The weekend we had one swim on middle ten-mile resulting in a shoulder injury, he spent the rest of the weekend road trip as shuttle bunny. And a certain Oregon based class V paddler got thoroughly worked in Slaughterhouse falls, actually a very scary underwater expedition resulting in a Broken/ maybe broken nose. Word of note, the right hole on slaughterhouse falls will take you deep.
A mile later, Oregon paddler broke is paddle in half resulting in long hike up bike path with a bloody nose and bruised ego.
[epic]
Since the scarred husk of what was once my boat has resurfaced ala the corpse at the end of Deliverance, but in Pick-Up-Sticks of Vallecito instead of Georgia, I can no longer hide my head in the sand. Here is the dirt:
Me and some other lame brained dude got a hair up our butts and decided to go run vallecito before work. Im reminded of someones comments in the safety thread, if you don't have time to go creekboating, do not go creekboating. We got the the putin, finished gearing up, realized we were running late and got in blue angel formation.
My boof was early and too far right, I was getting beat down practically behind the curtain. After carping alot and trying numerous rolls on both sides, pop out goes the boater. Thats when I saw the other guy's boat upside down in the backwash. I guess he went too far left and boofed too early or not at all and suffered skirt implosion.
So to recap, its 6:30 am, Vallecito is running 2.3 and both members of the party are swimming below Entrance Falls simultaneously.
I flushed river left and grabbed the cliff, unaware of the cave of luv and it's escape route, I grabbed a jug on the gorge walls and started doing pullups. They got harder and harder each time. Eventually they became practically impossible and I was a long ways from escape. I didn't realize what the problem was yet, but I was sure my legs had stopped working.
Seeing homeboy dry on a log-pile on the cave got me to thinking my odds for survival were better over there, so I swam on in, but could not crawl out of the water. "GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!" "YOUR GOING TO GET HYPOTHERMIA, GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!" My legs would not function and I feared spontaneous paralysis. I was hoisted/rolled up on the logpile and thats when it was noted that my drysuit legs were totally full of water. Ice-cold, 6:30 am Vallecito water.
One boat got roped up, the other boat, my boat, which would have been easily recoverable if I wasn't in fight or flight mode, sank later that day and was presumed gone for good.
Secretly I hoped it was gone for good because then it wouldn't be something I was duty bound to recover. I hated that boat anyway.
The boat is back, if you see it say hello for me.
Apologies all the way around for my inability to go recover it until the 23 of June.
Ohyeah and I swam Pyrite too trying to melt the meat at 1.8k, for the exact same reason too "Gee guys we better get moving we don't have a lot of daylight left, watch me bomb Pyrite wheeeee!"
Booty beers have been taken. Ego severely bruised, and Vallecito protocol drastically re-evaluated. Thanks all.
I lost a dear friend in that spot two years back... I don't think you and I have ever met, but you have no idea how good it is to hear you are safe and good to paddle another day. My heart was pumping just reading your thread. Guess I am not nearly over it.
I would like to know what happened to your drysuit? Your description sounds like you didn't zip? If so, that is about the scariest thing I can think of whenever I put mine on.
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body. But rather...To skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming... WOW !!!! What a ride!!!!!!"
Alright. Saw Bigg's post and figured I would fess up too. Swimming on the upper box at 2200 could be really bad but fortunately for me it was pretty benign. Got stuffed in a shitty pocket after a shitty slot in boulder fan (inconsequential at low water) which none of us scouted very well. Andy surfed it with me but I got the brunt. I was on shore with boat and paddle a mere 50 yards downstream.
I have to agree with Biggs - the embudo ranks with the best of creeks and the upper box at 2200 was even better. New Mexico is the shit when it's going off! Thanks Atom for the killer weekend and come up soon when the Big South is in. Biggs- I saw the ice cream photo and agree with you fully!
Yeah I've been plagued by thoughts of wtf happend with that drysuit. I bled the air out of it after I put it on, so I think that rules out zipper issues.
I will never know, since I had the feet cut to get the water out before I climbed up out of the cave. It will never be the same drysuit again.
I hadn't known your friend at all, but if it is who I am thinking of, his name definately crossed my mind at the time, my condolences go out.
Its one thing to be comfortable with dying, a lot of hair boaters will say they are, but for the people who love you to be comfortable with you dying .. it never works like that.
Fess up, I'll go first. Swam at the slot on the Embudo while half of Colorado's Frontrangers watched. Dana and crew had also just rafted the slot clean. Very embarrassing moment for me. We all have them. Fess up! Atom...
I still need to drink that beer for Embudo...I swam the Embudo after a shoulder injury and the Santa Cruz.
Leo.
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