Whitewater Kayaking

[pdub]

Went across the street for a brief visit with the Superman Clan yesterday, gosh such great people. Great friends, great neighbors.

SM is one month older than I am. I can barely move but he's out there doing it, their thing is kayaking on whitewater. And we have whitewater here, just go do it. I mean a river with water pouring over rocks, churning, get out there and see if you can make it through that on a piece of plastic and a paddle.

While I was visiting for a few minutes, SM played the video from SM's helmet cam. SM Jr. got turned over and dumped out, friends around rescued him and it turned into a chase down the river for that piece of plastic (the kayak). Every time SM paused for breath during the narrative, I interrupted him saying, "And so, this is fun?" SM Jr. was right there in front of the TV yelling, "YEAH! YEAH it's fun ....if you don't turn over."

GYAH. Superman really IS Superman, just out there doing that. If that's fun....if you think it is....that doesn't even look like fun. And that mountain water is COLD. Gyah, amazing.

[studemax]

Sounds like Superman is living life to the hilt.

[pdub]

Sounds like Superman is living life to the hilt.

He IS. I sure think he is. And he knows how to turn a wrench or two, too. Amazing. But you can HAVE that whitewater stuff, if you want it.

[pdub]

Sounds like Superman is living life to the hilt.

The water connection, SM was Navy. He served. Drawn to water. Maybe that's it. He's less than afraid of it.

If/when he sees this thread, maybe he'll chime in. He's my real-life hero, all the way around. I couldn't keep up with him if I was paid a million dollars an hour to try.

But when you call him "Superman," he just shakes it off and says, "I don't know about all of that."

[Pumpkin]

What river? Nantahala, Ocoee...? I've canoed pretty much most of the SE whitewater rivers, even guided up on the Ocoee and Cartecay rivers.

[sueunit]

Matt, I believe this was SM jr's first time on the Ocoee. Hi brother who rescued him is a guide there.

[Pumpkin]

Matt, I believe this was SM jr's first time on the Ocoee. Hi brother who rescued him is a guide there.

Thanks sueunit, that river will hurt you. I'm now wondering which rapid it could have been. Hope it wasn't Diamond Splitter and then a swim through Table Saw

[pdub]

Thanks sueunit, that river will hurt you. I'm now wondering which rapid it could have been.

SM was narrating the video, naming all of the spots, I sure can't name them verbatim. It was stuff like The Washing Machine, The Toilet, The Brick Wall, The Widowmaker, The Plunge of Death, stuff like that. When he inhaled I'd say, "And this is FUN?" SM Jr. would holler YEEEEAAAH!!! Lots of folks get out there and do that stuff on purpose.

That, and snow skiing. That for sure doesn't look like fun to me but I'll bet it is if you like it.

[fatguyzinc]

try surfing oahu's north shore (pipeline, sunset, ehukai, etc..)
or maui's honolua bay or peahi (aka JAWS)...

i once pulled into a barrel at waimea that was so big
you coulda drove a greyhound bus through it....
i got "shake & baked" BAD on that one.

if i didnt grow up here i woulda drowned for sure!
( at the time i could hold my breath for 3+minutes,
thank goodness cause thats how long it held me under.)

[Dan Barlow]

We lost a kayaker up here last week in Indy on our one big creek (fall creek ) or the big river it dumps into ( white river) down town . They were rain swollen and he went over a spill over dam . Got caught in a hydro- lock . It held him under and ripped his vest off .

[Loren]

Canoeing back there in your neck of the woods? Hell no, I done seen that Deliverance movie... J/K

We use to paddle down the very-calm Russian River in Nor. Cal for five days or so each summer, when I was a kid. I did jump off a small dam once and got caught under where the water was spilling over, Jeez...stuck in there and no knowing which way is up even, after a while I thought I was going to drown, I think my holding-my-breath limit was about a minute-and-a-half. Finally my foot touched something and I got it kicked hard enough to get me out of there. Just one of the ways through time I dang-near killed my own ass I suppose. We also used to go to the beach a lot and I took a good thrashing or two from waves but that would be about a tenth of what you'd get off Hawaii and there was nothing underneath to cut you up, all you'd have to do is keep your mouth shut and ride it out. Kinda fun in that case.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I do all of that stuff, and you're far more likely to die in the car ride then you are the adventure.