Shut Up and Paddle

I got the opportunity to run the Ocoee River once again. I ran the Upper section for the first time and ran the Middle section for the second time (since my first attempt last year). It was an amazing day. It started with some chaos and confusion over shuttles, meet-ups, etc. But all was calm once we put on the water. I have to tell you, the upper section really is beautiful and does not have the crowds of the middle section. Alien Boof and Mikey’s were a lot of fun (walked Blue Hole and the Olympic section this time) and I really enjoyed this stretch of river.

But nothing can compare to facing down and exorcising a major demon. Mine is named Grumpy’s. When I first ran the Ocoee two weeks ago, I thought I’d continue to put in below Grumpy’s for a while. It seemed like a lot of work and stress for very little thrill and an immediate introduction to the river with ZERO warm-up. When we put on here, I had already been paddling for a while and had been having a great day. I was encouraged by a friend to run it and reminded that it was no harder than the moves I had already made that day. I had been working on my ferry skills pretty hard core over the last few weeks, as well. So I gave it a go!

I was pretty nervous–had a case of nerves the whole day but just tried working through them and running the stuff anyway. I ferried over from the put-in ramp, peeled out, and tried to catch the eddy right above the river-center rock. I missed it, but knew there was one right below it so I leaned in, paddled hard, and caught the eddy. From there, it was just a little ferry, then a peel-out, and some wave trains. Wah-lah! In just a few seconds, I was at the same place where I had put-in last time (without the long walk carrying a heavy boat) and I was upright!

It is interesting in kayaking how after a bad or injuring experience (or even just after hearing a few stories and letting them soak in too much) a specific rapid or river can hold all kinds of bad vibes for you. You focus on the percieved danger based on that momentary experience and that perception generates fear and anxiety that can be mentally paralyzing. The Ocoee in general and Grumpy’s had been that demon for me…until Sunday. It’s also amazing how as you progress in skills what seemed overwhelming once becomes considerably easy and you have confidence that you have the skills and abilities to handle what the river has to offer. And once you have trained and prepared, you face down that demon, despite the nervous stomach and shaking hands, and you conquer it.

That’s what happened to me on Sunday and it was the best feeling in the world! I had an amazing day on the river and it was a long day of paddling, and the cornerstone really was pulling into Grumpy’s and handling it just fine, knowing my training and intense practice would allow me to get where I needed to be.

Of course, now I have a new demon on that river…the hole at Double Suck. I got worked pretty good in that one. I’m torn now whether I’ll start skirting it and taking the fun boof on the other side, or if I’ll go for the same line and face that demon head-on next time. Guess I won’t know until I get there but know I’ll conquer it eventually. And I have some new skils to focus on–namely, avoiding, punching through, and getting out of nasty (and retentive) holes. Any advice?

So…what’s your demon? I’m curious to hear stories your stories about your river demons and how you faced or excorcised them. Do tell!