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This would be the second club festival of my early paddling career. It started storming about halfway through my drive down. It got pretty treacherous the last 15 miles or so through the mountains to Seneca Rocks but I made it there safely. Being my birthday weekend, I had made the decision to get a hotel room rather than camp. The weather being what it was, it was definitely the right decision! Although I brought both of my boats, I really hadn't planned on paddling this weekend. I was going to horseback ride through Seneca Rocks while Bruce made his runs. I was just happy to be there and soak in the beauty of the area. Because of the downpour the night before, Bruce was going to get his wish - Seneca Creek was running. He, Rodney and I scout the creek. They were going to have an awesome time! When we got back to the campsite a few of the veteran club members I had met at Webster Springs were there planning a Class I-II trip and invited me to come along. I jumped at the opportunity. The only problem - all of my gear, including my boat, was back at our hotel. John Wiggins quickly offered to drive me to the hotel so that I could change and pick up my car, boat and gear. Another example of paddler kindness.
After following him to the put-in and starting to get the Tomcat ready, I found myself being questioned as to whose boat was strapped to my car. Once everyone found out that it was my boat there was no way I would be allowed to use the Tomcat on this run. So I put the inflatable away and readied the Kaituna. Because of the better level, this run would be slightly more challenging than Loyalhannah but with no ledges. Although this run was mainly Class 1 with some straightforward Class 2 rapids with very few holes, I was pretty nervous the entire time because I was in the hard boat. I managed to get stuck on a rock right at the beginning of the run and had to be pushed off. After that I only made one real mistake when I went into a small hole sideways but managed to get straight and punch trough without flipping! One rapid curved sharply to the right around a huge tree stump in the middle of the channel. I had to run it far, far right and then cut back left. Towards the end of the run the wavy rapids got a little bigger and faster. I took out before Smokehole at the US 220 Bridge with a few of the others and I am glad I did. John W and I walked up the road and watched as some of the others negotiated Landslide Rapid. You had to come down a slide straight toward river left and turn sharply so that it appeared as if you would crash into the boulder on the right side of the slot and then paddle hard through the hydraulics and large hole at the bottom. I definitely would never have made this move and would've ended up swimming.
This was a good hard boat warm-up run before Stoneycreek with NO SWIMMING but a little tame after the Class 2-3 rivers I had been running. I am extremely thankful that I got to paddle with a lot of the veteran members of the club including John Wiggins, Turner & Susan Sharp, Woody & Sally Naas, Barney Lilly & Mike McClanahan, who all had some wisdom and pointers to pass on, and that they insisted on my using the Kaituna. Unfortunately, this would be the last time I would get to paddle with Sally before the tragic accident on the Cranberry. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet and paddle with her.
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