Christmas Stout

Well, here we are, sitting in the Santiago airport as the days in Chile draw to a close. My goal of paddling until my gear, and myself fell to pieces has been met, and I am left with a feeling of immense satisfaction, and a slightly sore back.

Christmas Day dawned bright and sunny, promising to hold some stouts in the near future, and we greeted the sun with a huge breakfast and a round of Bochi ball. Afterwards it was time to roll up to the Palguin, for my most anticipated day of the trip. Two weeks previously, we had scouted out the Salto Palguin and spent about 3 hours pulling out a massive log that blocked the entire falls. That day, lacking proper safety, and with the day growing late, we bagged out and decided that we would return. It turned out that on Christmas would be just that day. This time we returned, boats on shoulders, and tromped up to the put in. After a quick scout, I decided it looked good to go, and with safety and cameras in place, I hopped in my boat, and ferried into the river left eddy. Looking downstream, I felt surprisingly calm, maybe a bit naively, as I stared into the chaos downstream. I peeled out, charged the pillow, took the scariest boof stroke of my life, and began my plunge down 90 feet of whiteout. The hit at the bottom was somewhere between Muhammud Ali in his prime, and a speeding freight train. I basically exploded in the base of the falls, having my helmet and both elbow pads ripped off, as I simultaneously ejected from my boat, nearly losing my sprayskirt in the process. I went straight to the bottom of the river, where I had time to contemplate the immense pressure of the falls, as well as the very smooth stones that made up the river bed. It was in this moment that I knew my shit talking karma from weeks previous had finally caught up to bite me in the ass, and set things right in the world once again. But, all is well that ends well, and I would say despite the miniature Chernobyl incident at the base of the falls, that everything went pretty damn well. I owe a huge thanks to Mike and Ben at the bottom of the falls for pulling my gear out of the water, and Dave for a hand up onto shore, as well as Dave Hughes for the photos. After witnessing the meltdown, Seth decided to hold off, and wait for another day to run this drop. I can't say I blame him either...

We paddled down from the Salto to enjoy a nice lap on the upper Palguin, and then headed off to the Medio for some more Christmas treats. Seth fired off the stout ten, and then stuck the smoothest line I have seen off the 70, and Dusty fired off the stout for his first time since his arrival in Pucon. Good lines were had by all, well mostly good lines, as Kiwi Ben boofed the living hell out of the 70 and gave his back some grief. Fortunately, no serious damage.

Now, what everyone is waiting for...

Thanks to Emily Meredith and Dave Hughes for the photography!

Martin Belden and Seth Stoenner contemplating the lead in to Salto Palguin.

Salto Palguin.

Martin gettin ready to boof the right pillow.

A nice post-carnage shot. If you look close, you will notice that I am not wearing a helmet... but hey, who wears helmets anyways? It's more of just a fashion thing right?

Seth givin' 'er on the stout 10.

...And rollin off the 70 footer. Props to Emily on this photo angle.

Dustin Stoenner running the 70 footer for his first time, and of course, styling it.

Boofing the second drop of the first rapid on the upper Palguin.

Emily and Martin above the second drop, upper Palguin.

Coming soon...

Chile Video Teasers!

Huckin...

I thought that I would, in the spirit of kayak porn lovers worldwide, post some more pics from the first week of the Huck-Fest here in Pucon. Enjoy!

The boys celebrating another lap on the Middle Palguin stout.

Tzak the kangaroo master about to blow his skirt off...

...and the fist pump with a boat full of water.

Looking downstream from the 70 footer, into the lower section. Ya, it's paradise.

Xavier about to go deep. The day before he fired up the stout 10 above the 70, and stuck it beautifully, then decided to go with the seal launch on this lap, and flipped right above the big one. Haha. go figure.

Tzak running the park-n-huck on the Rio Coilaco.

Until next time...

Buenas Lineas!

Chile Update #1

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think that this is the perfect illustration of that quote. This is what Chile is all about... Sunshine, clear water, and big waterfalls with fluffy landings. I have now been in Pucon for around a week and in that time have been lucky enough to paddle the upper and middle Rio Palguin, the Rio Nevados, Rio Coilaco, and today, the Rio Llancahue.

Upon arriving in Pucon, I found myself in the midst of gringolandia, as kayakers from the states, England and Australia descended upon me as I sat at Kayak Chile in downtown. That afternoon, Ben, the owner, took us all up to his house where we lapped the upper Palguin, and then had a nice asado in the sun, accompanied by copious amounts of drinking. Welcome to Chile.

Melting into the oh-so-sweet stout on the Middle Palguin. The next day we went back and ran it again after a few laps on the upper. Ya, it's just that good.

Park-n-huck wonderland. After a few laps on the Nevados, we decided to stop and run this beautiful 30 footer near the road on the way home.

Stay tuned for more updates from the land of endless whitewater...

Truss Tales: Show me your O-Face!

Due to the lack of water, and steadily dropping temperatures in the beautiful state of Montana, I made my way over to the kayaker's mecca of Hood River this past weekend with my good friend Rosalynn West to meet up with the famous, and rougishly handsome, Orion Meredith. I don't know if Orion really is famous, but I think he's a good candidate for star studded glory. And besides, anyone who can muster the confidence to sport the nickname O-Face, deserves an applause, even if he had no choice in the matter. Haha, Thanks Crissler. You are sorely missed out here on the left coast.

Orion Stompin Big Brother

After leaving Missoula around 9:30, we drove staight through to the outskirts of Hood, rolling into a rest area 10 miles out of town around 5 in the a.m. Luckily, I got to ride shotty the entire way as Rosalynn made the marathon drive. Friday dawned bright and sunny, and the water running under the Green Truss bridge was sparkly, and suprisingly low. Fortunately, the run downstream was still of the highest quality, and Big Bro was boof-alicious. Also, with the lower water came the opportunity for some Little Brother freewheelin, with partial success. This was Rosalynn's first trip down the Truss, and she styled her way down, portaging only the biggest bits, and making some highly amusing seal-launches, one of which was right in the middle of Upper Zig-Zag. Orion's first run off Big Brother was an amazing boof-to-melt-to-almost flip in the cave-and finish with a nice eddy catch in the pocket. Trying to stop the fits of giggles that overtook me at that point, I hopped in my boat and fired away. Good lines all the way through, and saweeet boofs over BZ was the name of the game for Friday and Saturday, and a quick hike up Eagle Creek on Sunday to drool over Metlako, which was too low to run, rounded out a great weekend in the partially sunny Northwest.

Rosalynn and Orion scoutin it up. Is Rosie throwin a shocker?!

Rosalynn running a drop somewhere in the gorge.


Big Bro self portrait.

Martin hittin the boof-o-matic flake.

Cali-Rally: Burn Fest 2010

4 a.m. pacific standard time, and the dilapidated red subaru rolls into Arcata, fully loaded with creek boats and enough caffeine to kill a horse. Out of the doors roll two stinky, and redbull powered souls, buzzing with excitement.

Now rewind 16 hours.

It is just after noon, in Coeur d'Alene Idaho, I'm done pounding nails for the weekend, and its off to Portland to pick up Orion and rally down to Trinity county for the Cali-Burn Fest! Upon nearing Portland, I get a call from Orion that went something like this:

"Hello"

"Yee haw BRG baby!!"

"F*ck ya dude, I'm almost to Portland, where you at?"

"Dude, I backed a f*ckin bus into my car at the Green Truss put-in!"

"......."

"Wanna meet us in Hood River? I think I blew my radiator."

So, I stopped in Hood, waited for the limping Nissan to show up, and after deciding that it was just the AC crushed, and thankfully not the radiator, we made it to Portland.

After leaving Portland, I semi blacked-out into a caffeine and ecstasy induced haze. (Ecstasy here meaning the feeling of euphoria due to huge amounts of excitement, not the drug.) Next thing i knew, we rolled into Arcata.

Friday: Big Air Comp, Camel Rock.

Well, just as was to be expected from past expereince, the surf at high noon, day of the surf comp, was dismal at best when viewed from the road. However, not to be deterred after so much driving, we geared up and grabbed out creekers for some surfing. As the afternoon wore on, the surf started to build and we made the move south to Moonstone in search of better rides. As usual, Mr. Will Parham was throwing down mad tricks, and Dan Menten caught some nice barrels as Orion and I proceeded to get trounced by the growing waves. In a unanimous vote, Will was named king of the surf.

Hennessy Free-wheel

Burnt Ranch Race:

Saturday dawned sunny and warm, with ample servings of shit-talking for all. I believe I told Orion I was going to boof on his head, which is ironic considering that I ended up being the one getting landed. Rolling into the finish line, I was stoked to be in third place out of the creek boats, and got a little trigger happy when boofing the flake at number 2. I flipped into the right wall, was landed on a few times, rolled up off the wall with no paddle, and after clinging desperately to the light and fresh air, was sucked stern first into the hole.

Thanks to Daniel Brasuel for capturing this moment.

During the next few moments, I had some profoundly clear thought on the topic of Karma, such as, "huh, the kid talking the most shit, is now the one entering that wonderful playland of rodeo swimming". Funny how life works sometimes. But out of it I learned a good lesson, the swim was totally worth it. Out bodies are made up mostly of water, and sometimes that full immersion is just plain good for the soul. As always, the after party was ragin, and the hangover lap the next morning sealed a great weekend on the water.

Big Thanks to Paul Gamache for all his hard work in making this event happen!! And remember, second weekend of October, Burnt Ranch Gorge. Bring your race face, and a cup. You're gonna need it for the kegs at the finish.

Orion Comin' in hot. Notice how the bow is angled for maximum stompage of Martin's face.

(Wes Shrek photo)

Martin about to f it all up. (Wes Shrek photo)

The Crew, post beer slalom, at Hennessy Rapid.

2009-2010 Creeking Compilation

South Branch Kayaking

Here is a short video, real short, I put together from this spring on the South Branch of the Middle Feather. Unfortunately the audio track did not pan out once uploaded, but I have been too busy, or maybe just too lazy to fix the issue. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

North Fork Trinity IV-V

The North Trin, as it is fondly referred to by North coast locals, is a spectacular 14 miles of whitewater in a secluded wilderness setting. The rapids are mostly class 3 and 4 with the occasional spicier section to keep things entertaining. We had a flow of around 750 cfs with sunny skies and temperatures near the 80s. Not bad for Northern Cali in April. Unfortunately, after a devastating computer crash, I was left with only two photos from the trip, both of myself. I know, completely narcissistic, but good pics anyways by the always oh so crisp, Ben York.

Typical boogie mank on the North Fork.

This is what the N.F. is all about! Good rocks, and Great Boofs!

Hood River Huxtables

Melissa DeMarie styling Celestial Falls


If Mother Nature hooked up with Disneyland, their love child would most likely resemble the Columbia River Gorge, with its slick views, and ample fodder for lusting huckers. That said, the Little White, a.k.a. L-Dub, and the Green Truss section of the White Salmon, are two outstanding sections of whitewater to be found in this area, and due to dismal water flows this spring, were also the only creeks running for the week we were there. Along with a quick lap on Sweet Creek (near Eugene), some carnage at the Money Drop, and one sweet line on Celestial, we managed to round out a week of paddling, partying, and escaping arrest.

A note on this last bit:

Money Drop on Rock creek is apparently illegal to run, as it lays on designated no trespassing property. We found this out the hard way... next time I think we'll dress as ninjas.

Trip Stats:

-5 People, 5 Swimmers

-2 Broken Boats

-1 person jumped on outside the Pub

-25+ Carbombs consumed on St. Patty's night

-5 pounds of Gummy bears consumed

-1 Spelunking adventure at Big Brother

Enjoy the Photos By Ben York

Martin Belden boofing Spirit falls on the Little White.

Famous Leif.

Peter running left at S-Turn on the Little White.


Orion Meredith stomping the line at Wishbone.


"Big Brother" on the Green Truss, White Salmon.


Ben York running Big Brother. (the notorious cave is visible on river right)


Melissa DeMarie at Little Brother after battling out of the cave at Big Bro.


Orion Blasting into Boulder Sluice, L Dub.


Martin running the center of Stovepipe, L Dub.


Double Drop, Green Truss.

This trip was made possible by the support of Adventure's Edge, the best place to find all your outdoor supplies in Arcata, and the new Adventure's Edge store opening in Eureka on April 15. Also, we wanna give a big thanks to the boys at the Beaver Lodge, for letting us crash their couches and drying lines for the week.

For Photo Information contact Ben York at benyorkovich@gmail.com

Sweet Creek, OR Video

Clear Creek (IV-V, P)

Clear Creek flows into the Klamath River just downstream from the town of Happy Camp on Hwy. 96. This is maybe the best class 4-5 creek in the area, and certainly one of my favorites. The entire run is chock full of high quality rapids consisting of good boofs, bedrock, and tight gorges.

The first mile of the run is the most difficult and continuous, and the first big rapid, although visible from the trail on the hike in, has a tendency to sneak up on groups, causing its fair share of carnage. Downstream from the bridge over Clear Creek is the one mandatory portage of the run. Portage on the right. Also, note that the eddy for the portage is right at the lip of the drop, and at higher flows (over 900 cfs on the Indian Creek guage) it may be necessary to eddy out up higher to avoid rolling backwards into the portage. Below the portage are a few small rapids, and then the final gorge of the run. The final rapid is a must run and one of the best on the creek.

Will Parham stoked to be hiking in the sunshine.

Peter Malkin boofing the right side of the first large rapid.

Will about to boof, and get chundered, in the entrance of the first big one.

Will with a nice rock slide.

Melissa DeMarie lining up the boof in the second rapid.

Martin Belden boofing away...

Will making the move through the curler, which feeds to the left into less friendly waters.

Martin in another classic Clear Creek rapid.

Melissa running right in the same drop.

Peter boofing big in the entrance of one of the larger rapids on the creek.

Take-out:

From Hwy. 96, turn west onto Clear Creek road, about 10 miles south of the town of Happy

Camp, just north of the Clear Creek bridge. Follow signs that lead to the Clear Creek trailhead.

After driving 5-6 miles, look for a Forest Service river access sign on the left side of the road.

Park here, and make sure to scout the take-out, as the trail leading back to the road can be easy

to miss.

Put-in:

Continue driving up the road until it ends at the trailhead. Hike about one mile upstream and

put in where the trail meets the creek.