Stone And Water Productions

Squirt Boat Self Support and some exciting news

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:52:00 +0000

Scott Sills and I sitting around the fire.

This year has been an interesting year for kayaking for me. I have been on numerous new runs including several that I have wanted to do for a long time now. Early this spring I was fortunate enough to get on a high water Illinois River trip in Oregon, and 2 months later a West Fork Bureau trip. In fact, every month this year I’ve done at least one multiday kayaking trip. All were unique experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Scott getting a sweet ender in the eddy line in his fully loaded squirt boat.

August probably saw the most unique multi day I have ever heard of anyone doing before. My buddy Scott Sills and I came up with this crazy idea to take our squirt boats out on an overnight trip. Now for those of you that don’t know what a squirt boat is, they are ultra low volume fiberglass kayaks that are made for sinking in eddy lines. In fact, when you are in a squirt boat, you are approaching neutral buoyancy and oftentimes find yourself all the way underwater getting swept down in whirlpools and disappearing through waves. Some think that this is incredibly scary, but to me, it’s just plain fun!

Me surfacing from a mystery move at this great spot we found on the way down stream.

So anyways, back to the story, Scott and I decided that we would squirt boat the Birds of Prey section of the Snake River in Idaho from below Swan Falls Dam to Centennial Park, roughly 10 miles. To run our shuttle we took our mountain bikes and rode upstream from the takeout to get our kayaks, stopping at old stone homesteads on the way and riding onto and off of the large melon boulders scattered throughout the ride.

Me riding the Mellon Bolders

Scott cruising down the trail to the squirtboats

After goofing off for several hours riding the boulders, we got all loaded up in our squirt boats and pushed off down stream in our FULLY loaded squirt boats. In fact, in mine I had a sleeping bag, ground pad, tarp, 3 ears of fresh sweet corn, 4 summer squash out of my garden, 5 - 24 oz beers, a full bottle of Patron tequila, fishing pole, worms, fishing tackle, 2 water bottles, and numerous other, smaller items. Oh, and I forgot to mention, a 20 oz steak for dinner. So, needless to say, when I pulled across the eddy line the first time I sank over my head and cruised downstream on the underwater currents before resurfacing, only to get endured several times in the eddy line. I looked back, and Scott was having the same results. It was great fun!

Scott playing at a fun spot we found in his fully loaded boat.

We cruised down stream for a ways, playing as hard as we could in the continuous eddy lines and boils, pirouetting and mystery moving in every feature we could find (which were many) before the up-canyon wind started, causing us some havoc and discomfort trying to fight it. There were several times that the wind was blowing at us so hard that 2 foot waves were breaking upstream and we struggled to get to camp.

We decided to camp inside an old homestead, taking advantage of the shelter it provided from the wind and rain.

Our camp.

Scott fishing for his dinner using a willow stick. He caught the biggest fish.

We spent the afternoon fishing for the surf portion of our surf and turf dinner and Scott caught a very nice bass off of a willow stick and a piece of string while I caught several smaller bass off of my pole I brought in my squirt boat.

Course #3 of dinner. Scott caught the big one on the right.

After catching enough fish for dinner, we decided to start cooking. Our meal consisted of summer squash, potatoes, and corn on the cob, followed up by juicy steaks and bass seasoned to perfection with fresh lemon and limes and cooked over an open fire. All washed down with Margaritas made with Patron Tequila. We were living in the lap of luxury. No freeze dried meals for us on this trip; everything was 100% fresh as could be.

That night, we stayed up late and hung out around the campfire, enjoying the full moon and the awesome experience that we were having less than an hour from our homes, finally falling asleep inside the old homestead, listening to the rain patter on the tin roof.

We woke up in the morning, nice and refreshed, me realizing it’s my birthday and I couldn’t think of a better birthday morning than waking up and loading my gear back into my squirt boat to paddle down to the take out.

_____________________________________________________________________

Scott and I have been doing a multiday self support kayaking trip every month of the year so far. It all started in the parking lot of Banks, Idaho after doing a winter kayaking run last January, and its just kept going. Well, the year is about to the end and we have one final trip coming up. Our December trip. All year long we talked about what the ultimate self support kayaking trip would be for the final trip of the year. We tossed several ideas out there, the Main Salmon, the Main and the Lower Main Salmon, something in California, the Rio Grande, we even kidded around about the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Well, last month we finally decided what we were going to do for our grand finally. We are going to spend 15 days living out of our kayaks on the Grand Canyon. We were fortunate enough to draw a December 3rd permit. It will only be Scott and I on this trip and we will both be taking large whitewater kayaks and plan on taking lots of photos.

Also, while we’re on this Grand Canyon trip, I plan on wrapping up the filming of Campfire Stories and when I get back, I will be sitting down and editing the film from the last few years into an hour long film for release this spring. I will have more details on that soon although I will tell you that the film will have some great footage of high water North Fork of the Payette (8000 cfs), high water South Fork Salmon, some great flows on Succor Creek, high water on Bear Creek in Montana, high water on the Milner Mile, a few adventures in Wyoming, a lot of flows on the Middle Fork of the Payette Steeps, and some pretty cool waterfall action including the 2nd decent and first successful descent of the Charlie Beaver Drop on the Malad Gorge directly under I-84 by Seth Stonner. Plus there are going to be a few other surprises along the way including some roadside creeks here in Idaho with some really fun class 4+ rapids and ledges as well as some gnarly carnage and broken boats! It should be fun.

Well, I'm off to go pack for the big ditch and then get down to some serious editing.

Winter Middle Fork of the Salmon

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:59:00 +0000

Author on another winter multi day on the South Fork of the Payette

The Middle Fork of the Salmon is one of the United States most popular wilderness runs, mentioned in the same breath as the Grand Canyon and the Rouge River. This March I had the opportunity to run the Middle Fork in a truly interesting way for my first trip down that river corridor. The plan was to park at highway 21 and ski in 40 miles to Little Loon Creek over 3 days, then paddle down 60 miles of the Middle Fork of the Salmon where our cars will be waiting.

On Sunday morning, we drive to the Seafoam pull out for the start of or Middle Fork journey where we bust out the skis and grab our packs and began skiing in while our shuttle driver takes the car down to Salmon, Idaho. The weather is nice, clear, and sunny and not too cold, only sitting in the 20’s, which is great travel weather, especially this early in the year.

We are on the trail for several hours, not making great time and decide to discuss our options. We have roughly 40 miles to ski and are making pretty poor mileage. We decide that our best chance of finishing the trip is to go back to Marsh Creek near the highway and put in there, adding an additional 60 miles to our river trip, but we figure we can make up for it in the additional 4 days we’ve got to move on the water.

Once we reach Marsh Creek, we blow up our pack rafts and put into what we think is an open channel with 3 foot snow banks on both sides. It is clear of snow bridges as far as we can see with roughly 20 cfs in the creek, enough to float our packrafts.

We make pretty good time until the first snow bridge, about ½ mile downstream where we have to hop out of our boats, lift them up onto the top of the snow bank while standing in the creek, then climbing up after it. Sinking waist deep into the snow, trudging for 20 feet, and climbing back into the boats we continue down stream, hoping that we don't find too many portages. Shortly after we got back into the boats, after maybe 100 yards, come to our second portage, followed by our 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc… This continued on until nearly dark when we decided to quit the punishment and camp for the night.

Making camp consisted of wading through waist deep snow, digging out a place for a campfire. packing our sleeping spot, and flailing through the snow to try to gather enough wood for a campfire so we could make dinner as none of us brought a stove to cook on to try to keep weight down. We also left behind the water filter to lighten our loads further. The trips to the Marsh Creek to get more water for hot drinks and cooking was quite an ordeal in itself, the snow shelf overhanging the creek made it hard to get down to the water without getting your feet wet. But we make the best of it, cook up a few steaks in the coals, and drink some hot tea before going to bed under the tarp over the boot packed snow.

The following morning I awoke to frost in my beard and a cold clear sky. We broke down camp early knowing that we had a long day ahead of us if we wanted to make it down to the confluence in the remaining 6 days. Once on the water, the morning started off similar to the way yesterday ended, with multiple portages and dragging the boats through the shallow, cobble filled creek because of low water, only instead of a nice clear day, the clouds had rolled in and it was spitting snow. Some of the portages were short, but most of them were long affairs up to a third of a mile with every other step supporting our weight teasing us into a sense of security until we’d take our next step and fall through the snow waist deep and struggling to pull ourselves out of the snow to make the next step.

At some point during the morning my dry suit begins to leak and cold water leaks in every time I finish another portage. My feet go numb, then my ankles, eventually up through my knees. I try to wiggle my toes and I can see them move through my shoes but cannot feel a thing. I can’t even feel the water sloshing around below my knees in my dry suit. I start to get really cold and tell Forrest and Moe, my partners in this trip, what is going on and that I am going to need to stop and build a fire or I will become hypothermic. We discuss our options and decide that we are making such poor time that we need to keep moving and that we will stay communicating about my condition and keep pushing on, dealing with the consequences later or once they get too severe. My motor function gets weaker and weaker as we continue struggling down stream hoping to make some mileage.

It gets to the point where I can’t really talk that well without slurring my speech and I am shivering uncontrollably. I do some jumping jacks to try to get blood flowing again and we decide to keep pushing on. At this point, I am looking forward to each grueling portage so I am out of the water and working hard, dreading the occasional boating that we are doing other than for the fact that we are making even some distance down stream. I start thinking to myself about the severity of the situation and that we are 2 days out from the road at least in any direction. I hit the proverbial wall, my thoughts turn very negative and I begin wondering what the hell I am even doing in this situation and why I would even consider being on the Middle Fork of the Salmon in the winter. I think about how I have a very awesome girlfriend at home and how I could be at home with her sitting on the couch watching a movie or eating an awesome dinner, instead I'm freezing my ass of in the middle of nowhere in a landscape full of snow. I think about how much I just want to lie down and rest, but the thought of Tara at home keeps me moving. I am cold, tired, and hating every moment of this trip. I have decided that I hate snow, I hate boating. I hate wilderness. I hate snow. I want to be home.

At one point while I'm in this negative mindset we make the longest portage yet. Only this one doesn’t warm me up at the end. We get back into the river and continue down stream, Forrest first, followed by me, followed by Moe. As I round a blind corner I see this ice bridge directly downstream and catch a micro eddy at the lip and struggle to portage the bridge, falling into the creek on the downstream side of the 3 foot wide bridge into waist deep water and struggling back into my boat to signal Moe to eddy out. He misses the eddy and pins, Forrest is nowhere in site. I watch downstream as Moe pulls himself through the ice bridge and pulls his boat off. I am shivering uncontrollably now and can’t even string together a sentence. As Moe gets back in his boat and we round the corner we find Forest in his boat. He just swam in the same spot. We discuss the situation and decide to camp for the night.

Forrest digs out the snow and builds a fire while Moe sets up boot packs and sets up a shelter while I take care of myself, changing into dry cloths and moving in close to the fire and sucking up the hot drinks to get my body heat up still wishing I was anywhere but where I was and questioning my judgment for ever wanting to go on this trip in the first place.

I am still cold but no longer shivering when we call it a night. It is snowing big giant flakes and we are hoping that it will bring the temps up to near freezing for the night.
I can’t sleep much during the night because I'm worried about not being able to feel my feet still. The morning brings about clear skies and very cold temps to start out the day. My feet are still numb but they don't hurt and aren’t black from frost bite so I figure that it can’t be too bad. I'm still cold but no longer shivering.

While inspecting my dry suit, I notice that all my seam tape has pealed off the seat and legs of the suit. I also have a 2” tear in the leg where I can only guess some ice cut the suit. I repair it the best I can by drying it out over the fire and trying to duct tape up the seams. I also put my dry bags over my feet and roll them up into my waterproof rain pants and duct tape those seams as a second dry layer under my dry suit. At about 10:00 am we bust camp and put on only to immediately portage the first of many snow bridges of the day.

The dry suit layered with dry bags and rain paints works well, only allowing a little water in as I finally warm up a bit. The portaging becomes a little better too although we have a new 5-6” of fresh snow from the night’s snowstorm and the number of snow bridges doesn’t ever begin to let up. Soon after leaving camp we get water from a side creek and it nearly doubles our flow, allowing us to make better time but also making stopping above the ice bridges more critical. We do not want a repeat of yesterday’s incident. Something like that could be fatal if it led into a 15 foot snow bridge let alone a ¼ mile one.

At about 3:00 pm we make it down to Dagger Falls where we discuss our options. We are making horrible time and we know that downstream there are still some major snow bridges across the river. When we hike up to look at Dagger Falls we find snowmobile tracks with snow on top of them and we figure that the whole hike out of Dagger will have a snowmobile packed trail. We opt for the hike out, figuring it’ll be an easy 17 miles from the falls. We decide to hike for a few hours and make it to the top of the ridge and down the other side, maybe 3 miles before we set up camp in the dark, camping on snow for our 3rd night in a row. Only my feet are numb at this point and I can still wiggle all of my toes. We are all glad of a change of pace from the paddling/portaging Marsh Creek offered. We melt water for snow; eat a big meal and go to sleep in relative comfort, using our packrafts as extra ground pads to keep the cold out. During the night we hear whooping cranes flying overhead, going who knows where in the starry night.

The next morning sun sees us with high spirits with us figuring we have only about 15 miles to the highway. We are getting out of this damn place today! We fry up some bacon, eat a few pop tarts, and melt some more snow for water before breaking camp at 8:30 am to begin walking through the boot deep powder along the snowmobile tracks to the highway. The going is easy and good and we all go at our own pace. Forrest up ahead followed by Moe and then myself taking up the rear. The sun is shining and the air temp isn’t bad. I even strip down to my t-shirt at one point to take advantage of the bright sunlight radiating off the snow.

At about 2:00 in the afternoon we reach Bear Valley, I notice the sign says that it is 33 miles to Stanley, I know that there is quite a bit of that 33 miles on highway 21 so I'm stoked. I take a bit of a lunch break and take off with high spirits. I can even move my feet and they are no longer cold. Although I still cant feel them.

Just past the airstrip I notice a mile marker buried in the snow. It says 8. My spirits drop, but only a little. I now starting thinking about spending another night out, sleeping on the snow and I promise myself that will not happen. I will not sleep on the snow another night.

Hiking along a road give a person a lot of time to think about things. For a while I think about life and my mindset two days earlier. I think about how negative I was and decide that I was being overly negative, but that there is some truth in the things I felt. Being selective of expeditions isn’t a bad idea. Being comfortable and warm at home is a good thing, and most of all I couldn’t wait to see my girlfriend Tara. That was the strongest motivating factor throughout the trip up to this point and the reason I kept myself pushed so hard.

At milepost 6 I reach to grab my water bottle only to realize that I lost it at some point. I use my cup and fill it up out of a spring, getting my feet wet in the process.

At milepost 5 I run into Moe and Forrest resting in the road. It’s starting to get towards evening and we discuss if we are going to camp out or push on. We all vote to push on to the highway tonight and maybe hitchhike into Stanley if we can and get a motel room. Forrest blazes on ahead with Moe following behind and me pulling up the rear, each going at their own pace.

Milepost 5 to 4 was the most brutal of the entire trip. It consisted of hiking up to the Cape Horn Summit, probably a 1500 foot elevation gain. It hurt. Bad. I made myself go without stopping or resting, taking 6 inch steps and keeping my head down, trudging along. Not wanting to see how slowly the terrain was passing by.

The remaining miles went by quickly and in the dark. All down hill I nearly jogged down the trail until I got to the highway where, to my surprise, Forrest and Moe had found a snowmobiler warming hut fully furnished with wood where I stepped inside out of the cold.

That evening was great, drying all of our gear and drinking a toast to a successful trip down Marsh Creek in early March and our 23 mile hike out we had that day. I fell asleep snuggled up next to the wood stove, truly warm and dry for the first time in days.

Waking up the next morning, I can barely walk. My feet were about double in size, swollen and painful. I pop a couple of Ibuprofen as we prepare to hitchhike over 200 miles from Banner Summit to Salmon Idaho.

The hitchhiking goes so smoothly, I’ve spent more time trying to get a ride 5 miles up the road at Banks than I spent trying to hitch the 3 different rides we got getting to Salmon. The last leg of our journey was anticlimactic after all the hardships we’d faced over the last several days. Once we reached Salmon, we all shook hands, laughed a bit over the misdirection our trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon took and went our own ways with mine being a 5 hour drive back to Boise where I have never been happier to end an expedition.

I have never felt like I’ve failed so badly at something I’ve set out to accomplish as I have in the days following this attempted Middle Fork Salmon trip. I have recently come to realize that although the trip didn’t end the way we had initially planned by navigating down the Middle Fork Salmon, it was not a failure. We did successfully paddle down Marsh Creek during the first few weeks of March and hiked from Dagger Falls back to Highway 21, a fair expedition in itself. I still can not shake the feeling that it was possible to paddle all 120 miles of the Marsh Creek/Middle Fork in a 1 week period if we would only have pushed downstream instead of picking the already traveled path. I still sometimes feel like a failure in this expedition and don't really enjoy talking about the trip to friends or family. I have written this trip report mostly for myself to help understand the things I have discovered about myself through this journey. This experience has been one of the hardest I have had in my life and I feel that it was unsuccessful. I still am trying to wrap my head around this trip and all the lesions I will take away.

One thing I do know is that I’d like to try to do the Middle Fork in the middle of winter again, learning from the various mistakes I made and the various lessons I learned. Maybe not next winter, or even many winters from now, but at some point I would like to self support the Middle Fork of the Salmon in the winter using all human power, putting in at Marsh Creek and taking out at the confluence with the Main Salmon, over 120 miles down stream. Overcoming all of the shortcomings that I feel I had this trip, portaging the many snow bridges and continuing downstream at Dagger Falls where before I did not have the courage or the willpower to follow the difficult path, even further into the wilderness and overcome the shortcomings that I have had in the past.

Until then, I am going to recline in my chair with a blanket and a warm something to drink and enjoy being in comfort just a little more.

*NOTE: The swelling in my feet went down after about 4 days, and the numbness has gotten better but still persists in the toes. It turns out I have “Trench Foot” or “Submersion Foot” which is similar to frost bite but without the freezing.

Winter multidays in Idaho

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:07:00 +0000

Entering the Murtaugh Canyon

Well, it’s official. Everything is frozen here in the lovely state of Idaho. But just because it's all icy doesn't mean that there isn’t an adventure to be had. After a weekend trip to Hood River and having some fun over there, I was really digging getting some good paddling in, the only problem is that the Pacific Northwest was experiencing on of the coldest spells in years. Rivers all over were icing up left and right. Even here in balmy Boise Idaho where temps never really get THAT cold we saw 4 or 5 days in a row with sub zero mornings and below freezing temps for days on end. But, given all that, there wasn’t enough snow anywhere to get any snowboarding in. So there was only one thing to do. Go paddling, no matter how cold.

Camp 2

Now I had been tossing around an idea for a while to do a winter multi day somewhere and I decided that this was the weekend to go give'r a shot. There were only two problems. First off, where was I going to go? As far as the classic multi days here in Idaho, everything was locked down as solid as Fort Knox in this cold snap we were experiencing and it wasn't looking like it would be over until spring. The second problem was that it was Thursday night and I had no one that was remotely interested in going paddling in the dead of winter on a multi day, especially if they had to call in sick to work on Friday to do it. So I decided I would go solo, something I've always wanted to do anyways, just not necessarily in the middle of winter. Regardless, the second hurdle was avoided...

Back to the first problem, where to go? My mind instantly went to the South Fork Salmon, probably my most favorite run anywhere, but reports of the Main Salmon being frozen over down by Riggins made me scratch that idea really quickly. Same with the Middle Fork Salmon. My next thought was golden though as I started putting together a plan.

THE PLAN

Put in at the lower Milner on the Snake River where they divert the water back into the river from the Milner Bypass. Flows were sitting around 1800 cfs and I have never seen the canyon above Star Falls before from a boat and I heard it's really pretty. The plan was to then continue down stream through the Murtaugh stretch, portage Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls and continue down stream through the Sewage Run and take out below Auger Falls. I haven't ever done the Sewage run and thought it would be a cool end of the trip on Sunday. So with those real loose plans, I left town Friday to go check out my portage route around Shoshone Falls.

When I got to Shoshone Falls I decided that it looked like I could get around the waterfall on river right, but I wasn't sure. I figured I'd wing it when I got there. I drove up to Twin Falls reservoir to check out the ice situation and found it completely iced over. The ice looked just thick enough to walk across but just thin enough that I didn't want to. Especially for 2 miles. I damn near scrapped the plans until I remembered that some of the Twin Falls locals will hike down at Hansen Bridge for after work runs. Well I decided that if they could put on there, I could take off there and continued on to the put in.

It's cold in that canyon

I opted for the regular Murtaugh put in because I was a little nervous about the ice and the shuttle, which I was hoping to hitch on Sunday. Plus it was starting to get late and very cold (15*F according to my truck). I loaded up my boat will all the warm gear I could cram in plus my camcorder and camera, hoping to get some really cool shots of ice from all the springs and waterfalls inside the canyon and started off down stream. The first splashes to the face froze instantly and right away I had a headache from the cold water even with a skull cap. I paddled about a mile down stream and found a camp just as it was starting to get dark. Luckily there wasn't any wind to speak of, but there wasn’t any firewood at this camp either. I cooked some dinner and heated up my tent as best I could with my butane stove while climbing into my sleeping bag and reading a book of more adventures on the river (Huck Finn) by the light of my head lamp before going to sleep content and very happy as only a river trip can make you.

I woke up sometime later that night to the sound of wind picking up and I flipped on my headlamp to find the entire inside of my tent covered in frost. It was cold and I was cold. I tried to warm myself up by doing crunches in my sleeping bag and tossing all my extra cloths under my ground pad. It seemed to help but my toes were still numb. I eventually fell back asleep again. I woke up constantly throughout the night, keeping up the same routine. Crunches in the sleeping bag, careful not to bump the sides of the tent to avoid the spray of frost, curl back up and sleep for a few more hours. Eventually it got light.

Ice formations were amazing

Once the light didn't seem to be getting any brighter, I got out of my tent and found that during the night it had snowed a few inches. But the sky had cleared and the sun was just peaking over the canyon wall. Which was way more than I ever hoped for and really sparked my motivation so I hurried to break down camp and get on the water, anxious to see what I would see in the canyon below, and knowing that some of my favorite rapids were just down stream.

More ice

I put on the river in the sunshine, but it quickly turned overcast and begin to snow. Each of the rapids was the same as they have always been, but completely different because of the cold and the ice undercuts along the shore. The consequences were much higher too, and for some reason, harder to push out of my mind. But after the first few rapids I forgot it was winter and started enjoying myself, focusing on each swirling current and playing in every whirlpool, enjoying the way my fully loaded boat stuck to the water and crashed through the currents. In the flat water I found myself not just paddling through. Instead, I just sat there reflecting on the river and the amazing canyon with all the ice sculptures formed by the many springs coming in through the canyon walls. Noticing for the first time small things about the canyon, like the many beaver dens, or that most all the springs come in from the river left, or an old man made shelter located on river right. I got to watching the ducks and the geese, just floating along hoping that they wouldn't notice me and I could just float by. The river was filled with special moments that I've never taken notice in before.

I got to second camp, just a couple of bends upstream of Hansen Bridge. The only place I could find level enough to set up a tent was a pothole that was filled up with ice. I cleared off the snow and set up the tent directly on the ice, laid out all my gear on the bottom of the tent to absorb the cold and started to collect drift wood to build a fire. My feet were still numb from the night before.

After getting camp all set up, I settled in and watch my fire burn, enjoying the quite evening and the dull rumble of the small rapid right next to my camp. I watched as ice flowed down through the rapid and disappeared in the foam, popping back up into the eddy below. As I was sitting there the snow stopped and the sky cleared, and I watched as the last rays of sunshine crawled up the canyon wall and disappeared. It started to snow again.

Looking upstream at Camp 2

Later in the night while I was in my tent, I heard rain pattering on my tent and the wind whipping through the canyon. It was a long cold night with many more crunches and changing positions to keep anywhere from getting too cold. I felt like a rotisserie chicken slowly turning around and around. Eventually it got light again and was still drizzling.

Loading up the boat

I packed up all my gear and made a big breakfast of mashed potatoes, rice, steak, and hot water to wash it down, counting on the carbs to keep me warm. I filled up my water again in an icy spring, loaded up my gear, got back into my already cold and wet fleece, got back into my half frozen dry suit, put on my completely frozen gloves and skull cap, got in the icy water and paddled down the icy river.

When I got to Paradise Rapid, I didn't even look at it; I just got out of my boat, drug it over the snow around the rapid, and got back in. I was cold. I paddled down stream.

Just after Hansen Bridge before Hooker Rapid was a large ice dam, which was fine, it was where I planned on getting out anyways. I started carrying my boat up the cliffs, trying to find a way out. I didn't make it more than 40 feet above the river before I decided that I would have to carry out all my gear in stages. I unloaded my boat and made two 1 hour trips with my dry bags up to the top of the canyon, finding multiple sketchy spots where the climb out of the canyon felt rather exposed with the ice and snow and the melting temptures. I think that it was probably because I was cold and that my motor skills weren't 100%, but I felt off balance and very tired. I decided that it wasn't safe to be carrying my kayak out of the canyon, so I made one final trip down to the river and stashed my kayak in some rocks hoping that some rednecks don't decide to shoot it before I go back in to get it. I then hiked back out with a few odd pieces of gear I didn't want to leave behind.

Once I was back up to the top of the canyon rim, I stashed all my gear in some bushes and went to the road to try to hitch a ride. After a lot of waves, smiles, and a bunch of break checks (they slow down until you start walking back to the car, then they speed away), a car goes by with kayaks on top. Just randomly it's my buddy Davis Gove from Pocatello driving by on his way back from a swift water rescue class and he gives me a ride back to the put in to get my car. Defiantly a lucky break.

The winter multi day is something I will be doing again. It has to be one of the more rewarding experiences of my life being in that canyon for two nights. It wasn't so much about the whitewater or the paddling, but the entire experience of the three days. From having to do crunches in the middle of the night to try to keep warm, to watching ice crash down and smash on rocks below, to just floating and watching the world spin round and canyon walls all around me, knowing I was never any more than 1/2 mile from a house, but still feeling like I was a tiny little insignificant speck inside this remote canyon. It was a special experience.

A very great experience.

The Boise River Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:44:00 +0000

The first annual Boise River Film Festival is to be held January 8th, 2010 at the Knitting Factory with doors opening at 6:30 in downtown Boise to celebrate all of the things that we love about rivers. From their beauty to their amazing whitewater to the diverse and unique ecosystems that they support, rivers are our lifeblood and the Boise River is the heart of this community. From the Greenbelt that runs along its banks, to the kayaks, canoes, rafts, and inner tubes that float down, the Boise River is a special place for many people in the Boise area. Because we are very fortunate to have this river running through our back yard, and with a whitewater park coming soon, it will be even a greater resource.

Join us in association with Idaho Rivers United for a unique kind of film festival where there are no entry fees for the films, no entry fees for the show, and live bands at the end. At the Boise River Film Festival we hope to show over 20 short films from professional and armature film makers around the world. Each film is limited to 5 minutes and can be about anything related to water. From canoeing with you kids in a pond, sea kayaking in the open sea, or yes, even whitewater kayaking and rafting.

The Boise River Film Festival from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

The top films in both the Professional and Amature divisions will receive cash prizes. But the film makers aren't the only ones that can win, there will be many raffle prizes to give away from Brunton (http://www.brunton.com/), NRS (http://www.nrs.com/), Alpenglow (http://www.alpenglowidaho.com/), plus much much more including the opportunity to have Stone and Water Productions follow you and your crew around for the weekend and shoot a short film of your exploits for you.

The Boise River Film Festival is still seeking film submissions from film makers and aspiring film makers. The only rule is 5 minute limits and you must have rights to the footage you are using. You can even submit more than one film. Email mike@stoneandwaterproductions.com for an entry form to submit. Deadline for film entries is December 28th 2009.

Hope to see you there!

65' Jump Creek Falls and Middle Fork Steeps Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Lets just quickly get down to the goods (and not so goods) of what's been going down at Stone and Water. First off, I have gotten a new creekboat that i absolutely love. It is the DragoRossi Critical Mass. I first tried it out a few weeks ago when the DR rep stopped in town and I was looking for a new big water boat. Well, after trying it out, this 8'11" 84 Gallon boat performs better than i could ever imagine in big water. Its super fast and tracks really well. Staying on line and making tough moves with fewer paddle strokes. Its great. But does it creek? I had my doubts until I tried it out on a long paddling weekend. The boat has enough rocker that it'll boof what ever you need it to without catching the stern. It turns on a dime actually paddling like a short creekboat and the length of the boat makes driving over boils a snap. All in all. Its awesome. Gotta try one out.

Here is the boat in action. I've been looking at these roadside rapids called the Middle Fork Payette Steeps for almost 3 years now, always seeing the line, but never having the nerve to fire them up because of all the wood and super sticky holes intermixed with technical moves requiring exact boat placement.

Raw POV: Middle Fork Payette Steeps from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

You can check out the boat yourself at www.dragorossi.com and if you are in the US and want to try one out, contact Tony Z at dragorossinorthwest@yahoo.com

Here is some bonus video of Aaron Swisher attempting to kayak off 65' tall Jump Creek Falls located less than an hour from Boise near the farming town of Marsing Idaho. After a week of flash flood warnings throughout the Boise area, Aaron and I decided to go try to get several runs I have been looking at done, hoping to be able to run the flash floods. But when we got to Jump Creek Falls, the water was up a little but still pretty low. I was pretty concerned with the green water at the bottom of the falls so I opted to "ghost boat" my kayak off the lip to see what would happen. It had a perfect line that would of only required someone to be sitting in the seat to clean up the drop very nicely. After seeing that Aaron decided he was all about going. I climbed down and set safety...

RAW: Attempt to kayak off 65 Foot Jump Creek Falls from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

This drop has yet to be run clean. All it'll take is a good rain storm for the water to come up to a much better flow. Shortly after Aaron's attempt, a micro burst hit and the flows more than tripled off of the lip, making the landing look rather inviting. I think the key is to catch it immediately after a heavy rain event or a rain on snow event.

Campfire Stories Promo

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:44:00 +0000

After having the awesome response to the first film Exploring Idaho, Stone and Water Productions has started filming the next film called Campfire Stories (working title) and will be my second film. I'm hoping to make it an educational film showing the beauty and stories of the rivers, people, and land; as well as delve into the history of the areas both socially and geologically. I've briefly spoken to several educational organizations in hopes to make the film as factual as possible. The goal is to make a National Geographic style educational film but with enough action and adventure that you don't realize that you're learning. I'm hoping to finish by spring of 2010. The goal of this film is to get people not only excited about kayaking, but about exploring the outside world and learning the history of the areas they visit.

Here is some short video of some of the footage I've been shooting so far this epic spring.

Campfire Stories Promo from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

Wind River Exploratory

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Several years ago while on a boating trip to Golden Canyon on the SF Clearwater and Golds Hole on the main Salmon I decided to hike up the Wind River and see what was up there. I found some pretty cool rapids and decided to hike up it the following day. Only to get stuffed under a rock, lose my paddle and hike out. Come to find out, McCall Idaho locals run that creek a few times a year, but at a little higher flows.

This last weekend on the Sunday after the film premiere in Boise. Seth Stonner and I decided to take an early morning hike up Wind River to check it out even though the water was low. We were joined by Alec Vorhees and Connor Jackson (http://www.cjkayakgear.com/) for the hike up to the regular put in at the foot bridge about 2 miles up the creek. What we saw looked fun, but it just needed more water. Alec and Connor decided to head back to surf Gold Hole while Seth and I opted to hike a little further up the trail in hopes to see the unexplored canyon upstream. What we found was drop after drop cascading down the hill side in a unrunnable cascade. But looking closer there were small pools between the bedrock 20-30 foot drops and very little wood. We kept hiking and bushwhacking our way up the canyon rim. Completely leaving the trail and crawling through brush and thorn bushes to see the creek. It all looked wood free and clean from what we could see.

At the top of the canyon we decided to go into the gorge and hike down, seeing if we really could go in with boats and pick it apart, running the drops that are runnable and walking anything we do not like.

Just before the creek starts dropping at the top of the canyon

The walking was difficult in the canyon but it was do-able. We decided to head down to the cars and come back Tuesday morning with a 3rd person and try to descend the canyon with our boats.

Monday night I got a call from Seth saying that he had homework to finish and couldn't go. Neither of us had been able to find a 3rd person to join us so it was looking like the attempt would not be made. I could not stop thinking about all the drops stacked up in this canyon and the runability of each of the drops. I started making phone calls and finally got ahold of Pat Riffe at 11:00 pm.

"Hey Pat, you want to go exploratory creeking tomorrow morning?"

"Sure."

"Ok, well we need to be leaving town at about 4:00 am so we can get to the Main Salmon Road before it closes for the day at 8:00 am"

"Ok well let me pack my stuff, that only gives me 5 hours to get ready and I've got to find a creek boat, by the way, what are we paddling?"

"Wind River, we've got to hike in and its 950 fpm, but I think its all walkable"

"Wow."

"Do you still want to go?"

*10-15 seconds of silence* "Yeah, sounds interesting"

"I'll see you at 3:30 am."

After only 3 hours of sleep, I go pick up Pat and we head off to Riggins. When we stop for gas in Cascade we get approached by a fox wondering what we are doing up so early with kayaks on our car.

Gas Station in Cascade

Fox at gas station in Cascade

While we are driving through McCall it starts to snow lightly on us and keeps snowing until we are almost to Riggins. The roads are a little icy, but we make it there just fine.

We race off to Riggins and get through the construction at 7:30 am. The road workers are setting up for the day and we pass on through, glad we made it up the road in time. It is just starting to get light and we can see the snow level has dropped down to about 1500 feet above us with fog and mist.

Once we get to the Wind River Bridge we began putting on our boating gear. It starts to rain pretty hard while we are putting on our dry gear and getting all of our safety equipment together for the haul in. We both realized we had our MP3 players with us and decided that they would be nice for the hike.

Hiking across Wind River Bridge

We started hiking at 9:00 am and made good time to the regular put in about 2 miles in. We rested there for a bit and kept pushing along the trail up the switchbacks to the top of the ridge and the head of the canyon. Once we finally got to the top we bushwhacked our way to the creek and geared up.

Hiking up the Wind River

Pat Riffie on the hike in

Mike Copeland stoked to be almost to the put in

Paddling down to the start of the gorge we ran 2 or 3 super fun class 4 drops before we got to our first portage where the creek went under a big river wide bolder pile. We portaged around it, then the 20 foot drop down stream with the small LZ (landing zone).

Needs more water

Next was this incredibly fun looking 4 tiered stacked drop that had a 8 foot ledge into a 10 foot boof into a pillow which then fell off another 15 foot drop into a moving pool which dropped into a 8' slot drop that would require a precise boof to clear. We looked at this for quite a while and decided the slot drop made things a bit too consequential to run with just two people. So we decided to portage to the semi large pool below.

Portaging the boats

We ferried across to the other side of the creek to scout the next series of drops downstream.

Another foot of water would of made this series sweet

The first one was a sweet looking 8 foot ledge that you'd want to boof hard followed up by a 18 foot multi slotted drop where you needed to drive past the first slot and hit the second slot to make the move into the pool. That was followed immediately by a 25 foot 2 tiered drop that needed a bit more water and a creative line to avoid crashing into the big boulder on the bottom right side of landing. The move would be to drive out and slide down the wall of the drop into the hole at the bottom and catch an eddy. We kept portaging.

Pat scopeing out the line of the beast

After dragging our boats down again we came to another set of drops followed by another set of them stacked on top of each other. There was a log across a drop we would of run if it hadn't been there somewhere in here, but the log was there so we kept walking.

Eventually we got to this super sweet looking drop that actually had a pool above and below it. It started off dropping down a 6' slide where it immediately dropped off a 8' ledge into a boil that pushed off a 25' near vertical slide that narrowed down at the bottom before dropping into a big hole and a pool. We were both in portage mode at this time and decided there was no need to start running things now.

A short series of ledges in a side channel we ran. The main channel was burly and no safety could be set.

The next section we actually ran about 50 feet of whitewater including some fun ledges before we had to get out and scout/portage the next horizon line. Another one that with more water and a creative line, it could be run. It looked like photos I've seen of Cherry Bomb Falls but with a house sized boulder blocking the right half of the LZ making the move drive hard to the left and try to avoid getting beat down in the walled in hole at the bottom. It would be very runnable though if you were feeling it.

Directly after that drop was a series of ledges of around 8-10' cascading down the canyon. Each is runnable, but stack them all together with moves involved and you've got yourself another burly series of drops. We continued to portage down the right.

Portaging at creek level

Just as we neared the end of the canyon we arrived at this series of drops that even in the beat down state that we were in, we decided to run. The main drop consisted of about a 8' ledge with a hole at the bottom that Pat got surfed in for a little bit. The next drop was a double drop with sticking looking hole at the bottom. We debated running it, but we were both exhausted and ready to be done. So we portaged it on the left to the pool below. We got back in our boats and enjoyed another 60 feet of fun easy class 4 boating to the bridge where we took out and portaged the bottom drop because of a bad crack and cave that you can see from downstream.

We both agreed that we were exhausted and we decided that descending the Upper Wind River Canyon was enough for us. We proceeded to drag the boats out of drainage along the trail, get into dry cloths and drive home. I got home and in bed at 2:00 am. It only took 23 hours to make it down 0.51 miles of creek. Not too bad if you ask me.

This creek IS runnable. It requires a high level of commitment to sticking your drops and a crew of 4 or 5 so adequate safety can be set. Also, another 50 - 100 cfs would clean things up a bit and I think the largest eddies would still be there. I will go back with more water and a larger group to pick it apart. I can see a line on almost every single drop. Maybe in June as the water starts to come down and we are all more tuned up.

Be safe out there and keep on exploring

Film Premiere/Paddle Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Knitting Factory here in Boise for the world premiere of the film. It was a HUGE success! The number through the door was 707 people. Not bad for a kayak film from Boise, Idaho...

I'd also like to thanks the people that contributed short films and presented prior to the show. (Connor Jackson with CJ kayak gear, Hi-May Rivera, and Scott Doherty with WCKA) As well as the bands that played after the show (The James Thomas Revolution, Cap Gun Suicide, IQEQ, and Bellamy Rose). It was one fun night!

The next morning there were some big plans brewing for a paddling weekend involving the North Fork Payette, Gold Hole, and the Little Salmon Waterfalls. I got kind of a late start on things however as I had to get things wrapped up from the film premiere. But Scott Doherty with World Class Kayak Academy and local ripper Seth Stonner headed up very early to fire up the Middle 5 on the North Fork logging 15 year old Seth Stonner's first run above 900 cfs with a stout flow of 1800 cfs where he fired up a run of Jakes and styled it. Props to him for sure. Later that afternoon found everyone at Golds Hole surfing it up with nearly ideal flows.

Paddler: Mike Leeds Photo By: Matt Sylvester

Paddler: Alec Vorhees Photo By: Matt Sylvester

The following morning saw a bluebird day so Seth and I headed up the Wind River trail to scout the drops upstream of the standard put in. What we found was drop after drop with small pools in between. We quickly made a plan to head back in and try to navigate the canyon on Tuesday because Seth did not have school that day.

Seth Stonner

More steep stuff somewhere in the middle

A shot of the last of the steep stuff

After scouting the Wind River, we had a surf session at Golds Hole (wave) and never did get onto the Little Salmon Waterfalls, but we will be there sometime this spring. The exciting thing is that we had a plan set for attempting the 950 fpm canyon on Wind River and we would head in on Tuesday.

Check out these websites from the film premiere:

http://www.worldclassacademy.com/ - World Class Kayak Academy

http://www.cjkayakgear.com/ - Connor Jackson's website where you can help him go to WCKA

Don't forget the Boat Swap this Saturday April 18th at Alpenglow on Bogus Basin Road

A trip report from the exploratory descent of the Wind River Canyon cascades on April 15th coming soon...

First Descents for First Descents Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:00:00 +0000

www.firstdescentsforfirstdescents.com

The goal of this program is to raise money and awareness for the non-profit organization, First Descents, by going out and exploring the rivers and creeks you have always wanted to run, whether they are in the guide book or not doesn’t matter, it’s about going and doing something new. The fundraiser is very similar to when you were in junior high school and walked laps around the track and got pledges that paid based on how many laps you made. The more personal first descents you do this spring and the more pledges you get from your friends, family, and people in the community, the more money you raise for First Descents.

Skill level does not matter, class of river does not matter, having fun and doing something you love on a new section of river does. I encourage everyone to take the little bit of time it takes to get a couple pledges and go out and paddle just like every year. Getting in the few new runs you always are trying for, but for a cause.This fundraiser kicks off April 11th 2009 and ends June 28th 2009. Not only will you have yet another excuse to go out and explore the runs you haven't ever gone out and done yet. But you also are helping out a wonderful cause.

One more thing, while you do this, please send in trip reports of your adventures to mike@stoneandwaterproductions.com and I will post them on the website. Photos would be great too. It doesn’t matter if you are going out on your first river with moving current, or if its some unexplored multi day run in some remote region that take 9 days to finish. All trips signify the same thing, our love and desire to explore the unknown.

Brought to you by:

www.firstdescents.com

www.stoneandwaterproductions.com

World Premiere for Exploring Idaho announced

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Tickets are available at http://bo.knittingfactory.com/show.php?event_id=121620. But I may have a few available to give away if you send me an email to mike@stoneandwaterproductions.com.
There will be 4 really amazing bands that I was fortunate enough to hook up with for the film that will be coming to play some tunes after the show.
The bands:
Bellamy Rose - http://www.bellamyrose.com/
Cap Gun Suicide - http://www.myspace.com/capgunsuicide07
IQEQ - www.myspace.com/iqeq
The James Thomas Revolution - http://www.thejamesthomasrevolution.com/
I hope if you're in the area, you can make it. It should be one heck of a good time.

Exploring Idaho Pre-Orders

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Stone and Water Productions is proud to announce the release of the much anticipated whitewater film, "Exploring Idaho" coming up next month.

We are excited to announce that we are now excepting pre-orders at the Stone and Water Store or sales@stoneandwaterproductions.com. For only $12.99* plus shipping you will receive one of the first copies of the film, Exploring Idaho. If you order now, you will also receive an "Exploring Idaho" high resolution full color poster with your order absolutely FREE while supplies last.
*Ask about our special prices for multiple orders, retailers, kayak clubs, and non-profits.

Premiere dates to be announced soon!!! Keep checking back for more details.

Another brief look into the project

Exploring Idaho: Bear Creek Missions

Exploring Idaho Trailer: Bear Creek Mission(s) from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

Idaho Winters: video

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:47:00 +0000

Here in Idaho we are fortunate enough to have all four seasons. Those nice summer days of kayaking in t-shirts at 10:00 at night are nice as well as the nice weather in the spring when everything is going off big. Or the fall when some of most enjoyable runs release for a few weeks at just the right flow. Winter is a good time of year for paddling here in Idaho in it's own way. The water might not be as warm or high but its just as enjoyable with it's own unique challenges and obstacles to avoid. (like ice and oh, more ice)...

Stone and Water Productions: Winter Update from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

Here are some more photos taken over the last several winters of paddling in Idaho.

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Photo By: Phil Chattin

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Nothing to Offer: First Descents - An Interview with Brad Ludden

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Bliss-Stick-USA is raffling off a Bliss-Stick kayak of choice and many other prizes to raise money for First Descents. 100% of the proceeds go directly to First Descents to fund the 2009 camper season. I apologize for the short notice the raffle ends Friday, but there still is time. Please take a few moments to read through the First Descents website and see for yourself what an amazing program they offer to young adults with cancer. http://www.firstdescents.org/

1st Prize – Bliss-Stick Kayak of choice – shipping included in the continental US

2nd Prize - NRS Mission Event Dry Suit

3rd Prize – Electric Water / Bliss-Stick Spray Deck

4th Prize – Wave Dog Paddle – Model of choice made just for you!

5th Prize – Apparel, DVD's, Float Bags

For more information and to purchase a raffle ticket follow this link.http://www.bliss-stick-usa.com/fdrafflehome.html

Hear what Brad Ludden has to say about First Descents program and their visit last summer to the Payette River system:

Stone and Water Productions: An Interview with Brad Ludden from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

Many Thanks!

Mike Copeland

mike@stoneandwaterproductions.com

Exploring Idaho: Favorite photos of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:56:00 +0000

2008 was a great season here in Idaho. We were fortunate enough to have a nice snow pack that melted slowly. That let us hit some creeks later in the season than usual. We were even fortunate enough to explore some new creeks as late into the season as August. Nothing like doing some exploratory kayaking in August without a drytop...

Keep checking Stone and Water Productions for updates on the upcoming premier of Nothing to Offer: Exploring Idaho. The final editing is done and now it is just a matter of getting the DVD's made and setting up the premiers. Stay tuned!

Anyways here are some of my favorite photos from 2008. I can't wait to see what 2009 will be bringing us. Enjoy...

North Fork Payette

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Someone lost a boat in the fall (NF Payette 200 cfs)

Bear Creek MT

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Matt Sylvester on Brave Bear in Montana

Bear Creek, Idaho

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Matt Elam on the slide on Bear Creek

Bear Creek, Idaho

Photo By: Matt Elam

Mike Copeland running Bear Creek Falls

Clover Creek

Photo By: Stacy McBain

Mike Moser getting naming rights on Eddy Swirl Falls

Deep Creek

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Alec Vorhees hitting the auto-boof

Deep Creek

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Way too many people for Deep Creek (about 20)

Deep Creek

Photo By: Mike Copeland
Nice wave-wheel

Deep Creek

Photo By: Mike Copeland

Davis Gove has some nice boof and tuck style

Big Sands Creek

Photo By: Andy Lichtenheld

Mike Copeland on one heck of a long rapid (first 1/3 pictured)

I hope everyone enjoys the photos. All these photos are from Nothing to Offer: Exploring Idaho. I hope you all check it out.

One more thing. First Descents and Bliss-Stick Kayaks have partnered up to raise some money for First Descents. Check it out at http://www.bliss-stick-usa.com/fdrafflehome.html. Drawing is at the end of January.

Nothing to Offer Video: UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:27:00 +0000

The water has been low for a while now and I've been editing away. I've nearly finished the film and am setting up the world premier of the video for later this winter.

Here is a trailer for the video Nothing to Offer, Exploration of Idaho

Exploration of Idaho Trailer from Mike Copeland on Vimeo.

Keep checking back for more updates as they come.

Mission

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:17:00 +0000

Stone and Water has set upon itself a mission to document as much as possible of what Idaho has to offer. Everything from Class III to Class V+, all the classic and not so classic runs, from day trips to multi day fiascoes. Everything is fair game.

We plan on showing you Idaho like you've never seen before in a series of DVDs that hopefully you will find not only highly entertaining, but also very informative and aid you in planning your next trip, no matter your skill level, if you like your water big, steep, or both.

The first video in this series will be entitled Nothing To Offer and will serve as a view into the paddling lifestyle all of us live in one way or another. Always anticipating the next adventure, knowing every moment on the water is a moment that could not take place anywhere else.

In the upcoming video, we will be taking a look at the maps and hiking in the most remote areas of Idaho with boats in tow, trying to find the next gem. So, hopefully you will choose to join us for the upcoming adventures in store for us all.

Why Kayak?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Most people, when you ask them why they paddle, they are quick to respond that they paddle because it is fun. Nothing more, no further explanations and no more in depth than that, because it is fun is suppose to explain why you put yourself on a river, in a tiny boat and run the risk of drowning. Because it is fun is suppose to explain it all. For me, I don't think it does. Paddling is a way to escape the mundane day to day grind of a life that feels lackluster at times, a life that for me, feels as if the primary concern of people around me is money. Which, for them, translates into success.

Because it is fun does not describe why I would put myself in situations where I'm frightened and scared, stuck in a canyon and watching a friend of mine have a melt down and be so overwhelmed with the seriousness of the situation that he begains to cry because the next drop is mandatory, no option to portage and no way out of the canyon. It does not explain the reason why I have nearly drowned and friends could do nothing but watch and hope for the best, each of them unable to help as the strong currents pulled my body downstream and slamming it into rocks while I struggle to survive. It is not the reason why I have watched a dear friend come moments from losing his life in a cave while pinned in his boat. Stuck there for seven agonizing minutes, and no matter what any of us tried to do, we were powerless to control the outcome. Nor does it explain the reason why a hero and mentor of mine dies on a river he knew better than anyone else, a river that he had probably paddled more times than most everyone I know combined while his friends did everything they could to rescue him, even putting their own lives at risk, only to be moments too late to do any good at all. Because it is fun does not do justice to paddling or the meaning it holds to each of us. It is merely an insult to what we all hold true and dear to our hearts, to what we believe in and live for, for what we make our lives and dedicate our spirits to. The answer “because it is fun” does not describe but one facet of what kayaking truly is. For me, to kayak is to try to understand myself.

Paddling is about pushing myself harder than what I before though possible and trying to succeed in an endeavor most call wreakless or dangerous. I paddle because it is difficult. I paddle because it is scary, because it is hard, probably even because it has risk. I paddle because I can die.

Does this mean I have a death wish? No, I don't think I do. I do not want to die, but I also don't want to live a halfhearted life either. I don't want to suffer through the mundane day to day existence I see others living. People work their whole lives saving for retirement, never spending time enjoying life always putting off spending time with the people they care about for another day, never taking time for themselves. Working their lives away, only to die of a heart attack the year before they retire and for what? You’ve got it, nothing. So maybe they left their children a big house or a nice car, maybe a little money. But who cares. Who needs the newest cars, the biggest house or the nicest things?

Think back to your childhood, what are your fondest memories? Are they about money or a big house or a nice 401K? I doubt it. They are the simpler pleasures that you remember. Maybe it was playing catch with your dad, or a camping trip. It’s these simple things that will stay with you. Not how much you made last year. Are you going to sit your grandchildren on your knee and tell them the story of how you made $75,000 during ’07? Or, will you tell them of an amazing paddling adventure you had, about camping out on a secluded beach with nothing to survive on but your own guts and instincts, all the while being surrounded by nature and your closest friends to whom you trusted your life. Maybe the story of how the river was flooding higher then it had been in 20 years and you together with your friends somehow managed to make it down will be something more meaningful than that bonus you got for working all that overtime without pay.

As a child, I always dreamed that if I would have been born 150 years ago, it would have been better; there would have been the chance of being something simple. A trapper maybe, struggling against the elements to get nearest outpost to get supplies to survive the next winter, mining for gold, living off the land and surviving any way I could. A character straight out of a Jack London novel doing anything to survive, getting no more pleasure out of life than waking up each day to more hard work and the satisfaction of just being.

But I live in the now, I live in the age of Google and McDonald’s, the time of Starbucks and rush hours, where the closest I ever have to come to struggling for my existence is ordering a burger with no pickles. In today’s society, adventure is a genre of movie and survival is this cute show on television. It’s all a copout. Maybe we as kayakers are the people that belonged in the last era, during the time of living off the land and mining camps, just struggling to survive. Battling with the elements and enjoying each night around the campfire telling tall tales. Maybe it is something in our blood, to go out and explore, to see what is in the bottom of a canyon, camping on beaches, sitting around a fire, telling tales into the early morning. Hurting from the day’s labor but ecstatic that it went so well. Knowing it could have been better but happy just the same. Looking up at the stars and just being alive. Maybe that is the draw to kayaking. It wipes away all the delusions and ego and breaks you down to what you truly are. It keeps you humble and true to yourself. A paddling trip into a secluded canyon is like stepping back into time, a chance to live the live of an adventurer if only for a couple of hours. Maybe this is why I paddle.

Here's a few more Photos from this Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:22:00 +0000

Here's a few more photos i found today...enjoy. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me at copeland11@yahoo.com

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddlers:
Mike Copeland (blue kayak)
Steve Obert (yellow kayak)
Cory Shoeler (orange kayak)

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddlers:
Steve Obert (eddied out)
Mike Copeland (in the current)

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddlers:
Steve Obert (yellow kayak)
Mike Copeland (blue kayak)

Deadwood River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

South Fork Payette, Idaho

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

South Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddlers: Mike Copeland and Gator

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Cory Shoeler

Upper Johnson Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Upper Johnson Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deadwood River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deadwood River, Idaho

Paddlers (left to right):
Phil Chattin
Mike Copeland
Randy Eggert
Dog:
Tuck (aka: Mutt)

East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon, Idaho

May 2007

Murtaugh Strech of the Snake River, Idaho

Paddler: Phil Chattin

North Fork Payette River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Murtaugh, Idaho

Paddlers: My Friends

East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Moser (featured on PaddlingLife.Net)

East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon, Idaho

Swimmer: Ben *Stay Out Of Caves*

East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon, Idaho

Swimmer: Ben (again...) *Same Rapid No Cave*

East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon, Idaho

Josh Anderson and Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho (high flows)

Paddler: Mike Copeland *loving life*

Deep Creek, Idaho (high water)

Paddler: Phil Chattin *his first waterfall*

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Phil Chattin

Deep Creek, Idaho

Hope you enjoyed the photos....

Happy Paddling.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:04:00 +0000

I haven't posted on here all summer, mostly because i've been busy paddling and having fun. Im ready to start posting again. I'll try to say where they all are and who's in the photo. Not sure who to give photo credit to on some, although I know Shane Trapp, Phil Chattin, and Randy Eggert are a few to thank.

Hopefully I can find the motivation to post on here more regularly now. There should be more photos soon...

Enjoy,

Wind River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Josh Reinhart

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Josh Reinhart

Sometime This Spring, Idaho

Swimmer: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Moser

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddlers: Steve Obert (foreground) and Mike Copeland (background)

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Wind River, Idaho

Mike Copeland

Wind River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Stacy McBain

Wind River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Deep Creek, Idaho

Paddler: Shane Trapp
On the Rock: Stacy McBain

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Padders: Mike Copeland (blue boat) Josh Reinhart (yellow boat)

Out in Front of My House

Swimmer: Mike Copeland

North Fork Payette, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Wind River, Idaho

Paddler: Mike Copeland

Exploring Creeks in the Payette Drainage

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 22:00:00 +0000

Its been a while since I've posted anything on the blog. But I've been keeping busy... Lots of North Forking now that we are above winter flows. In fact I've gotten out 15 of the last 17 days and the other two days i was doing something boating related.

I was once told that i was "wasting my time" looking for creeks on the Payette River Drainage, and "there wasn't anything good left to be discovered." Well, I've got something good...

The creek is about 2 miles outside of Horseshoe Bend. In fact you've driven over it many times while going to the Gutter for a play session. It doesn't look like much and is in fact very low volume. But the drops are fun and the last one is HUGE!!!

I had looked at this creek last year and had written it off as nothing but a jumble of boulders. It was "re-discovered" almost by accident. I was planning on meeting Travis Cox at the Gutter for a little playboat session. When we got there, the bladder dam was down and the gutter was high and dry, no play to be had. We debated a South Fork Payette run but decided to go check out Harris Creek Road instead.

Driving up that way I barely had enough time to explain what i had found last year at low water before we came to some really fun looking water. (pictured below)

Photo of the Big One dubbed 50-50

We parked here and walked up stream. Looking at all the fun little drops and i decided it was all do-able class 4 but the last one was really tough with undercuts everywhere that you just have to see for yourself!!!

I wanted a third person there for safety before i would run it. So the decent had to be put off till another day. Plus i had to go meet my buddy Randy for a Lower 5 run at 6:00 and it was already 5:30.

All evening the only thing i could think about was the drops, the lines, and the fun that creek would be. I couldn't get it out of my mind. So I made some phone calls. Micah Kindal, Dusty Stonner, and Sam Ward came out the next day, currious of what i had been hinting to on the phone. We all drove to the creek and immediately we set off to scout the entire run, picking our lines and ultimitely deciding to run the South Fork because we thought the flows were way up on it and none of us felt like dialing up the big one. The creek would have to wait for another day.
After getting off the South Fork, we all hatched a plan to run it after work the next day.

The next day, only Dusty showed up with a buddy of his (cant remember his name, but I will post it as soon as i find it out). But Dusty had brought saws and a hedge trimmer. The flows were quite a bit lower than the day before, but we got some good news from a passing by rancher. We were told that after 2 days of heavy rain the creek will be almost up to the road any time between January and June.

We set to work cutting out all the brush hanging into the creek, making the lines a bit wider. In doing so we uncovered several very fun drops up stream. We worked on this the rest of the afternoon.

Here are a bunch of photos of the creek at lower flows:

This one could get pretty chunky at higher flows...

about a 5' drop in there somewhere, lots of drops like this...

Photo of Flight Ramp through the brush, it lies just upstream of 50-50

Low water on Flight Ramp

The Crux move on 50-50, either boof left or slide right, just dont go middle...

A better angle on the left side, the rock im sitting on is VERY undercut.

Low water photo of the stuff above Flight Ramp

me cutting brush between Flight Ramp and 50-50

Low water photo of a fun boof

Dusty cutting brush on yet another 2-3' drop

These are just some of the photos that we took while cutting out brush and doing some scouting. Its a sweet little run and steep. Its still a bit low, but Dusty is leaving for the Grand Canyon Sunday so we're going to get on it tomorrow (March 24th). Expect more photos of this one. It will be exciting to see what it does at higher flows...

Murtaugh at 3000, January 28th 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 06:00:00 +0000

A group of 10 of us went and hit the Murtaugh Canyon on the Snake River on the 28th of January. That was my second time running this run and the time before i ran it at 2200 which seemed a little more subdued than at this flow, though i hear 1200-1800 cfs and above 10,000 cfs is the best.

IMO 3000 cfs is a GREAT flow for this run. Everything seems to have big hits but no consiquences. Great class 3-4 action. This time of year the scenery was amazing, all the waterfalls that are there in the summer are frozen and make amazing ice formations. The water is rather cold though and we were lucky to not have any wind for the paddle out across the lake.

The only real class 5s on the run at that flow would be Door number 5 on Lets Make a Deal and Pair-O-Dice.

The only pictures I have are from Pair-O-Dice.

Author entering into Pair-O-Dice. Notice the ice undercuts on the edges, thats where the boil that you had to ride down wanted to take you.

Photo by Wes Cook

Box Canyon January 22 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 03:56:00 +0000

Travis Cox and myself decied that we needed a white water fix so we headed over to Box Canyon to huck. Box Canyon has about a 20' waterfall and is about a 2 hour drive from Boise. The nicest thing about Box Canyon is that it runs all year and has warm water. The water comes from the largest freshwater spring in North America, or so i am told...

The entire experience of going to the fall is spectacular. Its a hidden oasis in the middle of corn fields and cow pastures. We parked next to a truck dumping poop into a field and started getting ready for the hike into the canyon. This will be Travis' first huck session.

From the canyon rim looking into Box Canyon

Travis took some really neat pictures of some ice formations, as soon as i get them i will post them.

****

The waterfall is fairly streightforward with a deep pool. Up above and down below the waterfall is some nice fun class 3-4 boogie water to hit as well. The water is some of the prettiest i've seen.

My first huck of the day i entered at a nice 45* angle and barely got my hair wet.

keepin it dry.

SUCH FUN!!!!

Travis wanted me to run it again and i ran the entry a little far right and had to work left at the lip. I ending up flipping at the base of the falls but no problems.

I had to adjust on this one and move left at the lip...

A little flippy flippy action.

While throwing my paddle up to Travis from the base of the falls, the blade caught my finger and went into the curtin. I watched it flush and dove in after it in the pool. After watching all this Travis decied he wanted to give the falls a shot.

His first run he flipped at the base of the falls, rolled up and yelled over the roar that he wanted to try that again.

Travis making his first attempt.

Travis' second attempt at the falls was textbook perfect. He plugged the line went deep and surfaced upright.

Travis styling his second run.

We decided to call it a day and head to bliss wave. Which neither of us had been to but we had both heard it was good.

Author on the hike out of box canyon.

We rested on the canyon rim and took some photos, ate some jerkey and discussed our plans for comeing back.

We never did find the bliss wave that trip, the directions I had weren't the best and I was in a hurry when i wrote them down.

Nice Sunset view after a good day of hucking and exploring South Centeral Idaho

The Gutter Jan 14 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Copeland) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 02:33:00 +0000

I've been getting cabin fever for the last several weeks now that the rivers by my house are frozen solid.

Just one of the many ice jams on the North Fork Payette

My great idea of living in Banks Idaho has been questioned several times by myself and others during this unusually cold winter. So out of desperation a few of us decided to meet at the gutter for a low water play session.

We get there to find some ice, but the eddies are still accessible and Travis Cox, Steve Obert and myself decided to play a bit, I think the air temp was right around 20*. All I know is that ice was just barely freezing to my gear. It wasn't too bad.

Steve Obert surfing the second wave.

Both Steve and Travis were having fun on the top waves, I took advantage of that and played like crazy in the bottom hole until I had a massive ice cream headache.

Author playing in the bottom feature (too shallow for anything but low level cartwheels and spins)

It ended up being a very fun day on the water. With the best weather we could hope for on a sunny January day. Although I will be happy when spring arrives that way I can start hitting some stuff.