First Update For a While!

I haven't updated this for ages! Work and the usual daily grinds are my excuse, but I've still managed plenty of paddling.

Since my last post, I've been to the Alps, Pyranhafest, and paddled plenty of my favourite local(ish) rivers. I'll start with the family holiday to the Alps!

After an epic 24 hour drive, we arrived in Embrun and pitched our home for the next fortnight. We were joined by some paddling buddies who we would be leading down the rivers for the next fortnight. There was Callum - awesome young paddler, Kenny - have a go hero, and Paul - one armed (yes literally!) wonder.

We had an amazing two weeks, which culminated in a super run of the Durance where nobody swam! We paddled the Durance, Ubaye Racecourse and the Guil, and have already started planning the next  trip! Can't wait.

We arrived home mid August and waited for the rain. A few easy rivers later and it was Pyranhafest time! What a great weekend! The mighty Treweryn mixed with great company, great food, a great party, and chilli sambuca - can't beat it!

And that brings us very quickly to now. I'm paddling more, the rain is coming and I'm looking forward to the winter. I have a long list of rivers that I'd like to tick off, club trips to organise and plenty of coaching to be done. Not to mention the socials - Christmas Curry, New Years Eve paddle, pub!

I'll sign off for now, and try not to leave it as long until I update this again.

Stay safe and keep paddling!

Lou

   

Getting Ready for the Alps.....

After a long few months with very little time for paddling, (or updating my blog!) I finally managed a fun paddle on the River Irwell. It was low and not at all exciting, but at least I was in my boat. Well almost................

My nervous 11 year old!

Today's paddle was in my playboat, and I'd forgotten how uncomfy it actually was. My Burn was being used by my niece, who'd never paddled before, so it was time to blast the cobwebs off my G-Force and guide everyone down in one piece.

Out of the five of us paddling today, two had never been in a boat before, but after a warm up and some quick instructions, we blasted down the weir and had a fun paddle all the way down without incident. And I was glad! My feet were cramped and I couldn't wear my shoes as they didn't fit. My legs had gone dead and my hips ached. I did have some fun though! I'm now ready for my trip to the Alps in a few weeks time. Actually, I can't wait! Warm weather, new rivers, good company and plenty of paddling.

Watch this space.......................



 

January & February 2011

Since my return to paddling in November 2010, I've been keen to get out as much as possible. After trips on some of my favourite runs, I've been doing some coaching and leading in the Lakes and around Lancashire.

The end of January saw me lead a club trip down the River Leven in the Lake District. As I haven't been down to the club in a while, I didn't know many of the club paddlers, but it turned out that they were a great crew who were keen to learn and who really enjoy their paddling.

There were thriteen novices altogether, so we split into two groups. The water was at a low/medium level, and was really ideal for a first trip. Most rocks were covered, but it was still technical in some places, so it gave people a chance to test their skills. It also gave me the opportunity to see where people needed to improve, and this became apparent after the first drop, Mill Falls.

Mill Falls is grade 3, and a fairly kind introduction to paddling over drops. Paddling is the most important part, and most of the group forgot to paddle, resulting in a successful drop, but a swin in the bouncy waves immediately after. The large pool at the bottom made rescues easy, but it was a wet start to the day for most of the group. 

The rest of the trip passed without much incident, and we even had time for a second run. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and I was back doing what I loved; coaching and leading on the river.

Two other easy rivers followed the Leven; the Washburn and the Greta at Ingleton. The Washburn trip was fun, getting in two runs on the dam released river. It did leave me totally shattered though, after chasing a boat and swimmer for almost half of the river. Everything was recovered safely, including the swimmer!

The following weekend, three of us took a leisurely paddle down the Great at Ingleton. Despite the low water, we had a fun paddle. It was easy, but the low water made some of it technical. It was good to do a river where I wasn't on edge once, and I really enjoyed myself.

That brings me to the Saturday 19th Feb. I'm doing my 16hr first aid, followed by a coaching update the following weekend, so my paddling might be limited over the next few weeks. Maybe I can squeeze a run down the Calder in my playboat, and have a bit of fun in the weir. Watch this space.......

A New River, Not to be Easily Forgotten for the Wrong Reasons!

With all the rain around on 14th & 15th January, we decided to go boating in the Lakes. Desperate to try something new, we decided a spate run on the Roeburn; a fast, tree strewn little river. The browner the better according to the guidebook, and it was brown. We did a quick scout of the get-in/get-out, sorted our shuttle, and entered into the unknown.

The river was fast and brown, but surprisingly shallow. It was also remarkably continous; something we were aware of from the guidebook. Despite knowing this, the speed of the water caught my unawares. I missed the first eddy and went down a shallow rocky slope backwards and sideways. Recovering quickly, I made the next eddy and caught my breath. I wasn't warmed up, so decided the next visible section looked okay to relax the muscles and warm up properly.

From the eddy, we paddled through some very big, bouncy grade three, and a left handed bend brought us to a small wave between two rocks. I paddled through and spotted one paddler swimming into an eddy with his boat, and one upside down. Then fixing my focus back to my line, I realised why. A large tree overhung the river, followed by a smaller one. I'd now seen it too late and followed my pals in an early capsize. I just clipped it while trying to miss it, but it was enough. Underwater within 200m of the start. Nightmare! And the shallow water meant I was now banging on trees and rocks, and I pulled my deck.

This is something that I am really disappointed with. Pre back injury, my roll was bomb proof, and I had been know to stay under so long, people thought I'd been knocked out! Now I'm not even attempting a roll. I can do it though, but it seems not when I'm taken by surprise. Practice needed and lesson number one for the day.

The swim was fast and rough, and I hit lots of rocks with every part of my body. The nearest eddy was on the other side of the river, so I used my white water swimming techniques and actually made it; something that I was surprised by. And then the epic kit reuniting session took place. My boat and paddle were about 50m downstream, but a cliff was in the way and it wasn't possible to walk down the bank. The only way was up and over. The first swimmer, who was with his boat on the other side of the river, was minus his paddle.

This was opposite my boat downstream. Again, the high bank meant it was a difficult walk for him with his boat. I walked opposite him with a line in case he slipped, but eventually he made it to his paddle and ferried over to our side of the river. My climb was also tiring, and the wet, muddy slopes made it even harder. To make it worse, my boat was on an island in the river, so a short walk through the flow was needed. After thirty minutes of climbing and scrambling, all paddlers and kit were together once more.

I couldn't believe we were only about half a mile into our trip. Everyone took a breather, and we decided we were okay to carry on, but that swimming was definitely not recommended! We carried on taking a more cautious approach due to the river being full of trees. Most weren't a portage, but had the potential to cause serious problems if they weren't avoided. Thankfully, we avoided them all with ease, but the river was non-stop and left very little time for a rest. 

The trip was just getting better when we were caught out by a steel cable across the river. It was hard to see with the torrential rain and grey conditions, and we spotted it late. It was just submerged in the centre, but had collected a lot of debris. It then made a 'V' shape as it rose out of the water towards the banks. One paddler got caught on it and I had to stop on some shallow rocks and wade out to help him. Luckily it was quite shallow, so I was able to flip the boat an paddler the right way up once he was freed. He was left shaken up, and again we had to stop for a breather.

Carrying on, the river was a big and bouncy grade three blast, with some awkward waves and holes, and plenty of rocks to avoid. Everything was going well until we had another swim. This time, a lump of concrete in the river caused the capsize, and it was boat and person chasing time again. One paddler went after the boat and two of us tried to get the swimmer, but before we could, he became pinned on a tree branch just above a footbridge. I dropped down an awkward slot into in micro-eddy and jumped out to help, but the bank was high and I couldn't get my boat out fast enough. As the swimmer was clearly panicking, I jammed my boat against a small tree and stood on shallow rocks to throw my line. Luckily, he came over the top of the tree branch, down the rocky slot and into the tiny bit of still water where I was stood. He was yelling, and I was trying to calm him down, but then I realised he was shouting, 'BOAT!'

Turning around, I saw my boat being swept downstream. There was no way to catch it. My only hope was that our original chaseboater might be able to grab it, but he was already on the bank with the first boat. My boat, and all my kit in it, was gone.

After climbing up to the bank, we stood packing away throwlines. Attached to trees on either side of the river was another steel cable; too high to trouble us, but a real problem in higher water. I decided that dodging lethal cables was not on my 'to-do' list.

A very long walk saw us all reunited yet again, but we were now minus a boat and had come to the entrance to the gorge. Inspection was difficult, and we only managed it by climbing and scrambling sixty feet up the steep, sloping bank. It certainly wasn't friendly, and it certainly wouldn't have been wise to try to get through without a boat. Nor was a portage an option, so my only option was to walk out, except there was to be no 'walking' involved. The way out was around 200ft up, and it was slippy, muddy and sloping at around sixty degrees. It was decided that our swimmer would walk out with me as he couldn't carry on, so that left two to run the gorge. They were happy with it, and as it was near the end, they would get to the car and notify the police about the lonely boat!

The gradient is easing off here

After a very long and difficult climb up to the fields, using ropes for the boat and occasionally us, we made it to the fields above. All we could see were fields, and sheep, but we had to start walking. It was now well into the afternoon, and I was hoping to be able to look for my boat.

We were closely watched by anxious sheep as we walked through three fields. Just as the road appeared, so did our shuttle. I have never been so gled to get off a river and back to civilisation! I was shattered from the long climb, and angry that over a thousand pounds worth of my kit was now somewhere between the East Lakes and the Irish Sea!

As it turned out, some other paddlers had spotted my boat pinned on two trees, still on the Roeburn, so we set off walking to get it. At lease it was reportedly on our side of the river. After another mammoth trek, we found it - on the opposite side of the river! It was directly below a huge sheer cliff, so paddling to it was the only option. At least the river was fairly slack here, and it was also just above a large eddy. However, by the time we managed to get a boat in, we knew we only had one shot at the recovery mission. Fortunately, it went according to plan. Paddle across to eddy, throw line across, clip to boat, pendulum it across the river, paddle back across, job done!

By the time we had walked back to the car, it was pitch black. Without a doubt, the longest and most unforgettable day's paddling I had ever had - for all the wrong reasons!

A Low River Tees & Even Less Water Everywhere Else!!

We'd planned a paddle for the 2nd January and we were determined to do so, chasing the water all the way up to the North East, in the hope of finding some in the upper River Tees. Photos taken the day before showed a low but fun level, so I set my alarm for 07:00 and went to sleep dreaming of the fun to be had.

After an early get-up to load the car in the dark, we set off up the M6 for the long drive north. As we drove up the country, the temperature came down, and by the time we arrived at the get-in, we were driving past slabs of ice at least six inches thick. How I love British paddling!

Far too early for a Sunday!

A quick stop at Low Force on the way to the get-in left us a little disappointed. It was low! Very low! The levels had dropped by at least a foot from the previous day, meaning most of the river would be a scrape. It wasn't just us that had been expecting more water; it was busy, with boaters travelling long distances to find the wet stuff!

Low water and ice on the Upper Tees

We set off down the path to the river, and put on amongst ice and barely covered rocks. Optimistic of a good paddle, we decided to call the river technical rather than low. An effective euphemism I thought! And 'technical' it was. Scraping, bumping, pushing and a bit of paddling, saw us arrive at the first bit of interest - a small grade 3 fall. I watched as Mark chose his line and went first, but he only made it half way down. I could see his helmet as his boat ground to a halt on a rock shelf. Laughing, I decided a different line would be best, and I bounced down, passing a smiling Mark on the way past. He shuffled down, and once we were all safely at the bottom, we set off towards Salmon Leap Falls.

Salmon Leap Falls, or the dog-leg as it is also known, is a fun section. After rounding a right-angled bend at the top, two small drops await paddlers as they make their way down to the bottom. All the water flows through this narrow section, so even in low water it can be quite meaty.



Making my way down the dog-leg

Waiting my turn at the top, I saw another paddler miss the bend and slam nose first into the rocks. He managed to stay upright, and I saw him climbing back up for another go. I climbed back into my boat and set off, struggling over rocks to make the line. I hit the flow and used the curling wave to make the bend. A fun bounce down left me with nothing but a big smile.

A swimmer soon had me leaping into action, and after smoothly carrying out a rescue, we were on our way to Low Force.

I've paddled Low Force before, and it was one of the main reasons for doing the river. Several paddlers were at the top, and we watched them all go over smoothly into the pool below. Most just dropped off the lip, but I had other plans. A boof just at the right moment should see me land in the white foam, and with a bit of luck I wouldn't even get my hair wet. So much for that plan!

Just as I was putting in the boof stroke, my boat veered sharply to the right and I came off the lip in the wrong direction at the wrong angle. I landed on my side, and a sharp pain ran through my body. Winded! I had either landed on a rock or the side of my boat. As I went to move the paddle, another pain shot through my shoulder and down my arm. Enough was enough, and I pulled my deck and swam. 

As I surfaced, I was struggling to get my breath, and my hands became instantly useless because of the cold. I was hurting physically, but my pride was hurting more. On what was arguably the least technical part of the entire river, I had got it completely wrong. What an idiot! Climbing out was difficult too, and by the time I made it to the path some twenty feet above, I was feeling sick. I collapsed onto another kayak and watched as ropes were used to drag my boat out of the river.

Ten minutes later, and I was just about getting some feeling back into my hands. While my paddling buddies were quite concerned, I was making the most of my adrenaline, the body's natural painkiller, and I angrily hauled my boat onto my good shoulder and trekked to the car. What a disappointing end to an otherwise great day, captured on video by Glenn Casson.



Getting changed proved slightly more difficult, much to the amusement of my husband, although he did eventually offer to help! I still felt surprisingly upbeat about my paddling, although one of my fellow paddlers remarked that he wasn't feeling at all confident after his swim, and needed some confidence boosting trips to somewhere like the Treweryn. I replied with "Etive next week then?" I actually would!

A week has now passed, and although my shoulder is still a little sore, I was ready to paddle again tomorrow. My confidence hasn't suffered at all, which I'm really pleased with, and I'm up for anything. I can't wait to be on the water. The lack of rain however, has put an end to that, and all I can do is sit with my rivers guide and dream of my next paddling adventure..................

New Year's Eve 2010 - Paddling the River Kent



Icicles hanging down into the final gorge on the River Kent



The last time I paddled the Kent was in the Autumn of 2008. I was as confident as I'd ever been, and it should have been a fun high water run. However, I capsized, split my head open on a rock, took a long swim and ended-up walking out. Shortly after, my already dodgy back gave way, and I spent two years not paddling in a bid to recover. 

That brings us to now. Since returning to paddling in November 2010, I have paddled five easy rivers. My confidence isn't anywhere near where it was, and since my little swim on the Kent back in 2008, I have been apprehensive about getting back on this river. But it was decided, and despite being slightly nervous, I wasn't going to sit this one out.

On arriving at the river and having a quick look, it was obviously low, and therefore about as friendly as it was going to get. We drove up to Scrogg's weir to get in, and after shuttling, we slid in to the cold water, and believe me, it was cold. By the time we arrived at the gorge section, my hands were as white as the recent snow.

The first drop into the gorge went smoothly, and instantly my confidence rose. First fall out of the way, and I wasn't feeling too bad. The beautiful icicles hanging down the gorge walls made it particularly scenic, and I realised I was actually enjoying myself. 

The beautifully icy gorge

As we continued through the gorge, taking a few pictures as we went, I found that although I was looking forward to the rest of the river, I also couldn't wait to get to the end. I tried my best to concentrate on taking photos, but the cold was making it difficult. The camera was also on the wrong setting, although I didn't realise until the end, so I wasn't happy with my shots. At least all my faffing stopped me from thinking about the drops ahead.

We soon got to the Z-bend rapid, the scene of my 2008 swim, but it didn't look difficult. Sticking out of the water by about a foot was the steel pipe that had caused my capsize, so at least I knew where not to paddle. I eddied out at the top, picked my line and then nailed it. I plunged over the edge and made the eddy below. Sweet! Confidence restored, river demons exorcised, and fun all the way.

Callum on his way down the series of falls at the Z-shaped rapid

We all made it without incident, and had a fun paddle down to the final gorge. I took a few more piccies, but was hoping that James' new GoPro HD headcam had captured some better footage of our trip. It was certainly tested as we went over the L-shaped weir, and I can't wait to see how well it performed under water!

I knew our trip was near its end, and I had enjoyed every minute. All that remained was Force Falls, but with the big pool at the bottom along with my rediscovered confidence, I wasn't worried. James and I went first, as we were equipped with the cameras. We both hit the line, paddled over into the drop, and eddied out at the bottom displaying ear to ear smiles. It really is a fun drop to run.  Callum and Glenn gave us a minute to set up our cameras, and then they too negotiated the run-in and drop, and emerged from the hole with huge smiles.

Glenn in the bottom of Force Falls

That was it. Kent done! I'm glad I did it. I didn't feel my back once, restored some of my long lost confidence, and realised that the river is where I want to be. Thanks to my paddling buddies for a great trip, and I can honestly say that I couldn't have had a better end to 2010. Bring on 2011!