Little White Salmon Goodies!!!

It had been four months to the day since I had sat in a kayak. My last time paddling had been in Chile, on the Rio Palguin, drunk as a skunk, and soaking up the summer sun. I was now in a drysuit, frantically stuffing makeshift hip pads into a broken Jefe which had been graciously given to me by my good friend Orion Meredith. The clouds overhead threatened rain, and a cool breeze rustled the trees. The Green Truss, the site of our evening paddle, was running at a juicy 4 feet, the highest I had seen it. Putting the butterflies aside, I strapped on my balls, and headed for put-in. All I could think about on the way down was, "What if I forgot how to kayak?". Four months is a long time, plenty of time to forget. I slowly tightened my backband and slid on my skirt, then pushed off into the silky green water. Immediately, I felt great. We rallied on downstream, Orion calling out beta over his shoulder, and routing me through the run. Two days later, we found ourselves at the put-in for the Little White Salmon, a juicy 3.8 on the gauge. Once again, Orion led the charge, bombing away through the goods. It was a perfect sunny day, with the perfect flow. Enjoy the pics of Boulder Sluice and Wishbone.

Orion Meredith portaging around an all to scary looking Spirit Falls.

O-Face, Boulder Sluice boofin.

Martin Belden Boulder Sluice.

Wishbone falls.

Martin hittin the boof at Wishbone.

Tomorrow we leave for Northern California on what promises to be another epic trip. Three people, one dog, enough margaritas for an entire Mexican village, and all the shit talking a person could ever hope for. Hope to see you all out there!

Rio Nevados

With its crystal clear waters, clean granite bedrock, and steep gorges, the Rio Nevados, near Pucon, Chile, is reminiscent of California creeking in the Sierra Nevada range. The glaring difference between the two however, is the lack of any sort of hike-in, and the fact that you can lap the Nevados in about 20 minutes once you know the lines. Hell, even if someone doesn't know the lines, it is possible to bomb through them in less than half an hour, with minimal amounts of carnage.

During the month I spent in Chile, we ran the Nevados at a variety of water levels, from boat breaking low, to hold onto your balls high water. The guidebook, which by the way, contains very marginal, at best, shuttle directions and information, says that the rapid above the put-in bridge should appear barely runnable and bony for an optimal flow downstream. At our highest water level, the rapid above the bridge looked juicy, and the normally dry protrusions of rock were lost underwater. Undaunted by the sight, our fearless leader, Xavier, told us to sack up and headed back to the truck, drysuit in tow, and an ear to ear grin plastered on his face. Even at this high flow, the run downstream was all good to go, with the exception of one spot, where the move is to ferry from an eddy on river left, into the curtain/hydraulic of the previous drop and then turn and burn into a mini gorge containing two drops, the latter of which has a rather sticky hole. At the high flow, the move from the eddy became an all out charge into the falls, only to be rejected harder than a nerd at a middle school dance. Eventually, we all decided to tuck tail and strike out overland in true team semi-marginal fashion.

The Rio Nevados is also home to the notorious Demshitz Drop, one of the rowdier drops I have run, and also maybe one of the most beautiful. (I have a video of the drop on the blog, but unfortunately, no photos.)

Xavier the Grizzly Man dropping into the Slide lead-in. That, by the way, is "Mr. Steve's" boat. Seriously, it says so on the sticker. It is also rumored to have super powers, and if you don't believe it then, well, you betta jus watch yaself bru.

Max Fisher running the first slide.

Mike Kobzik droppin into the must run at good juicy flow.

Frenchie gettin some steez on the wall boof.

Martin about to go deep off the must run during a low water run.

The Nevados is a must run creek for anyone spending time in the Pucon area, and with its proximity to town, and ease of access, lends itself readily to multiple laps during the day. Just remember your elbow pads.

Here is a short trailer I put together from the last month in Chile. It features the Rio Palguin and Rio Nevados. Stay tuned for more updates and video from the Salto Palguin!!!

Demshitz Drop Video

This is a short clip from the Demshitz drop on the Rio Nevados near Pucon, Chile.

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