Jenny Right-Side
Paddling in the Ottawa Valley and all over the world!
Archive for the ‘Regions’ Category
Day 6: Day off
My shoulder feels better this morning, but still not 100%. I am making a difficult decision to take the day off the river. Today the group is paddling the Rio General, which is supposed to be the biggest water river in Costa Rica. We had a wonderful breakfast at the resort and commenced our 3-hour drive to the next river. Along the way was a spot where we crossed the mountain range and if we looked to the right, we could see the Carribbean Sea. Not even 5 minutes further down the road, we could look left and see the Pacific. Incredible, and very rare that there is a place where you can do that.
Posted by Jenny
Day 5: Rio Pacuare Pt II
Injuries suck. The second day on the Pacuare started off with an amazing breakfast compliments of Jose, Luis and Rey, preceeded by a hike up the steep hills o the rainforest canton. We loaded up our raft and were on our way again.
There was a rapid called Upper and Lower Wukka (sp?), which we found out AFTER means “Indian Cemetery”. The lower part was very tricky and three people walked. he line from shore looked pretty simple to me; follow the tongue just to the right of a hole and then around the second munchy hole by running to the left of it next to a rock wall. Once I was up in the eddy alone, it wasn’t so easy to see the line! The ferry over was difficult and I had to stop and recatch the eddy to try a second time. I hit the first hole and stern-squirted my way into the second. I rolled up t the bottom of the rapid and literally did the whole thing upside down. How embarrassing.
There was another rapid that we didn’t scout, but followed a wave train down, climbed the biggest wave and did a boof stroke off the crest to fly over some rock. My boof was a little too far right and I landing into a seam, pulling off an outstanding mystery move. Me and my boat were completely submerged for at least 5 seconds. While I was down there, I got a rock hit right in the back by my shoulder blades. The muscles stiffened from that point up into my shoulders and into my arm. Every paddle stroke was painful. I kept going though, trying to float most of the rapids and forcing myself to avoid the playspots.
At one spot as we all waited in the eddy as Chad, Joey and Jose surfed, I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach and my shoulder was hurting more. I made the painful decision to ask Rey if I could ride the rest of the way in a raft. This was the most difficult part about running the river as I love boating so much and am absolutely TERRIFIED of rafts.
While Kapu, Fran and the bus were waiting for us at the take-out, construction crews dug up the take-out road. After we got off the river and headed back to the road, we realized that we were completely blocked in by a pile of rock and rubble! After speaking to the construction guys, it was amazing to watch how quickly the bulldozer was able to clear a path for us!
On the way to our hotel for the night, we realized that the bus wouldn’t fit under the bridge tressles. We ended up paying a coffee farmer who drove by to take our kayaks to the resort.
Never a dull moment!
Posted by Jenny
Day 4: Rio Pacuare
I am in heaven! I am laying on my bed in our room overlooking the jungle and Pacuare River. Outside my room is a steep creek that has cut a 10 foot wide path in the rock down to the river. Marzella is out on our porch in a hammock listening to the rain. On the other side of the river we can barely see the outline of howler monkeys high up in the jungle, jumping limb to limb in the treetops.
The Pacuare River is my favourite so far: clean water, fast rapids and steep jungles! We are doing a 2-day raft supported trip with a stop-over at this Costarican sanctuary.
No mishaps today. We ran rapids, saw toucans, orioles with yellow tails, snakes, and waterfalls. We ate a delicious lunch at the side o the river courtesy of our two rafters Reynaldo and Luis. My shoulders, back and arms are aching, but it’s the good kind of ache that says “Jenny, you just had a wonderfully productive day and are going to sleep like a baby tonight!”
Posted by Jenny
C-c-c-cold Weather Paddling
Yes, an open boater joined us on this adventure!
We went to the Lorne, ran shuttle and put on the river. By the time we put on, the temperature had risen to -8 degrees! The guys in playboats immediately started rolling and flatwater looping. Rich and I decided to paddle creekboats; Rich because of his bum shoulder, and me because I had a horrible chest cold for 2 weeks and really didn’t want to make it worse.
Geoff, Alex, Bobbie and Bryson played for a short while at Garb while Colin took pics and Rich, Laura and I went down to Pushbutton. The whole group ran the rest of the river together, enjoying company and the rapids of the Main Channel. The paddle was cold, but not THAT cold. Only my fingertips were frozen and the rest of me was pretty much fine!
The only place I thought I might stand a change at flipping was at Coliseum, but it went off for all paddlers without a hitch! We upped the anti to about $60 for Geoff to jump off BFR, but he didn’t go for it.
At the end of the day our gear was completely frozen; Laura couldn’t get her PFD off, Geoff’s noseplugs looked like one of those invisible dog leashes, and Colin’s pelican case for his camera was frozen shut!
Laura tries to get her PFD zipper down!
When we put on, everyone was complaining about the temperature, and making comments on how *I* could cancel the event at any time, and asking whose brilliant idea it was to paddle on such a cold day. After the paddle, no one complained, and no one had any regrets. Even Bobbie, Alex and Geoff went back to McKoys to surf Corner Wave and Babyface!!
Snickers and I helping Rich get his PFD off!
All photos by our team photographer, Colin.
Next up: skiing!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
Day 2: Pozo Azul “Blue Pool”
Breakfast Costarican style!
This was something that I told myself I was going to do, no matter what. I had run an 18 footer on Big Sandy Creek in West Virginia, and was ready to raise the bar a bit.
The drive from La Fortuna to the waterfall was about 2 hours, so we stopped for lunch at a rainforest species reserve where I was able to get photos of many flowers and plants.
The hike into the waterfall was muddy and steep due to a lot of rain the past couple of days. We weren’t sure what it would be like, but Joey and Chad were pretty sure we’d see more water than last year. We just hoped it wasn’t TOO much water.
Say hello to my little friend! from the put-in
Andrew and Bill navigate the steep path
Joey passes down a boat, using a throwrope as a guide-line
I peeled out of the eddy, passed the rock on the left, looked ahead to my reactionay and green tongue, leaned forward and started driving my paddle strokes. My line was perfect. I ws soaring through the air and down, but freaked a bit and forgot to tuck my paddle to the side. Last minute I raised it out of the way so it wouldn’t hit my face. I didn’t even feel the landing, the water was so aerated, but I wasn’t holding onto my paddle hard enough. It ripped out of my hands. Damn! I tried a handroll. Almost up. This time I HAD to get it. I twisted my hips, reached for the sky and rolled it! Whew! That could have become embarassing! I looked for my paddle, got it and waited for the next paddler.
Splat. Splat. Splat. Broken paddle. Brutal. Splat. Splat. Another imploded skirt. What a gong show! But everyone had huge smiles on their faces.
The way out was fun rocky, boogie water. We took out just as the Costarican sun disappeared behind the mountains.
Tonight we stayed at a unique little resort called La Quinta del Sarapiqui. Covered breezeways led to tiny cottages with private porches. Fran, Marzella and I relaxed on our rocking chairs nad hammock for a while before dinner. Before we ate, Marzella and I explored the jungle trails at night and then enjoyed delicious chicken, salad, beans and fruit.
What a day!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
Bienvenido a Costa Rica!
Joey shows Marzella how to drink from the sweet coconuts!
Wheelbarrows anyone?
The hottub at the hotel Flamboyant!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
Oxtongue Madness
I was a little nervous at first, as I get when I run anything new, but felt comfortable that the run was going to go well. I am still working on learning and improving these technical skills that you don’t gain spending all of your time on the Ottawa River big water. I’m excited to announce that I am getting better; on the Ottawa it didn’t matter if you flipped. Here, however, it mattered a lot!
I got to try out all sorts of new gear today, my new creektop (which was very comfortable with great range of motion, considering), my new rescue vest, and my new H2O riverrunning paddle (a little longer than my play paddle with the riverrunner blade - powerful!).
What a great way to deal with a hangover! 
Photos by Rich and John Hevesi!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
H2O Paddle Testing at Pushbutton
River: Ottawa
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
Squirtboats Make me Cry…
But dang it looks cool!
Jeremy is the squirt master.
Jeremy and I took my newly chopped boat out to low-water Halls of Karma on the New, but the boat just hurt too much. So we were on a new mission to make it less painful for me. So what did we do? We altered my neoprene socks, adding a foam donut so the fiberglass boat crushing my foot knuckles didn’t hurt so much. We also put a wood block in the bow to try and raise it a little (quick fix for an over-chopped boat).
Resting my everything! The face of a squirtboater right there.
Feels good so far!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back
Low Water Upper Gauley
What do you do in betwen Gauley releases? Run it anyway!
Jeremy in the Room of Doom, now with More Room, Less Doom
Jeremy paddled into the Room and noticed that the walls were scribbled with blue plastic. Someone in a blue boat got completely obliterated in there at one point. If it was you, send me an email, I’d love to know the story!
The mail slot was now a slot to balcony (there’s a wide rock on the downstream side of the slot), Don’t come in here Jen!
Neither of us lost our paddles at Lost Paddle, Jeremy ran the crack at Iron Ring upside down and I flipped on the hole and rolled up in time to run the last drop (a 5ft chute) backwards. Our excitement for the day!
Jeremy scouting Iron Ring
Sweets was a no-brainer, dildo rock was to be avoided, and now we could see why.
Yes! I made it!
The rest of the river we attempted every crack and ledge we could, often getting stuck. At the end, I tried to get Jeremy to give me a high fiiiive (a la Borat) for a successful run down the river, but he just wasn’t as excited to make it out alive as I was.
He was even less excited when I told him I forgot the key to the truck at the put-in and when I finally showed him that I had it, he felt the need to push me out of my boat into the water. Not nice Jeremy!
Jeremy and I giving each other a high fiiiive!
Original post by Jenny and software by Elliott Back