Alex, hanging out at the OcoeeEnjoy!!!
Friday, September 2, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
My 30's
I look back and think that my life can’t get any better than it is now. I hope to prove myself wrong.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend was a blast. I went up Friday night (my wife was exhausted, but wanted to come up the following night). I ended up hitting the sack early, due to exhaustion from a long week. I was able to sleep even with a whole campsite of screaming boy scouts.
So, I’ve mentioned that I bring the rain. People used to laugh, but they aren’t laughing anymore. They realize that it is not a joke, and that I do in fact bring the rain every time I come up. Friday night I made a grievous mistake. I was setting up the Taj Mahal, my 2 bedroom tent with a living room and a screened in front porch. I usually bring my little dome tent that I’ve had since I was 8 or so, but my wife was planning on coming up the following night so I was setting up the big tent so that she can sleep in some comfort. Anyways, since I was setting this tent up alone in the dark, I decided not to put the rain fly on. After all, I looked up and could see every star in all their blazing glory, winking back at me through a cloudless sky. Putting on the rain fly is a two man job. The tent is so tall you have to get one person on each side to walk it over the top.
So, the next morning, I was woken up at 7 AM by screaming boy scouts. Ugh. I thought to myself, “I’m never going to be able to sleep through this” right before I went back to sleep. I believe that my body is all about proving my mind wrong…
So I wake up again with the sound of rain, and the feeling of rain pattering against my face. The rooms on this tent have roofs that are all mesh, so with no rain fly, it is like sleeping under a net. So I wake up all groggy, and attempt to put my rain fly on myself. Luckily, one of the Boy Scout leaders (being a good Boy Scout leader) offered to help. I guess that this was my punishment for being so arrogant in believing I could get away with not putting on my rain fly.
So, that day I got to R2 the Upper Ocoee. For those of you not familiar with river lingo, R2 means Raft 2, which means you just get 2 people in a raft built to hold 6 + 1 guide. I love R2. It is a blast, since the boat can maneuver a lot faster, and doesn’t take anywhere near as much work to turn. I have only been down the Upper twice, and now I was guiding it. I rocked all the rapids before the Olympic section (Mikey’s and Screaming Left Turn). Now, before we got to the Olympic section, the other trainee in the raft with me looked at me and said, “I don’t want to do Humungous, let’s just go around the left of Indecision rock”. Now, I don’t mind hitting the big stuff, but this guy was really afraid of Humungous. The problem is, Humungous his a huge hole that likes to pull rafts back into it if you don’t paddle through it hard enough. If it sucks you back into it, it will turn the raft sideways and put it up on its end, dumping everyone out. It is really hard to get the raft out. You pretty much have to turn the raft so that you put the front end into the hole so that it sucks in the front, and then spits it back out straight up into the air. At that point you might be able to level the boat out.
So, I hit Smiley’s and Calahan’s with no problem. I come across Oceana (a name made up by Bryan Burch, because the rapid is like being in the ocean). No problems. So we come up on Humungous. Blake (the other trainee) is paddling his ass off trying to get left of Indecision rock. It is named that because if you suffer a moment of indecision, you are done. The rock likes to pull you right into it, which will definitely throw someone out of the raft. So I thought I had a good line, but then the current quickens, and pushes the raft sideways into Indecision. I manage to get us far enough forward to just catch the last fourth of our raft, which slung the front around and smacked us into the side of the rock.
Kissing Indecision rock
Making it through
We made it through ok, but I thought Blake was a goner for a second there.
The next day I was able to get my wife in on a ride. This time it was the Lower Ocoee, which I just got checked out on. I didn’t have a raft of my own, so I rode along with another guide, who let me guide most of the trip while he just explained the lines he liked to take through certain rapids. It is always nice to get a new outlook on how to run a rapid. We made it down with no major problems, and I didn’t fall out of the raft once for a change. We got a good surf going on Double Suck too. It took me a minute or two to figure out how to get from the eddy out to the hydraulic, but I was able to nail it. My wife understands now why I am so exhausted when I come home from working on the river. She was wiped out from one trip. I usually pull 5 or 6 in the two days a week I am up there, not to mention loading and unloading rafts, cleaning and putting gear away, taking out garbage, cleaning bathrooms, etc…
What a great weekend. So now I’m checked out, so I can take customers. I can’t wait to go back. I really needed this weekend to work out some of the stress from my day job.
So, I’ve mentioned that I bring the rain. People used to laugh, but they aren’t laughing anymore. They realize that it is not a joke, and that I do in fact bring the rain every time I come up. Friday night I made a grievous mistake. I was setting up the Taj Mahal, my 2 bedroom tent with a living room and a screened in front porch. I usually bring my little dome tent that I’ve had since I was 8 or so, but my wife was planning on coming up the following night so I was setting up the big tent so that she can sleep in some comfort. Anyways, since I was setting this tent up alone in the dark, I decided not to put the rain fly on. After all, I looked up and could see every star in all their blazing glory, winking back at me through a cloudless sky. Putting on the rain fly is a two man job. The tent is so tall you have to get one person on each side to walk it over the top.
So, the next morning, I was woken up at 7 AM by screaming boy scouts. Ugh. I thought to myself, “I’m never going to be able to sleep through this” right before I went back to sleep. I believe that my body is all about proving my mind wrong…
So I wake up again with the sound of rain, and the feeling of rain pattering against my face. The rooms on this tent have roofs that are all mesh, so with no rain fly, it is like sleeping under a net. So I wake up all groggy, and attempt to put my rain fly on myself. Luckily, one of the Boy Scout leaders (being a good Boy Scout leader) offered to help. I guess that this was my punishment for being so arrogant in believing I could get away with not putting on my rain fly.
So, that day I got to R2 the Upper Ocoee. For those of you not familiar with river lingo, R2 means Raft 2, which means you just get 2 people in a raft built to hold 6 + 1 guide. I love R2. It is a blast, since the boat can maneuver a lot faster, and doesn’t take anywhere near as much work to turn. I have only been down the Upper twice, and now I was guiding it. I rocked all the rapids before the Olympic section (Mikey’s and Screaming Left Turn). Now, before we got to the Olympic section, the other trainee in the raft with me looked at me and said, “I don’t want to do Humungous, let’s just go around the left of Indecision rock”. Now, I don’t mind hitting the big stuff, but this guy was really afraid of Humungous. The problem is, Humungous his a huge hole that likes to pull rafts back into it if you don’t paddle through it hard enough. If it sucks you back into it, it will turn the raft sideways and put it up on its end, dumping everyone out. It is really hard to get the raft out. You pretty much have to turn the raft so that you put the front end into the hole so that it sucks in the front, and then spits it back out straight up into the air. At that point you might be able to level the boat out.
So, I hit Smiley’s and Calahan’s with no problem. I come across Oceana (a name made up by Bryan Burch, because the rapid is like being in the ocean). No problems. So we come up on Humungous. Blake (the other trainee) is paddling his ass off trying to get left of Indecision rock. It is named that because if you suffer a moment of indecision, you are done. The rock likes to pull you right into it, which will definitely throw someone out of the raft. So I thought I had a good line, but then the current quickens, and pushes the raft sideways into Indecision. I manage to get us far enough forward to just catch the last fourth of our raft, which slung the front around and smacked us into the side of the rock.
Kissing Indecision rock
Making it through
We made it through ok, but I thought Blake was a goner for a second there.
The next day I was able to get my wife in on a ride. This time it was the Lower Ocoee, which I just got checked out on. I didn’t have a raft of my own, so I rode along with another guide, who let me guide most of the trip while he just explained the lines he liked to take through certain rapids. It is always nice to get a new outlook on how to run a rapid. We made it down with no major problems, and I didn’t fall out of the raft once for a change. We got a good surf going on Double Suck too. It took me a minute or two to figure out how to get from the eddy out to the hydraulic, but I was able to nail it. My wife understands now why I am so exhausted when I come home from working on the river. She was wiped out from one trip. I usually pull 5 or 6 in the two days a week I am up there, not to mention loading and unloading rafts, cleaning and putting gear away, taking out garbage, cleaning bathrooms, etc…
What a great weekend. So now I’m checked out, so I can take customers. I can’t wait to go back. I really needed this weekend to work out some of the stress from my day job.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Pin Run Rock
Yes Ted… I’m still in training.
So, I went to try to wrap up my training this past weekend. I was able to get in two checkout trips, and did fairly good on both of them. They were not without their problems however.
Saturday, we were going to do just one lower trip. For those who are not familiar with the Ocoee, there are roughly two parts, the upper and lower. The upper contains the Olympic section, which is man made class 4 rapids for about ½ a mile. Below that, there is a dam, and then the lower Ocoee. I believe it is about 5 miles of river from put in to take out. Our outpost likes to do something they call “Double Trouble”, which is where a group of customers can do both sections in a row for a discounted price. Anyways, I was able to do my checkout run with our river manager on Saturday for the lower. I screwed up the very first rapid, but luckily recovered in the prescribed way to recover, so no big deal. Afterwards, I stuck the raft on a few rocks, but not a big deal. It is just embarrassing, and a pain for the customers since it slows down the trip. Anyways, I came up on Table Saw and Diamond Splitter. I have run this set of rapids more than any other set of rapids on the river, so I know the line. Did that keep me from messing it up? Hell no. I didn’t hold my angle through Table Saw and got thrown right into a big nasty rock called Prudential. That thing will bring a boat to a dead stop in a heartbeat. So we bounced off of Prudential hard, and got spun around, making it impossible to hit the gate rocks and go to the right around Diamond Splitter. I look up and see Jay (my trainer) pointing his thumb down, meaning that I should probably tell everyone to hit the deck. We came down the left side of Diamond Splitter, which isn’t a huge problem, except for the big stop rock at the bottom. They affectionately call it the Death Slide. We made it out unscathed and with everyone in the boat. Luckily, when we hit Prudential, Jay saw the girl next to him about to leave the boat, and grabbed her life jacket (and a bit of her pony tail) and pulled her back in. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.
After that, Bryan Burch wants us to do some practice. By practice, he means that he wants us to all swim rapids, do throw rope practice, and pin a rock. After a few unsuccessful attempts to pin other rocks by another guide, Joe, Bryan took over again for a particularly nasty pin rock named Run Rock. It is named that because the crazier guides will jump out of the boat as it passes the rock, run across it, and then jump back in the boat. The rock is shaped like a wedge, and is undercut, meaning water flows under it and has cut out under the rock, making a hole under the rock. Anyways, I’ll have to give it to Bryan Burch. That guy is the master at pinning a raft against a rock when he wants to. We hit that rock sideways. This makes the raft go vertical on one side, and wrap around the rock like a taco. Well, we all know to get to the high side of the raft, only when I stepped on the side of the raft to stand on it, it wrapped under the rock, pinning my legs under the raft, between the side and the bottom of the raft. Bryan grabbed my vest and started pulling, but it was bending my knees a way they were not ever meant to bend. It is one of the few times I’ve been genuinely scared for my life on that river. I twisted to the side, and with Bryan pulling I was able to pop my feet free. I popped up past the rock and was able to swim to the shore. After I walked back up the shore about 100 yards, I had to jump in the rapid and swim back to the raft. Looking at the raft, I realized we wrapped the front of that rock like a condom. The current was trying to roll the raft down the tip of this rock. We tried everything to get that raft off of that rock. We used all of the throw ropes and guide belts (basically a piece of webbing, a piece of rope, and two carabineers that fits around your waist) trying to get it off. We had to cut one of the throw ropes (they are about $60 a piece). So, we finally figured it out. Joe and Bryan got between the raft and the rock on the longer side where they could stand and the current isn’t as strong. They both pushed the raft as hard as they could while me and another trainee sat on the rock and pushed with our feet. After working it for about 4 or 5 minutes, it finally went over just enough for Joe to jump on top of the bottom of the raft and use his weight to push it down. At this point we were trying to push the raft upside down and spin it out from under the front of Run Rock. The thing finally slid out, upside down, with Bryan and Joe on top of it. I threw two paddles to them so that they could paddle the thing upside down to the shore. We finally all ended up at the raft, and did some damage assessment. We ruined one throw rope and lost two guide belts. The raft was also sitting real low in the water. I don’t know if we lost a lot of air, or took on water. I looked at my watch, it was 6:30. We pinned the rock at 4:30, which means we spent 2 full hours trying to get that damn raft off of that rock. It also means that they had shut off the river 30 minutes ago. By the time we got to the take out, the river was running decidedly slower. If we had taken another 30 minutes to get the raft unpinned, we would have had an easy time getting it unstuck, but would have had to walk the raft up the steep bank of the river.
So, I’m still doing it. They haven’t scared me off yet. I do have to say, every time I think I’ve seen some of the worst things that can happen I experience something worse. It is all worth it. I spent every minute unpinning that raft, laughing. You have to take these things with a sense of humor and enjoy the lesson you’ve been taught by the experience.
So, I went to try to wrap up my training this past weekend. I was able to get in two checkout trips, and did fairly good on both of them. They were not without their problems however.
Saturday, we were going to do just one lower trip. For those who are not familiar with the Ocoee, there are roughly two parts, the upper and lower. The upper contains the Olympic section, which is man made class 4 rapids for about ½ a mile. Below that, there is a dam, and then the lower Ocoee. I believe it is about 5 miles of river from put in to take out. Our outpost likes to do something they call “Double Trouble”, which is where a group of customers can do both sections in a row for a discounted price. Anyways, I was able to do my checkout run with our river manager on Saturday for the lower. I screwed up the very first rapid, but luckily recovered in the prescribed way to recover, so no big deal. Afterwards, I stuck the raft on a few rocks, but not a big deal. It is just embarrassing, and a pain for the customers since it slows down the trip. Anyways, I came up on Table Saw and Diamond Splitter. I have run this set of rapids more than any other set of rapids on the river, so I know the line. Did that keep me from messing it up? Hell no. I didn’t hold my angle through Table Saw and got thrown right into a big nasty rock called Prudential. That thing will bring a boat to a dead stop in a heartbeat. So we bounced off of Prudential hard, and got spun around, making it impossible to hit the gate rocks and go to the right around Diamond Splitter. I look up and see Jay (my trainer) pointing his thumb down, meaning that I should probably tell everyone to hit the deck. We came down the left side of Diamond Splitter, which isn’t a huge problem, except for the big stop rock at the bottom. They affectionately call it the Death Slide. We made it out unscathed and with everyone in the boat. Luckily, when we hit Prudential, Jay saw the girl next to him about to leave the boat, and grabbed her life jacket (and a bit of her pony tail) and pulled her back in. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful.
After that, Bryan Burch wants us to do some practice. By practice, he means that he wants us to all swim rapids, do throw rope practice, and pin a rock. After a few unsuccessful attempts to pin other rocks by another guide, Joe, Bryan took over again for a particularly nasty pin rock named Run Rock. It is named that because the crazier guides will jump out of the boat as it passes the rock, run across it, and then jump back in the boat. The rock is shaped like a wedge, and is undercut, meaning water flows under it and has cut out under the rock, making a hole under the rock. Anyways, I’ll have to give it to Bryan Burch. That guy is the master at pinning a raft against a rock when he wants to. We hit that rock sideways. This makes the raft go vertical on one side, and wrap around the rock like a taco. Well, we all know to get to the high side of the raft, only when I stepped on the side of the raft to stand on it, it wrapped under the rock, pinning my legs under the raft, between the side and the bottom of the raft. Bryan grabbed my vest and started pulling, but it was bending my knees a way they were not ever meant to bend. It is one of the few times I’ve been genuinely scared for my life on that river. I twisted to the side, and with Bryan pulling I was able to pop my feet free. I popped up past the rock and was able to swim to the shore. After I walked back up the shore about 100 yards, I had to jump in the rapid and swim back to the raft. Looking at the raft, I realized we wrapped the front of that rock like a condom. The current was trying to roll the raft down the tip of this rock. We tried everything to get that raft off of that rock. We used all of the throw ropes and guide belts (basically a piece of webbing, a piece of rope, and two carabineers that fits around your waist) trying to get it off. We had to cut one of the throw ropes (they are about $60 a piece). So, we finally figured it out. Joe and Bryan got between the raft and the rock on the longer side where they could stand and the current isn’t as strong. They both pushed the raft as hard as they could while me and another trainee sat on the rock and pushed with our feet. After working it for about 4 or 5 minutes, it finally went over just enough for Joe to jump on top of the bottom of the raft and use his weight to push it down. At this point we were trying to push the raft upside down and spin it out from under the front of Run Rock. The thing finally slid out, upside down, with Bryan and Joe on top of it. I threw two paddles to them so that they could paddle the thing upside down to the shore. We finally all ended up at the raft, and did some damage assessment. We ruined one throw rope and lost two guide belts. The raft was also sitting real low in the water. I don’t know if we lost a lot of air, or took on water. I looked at my watch, it was 6:30. We pinned the rock at 4:30, which means we spent 2 full hours trying to get that damn raft off of that rock. It also means that they had shut off the river 30 minutes ago. By the time we got to the take out, the river was running decidedly slower. If we had taken another 30 minutes to get the raft unpinned, we would have had an easy time getting it unstuck, but would have had to walk the raft up the steep bank of the river.
So, I’m still doing it. They haven’t scared me off yet. I do have to say, every time I think I’ve seen some of the worst things that can happen I experience something worse. It is all worth it. I spent every minute unpinning that raft, laughing. You have to take these things with a sense of humor and enjoy the lesson you’ve been taught by the experience.
Monday, April 4, 2005
Hell's Half Mile
Not that anyone is reading this... but here goes.
I went up to the Ocoee to train to be a raft guide this past weekend. We got up Friday night, and got the campsite setup just in time for it to start raining. I don’t think my poor tent has ever really seen a sunny day (until Sunday, finally, but we’ll get to that). Luckily I just bought a fleece insert for my summer sleeping bag, which ended up being a life saver. That and my blind ferret dog, who I had to share my cot with.
So, we hunkered down on the porch of the cabin and drank some whisky (Booker’s to be exact). It was freezing cold, and wet.
We were told to be at the Outpost by 10 the next morning. We woke up that morning with just enough time to get some coffee brewing, and get our gear packed. When we got to the outpost, B Burch was nowhere to be found (he was our trainer, and one of the original Wind Wood boys). So we sat in the car and waited, thinking he had gone out for breakfast. That’s about the time when I noticed snow hitting my windshield.
So, we got breakfast, and then I finally explored the outpost and found B upstairs sleeping in the attic. Anyways, we decided that it really was just too damn cold to go down the river, so I told him to just come by the campsite when he was up.
Me and Corey headed back to the campsite to get some more sleep in our fleece bags. B and Ashley (Corey’s sister-in-law) showed up later, around lunch time and we spent the rest of the day killing time. That night, they set up a jump and were going over it on a hill billy board. Some other guys had mountain bikes that they were jumping with. Eventually, a picnic table got set up at the end of the ramp, and moved further out with each successful jump.
Some trainee from another camp decided to try the jump on a mountain bike, and almost jumped right over the picnic table. He ended up almost taking his head off on the end of the table. Dumbass.
Sunday, we were supposed to be at the outpost to train at 11 AM. I woke up to the sun warming our tent. So we got up, cooked a fat breakfast of sausage, bacon, and eggs with some camp coffee. Mike Thomas got a mouthful of grounds from his cup.
We were sitting around watching the Toccoa river when I looked at my watch and noticed it was 10:30. So we decided to go ahead and head up to the outpost, when Mike asked if we had remembered to set our watches ahead. Nope. So we jumped into the car and started heading up to the outpost and ran into B Burch on the way. He was coming to get us, since we were late.
When we got there, we had to rush to get ready. We almost forgot to grab any gear (paddles, vests, or helmets). We also didn’t bother with our wetsuits since it was so warm out. This turned out to be a big mistake.
We got loaded up, learned how to tie some new knots for tying down rafts, and headed to the put in. There were about 18 people crammed in a 14 seat van. Once we got there, we went through the whole spiel about how to issue commands and give the safety speech, like you would for customers. B Burch was determined to do two things, throw us all form the boat, and pin the raft. Pinning the raft is when the raft gets wrapped around a rock, and the ends basically get pushed under water by the rapid.
So, the first pin sucked. B is definitely the master at pinning a raft, and wrapped the thing right in the damn middle. We were standing on the side wall, since the raft was vertical, and all moved to one side (including the guide). This caused the other end to pop up and we moved off of the rock. We got through a few rapids with B intentionally turning us sideways into the rapids. This mostly just soaked us and almost threw us out. Then we got to a rapid named Double Suck. When we were coming up on it, the guy in the front right (who is an experienced raft guide) looked back and said, “Who wants to switch with me? I don’t want to be in this seat when we hit this rapid.” So, being the fearless dumbass that I am, I volunteered to switch seats with him. We hit suck one ok, but went into the second suck angled right at me. Cory, Ashley, and I all got thrown. I ended up under the raft, and felt plastic. I thought it might be my paddle and grabbed it, but it ended up being someone’s helmet. So I let go after yanking on it (oops) and got sucked underwater about 30 feet. When I popped up I was backwards and didn’t see the raft anywhere. So I turned myself around so that I was feet first on my back like they teach you. I went over several rapids, and banged my ass pretty well on a couple of rocks, but otherwise was doing alright (other than freezing my ass off). It was so cold it was hard to breath. I tried to work my way towards the shore, but couldn’t get there in time for the next set of rapids. I tried to get my feet down too where it was a little slower, but he rocks were too slick, and the water was up from all of the rain. After a while of floating down the rapids on my back, I thought I was just going to have to float the rest of the river. I couldn’t see anyone around me at all. Finally, after who knows how long (they tell me it was about half a mile), I heard a shout over my left shoulder. The other raft was moving up on me. The guide pulled me in, and I collapsed in the bottom of the boat, face first. My head got wedged between the seat and the floor. The finally got me on my back and I just laid on the floor for about 5 minutes or so trying to regain my strength. I finally got back in my own raft, sans paddle. We ended up stopping in an eddy by a bridge, where I got a new paddle, and we continued down the river. I found out that Ashley and Corey got pulled out of the river right away. They luckily popped up right next to the raft. I also found out from several people that I had just swam longer than they’d ever seen anyone swim that section, and that it was called Hell’s half mile. It is apparently the second worst place to swim (the first being Old Grumpy). Everyone was very surprised that I didn’t have any cuts, scrapes or bruises. I’m not sure if I was just lucky, or it was due to the river being up so much. At any rate, I’m glad I didn’t get too messed up.
B ended up pinning us on one more rock, just because he’s sadistic like that. Actually, I’m glad he did, because now I know what to expect, and how to deal with it. We made it through the rest of the trip with no one else swimming. Well, actually, one guy was moving to another seat right when we hit something, and he went in for a couple of minutes. When we finally got to the pull out point, my feet were numb. It felt like I was walking on my ankles.
So, after all of this, we have to go down the river again. That’s ok though, because I learned how to wedge myself in the raft, and I wasn’t going anywhere near the front right seat. I actually got to guide Table Saw and Diamond Splitter on the first trip down, and then got to guide Double Suck and Hell’s Half Mile on the second trip. It is much more fun guiding than it is just paddling. Corey got to guide through Table Saw, Diamond Splitter, Cat’s Pajamas, and Hell Hole on the second ride down. He was doing a good job keeping the right angle through Table Saw, but lost his angle near the end and ended up taking us through Diamond Splitter backwards. That wasn’t nearly as bad as when he turned us sideways through Cat’s Pajamas. That one almost sent the whole boat flying. He got Hell Hole dead on though.
Here I sit, feeling like I just went through the spin cycle twice, and I can’t wait to go back. I pulled a muscle in my back, and both of my shoulders are aching. I did go drop some money on a neoprene shirt, a splash jacket, some fleece pants, and some fleece socks. I’m not planning on swimming again (you never plan on it really) and I want to at least attempt to stay a little warm next weekend. The good news is that me and Corey seem to have jobs as mercenaries (weekend help) if we want them. We just have to go get CPR and First Aid, and run some more practice runs with other trainees. I can’t wait to get certified and start taking customers down, although I’ll probably be scared shitless my first time down with customers. So do I have any volunteers?
I went up to the Ocoee to train to be a raft guide this past weekend. We got up Friday night, and got the campsite setup just in time for it to start raining. I don’t think my poor tent has ever really seen a sunny day (until Sunday, finally, but we’ll get to that). Luckily I just bought a fleece insert for my summer sleeping bag, which ended up being a life saver. That and my blind ferret dog, who I had to share my cot with.
So, we hunkered down on the porch of the cabin and drank some whisky (Booker’s to be exact). It was freezing cold, and wet.
We were told to be at the Outpost by 10 the next morning. We woke up that morning with just enough time to get some coffee brewing, and get our gear packed. When we got to the outpost, B Burch was nowhere to be found (he was our trainer, and one of the original Wind Wood boys). So we sat in the car and waited, thinking he had gone out for breakfast. That’s about the time when I noticed snow hitting my windshield.
So, we got breakfast, and then I finally explored the outpost and found B upstairs sleeping in the attic. Anyways, we decided that it really was just too damn cold to go down the river, so I told him to just come by the campsite when he was up.
Me and Corey headed back to the campsite to get some more sleep in our fleece bags. B and Ashley (Corey’s sister-in-law) showed up later, around lunch time and we spent the rest of the day killing time. That night, they set up a jump and were going over it on a hill billy board. Some other guys had mountain bikes that they were jumping with. Eventually, a picnic table got set up at the end of the ramp, and moved further out with each successful jump.
Some trainee from another camp decided to try the jump on a mountain bike, and almost jumped right over the picnic table. He ended up almost taking his head off on the end of the table. Dumbass.
Sunday, we were supposed to be at the outpost to train at 11 AM. I woke up to the sun warming our tent. So we got up, cooked a fat breakfast of sausage, bacon, and eggs with some camp coffee. Mike Thomas got a mouthful of grounds from his cup.
We were sitting around watching the Toccoa river when I looked at my watch and noticed it was 10:30. So we decided to go ahead and head up to the outpost, when Mike asked if we had remembered to set our watches ahead. Nope. So we jumped into the car and started heading up to the outpost and ran into B Burch on the way. He was coming to get us, since we were late.
When we got there, we had to rush to get ready. We almost forgot to grab any gear (paddles, vests, or helmets). We also didn’t bother with our wetsuits since it was so warm out. This turned out to be a big mistake.
We got loaded up, learned how to tie some new knots for tying down rafts, and headed to the put in. There were about 18 people crammed in a 14 seat van. Once we got there, we went through the whole spiel about how to issue commands and give the safety speech, like you would for customers. B Burch was determined to do two things, throw us all form the boat, and pin the raft. Pinning the raft is when the raft gets wrapped around a rock, and the ends basically get pushed under water by the rapid.
So, the first pin sucked. B is definitely the master at pinning a raft, and wrapped the thing right in the damn middle. We were standing on the side wall, since the raft was vertical, and all moved to one side (including the guide). This caused the other end to pop up and we moved off of the rock. We got through a few rapids with B intentionally turning us sideways into the rapids. This mostly just soaked us and almost threw us out. Then we got to a rapid named Double Suck. When we were coming up on it, the guy in the front right (who is an experienced raft guide) looked back and said, “Who wants to switch with me? I don’t want to be in this seat when we hit this rapid.” So, being the fearless dumbass that I am, I volunteered to switch seats with him. We hit suck one ok, but went into the second suck angled right at me. Cory, Ashley, and I all got thrown. I ended up under the raft, and felt plastic. I thought it might be my paddle and grabbed it, but it ended up being someone’s helmet. So I let go after yanking on it (oops) and got sucked underwater about 30 feet. When I popped up I was backwards and didn’t see the raft anywhere. So I turned myself around so that I was feet first on my back like they teach you. I went over several rapids, and banged my ass pretty well on a couple of rocks, but otherwise was doing alright (other than freezing my ass off). It was so cold it was hard to breath. I tried to work my way towards the shore, but couldn’t get there in time for the next set of rapids. I tried to get my feet down too where it was a little slower, but he rocks were too slick, and the water was up from all of the rain. After a while of floating down the rapids on my back, I thought I was just going to have to float the rest of the river. I couldn’t see anyone around me at all. Finally, after who knows how long (they tell me it was about half a mile), I heard a shout over my left shoulder. The other raft was moving up on me. The guide pulled me in, and I collapsed in the bottom of the boat, face first. My head got wedged between the seat and the floor. The finally got me on my back and I just laid on the floor for about 5 minutes or so trying to regain my strength. I finally got back in my own raft, sans paddle. We ended up stopping in an eddy by a bridge, where I got a new paddle, and we continued down the river. I found out that Ashley and Corey got pulled out of the river right away. They luckily popped up right next to the raft. I also found out from several people that I had just swam longer than they’d ever seen anyone swim that section, and that it was called Hell’s half mile. It is apparently the second worst place to swim (the first being Old Grumpy). Everyone was very surprised that I didn’t have any cuts, scrapes or bruises. I’m not sure if I was just lucky, or it was due to the river being up so much. At any rate, I’m glad I didn’t get too messed up.
B ended up pinning us on one more rock, just because he’s sadistic like that. Actually, I’m glad he did, because now I know what to expect, and how to deal with it. We made it through the rest of the trip with no one else swimming. Well, actually, one guy was moving to another seat right when we hit something, and he went in for a couple of minutes. When we finally got to the pull out point, my feet were numb. It felt like I was walking on my ankles.
So, after all of this, we have to go down the river again. That’s ok though, because I learned how to wedge myself in the raft, and I wasn’t going anywhere near the front right seat. I actually got to guide Table Saw and Diamond Splitter on the first trip down, and then got to guide Double Suck and Hell’s Half Mile on the second trip. It is much more fun guiding than it is just paddling. Corey got to guide through Table Saw, Diamond Splitter, Cat’s Pajamas, and Hell Hole on the second ride down. He was doing a good job keeping the right angle through Table Saw, but lost his angle near the end and ended up taking us through Diamond Splitter backwards. That wasn’t nearly as bad as when he turned us sideways through Cat’s Pajamas. That one almost sent the whole boat flying. He got Hell Hole dead on though.
Here I sit, feeling like I just went through the spin cycle twice, and I can’t wait to go back. I pulled a muscle in my back, and both of my shoulders are aching. I did go drop some money on a neoprene shirt, a splash jacket, some fleece pants, and some fleece socks. I’m not planning on swimming again (you never plan on it really) and I want to at least attempt to stay a little warm next weekend. The good news is that me and Corey seem to have jobs as mercenaries (weekend help) if we want them. We just have to go get CPR and First Aid, and run some more practice runs with other trainees. I can’t wait to get certified and start taking customers down, although I’ll probably be scared shitless my first time down with customers. So do I have any volunteers?
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
New Summer Job
Alright, I just have to make it through two more days (after today that is). In case you haven't heard, I am going to train to be a raft guide this weekend. I have loved white water all my life and can't wait to spend some time this summer paddling down the river.
It started at 6:00 AM at the tail end our annual St. Patty's day celebration. I was telling a story about my last rafting trip down the Ocoee. Well, one of the Wind Wood boys (B Burch) was there too. So, here's the story (because I know you're dying to hear it).
Me, my wife, and my wife's friend Amy went up to the Ocoee to go rafting with B Burch. That Saturday, we took our trip down the river. Well, B turned to me and said "Hey, you want to guide through these next two rapids?"
So, I did. Well, we got through the first rapid, and were about to enter the second. B yells back, "you're doing great." When he looks back, I'm on the floor of the raft, with my paddle straight in the air. I had gotten bumped off the back and onto the floor of the raft. I sheepishly said, "thanks"
Anyways, we got through just fine. We did other fun stuff too. B let me "ride the bull" which is where you sit on the front of the raft with your legs dangling over the edge when you go through Hell Hole. What a rush.
So, the next day I stick around, and my wife and her friend head home. B and I decide to go down the river again. He has a kayak, but I had nothing (not even a vest). So he hooks me up with his boss's "rubber ducky", which is basically shaped like a kayak, but made like a raft. It has two straps running down the inside walls that you put across your knees, and holes to let any water out that comes in. So, for the most part you can just bounce off of rocks. Anyways, I only flipped once, and that was because I tried to maneuver the ducky too sharply. A rubber ducky drives like a Cadillac, in that you have to start your turn about 10 feet before the turn.
So, anyways, we get down to Hell Hole. B tells me I can go around the side. I instantly replied, "Hell no, I'm going for it". So, I get set up on my approach, and hit the wall of water. As I go over the wall and start to drop into the hole, some guy is surfing and doesn't move until the last minute. Too late for me...
I dig my paddle in and turn hard, coming into Hell Hole sideways in the 7 or 8 foot long rubber ducky. I hit the bottom of the hole (about a 4 or 5 foot drop) and somehow stay upright. Next thing I know I'm surfing Hell Hole! It was a site, I'm sure. I had the standard issue live vest on (the one with the cape to keep your head from hitting rocks if you have to bail). So my cape is flapping in the wind, I'm holding steady, and finally I pop out completely unscathed.
It was an absolute blast. There’s nothing like it in the world. So, 6:00 in the morning as we are reliving this, B says something about needing help on the weekends. I (being very drunk) jump on the opportunity. That was almost 11 days ago now and I’m chomping at the bit. I went on a spending binge for camping gear. I’ve already done everything that can possibly be done to prepare. The only things left to do are buy food and pack my clothes. I’ve actually already gathered everything; I just need to stuff it in my pack. I think I’ll do that tonight.
So, I will now quote The Violent Femmes when I say, “I think this summer’s going to be the best, if I don’t die from a lack of rest”
It started at 6:00 AM at the tail end our annual St. Patty's day celebration. I was telling a story about my last rafting trip down the Ocoee. Well, one of the Wind Wood boys (B Burch) was there too. So, here's the story (because I know you're dying to hear it).
Me, my wife, and my wife's friend Amy went up to the Ocoee to go rafting with B Burch. That Saturday, we took our trip down the river. Well, B turned to me and said "Hey, you want to guide through these next two rapids?"
So, I did. Well, we got through the first rapid, and were about to enter the second. B yells back, "you're doing great." When he looks back, I'm on the floor of the raft, with my paddle straight in the air. I had gotten bumped off the back and onto the floor of the raft. I sheepishly said, "thanks"
Anyways, we got through just fine. We did other fun stuff too. B let me "ride the bull" which is where you sit on the front of the raft with your legs dangling over the edge when you go through Hell Hole. What a rush.
So, the next day I stick around, and my wife and her friend head home. B and I decide to go down the river again. He has a kayak, but I had nothing (not even a vest). So he hooks me up with his boss's "rubber ducky", which is basically shaped like a kayak, but made like a raft. It has two straps running down the inside walls that you put across your knees, and holes to let any water out that comes in. So, for the most part you can just bounce off of rocks. Anyways, I only flipped once, and that was because I tried to maneuver the ducky too sharply. A rubber ducky drives like a Cadillac, in that you have to start your turn about 10 feet before the turn.
So, anyways, we get down to Hell Hole. B tells me I can go around the side. I instantly replied, "Hell no, I'm going for it". So, I get set up on my approach, and hit the wall of water. As I go over the wall and start to drop into the hole, some guy is surfing and doesn't move until the last minute. Too late for me...
I dig my paddle in and turn hard, coming into Hell Hole sideways in the 7 or 8 foot long rubber ducky. I hit the bottom of the hole (about a 4 or 5 foot drop) and somehow stay upright. Next thing I know I'm surfing Hell Hole! It was a site, I'm sure. I had the standard issue live vest on (the one with the cape to keep your head from hitting rocks if you have to bail). So my cape is flapping in the wind, I'm holding steady, and finally I pop out completely unscathed.
It was an absolute blast. There’s nothing like it in the world. So, 6:00 in the morning as we are reliving this, B says something about needing help on the weekends. I (being very drunk) jump on the opportunity. That was almost 11 days ago now and I’m chomping at the bit. I went on a spending binge for camping gear. I’ve already done everything that can possibly be done to prepare. The only things left to do are buy food and pack my clothes. I’ve actually already gathered everything; I just need to stuff it in my pack. I think I’ll do that tonight.
So, I will now quote The Violent Femmes when I say, “I think this summer’s going to be the best, if I don’t die from a lack of rest”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)