Southern Boof

Monday, January 11, 2010

snow day

Is this what bob sledding is like??

Bald River Falls Frozen Over

With a deep freeze plaguing us down here in Dixie land, many of us boaters have had to take a hiatus from the river. After working four straight midnights and having not boated in about a week i was due some time at the river. As I sat at work contemplating where to go considering it hasn't rained in over a week and the temperatures haven't gotten above freezing in that time either, I remembered my roots. The Mighty Tellico River is where I practically learned to kayak it is full of fun easy drops and you can run it at relatively low water and still have a blast. So this is where I decided to go. Only one problem who's gonna brave the cold with me? Problem solved, I new I could call up my good friend Chris McKoy to go kayaking. Chris is always pumped to go kayaking no matter the place or the weather.

Chris Mckoy Stomping "The Baby "

Yes the water was low and extremely cold (it was freezing from the bottom up), but it was some of the most fun I have had on the river in a long time. My dad even came along and drove shuttle and hung out. (Thanks for snapping the pictures Dad!) You haven't experienced the river until you are boofing and spinning on ice and not rocks. All in all it was a great day. We did a couple of laps , enjoyed the snow, and then headed home. Enjoy the rest of the pictures.

This is Chris at the Second Ledge (Notice the normal line is frozen)

Heading down stream

Chris amongst the Ice

This is a sequence of me coming in for a Free-ze- Wheel at Baby Falls

Here Chris demonstrates the trusty Gradient is a little stronger than the Titanic

Stay Warm,

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Season's Greetings!

Trail to Lower Greeter Falls

Nearly five years ago I started kayaking. The first idea I had of kayaking was boaters running Baby Falls on the Tellico River one summer while swimming. From that moment on I knew I was gonna be a kayaker and that I wanted to run waterfalls.

Matt Wallace scouting Lower Greeter Falls

Photo Jeff West

This fall I set a goal of running some bigger water falls. With this focus I began looking for water falls to step my game up on. The southeast isn't blsesed with large clean verticle drops to practice on so it took alot of looking and alot of water. After running Hickey Gap Falls, Frogtown Falls, and the Middle Line of LRC Falls; I felt ready to step up to a fifty footer.

Matt Wallace running Lower Greeter Falls

Photo Jeff West

With three inches of rain widspread throughout the Southeast, Myslef and Jeff West decide it was time to go dodge the rangers and give Lower Greeter Falls a try. Upon arrival we found a perfect water level, after a thorough scout we geared up and walked back down the trail. After a quick game of paper, rock, siccors, it was determined I would go first.

Matt Wallace Tucking tight on Lower Greeter Falls

Photo Jeff West

After a final scout of the lip, I was ready to go. I slowly approached the lip, loooked down, and tucked up. The hit was hard and snapped my paddle in half. I came up behind the falls a little dis oriented and hopped out. Jeff soon ferried across the pool and gave me some hand paddles, I ferried across, set up safety and camera, and waited for Jeff to fire her up.

Jeff West approaching the Lip of Lower Greeter Falls

Photo Matt Wallace

As Jeff gave Greeter a final scout I waited nervously below. As I saw him approach the lip, he had a perfect line completely verticle fell off the falls and disappeared. Jeff was gone for about 4 seconds before he resurfaced. He rolled up with a broken paddle and C-1'd it through the next rapid catching an eddy with a huge smile on his face.

Jeff West with a Perfect Line of Lower Greeter Falls

Photo Jeff West

All in all the three inches of rain and our first 50foot waterfall was the perfect early Christmas present.

Happy Holidays,

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Green Race Experience

Photo Chris Bell www.boatingbeta.com

Matt Wallace about to Boof into the Stadium

5,4,3,2,1....Go!!! Your muscles, your gasping for breath, and then you round the bend. You seem them hundreds of people, you hear the roar of the crowd, and suddenly you are reenergized. This is a feeling most athletes experience. The energy and excitement surrounded with a big game, the way the crowd pumps you up and can enhance your performance. As a kayaker this is a feeling one typically wouldn't expect to experience, considering we spend our time in small groups descending down steep rivers and creeks in inaccessible and isolated canyons and gorges. Then there is "The Green Race"! Kayakers from around the world spend their entire year in anticipation for the first Saturday in November. On this Saturday, the Green River transforms from a lonely isolated gorge to an outdoor stadium jam packed with fans coming to see "The Greatest Show on Earth." Over a thousand people hike and paddle into the Narrows of The Green, to watch some of the best/craziest kayakers in the world race some of the steepest and most intense rapids found. Racers spend weeks training in an empty gorge only to be gifted with a crowd buzzing with energy on race day.

http://lookoutdoornews.com/content/sam-silvey-photography

Matt Wallace in Go Left

Photo Nate Rozell. Matt Wallace Going into Zwicks

Photo Nate Rozell Matt Wallace in Zwicks

As a racer your nerves are on edge for weeks before the race. Training laps whether solo or with a group are lonely. It's the constant running of race laps in one's mind. The questions, "Will I have clean lines?, "Will I crash?" , "Will I finish?". You hear the tales of carnage from some of the best paddlers, and you are scared. Then there is the Gorilla, the proverbial monkey on every racers' back. Gorilla is the largest rapid on the Green River and is the heart of the race course. This rapid conjures up fear and excitement in every racer and spectator. Half the battle or racing the green is just surviving until race day. Then the weeks of training, all come down to one shot. You get one lap, to post the fastest time you can.

Photo Nate Rozell Matt Wallace Heading Down Stream

Photo Kat Levitt

Race day surprisingly brings a breath of relief. You know you have made it and in a couple hours you will have posted your time and this" foolhardy" speed paddling of Class V can be over for another year. There is a sense of focus and excitement in the parking lot, as all the racers collect their bibs, discover their start times, and wait for Jason Hale "to fire them up" with one of his motivational pre-race speeches. After the speech it is a lonely walk down the trail to the river. This must be the way the Gladiators felt as they slowly drudged from the bowls of the Coliseum to take center stage.

Photo Kat Levitt Matt Wallace Flying Squirel Boof

Photo Kat Levitt Matt Wallace Heading into the Notch

Photo Chris Bell www.boatingbeta.com

Matt Wallace " Spankin' the Monkey"

www.greenriverextrem.com

Matt Wallace Gorilla

5,4,3,2,1! You are off. You are all alone, it's just you and the river. You paddle as hard as you can, you focus on your lines. Then you hear them, the roar of the river is drowned out by the crowd. Then you see them, hundreds of people lining both sides of the river. You become excited and reenergized, You must re- focus and put the blinders on, it's time to "Spank the Monkey." After careening off Gorilla you put the hammer down, you paddle as hard as you can through the final section of the course. You can no longer breath, you feel like vomiting, you want to quit, but the crowd urges you on. As you slam into the rock marking the end of the course, you feel a since of pride. You finished! You have just completed the toughest extreme race on the planet. You regain your breath, then with rubbery legs you hike into the crowd to greet all your friends and cheer on the rest of the racers.

Photo by Joe Williams

Nate Rozell "Spankin the Monkey" WTF??? Why didn't he race??

Photo Matt Wallace

Special thanks to everyone that makes The Green Race possible: chris bell/ www.boatingbeta.com, LVM, The Green River Community, and all the racers.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support all the racers.

Thanks to all my friends that came out to support me, all the boaters I trained with, and Mark for welding my boat last minute before the race. www.walden'sridgewhitewater.com

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Another CO Video.

Here is another sick Video Adam made from our CO trip.

Colorado 2009 Part 1: The South Platte from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The End.

Here is a nice video from the last of our Colorado trip. Yeah that's me swimming at the end.

CO 09 Part 3: Clear Creek and Big South from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Colorado Video: The Crystal

Here is an Awesome video Adam Goshorn put together from our summer trip. My Good friend Jordan Sherman, also on the trip, wrote and performed the song. Enjoy!!!!

Crystal Headwaters 2009 from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

WaterFalls

It rained alot here in the Southeast. The rivers filled up and we decided to go run some waterfalls. Everybody enjoys some waterfall pictures. So here you go.