# Lets hear about your swim(s), in 2008 (so far)



## atom (Jan 14, 2004)

Fess up, I'll go first. Swam at the slot on the Embudo while half of Colorado's Frontrangers watched. Dana and crew had also just rafted the slot clean. Very embarrassing moment for me. We all have them. Fess up! Atom...


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

I've heard the saying many times that we are all inbetween swims. Thanks for all the great images of the New Mexico goodness over the years. What's goin on down there anyway? Embudo, Pueblo?

thanks
kent



atom said:


> Fess up, I'll go first. Swam at the slot on the Embudo while half of Colorado's Frontrangers watched. Dana and crew had also just rafted the slot clean. Very embarrassing moment for me. We all have them. Fess up! Atom...


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## xkayaker13 (Sep 30, 2006)

I think many people owe booty beers thanks to the homestake race, but I won't mention any names...


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Are you freakin kidding me? Name some names now!


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## rmpeddie (Apr 8, 2007)

*let's celebrate swims*

I was at tha Saratoga Inn tonight and swam naked with a few chicks. My raft was on my trailer but was within seeing distance so does that count.


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

atom said:


> Very embarrassing moment for me.


hey you shouldn't be embarrassed cause you da man. (i swam this year on only class IV)


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## [email protected] (Apr 26, 2006)

alright joe I'll name names, I swam twice in my practice runs for the race, but I did my booty beers before the race and had clean lines during the race. What about you on NSV, details?
-Tom


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## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

I swam on my second lap of the SF of the Clearwater (golden canyon) at around 6 grand. Was very brutal and my boys got my ass just in time as I was done. Rough day


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## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

Alrighty Atom... "Forgive me father for I have swimmed!"

I swam on SSV with Scott Young... Who by the way may have broken ribs last night on that run. Let's hope not and that he's OK. Can't really call any exit of a boat on SSV a swim at the levels we were in there that day... more like a walk through the rocks.
I also swam in Rigor which was quite a surprise. I've run that bastard 15 times and never had a hitch... Not that time. Got the stood up vert in that first upper hole on the ramp and had a nice upside down ride down to and in the hole at the bottom.... Good times!

Gary, where the heck is golden canyon? 6K? Geez


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

I swam SSV 2 times in one day this week. Sometimes I get bored just using my boat because that is so easy. I like swimming because it adds to the challenge.


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## steven (Apr 2, 2004)

golden canyon--n. fk.'s sister on the s. fk clearwater


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## Roy (Oct 30, 2003)

Rigormortis finally punched my ticket this year. Plugged the right side of the horseshoe entrance, which flipped me and blew me into those nasty rocks upside down. :shock:

Fortunately, the shore crew was right on top of it, and got me a rope before I had to go swimming thru that hole.

Booty beer penalty paid in full and documented on video somewhere out there...


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

I swam in Life After Death on Barrel between 3-4k. 

My buddy was behind me and saw me swimming and went right on by. After I got out he said "Oh, I've seen you swim before and know how good you are at it. I was only worried about your gear" --- Thanks for getting my stuff Miah.

Also swam at the G-wood playpark in April. I have a list of excuses but the real reason was out of shape, out of breath, early season sillyness. Someone paddled up to me to offer help getting me to shore. I could only look at them, thank them for their concern, and explain that I would clean up my own mess.

Mut


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## biggs13 (Feb 18, 2005)

Hey Atom, this is Steve from last weekend. I feel the need to post since I had mentioned reading this forum and you know I swam at MJ falls last weekend. All my runs last weekend, including the swim, inspired me to add the Embudo to my list of favorite runs. Thanks.

I hope you saw the ice cream picture in the creeking section, I am not sure of the context, but it sure sums up my view of that rule.

I like the quote from above: "forgive me father for I have swimmed".


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## BrianK (Feb 3, 2005)

i swam on hospital rock on the middle fk kaweah and on the giant gap nfk american in cali. I bought beer, but i think i still owe my real dad a kids style beer.


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## yourrealdad (May 25, 2004)

Brian you owe me all sorts of shit. I swam in th Gap after getting Brian's boat and having it pull me out of the eddy. Thats it. No colorado swims so far.


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## paulie (Mar 18, 2007)

so, NSV joe, ben, alex and myself on wednesday- I got pinned in the runout to cascade 1- not too bad but wasn't pretty either. We made probably 20 wood portages, I landed on Joe in the runout of the cali section when he was pinned at the bottom of the slide (pic of leif in the book), then Joe had a tough line in eye of the needle, got smacked about a bit, lost his paddle but was able to roll up. Bu no one swam that day, but if you are planning on going in there be ready for a lot of wood all over the place. oh and as far as swims, I had one in april at tunnel, go figure.


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## phlyingfish (Nov 15, 2006)

Bless me father for I have swimmed (sic), it has been six seasons since I last pulled the cord. 

Little White Salmon, first drop of The Gorge rapid, level was ~3.3. This is a perfect example of why you want to look where you want to go. The old "look at the spaces not the trees" trick, if you're skier. Anyway, there was an AT wedged vertically in a cave to the left of the line. I was so mystified by it that I starred at it as I dropped in. Bad move. I tractor beamed myself into the cave between the paddle and the wall (not a big deal had the paddle not been there, you could just duck and come out the other end). I snagged my paddle on the AT. I tried to tuck and duck but had my paddle ripped out of my hands instead. I flipped and pulled the cord immediately, seeing no point in trying to punch one of the worst holes on the run and eddy out above/run Stovepipe with my hands (I ain't no Rush Sturges). The swim was short, my boat ghost rode Stovepipe and eddied out in the wood pile at the bottome for me, my paddle pinned horizontally across the AT. Within 20 minutes I had retrieved all my shit and paddled out with a new found respect for that rapid and a soon-to-be-raging case of poison oak... on my balls. Wash those hands kids.

Oh, and GaryE still needs to shoot a boot for his yard sale on the Clearwater. We didn't have the heart to enforce the rule right then and there.


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## Horn (Aug 1, 2004)

*I got ya all beat*

Visual:
Dolores first weekend May, 2008, Raging at 1,100 whoooooo , Right off launch of Cahone, Water flat as a pancake, small swirl on eddy line, flipped, missed my role twice swam, picked up after the sale, repeat x 1 Man I suck.
If you see a blue Super EZ float by this summer on the Poudre, please do a brother a favor and push off onto the side. I'll be down later. I think I like the Saratoga Inn better.
Hope ya all having a great 2008 season.
Horn


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## Ed Hansen (Oct 12, 2003)

Today. Clear Creek of the Arkansas. 300 cfs. I popped the cork between 1st and 2nd Gorges. I think I just wanted to have something to post in this thread, so I successfully attempted a midstream broach. I then maneuveredinto a tail-first decent of the follow up rocky staircase falls, upsidedown. To finish my feat, (and my ride), I pinned myself against a rock on river-right, (still upside down), coming to a quick and complete and sudden stop. Not able to roll up, or even get the boat to budge, for that matter, I popped the cork... I stood up, grabbed the paddle and failed miserably at getting a grip on my Embudo. Bye-bye! 

There is no trail on river-right, but I managed to walk (in shorts) through all kinds of scratchy, thorned, and pointy stuff. After my upper body and neck took a beating while upsidedown in the river, my legs now have _simpathy_ cuts. 

A lot more walking around occured after this, but to make a long story short, Brian Houle's party was able to find in under the water mixed in with wood, extract it, and pull it up the hill to a road, about 200 yards upstream of the takeout. We took out above the Third Gorge, by the way. 

Today is why my last 5 boats have been high visiblity colors (yellows-oranges-reds) Much easier to find during recovery.... I also wear yellow dry top and PFD for the same reason, (knock on wood).

I might try this creek again later this year, after I brush-up on my obviously rusty creeking skills.


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## gannon_w (Jun 27, 2006)

I'll fess up..

I swam on the 2nd to bottom hole on the lower narrows of the Poudre. Went through it, mostly got pulled back in and was side surfin on my off side. Was working my way out and overleaned and flipped. Wasn't wearing nose plugs and sucked a bunch of water in. Got set-up but I caught my finger on my grab loop and the skirt pulled so I swam.  

HERE IS MY DUMBASS MOVE of the year. Had a great day running the North Fork of the Poudre with Eric, Brent, Trent, & Scotty. Flipped going through a hole up around the corner from the waterfall. While upsidedown my shoulder partially dislocated, popped it back in missed the roll on a bad attempt with my shoulder, went back under, shoulder again partially dislocated, popped it back in again then rolled. Finished the last 3-4 miles on a bum shoulder. HERE IS THE DUMBASS PART. Volunteered to run the dirtbike (7k$ dirtbike!!) back to the truck for the shuttle. Strapped the bike on the rack and stopped twice to check the straps on the way back. 1/4 mile from the take out the bike fell off and I never knew it! DUMBASS. I hope to paddle with Eric again as that day was an awsome paddle with an awsome crew! Let me know what kind of beer to bring next time and I'll not run shuttle!

Be safe out there!!


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## rmpeddie (Apr 8, 2007)

*north gate*

followed a crew who swam three times from north gate to 6-mile. they were rafters and got flipped in the most inconvienient times. one guy said he's been on this water for 20 years and was just happy that all got out alive. we are seeing some-what but not epic flows and people are getting worked. SCOUT the runs before you drop them and God-Speed. C'mon rains and cold weather.


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## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

Second day of the season, at the end of Paddlefest. I swam out of the bottom hole of Gillman Gorge Slurry Pipe at around 500. First in a year and a half. Was stoked that my booties were almost brand new...


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## gapers (Feb 14, 2004)

gannon_w said:


> HERE IS THE DUMBASS PART. Volunteered to run the dirtbike (7k$ dirtbike!!) back to the truck for the shuttle. Strapped the bike on the rack and stopped twice to check the straps on the way back. 1/4 mile from the take out the bike fell off and I never knew it! DUMBASS.


 
Smooth.


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## CGM (Jun 18, 2004)

Swam at Gore rapid at 2,500. Nailed the boof on the left left line with a bit too much booof, and caught the eddy behind the rock. Got spun out backwards and went through the left slot by ginger backwards. Got flipped and plastered on the backdeck. About to hit a back deck roll when the paddle hit a rock and tore outta my hands. So I pulled seeing no reason to try and paddle the rest of the rapid, and possibly sissors with no paddle. Total yard sale. Luckily my crew nailed me within a second of popping to the surface and got pulled into the big river left eddy. Luckily my paddle joined me in the eddy, but the boat washed downstream to an eddy just below Pyritte. So I had to swim back to river right above Pyritte (not fun) and then back to river left below Pyritte (can't walk Pyritte on river left). Not a fun swim, but still a fun day. Thank god for drysuits.


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## ToddG (Nov 29, 2003)

Friday night I emailed Atom (starter of this thread) saying something like "Not fessin' up to nothing cuz I got no reason to." He writes back "Don't worry, it will come." Me: "Yeah, I know it will" [river karma: -5 pt. for bragging about not swimming]

The next morning, yesterday, we're hiking 3 mis. into this creek. I'm running on about 3.5 hrs sleep & still intoxicated from the night before [river karma: -1 pt. for piss poor planning & execution] ... We put in, run some stuff, portage a bunch of wood, & then we get to a drop where all we can see is the boogie-water lead-in & further downstream, an obvious ledge that's backed up by a logjam on the right. No real scout or easy portage possibility because of gorge walls. I could see a tight passage between the river-left wall & the logjam, & the ledge looked boofable on the right or the left, then you'd have to book it left real quick to get by the strainer. In order to stop the analysis paralysis that had already started to happen among the group, I told the other dudes the situation & said I'd probe it with one other person following .. before peeling out of the eddy I said "Seriously, we're only dealing with a hundred cfs here .. Not to dis the river, but let's just keep that in mind." [river karma: -5 pts for being an asshole] 

Famous last words .. I boogied through the boogie & then went for the obvious high-side of the horseshoe ledge on the left (wanted to boof into the slackwater on the left & then just cruise by the strainer) .. only, the high-left side ended up being a weird dried-out chunky rock that deflected me into the main part of the horseshoe. I flailed, sideways, maybe 6 or 8 feet down a 70-degree, perfectly green sloper into the totally backed-up hole. So locked in. Cartwheels. Oh, & here comes Chris about to spear my brain with his bow. He narrowly makes it by me. Then more cartwheels & hopeless sidesurfing. "F this, I'm out!" Shitty deep recircs with my boat in the most aerated backwash & I'm thinking "this could be really bad." I felt my boat on top of me as I was doing another lap toward the greenwater, & just pushed up against the boat, sending me deep. I bounced off the bottom & popped up right on the edge of the boil, recirc'ing back to the right gorge wall (again), but I was far enough downstream this time that i was able to grab a little bit of the wall & pull myself out ... Into the logjam which was pretty scary ... after that it wasn't so bad. My paddle & boat stayed in the hole for at least another 5 minutes before I was able to get 'em out & send them downstream through the wood. Then I got to climb up & dive in & swim across the creek. 

Yay kayaking!


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## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

*ummm no swims here yet.....*

Yet being the operative word. But I did see a few on Homestake before, during, and after the race, including a couple nasty ones. Almost swam on Grizzly with a surprise hole I don't remember being there (I could just be going senile).

Cutch, Henry said to tell you he didn't swim the 8-Ball at Teva, even after trash talking to Hobie.


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## st2eelpot (Apr 15, 2008)

*The Little, Smoky Mountains*

This winter the South East was in such a drought, I only bothered taking a playboat- left my creek boat out west. Then, of course, tons of rain in March, so things started going off. The only thing I thought I could get on without a creek boat was the Little- the Sinks to the Elbow (class 4, creekish)... right about at flood stage.

So, I took my Necky Orbit Fish (too big for me really) down the thing, chasing and helping rescue the locals creek boats, when we get to the Sinks, last rapid we're going to run. Left channel is bad (trees, pins, potential drowning), but the right, as powerful as it looked, was great. Once on the right line, even upside down, it'd go fine, then stops in a pool. About 10ft before getting into the 'right line, left line' spot I cartwheel and poof, upside down, I have no idea which way I'm going. Too violent for me to get the paddle around to roll, and decided to pop the cork. If I'm on the right line then I have the recovery pool, and if I'm left I don't want to pin upside down against the trees. 

I popped, found that I was, indeed, on the right line, collected my gear, and climbed out in front of all the locals. It was then they told me they wouldn't run it any higher in creek boats! Ah well.

Another day of winter in the south.
Dave


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Well, thanks to Paul for catching everyone up on our NSV run. It was relatively mellow, except that most of the carnage happened to me instead of being spread around the group. I guess I was the victim that day. 

However, I figured it was important to get out a couple of beautiful Source runs that occured late last week. I was the guide for a lady friend and another first timer. The first timer hadn't scouted, but he was solid so I told him to just get right behind me so I could show him the lines....famous last words as always. I had never seen said lady swim and vice versa, so the pressure was on. Of course I dropped the hole right above dead hiker, pitoned and side surfed. Both people boofed over me and rudely didn't knock me out of the hole. I hung in until exhausted and then pulled. First timer barely escapes Dead Hiker blind, in front. Easy, super embarassing swim for me. We fix the situation and then M catches the pin rock past the two downed trees and flips. She swims after being beaten by the river bed. Boat pins on the takeout cheesegrater. First lap, 1 hour, 20 minutes including boat recoveries.

So we run into FRF, Wigston and Forrest at the takeout. They putin at least a half hour ahead of us on our second lap. Now the water's juicin - call it med-high. Lady drops into the same hole I swam out of on lap one. Brutal swim to the lip of dead hiker. As I'm running down the bank after her, I run right into Forrest. Obviously they've had problems which I'll leave FRF to discuss at length. After extensive further scouting post swim, newbie then proceeds to side-surf dead hiker. Swim. If you include looking for a paddle which we never found (Red Powerhouse) that lap was probably 2 hours.

All in all, everyone from my group swam, and out of 9 laps there were 7 swims. I love that run. It always provides pure entertainment. Can you believe that it's barely a mile?
Joe


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## C-dub (Oct 7, 2007)

*Swam Big Cottonwood Creek(UT)*

Busted my jackson in CO, so I borrowed my buddys Riot thunder(never been on the water). The Creek was running at the season peak flow. You could hear bolders rolling in the stream bed. I got nocked into the first hole and got beat down in the first 50 yards of the run. Came out with the nose busted open and taking water 
Eddy Flower Kayaking Image 
Made it through the entirety of the meat including the riverwide hole a mile down. Filled with water, got flipped and my knee hit the deck and I was sunk. One Broken toe and Bruised from the tailbone up. Damn expensive 4 days.
Bottoms up!!!
Craig

Utah has a similar thread running here.
High Jim's swim team '08 - EddyFlower Forum


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

I guess I didn't technically "swim," though I was extracted from my pinned boat and plopped on shore.


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## ryguy (Jan 19, 2005)

The weekend we had one swim on middle ten-mile resulting in a shoulder injury, he spent the rest of the weekend road trip as shuttle bunny. And a certain Oregon based class V paddler got thoroughly worked in Slaughterhouse falls, actually a very scary underwater expedition resulting in a Broken/ maybe broken nose. Word of note, the right hole on slaughterhouse falls will take you deep. 

A mile later, Oregon paddler broke is paddle in half resulting in long hike up bike path with a bloody nose and bruised ego.


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## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

*How about a "Beat-down" contest?*

Anyone up for it?

(laughing) who might this "certain" Oregon paddler have been? Please tell me his name wasn't Tony or Austin


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## ryguy (Jan 19, 2005)

Not Tony or Austin, sorry I will have to let him fess up. Cheers.


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## &d (Apr 28, 2006)

[epic]
Since the scarred husk of what was once my boat has resurfaced ala the corpse at the end of Deliverance, but in Pick-Up-Sticks of Vallecito instead of Georgia, I can no longer hide my head in the sand. Here is the dirt:

Me and some other lame brained dude got a hair up our butts and decided to go run vallecito before work. Im reminded of someones comments in the safety thread, if you don't have time to go creekboating, do not go creekboating. We got the the putin, finished gearing up, realized we were running late and got in blue angel formation. 

My boof was early and too far right, I was getting beat down practically behind the curtain. After carping alot and trying numerous rolls on both sides, pop out goes the boater. Thats when I saw the other guy's boat upside down in the backwash. I guess he went too far left and boofed too early or not at all and suffered skirt implosion.

So to recap, its 6:30 am, Vallecito is running 2.3 and both members of the party are swimming below Entrance Falls simultaneously.

I flushed river left and grabbed the cliff, unaware of the cave of luv and it's escape route, I grabbed a jug on the gorge walls and started doing pullups. They got harder and harder each time. Eventually they became practically impossible and I was a long ways from escape. I didn't realize what the problem was yet, but I was sure my legs had stopped working. 

Seeing homeboy dry on a log-pile on the cave got me to thinking my odds for survival were better over there, so I swam on in, but could not crawl out of the water. "GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!" "YOUR GOING TO GET HYPOTHERMIA, GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!" My legs would not function and I feared spontaneous paralysis. I was hoisted/rolled up on the logpile and thats when it was noted that my drysuit legs were totally full of water. Ice-cold, 6:30 am Vallecito water. 

One boat got roped up, the other boat, my boat, which would have been easily recoverable if I wasn't in fight or flight mode, sank later that day and was presumed gone for good.

Secretly I hoped it was gone for good because then it wouldn't be something I was duty bound to recover. I hated that boat anyway. 

The boat is back, if you see it say hello for me.

Apologies all the way around for my inability to go recover it until the 23 of June.


Ohyeah and I swam Pyrite too trying to melt the meat at 1.8k, for the exact same reason too "Gee guys we better get moving we don't have a lot of daylight left, watch me bomb Pyrite wheeeee!"

Booty beers have been taken. Ego severely bruised, and Vallecito protocol drastically re-evaluated. Thanks all.


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## atom (Jan 14, 2004)

*WOW*

I say so far, TG and &D take the cake for there swim adventures. Everyone be safe out there. Atom...


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## thecraw (Oct 12, 2003)

&d...

I lost a dear friend in that spot two years back... I don't think you and I have ever met, but you have no idea how good it is to hear you are safe and good to paddle another day. My heart was pumping just reading your thread. Guess I am not nearly over it.

I would like to know what happened to your drysuit? Your description sounds like you didn't zip? If so, that is about the scariest thing I can think of whenever I put mine on.


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## oliverdeshler (May 8, 2008)

*upper box swim*

Alright. Saw Bigg's post and figured I would fess up too. Swimming on the upper box at 2200 could be really bad but fortunately for me it was pretty benign. Got stuffed in a shitty pocket after a shitty slot in boulder fan (inconsequential at low water) which none of us scouted very well. Andy surfed it with me but I got the brunt. I was on shore with boat and paddle a mere 50 yards downstream. 
I have to agree with Biggs - the embudo ranks with the best of creeks and the upper box at 2200 was even better. New Mexico is the shit when it's going off! Thanks Atom for the killer weekend and come up soon when the Big South is in. Biggs- I saw the ice cream photo and agree with you fully!


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## &d (Apr 28, 2006)

Yeah I've been plagued by thoughts of wtf happend with that drysuit. I bled the air out of it after I put it on, so I think that rules out zipper issues.
I will never know, since I had the feet cut to get the water out before I climbed up out of the cave. It will never be the same drysuit again.

I hadn't known your friend at all, but if it is who I am thinking of, his name definately crossed my mind at the time, my condolences go out. 

Its one thing to be comfortable with dying, a lot of hair boaters will say they are, but for the people who love you to be comfortable with you dying .. it never works like that. 

Yeah, careful out there. 
&d out


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## perropirana (Mar 28, 2006)

atom said:


> Fess up, I'll go first. Swam at the slot on the Embudo while half of Colorado's Frontrangers watched. Dana and crew had also just rafted the slot clean. Very embarrassing moment for me. We all have them. Fess up! Atom...


I still need to drink that beer for Embudo...I swam the Embudo after a shoulder injury and the Santa Cruz.
Leo.


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## doublet (May 21, 2004)

&d - can you elaborate on the cave escape route? I've heard it mentioned a couple of times, but nobody has ever explained the details...


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## &d (Apr 28, 2006)

First of all (duh) the cave escape route is no substitute for proper safety.

Having said that, its pretty narrow, if you weigh more than 160 or so it might not go. I had to take my lifejacket off to squeeze through, and I weigh 140 at 5'6". If you ever find yourself in that cave (hopefully in your boat at a nice low flow) look up where the water is falling down from, that's your escape route. It isn't very obvious, fortunately I was with someone who knew about it.


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## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

...and &D pulls into the lead...

Yikes!


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## Phillips (Feb 19, 2004)

Swam on Clear Creek of the Ark twice at 350. Lost two paddles and broke my boat before the second swim in the second gorge. Had to hike/climb out of the second gorge. Man I'm out of shape. had to lay down in the grass and pray that heart rate would eventually drop below 140. Way too young for an MI. Bruised shoulder, ass, feet and ego. Does anyone know where I can get a new creeker


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

okay this is for someone else since he doesn't do internet. his name is BH aka coverboy and he swam vallecito both yesterday (entrance) and today (no way out). it didn't sound too pretty but he is okay of which I am very glad since he is a dear friend of mine. be careful out there boys and girls. If he can swim anyone can.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

Swam today in the run-out of Sports Car on the Poudre Narrows. Got knocked down by a lateral when I wasn't paying attention, and then when I set up to roll my paddle snagged a rock and was pulled out of my hands.

You may note that there is another thread about my lost paddle. Myself and my boat are fine. The drysuit works.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Man &d, glad you got out ok, that sounds bad. Honestly though, are you not fessing up to zipping up the suit all the way or something? I don't see how that much water could get in your suit without it being obvious what happened. I just got a drysuit this year and made the rookie mistake of leaving the relief zipper open during a run - scared me straight.

I've had one swim on Canyon Creek in Washington. It was on the Big Kahuna, the main waterfall on the run. Apparently I didn't know what I was doing (what do I know about waterfalls...) because I thought I was on line, but when I hit the bottom I did a monster stern squirt out of the water, my boat caught air and I flipped over backwards, rolled right up, but the water was pushing hard into a slightly undercut wall on the river right. Before I could paddle away, I hit the wall, flipped, and then rolled up again against the wall. I thought I'd made it as I put my arm against the cliff wall to brace myself, but got flipped again, tried to roll but got rejected under the undercut and think I swallowed a bit a of water on that failed roll. Tried to set up again, but was getting nothing but wall. I'm sure a better man would have hung in there, but given that I knew I was in a giant pool, I pulled and swam my stuff to shore.


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## ski_kayak365 (Dec 7, 2003)

Got a swim on the class II- wavetrain under the highway 50 bridge at the start of Royal Gorge at 2800 today. Missed three rolls then started hitting rocks with shoulder and head. Was even thinking to myself that this is the dumbest swim ever as I pulled my skirt. Full self rescue to the 1st island. Sure better than a class V swim though.

....and yes, completed my booty beer requirement...


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## BastrdSonOfElvis (Mar 24, 2005)

*Weak ass RG swim*

Royal gorge today with some friends in a raft. Beers all around at corner pocked (below just about everything). Ditched my paddle in the raft and decided to use hand paddles the rest of the way:

4 or 5 beers + hand paddles + high water = swim 

Got sucked down pretty low in a big eddy line for a bit, feet on the bottom looking up at the shimmery surface. Bashed around a bit. Lost a hand paddle. Deserved it.


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

haven't swam from my kayak (yet) this year. maybe i'm not challenging myself enough lately? but today i flipped a raft while guiding commercially at 1 & a half on the numbers. the flow was 2360 or so as of 7 AM. probably at least 2401.314 cfs by put in time.


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## MikeG (Mar 6, 2004)

*Not a Beatdown Contender*

I'm happy to report that I'm not a contender for the beatdown contest but I felt like I needed to answer Atom's call or suffer ridicule next time I see him. I swam in Spencer Heights today in the last bigger rapid with the right to left move followed by a big hole. I tried to hold my line despite the river requesting I go far left and dropped into a squirrelly hole that flipped me. After trying a few rolls and getting the snot beat out of me on some rocks I yanked the skirt, grabbed my boat and Oliver helped pull me to the side before the hole. On the positive side, I got to run a new stretch of Rustic looking for the paddle I lost (Yellow/Gray AT3)- it's a pretty fun stretch. On the negative side, I never found the paddle.


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## yourrealdad (May 25, 2004)

Swim number two for the season. Lame ass swim though. Broke all my paddles so I was hand paddling and went into Pineview and tried to surf the hole. I almost had it stable but then it just took my nose and flipped me. Rolled and was heading for the Disneyland splat but didn't get the greatest angle, dropped into the hole and missed a roll. Then I stopped moving tried rolling about five more times and was carping like I never carped before and then realized that I was pinned against Highside rock and was going nowhere. After another ten seconds of trying to find my skirt handle I pulled. Total BS. I haven't swam that rapid since the first time I ran it.


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## walrus (Feb 20, 2007)

*swim team*

1 - Canyon Creek pin to step out with a torn skirt
2 - Eagle Creek (Punchbowl) over the handles to auto eject
3 - Canyon Creek (prelude)
4 - Green Truss (big brother) already gotten roped out of an earlier drop fortunately stayed in the boat and blame the swim on being tired (lame!)
5 - Little White Salmon (Master Blaster) broken paddle 
6 - Patria pin to step out in a tweener bs rapid
7 - Little White Salmon (Stovepipe) plugged and decided to go caving
8 - Little White Salmon (Boulder Garden) pin to step out 
9 - Eagle River (Slurry) claimed in the last hole 

I have now accumulated more swims in 2008 then all my previous seasons added together, looking for that magical # 10...and oh yeah I don't drink booties or buy ice cream!


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## the_dude (May 31, 2006)

i'll fess up my first swim of the year. it was lame. poudre - pineview. i was in the eddy where the gauge is painted when i noticed my buddy carping after a flip in the first ledge hole. i saw him go down disneyland upside down, so i peeled out rather quickly and ran the top busy water and got a little jacked up in there. the ledge hole flipped me. i rolled up and eddied out in the normal place. ran disneyland and got flipped in the busy water run out. rolled again. got flipped again and floated into the large house rock river left at the end of the rapid. thought i was going to broach, so i freaked and pulled. i surfaced in the very calm and deep water in the runout to the rapid. ridiculous.


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## shady (Jun 7, 2006)

*So...I thought I was a class 3+ boater!*

So my friend go to run The Taylor today, Taylor Caynon Run. The book calles it a 3+ run. The Gauge was reading like 684 but above on The Upper Upper Taylor its reading 895 best we could figure it was some where arround 900cfs we figured more like class 4s-4-s. Any how... We put in below The Slot I made through Inniation and a few more rapids. All together I may have ran a mile and a half untill I went off a rock/pour over sideways and into a hole. The Sad thing is that my sorry ass for some unknown reason freezes up and pulls my skirt! First thought Dumb ass now what have you done. So after swimming a good 2-300 yards of holes waves and rappid I finaly get to a micro eddy after the undercut cliffs I swam by. My boats a quater mile down river(Thanks Mike) on the bank and I have to skirt cliffs, rocks and willows to get to it. As Im trying to get to my boat I twist my ankel in a rock. (what a F--kin puss) Now Im pissed off, and hurt I portage untill I feel comfortable to put on again (wow what a puss) After a short ride down the river I finaly take out on the road side and walk down to the car. Total walk of shame along the Taylor River! I thought I was a better boater than this! Im not making excuses but Im thinking that this run was a class 4 and not a eddying hopping beginer run "for the novice to experiment and experience" (New Testament) This was a read and run hole stacking, ass kicking run today! Needless to say I got my but kicked but the Taylor river I should have known better than to put on there today! Margerita was bought for Ice Cream and I will Drink My Bootie Beer. As you all know the River Gods are always listening!

Be Safe Out There!


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## sandoz (Jul 13, 2005)

The Taylor is no slouch........ I have seen it take many boaters(including me this season). I got flipped surfing a wave and ran a couple rapids upside down before I started taking rock head shots! Commence pullage and I swam into the first eddy I saw..... I was pissed at myself but it opened my eyes to what people take for routine(It is my after work stress relief run). None of my friends do booty beers so I will have to drink one next time I am at Atom's place sitting around the fire.........


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## shady (Jun 7, 2006)

sandoz said:


> The Taylor is no slouch........ I have seen it take many boaters(including me this season).
> 
> Thanks I feel a little bit better after reading your post. I lived in CB for 8 years and ran it years ago. I never thought it was a III+ I always thought is was a IV+ at big water. I cant seem to figure how the Top was at 895 and the lower at 1250 and the upper below The Slot was 685cfs???????


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

i was on the taylor this weekend too, but we ran from deadmans to almont.

the gage says 1170 in almont at 700 at the dam, which means there is roughly about 850-950 in the Upper, depending on just how much is coming down Spring Creek.

There are several medium feeder streams in the canyon the help make up the difference between the Dam flows and Almont flows. Spring Creek is usually the biggest, but lottis, excelsior, and crystal creeks all add their respective flows before the Upper section.

sorry to hear about your swim, glad you're alright....I always thought the Upper got a little easier at these levels. The main waves and holes get bigger but with that much water sloshing down it opens up innumerable other lines, including sneak channels. just be ready for the big lateral at the bottom of the slot and thats it......i would call the top section (holy mirroli, the slot, initiation, and the squeeze/phils flume) class III+/IV- at these high levels but the rest of the river is still III all the way....


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## arenella76 (Jan 17, 2007)

Got my rubber swim in and my hard boat swim as well. Floating down the San Juan outside off Bluff Utah, enjoying the sun and frosty adult pops when I give up the oars to my friend 2Finger. I sit down to enjoy a one-e and up comes Goverment Rapid (class 3 tops). Well in I went...don't worry, saved the one-e. Hardboat...cruising down Castle and got squirted, tried and tried and tried to roll to no evail. When I was finished talking to the trouts and out of breath, well you know the rest. Pulled knowing it was gonna suck...and I was right.


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## barret (Jun 2, 2006)

*Another bruised ass*

Most are probably tired of reading 6 pages of swims at this point, but I always feel compelled to admit my own, to myself as much as anyone else. I also like to say, whenever I swim, that I'm glad to have gotten my swim out of the way for the season, which itself warrants another beat down...
So my _first_ swim this year was on Clear Creek at 500cfs. Hit the rocks left of center in the entrance drop, and went upside down before I finished blinking. A few weak ass, off-the-couch roll attempts went nowhere, so I blew hatch and initiated an everything must go yard sale. Swimming thru that next 4 foot ledge hole, then the meat of Mr. Bill's wasn't that fun, especially hitting my ass on rocks deep in the hole. Fortunately my bro's suggested I keep all that gear, so they collected it all neatly on shore for me. Not sure why the booty beer wasn't enforced, I think I looked too pathetic and beat down. 
I wonder when I'll swim next...


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## SSOWDEN (Apr 29, 2004)

*Nude swim*

Boofinton and I ran Big South in some old pbr half barrells, pdf's only. Man it was a lot harder than I thought but I had my whistle. After some serious carnage we decided upper mish would be more our level. Serious carnage on mish as well. I guess all the whistle blowing attracted the rollers 'cause although we only saw two police officers in one police car on our way to the put in, when we got to mish inn there were five police officers and three police cars. They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. We lost one of the barrels so were charged with littering rather than public nudity. Now my fingerprints are in whitehall house.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

I took my first swim in two years yesterday on Lower Mish just below Ouzel. Sticky ass ledge hole that I dropped into as I was dozing off in the flatwater. Had to take a deep greenwater dive to get out although my boat flushed right away.


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## Force (Apr 27, 2004)

Where the hell is FRF (aka front range fish) admittance???


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## Jay H (May 20, 2005)

*great thread! here's mine from paddlefest*

I posted these in the other weekend carnage thread, but I'll post 'em again just to add to the list:

pine creek hole and #4 swims from Paddlefest--first time in pine ck, first class V attempt--ran upper pine creek solid, then hit the left move above the hole too high, spun out, then flipped, after giving up on the brace, thinking "I'll just roll right up" --uh-uh, the boiling water wasn't having any of that (note to self: never give up on the brace) so then proceeded to go into the hole upside down and yardsaled my boat and paddle--thanks to Eric, Andy, Dan, and Clint variously for the bulls-eye rope throw, gear recovery, gear ferrying, etc. Then, fell asleep at the wheel into a nice rock on # 4 which sent me right over, into about 10" deep water, dragging on the rocks which wouldn't allow me to set up my paddle to roll, while simultaneously crushing my knuckles--hello, can u say offside roll? That was a pretty painful day!

I have to say that I like this thread--good for the frequently bruised ego to know that I'm not the only swimmer in the state, even if I am pretty much the only swimmer in my crew


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