Teva Mountain Games 2012

Heading into the "bird bath"

Even though this years Teva Mountain Games didn't go the way I had planned, I was still very excited to be in Vail again for one more year of pure excitement!


 This year both of my parents came out to watch and cheer me on. I did heaps of runs on Homestake prior to the race on Thursday and I was feeling really good. The water was really low this year so there were loads of rocks everywhere to get stuck on.... or pinned.


The Teva Games have been really well known throughout the industry because the pay out is huge and there is a lot of publicity that comes with it.

Ending out the mank section of Homestake Creek.

The beginning of the waterfall section.

Left air wheel in a shallow hole in a composite boat!

I even made it into the newspaper!

So, anyways, the day of the race came and I was nervous, as always, because I had won the race last year. I knew a lot of people were watching me closely to see what my next move would be. I had done about ten really clean runs up to this point and I had confidence that I would do just as well on my race run.


I made it through the "mank" section and I was feeling really good, then, I let my head get out of the game and suddenly I was pinned. I was head up and in no danger but I was losing time quickly. I was stuck there for about 30 seconds and finally got myself off of the pin spot. I knew I had lost the race and that someone else would be taking the top honors this year.


I learned a lot that day. I have been racing a lot in the last six years and I don't mess up races very often. It is a lot harder losing than it is winning.


So, just because my steep creek race didn't go well,  it didn't mean my weekend was ruined.


On to the freestyle!

The scene at Vail during finals. Pretty awesome in there.

 Freestyle has never really been my forte but somehow I always do kind of well in it. (the BV Pro rodeo for example!) When we got to Vail there was literally no hole at all. It took two days and lot of man power to make a hole for the rodeo. Note the plywood on both sides of the hole and ropes attaching them, it was a pretty amazing feat! But, my problems were just beginning. I was in a composite boat, in a really shallow hole, in really cold water. It was always interesting dropping into the hole.


In one of my practice rides I hit my head so hard that I almost knocked myself out, I also hit my paddle on the rock so hard that my wrist hurt. Needless to say, all of us in the eddy were trying to be "careful" while also trying to do the biggest tricks we could.

Looping huge in the composite boat! Representing Liquid Logic to the world!!

Right air wheel during finals. You can see the bottom....

The finals in Vail is always my favorite because its like a miniature stadium in there. With the people on the streets and then the hotels with people hanging off of all of the balconies, it's pretty awesome. I ended up in fourth but still got a bit of a pay out, that was nice :-) Claire O'Hara had a huge ride, stomping both of her phonix monkeys and doing a huge mcnasty, I guess there is a reason she is the World Champion!!

Huge thanks again to Bryon Dorr for taking some awesome photographs!! Check out his website at www.exploringelements.com

I've also gotta thank Shane Benedict for making an awesome composite boat that didn't even break in Vail, even though I was trying my hardest.... if I can't break it... I don't think anyone can. 

Also huge thanks to Kokatat for the immense support in the last few months, it's been amazing meet everyone that works for them and learning about their company. Also, having gear that is warm, dry, and breathable is life changing!! Check their gear out if you have never looked at their stuff, lots of good things coming out of their company right now!

www.kokatat.com

I am now off to my new adventures, a full time job being a Paramedic with Greenville County EMS.

Until next time. Over and out. 

Adriene

Stomper and I go to Idaho

Last winter, I had to choose between going to Physician Assistant school in Idaho or Colorado, and after weeks of deliberation and angst, I chose Colorado, my home state.  To see what I was missing, I took a trip to Idaho this Spring with four fun female kayaker friends.  Needless to say, I had a severe case of regret over not choosing the PA program in Idaho simply for the quality of kayaking.  It was that good!

So, I sort of thought I knew this already, but it turns out you don't really know until you jump right in, especially if you live in a state where you often paddle on 150 cfs or less: big water is BIGGER from your boat than from the road.  After a fifteen hour drive, we got out of the car at the South Fork of the Payette.  It was pretty high, but after looking at the rapids in the Staircase section, we put on our gear with the attitude that it would be a fun warmup run.  Immediately after entering the first wave train, which looked so mild from the road, we realized that we couldn't power through things like we could at home. We had to use more finesse and set up for our lines much further ahead of time.  We got out to scout the biggest rapids again, at river level, and this time we got nervous, knowing which holes and waves would be friendly and which would flip us for sure.  But my Stomper performed better than I ever could have imagined, and I styled the lines.  I knew I loved it in the low-volume creeks back home, but I loved it more for keeping me on-line in powerful, exploding water.
 After a few runs on the Staircase, we got used to the disconnect between what we were seeing from the road and what we felt when we got in our boats.  We continued northward to the South Fork of the Clearwater, the Lochsa, and finally to the Selway, where to my surprise, and thanks to the Stomper, I felt in control in 24,000 cfs.  

I am happy to report that I moved to Denver from Southwestern Colorado last week, started PA school yesterday, and already had one of the best days of paddling of my season thus far on the Big South and the Poudre, despite the low water here on the front range, just two hours or so from my new home. 

SF Payette

Here are some photos.  Enjoy!

Annie on the Selway

Girl posse, SF Clearwater

One thing I love about kayaking: there are so many ways to have fun.

1st Gorge of Lime Creek

Oh, the packability! Upper Animas overnighter

The Composite Playboat

Buena Vista Pro Rodeo.

So, after a heinous drive across Kansas, totally solo (the only things to talk to were the bugs on my windscreen) I made it to Colorado. Nothing exciting happened during the drive, thankfully, but when I got to Buena Vista I realized really how low the water was this year. This is a vast difference between the 175% snow pack they had last year and the 70% snow pack that they have this year. 

Looping the very light composite boat

Shane had surprised me with a brand spankin new composite boat just in time for me to make the trek west. Its not a biscuit and it paddles like nothing I have ever paddled before. But I can say one thing, I could do some massive loops in it!!

Jordan going for a space godzilla

 Jordan did super well, as always, in both C-1 and K-1 juniors. He was flying just as high as I was and loving the light boat. The feature was a tad small this year.... but we all made it work.

Finals ride, huge space godzilla

 Going into finals I was second behind Ruth Gordon, who is a past world champion and Claire O'hara was in fourth who is the present world champion. My first ride I did everything I could in the feature within the first 30 seconds, a massive loop, a huge space godzilla, another space godzilla, and some spins. I scored my highest ride of my life which was a 360 and that put me really comfortably in first place!!

My sparkly masterpiece by Shane Benedict

 Claire had an awesome second ride and she was getting really close to getting her McNasty's. She ended up tieing me for first place. I was stoked to be able to know that I could keep up with these two powerhouses of freestyle.

Winner!!!

In the end, the judges averaged out our Claire and I's scores and I had won the rodeo. It was my first ever pro rodeo that I had won in my whole life!!! I was super happy to have been able to share the eddy with all the awesome people in Buena Vista Colorado and will be sure to come back next year!!

I want to thank Byron Dorr for the awesome photos that he shot, check out his page www.exploringelements.com

He has full coverage of the event on there, check it out!!

Im super stoked on this new playboat and so happy that Shane has made it happen! Keep your eyes out for posts for this coming weekend which is the Teva Mountain Games in Vail Colorado!!

The Simple Life... Grand Canyon Self Support

Carpooling to Lees Ferry (the put in) my mind was racing; "Do I have everything I need? Will my body agree with paddling 20-30 miles a day? Do I have the mental and physical strength to paddle 280 miles to Lake Mead?" Eight hours later, I realized that all my thoughts would become reality in less than 24 hours. No more questions, time to enjoy the trip and stop planning.

Back in September I hurt my shoulder flying off my mountain bike, so I was a little nervous about my shoulder's strength. I, however, kept in shape by running, pilates, and lots of bodywork on my shoulder. The river was running 20,000 cfs so I knew I could always just go with the flow and use the water to get me down. Luckily my intuition was right, and my body felt strong as soon as I put my paddle in the Colorado River.

The weather was absolutely perfect; 60 degrees and sunny. I almost felt overdressed in my Kokatat dry-suit with built-in booties over my fleece outfit, but as soon as we hit the first rapid, Badger Creek, I was happy that I had a sweet Gortex suit dry-suit protecting me from the cold big water. I was glad to have a pee zipper on the back. My first Grand trip I had no relief zipper, and it became a 20-minute adventure of taking off the dry-suit. A back relief zipper takes less than one minute.

Full of anticipation on what the Grand was going to offer us, we stopped at mile 17 to camp. The days in November are short, so I scrambled to find that perfect spot for the tent. Opening the dry bags for the 1st night is somewhat nerve racking. The question, "Do I have everything?" popped into my head. I started setting up my tent, sleeping stuff, and pulled out dinner supplies. Yes, I remembered everything, at least I thought. Having a big group is always a pro to a self-support trip, because there is an option to trade supplies and food. The freedom of kayaking or hiking when and where you want is grand, however supporting others in the group is priority in having a successful trip.

Having a group that you can trust is key; looking out for others paddling is important on a long self-support trip. At times the rapids actually felt easier than the big boil lines that like to pull the stern into the vortex of the tornado-looking water. Staying healthy and strong is also huge in paddling 20-30 miles a day. I have come to realize after 10 years of paddling, that most kayakers are humble and trust worthy people. I was happy that the group of gals and men on this trip were amazing people. Having 5 other gals to talk to about our past paddling adventures gave us an instant bond.

As the days passed by, the routine of getting up, pooing, making breakfast, packing up the kayak (takes about 20 min), and paddling another 20 miles to a badass hike or camp became a zen-like experience. The simplicity of a self-support trip made me fall in to rhythm of what my ancestors may have experienced. No cell phone, no drama, no deadlines, just pure living. I started to notice the rocks, the walls, the animals living in a complete present time. Looking at the stars between high canyon walls, with absolutely complete quietness made my mind silent for the first time.

The night before Lava, the group brought out many drinks to share, we had treasure hunts stashed for our group so we never ran out of merry drinks, and water. Whenever, I ran out of water I simply purified the water from the Colorado, and so far I feel great. On chilly nights, I put the boiled (purified) water in a nalgene in my sleeping bag for instant warmth. In the morning the water was cool enough to drink. Hydration is key to stay healthy and strong.

The next day we started paddling downstream to the well-known rapid, Lava at mile 180. Having 3 people in the group who have paddled the Grand before, brought old stories back from this rapid. Yet at the same time, the past seemed like a fuzzy dream. Most of the group skirted the left, and a few went right. We had one swimmer, and she kept her paddle, and boat together. She, stayed warm wearing a dry-suit, and the river's power humbled our souls. we paddled a few more miles and came upon a rafting group hanging out on a sunny beach. They were about to have some bootie beers (an old boater tradition, if you swim you must drink a beer from a bootie), we decided to join them. Our group of kayakers and rafters enjoyed cold drinks for at least an hour together.

The next few days, blew by. The rhythm of packing, and unpacking our kayaks became effortless as space opened up in our boats. I realized, after the 9th day that I over-packed food, since I still had a full dry bag of dehydrated beans and rice. The only things I finally realized I forgot were tortillas and socks. I traded gorp for tortillas, and luckily my good friend Lana, let me use a fresh pair of socks for a long hike.

I also figured out the easiest way to pack my boat. Here is a quick rundown...

Put the big yellow dry bag in the front (sleeping bag and thermo rest), shove canned chicken, purifier, and pan behind the foot pegs.

-Put groover in next and press with all my strength against the other dry bag to fit my water bottle in.

-Pack the back crevasses with fuel, canned food, and sandals.

-Put tent and poles into the back hatch area, along with 4 other small dry bags. Press hatch down with full strength.

-Put plastic box with day supplies in the back of the seat as well as, two other small dry bags that contain day supplies (food, hiking shoes, camera, sunglasses, first aid kit, and hair conditioner that I applied daily before paddling).

-That's it, takes about 15-20 minutes and a cup of coffee to load about 80 pounds of gear.

The last 2 days we had 40 miles of flat water, I was excited to see the Lower Granite Gorge past Diamond Creek. The rapids that started off the canyon, were beautiful and long. As soon as we hit the flat water, we realized the impact of Lake Mead: 10 foot silt banks, lined the river walls, and rapids disappeared. Looking for the last campsite became and adventure due to rain and no available campsites. I learned patience is a true virtue. We luckily found a campsite that sat upon about a 20-foot bank. We pulled each kayak up with a 75-foot rope, and it became a team effort that made us appreciate each day we had a perfect campsite and sunny skies.

Finishing off most of the drinks and food that night, we all had a feeling of true accomplishment.

A week later, I look back at this trip and, ask myself, What is the purpose of a self-support kayaking trip? I realize that my life can be claustrophobically filled with drama, cell phones, computers, TV, and Americanized material things. The irony of feeling opportunity and openness in between the deep narrowness of the Grand Canyon walls answered my question.

The answer is...Simplicity of life brings true joy of survival.

Cheers-Lisa Marie

*If this is goal of yours, to self-support kayak down your favorite river, go do it. Plan, save, and achieve. It's well worth all the effort. I suggest starting with 2 days down your favorite river with a loaded boat. Then check out new rivers for extended days. Protect, share and enjoy! :)

Self Support Grand Canyon

Next week I will be paddling for 13 days on the Grand Canyon with a fun group of paddlers from Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon. 10 guys, and 6 badass women! The women are Lana Young-Hood River, Tammy Ritchey-Colorado Springs, Susan Hollingsworth-Portland, Jenn Peterson-Portland, Tina Swan-Denver, and Lisa Marie-Salida.
The last few months I have been pondering on what I should bring and how I should pack. 2 years ago I went with the liquidologic self support crew on the Grand. It was a trip of a lifetime and that is why I'm coming back to the deep ditch for more fun!

As a virgin kayak self support I learned from Boyce, Woody, Ted, Kelly, Will, and Klause the best way to pack the XP, to be comfortable, and enjoy the canyon at its best in Jan. of 2010. Thank you guys!

Self support is the way to go down the Grand (self support basically meaning, you carry all your food, home, clothes etc...) No rafts helping! Having everything in your own boat is awesome. If you want to eat, you eat. If you want to poo, you poo. If you want to go on a side hike, you hike.

There is a magical feeling when you paddle through fun class 4 with over 80 pounds of food, your house for the night, clothes, and of course drinks. Its an amazing experience and I'm excited to see and feel the mighty Grand again.
The big question that keeps coming up.. how do you fit everything in the Remix XP 9? So I thought I would write a quick Grand canyon prep blog and then come back to tell you how the trip went. We launch Nov. 20th, we will be back into reality on Dec. 3rd.

Here you go! Also check out this awesome website for more information...
http://kayakcamping.amongstit.com/

Below is a photo of the kitchen: Food, bowls, fork, spoon, 5 gas ,Pocker Rocket MSR stove. The red NRS dry bags has snacks and lunch (did not want to unpack). Soap, sponge for cleaning. Small pan for pancake making. Water purifier and waterbottle, coffee cup, and canned chicken for dinners. The only thing that is missing is a small pot. Gotta get one of these before I go.

Here are the items packed in 2 drybags for kitchen and food.Everything else can fit in the nooks of the Remix XP. (will show you photos of how to pack your boat on my next post)

Here is the house: sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent, and of course a foam pillow. Pillow can be used as back support when paddling if in a drybag. Pretty sweet! I make this a priority due to having a bad neck. Remember the word...comfortable, that's how I roll! Lol

Sleeping bag, pillow, pad and tent fit in 3 drybags.


Clothes for the 13 days (warm layers, hiking clothes, shoes, hat, gloves etc...) Kokatat drysuit. Other paddling gear not shown. Fits in one dry bag. Photo that is not shown (first aid kit, flashlight and poop pvc pipe)
In my next post I will show you how to pack the Remix XP 9 and give you more details on the Grand Canyon 2011 trip.
Oregon and Colorado kayakers paddle together on a magical ride! Yippie

Be back soon!
Lisa Marie

The Elusive Left Line

Ok so I did tell everyone that I would do my next blog post on South Silver but I got a request to do a post on the Elusive left line of Sunshine. So here it is. I've been running the left line for a few years now with many different variations of the line. I started in a long boat and then slowly moved into being more comfortable in a short boat running it. Now that the rapid has changed, at the lower levels its actually more comfortable to go left than right for me. There's days where you have really really good lines like the one above. And...There's sometimes lines like the one above that hurt a bit more and aren't nearly as pretty.

So heres the deal. The left line is more scary than being in a cage with a Great White shark. Yes, I'm watching Shark Week. Ok, its not that scary. But there could be some bodily harm done if the line is messed up bad enough. Running too far in the middle could be a back breaker and too far left could mean hitting the left rock and breaking ribs, flipping right into the rock in the middle and hitting your head really hard. Here's a photo of Sunshine from the left side of the river with no water. You can kind of see the landing area on the lower left side of the photo. Its tight. Between the rock on the left and on the rock on the right you have to land just right to have a good soft line. These photos are just from the other day. I am coming out of the river right staging eddy with a little bit of speed but just enough to make sure that I will make it all the way across the river.
As you can tell from these photos I am really only taking one stroke. Its a really big right stroke. Making sure to keep my core taught and being sure to not drift downstream too far too early.

At this level, this photo shows a really good spot for the lineup of the rapid. I really like to have my right hip just on top of the last amount of water coming off of the rock. My left hip would at that point be on wet rock still but barely. Lining up the landing. Keeping my bow pointed straight or even a little to the left taking a right stroke. And launching off of the sweet spot!

So, there it is. My breakdown on the elusive left line. Hope you all learned a little bit!! For real now, next up a sweet blog on South Silver!!

See ya'll on the river.