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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
I ran right, she ran left. I swam the final big phat waves beneath me boat and she didn't. Still though, damn. I was purt scared to look back and see her surfing that big phucker.
same trip, Granite Rapid. photo cred and rights M.H. 2013
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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There is a third type of "rafter," viz. those who don't use rafts, but ride a surf mat instead. Of course you wear a wetsuit, and use swim fins. Certain safety-conscious types also bring a helmet, knee pads and a personal floatation device, but these weren't mentioned or offered to me when I went down the Kings from Garnet Dike to Kirch Flat or the Merced past Ned Gulch.
One friend described it as the second most pleasurable thing you can do. . .
John
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Prod
Trad climber
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65 or so trips down the Grand and 1 flip in Hermit at 18,000 CFS. Perfect run square and straight down the wave train. 5th hole broke at the top as I crested my 18' Demaree which catapulted me into a perfect slo motion endo. Then I got pushed into the dark bubbles by my oar, then an eddy re sucked me back into the dark bubbles.
Welcome to the club.
Prod.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Fritz, bad ass...but still, at your age?
Looks like big time fun.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 3, 2013 - 10:52pm PT
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Wow! Thanks for the positive replies and those -----scary---Lava Falls videos.
We went down the left side of Lava in 1999 at about 13,000 CFS, and just when I thought that we had skated the rapid, and we were rolling along in big standing waves—real -fast--------my big & heavily-loaded cataraft flew over a basalt needle, which didn’t even touch the frame or tubes.
Much to my surprise! The hole behind the needle stopped us, and both oars were torn out of my hands.
The Cat backed up to the basalt needle while the river raced by on either side. I grabbed the edge of my seat with both hands, as the washing-machine action started.
Seconds later, I looked up at my right oar coming my way. I raised my right-hand and the handle slapped into it, then the same thing happened with the left oar. I gave one good push, and washed out of the hole.
The cataraft frame was somewhat bent by the adventure, and both 5 gallon water containers, that had been firmly strapped on top of the frame, were now under the frame.
I accept all that as a lighter than usual Lava Falls adventure.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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There is another type ,swimmers.
Sorry im a kayaker. Great thread
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MisterE
climber
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There are 2 types of rafters & after 41 years, I switched!
I thought this was going to be about the advantages of scissor-trusses!
;)
Glad you are OK!
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zBrown
Ice climber
Brujo de La Playa
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you tell me!
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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awesome vid DelhiDog!
pretty rad, but those guys just missed getting pinned on that big boulder in the class 6, would have been bad, real bad, probably undercut, why the oars? pretty useless in that kind of water, would wear a regulator with a 5 minute pony tank for something like that,
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 4, 2013 - 12:22am PT
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After my Salmon River flip, we floated by impressive granite buttresses, that Mark & I had done "adventure climbing" routes on in the late 1970's.
We would drive south 150 miles from Moscow, Idaho & Pullman Washington (U of I & WSU) for warm spring days of potential new routes with the joy of Poison Ivy/Oak, rattlers, river views , sandy beaches, and huge loose flakes.
What's not to like?
I am somewhat amazed that that little climbing activity shows up on the internet under the obvious searches of Salmon River, Idaho, or Riggins.
There is one web-site that mentions the area of our adventure, but no details on routes. http://www.drtopo.com/submitted/riggins.pdf
The Salmon River Crags
These crags are located alongside the Salmon River about 14 or 15 miles to the east of Riggins.
The obvious granite outcrops tower above the north side of the road just before the second bridge
(Manning Bridge). There are more than 30 established routes here, many of which have multiple
pitches. There are crack climbs, bolted face climbs and mixed lines. Some of these routes have
healthy runouts that require a cool head and a change of underwear. The difficulty ranges from
5.8 to 5.12
We had adventure and survived, and when we floated by last week, after our flip, I got some photos of a few of our routes.
That Crack on The Salmon 5.8 A-1, nine 150 foot leads with some walking between leads.
Not just a climbing route, but an adventure, with one of the upper leads being the "Chimney of Horrors." From my journal: Highly recommended as an unusual problem! This pitch features jamming on huge flakes inside a wide and scenic chimney.
Then there was my dream-route "Dream of White Sheep" After a couple tries by groups with me, I lured the legendary Avery Tichner up to lead the open book, that he considered a 5.10d. We walked a ledge about 30 ft. right, and Avery led another easier pitch. He shouted down to me & his noob-early 20's disciple, that there was a car-door size ---extremely loose-flake half-way up the lead. We shouted up our understanding and the noob, started to follow Avery’s lead.
I suddenly knew that I was about to die, and retreated 30’ along the sidewalk-wide ledge to Avery’s bolt anchors from the previous lead. The noob made it past the car-door sized loose-flake, but nudged it off. It slid 80 feet down and exploded where I had been standing. A plate-sized chunk whacked me in the ankle and the rest of the car-door started an impressive rock-fall below us.
I remember watching everything rumble down towards the up-river road, while a motor-cycle driver , braked and did a hard and fast U-turn to avoid rockfall.
Avery went back without me, finished the route and rated it somewhere in the 5.11 range. None of these routes and various others that we survived, were ever published.
The adventures are still waiting.
But then, the beaches are pleasant too.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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I hear ya Doc.
Mostly just a fire and forget kind of thing, though "scareball!" comes to mind when I saw the potential for entrapment. They also had paddle boat set ups too. I'd think that might make more sense in easier water, as well as a transparent tube in front.
"DD can tell you about our trip through the grand: I quit getting out of the boat to scout the rapids because it just made it worse. "
Pretty funny really. Actually when TT stayed in the boats instead of scouting with us, we had more room in the groover each night...heh heh.
Fritz, I was on the Main Salmon (Id.) this summer and was wishing I'd brought climbing gear. Some nice looking rock down there in places.
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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bravecowpoke, I just watched that flip.
Why was that dude rowing back into the hole?
And whoa, that frame popped right off. Wonder if the d-rings blew or if it was just a shitty tie-down.
Looked like the run my brother in-law took right into the hole at Lava one time. I told the idiot to follow me (left run that particular time) and he just drifted center. Dummy. Of course he only lost his flyrod and not the whole darn load.
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10b4me
Ice climber
Soon 2B in Arizona
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Ok dammit, I have to get out on my kayak at least once this year.
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bobinc
Trad climber
Portland, Or
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I'm still in the non-flip category but think that mostly has to do with not boating enough.
Got close in 2007 on the GC when I went left at Bedrock...
And was riding in the bow on a SuperPuma that flipped in Cramer Rapid on the Main Salmon; this was perhaps a year after it formed. Four boats went through it and two flipped. (The second was a 15 foot Aire.)
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L
climber
California dreaming' on the farside of the world..
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Excellent TR, Flipper Fritz! I'm happy you lived to write about it because you tell a darn good tale and always include great photos.
I'm the "other type of rafter", but got close to joining your elite club on the Eagle River in Alaska. One of the other rafts with us didn't make it through the crux of the class 5 rapids and scared the bejesus out of its former occupants. They gave up WWR right there on the spot, I think.
Thanks for the great read.
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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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My buddy is the first boat in this compilation, one of the five paddle boats through the race that day (fifty competed) that did not flip once.
Gore Canyon looks wild!
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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