# My Marble Mile swim



## fids11 (Nov 26, 2009)

Embarrassing, but this is such a cool online community, that i figured I'd share my experience swimming and losing a boat yesterday and hoping this can be a learning tool for beginner and intermediate boaters. (Sorry if this is lengthy). I've learned tons reading threads like this so maybe this can help. I'm in my 2nd year of kayaking, having a terrific season and running alot of sections that are new to me. I feel confident in my skills but not OVERLY confident and consider myself an intermediate. A friend and I have been eyeing the upper section of the Bogan Canyon run for some time and decided to give it a go yesterday. Neither of us had run it before but i've read as much as I can in WWSR, CRC, Eddyflower, and MB and was confident I would be fine. Wasn't even concerned about the WW (not smart), just the wood really. We scouted all the roadside stuff we could and dropped in at the Yule Quarry Bridge. Well, hell, 15 minutes into the 'Marble Mile', this is what happened...

Swimming in the Marble Mile on Vimeo

I'm fine, lucky to not get caught in a strainer (there are alot of them in certain channels up there), but ego-bruised and now boatless! Happy to be out safely though. Lessons learned for me:
1. When trying to step up your game on a section you've never done, THINK TWICE ABOUT GOING AT FLOOD LEVEL, maybe let it drop to a more manageable level.
2. GO WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE IT BEFORE AND KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT.
3. KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE GETTING INTO FOR SURE.
4. IF YOU MISS A ROLL IN TURBULENT WATER, KEEP ROLLING IF YOU'RE NOT HURT, GETTING OUT OF THE BOAT IS WAY WORSE THAN BEING IN IT. (duh!, And, yes, these lessons are in all caps, i'm yelling...)

I'm sure there is much more to be learned and I'll proceed cautiously from now on for sure. Actually, i just got a phone call that my boat was found, so that's great news! Hopefully, someone in my shoes trying to decide if they should try something new, that's harder than what they've been doing, this swim will help them make an informed decision. Feel free to comment or razz me if you want, i deserve it. My swim was far from perfect, but all i wanted to do is get the hell out of the river! Suggestions are welcome as well, happy paddling everyone


----------



## Theophilus (Mar 11, 2008)

Good stuff man. Glad to hear you're getting your boat back. Nice piece of river. Is that your paddle shaft at the end in the brush? If so, way to hold onto it. 

What happened to your Wingman?


----------



## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

Great honest and informative post. Glad you got out okay and your gear was recovered. The Marble Mile has certainly looked tempting and it would be easy to justify jumping in. Thanks for illustrating the consequences humbly and vividly. 

I personally didn't see any error in the "oh shit moment", only a quick shift to Plan B which I think you executed successfully without pulling anyone else into a dangerous situation.


----------



## fids11 (Nov 26, 2009)

No that's just a stick. Lost the paddle before i lost the boat - total yard sale! My wingman was the first one in (he's hard to see in front of me because of the chest cam and the sun reflection - oh, and the large waves that completely OWNED me), go thru clean and pulled over in some brush a little further upstream. He got out as fast as he could (no eddies anywhere) and was literally running thru the bush screaming for me, throw rope in hand. By that time i had self-rescued and was out of the river. NathanH. PM'd me and also said I should've been with a bigger crew as well - completely agree with that! Learned alot from this one... Cheers


----------



## psu96 (May 9, 2006)

*+ feedback*

it's hard to tell but it looks like your paddle strokes good use some work. your arms look rigid or something...fwiw


----------



## openboat (Jul 13, 2004)

Glad it all worked out. Spooky with no eddies anywhere.


----------



## dehamerj (Oct 18, 2009)

Glad your ok! May I ask what it means that his strokes look rigid? How do you fix that? Is it just as simple as trying to relax more...( a little tough for some beginners like me). Such a mental sport!


----------



## gannon_w (Jun 27, 2006)

Yep arms do look rigid...meaning for the first part it doesn't look like you're bending your elbows. I've never worn a camera on my chest though so it appears you may be holding your paddle out in front to not hit the camera?

This is honestly the first time I've seen a chest cam perspective as most wear them on their heads...It makes the swim seems really bad as I kept thinking your head was taking a thrashing.

You say abandon the ww swim position? Let me correct that...you went from going down river in the ww (lounge chair) position to an aggressive swim which was the correct thing to do. Keep yourself safe in the LC position and work towards the sides/island or whatever...but when it's time to swim aggressive SWIM! You did it correctly so there was no "abandoning" going on. Good Job!


----------



## fids11 (Nov 26, 2009)

Yes, my strokes def need some work, no question! Gannon - no I do not need to keep my elbows straight to avoid hitting the camera, it's not even an issue when it's on my chest, my strokes technique just need refinement. It's not the camera, it's me. And, yes, the swim looks even worse cuz the camera keeps dipping underwater but the swim definitely wasn't a fun one either! thnks for all the nice comments everyone


----------



## Canada (Oct 24, 2006)

You learned a good lesson. Now, get with two class 4 boaters and get back on that today. You were gripping because it was something new. You're a better boater than that and that same wave would of seemed like nothing on a run you've been down before. Get with someone that knows the lines and follow them through. A decade from now you'll look back and think how could I have ever swam in that section!


----------



## panicman (Apr 7, 2005)

Hey, the occasional beat down will make you a wiser smarter boater in the future. Go jump back on that horse and get yah some.


----------



## earthNRG (Oct 24, 2003)

Some additional technique feedback: you'll find more stability if you lean into the laterals and lean downstream more. When I say lean in, I mean from the hips, not the shoulders, so that you are only rotating the boat along its long axis, but your body is still centered and upright. Another way to think about it is to keep upward pressure on your upstream knee so that the current is always pushing on the hull of your boat. Doing this will take the bite out of those curling laterals like the one that flipped you, and once you're solid with the technique, you can take those laterals sideways no sweat.


----------



## flipper42 (Apr 8, 2011)

Took a swim on the arkansa around house rock lost my diesel 80 that was recovered but it really dropped my ego and i havent really hit anything else as of late the colorado river near me is flooding and really flat and fast but i ready to get back on the horse again.

Glad your ok looked pretty scary thats for sure your lucky!


----------



## powdahound76 (Jul 20, 2006)

Nice self rescue. Looks like a tough place to get out with the creek to high and all trees and "loose"wood around. I definently side with earthNRG about leaning the boat on the long axis. Someone taught me that a few years back and I practiced on my regular class III relaxing fun run, doing everthing sideways in a playboat. Now it is just an instinct in laterals. One quick question, what clothes to you wear on bottoms? I have started to wear NRS rodeo pants with pads on legs on bigger runs with decent swim potential. Knock on wood, havened used em, but 2mm neoprene is a pretty good pad and keeps me way warm in the water when rafting or practicing swim/rescue techniques. I also use a fleece under my drytop and a skull cap, warm warm warm. I do agree, get back on the horse. I personally would want to run something I know and am comfortable with, make a few rolls in deep wave trains to build confidence, then get back on it. Good on ya, that creek looks awesome, and be safe man.


----------



## Theophilus (Mar 11, 2008)

I've got the same chest rig and somebody told me with it I'd see less paddle in the video. Not sure that is true but I figured that's what you had. Nice to mess with the camera settings but not sure I'll keep it there. Good position for skiing though.

A friend had a similar event on the Upper Blue recently, fast continuous and no eddys. Hard to get a big boat stopped. One well meaning inexperienced boater who should not have gave chase to the empty boat, got tunnel vision, and swam as well. Three now chasing two boats and one remained behind to ensure the once boaters, and now walkers were OK. Got the boats but it was hard work.

Those were some pretty big trees the water was going through at your take out. That's what gets me psyched at uber high water when both banks become nearly continuous strainers and you know you have to swim there to get out.


----------



## hobie (Nov 3, 2003)

Didn't watch the video but I'm sure it's safe to say you too could go on the Today show and be a whiney little bitch like the Clear Creek kooks.


----------



## Gary E (Oct 27, 2003)

I hate swimming, seeing that reminds me how bad I hate it


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Gary E said:


> I hate swimming, seeing that reminds me how bad I hate it


No shit - I felt my anxiety level rising and mild panic set in while I watched that video. Hell of a lot more scary for me than watching vampires or murderers on TV...

And Hobie - at least he's not blaming anyone else or whining about how unexpectedly powerful water was!


----------



## hobie (Nov 3, 2003)

Its sarcasm Andy. Not mocking him but rather the Today Show toolbags. This guy rules, they suck.


----------



## smauk2 (Jun 24, 2009)

That sucks Fids, that would not be a fun place to swim at this level! Anyways you should be happy to know my group and I pulled out a yellow remix out of Bogan. Is your name Ryan? If so your boat misses you. I'll pm you the details.


----------



## mvhyde (Feb 3, 2004)

Awesome stuff Ryan. We all swim as we're ALL just in between swims. One point I could see some improvement on are your correction strokes. A lot of boaters overlook using quick correction strokes and even a good old Duffek once in awhile. Get with a very experienced creeker or a good slalom boater, they can really help you out. Anyways, glad you're alive and breathing and thanks for the cool consequences video!


----------



## ttr230 (Jun 24, 2011)

*Great job!*

What a self-deprecating, honest dude. Sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders & will continue to be a good kayaker. Enjoy getting back out there.


----------



## fids11 (Nov 26, 2009)

Wow, thanks again for the kind words everyone! I feel like i was awarded a MB award or something... Retrieved my boat this afternoon, storm rolled in while i was looking for it and got soaked AND hailed on - haha, that sounds about right for this swim. Boat is in great condition and thank you and props to Smauk2 and his buddy Chris for putting it on the riverbank for me. Although, how the hell am i supposed to convince my wife that I need to buy a LL Stomper now???  Got back in my old Pyranha last evening and buried some whitewater demons on the Roaring Fork to let myself know I can still make it down the river AND return home with all my shit! Like I said, the purpose of this thread is to help people learn, and hopefully some will get something out of this, God knows I did! I'm definitely going to hit that section again before the summer is over, but I think I'll wait til the water drops a bit and go with some folks that have been in there before. Cheers everyone, enjoy your 4th of July weekend!

Ryan


----------



## fids11 (Nov 26, 2009)

Well i got back on the horse this past weekend and got in on some Gore Creek East thru West Vail to the Dog Park. Felt like the section was definitely challenging but not over my head, and best of all, I came home with all my gear. Scouted ALOT more than I used to! Nice part out of my Marble swim was I got a new paddle out of the deal (although expensive!) - anyways here's the video of Gore Creek, a fun watch, i tried to make it look as epic as possible  - still working on my paddle strokes too... Anyways, lots of good water out there still everyone, stay safe and have fun! Enjoy

Gore Creek on Vimeo


----------



## CBrown (Oct 28, 2004)

That swim video is scary. You were hauling some ass. Way to be aggressive and get to shore.


----------



## brendodendo (Jul 18, 2004)

I got spanked on that section a decade ago. Now I run it regularly in the raft all the way to Redstone. 

The level has dropped considerably. Run it soon, or it will be gone. 

Glad you found your boat and got back on the horse.


----------



## KUpolo (May 24, 2005)

Great video and recap! Thanks for posting



psu96 said:


> it's hard to tell but it looks like your paddle strokes good use some work. your arms look rigid or something...fwiw


to me it is more about him needing to get his blade vertical when doing his forward stroke. It is fairly obvious in the video that his blade is out when it should be up. He'll generate much more power and stability by reaching forward a little more and getting that blade vertical.


----------

