I've been packrafting ocean and big rivers all summer so the class 4+ rapids were a bit of a wake up. Everything clicked just fine however and we were nailing everything. Confidence was high and everything was grooving just fine
Until "Jaws".
A Class 4+, the second to last big rapid in the third canyon. I flipped an got impaled on the tooth of jaws - an anvil shaped rock in the middle of the current right after the hole. It was very, very bad for a second, luckily my head was out of the water. My carbon fiber paddle braced against my body under the water quickly snapped in half from the force of the water barreling down. I rolled off the rock grabbed my boat - then realized that the next drop "George Foreman" was incoming. With that coming at me fast I braced for impact with my feet down trying to protect everything important. I kicked off a rock mid drop and ended up in the hole. The all too familiar feeling of being in severly turbulent water and not knowing when the next chance for air was going to be I took in deep every chance I had, Lucky I didnt stick in the hole and in it a few anxious seconds later and seeing if I was going to be held down or not I was through it all. spent, and happy to not be hurt. oh well, what's a $200 paddle.. I'm Oficially done paddling for the year. packrafting is stupid.
6 comments:
That's it. I'm never getting a packraft.
Glad you're OK! That is a lot of peril in a short period of time.
I got stuck in the washing machine once and can't imagine reliving it. If it means I have to live the rest of my life on land, I'm OK with that.
How the hell does one get stuck in a washing machine?!
I'll take that raft on your hands there tiger..
Dave, when it happens to you, you'll know.
But one easy way to do it is try something stupid like tubing down a Class III river in Idaho at spring runoff. Then, drop directly off a pourover rock into a churning hole. Then grab at the air you can't quite reach with your face as the wave whirls you around and around and around. Then find God when the damn thing finally spits you out.
Scariest thing that ever happened to me, besides the times Geoff flipped his raft in Rapid Number Five in Cataract Canyon and Skull Rapid in Westerwater Canyon.
Yeah. Rafting is stupid.
Bummed I missed the 6mile session this year! Glad you got 'er . . .
Your just like me...refuse to drown, reek of greatness because I decided to not take all the good genes..and give you some...cause im older...and therefore greater. Call me you a$$!
You also don't belong in anything above a class 3 with those little rubber duckies! Only skilled hardcore elite whitewater kayakers like myself are permitted to go forth in class 3+ up. Sit down!
Post a Comment