Saturday, February 22, 2014

Spring Thaw (Paddling Part 1)

So the outdoor temperature gauge climbed as high as 58degreesF today - bright sunshine - not a cloud in the sky... here's last Sunday...

... local 'Sasquatch' sighting...

... a fun snowshoe approach - "Dr Bob" Coblentz...

... and good conditions at 'Secret Cliffs' - Tim Anderson and a new line on the 'Beast Wall' - 'Frankenstein' (Grade 5)...

... Laura Hahn "seconding"...

... "Dr. Bob" - anchors aweigh...

... heading out...

... Laura checkin' the snowpack - was 'near blizzard conditions' all afternoon...

... "don't matter"...

... so long as the vehicles start...

... UH OH!!!...

... 'Yough River' and 'Mojo Rapid' then...

... and today - runnin' near 6.8ft on the 'Ohiopyle Gauge' (OPG)...

... which reminded us of a "big thaw" of a few years back that we decided to check out up close at the time...

... a few photos from "back then"...

... 'Mojo' shoreline...

... still lots of frozen snow and ice...

... dropping down in to 'Mojo Rapid' - a decent surfing spot at lower summer levels (<3ft OPG)...

... the 'channel' below...

... a good shot of the "ice-pack" - check out the imbedded tree trunks - that's Rob Hyatt for scale - Rob was "one tough dude" - we got in to a 2 to 3 year obsession of paddling the local creeks when high and runnable (maybe 2+ to 3+ difficulty water, but usually committing - not many 'eddies' to rest)  - which meant November thru April ninety-five percent of the time - he worked full-time in a freezer at a local food distribution warehouse back then - temperatures consistently <10degreesF 365 days/year he said - figured that I wouldn't complain of the cold until he did, which never happened - we had a high one year of sixty-eight paddling days, and I'll bet that seventy-five percent of those I sat at the take-out, in the vehicle, warming completely frozen feet prior to "peeling" off paddling boots - while he sat outside on the tailgate, barefoot and finishing off the remaining sixteen-ounce COORS from the ice cooler... he could also paddle that 'Sit-on-Top' - can't think of one time he "swam" for it... 

... good guy!!...

... ditto...

... a "secret camp" we built and maintained for a few years - we unearthed quite a bit of miniature (marble-size) 'wild onions' while clearing this spot - were good on campfire hamburgers!!...

... 'Yough' today - still playin' (and fascinated) with the panoramic camera functions - it will come...

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