As the school year drew to an end and the rivers began to rise nationwide I decided it would be a good time to go on a trip. We started off by spending three great days at the Wyoming Whitewater Championships which included a down river race, a boater cross, and a rodeo. This was a great event and I was fortunate enough to land in second place in both the Down River Race and the Rodeo in mens pro. A great crowd turned out for the events and many good times were had even in the chaos that ensued in the Boater Cross down a class V stretch on the Greys river. After the events of the weekend died down, Austin Rathmann, Frazer Tear, and myself embarked on a trip to Big Timber Creek in Montucky (Montana). As we arrived to our campsite in a snowstorm, we decided it would be a good time to go do some boating. As we began the long walk up to the top of the run, we caught glimpses of the disneyland like river that dropped down the canyon at a steep 800 fpm. As a storm blew in and the trail turned to snow I was extremely warm and comfortable in my IR drysuit, a piece of gear that made this trip possible. As I gazed at the river I realized that I myself am much more comfortable in big water, and have never really paddled anything under 500 cfs, so the characteristics of this run were a major shock, however, I learned to love this run and had an amazing time. In a creek such as Big T, skirt implosions are a big possibility, so wearing my klingon skirt kept me dry and safe on this steep creek. We spent two days running the countless slides and waterfalls that cover Big Timber Creek and by the end we were more than ready for some big water. After dropping off Frazer in Jackson, Me and Austin drove to the North Fork Payette to fill our big water craving. The North Fork is my favorite river, period. After spending long periods of time here in the past, i was excited to see it at high flows. As we arrived to Banks, we were immediately reunited with the infamous Brian ” B-Real” Ward. We spent our first day running the Lower 5 and paddling with great friends and a few of my junior paddling companions. The next day, we were joined by Will Stubblefield, Ethan Mcleaod, Davis Gove, Eric Parker, Risto Beatty, and Andrew Roan as we drove up to paddle the Upper 5 as it reached 4000 cfs. This proved to be very large to say the least, and the group ran into a few beat downs but otherwise had a great and extremely fun run. My IR dry top and shorty kept me warm yet comfortable in the hot conditions and cold water that raged down the river. Right now I am sitting in Banks Cafe about to go take part in yet another NF lap.
Hells yeah young buck!
Nice line buddy!