whats your best moment whilst paddling?

[sshearing228]

Interested to hear what a few of you regard as your most memorable experiences on the water!
One of mine is the first time i paddled ciwwc and white water for that mater which icluded the usk.Sun was shinning and loadsa fun

[Jim]

So many to choose from, but picking a good one:

Paddling the Wenatchee play section eyeing up a series of big standing waves to catch on the fly, when an osprey dives down and snatches a salmon out of the river 6 feet in front of me before flying directly over my head with it... (and I still surfed the waves for ages after)

That was definitely memorable.

[sshearing228]

So many to choose from, but picking a good one:

Paddling the Wenatchee play section eyeing up a series of big standing waves to catch on the fly, when an osprey dives down and snatches a salmon out of the river 6 feet in front of me before flying directly over my head with it... (and I still surfed the waves for ages after)

That was definitely memorable.

i would have paid to see that

[edhunter]

For me either my first trip down the Lower Guisane or Lower Oetz came off both of those rivers with the biggest grin of my life!

[aria230]

Mine would be the first time I ran serpents on the Dee. I'd never paddled anything pushier than the lower T so waves and holes were a new concept for me. I loved the entire thing!

Chris

[SwamP]

Seeing boobies by the river..

[Jake Deakin]

It has to be the first time I paddled the Upper Dart when I was 13.

[justin-g]

Naked midnight runs on the kaituna in the middle of summer. Bath tub warm and pitch black carnage.

[wezzzy]

Has to be the first time I paddled the Mellte.
Everyone was new to the river so we had to take our time, inspect lots and no-one was telling us where to go and what line to take.
The way paddling should be :)

[DaveBland]

'Best' is so hard, but most recently I paddled the local 'Elbow Falls' run on Saturday night at a pretty juicy level – I'd only done it at normal flows before – and was buzzing after like I've not done in a long time. Just so much fun for a 2 mile run, 30 mins from my door. Hope to post some footage if I can get my techie head working...

[WideBoy]

Lower guisane, good shout.

1st run down Silverback? 1st (and only) upright run down same?!

1st run on the Moristion?

1st time down Quoich?

That list is without really thinking about it...

[TechnoEngineer]

Out in the St Lawrence river, a whale popping up to breathe 4m to the left of the boat, swimming underneath, and then popping up 4m on the right.

[eeonz]

Llugwy last year - beast of a seal launch above miners bridge rapid.

[MikeR]

Skookumchuck.

I'd wanted to go there since I first saw a photo. On the paddle out I was slightly concerned all the hype and my expectations meant it might be an anticlimax.

It wasn't!

[Strad]

I'd love to go and paddle the Skook.

For me fave moment is probably first time down the Grovu, don't know why, the river is good but not the hardest I've done, but that was just a right combo of difficulty and good mates on the water. Pretty much tied would be my first time down the Sanna.

[Jim Pullen]

Out in the St Lawrence river, a whale popping up to breathe 4m to the left of the boat, swimming underneath, and then popping up 4m on the right.

Ditto, but to the north of Vancouver Island - pod of killer whales including a baby. Fin came up within a few metres of my boat and then all of them swam under us and popped up the other side. Magic.

[longhairedalex]

Paddling so drunk the entire trip wasn't remembered.

[kevinf]

Running Cherry Bomb for the first time on Upper Cherry Creek

[clarky999]

Nesk in a duo (half of it backwards). Teamwork makes everything more fun!

First time finishing the Upper Dart too, decent step up from other rivers I'd done at the time, had been forced to walk off it as it flooded (quickly!) the year before (with a bit of an epic hike getting out on the wrong side), we got off just as the sun was setting.

Mellte is up there too - the fifteen footer at the start then thirty(ish) footer halfway down were the first waterfalls I'd fallen off.

Finishing the god-awful Spey on fresher's weekend so I could get back to my booze to kill my hangover...

[purelandexpeditions.com]

A list of memories - in no order.

Waving the yellow sign goodbye.
My first roll in anger on moving water
Going skins on the Glen.
My Dancer.
Realizing that I could get a kayak on a plane.
Having good dry bags.
Seeing a rainbow arc over my boat.
My first overnighter.
Sitting in the cave eddy.
Everyday that I snap my skirt on my cockpit and launch in.

[davebrads]

I think it was when I ran Miss Davies' on the Tryweryn for the first time.

I must have sat in the eddy at the top for at least 15 minutes while I plucked up the courage to run down, and once I had done it the feeling of elation was tremendous.

This was a long time ago, and nowadays, every now and again, I will seek to get that feeling again. Of course that means running much harder stuff. My strategies for dealing with the fear have improved somewhat, and as a consequence I don't think I feel quite the same as I did that day. Nevertheless it is this that drives me to just occasionally do something that is new and outside my comfort zone.

[James Hartley]

One of my best moments for me has been running Skelwith falls. There was a lot of umming before hand, picking lines, and setting up. When it came to my turn, I knew that it had been done, and also had gone wrong for someone else, and they swum, so I knew it might not have gone well. But I focused in, visualised my line, and hit it inch perfect. I really could have not have done it any better, perfectly timed last stroke, I knew I had landed it half way down. Was such a great feeling

[Darksideup]

The first time I got in to a kayak on open water. I have never looked back since. One of the best experiences of my life so far, should have done it years ago.

[TheKrikkitWars]

First time I got into a C1, it just seemed "right"; It was a blue session plus with beat-up outfitting that kept falling apart every 10 minutes, but I could cartwheel the thing on demand, and seemed to be in control otherwise; a massive step up from what I was achiving in my borrowed S6 at the time...
Coming in join second are my:

• First Ogwen run
• First Silverback run
• First OC Morriston run
• Second (First C1) Mawdach run.

The transition from kayaker to canoeist seems to have dominated my paddling memories... in fact my ogwen run (on the first day of uni) is the only kayaking memory to even get close to my best!

[David Fairweather]

Lunch at Phughtal Monastary, four days into a stressfully high Tsarap trip. An unforgettable combination of cabbage and serenity.

[hardy]

Wish i had seen the wildlife mentioned above.
However,my best trip was recently tackling the Upper Plym on a miserably wet windy afternoon.The river was apparently high,and i can now justifyably claim that it indeed was.I was told the first part was "very difficult and scares the shit out of me.Then it flattens out,where you can see how you feel,and get off if you want.After that it kicks up another gear!"

After due consideration,feeling great,i gave it a go.Someone on this forum said the rapids were "back to back",and "no time to video",too "busy with surviving".That is an accurate description i feel.It was non stop ,practically frantic paddling,trying to look and think several moves ahead,whilst dealing with what you were right on top of.I suddenly found myself hurled out into midair with about a 9 foot drop into a white swirling maelstrom.A few smaller drops lead to a "flatter" small stretch of water,still boiling white,where i spun in time to see my friend thrown dart like as i was,eyes wide and scared,followed by relief as he came alongside.

I knew at that moment that i had just paddled the hardest thing i had ever done.Not only that,i did it well,and was only going to get harder and i was already at the furthest limit of my ability.With no hesitation i got off there and then,swimming would be very dangerous ,long,lonely,and would put dreadful strain on those who went on.As i walked back i stared in wonder at what i had just paddled and found it difficult to take in.The paddle was very short timewise,maybe a minute,i am not sure.Distance was maybe 800m tops,probably less.But still in my mind it is very very big.

[Neptune]

The Upper Swale with Papa Burne (Nic) who had insisted that I run it prior to our enrty in the first ERR later that year.

Seeing the river and water level on the way up to the put in I asked Tim (Poke) and Nic if I was realy capable of running it, to which the reply was, " You will be way outside of your comfort zone but it is within your paddling ability."

My legs felt like jelly, I had that tight feeling in the pit of my stomach and my head was thumping as my stress levels reached new heights with the adrenaline coursing through my system. However, after running it all cleanly and sitting below Lower Kisdon Force in my boat waiting for the rest of the group to follow Tim and I down, the feeling of euphoria was unbelievable, what a high. I have had harder days and harder rivers since, but this is easily my most memorable days paddling to date.

Also, I learnt so much about my own paddling that day and so much by just watch Tim, Nic, Jim, Peter, Amie and Joshua on the water that day. A big thank you to other six for taking me with them on that day, just fantastic.

Peter

[Mike M]

Finally reappearing out of a siphon whilst in Morrocco this year.............. !!!

You really can't beat that feeling of being alive !

[Tom_Laws]

Patrick's Birthday hike up the (previously unrun) Gyundi.

The shuttle up to the top of the Pin... jeezus.

[Poke]

Lunch at Phughtal Monastary, four days into a stressfully high Tsarap trip. An unforgettable combination of cabbage and serenity.

It took you four days to get to Phuktal? No wonder it was stressful :-)

However, after running it all cleanly and sitting below Lower Kisdon Force in my boat waiting for the rest of the group to follow Tim and I down, the feeling of euphoria was unbelievable, what a high.

That was a fun day...

It's been far too long since I ran the Swale. Have to do it again soon!

Finally reappearing out of a siphon whilst in Morrocco this year.............. !!!

Ouch... What river was that on? Sounds distinctly unpleasant.

Patrick's Birthday hike up the (previously unrun) Gyundi.

That’s one walk in I’d do again purely for the sheer (no pun intended) awesomeness of the walk-in itself!
Do you have any pics online of the cliff traverse?
Though I wouldn't want to repeat that shuttle for the Pin trib... for precisely the same reasons :-)