or learning how to safely navigate the river swimming. First swim Shoshone, March something or other. Second swim Westwater, April 15. Third and fourth swims,eagle river, April and May. Haven't swam in June yet. But then again, it's not June yet...


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## TonyM

Vallecito, couple weeks ago, Pick Up Sticks, 2.15. Bad entry line, followed by rock vs. body check to sweet side surf. Held on a while, rolled several times, just got tired of surfing and bailed. My 1st swim in Vallecito in 15 years, last time I swam there I was paddling a Prijon Rocket. Good times, drank my booty at the car, at 10 AM, before heading in to work.


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## craven_morhead

Big Thompson at a grand, got surprised by a new, big hole just above the takeout. Got surfed, flipped, and rolled three times and rolled up back in the hole each time. Fourth or fifth cycle, was power flipped and thrown halfway out of my thigh braces and was out of air. Punched out, was bounced along the bottom of the river for a ways and was bagged out. Boat made it all the way past the dam store, running all 3 dams on the way.


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## Caleb125

*Damn it!*



mikesee said:


> 2 swims at Big Sur last night. Apparently 'panics-when-upside-down-in-big-water' is my middle name.
> 
> Which is ironic because last winter it was 'panics-when-upside-down-in-low-water'.
> 
> Meh.


This basically sums my start of the year... I had a couple of "out of boat experiences"... I swam on the lower eagle, yes the lower eagle (in my defense it was snowing and the water was below 40 degrees), and I swam at the glenwood wave... twice. Damn it!

I went to a pond for about an hour about 3 weeks ago and went to the vail play park a bunch and I feel like I have a pretty solid roll now. Hopefully I've been kicked off of the swim team for a while...


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## duct tape

Caleb125 said:


> Hopefully I've been kicked off of the swim team for a while...


Don't count on it. My latest story: Been a kayaker and racer (in the past) for 30+ years. Could roll just about anything, any time. Even pretty much the same with hand rolls. Last year got back into it after a break, bought a play boat, took the kids to Quail Lake to teach then how to roll. Missed my roll over and over. Just about half drowned but would not quit. Kids didn't know the t-rescue yet. Finally pulled my skirt. 

Yes, in a lake....

The punch line is I think this particular pond is in the zoo drainage. Got giardia 3-4 days later....


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## Ka-Pow

Numbers of the Arkansas, last weekend, first time down in any vessel. I guided my paddle raft through, I believe, Number 3 and spotted an apparent lone standing wave, "We're going for the meat!" The meat proved to be followed by a meatier ledge. Things quickly went black side up. It had been awhile since I'd flipped a raft and I thought, "Shore, Shore!", before remembering "Raft, Raft!" Back upright before Number 4, which was at a great level for R1, before collecting the crew from the railroad. Bumps and bruises for the crew and a booty beer for me. Would not have guessed my first swim of the season would have been out of a raft rather then a kayak but the river always humbles.


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## wyosam

I'll play- year was looking good, managed to get through the super cold, paddle as soon as the ice comes off the playpark season, and swam on my first downriver trip of the year back in early May on Northgate. Was running with a bunch of rafts, misjudged how fast I was going to gain on the one in front of me coming into Narrow Falls. Caught him with a big speed differential right at the drop, had to go left to avoid going under him, so I spent some time stuck against the big wall on the left. Got myself spun around where I could try to get out, but didn't give myself a rest before I peeled back in to the current, made a weak effort, and flipped on the eddy line against the rock. rolled once, went right back over, and pretty much gave up (might have a been a couple bad roll attempts). Kept my paddle, raft behind was nice enough to bulldoze my boat to the shore. Remembered that while I feel fairly bullet proof in the Super Hero right side up, I dont roll it as well as my playboat- think the super deep cockpit makes it different. Spending a week on the Ark next week, hopefully I'm done with out of boat experiences for a while.


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## jaybird72

Caleb125 said:


> Hopefully I've been kicked off of the swim team for a while...



Pardon me for being frank, but I believe the standard response to this is. "We're all only between swims." You'll only be kicked off the swim team if you quit the team.


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## wyosam

Given the number of "I lost all my shit" posts on the buzz lately, it seems this thread should be about 4 pages longer.


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## benpetri

I'll fess up. My swim this year was back in February on a self-supported Grand trip, in the aptly named "Little Bastard" rapid. I still don't quite understand what happened but some breaker slammed me into an eddyfence that I couldn't fight off upsidedown. I never even capsized in the other rapids... Little Bastard.


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## sarahkonamojo

*ok, two*

First April, early sometime, Hammerfactor Green River, NC. Dropped down into the maw way too early. Deep. Ended up in the pothole river left bouncing my head on the rock. Whatever, bad line, I am done, pull. And no, ran only from Blackwater Falls down.

Killer Bridge, Poudre +4.5 feet, demoing a boat. Probably not the time to demo a boat that doesn't fit very well. Did not want to become a statistic. Had no thigh purchase inside the boat. Basically fall out of boat, certainly with more effort I could have held those thighs, but no. Purchase did not happen inside the boat or at RMA afterwards. Boat went one side of the abutment, I went the other, scary.

Sarah


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## bigscottone

ok, ok. First swim yesterday on the racecourse section of the Rio Grande. Third run of the weekend, and not even in a rapid, just some of the little stuff in the narrows. I got spun around in a little eddy behind some pourovers and flipped sideways. Four roll attempts, and finally pulled it. I think I was bringing my head up too fast... It was my first combat-roll attempt of the year in my river-runner, and I spent all last year/early season in the playboat, so I think I need some rust-removal rolling the big boat. I'm just happy we actually have some water in the river, I didn't even brush a rock.


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## TonyM

I swam in the WW play park.


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## one legged wonder

I've had 2 this season so far

Byers canyon at 1000. flipped over in the last rapid with three big holes smacked a rock and bailed.

swam out of entrance exam on slaughter house at 1200. It was my first time paddling my playboat on class IV. That shit is hard.


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## KennytheJet

I swam first run of the season on lower clear creek at about 200, literally within 10 minutes of being in the water. Flipped after hitting a rock at the end of an unnamed rapid, began to get in position, slammed head 3 times in a row on rocks and pulled skirt. Partner rescued my boat and I got to shore with blood dripping from my hair, guess that blasted rock is sharp enough to split my head open through the helmet. Unless it got pushed up by a rock or something. Anyway it was incredibly frustrating and demoralizing failing the first roll attempt of the first run, not to mention I enjoyed the rest of the run with a bleeding head and in a daze.
K the J


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## Caleb125

*I should clarify*



Caleb125 said:


> Hopefully I've been kicked off of the swim team for a while...


I know for a fact that I am going to swim again, actually a lot more... probably way sooner than I hope. By saying this all i meant was that I hope a swim is not in my near future, but hell, it probably is.


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## tskoe23

About a week ago, I took my new to me RPM out for the first time. We put in at Frog Rock and were running to the wwp at about 3k cfs. I hadn't quite dialed in the fit or the boat itself and surfed in the staircase wave. The surfer's right side was a sticky hole and I ended up over there and had a few minute long ride. After a few unintentional enders, I decided I should swim before all my energy was gone. My boat had no float bags, sank and decided to enjoy the milk run and much of Brown's without me. What a selfish asshole.


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## ski_kayak365

I've got two so far this year. First was in class II, testing out my new creekboat...Needed more hip padding, fell out of it, couldn't roll up.

2nd was as the base of a long slide on the Middle Branch Grass in NY, hit the hole, pulled back in, surfed, then flipped. It was about 15 inches deep, bounced on my head for a while...screw this...I'm out.


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## mattoak

I was hoping my swim post would be from a gnarly situation that warranted a swim....not so much. 

Bridges run on the poudre at ~5.5 on the rock. First run was good. Flipped once but rolled up first try. Confidence high... Second run, about 15 feet after peeling out into the current from the put in I wasn't being as aggressive and focused as the river level demanded. I hit a wave sideways, miss a brace and flip. No problem I think, "we are just in the beginning, in some class 2 rapids, I got this". First roll attempt I come up almost all the way, but quickly fall back in, getting a decent breath in the process. Next thing I know, I go off a ledge into some swirling aerated water. Second roll attempt is a complete failure with no purchase from my blade. I panic, and swim out, with plenty of breath left where I could have hung on and waited it out another second or two. Self rescued all my gear in an eddy immediately to the right at least. Bootie completed.


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## BrianK

I think we can all learn from this guy: 

Whitewater Swimmer Jay Young: Paddling Without a Boat

He's got it right, just get to it - take out the middle man.


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## jonny water

*Numbers 3500*

After 16 years of no swimming, I swam below number 5 on the Numbers at 3500. It was my first day paddling of the year. I flipped in squirrely water and missed about 4 rolls. I was having trouble getting out of the fast moving aerated water and my buddy attempted to pull me to shore with me on his stern. I had to abandon him to avoid pulling him over a ledge. Swam through many holes and barley caught an eddy while exhausted. Had many cuts and bruises from thigh to ankles due to wearing only shorts. 2 cute girls pulled my boat out of the river for me!! Ran Granite then Browns Canyon the next day with NRS wetsuit pants and had to rethink my roll....lower center of gravity helps!


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## Burl Haggard

Swam R-2ing Mania's new Sabretooth in First Box Falls on the Piedra last month. I Just didn't get anchored right and was out before I knew what happened. Sweet boat and a fun run. No other drama.


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## spider

I'm in, flipped the spider running 2 up on the Gallatin. Big ass hole right before hillarity. Went up, then over. Thanks to Glenn and the boys for saving our asses.

Made it clean through house thank god. She is ripping


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## Caleb125

*Im gonna get some shit for this...*



Caleb125 said:


> I know for a fact that I am going to swim again, actually a lot more... probably way sooner than I hope. By saying this all i meant was that I hope a swim is not in my near future, but hell, it probably is.


Like I said... back on the f*%#ing swim team again. I was going down the river and everything was good... Easy class III+ and some IV- but nothing bad at all... then we came to a dam and I forgot what line you were supposed to take and I just went for it anyways. Anyways, I experienced my first accidental surf in a hole and couldn't roll up and shit happened. 

I think I'm now the captain of the swim team...

Go easy on me,
Caleb


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## double-H

*Oh boy*

Okay, swam in the Platte, getting into my boat, nuff said. Just kinda sorta fell over


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## MT4Runner

Checking into the 2014 thread.

Had clean runs on the Lochsa last weekend. Now that the river's dropped, I got complacent. My 12yo daughter, and a friend and his 12yo daughter had great lines through Grim Reaper and Lochsa Falls, where I wanted to be most dialed and not flip...and got lazy in the rapid below the falls, turned sideways, and dumped the two girls out. Dads to the rescue, pulled them back in, and headed back downriver.

Hit Pipeline and I decided we should surf it. Maybe that's not the best idea in a round boat, since I swam there last season, too! Big flip. Buddy in a cat picked up the other dad and the girls and I fought nearly to Old Man before I got the raft flipped back over.

The girls both had a great time and joked that they need to drink bootie root beers. They've learned that swims are challenging, but not scary.

Where's my bootie?


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## glcasson21

enjoyed some nice hand relief from widow maker in the boulder play park...not my proudest moment.


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## Dave Frank

Widowmaker sux. It got someone in our group as well as two from the little Oar rig. The drop below it, Arapahoe falls is a POS too. 

I think it is just a matter of time before someone drowns in one of these Boulder Creek "Play" features. 


-Dave
(Seven two 0) 298-2242


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## KSC

How is it that widowmaker hasn't been removed? That thing's ridiculous. I swam on there once when there was a huge tree trunk surfing the entire hole end to end.


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## streetdoctor

Dave Frank said:


> Widowmaker sux. It got someone in our group as well as two from the little Oar rig. The drop below it, Arapahoe falls is a POS too.
> 
> I think it is just a matter of time before someone drowns in one of these Boulder Creek "Play" features.
> 
> 
> -Dave
> (Seven two 0) 298-2242


Not to get off topic, and I'm kind of afraid posting in this topic will jinx me but… I did the town run for the first time yesterday. Which one is widow maker? We put on at the top of the very top drop and took out by the pool on 30th I believe?


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## chepora

Swam 3 rocks at 4300cfs...worst thing was I made it through the big stuff in my playboat and then got washed on to shore on river right and couldn't get my shit together enough to avoid the hole right in the shallow crap on the bank. Recovery was quick at least...bootie completed. 
The second swim was above number 5 at 2500 this last weekend. The stupid curler up top flipped me and I went over the pour over at the top left of the rapid trying some pretty lame roll attempts before bailing into the eddy river left just above the drop. Thanks to Amy from AVA who is a standup person and called me when she found my paddle. Bootie beer pending... 
PS Number 4 is freaking fast and big at that level.


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## wyosam

Well, crap here I am again. Swam on some insignificant looking little hole between Tunnel and Mish falls on the Poudre today. Brace was fading, and I thought a roll would probably get me past the seam I was on- committed to it and never made it around- not sure just what happened, but pretty much immediately came out of the boat when I went under- still playing with outfitting the new Burn (which, BTW, no longer looks 2 weeks old after its unmanned adventure today). Hopefully the big dent in the knee well will pop out, thanks to MWD safety kayaker for getting it to shore.


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## gjcarolina

Dave Frank said:


> Widowmaker sux. It got someone in our group as well as two from the little Oar rig. The drop below it, Arapahoe falls is a POS too.
> 
> I think it is just a matter of time before someone drowns in one of these Boulder Creek "Play" features.
> 
> 
> -Dave
> (Seven two 0) 298-2242


Amen brother.

Also... Hi Everyone, my name is Graham, and I swam in the boulder town run this year.

The boulder "whitewater park" is a mess. Nothing but dirty pour-overs that turn into crap holes. I took a new used boat out there for some more figuring last week. Didn't go well, got dumped backwards, missed first roll, on the second one my knee popped from the thigh brace and went back in, swam, lost a paddle. Long story short, looked like a monkey humping a football right there at a (maybe) class III in the middle of the park. 

Good times were had by all.


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## Osseous

Swam Skull, Bowling Alley AND Sock It To Me yesterday at 18,000. I blew the left pull coming into Skull- slammed the wave crest above the hole and my right oar punched me into the river. Had great support from my rafting party and they got me to shore, wrangled my cat. It wasn't a lot of fun, but it coulda turned out a hell of a lot worse. Lessons learned: new hi float pfd ordered, don't go from 3800 cfs run to an 18,000 cfs run in one big leap.....will work my way up a little more slowly from now on.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Mountain Buzz mobile app


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## JP Griffith

*Happy to Swim*

Last weekend I went up to Crested Butte and went up for a lap on Daisy. I had always put in right at the 20 footer, but had heard of an unrunnable 40 footer above. Well we all put in up high and I found myself casually floating around a blind corner, completely forgetting about the 40 footer. I noticed the drop was kinda steep, then really steep! S***. All in about 3 seconds I booked it over to the shore, grabbed a small pine tree, ripped off my skirt, and leapt onto shore just as my boat crashed onto rocks 40 feet below. Happy it was my boat and not me. A booty beer has never tasted so good!!!


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## Miller Time

JP Griffith said:


> Last weekend I went up to Crested Butte and went up for a lap on Daisy. I had always put in right at the 20 footer, but had heard of an unrunnable 40 footer above. Well we all put in up high and I found myself casually floating around a blind corner, completely forgetting about the 40 footer. I noticed the drop was kinda steep, then really steep! S***. All in about 3 seconds I booked it over to the shore, grabbed a small pine tree, ripped off my skirt, and leapt onto shore just as my boat crashed onto rocks 40 feet below. Happy it was my boat and not me. A booty beer has never tasted so good!!!



Holy crap you're lucky. That drop is terrifying in or out if your boat. There is some serious wood right around the corner as well. 


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## Quacktacular81

I'll play... Swam in Shoshone last Saturday after I missed an oar stroke or 2 and flipped my cat in Tombstone. My passenger and I managed to stay with the boat and failed in an attempt to right before Maneater(?). Rode the bottom side down river right over the surprisingly small waves. Another attempt to right after Maneater was successful. We even had a little time to compose ourselves before making the final turn and pulling into the Grizz boat ramp, where our wives were waiting for us.


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## mongopush

I've been known to swim a time or two. But this year my bro missed 5 attempts and pulled. Its the first time I have seen him swim ever! At take out, I just so happened to have nice warm tecate. I said give me your bootie. As I felled his Astral Brewer all the beer drained out the holes! I was like, "wtf! That aint right." He was all - "That's how I roll." He wouldn't drink out of my bootie as well. I have a horrible feeling that karma is going to kick his ass.


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## oliverdeshler

This one ended a five year streak of staying in my boat. Got sucked into a large boil in the entrance to pyrite at 3,000 and never recovered. Flipped at the bottom and got sucked into the meat of the hole - a rather violent place. Fortunately I swam out of the hole, unfortunately my boat proceeded to run the rest of Gore without me - cracking the bow.


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## glenn

At the tail end of a long paddling trip I boofed into a large hole in otherwise CL II water on the main payette. Got tooled hard but flushed quickly. Carped some rolls and pulled the plug. Complacency and fatigue were both major factors. Booty beer at takeout to make it official.


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## Dave Frank

My swim free season ended yesterday by the "Hand" below Bill in the Narrows of Clear Creek. 

I've bee Running my12' Karma RG the last couple weeks. Finally sacked to run Black Rock yesterday. BR went smooth as did the entrance to Narrows. Got spun out above Mr Bill and grabbed the eddy to regroup. Peeled out and punched the right sneak. The long boat can at times be hard to turn. I tried to punch the hand down the right and it grabbed be hard. I surfed it for a while and was working my way out the left side. Unfortunately as I was bracing my way out of the hole, I braced my way half way out of the boat. 

I got the boat and paddle right to the bank, but couldn't stop the water filled 12' kayak. Maybe if I hadn't tried, I might not have swum the entire run out. Damn those holes are big! Big shout out the Syz for giving me a stern in the worst of it and to Banks for finally towing me to shore in the flats and then recovering my boat. 

Ran it again today with much better results , though I still had to fight the hand. Reworked outfitting held me in. 


-Dave
(Seven two 0) 298-2242


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## jmack

It is refreshing to see the recent posts adding a little gnar to this thread as Lief would say, so I figured I would do my part and add a little more…

So there I was, standing on the back of the logjam I just swam through with one bootie, no paddle, and holding onto my boat, which was miraculously pinned in a convenient spot. How did I get here?

It all started with a plan to get out of town for the weekend to the scenic mountain burg of Crested Butte. As the week prior progressed, enthusiasm waned among the Durango crew, and on Friday I found myself heading up there with only a special lady friend and a plan to find someone to boat with. After a late evening (very cold) solo Daisey lap, I bedded down under starry skies, dreaming of bigger slides and better flows the next day. 

Fortunately, Satuday greeted me with warm sun, and around midday, so I went down to the OBJ campground to find a paddling partner. It took all of 10 second to meet Boyd from the Southeast, who wanted to kayak, so up we went. The top 3/4 of the run went great. After a quick wood portage above Avalanche, I took the lead and ran what I would consider to be the scariest drop on the run. Boyd also had a good line and headed over the next small drop above the last big slide.

Just below this little (4 foot) drop, there is an obvious log poking out of the center of the creek. Almost all of the current goes left of the log. Boyd started left and moved right to avoid it. I had run further right i the past, but his line looked fine, so I started center and headed right. Unfortunately, there was a shallow sticky spot at the base of the drop that robbed me of my left to right momentum and I pitoned into the log. For a moment I was unconcerned, figuring I could swing around the log, but the current was much stronger than I expected. In a fraction of a second, I was flipped, ripped out of my boat and flushed through a logjam just below the surface of the water on the left side of the creek.

I would note in closing that this spot is MUCH scarier than it appear from above. When I climbed down in there to look for my paddle, I realized just how scary a place it is- root ball- diagonal logs in strong current, etc. 

Lesson learned- don't get too comfortable with wood! If you get up against a bad strainer in any sort of strong current, you are SCREWED! High quality beer reward for return of the paddle… Also thanks to Boyd for being cool about a super sketchy situation.


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## Miller Time

jmack said:


> Also thanks to Boyd for being cool about a super sketchy situation.



Boyd's a cool guy. He spent quite a bit if time working with Memphis Whitewater, maybe he still does. He was on the Jackson team for quite awhile. Glad to see most of the gear was recovered. Bigger water in early June made the wood on there even more sketchy. 


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


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## oarboatman

Well I guess I'll fess up to my last swim and trip on the water. Below is a write up done by one of the others members in our group. The best news is we are headed out for a main salmon trip tomorrow and I get the pleasure of being able to return to work tomorrow. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that got me out of the drink and canyon. 

On May 4th, 2014, Dustin, Greg and I were kayaking the Takelma Section of the North Fork of the Rogue. A raft was also paddling with us consisting of Jake, Joe, Taylor and John. The Takelma section is a gorged in section that consists of five major rapids.

At Rapid #3 there was a log in the top and one in the middle and on the bottom left. Everyone in the group got out to scout the rapid. The bottom below the logs had a large rock to the right, a v-shaped notch and a shelf on the left. I ran the rapid first and was waiting in the eddy at the bottom. The raft came next and flipped in the "v-notch". John swam and got on shore on the left hand side. Joe had a couple paddles and got out on shore on the right. Jake and Taylor were clinging to the upside down raft trying to swim it to the right hand shore. As they got closer Joe was able to grab a hold of the raft but could not hold onto the raft. They were so close to getting it to shore, I personally thought they were going to make it.

Jake and Taylor went over the next drop (Rapid #4) clinging to the upside down raft. Greg came down Rapid #3 then Dustin. Dustin was the first kayak to run the next drop, Rapid #4. I waited for Greg then ran Rapid #4. As I came off the drop, Jake and Taylor were standing on a small shelf on the left side of the canyon. By small, it was not even big enough for the two of them to sit on. Dustin peeled out and said he was going to go try to secure the raft. I spoke to Jake and Taylor and asked if they were both "OK", and they nodded yes and both were exhausted and breathing heavy after the bad swim they took. Greg ran Rapid #4 and I told them we were going to run the next rapid, Rapid #5 the last in the gorge and then come back up the side of the canyon to work on getting them out. Greg and I ran Rapid #5 and some flat water till it looked like we could loop back up the canyon side. We then got our equipment out of our kayaks and started up to the trail to the top of the canyon. Dustin met us there, he was able to secure the raft and had enough insight to also bring the long rope out of the raft.

As we went down the trail, there was a rock point were you could look up in to the canyon and see Taylor and Jake's position. When I arrived there, Taylor had roped in Jake securing him on the perch. I shouted down to gain contact and Taylor indicated that Jake was not well and needed out fast. We then mentally marked the ridge above their position and surveyed the scene. To our gratification, John and Joe were able to get out of the canyon and met us at that location. John was able to assist Joe in crossing the river with a belt bag and there was a way for them to climb out of the canyon.

After taking a survey of equipment, biners, prusiks, pulleys and throw ropes. We were well stocked. We worked to create a few anchors and set up a z-drag. Then using the long rope, I assume it was 75', we lowered down the rope with biners and webbing on the end so that they could make a harness. Greg went out to the point so that he could help communicate with the people river side and those up top.

After lowering the rope, it was determined it was not going to be long enough to set up a z-drag. We decided that with 4 of us pulling. We could just go through one pulley with a prusik and if we could not pull him up we could lower him back down and come up with another plan. The four of us were able to pull Jake up.

After pulling Jake to the top, he was conscious and coherent but weak, pale and had a low blood pressure. He is a nurse that had worked in the Emergency Room and had self diagnosised himself with internal injuries. He requested that we not call an ambulance. We discussed our options and decided with everyone there and things setup it was best to get Taylor up. We quickly pulled Taylor up using the same system.

Once everyone was up Dustin said that he knew where there was a boy scout camp, cabin, or something along those lines that he could drive closer for better access. We then sent him to paddle downstream in his kayak to contact the other people that were waiting to meet us to paddle the lower "River Bridge" section.

We then had to get Jake up about 50 feet through some large boulders to get to the trail. Joe took a rope to the top which we fastened to Jake and he hip-belayed him while we helped by lifting, pulling and tugging on Jake to get him to the top. He could only go a little bit at a time then have to stop and rest. That little bit of distance was very demanding. Once we got to the top Jake was able to walk and we started out on the trail. The trail would split and you would go out sections and then loose it or it would just end so we had to do some trail discovery to continue walking. Jake let us know the real trail closely followed the river the whole way, so we veered back towards the river, and we then noticed someone coming up the trail and it was the group that was coming to meet us.

Greg and I handed off care and went back to get our kayaks and equipment. Taylor continued walking with Jake along with others that had hiked up the trail.

When Greg and I had gotten back, Joe and John had cleaned up the equipment and were floating downstream in the raft.

Jake was taken to the hospital and had a ruptured spleen and broken ribs. He had a procedure that was successful in hopes of not having to remove his spleen but is still in ICU.

While we were walking out, he mentioned that he thought that he injured himself when the raft flipped. He thinks he got slammed onto the rock.

He is one tough person and we were lucky to have a bunch of people present that had the right equipment, knowledge and skill set to use it.


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## Dave Frank

Came out of the Long boat twice last night

Edna should
Feel free to post my rigor swim. 

I'm not sure what to do make this boat fit tighter. That's three in this boat, not one of which did I actually decide to pull....


-Dave
(Seven two 0) 298-2242


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## bobbuilds

Dave Frank said:


> Came out of the Long boat twice last night
> 
> Edna should
> Feel free to post my rigor swim.
> 
> I'm not sure what to do make this boat fit tighter. That's three in this boat, not one of which did I actually decide to pull....
> 
> 
> -Dave
> (Seven two 0) 298-2242



JTNC has a really nice set of hip pads he made himself years ago and has used them in every boat since.

what he does is have velcro on the boat and the back of the hip pad. his hip pads are teathered to his boat.

so he gets in the boat, leans to one side and puts in the shim, then leans to the other and puts in the 2nd.

it takes work, but he looks snug when its done and he still is held in great but can swim when needed.

jjust a thought, because we cant have this. 3 swims from dave frank is like having to tell your friends you paddled with bobbuilds.

that shit does not fly


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## Caleb125

DAMN IT! I did it again!

Well I was doing my first run ever down Numbers (I was also in a playboat) and I was going down number 5 and I got pushed left and nailed a boulder. I tried to brace off of it but all that did was rip my paddle out of my hands (and it's on video, I'm not just pulling the "I lost my paddle" card!) and I don't have a solid hand roll and now I'm writing this...


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## xena13

I tried Pineview Falls for the 1st time in my ducky last Sunday. I got dumped out in the last drop. My boat decided to hang out in the eddy while I swam on around the rock. I was just getting ready to swim back across to go retrieve her when I saw a couple of kayakers coming down. One of them brought my boat down to me. I didn't get your name, but thanks for your help! And I'll try Pineview again. I'm sure I can do it.


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## soggy_tortillas

*Twice in ten minutes? That's what she said... haha*

Did a long stretch of the steamboat town run- put in at walton creek, take out at steamboat campground. Got about two river minutes away from the take out and the river took a nasty sharp left straight into a bunch of rocks and old cement slabs, and I followed it. Knocked into the rocks and flipped over, I still don't have a solid roll, so I pulled my skirt. Wound up having to wrestle a big tree limb in order to scramble up a vertical bank, right in the middle of a mosquito sunset FEAST AND BREEDING EXTRAVAGANZA!!!! Got my boat back from my boyfriend and dragged it onto the bank to drain it out. It took a solid ten minutes to drain it and find a spot where I could slide back into the river. In the meantime, the skeeters had their cake and ate it too, mother fuckers. Anyway, I managed the last two minutes of the river before the take out, got to the take out and pulled over on the bank, there wasn't much of an eddy, but it was shallow and moving slow. Threw my paddle on the bank and was working on getting out of the bank when the "current" grabbed my stern and I flipped my boat in the less-than-a-foot of water I was in. Didn't even have to pull my skirt, I was too busy scrambling to grab my boyfriend's tether. Why? Obviously a desperate and half-baked attempt to save myself. So, my second swim was in less than a foot of water, upper body was fine through both, banged up my knees and shins a little, and all the first swim did was make me a little more tired than I was before. 
In retrospect (because we all know hindsight is 20/20):
I should have tried to ferry back across the river to negotiate that turn a little better- or I should have picked a better line in the first place.
I should have stuck with my boat longer on the first swim to find a better spot to get off and on the river, I wouldn't have tired myself out scrambling around in a fucked up sport and dragging my full boat around.
Probably should have banked my boat a little better at the end there.... wouldn't have had the second "swim" at all.
But I'm learning! Even after that I still had a blast on the river and I'm thirsty for more. I'm proud of myself for not being afraid to get back on and try again, and every time I've been taken a run I've improved a ton and feel more and more confident in my lil Dagger G-force.
Brought my game face to work today :twisted: going to C-hole to work on my roll later, wish me luck!


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## KSC

I thought this was going to be my year to get through without any swims, but I ruined that fantasy yesterday. I don't know why they call it Double Trouble, because I only had a single problem, which was getting out of that gigantic hole at the bottom. 

Video evidence seemed to show I was too far right at the entrance, instantly flipped landing the first drop, rolled back up just in time to see that I was dropping in sideways over the last tier. I did attempt a roll, but could feel the curtain pounding on the hull of my boat and it didn't take me very long to decide to have a skirt malfunction. I was lucky to have a relatively mellow swim.


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## mountainjah

A super green crew in the back...it all goes off the rails quickly at high water. Enjoy!

Animas Swim Team 5 31 14 - YouTube


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## lmyers

Haven't swam from my kayak in nearly 150 days on the water now (knock on wood), but I did fall off my SUP in Browns Saturday and body wrapped on a block of blast rock in the bottom hole of Raft Ripper...pretty sure I cracked a rib...otherwise a fun day!


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## glenn

lmyers said:


> Haven't swam from my kayak in nearly 150 days on the water now (knock on wood), but I did fall off my SUP in Browns Saturday and body wrapped on a block of blast rock in the bottom hole of Raft Ripper...pretty sure I cracked a rib...otherwise a fun day!


Ugly. How did you unwrap? Good luck with the rib. Painful and takes forever to heal up.


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## lmyers

The impact bounced me off, but I felt the current wrap around my body when I hit the rock. Luckily the majority of the impact was on my pfd, otherwise it would have really fucked me up. I knew better then to try and sneak it it on the left, that's where all the blast rock is. Thanks. It feels a little better already, just like someone is sitting on my chest....and certain movements are bordering on upper moderate pain. Oh well, still hoping to get back out there in the next couple days.


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## duct tape

lmyers said:


> Haven't swam from my kayak in nearly 150 days on the water now (knock on wood),...


Having made a somewhat similar statement, among other hubris, to my kids before my Quail Lake swim (see earlier post on page 2-ish), I feel for you....


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## streetdoctor

lmyers said:


> The impact bounced me off, but I felt the current wrap around my body when I hit the rock. Luckily the majority of the impact was on my pfd, otherwise it would have really fucked me up. I knew better then to try and sneak it it on the left, that's where all the blast rock is. Thanks. It feels a little better already, just like someone is sitting on my chest....and certain movements are bordering on upper moderate pain. Oh well, still hoping to get back out there in the next couple days.


Curad Rib Belt, Universal, 28-50 Inches | Walgreens

Two broken ribs and this thing was a lifesaver man!


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## Andy H.

*I met Claire*

So there I was bumping my way down the Poudre yesterday, feeling like I was running everything OK, looking forward to Cardiac Corner and thinking, "holy crap, Pineview's going to be a pretty good drop but I think I can manage pretty well..."

Then, "Ok, I'll style this little Class II section up here, just have fun with the rock dodging." My run then went something like bump, little move here, spin to win, bump, "oops, that's not how I meant to go, hey, where'd that big rock come from? crap, I gotta get off this thing! Highside! Oh Shit! I'm going over!" 

My first flip since Lava five years ago. Complacency was the culprit this time.

Shout Outs!
Toni got to watch the it all unfold and got my stunned, winded, soggy ass to shore, and was invaluable helping get the boat tied off and eventually back over, she provided awesome moral support through the whole thing and checking in afterwards as well. Thanks to the commercial guide that clipped the RV off to our line from shore, and especially to the guide right behind him that also flipped on Claire so I wouldn't feel quite so dumb. Super big thanks to Sam and Haley for the help getting my pig-of-a-raft back over, and awesome job to Riley for hiking back up and helping us get the boat righted. Great job to Zach the Newbie for spotting and snagging my favorite Koozie way downstream - critical part of the rescue! And a big thanks to the guy in the blue helmet for getting in there and helping make it all happen.

Gotta give props to DRE for the very pleasant surprise when the boat came back over and the only damage was a little marring and warping to the flip seat that had been hanging under the boat while getting dragged over rocks - that frame may be heavy but it's stout, and I didn't even have to break out the spare oar tower!

Thanks again to everyone for taking some of the sting out of the reminder that "you're only one mistake away from real adventure."

-AH


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## deepsouthpaddler

No swims in 2014 up until this weekend. Had two in one day on the big south. Pinned in the left entrance to fantasy flight (dumb), and then swam out of a nasty tree with branches in prime time gorge (dumber). Next day went better, but still had my tail between my legs. I was reminded of how much rocks to the shins and ass bone hurt.


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## lmyers

streetdoctor said:


> Curad Rib Belt, Universal, 28-50 Inches | Walgreens
> 
> Two broken ribs and this thing was a lifesaver man!


Thanks Nick. At this point I wish it was my ribs. Turns out the impact caused a pulmonary contusion (bruised lung). Still hurts extremely bad. Doesn't look like I will be getting back on the water anytime soon....


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## Dave Frank

Andy, I think you're selling her a little short. "Thanks Toni for the moral support?" Really, that's all you've got for her? She navigated the wrong side of Claire's Boulder Garden to pluck your swimmy ass out of the river, then provided several ropes (all now riddled with poison ivy), that facilitated the retrieval and the subsequent re-flipping of your asleep at the oars poverty raft? The rock is 3 feet tall and bright red. Go around it!

She also had the foresight not to let the commercial guide free the raft, when you thought you were just going to hold the line and pull it in solo. You'd have been swimming again!

After seeing your empty beer float by, Riley and I hiked a good ways upstream to see what kind of predicament you'd gotten into. That is the first time I've had to bust out all the' biners and pulleys that I carry every time I kayak, even in my play boat on class II, for just such an unlikely event.

Maybe she provided just a bit more than moral support?

If this rant seemed over the top, it may be because AH addressed the points in an after the point edit.


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## Andy H.

Dave Frank said:


> Maybe she provided just a bit more than moral support?


You're right Dave, even though I also said Toni was great helping get the boat to shore and righting it, see the edit I made to set the record straight. Toni rocks.


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## BrianP

Guess I'm way overdue to post this one from May.

Flipped on the second rapid of the Lester in MN. Proceeded to ride the rest of it on my head, and landed in the hole at the bottom. Rolled up once..windowshade to bouncing my head on more rock. Pulled my skirt and stood up NEXT to the damn hole..should have grown a pair and held on for three more seconds.

The silver lining is that when I stupidly paddled into a monster hole a week later and reached to pull my skirt when it wasn't looking good, that little voice in the back of my head said, "You will not swim fucker!"..and I didn't.


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## ski_kayak365

I got mine today, national falls, upper yough in my playboat at 2.4 ft. Clean swim, karma paid at the takeout. Kept trying to roll into an undercut, then sucked back into the hole. Shoulda hung on, bailed instead.

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## Caleb125

Swim team captain...


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## glenn

2 swims. Sam and Connor saved my shit after carping the bottom of the Quake run. Connor got me back in the boat for another lap which was good for the head. Nick and John had a good combo effort a week later at the bottom of Kitchen Sink on Beartrap. Both booties consumed on premises.


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## Caleb125

Here I am again... Today I ran Barrel Springs in my playboat for the first time and styled all of my lines. Then when we were on shoshone I was taking a line through wall on the far river right side through the boulders when I flipped (still not really sure how haha) and then my paddle got stuck between two rocks and I couldn't get it out so I tried to hand roll and didn't even come close... Damn the irony!


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## soggy_tortillas

*geez!*

http://vimeo.com/114781149

tried to embed it but I guess I'm embedding illiterate.


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## Bigdrops

*Big Drop II 45,000*

It has been a while, but I did also have an unintentional swim this year. My timing was off when I began to pull across Big Drop II at 45,000 cfs. I was a stroke early and caught a piece of the Marker Hole, which set me up perfectly sideways for the Claw. I tee'd it up just in time to make it up and over the huge curling wave. Then I turned the boat again to try and pull river right away from the fast approaching Mother in Law feature. I was not going to make it, so at the last moment I pushed into this 35' tall wave just as its reaching maximum height then it crashed from the left and easily flipped my 18' bucket boat. So I swam Big Drop III, somehow avoiding Satans Gut. After I cleared the last big drop, I was able to get on the boat and ride it down to Imperial Rapid, before We were able to flip it back over. I didn't lose or damage anything, except for river guide pride. Oh Whale! I'm not so afraid of flipping a raft, now that I finally have.


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## spider

glenn said:


> 2 swims. Sam and Connor saved my shit after carping the bottom of the Quake run. Connor got me back in the boat for another lap which was good for the head. Nick and John had a good combo effort a week later at the bottom of Kitchen Sink on Beartrap. Both booties consumed on premises.


Good to hear glendo. Hope to see you this spring. Got a couple trips going if your interested.


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## lhowemt

Good lord, a great 2014, and a couple of Lochsa surfing flips, but no carnage. What has happened to me??? 

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## tteton

*House Rock*

House Rock. Day 2 low tide. Set up too far right. Bumped into the main flow. Went into first hole on the left sideways. The 16 footer stood on its side for a moment. While climbing to the highside I lost my footing as the boat went vertical. Fell to the water and the boat slammed down inches in front of my face. Grabbed it and rode into house rock. Crashed into the rock busting a personal dry box. Bobby was on me in a kayak and we kicked the boat to shore. Lost my bud light hat. Gonna miss that hat. First time flipping. Waiting for the next...


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## tango

2014 is almost over. Time to fess up. I swam once and pinned once (which did not involve swimming).

As much as it pains me to admit this... I swam in the Numbers at low water (~1500 cfs). Out of a playboat. It was well deserved. I was sour and disappointed my buddies didn't want to put in at Pine Creek. 

There's a chunky pourover on river right below #5. I tried to run it to the right. Hit my paddle against the right shore, let it spin in my hand, flipped, tried to roll but sliced, adjusted grip, tried 6 more rolls against a rock, and pulled my skirt exhausted.

Drank a booty.

Two days later I ran Yule to make sure I still knew what I was doing. Creeking is way safer than playboating.


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