So this will be my first official thread here thought I would post this just to share my experience with all the other new paddlers on here…I went down to WV to fight a traffic ticket…and get some time in climbing and was hoping to demo some boats…well I ended up buying a friends boat from last yr…it is a dagger king pin…on thursday when I arrived I met up with my friends and we headed down to Fayette Station where I paddled up to thread the needle and than down threw Fayette Station…we ran it twice and I pulled it off…that was in a duckie…the following day I got in the king pin and did the same thing up to thread the needle and than down threw Fayette Station and on to Tays I believe it was. After all this I felt very confidant I was starting to learn about reading the water and knowing when and where to peel out to get up river…it was so gratifying and my friends were so impressed with how fast I was picking it up…well Fri nite we got rain and Fayette Station was about 2ft higher the next morn when we arrived…we did the same route and right away I felt much more current, my buddy said he did not think I should run station but I said I wanted to go for it…well as soon as we hit the tounge I saw how much bigger the waves were and I leaned forward and just paddled as hard as I could trying to keep my boat straight…I made it threw the first wave and to me it felt massive as soon as I shook the water off my face I was in the next one and it just took me…what a feeling…going over was fast but being under the water in my boat and in a rapid and trying to remember to pull off my skirt to exit felt like it took forever…I got out and held onto my paddle as instructed in the earlier days…I tried to swim out and got caught in what my friends call the video boaters eddy…I was trying to get out but it just kept pulling me back…I felt like my vest was not keeping me up and I freaked and yelled to this kid to help me…when I got out finally, my whole body was shaken with fear and I thought I might throw up…when I got it together I thanked the kid and got over to my buddy who had to catch my sunkin boat while hand paddeling in a squirtboat…I think that is what it is called. I felt so bad…we took about 15min got some water and a snack and than practiced rolling where I pulled off 2 smooth rools and 2 so so one’s than lost it…that made the day better…I have a new respect for the rapids now and don’t think I will attempt Fayette Station again untill I have a solid consistant roll…or it is at a low level like the first 2 days. In all I had an UNBELIEVABLE weekend in WV…pushing my body to it’s limits to achieve learning something new threw trial and error was a mind expanding experience. I am now back in PA where I will be practicing my roll so when I get back to WV I can ace Fayette Station at whatever level it is!!
Be very careful…
…and take some lessons.
Instruction…
I should have added that I am learning from very established boaters and not just some yahoos…I have total trust in that if it was a real danger they would not let me go ahead and try it.
Fortunate, you are.
I’m glad you’re ok! Definitely get that roll dialed in. It’s very good to hang around people who know the water (like your buddy) and take their advice.
Respect, you will learn.
Sometimes…
…a really good boater is not a good teacher.
Ever had a college who couldn’t teach? What
happens is that they are so good at the
techniques and have done them so often that
they lose the ability to break it down into the
details a learner needs.
Of course I’m not saying that is the case with
your paddling buds, but stay cognizant.
welcome to what it is all about…
see you downstream and keep practising them rolls. When you have them down you will swim again.
you’re running class IV?
Please, please, PLEASE be careful! I can’t believe you’re running a class IV rapid as a beginner paddler. I would not even think to run a class IV with someone who did not have a bombproof roll. If you can handle it, that’s really impressive but my gut feeling is that your friends were a bit irresponsible in letting you run that rapid.