Great shots and a wonderful story--especially the ending! Flooded cedar swamps, what a sight. That submerged sign is downright spooky.
Glo
Glo
Flood paddle
- Thread starter pinelandpaddler
- Start date
Yup.
When I lived in Hampton Lakes my stepdad threw our beagle pup in one side of the spillway and I had to watch him laugh when he came up for air sputtering on the other side of the road. To this day, thinking of being sucked under a spillway, or even boating or canoeing near one gives me the willies. Also, one friend of my brothers went through the ice in Hampton Lakes and drowned.
PS:...."My nerves were in full throttle, and my knees were quivering violently. I tried to calm myself, but I could not regain control of my nerves. I knew that my shaking legs would betray me and that I would take a spill". See what I mean? That's you Gabe. Just hope that does not come back to haunt you.
Gabe, you are a lucky man! We almost went out that week but I looked at the Skit and remembered getting tossed from bank to bank. In the summer maybe but not in winter. It's too easy to get pinned against something by the current and then start shipping water. We may go today though.
How about leading a trip down the mighty Atsyunk? You know more about that area than anyone I know.
From your past posts I realize I have been missing much.
Ed
How about leading a trip down the mighty Atsyunk? You know more about that area than anyone I know.
From your past posts I realize I have been missing much.
Ed
Well, there's always a tiny trace of love built into a relationship that covered so many years wherein he took care of me and my siblings. It can't be easily dismissed, so its hard to publicly call him names, or to hear others do that.
He died in 1980.
That sounds a little sad Bob, because, and not being funny, if I do the math it sounds like he might have died kinda young. That kind of thing sucks.
g.
Thanks George, you are a good friend. Yes, he died at 49 years old. My real father died when I was 3 (he was 27), and my real mother died when I was 11 (she was 36). And all my grandparents are deceased too. I have outlived all my parents.
If any of you out there have a mother, please give her a squeezy hug and kiss on her cheek for me. Don't forget to visit her often and make her proud.
Gabe,
even without a good roll for me a skirt is always mandatory in winter because of paddle runoff which makes some particular areas very cold by the end of the trip without the skirt.besides a good percentage of my forbears were scottish with not a few highlanders so wearin a skirt kinda come natural,the high heels had to be gotten used to though.
Al
even without a good roll for me a skirt is always mandatory in winter because of paddle runoff which makes some particular areas very cold by the end of the trip without the skirt.besides a good percentage of my forbears were scottish with not a few highlanders so wearin a skirt kinda come natural,the high heels had to be gotten used to though.
Al
Thanks, Ed. I'd be glad to join you on a paddle down the beloved Atsyunk with you and others from the site. Maybe a Spring paddle?
And yes, I was lucky. But my luck depended on my skill.
Gabe,
This is a fascinating share dude! I like for a good paddle and I really don't mind cold water. The water though you were in there had to be deathly cold!
(I'm not fool enough to not know dying can come quick in two ways with what you did here, alone.) Your trip across the foot bridge and seeing trail info signs must have been rather surreal and like GLO expressed, slightly disturbing. This lends itself a little to the world without people thread where the world may have moved on without us and all our "signs and leavings" just get reclaimed in one way or another while nature stays the course.
You, through your trip, have given us here that willingness to be a little introspective about the world we live in and our perception of it. You also shared just a darned good paddle. Glad you made a long day of it and made out safe to bring this back to us. Thank you.
It seems you handle yourself well on the water. I can be overly cautious especially when alone. I too, twice have been fetched up on limbs and strainers. Thosee were even in nice weather. You have to fight so hard to pull yourself right that it is exhausting. When my canoe started to ship water hard the one time I will say I was downright scared. I'm not one for messing around spillways either.
Bad MOJO.
g.
This is a fascinating share dude! I like for a good paddle and I really don't mind cold water. The water though you were in there had to be deathly cold!
(I'm not fool enough to not know dying can come quick in two ways with what you did here, alone.) Your trip across the foot bridge and seeing trail info signs must have been rather surreal and like GLO expressed, slightly disturbing. This lends itself a little to the world without people thread where the world may have moved on without us and all our "signs and leavings" just get reclaimed in one way or another while nature stays the course.
You, through your trip, have given us here that willingness to be a little introspective about the world we live in and our perception of it. You also shared just a darned good paddle. Glad you made a long day of it and made out safe to bring this back to us. Thank you.
It seems you handle yourself well on the water. I can be overly cautious especially when alone. I too, twice have been fetched up on limbs and strainers. Thosee were even in nice weather. You have to fight so hard to pull yourself right that it is exhausting. When my canoe started to ship water hard the one time I will say I was downright scared. I'm not one for messing around spillways either.
Bad MOJO.
g.
All I meant was that even those who are less fearful of water than I am can have a bad experience where they are frightened, and that bad experience can slow them down in the future....be a little more hesitant to take risks.
Bob, you are a great friend of mine, and I appreciate the advice. However, I would have regretted not taking the risk. Next time around, I will take the risk again, but this time with more confidence and caution. Maybe Jeff will join me next time. What do you say, woodjin?
Yes, however I am currently out of commission as I am having a devil of a time wrestling with frozen water pump bolts (i have a broken screw extractor in a bolt right now). This has made my bronco, my means of transporting my kayak, in operatable.
I think Bob's perspective on these water conditions are not irrational. I think he has had some experiences that have simply made him tremendously aware of the hazards. I've seen Bob go into some very cold water (nothing like what the water would be right now) and take a number of calculated risks. Flood conditions matched with "deathly cold water" as George put it certainly deserves some careful preparation and extra caution.
Ahhh, the Hell with it, lets put on are swim trunks and go tubbing!!
Yep. I respect your fear of them. You had a bad experience.
I also have a fear of wasps....not an unreasonable fear, but a healthy one. When I was 8, I put a lollipop in my mouth. The other side of it had a wasp on it that I did not see. My lip swelled up like a balloon. If I see a wasp inside my house, hovering around with his legs a'dangling down, looking to land, I grab something to swat him with and don't rest until he is dead, dead, dead.
I also hesitate to climb a tree that I can't wrap my arms all the way around. I did one time when I was a teen in Presidential Lakes. I got 15 feet up and froze, with my arms 3/4 of the way around the trunk. I had to slide-shimmy down in that position and tore my arms up good. Duh!
Gabe,
To me, that would be very cool. Two things?? Is that Phenom usually in cold weather season? (whimpy me might take fear)
And... is it not something with a small window of warning and smaller duration of existance? I am not in a scheduling position to just up and go whence it would arrive. With a little room for error, I would be up for it.
At least I know I would be in the company of a seasoned paddler which is always a plus on such a junket.
g.
Wow, what a trip. I feel for those people whose yards and docks were swept clean.
I haven't read far enough to know if Bob has that specific fear, but I have a variation on it. I have always been afraid of water works: water flowing over a dam, through a culvert, hydro stations, etc. It's wierd, because even when I know I'm completely safe they scare the heck out of me.