Whitewater School is Hard Work

From Otter Bar Lodge Kayak School, Forks of Salmon, far Northern California.

Yesterday was another day of hard work for me, both on the training pond in the morning, and on the actual river in the p.m. As usual, I tried to pay close attention and I learned a lot. I am the only real beginner in this class, which was listed as Basic Intermediate level. Well, since there was no beginner’s class available at the time I was going to be anywhere near here, I went ahead and signed up for this one (and they let me). At first I thought I was in way over my head, but to the credit of the school and the excellent staff of instructors, they just went out of their way to accommodate me. I get a lot of much focused individual attention, mostly on a training pond (for good reason) and then I get to be closely supervised on the river and some rapids in the afternoons. In the mornings I work on the fundamental kayaking strokes and the critically important ‘roll’ maneuver. And, although my roll has not come to me yet, I get points for not being afraid to try it, and for my 'positive' attitude.

I get the sense that the instructors like me because I'm willing to attack the rapids and I'm not afraid of turning over and swimming. They say it takes some people forever to learn to roll. My attitude is to keep paying attention, try hard, and keep trying, and if I can accomplish the roll before week’s end, great. If not, I’ll just have to follow up with some later lessons and practice. At any rate, I am happy with my progress, and my teachers seem to be pleased as well.

Yesterday we ran what is called the Wild Mile on the north fork of the Salmon River, putting in only about a mile up the road from this lodge. I successfully ran 5 out of seven rapids on this mile of river (class III water), but on two of them I flipped, getting bow rescued on the first but on the other flip my ‘spray skirt’ came off, the filled with water and I had to swim. Which was fine since all of this happened in the close proximity of my teacher who was with me the whole way from tip-over to safety in an eddy. During the same run I attempted a roll that very nearly brought me back up. Almost…well, I said to myself, a least it was a combat attempt and not a practice roll in the damn pond. Yesterday therefore was a wet day but a fun one...and this river is free-flowing, not dammed, clear and cold but not snowmelt cold—not so cold that when you get dumped into it you think “oh my God I’m going to freeze to death.” While too cold to remain immersed for too long without getting hypothermia, when the sun is out a little dip into it can be quite pleasant and cooling. It is beautiful! As is this country. And REMOTE!

We’re having alternate periods of sunny clear skies followed by rain showers, and it looks like that‘s the pattern for the remainder of my time here. I generally resent being rained on when I’m in the backcountry, but when you are sitting in a kayak practicing rollovers again and again, rain makes very little difference in the quality of your day.

Otter Bar is a world-renowned whitewater school, which I now know attracts mostly return customers, all but two of us (in this class of nine) are such returnees. The teachers are all very serious and accomplished paddlers—expedition veterans with their own companies, they get free gear from the likes of Dagger, Perception and Kokotat, some have written books. I am a rank beginner, really (hours on Barton Creek in Chuck's Keeowee does not count for much on the Salmon River, I'm afraid). Just a humble goof from Texas on a lark. It could all be very intimidating, and at first it was. But these folks are welcoming, patient, positive, and encouraging. They aren’t just some of the best paddlers in the world, they are also excellent teachers, and that is something I do know enough about to recognize when I see it.

So, even thought I am consigned to the training pond most of the day and on short stretches of river with intensive instructor coverage for a couple of hours in the afternoon, I have no complaints. I am doing what I can do; maybe by end of day Friday I will have a roll down, and maybe I won't, but it has been worth every penny to just be in the mountains on such a beautiful stretch of free-flowing, river, and to breathe this intoxicating mountain air.
Today, midweek, is a mandatory rest day and I am really glad to see it. I’m using muscles I haven't regularly used and I am both sore and exhausted. I am not even thinking about paddling or the Eskimo roll today.
I am just resting and doing yoga and writing blog posts and getting a massage. Based on my considerable experience with other dilettantish if physically demaning pursuits, by tomorrow I will be feeling rested and strong enough to really concentrate afresh on the roll; the holy grail for all beginning kayakers.

Love and gratefulness to the four directions and to all my relations.