So it seems the Rockcastle had a little bit of a temper this past weekend.

Everything started out great. On Friday, Dot and I busted our asses to get out of town and to the river. I think we made it to Bee Rock no earlier than 2:30. With only one vehicle, one person has to take it back to the take-out and then hike 1.5 miles before then hiking in to Beech Narrows. I got lucky though. A local pulled-up just as I had dropped-off the Matrix and was nice enough to let me hitch a ride to the top. Thank you random stranger!

We hiked in to the putin and saw that the Beech was crankin' good. We're guessing the level was somewhere around 3 grand. The left line (grab your nut) was waay nasty, the right line was a little sketchy and so we chose to run right of center working left. We both ran it without problem, although the water was feeling pretty funky. We proceeded down and ran the Narrows after scouting 1st and 2nd drop, as well as Teeth. It looked very much like 5 grand: it was wide-open with good sized lines through everything. To make a short story short, we made it to the take-out just before dark with almost no trouble.

Saturday was a different story. Dot and I met up with Bart and packed down to Beech again. The water had dropped signficantly, but was still somewhere above 2 grand (maybe 2500-ish?). Although the water had dropped, the Beech was nastier than the previous day. The left line was manky with a massive curler throwing against the left side and the center wasn't looking too much better. The right line looked good to go. So naturally, Bart and I decided it would be a good idea to take the left line. I tried to point out what I thought was the correct way to hit it; up high and then ride the pillow out. Let me just say this is NOT the line the line to take at this level. Dot decided she was going to take the right line, but watch us first. I went, thinking I knew what I was doing. I peeled out of the eddy, hit a couple small holes and got stern-squirted as I made my entrance. I recovered, but ended up too far down. Bad news. I landed in the seem between Mt. Everist and the slab rock. The curler immediately grabbed my boat, flipped me upside-down and slammed me into the slab, grinded me across it and then flushed me deep. I rolled up, and was fine, saved by tucking fast. Bart went right after me. He also got blown off line and dropped down into the seam. Again, he was grabbed and thrown into the slab. He tried to brace against the slab but was also slammed against the rock, grinded and flushed deep. Since he was bracing and since he sits higher (C-1) he ended up getting the left side of his face all up against the rock. He rolled up with some bloody knuckles, a busted lip and few scrapes on his face. Damn, what a *#$%in rush! At this point, Dot was a little freaked after seeing us both get COMPLETELY trashed, so she grabbed her boat and walked it. As Bart and I were waiting he mentions his face hurts and he needs to get out for a minute and check it out. Turns out Bart got an extra dimple (about the size of a man's thumb-print) in the side of his face. Dot sees this and immediately we're packing our stuff and heading for the ER. I will go ahead and say that somehow, he didn't break anything, although he said it felt like something was crushed. Anyway, Dot and I leave our boats at the putin so we can make the horrendous hike out minus our boats. Bart STILL beat us up the trail WITH his boat and WITH his "broken" face. If there's anyone that can make you feel inadequate...

On Sunday Bart was feeling good enough to boat. So Bart, Dot and I met up with Steve Price, Duane Cottle and Jeremy Waters...the level was 1700-2000cfs? When we got to Beech Narrows we decided to split up three of the four possible lines between the six of us. Here are some of the lines:

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When we got to First Drop, Duane took the lead. We all followed pretty much the same line. After I dropped through, I turned to see Dot drop it as well (she was bringing up the rear). We continued on past Second Drop, and then we hear Bart yell. We look up stream to see Dot's boat coming down, but no Dot. Duane, Steve and I herded her boat in the eddy below Teeth, but we had no idea what had happened. I had seen her come through First Drop, and I was pretty sure there wasn't anything that would cause her to swim below that.

So here's what happened:

As soon as I turned my head, Dot got pulled back in the hole and got worked. She kept rolling up but kept getting flipped. Eventually she got fed up against a rock and couldn't roll anymore, so she bailed. At this point, Bart had ferried across, gotten out of his boat and was starting his way up to where Dot was (~150 ft upstream). So now Dot is getting completely thrashed by the hole, the rock and her boat. As she's getting recirculated she was able to push the boat down and out the bottom of the hole. She's still in there, now grabbing for whatever she could hold on to. She was eventually able to get ahold of a big boulder in the center, but wasn't even halfway out of the water with the hole she was stuck in on river left and an equally nasty hole on river right. Bart runs up with his home-made throw-rope and makes the perfect toss. Bart saves the day.

I would first like to give major props to Bart. We always talk about safety, but Bart really knows how to implement it. He's always where he needs to be if/when something goes bad. He was posted all over the RFG a couple weekends ago and he was where he needed to be on Sunday.

I would also like to give major props to Dot. She stayed calm and did what she needed to do to get out of the hole. On top of that, she was rattled when she came out and could have easily hiked out, but put right back on and finished the run clean. It takes a lot to recover from a thrashing like that.

Lastly to the group as a whole. We were able to recover all of Dot's gear quickly and efficiently due to good communication. And that's what it's all about.

Adam



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2009 09:13AM by Aedom.

Yikes. Glad everyone is OK. That river has your number Dot!

Bart needs a cape. BWA superhero cape.

i'm strangely attracted to both Dot and Bart now.

what a weekend for you all!

-bo

A couple things about the weekend:

I have never seen a person's face dented before and hope to never see it happen again.

For the run on Sunday when I got trashed in a hole, it was the first time that I've run it at that particular level. It was at a funky stage where there was a big water feel but, the big water lines hadn't opened up yet.

When I was getting worked in the hole, my elbow pads worked great. I was pushed hard against the rock and tried to push myself up with my elbows. Though it was unsuccessful, it's nice to know that I've got the option.

My arms are a bit sore and my fingertips a bit scraped from holding on to the rock and trying to keep my legs from getting sucked into the holes on either side of me. All the water in the little eddy behind the rock fed back into both of the holes. If no one had a rope, my only option would have been to go back into the hole and swim down. My boat got out by being sucked down the hole and popping out down the river. I didn't like this option so much since there was a lot of flow and Second Drop wasn't too far away.

Taking the Swiftwater Rescue course together was very helpful. I could see Bart knew I needed help and I knew he was carrying a throwbag. He hiked through the boulders super fast. He threw the rope perfectly across my shoulder and pendulumed me in within seconds. No discussion was needed because we both knew what needed to be done and how. Bart wins the Bada$$ Man of the Year in my book. Thanks Bart.

So it was scary but, no one was hurt and no gear was lost. Thanks to the guys rallying together for that. Guy's Surprise was rocking at that level and I'm glad I didn't miss it. To top the day off and make things all better, we saw two bald eagles (a male and a female) flying along the river and a fat beaver run and dive into the water.

I reposted the links to the videos so everyone should be able to watch them.

Adam

Kudos unto Dot. It's one thing to hold your shit together when you're in the big gnarly stuff, it's quite another thing to keep it all together after it hits the fan and then gets handed to you. That is the essence of boating right there, maintaining your composure in those clutch moments.

I owe you a stogie.

Hanley

something Hanley said to me in my boating career infancy resonated with me and I often refer to it out on the river............i'm paraphrasing, of course......

there are very few situations on the river in which panic and terror are ever helpful to you.

i've found that to be very true.
-bo

Ah, I was probably just saying something to hear myself talk. Actually panic and terror are very helpful. They really get the bowels moving.

Hanley

Cool video. D-Ring Cottle wins the ballzout line of the bunch taking the center line. Still impressive was seeing Steve and Adam (I think) take the left line. That's not as easy as it looks. Good stuff.

Glad to hear Bart and Dot are ok. I wasn't kidding when I told you 2300 cfs to 2500 cfs is the most difficult level, most would agree, for the Rockcastle. The punch is still there, but the lines are tight in places and the water will check your brace for sure.

5 more weeks, and I get to join you back out there. Hoping for big water for sure!

P.S. - I love the Beavers!