Another Day on the Bottom Moose

After another uneventful (but short!) work week, I spent Sunday on the Bottom Moose with Ron, Dave Fulle, Uncle James and a few others.  The top four were pretty high (4.4 ish).  Plugged the line at Fowlersville, it was pretty nasty.  The line at double drop was thin at best and was giving me some trouble but was pretty fun.  Jim and I ran the left side at Shurform, and then Alpined it at Crystal.  While our first runs were fine, we decided to take a race lap on the bottom 4 after.  It seems like when I am pumping through rapids that I boat a whole lot better.  Friggin smoked the lines on the second lap.  Jimmy had the line of the day at Crystal, did he even get his face wet?

We'll tomorrow I start my new life (at least for the next 18 months) as somewhat of a Rochester boater.  I think the first thing i am going to do is buy a seasons pass to the lock 32 ww park...

Cheers minions...

Memorial Day Weekend

No Southern Trip again for me this year. Although I thought this year I was going, it has been pretty hard working out of town to get away on the weekends. But I still had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday I spent most of the day just resting up. I spend about $200 at the Harley dealership getting some new stuff for the bike, and watched some movies and got caught up on some stuff around the house.

Sunday it was back to business. I meet up with Jim, Eric and some others for a run down the Moose. Nice level (about 3.5). I had a really nice boof at Knife's Edge, and ran the Alpine at Crystal, which seems to be wood free again. Then Jim and I did what we said we were going to do for a while and got a 2nd lap in. It is a really fun river to bomb. I ran the left side at Shurform for the 2nd time, with better results than the first, but still not great. The weather cleared out and it made for a great day of paddling.

Monday Meaghan and I decided to do some hiking. We left the Garden at about 11:30 and headed up the South Side Trail, which closely follows John's Brook. It was alot of fun seeing John's for the first time since we ran it this spring. Some of the rapids I remembered, which was pretty cool seeing them with no water. Check out the pictures below. We got some great shots of Energizer with no water in it, which actually looks better than it does with water. We made it up to the Caretaker's Cabin around 1:30, and decided to head up Marcy. It was a great day for hiking, temps in the mid 60s and NO BUGS!!!! The top of Marcy was awesome. I have to be one of the luckiest people in the world, because I was the only one at the top of Marcy when I got there on Memorial Day. It was completely silent. A really peacefull moment.

Meaghan made it to Energizer!

Lead in to Energizer....

It keeps going, and going, and going.....

Just a random rapid (but a nice one!)

On the way back down, it was getting dark pretty fast and we didn't get a chance to take a look at Bushnell Falls. That will be the next scouting mission, as I hear it is fairly runable. It looks like there is a shit ton of wood between there and the normal put in.

John's Brook "River Valley" from the top of Mt. Marcy.

It was an awesome weekend. I can't wait to get back on John's Brook. I emptied a water bottle and filled it up with some water from the put in, cause I hear it cures herpies!!! (yea I got some for you Jim!!!)

Cheers!

Mill Creek

Last Sunday after I worked all day Saturday while it poured out, we got up to Lowville to hit up Mill Creek.  It was scheduled to be Uncle Jim's Moose Trip but with the level hovering at around 8.5 ft, we had to look for other options.  Mill was pretty low, but still really fun.  Jim, Drew, Adiran and I all agreed that we need to get up there with more water.  Still to get on a creek that is typically run off only in the middle of May was pretty sweet.  To top it all off, I smoked the line in the rapid under the 12 bridge.  I have to say that line is one of my favorite little rapids in that area.  You start by punching a juicy little hole at the top with just the right amount of speed as to not to get into the far wall, but enough to get through it without being pushed all the way right by the hole.  Quickly, you set up for a small little slot, that you take just a bit of left angle through and then take a few quick strokes and smash a boof stroke just off the left wall.  If you hit the boof just right, you will be out onto the pillow enough as to not land in the 2" of water on the slab rock at the bottom.  Then just hold on through the slide at the bottom, and catch an eddy.  It's awesome.

Outside of that I haven't really been doing a whole hell of a lot besides working.  I am right in the middle of finishing one project while getting another one started.  I spent the entire day yesterday just running around the site cleaning up after lazy ass contractors, and making sure that the place was presentable for the first day on Tuesday.  That will be interesting.  I have 14 bankers showing up expecting to be able to do banking stuff essentially in an active construction site......sweet.

I found out last week that my next job will be in Fairport (just outside of Rochester, NY).  One one hand it sucks because now I will be a "Rochester Boater", and will be forced to join the few sorry souls that drive at least 3 hours to get on anything of any quality.  The flip side is that I should get really good at doing stupid playboating shit as the lock is like 10 minutes away.  And I will be about 4 hours closer to WV......

Keeping it real in the 315

LaFlair

Turkey Season

We'll it has been a few weeks since I have been in my boat, hence no recent posts. But since I have turned this into my life blog, and not just kayaking I figured I would brag about finally getting a turkey. Last year I called a bunch in and had friends shoot them, but I had to listen to a bunch of shit for not getting one myself. Not this year. I got a nice jake on opening morning to be sure that I didn't get skunked. Now it's time to get one with the Mathews. I went out and bought a mobile ground blind to hunt out of. Hopefully next weekend I can get out on Sunday and whack one.

LaFlair