let me find out, what happened to the video clip that used to be here...
OK, this has got nothing to do with anything that I'll ever do, but you just had to see this!!!
He's going at over 225 rph (rolls per hour) and on top of that probably as many bph (braces per hour).
The music is awesome too so I reactivated my French and actually found it:
Carla Bruni: Quelqu'un M'a Dit
Enjoy!
That's her and in this very color :-)
Exhausted from the week's grind and too little sleep I didn't have the fight in me to actually run it, although the current low water level would have made it a fairly mellow run. Tried not to beat myself up for letting Nora down on that one. And I didn't have to, because she nearly wacked me with her paddle, after I had "learned" what trespassing is :-) The guy and his wife were super-nice about it and extremely eager to help me out and show me a good route. After all, they clearly could tell that I had in no way meant to be, where I had ended up. "Vat, sis is not se vay to se osser side of se britch? Sorry!" So no harm to the reputation of good kayakers done, phiew! 
Nora showed me a great way of getting the boat over a stretch of too shallow water without us looking like bent old hags. Sticking the paddle into the bow of the boat and pushing it probably made us more look like housewives with very strange pinafores and even stranger hoovers before we were afloat and on our way back upriver again. But we were not alone...in fact we were being "ferreted out" by a cute little and wet wanna-be otter who ran alongside with us on shore with his head peaking out over the rocks every so often, checking up on what we were up to. And yes, we bumped into Jeff, a hard to mistake greenland paddler with his homemade yellow boat. 
I had to get ready for a picnic with my non-boating friends - that restful tranquil eddy, where things like a roll and the fear of “being under” cease to have meaning. Where Laurie asks me, “Who’s Giardio?” As we catch up on recent love interests and her sister’s wedding to her Mr. Darcy. And my non-boating friends were all what yesterday afternoon was about. And it was good. I love you! Even if I haven’t been writing as much about my time with you. And yes Roxanne, let's paddle Lebanon Hills, Lake Rebecca or maybe even better, both and the St Croix to boot!
Gone paddling.
* A term somewhat coined by PaulE, who measures the flow of the Vermillion River by Hastings not in cfs (cubic feet per second) but cpps: cow pies per second :-))
Images: Qadesh the Cat
30 June 2007
What can I say, great company, beautiful weather, lovely warm water and a large golden moon. It was just magic.
Ginormous in whitewater circles my Nomad 8.5 was the pigmy tonight. But far from developing a chip on her coaming she surprised some of the canoers with just how fast she can go! They figured that she was pretty much at hull speed, which sounds about right. I estimated that she would reach that at about 4.5 mph. Just like walking on water, huh.
The long flat course was a great excuse to focuse on good body rotation. Turns out body rotation is all it is cracked up to be! Although I really like the toning my arms have undergone since spring, I’d rather spend the energy on playing! (Hello Chad.)
We parted with plans to do that again really soon.
The lovely moon picture is from Utah Skies. Hope you don't mind. It just looked so much like what we saw over Calhoun :-)22 June 07
Still all systems go for weekend trip to WI with cute guy paddler. Yay! Have been ensuring my friend at work, that cute guy paddler is just being a nice guy and helping out with Bearpaw tornado cleanup as well as going on bunny water with a troubled novice paddler. Did send her his profile address anyway and her response was “Yummers” (Are you blushing yet, you who knows who you are? :-)
23 June 07
Nearly lost my paddle in first swim, but held on to it in all (sob) subsequent swims: v. good! Still have paddle. Thank you Maria. Although I had already picked out a new H2O paddle in my mind, as the closest thing to a Waterstick, when all hope seemed lost. (Got to try out Mike Manger’s WS and never quite looked back, although very fond of my AT paddle.) Had run into Maria first thing in the morning. I had met this splendid woman at last year’s Women’s Whitewater Festival and we immediatly bonded over similar opinions about our mothers and more important similar feelings about desserts! Oh yeah, and we both are analytical chemists.
Ran into Cynthia who I also knew from the festival (as well as Lynn whose canoe I had the chance to check out the year before). Cynthia and I hugged like long lost sisters. (I think Alex was starting to get venus-envy: "Have all women been to this festival?!") Cynthia pointed out a motley crew of three paddlers who turned out to be the infamous “Three Musketeers”! 
Chuck, Bill and Kirk. Gentlemen dandies and drinkers of brandies who had been in the same Canoe U class with me the year before. I was overwhelmed with a powerful realisation that this must mean that I am a part of the paddling community. There are few things that have ever felt better and that definitely makes every bit of struggle with my inner cowardice worthwhile.
To my great surprise and delight (yes delight, despite all my attempts to bolt at various stations of the run) Alex was up for another day of chasing down my boat (sob!!!), so arrangements were made with The Three Musketeers. Sadly Maria had to work the next day. Her boyfriend Tom, also a splendid chemist, is definitely a great inspiration for me. He’s new at this, but absolutely tireless in his learning.
24 June 07
After breakfast cigars we broke camp and headed for the Wolf. Another day of perfect weather! (Cigars: 0, v. good!)
Had a beautiful stretch of things coming together. (Leaned into 7 rocks: v. good!) I disengaged my posture and just let the boat go. The force was with me for a bit there. It was good to feel, what it is all about.
Later on I got a good lesson, that yes, you do want to think some 3 moves ahead, but still the next move IS the most important! Peeling out of the play hole eddy just above Hanson’s, I already had my mind on the rapid, screwed up a simple peel out and swam yet again. Did not quite make an eddy-out before Hanson’s, although still with my boat and paddle.
If you loose your boat, don’t loose the lesson! I had a long swim and lots of time to think. Actually managed to relax and get into a rhythm of breathing, going under, being tumbled around, breathing and pointing myself back downstream, going under, looking for suitable eddy.... My boss will be so pleased that I learned when to keep my mouth shut! I don’t want to start getting too comfortable with swimming, but maybe it’ll help me relax, knowing that most times a swim is just a swim.
Oh yeah, and by the way, Bill wasn’t rubbing it in the least bit, when he pulled up to me after my swim, with the cigar in his mouth still dry and alit. He’d been saving it from lunch to run Hanson’s with a lit cigar. Wonder if this is a first?
I was too exhausted to attempt the wave train part of Gilmore’s as I thought I might, so I did the mermaid maneuver onto a smooth sun charged rock and watched the boys playing. Particularly enjoyed Chuck’s surf! I did need some drying out, after all that swimming.
A great weekend was nearing it’s end. Hugs all around as we parted.
(Note from the editor: It is not true, that Kirk is reporting to Cynthia! Kirk I hope you had a great trip to BWCA. Barrel or Duluth pack?)
Made a stop in Wausau, to have a look at the course. Nora had prepared me, that I wasn’t ready to run that yet. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling everytime someone implies that I may run/play something in the future :-)
Some wellknown faces were still sitting in a shaded spot or carrying their still dripping boats back to the car.
I definitely have my work cut out, if I want to start playing on that course next year, but I could have sworn Chad gave me a big grin after I came back from looking at the course. Had he seen me looking at lines with great yearning? Was he maybe pleased that all his hand-holding on the Kettle was yet to bear fruit, maybe?
Alex I still can’t believe our luck that you prefer boating over strawberry picking! Your Zen personality, sportsmanship and cameraderie were paramount. Please make sure that the good Catholic girl that snaps you up one of these days is a boater! You can’t be spared.
Pictures:I felt like a kid on summer vacation as, on this sunny and hot Thursday morning, I drove not to work, but to Hastings for paddling.
With temperatures in a sweltering nineties I nearly melted as I pulled and lowered my boat towards the put-in. Can’t imagine yet, how I am going to get down this rocky abyss with my 45 lbs creeker, when it is slippery from rain or even snow :-) Wonder if my landlord would let me keep a large mountain goat?
In Nora’s calming wake I was as relaxed as I have ever been in my boat on moving water. Did some PRETTY good eddy work (v. good)
I nearly lost it, when I got onto Donut Hole! Talking about feeling a sweet spot! Maybe this playboating could grow on me! And Art, the reason you don't see me smiling on the picture below is, because I am too darn busy going WOOHOOHOO!!!
My finest photogenic few minutes :-)
After some play on Donut I noticed my arm muscles feeling like custard. Turned out later, that I had lost too much electrolytes earlier. Damn that expedition it takes to get to the put in!
Surfing Donut was fabulous, but having a good old girl’s chat with Nora and getting to know her better was priceless. People have been talking about her to me and it’s all true: She’s great!!! We both like authenticity and that’s what we shared.
Made my way home on quite a high, which led to spending too much money at you-know-where on outdoor stuff.
Shame Bill Mc couldn’t be there! I think the best testament to my high is the mail I sent to him as soon as I got my laptop to boot up:
“It was so much fun with Nora on the Verm. Fuzzy bunny whitewater, yay! (Again, I hope Art doesn't read this.) Nice eddylines to practice on, and one of the waves was big enough for even my creeker! There are pictures! :-) Let's make sure we can go out there pretty darn soon! - Nora has indicated, that she is up for going down there, when we can work around her work schedule. She's just a darl! - I used a lot of the stuff I learned from Chad and Art! - And it's just so pretty too!
So get a boat that fits your butt man!”
One of these days I hope that all the paddler who have seen me acting the nut, see me playing the Donut as breezy as today :-)
Thank you Nora!
Weekend 1
Day 1: Wow, I was driving “tightly wound” to new heights. Good eddy work, but had lost my ferry. (Thus the title of the blog.) Art taught us a great way of getting just the right posture for peeling out and it is as ingenious as it is simple: just look down river when you have crossed the eddy line. Sweet! Works like a charm!
Swims: 0 (v. good!)
Oh yeah, those catch and duckie games were great fun and work. I want to try and get folks together again for one of those when nothing is running in the summer!
In the evening Art had a long discussion with me about options for the next day. I shared my concerns with him and it was good to hear him say that he had watched me, that he thought I had the technique and that it’s all in my head. It didn’t immediately click for me, but as he talked about paddling in a group and putting your trust in the most experienced paddler, it suddenly became clear. Art knows a lot more about paddling than I do! He was right about the looking downstream trick! Why shouldn’t I rather believe him saying I can do it, rather than my doubts, who know very little about paddling indeed! Did some powerful visualisations before going to sleep involving Art with a huge grin on his face at Big Eddy saying “Told you so!” :-) Resolved to keeping an active paddle, staying calm, and maintaining an aggressive posture.
Day 2:
Waking up to 40F air temperature with little hope for a warmup. Character building stuff. (Thanks Stace for closing those cabin windows!) More visualisations and good stretchies!
No rush by anyone to get to the river that morning. Tony asked me, if I was pumped, and you know what, I was! Highly focused, intense, but ready and rearing!
No eagerness to put anybody into a swimming situation, wetsuit or not. Lower Kettle again. Thank you fate! That was exactly what I needed: An easy moving water experience that gets me back into the game. Art had us pick lines and at the end of the run I had made some good improvements.
Todd has tought us this really elegant way of catching small midstream eddies. It was a movement I immediately liked the first time I tried it. Can you believe it, that I’ve never been able to execute those all well as under the influence of Todd?
Art never did have that big grin on his face that afternoon, but he would the next weekend...
Tony, Alex and I ended up having dinner together on our way home. Alex asked me if I was going to stick with WW and from somewhere within me, the only possible answer emerged as a yes.
I was strangely touched by Tony’s SYOTR, which left me without words as I parted. There had been this moment in an eddy, where he had looked into my eyes and just wouldn’t let go. I can still see him right in front of me...I had a similar experience with Emily Jackson whose Indian spirit eyes I can still see looking right into mine for a very long time...
Over the next hours a rising sensation seeped into my awareness, something had shifted. A new thought was forming. I would be running rivers.
Weekend 2
Day 1:
After a good amount of technical work with race games and other fun stuff, we set up to run the Upper Kettle.
Swam Blueberry Slide but had Art’s rope flying toward me quicker than you can say “Waterstick”. Needed a cool off anyway, it was a hot day. Still had a boat and a paddle and eagerly slid into my boat to get back unto that water! I found my ferry again at Shoulder’s Hole. Hurrah!
Was rewarded by a successful run of Teacher’s and it’s Pet. As I pulled into the eddy I thought my face would have to explode with my excitement. And Art, not just did he have that visualized huge grin of his face but he also said :”Told you so!” (I started wondering, what I should visualize him doing later that night: buying me a new red playboat...or as least a cuter helmet...)
Running Mother’s Delight I managed a delightful 360 degree turn. Yeah, a roll would have been nice, but no, we are talking 360 yaw. Seeing as I came out right side up I am giving myself at least novelty points for that one, no matter what Art says!
Another swim awaited me at Dragon’s Tooth. Did not like that swim as much as Blueberry, the picture makes pretty clear, why. Yeah the picture if from much higher water, but being in it versus looking at a picture of it still meant quite a bit of spluttering!
Dragon's Tooth
What a fantastic day, I was positively strutting for the rest of it!
Gripping paddling stories from Bob D kept me at the campfire when really earlier I couldn’t wait for dinner to be ready so I could go to bed right after. (We’re talking 7.30ish...)
Paddling guys quite fascinated with my silly little chair. (v. good!)
Finally tucked in, I somehow didn’t get a good visualisation with Art in it going, may have to buy playboat myself after all.
Day 2:
Woke up pretty exhausted after dreaming about some quarrels next to a white van that involve barracudas, hamsters, guppies, wolverines and a bottle of vodka. Or was it a dream?
At breakfast I was still in good spirit ordering a huge pancake expecting to burn this off paddling, swimming and maybe some playing. Once at the river getting instuctions to scout for lines I completely froze. I had to keep telling myself to breathe. Chad looked at me rather knowingly and had a suggestion ready, when I told him half an hour or so later that I would bow out after warm up.
Well, at least this time I actually made it to the river on W2D2. Surely next year I will put in a full day’s work!!!
Still had a gorgeous day on the river and seeing how much better everybody did on the second run is an inspiration for me. But it does make me immensly sad, that yet again it hadn’t been me. I did get closer though, damn it!
Go Megan!
Art a(u)ction: Going... going...
Below is a picture, where it looks like Chad was actually holding my hand. While that only looks like it, he figuratively had done so all weekend. Yeah, Chad is pretty high up on my short list for MN people of the year. Shackleton move over!
Two weeks to the next Canoe U weekend: Did as many lake drills as I could fit in. Things are improving! Phiew. Getting a better handle on my spin momentum.* Braces coming together. (v.g.)
Second weekend: St Louis, put in above First Wave. During drills and warmup Natalie had me hang out under water with my boat flipped and my hand on her bow to get used to the feeling in a relaxed situation. Great exercise. Definitely was the deciding factor for not giving up on that first T-resue, although the first attempt failed. I remember being back under after the first try and thinking: “Damn it, I am not done with this T-rescue yet!” and starting to signal that I am not ready to swim yet. Successful rescue on second attempt! Since these moments of cool and clarity under water pressure are elusive to date, I really have to stop for a moment and celebrate each one of them!
There were also a couple of waves that I remember taking really well! There was First Wave, that Mike F was really impressed with. And then there was another wave with a huge foam pile that I was trying to AVOID by WATCHING it APPROACH really carefully and anxiously :-) Well, that is still my constant reminder to look in the direction I want to go, not where I don’t want to go! But anyway, there I was all of a sudden where I didn’t want to be, thinking SH*T Apparently even happens to boaters of epic proportions at times. but keeping my paddle in the water where it should be. The white mess of splash was higher than my head as I went through! I came out the other side an upright person if ever there was one! Hah! Natalie told me afterward, that she really hadn’t wanted me to go there, but that she just would have loved a photo of that.
The next thing I remember was having my boat out of control and a white hand grabbing the side of my coaming and under I was. Todd came to the rescue, but inefficient paddle technique had worn me out and was what had gotten me into trouble in the first place. On my offside I had my hands and head on his bow, but just couldn’t get that hipsnap as we went down the river in what I remember as pretty swift current for a VERY long time until rock did us part. Todd had seen the rock coming closer but not let go. Thank you Todd!
The thing I remember after that was standing on tiptoe on a rock in a tiny midsteam eddy balancing on Natalie’s bow, as Mike J. readied for a rope rescue. Quite the throw, wearing his superhero top and strong as a bear he got me back to the bank, where I had to admit to fatigue and the worry that there would just be one exhausting swim after another for the rest of the run. Decisions were made and Todd walked with me to above the reservoir, which gave me a chance to get to know him a little better. Quite the privilege, I can tell you! A very patient Mike J had towed my boat to the meeting point and then paddled across the reservoir with me. I doubt I had/have ever been as utterly physically and mentally exhausted in my life.
Even now I am getting choked up thinking back to having to make the decision that I would not join them on the river the next day, because I just had nothing left and knew I would not be able to recharge enough over night. Getting right back on that horse would have been very good for me. But I know that I just did not have the energy reserves I needed for a good experience for that second day on the river.
I still treasure the reflective light Mike F gave me at the Survivor’s party with the words, that I must have been paddling day and night to make such a stunning improvement from the first weekend to the second weekend two weeks later. I still dearly treasure Natalie’s Frequent Paddler’s Certificate. And I treasure the memory of one of my long suffering class mates putting his arm around me after my "interesting day on the St. Louis".
I still chuckle every time I remember Mike J's exclamation after entertaining us with rodeo moves: "I think I broke a love handle!"
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