okay, it's only stupid if you don't pull it off

Paddlers' Place
#1

left the rec boat at home…

Okay, yesterday felt pretty sweet. Exactly three months ago I got the right hip replaced, a couple months before that I had the left hip replaced. I started with some I and II streams and worked up to a continuous class III stream. I walked the IV. I was definitely the weak link in the group but a very rewarding day for me personally. Now I just gotta work on flexibility, stamina and gettin’ a roll. I’ve been boatin’ without one for the past few years. I’m the fat guy in the blue boat, orange paddling jacket. At least the walker and cane are history. Good to be back with a little help from my friends.

Link to a message board that has pictures
http://wvwaforum.proboards.com/thread/5672/upper-meadow-5-12-18?page=1&scrollTo=32610

Link to trip report
http://wvwaforum.proboards.com/thread/5671/tr-upper-meadow?page=1&scrollTo=32608

#2

Well, you can say that again.

#3

Nice … you ain’t too bad if you are running the Upper Meadow. I’ve done the Middle log ago (OC2 - MR Explorer) & that was a hoot.

#4

rival51, did you have to carry the canoe up the hill at the takeout? That’s some serious dedication. Class V takeout on the middle.

#5

Yeah, that was a heck of a slog. Better that than keeping on going downstream with our skill set though. I’d only give it a class III though - long ways up hill but pretty straight forward. Ropes were optional - not required. That was probably around '94 - 95.

Quite a weekend - Cherry, Cranberry, & Middle Meadow & then back to Michigan. I had scanned a couple of pictures from the that trip awhile back

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#6

Nice - now we can you you are past the road to recovery. You are back. Looks like a fun run. I’d walk the IV too :wink:

#7

Yeah man! Like the song… It’s a fine line between recklessness and courage. Looks like you were courageous.

#8

rival51, the top 3 photos look cherry like to me- looks like you had pretty good water, I really like the 4th picture- looking back up stream you get a sense of the undercut geology of the middle meadow. When I am running “the miracle mile” ( do so to avoid the takeout on the middle) I tell folks just assume the whole river left side is undercut!

#9

hey eck the IV I carried had a pretty easy line, you boof off a ledge avoiding the main drop but the main flow has nasty consequences- main flow goes into a nasty steep hole which then flushes into an undercut that has a strainer jammed under it. Just say no to that stuff.

#10

I walk more often than I should, and I always dwell on it after, but at least I am here to dwell on it after.

#11

@tdaniel said:
rival51, the top 3 photos look cherry like to me- looks like you had pretty good water, I really like the 4th picture- looking back up stream you get a sense of the undercut geology of the middle meadow. When I am running “the miracle mile” ( do so to avoid the takeout on the middle) I tell folks just assume the whole river left side is undercut!

Yep - Cherry for sure. The portage picture is what I was told was “Cranberry Splits”.

It was a good couple of days.