Back in the 'yak

I knew I needed to get back in my kayak as soon as possible after my last trip in the kayak (see older posts if you don't know what I'm talking about). Last week I R2'd the Chili Bar stretch of the South Fork American River with a good friend and we had a blast, especially surfing the hole in 3rd Threat. Fun stuff. But this week I had plans for a gallant and triumphant return to kayaking on...the Gorge (South Fork American) at 1350 cfs. Yes, the Gorge, a classic. I feel pretty comfortable on this run considering I've rafted it a couple hundred times and it was the first class 3 run I ever attempted in a kayak. Despite my proficiency with this river my nerves were on high, but I was ready to give it a go.

We had an interesting crew and I wish I had my camera with me to get photographic evidence of the R1 (in a paddle cat), oar rig with different sized oars, and two of us kayakers. It was a great day, good weather and good company. I felt good leading up to the Gorge and very nervous as I dropped into Fowler's Rock which, at our flow, is not a very challenging rapid. But I managed to ride an eddy line and get myself flipped. 3 bad roll attempts later I was upright and I was cold! The next major obstacle was Satan's which I eddied out top left and tried to ride the top of the wave into the lower river right eddy. I did not make this move successfully and was pushed left into the big hole. I, of course, got flipped but managed to roll properly and was up after 1 try. I lost my confidence though, and was a bit wobbly the rest of the way. Successful runs of Bouncing Rock and Hospital Bar (always a favorite of mine) helped ease the nerves and I considered the day to be an overall success. I'll be spending more time on some easier rivers before getting out into the big stuff again but I'm OK with that. Below is a picture of me raft guiding Satan's Cespool a couple years ago.

Blue Ridge Loop Day Hike

Last weekend I was looking for a hike near Sacramento to take my girlfriend for a fun day in the sun. I took a friend's recommendation and looked up the Blue Ridge Loop trail along Putah Creek and Lake Berryessa just outside Winters, CA. I found some info on the Sierra Club trails site and it looked great.
So we went. It is a 5 mile loop and fairly difficult. There is a good amount of elevation gain and three different peaks to hike up. I loved the mixed terrain throughout the hike. The views are gorgeous, Lake Berryessa to one side and a deep canyon on the other. We hiked the loop backwards, starting at the more westward trail access. Enjoy the pics. The weekend we went was President's Day weekend, and a 60 degree Saturday afternoon so the trail was absolutely packed, but it didn't deter from our experience. 5 out of 5 stars for this one!

Crazy Coincidence - the follow up to last post

UPDATE:::::::::::::::  Above is the video that is mentioned below. Chilling footage.

Yesterday morning (Wednesday) I get a call at 8am from one of the friends who witnessed my escape from the sieve. He sounds a little shaken up and tells me that I'll never believe what he is watching online at that moment. It turns out that on Tuesday a kayaker made the same mistake as me, in the same spot, on the same rapid, and swam into the same sieve. Yes, I know! Unbelievable. "So, two guys swim into a sieve..." Right?

So I read his account, watch the video and I am in disbelief. The video looked exactly how I remembered the lead in to the sieve. It looked like my memory was playing out right there online. Here's the craziest part of it all. He goes under and in the video you see my kayak. My kayak! It was so strange to see it there. Well, the kayaker happened to go into the sieve headfirst, he became wedged between my kayak and the bottom of the river but pull himself out through the sieve! He swam through it. I couldn't believe my eyes. He survived. Two people in three days in the same death trap make it out alive. Unbelievable.

Well, he manages to climb back on the rocks and retrieves his paddle which is poking out of the water. He tries to kick his boat free and in the process dislodges my boat, but his took mine's place and is currently stuck in the sieve. He decided to leave his behind, because he had no choice, and paddled my boat the rest of the run. Then he states along with his video that he wants to return the boat to its owner, me.

Well, we made a date to meet to exchange stories and return my boat. It just so happened that we chose today, Valentine's Day. We both forgot what day it was (sorry babe). So we met today for a beer, talked about our experiences, which were eerily similar with the minor detail that he crawled out the back and I climbed up the front. Our decision processes were similar, although I think he remained slightly calmer after hearing his telling of the story. He was underwater for roughly 14 seconds before emerging on the other side. Congrats on making it out. By the way, we both still made it in time to our dates for the evening.

I can definitely say it was a pleasure to meet this gentleman and can't show my gratitude fully for him returning my kayak. My paddle is still missing, but I have my boat. Thanks again! Glad you made it, man.

Stuck Between a Kayak and a Hard Place

I am writing this post as a gracious and humbled person/kayaker. I know there will be some harsh criticism of this account and I accept that, but I ask you critics to remember that we've all made mistakes. I just happened to make a careless mistake in one of the worst possible situations.