Death Yakin'

JHUNT Kayak Page!!!

    This spring in march on the Slippery Rock creek I got into a kayaking accident.   I ended up dislocating my shoulder. I had to hike out to the road and was taken to the hospital. This promptly ended my kayaking career. I kayaked twice this fall in Colorado. Once on the Arkansas and once on the Taylor / Gunnison river.
    I usually boat on the Lower Youghiogheny in Ohiopyle Pennsylvania. It is a nice river to mess around on. I have gotten my ass kicked many times on the river. Some examples are getting stuck in an undercut rock, and being upside down and hitting my head on rocks. I shot it at +5 feet this spring. It was a ride.
    This fall I went to Gauley Fest 99. It was the largest gathering of paddlers ever. I had a blast. I ended up boating the Lower Gauley. My friends Sean and Andy went. They had a raft. I was in my overflow. The first rapid we got to was Koontz Flume. When we got there they were pulling a body of a 20 year old kayaker out of the river. He got caught under the "house size" under cut rock on the right. We shoot the middle. It was HUGE!!!!! I ended up doing very well. I shoot my first class 5 it was Lower Mash. I did great shooting it. Under it there was a nice hole to surf in. I went in it. I was surfing real well. Then I decided to side surf. I got in there and flipped over. I rolled out of it. I was still in the hole. Then it grabbed me. I flipped up stream. I put my paddle down to catch me. Then I was upside down. I decided to hold on a few seconds before I rolled to let the current take me out of the hole. I got out of it. The current out side the hole was amazing. It was the current of the whole river. The current was so strong that it felt like my helmet got ripped off, and my eyelids were ripped open. Well I reached to pull the cord so I could bail. And then I called myself a pussy. I could roll out of it. So I did. When I got back up people on shore were cheering, so I paddled over there. I was like what? Then they told me that I rolled up on a broken blade. I looked and my blade had broken off. All that was remaining was 1/4 of it. I did roll up on it. Then I shoot the next rapid with the paddle. I quickly found out that I was screwed. So I hitched a ride with Sean and Andy on their raft. I lashed my boat to the front and chucked my paddle in the woods.

On November 13th the AWA hosted an over the falls day at Yough Falls in Ohiopyle Pennsylvania. It was the first time the falls could be run legally in over a decade. I ended up going. I was planning on going over the falls but at the last minute I deiced not to. I didn't think I had the skills. As it turned out I did have plenty of skills to go off. I saw people that weren't any good going off the thing. If they have it next year I will do it. I watched some of the race and it was awesome. After the race they had a freestyle event. These guys were incredible! They were complete bad asses. They would surf the rim of the falls and then do a cartwheel off it. It was a great day.