whats your best moment whilst paddling?

[TwoHats]

So many happy memories that it'd be hard to pick one favourite.
Paddling back across Ramsey Sound with a sunburnt face with the sun setting over Ramsey Island behind you.
Watching a Black Bear mother lead two young cubs down to the river to drink whislt surfing our way down The Clearwater in BC.
As others have said The Skookumchuk is an amazing place,
Having a salmon leap over my boat on a beautiful golden autumn afternoon on The Ericht.
The smile on everyones face after a run down a very high Landeck Gorge.
Watching the sun come up over the Himalayas whilst laid in my bivi next to some Nepalese river.
So so many happy memories but I think mostly it's sharing all these amazing experiences with some great friends.

[BigPhil]

The paddle out to Skookumchuck, wondering what to expect having never paddled a "big wave" before and loving the scenery.
Surfing alone in a thunderstorm on Lachine and on the White Nile.
First time back in the boat after a serious (kayaking) industry and realising I still wanted to do it.
Dropping into another walled in canyon in Greece far from the road and wondering if we'd be able to get the car out of the dirt road we left it in!
Reaching the alps after the long flat drive through France or Germany.
Seeing normal life/people go by as you paddle the rivers in Nepal and South America.
Sitting in the pub with a bunch of friends talking about where to go next.

Phil

[banzer]

Getting to the bottom of Nevis Bluff in one piece / alive
Getting through the Upper Hokitika gorges in one piece / alive
First trip down the Nevis with Callum A, not inspecting anything
A couple of unrecorded runs in Scotland- doesn't matter if they were 1st Ds or not, it's the 'what's around the corner' excitement that counts!

[MarcusS]

First proper river run (Usk with Chris Eastabrook).
First trip down Lower Tryweryn (with a lad called Liam).
A section of the Soca (with Dave Fairweather).
Forestry Falls with PyB.

[Kayak-Bloke]

Reaching the take out on the Lower Guisane without any capsizes and a mix of relief and adrenaline rush!

Surfing the local beach in way overhead surf on the most lumbering waves ever so no danger of getting a pummelling as there was soooo much time to carve and move about the wave face. Sun was shining and just one other surfer in water besides me.

Running the local run at night with just the reflection off the foam on the drops to show the line. A really visceral paddling experience.

Messing about on the same local run with a mate and taking 2 hours to do a 45 minute run due to stopping to mess about on absolutely every feature. No pressures, very little danger or risk. Paddling just for the fun of it.

Oh and my first ever run of the Tawe. What a fantastic river. Great group to run it with. Lovely weather post rain. Perfect.

[Scuba Dave]

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?

Are we talking about this one?



I think for me it was the same trip. My first experience of a completely different culture and surroundings with some amazing boating - particularly the Zanskar.

[Poke]

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?

Are we talking about this one?

Nope... This one... Or had you blocked the terror from your memory ;-)





'Elf an safety would have a field day :-)

[DaveBland]

OMG.
I really hope it was a good river.

[Mike M]

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

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

I have the dubious honour of making it through the Siphon on the Ahansel ! The paddle out across the Lake really is hard work with a set of splits which have the wrong feather

[howhardcanitbe]

I was on the Wenatchee with Jim that day and that was quite special, so many moments since but an old favourite is the first run down number 5 on the Zambezi after Sven telling us we couldnt inspect as we wouldnt paddle it if we saw it - brilliant.

[JonC]

Reaching the alps after the long flat drive through France or Germany.

.....and spotting that the Rabieux play-wave was flood-lit and getting on at 10pm and surfing it till midnight.

An afternoon, mid-winter run on a full and rising Upper Dart with my brother, running everything on sight as the snow flurried around us.

(Great post btw)

[sshearing228]

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.

if not a little daunting!

[TonyM]

Running the Tymwyn again after a 30 year gap. Not particualry hard, just a charming unassuming little stream in lovely gorge.

Tony

[morsey]

It rained in Lynmouth, in 2004, as I sat for an hour waiting. Not enough rain to drive the river though! and the sea was completely flat, de nada, nothing. I sat there thinking of the huge waves that should be rolling in, instead nothing, I'd miscalculated. Wait for the peak of high tide hoping the swell would arrive and flood the finest reef break in England or head South and take the full force of the waves head on? I had had flat days before, but today was not going to be one of those days, it was a given, the waves were guaranteed. So I drove and as all surfers love, the knowledge of cresting a hill would reveal the bounty, I began to get excited. An hour and more drew the sun was out and the Duke of York was on the final up and as the sea came in to view, the surf was neither up nor down, it was fact. Forget Lynmouth and the rocks to crest a wave, Cornish sand was doing the job just fine. Now this was not your average three foot, four foot or double over head day with the wind raging towards the beach as often the Atlantic can spurn. This was a special, the waves had flown in from America, Hurricane Alex had delivered devastating blows along the Eastern seaboard and then tracked across the deep Ocean. The vantage showed swell lines right out to the hazy horizon. Stop car, kit on, climb over rocks, get in, no faff. Then the size was all apparent, paddling out launching clear into the air off each crest and paddling in a blaze to get off the rocks. Then stop, start counting the waves in. Chaos theory turns an Ocean storm into a mathematics equation that transitions immense power into a procession of beautifully formed shapes. The maths is important on big days, you need to know where you are in the middle of the cascading white water. Ride out two sets and then go for it, using the lull between to get outside just in time to feel a double decker slide in underneath. A glance back over the shoulder shows the number sixteen slamming into bus stop at full tilt. Okay then, where is the next one going break? Right on my head it seems, instilling a desire to whirl my paddles and head to deeper water. Two more waves and I tapped my bat three times on the crease, a look sideways to the cliff to mark the spot and a stare at the shore triangulated my little piece of the sea. There is near silence, a very light wind spilling off the land, then each bus tiptoes passed before bellowing its' horn. Sitting on the precipice I resist the urge to take the tail of the set and simply refuse to take the first couple of waves of the set because if it went wrong a spanking was going to be handed out in the break. Number three is for me. Engage legs onto thigh braces, crunch the abs and hit full power on the blades. Sluggish start, feel for the the pick up, too far out I think! Then bang, the gun goes, and we're off straight down, drop an edge, scoot, and then release the bow into the air and fly. Hitting down the hull raises immediately, all hands on the starboard deck throws the stern wildly over the feet and parks neatly back on the wave. A little hop and shoulder roll brings the nose back around in time to gather enough speed to jump off before the stop. Wave after wave rolled in and each one packed a punch. Each one riding longer, turning deeper, carving harder, flying higher. I had my own waves all to myself, lots of boards on show atop cars but just a handful descending the waves in a group over on the beach. The sun ducked low and set orange shades over the calming wave, sounds, smells, senses, emotions all recorded in analogue. Happiness, joy, contentment, pride all scroll through as thoughts. Time to head home, no rush, the night train set a steady pace. Stopping to take a phone call from my brother overseas, the second ace of the day was dealt. I had a new niece and she was to be called Alexandra. My brother still cannot work out why I gave her a pirate seagull for christening.

[Sickboy]

Paddled the Koritnica (trib of the Soca in Slovenia) on Monday, without doubt the best paddle I've done, clear blue water, scorching hot, loads of good paddling buddies of various abilities, steep side walls with little water falls tumbling in.
Not a tough paddle but enough interest to keep you on your toes.

[Alec Ferris]

Last October in Scotland- while the rest of my group made excuses that the grade 4 rapid on the Lower Nevis was too hard, sizing it up and working out that it was doable, then running it without any hassle :)

Although my first whitewater roll at the Rab on the Durance in '09 is a contender as well.

[dirtbiker]

Paddled the Koritnica.

I think my favourite paddling moment is on the Koritnica too - last run of the day with just a couple of mates. No concerns about beginner safety so just blasted down it in a hired Wave Sport Habitat. Nailed the various flares and boofs and generally had an great time of it. Slovenia is lovely - need to go back some time!

[heather.rock]

hmmm I have two, my first in running town falls after a week with PYB, and possibly learning to boof!
2nd is running the Upper Ubaye, haveing never done that sort of thing before and being scared stiff whilst doing it but coming out the other side in a thunderstorm and supporting massive grin!! :D

[Kev W]

My best ever kayaking moment was runing the dart loop with my son several years ago on our own. We were on a club trip but stayed an extra day and ran the Dart on ourselves, the elation we had when we'd ran tripple falls on our own was a very special time, Happy times :-)