Week of Watauga

With the warmer weather and good water, I have been really stoked on kayaking lately. I am usually pretty excited about boating, but this past week its all I have been thinking about. I managed to get on various sections of the Watauga 6 days in a row this week, with today ending the streak unfortunately. I did the Red Roof one day, just the Gorge 3 days, the upper Watauga and the Gorge one day, and a Gorge and Wilson Creek double one day. I got to paddle with a big variety of people, and saw a lot of other friends out on the river too. 

The first day the level was around 400 with Beech and Laurel putting in a lot more for a level of about 550 or so in the gorge. Throughout the week I rode the bubble all the way down to about 200 on the gauge. Every level of the week provided something a little different, and I couldn't begin to pick a favorite level. They are all pretty equally fun. 

Since I ran the Watauga so much this week  I finally took a few pictures from out there, I dont know why I havent before.

Mac on one of Watauga's many good boofs

New team hydro crew member Matt West on the same boof

Frank freewheeling

Mac freewheeling with a very painful look on his face

Matt with a freewheel

Me in a boogie rapid (photo Andria)

Another great Boof/Freewheel Spot (photo Leland)

Here is a sequence shot of me running stateline: 

(photo Matt)

Maybe it was just how many times I ran it this week, or all the Canadians and New Englanders that had traveled down, but I have just started to realize what a classic, awesome, underrated river the Watauga is.      

It has super high quality class IV rapids the entire 5 miles down, with 2 really fun class V's. It has more fun boofs than any other river I have ever been on, there must be about 50. There are all sorts of alternative lines, slot moves, ferries, runnable sieves, and other cool moves in lots of the rapids. I discover new stuff every time I go out there. Its a beautiful canyon with lots of wildlife, I have seen a bear down by the river before. I feel really lucky to have this river so close that I can run it 6 times in a week and have even more fun every time I do it. 

Frank throwing a ninja-death-boof-stroke-paddle-tuck on the last rapid