Getting Destroyed Kayaking the Chattahoochee section 3 at 6.8 feet
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 вер 2022
- My wife Tracey, friend Charlie, and myself bite off more than we can chew. Well, Charlie was able to make it all the way and even saved our boats! He's our hero! We thought the river was at 4 or 4.5 but it turns out the river had started to surge gotten to 6.8 feet by the time we got on. Next time we will exercise better judgement for sure!
Glad everyone is ok! This was close to ending very differently. Hopefully, new boaters can learn several things from this video. Never get on a flooded river unless you and your team have solid rescue skills, and a roll. Always have the inexperienced boater(s) in the middle of the group, NEVER lead a swimmer into entanglement hazards while trying to get them out of the water. (She was incredibly lucky not to have gotten trapped on a strainer), If a member of your group disappears like she did, you DO NOT continue down the river; she could have easily been trapped with no one there to help and it is incredibly dangerous to continue down a flooded river solo, (as later seen in the video). People over boats, too much in this video was on saving the boat. Get the swimmer(s) out safely, then your team gets out, regroup, and go to plan B. I always appreciate people posting videos like this so others can learn and hopefully stay safe on the river.
Yep, this is how people die by keep rolling the dice without enough forethought, planning and rescue
Couldn't believe he took her into that entangled bank. Literally tried to kill her. Every decision made in this video was wrong
Probably one of the most irresponsible boating videos I have ever seen. These folks had no business whatsoever on this river.
this is a great comment. I'd add a few more things, but this sums it up enough.
You are very right and I appreciate it. We learned so much that day!
Great video of what not to do. Seriously thanks for sharing. We all make poor choices, posting this video is a great reminder of a river that is normally in our skillset that can morph into a much more difficult beast.
So true
I knew this was going to be eventful within the first 2 seconds.
Tracey tells me I project my stupidity well
I am glad everyone is ok. I appreciate you exposing yourself to the internet's harsh scrutiny to let others learn from your mistake. We all need to keep safety in mind. Thank you!
That's what I was thinking. Definitely not a how to do things right kind of day! Thank you for not chewing me up and spitting me out. I assume those people think I'm proud of this day or something maybe.
I think it says a lot about you. You made an unintentional mistake and shared it with others so they can see the perspective and learn from your mistakes. Truly someone I want in my corner.
@@toekneegreen37 I'm thinking this is providing a valuable service to others to warn them about what not to get into and how badly things can go if you underestimate a high, rapid river.
@@kevin179887thank you for understanding that. I'm the wife in this video. We made so many stupid mistakes and got very, very lucky. We're still paddling all the time but😂have since taken swift water rescue and another rescue class, have worked hard to enhance our skills and practice safety techniques frequently. My husband has about a 99% success rate with on-side, off-side, back deck and hand rolls. He's done Tallulah and cheoah because he's got the skills. I've got about a 90% success rate with my on-side roll and am taking private instruction to help towards other rolls. I won't do anything bigger than the Ocoee until I have more skills in my wheelhouse.
@@traceygreen9273 Awesome, you two are great!
Thanks for posting this. Your breathing when you capsized (and the rest of the way) tells the entire story. Things can go very wrong very quickly when rivers are at flood stage and sometimes it is best to leave the launching boat ramp and go grab a coffee instead. The water sets the rules. Always. Man, glad y'all are OK. That could have ended very differently.
Yep, getting some pizza would have definitely been the better day! But on the plus side, we lived and learned a lot and have become much smarter boaters.
Heart pounding. I too am glad you shared this. It's a good reminder to think ahead and be prepared. No flooded rivers for me, thanks.
We have since improved and learned our lessons. If I do this river again at this level, it would be a much more boring video... Which I prefer lol
Thank you for posting this video, there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned from mistakes, and its nice if people can learn from others mistakes without all the trauma of the experience. To all the snarky commenters, what good is it to shame a person for a fault they already admitted and are now remedying? It's literally the most humble way to handle the situation and teach others.
I think they think this is a how to have fun video and not how quickly things can go from bad to worse. Especially when you don't know any better.
@@pancakepillow thank you for your kindness. I'm the wife in this video and I can say that we've learned so much since this experience. It's hard to not feel embarrassed about this and some of the comments are hurtful, but I agree with my husband that leaving it up is the right move. We've even been featured on a Facebook group called Bad Whitewater Rafting Advice and are now being a bit crucified there 🙄
I hope know better these days, but there were times when I can imagine if I ended up in the same bad situation I could have made some of the bad decisions shown here. This video is extremely educational for all of us, thank you very much for posting it.
Know much better now !)
You started with one kayak and ended up with another. That's a crazy ride. Glad you all made it out of there.
For sure!
Much thanks for posting this; it's a genuine, selfless public service. I will share this with a number of friends (and I have subscribed). I read through all the comments as well. I'm very glad that you all survived that day and have since proactively learned much! Pardon this question: you mentioned that Charlie's run was smoother because he was on the Torrent. I'm an old fart that has paddled much my whole life, but never significant whitewater. I don't YET know how to roll, but am eager to nail it. In the meanwhile, I'm seriously considering buying a sit-on-top whitewater boat. (I've looked at the Torrent, but lean much more towards the Fluid "Do it Now"). Like many, in the past a sit-on-top was out of the question for me. But being 63 and as of yet not having rolls down, and the only local whitewater being a relatively short run (in and out, over and over) of new artificial features in the local river, not having to trouble with a skirt is attractive. How does Charlie like his Torrent, and is he still paddling it? By the way, I love floodwaters and have long paddled them often, mainly because of the backwaters that open up.
He has since gotten a sit in kayak. He had paddled the Torrent on Class 2 and light Class 3 for years and loved it . His run was much another probably because he had more experience parking than we did. He got flipped out a couple times, hit in the head by the boat a couple times but managed to stay with it and çrawl back in. His wife and kids will take the Torrents out. They are really stable and great boats. I've rolled his in flat water but it is a beast to roll, not sure if I could do it in current.
THANK YOU for posting this!
You are very welcome.
@@brittanycannon5280 thank you for not trying to crucify us for posting our epic mistakes. We have grown significantly since this and have gained tremendous experience.
I'm glad that you guys were okay, but so many things went wrong here. Before you get back on the river, you need a new paddle, learn how to roll in a combat situation, and especially take swiftwater rescue to learn how to safely and efficiently rescue somebody and their gear, and how to swim when in a rapid
100% agree. I'm the wife in this video. We made so many stupid mistakes and got very, very lucky. We're still paddling all the time but have since taken swift water rescue and another rescue class, have worked hard to enhance our skills and practice safety techniques frequently. My husband has about a 99% success rate with on-side, off-side, back deck and hand rolls. He's done Tallulah and cheoah because he's got the skills. I've got about a 90% success rate with my on-side roll and am taking private instruction to help towards other rolls. I won't do anything bigger than the Ocoee until I have more skills in my wheelhouse. We learned a lot from this experience. And we have spent an absolute fortune on new paddles, better gear, new boats, and some lessons.
Yep, that's the best thing that came out of this day. Check on all of those things:)
Great video. There is no substitute for experience. I use to teach "Safety Afloat" to boy scout adults. I always started off each session asking how many people had had life threading experiences on water. amazingly there was almost 80% of people raising their hands. River at flood are always dangerous. We got on the Chattahoochee above Helen in our whitewater kayaks late one afternoon. As we came around a curve in the river we could see tree tops. We got out to scout. It was a large, double drop waterfall. There was no mention of this waterfall in the river guide book we had. We tethered our kayaks together and slowly started lowering them along the waterfall. Well, one kayak slid over into the river and filled with water. Quickly all of them were full of water. We spent an hour getting them all out and getting back on the river. It was beginning to get dark and it was hard to see the rocks in the river when we finally arrived at our takeout. After that, never got on a river I didn't know after noon. That was the second time I had taken out at dark. Saved my bacon several years later when my buddies wanted to get on a class V river, didn't know the water level, didn't know the river, I waited for them at the take out. Two walked out. One got chased by a bull and hung up on an electric fence, one had gone over a waterfall backwards and hurt his arm and cracked his helmet, and one made it to the take out. We got a motel that night. The next day went back in to get the kayaks that were left. A friendly farmer took us to the edge of the canyon at the back of his property where we hiked in and got the kayaks, and paddled them down the rest of the river to the take out.
Experience is the best teacher! Lessons leaned the hard way stick a little better. Chased by a bull lol... Sitting that one out was definitely the right move.
That is the best shit I have seen in a while. That could be a great short movie. Glad you were ok. Thanks for sharing that. EPIC.....
Your are very welcome lol
This was very bad play calling, I’m sure y’all learned a life saving lesson for the future & this is a great video to express a few safety red flags! You led your wife directly into strainers. At higher water a branch is going to snap almost immediately against the weight of a person and the current. She would’ve been better off floating in the main flow until that river bank. The first eddy you missed after you realized you didn’t see her wouldve made this entire rescue story different. Panic happens n so does shit! But by golly please go by the rule of do you feel comfortable being the only rescuer and do you have someone to rescue you! If not, invite more boaters for your excursion. This was hard to watch my friends I’m glad y’all are okay! A really good educational video - thanks for putting it out for newer kayakers to learn from!
Very easy to be critical of this. I'm shocked that this even happened. Definitely happy they all made it out alive and seriously hope they will take up some professional training with qualifed/experienced clubs/kayakers.
We learned more from this one day than anything else. And it has prompted us do more and get better and better. In fact later this month we will be getting our level 4 swift water rescue certification :)
@@toekneegreen37 yall should just rest comfortably on a couch somewhere. Leave the outdoors to others.
@@taitfreeman9421So, as the wife in this video, I can agree that it was an epic shit show and we were, in fact, clueless. We were told by the outfitter that it was running roughly 4 feet and that level was appropriate for our skill level. We had no idea that it had spiked to roughly 7 feet. We had no business being out there and we are 100% aware of that. We had only been paddling for a few months at the time but we had a friend with us who paddled that river many, many times and we felt okay putting on. We quickly realized we had made a huge mistake and we do recognize that the poor decisions continued one after another. We got really lucky and this situation really shook us, thankfully. Since then, we have grown significantly as boaters, have taken swift water rescue as well as an additional safety course. I have a pretty solid roll and am working on improving my on side as well as an off-side and back deck roll. My husband is a freaking beast on the water and can pretty much roll up in 99% of situations and fuckery and is known for being super supportive and reliable with rescues on the water. We regularly practice T-rescues, reading water, catching eddies, ferrying and communication about what moves to make.
We definitely screwed up royally starting out, we know we are super lucky, and we worked hard to redeem ourselves and ensure that nothing like this happens again.
We could take the video down based on rude, non-productive comments from assholes like you, but we feel that it might help others learn from our mistakes. My husband is now considered one of the best boaters in our area and, although I'm not nearly as skilled as he is, I can certainly hold my own. We are often inundated with requests to lead trips down some of our local runs and are known for being both skilled and kind.... except towards comments like this.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, right? Great public service film. Glad y'all are safe!
Heck me and the other guy were initially planning on laps! At the time, seemed like the best idea ever lol
Dam, I was panicking before you even started!
Lol, I probably should've panicked more and said skipping it.
Yeah exactly like as soon as you seen the water it's like what the hell are y'all doing and just wondering who thought that this was going to go well
We bought a brand new 18 ft aluminum Canoe in the spring of 74 ... one month later wrapped it around a boulder in West Virginia. This Video is very exciting on that exact same level. Right up there with our 400 foot destroyer going under the sea in the F5. Like the song says, " Sometimes water gets rough..."
Yes it does!
step one, get side to side with the capsized boat.
step two, Cockpit facing you pull sideways and push back of boat down (float bags are stored here).
step three, Once you push down pull front across boat emptying it of water and slide to other side.
step four, wayyy lighter to tow to shore.
Very true
I watched this start to end. I’m glad it turned out ok. Last time I swam was in the Arkansas River in Browns Canyon. Something you never forget. Part of the sport that you need to be trained and prepared for.
This video is a great training video. Thanks for sharing.
Yep, we learned a lot from this. A lot of what not to do for sure.
@@toekneegreen37 I’m from Colorado and more less a beginner. Most rivers around here go from class 1-4 it seems like. Having a friend around is a something special. Loosing your boat around here seems like a normal thing. There are lost and found Facebook pages for lost paddles and boats. As a beginner it’s a hard pill to swallow. I saw a video earlier today of a hydraulic with pieces of an orange boat in it. These rivers are powerful and unforgiving. Just a reminder that I need to stay in my lane. Hopefully I won’t have to put out an ad asking if anyone has seen my boat.
That first dip was insane! You almost had it!
If only it was horse shoes or grenades lol.
hell of a video glad it worked out the hooch is a mean one
She definitely was that day. Normally a pretty chill river though.
A bad day boating is better than a good day at work😅
Lol. This was a horrible day, but honestly looking back it was probably one of our most important and formative days. So I guess that makes it a great day!
At least you checked off everything to not do on a paddling trip… Literally did everything wrong from start to finish… drug your lady into a strainer , walked across a ledge 🤦🏻♂️, totally inexperienced boaters in way over your head. Please don’t be dead… dear lord. Get some training, like seriously, count yourself lucky and boat smarter in the future.. if Tracy ever speaks to you again, you might just want to sell your boat and call it a wash because you are really lucky you didn’t kill yourself or one of them on several occasions here…
Attempted murder.
You realize you commented on a video from last year right? Did you read any of the commentary? Or you just like to be the big man that knows everything?
Much has been learned over the past year since this incident.
@traceygreen9273 I hope it was with a qualified instructor and not the "I've done my own research," kinda learning.
@@toekneegreen37 From day one I’ve known enough to know what I don’t know, and when to not go…
I have a river near me called the pudding that gets like this during the winter. During the summer months it is nothing but a 1ft deep creek. Very good video. Scary to watch at times.
Still makes my heart skip a beat!
I've seen this so many times out on the river. After paddling for 25 years, I'm of the opinion that class 3 water isn't for people who can't roll. If you don't have the discipline to get your roll down in flatwater first, then class 2, maybe whitewater kayaking isn't for you.
That wasn't class 3, but the main problem was it was so much higher than what we actually thought it was.
@@toekneegreen37 It is class III at those levels, as defined by the American Whitewater page. I'd recommend looking up the American Whitewater page before going on ANY whitewater run. Even if you thought that the river was at 4 feet, AW says ">4 = High water, additional skill required (III/IV), not good for beginners."
Please learn basic river safety and the fundamentals like looking up gauges before paddling. This could have easily been fatal. This is a high-risk sport, and should be treated that way. You put yourselves at risk, but you also put the entire sport at risk of being banned from specific rivers. Not to mention the stress and trauma you put on the S&R folks who have to rescue or recover you.
@@toekneegreen37 Not class III? At a lower level, yes. Glad everyone ended up okay, flooded rivers are a different beast. No reflection on you but the Georgia Canoe Association offers excellent whitewater instruction, including river rescue.
@@annaharrison7403 So, as the wife in this video, I can agree that it was an epic shit show and we were, in fact, clueless. We were told by the outfitter that it was running roughly 4 feet and that level was appropriate for our skill level. We had no idea that it had spiked to roughly 7 feet. We had no business being out there and we are 100% aware of that. We had only been paddling for a few months at the time but we had a friend with us who paddled that river many, many times and we felt okay putting on. We quickly realized we had made a huge mistake and we do recognize that the poor decisions continued one after another. We got really lucky and this situation really shook us, thankfully. Since then, we have grown significantly as boaters, have taken swift water rescue as well as an additional safety course. I have a pretty solid roll and am working on improving my on side as well as an off-side and back deck roll. My husband is a freaking beast on the water and can pretty much roll up in 99% of situations and fuckery and is known for being super supportive and reliable with rescues on the water. We regularly practice T-rescues, reading water, catching eddies, ferrying and communication about what moves to make.
We definitely screwed up royally starting out, we know we are super lucky, and we worked hard to redeem ourselves and ensure that nothing like this happens again.
@@stevethomas760 we have since taken several safety classes, upgraded gear, both of us have a roll, my husband can roll up in just about any situation between his on-side, off-side, back deck, and hand roll. I'm solid with my on-side and am taking classes for other rolls in order to increase safety for myself and others.
Brings back memories from a near fatal kayaking experience. Glad yall survived.
So are we!
This river looks awesome. I’d love to go. I go kayaking every week after work if I get off in time. I love it, but the Indiana white river is nothing like this. It’s way more calm and peaceful. It still flows but not like this lol
I was swimming at a local swimming hole, and stepped off into a deep spot with a little white water and was getting pushed underneath the riverbank and willow roots, i tried fighting my way out, and got to the point where my face was the only thing above water, and i was so wore out, so YELLED for help!!! 2 guys and my brother came an pulled me out, it was embarrassing because most the spots were only about waist deep, but when i realized i was stuck it felt like my heart stopped and my stomach turned.
Holy smokes! Nothing to be ashamed of in calling out for help when you need it, it might have saved your life! Doesn't take deep water to drown.
That's terrifying! Entrapment doesn't take deep water to be fatal. I'm glad you called for help!
I just went kayaking with my girlfriend and it was her first time and dude I was scared as hell just from the little shit we had to deal with. This is insane dude
The small stuff is very scary in the beginning, I remember the feeling when you could hear the rapid but not quite see it. Was scary.
Glad everyone is ok, a lot of poor decisions made but hi d sight is 20-20. Hope you all learned a lot and aren't taking unnecessary risks like this anymore. It was like watching a horror movie, every time i was thinking "dont do that", "that" was done. Stay safe out there.
We have definitely improved since then. "That" was done way too much lol, you are very right about that.
So the dude went and rescued the boat before he even knew if his friends were alive or not? Be careful who you boat with!
He's a great guy. We all learned a lot that day.
Wow. Terrifying. Not to sound like an ahole, but did yall have your combat rolls down before this and just couldn't hit them in those conditions?
I apparently lost mine that day and Tracey didn't have one yet. But when we put on we thought it was just 4 feet, turns out is crested to nearly 7!!!
W in the heck did he find your kayaks? I've done the flint twice at flood stage. It wasn't this big but it is unnerving when you cant see over the next wave. We had one concussion, i lost iphone and 3 over adrenalined kayakers
lol, yeah that sounds about right! The kayaks got stuck and Charlie picked them up and towed them on his sit on top Torrent. Definitely the hero of this story.
wow. glad yall lived. i always wondered what this looks like at flood stage. it's very similar to the hooch below buford dam during a release (class 2-3 when each wave and bump is taken individually, but actually class 4 cause they aren't individual and it's continuous and class 5-5+ if someone swims and needs to get to shore). your video really shows how at flood stage the banks become strainers and it makes for that class 5 swim.
the hole you flipped in at 18:00 is first ledge of the rapid 3 ledges (second ledge isn't visible, and you got out on top of 3rd ledge). when the river is around 4-ish feet there's potential for a possibly terminal hole on river left, but it was washed out. you probably weren't gonna be able to paddle out even with a bomb proof roll. rolling up doesn't magically get you out of that low head dam kind of hole, and it's got enough power to loop you even if you can stabilize a surf. the technique is frantic paddling on the downstream side while side surfing to claw your way to the edge of the hole where water is flowing past. That's WAY easier to type than to actually do.
i teach beginners on this section (at normal levels), so i'm intimately familiar with the run. i bet this is actually more difficult at 4 feet because a lot of what I expected to see at the buck island and canoe eating rock section was so far underwater it was out of play. but also at that level if you swim, you aren't going full george of the jungle to get to land.
as for the recovery. commenters here underestimate the difficulty of getting back upstream. yeah, everything about that was as bad as it could be, but you can't just bippityboppitybloop your boat back upstream to pick someone up. "but he should have caught an edd"[batman slap] THERE ARE NO EDDIES! everything's underwater! for what it's worth if it comes up again, I like to swim in the middle of the river when i'm in the chocolate milk and look downstream for a better place to exit. pushing a capsized kayak is always gonna be a struggle; i like to bump it around so i'm downstream of it, facing upstream at it, with the upstream end of the sunk boat pointing towards the shore i'm trying to go to. put my bow into the sunk boat's cockpit and that lets me paddle with both hands (try it on the lake sometime). i use that method more than the rescue cowtail on my pfd. once again, easier to type than to do cause pushing a capsized creekboat in current is like stopping a ford f150 someone left in drive. also it's nice when everyone has practiced a boat over boat rescue and deepwater reentry. probably wouldn't have been successful here, but having options is good and swimming an empty boat in is more realistic.
anyone worth paddling with has been in a situation where they realized they made a critical oopsie. glad yall kept at it.
We definitely shouldn't have been on the water at this time but we learned from our mistakes and took some safety classes and are much better off for it. All your points are spot on, probably the best advice I've gotten from this video! Thank you very much.
@@toekneegreen37 It's not just about the numbers on the river gauge. You thought it was four and it turned out to be six or seven. But if I heard you right, even four was about twice what you usually ran it. That should have been cause for extreme caution right there, even under the BEST of conditions! The level didn't matter. The picture the river was presenting was all you really needed to make the proper decision. The SPEED and COLOR of the current and the greater WIDTH of the river with continuous foliage obliterating the banks + two inexperience decked boaters and one paddler on a sit-on-top = "GO HOME."
IMHO, these are the question EVERY boater should ask themselves before EVERY river trip:
1. Do I have the minimum skills necessary to run this river at this level?
2. Do at least one or two members of my party unquestionably have far greater skills than mine?
3. Do we have an adequate number of members within our party to render necessary aid to each other as may be required (Note: A pair of fully qualified Class V boaters taking on the Cataracts of the Kern at high water are about three boaters shy of a full deck!! And we see videos of this all the time.)
4. Who's the recognized group leader? Who are the weakest links in the chain and need the most support? Who are the designated sweep boaters who will allow NO other members of the group to drift behind the pack?
5. Is everyone adequately equipped with protective and rescue equipment? For those not experienced in swift water rescue, do they understand that if an emergency occurs, their first order of business is to paddle to safety and/or continue in such fashion that they do not risk making the situation worse.
The most important of these questions and answers are 2 thru 5. You can step up in class and take on new white water risks if you are adequately supported. Questions 2 thru 5, however, are particularly critical if YOU the person helping others take that step up. Five more beginners in the above video, however, would have merely resulted in more shrapnel in the hand grenade.
I can’t believe you guys didn’t tell me about your UA-cam channel. I new it was y’all when I heard Tony’s laugh!
lol
You guys were out classed. Should have never been on the river. Glad everyone is safe and had on pfd's.
Yes we were!
So, as the wife in this video, I can agree that it was an epic shit show and we were, in fact, clueless. We were told by the outfitter that it was running roughly 4 feet and that level was appropriate for our skill level. We had no idea that it had spiked to roughly 7 feet. We had no business being out there and we are 100% aware of that. We had only been paddling for a few months at the time but we had a friend with us who paddled that river many, many times and we felt okay putting on. We quickly realized we had made a huge mistake and we do recognize that the poor decisions continued one after another. We got really lucky and this situation really shook us, thankfully. Since then, we have grown significantly as boaters, have taken swift water rescue as well as an additional safety course. I have a pretty solid roll and am working on improving my on side as well as an off-side and back deck roll. My husband is a freaking beast on the water and can pretty much roll up in 99% of situations and fuckery and is known for being super supportive and reliable with rescues on the water. We regularly practice T-rescues, reading water, catching eddies, ferrying and communication about what moves to make.
We definitely screwed up royally starting out, we know we are super lucky, and we worked hard to redeem ourselves and ensure that nothing like this happens again.
Flood stage rivers are so difficult to deal with swim situations because they don't give you any downtime, the water is moving so fast. Combined w those damn thick bushes lining the sides that was rough
Yeah, water was easy above my pay grade. Even if there was an Eddie, I doubt I would have been able to get to it with my poor skills at the time.
@@huntermaxwell6406 yeah, we definitely got in way over our heads. We honestly thought it was 4 feet and the outfitter that shuttled us assured us of that. We had no business out there and we recognize that we got so, so lucky.
Good to see everyone safe. Question, all southern rivers look like poo?😅
Lol, they don't all look like poo water. I prefer to think of them as chocolate milk :) Some always look like this but many are crystal clear most of the time. But when they are flooding, yeah they all pretty much look like this cause everything is getting stirred up.
glad you posted this as if for nothing else on a lesson on what not to do when going out on a river ,
always check the river levels , if your going to go on moving water with even a grade 2 rapid you should be either trained or be capable of self or group rescue and have the extra equipment with you to do so , at nearly 12.30 the caption "hoping she made it to shore" , you dont hope you check regardless of a kayak floating off down the river ,,
this was a complete sh@t show from the beggining and always remember kayaks etc can be replaced , you life carnt !!!
stay safe on the river glad your all ok
Glad you got something out of it :)
take a swift water rescue course, keeping toes up, and downriver, can also save your life.
We have taken 2 so far with plans to take more. Definitely worth it!
Ive run this at 7'2" and its not bad, there are a few holes to stay out of, and trees, and if like me you can not roll, do not go for your boat go for the bank. Your boat will be highway 52 for pick up.
You are absolutely right.
That was very intense.
We were definitely not ready for that!
Good lord! I've no idea how you survived that!
Luck, fairly certain it was just pure luck lol
My wife has become disobedient. Where is this River located and do they rent kayaks?
This is why I love my packraft. If you go out, you just flip it and hop right back in.
Yeah, my friends in the Torrent ended up making it all the way to the end. Because when he came out he just got right back in. My roll is way better now though.
This is what happens when you buy a couple kayaks at a garage sale and think you can go down a flooded river. Glad everyone was okay. Good grief!
Brown water would be an indicator of later trouser colour 😁
Lol
🔥 Editing is key🔥
Shoulda edited to make me look cool lol
impossible, glad you are okay tho.
oof tuff day glad everyone came out well
We all survived and learned so much!
"Grab a branch or something?" I've cleaned Cl V. Glad you are alive. "Grab a branch or something?!?!" Take a whitewater rescue course. Good gravy.
We have since done Rescue Rodeo and Swiftwater L4 with the TVCC :)
@@toekneegreen37did you also buy a proper paddle?
@@chris082681yes, we both did. I'm the wife in this video and we learned so much from the many, many mistakes made. We've taken some classes, updated gear, and we both have a solid on-side roll. My husband can roll just about anything in just about any situation and I'm working on my off-side and back deck roll.
Completely irresponsible for people with such low skills to be paddling at high water. That was only Class II - III whitewater. Very little maneuvering required; simply stay in the middle, ride the waves and stay out of the trees. At least one paddler/swimmer with no concept of self rescue or how to assist a rescuer made it more dangerous than necessary. I guess this can be seen as a cautionary tale and may save other unskilled/inexperienced paddlers from trying something similar.
Hate to ruin your moment but that wasn't class 3. That's ok though, it's hard to read a river based on GoPro footage.
Oh, and just so you know, for the Hooch at that level, you want to generally stay river left, not middle.
@@toekneegreen37 It was class III-IV as defined by American Whitewater which is typically what people use if they know what they are doing, man
the fact that you keep replying to these things with misinformation about the class shows me that you have made no effort to get educated. Kayaking relies on community & I'm glad you survived this, but if you are making zero effort to learn about how to do this safely I really hope I don't see you on the water
Good Lord dude had my heart pumping! Great video though!!! But just so you know, I’d rather not see you die in one of these videos, so if you could do that, I’d greatly appreciate it!
Yes sir. I promise to do that!
This is a series of bad decisions. I've been paddling for 23 years. Let me share with you some things that I've learned.
It's O.K. to turn around and go home, or go to an easier river because plan A was too high.
Flood stage adds the danger of the side of the river is all up in the trees, but you certainly know that now!
When I do a "Step up" run, I make sure that I'm one of the weaker paddlers in the group. I want people who are familiar with the run at the current flow and I want people who act quickly and know how to rescue.
I've been invited on trips that I thought might turn into a shit show and turned down the invitation. I do my best to avoid shit shows. I will admit that it's been a while, but I have been the shit show more than once.
Learn how to swim using your paddle, instead of swimming one handed while dragging it. It makes a world of difference.
If I ever left my wife like that, I'd be sleeping with the dog indefinitely!
Be safe out there!
You are right, all true. We learned the hard way unfortunately. I can say we know now though :)
Last February, I was on a guided trip in Ecuador. We drove to the take out and the level looked fine. When we got to the put in, our guide said it looked a little juicy, but O.K. By the time we got geared up and took off the river had come up about 2 feet. We ran the first set of rapids and walked out. That first set of rapids was very exciting!
Thanks for sharing. Wow! Glad everyone is ok.
Thank you! We are very glad too.
So close to total disaster :( try practicing using your paddle to swim. Its very effective and would have made that last crossing noticeably easier
Yeah, it could have been so much worse.
I've put in on this at 8ft and by the time we hit take out about 25 minutes later it was 11 ft. Fun river at those flows if you know how to navigate the holes and have bomb proof roll.
Yep, I've learned many lessons that day. I've improved a good bit since then I think :)
Im new to kayaking and only go one one specific river that i am fairly familiar with. During spring and summer there are some spots that get to a maximum of to my neck while a majority of it is only about thigh high. If i cant see the bottom in spots i normally should, i dont go on it with Canoe or Kayak. Ive had the Canoe for about 5 maybe 6 years now but the Kayak only about 3 weeks now. I guess the river i go on is a class two, but i'm not 100% up to snuff on the classifications yet. Ive read that any amount of flow automatically makes it a class two. I dont use a skirt on mine and it is sit inside. I do want to get a skirt for it but have been thinking about waiting till i get a better Kayak. Right now, i wouldnt even think about going on a river such as in the video. Maybe one day, but at this point in time absolutely not. I do know a lot about what to watch for when boating and a good bit of what not to do. I know that the spots where half the river is calm then a few spots in the same area where it is whitewater means there is a boulder or some other obstruction there i can get hung up on, turned sideways and dumped. I know about strainers and to avoid them. I know go downstream feet first. I even have learned how to get into my Kayak when i cant push against the ground to get in. Im by far not an expert and i know this but i always try to learn more from more experienced users. I know basics of safety, life vests, posture in the Kayak, and what to do if i flip my Kayak. That being said, i do know of some people who have after flipping on open water used another Kayakers Kayak to empty much of the water out of their Kayak. I wouldnt attempt it yet and would rather swim my Kayak to shore (if i had to on the river i float down). I seen several mistakes even in the first few minutes that could have been avoided. I keep on my Kayak a tether that has two quick clips on either end that i can quickly clip onto someone elses Kayak if they go over and can have full ability to paddle. I wouldnt use that tactic on the river in the video as that would be more dangerous, but would still have been helpful when he was trying to get Tracys boat to shore. Can always unclip from it if there is impending danger ahead. I would have set up various meeting points along the route on shore (you know, like a school fire drill) so it wasnt like ending up being a needle in a haystack.
You are right, so many mistakes were made. I now have a tether inside my PFD. You don't want to be tethered to a boat in rapids, especially with it full of water. I should have just followed till it came to a more calm section of the river.
I think that was part of the problem, my focus should have been in the rapids 100%, not on getting the boat.
Is obvius that you don't have many experience in Whitewater. That Is a class 1-2 big water sección, u don't have the correct equipmet for white water. Glad that you ara alive.
Yeah, it was easy above our pay grade!
Holy cow! Sooo many basic safety rules broken! A few: 1. Assess the river. It was up in the trees when you put in - many, many lethal strainers ahead! 2. Keep together! 3. When someone swims EVERYONE goes to assist! 4. Get to the swimmer - get your stern loop so they can grab it. 5. The swimmer should hang onto paddle, if they can. The swimmer should grab the stern loop and HANG ON, and KICK in time with the paddle strokes of the boater. WAIT until the water is really shallow - ankle deep- before trying to stand up. Hike to your boat. 6. After the swimmer is safe, get boats & gear. Get boats, gear & swimmer on the same side of the river! 7. DO NOT paddle away from a swimmer until they are safely on shore!
You don't know what you don't know. It was way above our knowledge and skill level at the time. We weren't trying to do it at this level, the last update of the river gauge had it at 4 feet, but turns out it was freezing to nearly 7! Not even the experts at the outfitters realized the true level. Smartest thing would have been to get back in the van and come back another day!
Everything worked out, we learned a lot, and now others can hopefully learn from my mistakes : )
Lesson learnt? Flooded rivers are dangerous ,even for skilled paddlers. Flush drowning is very real. Scout , safety. and backup plans
So many lessons learnt! So very many!
Good way to get stuck under a log and a canoe or kyak can put thousands of pounds of crushing pressure on you
At the time we had no idea what strainers were. But we do now.
He got out on that rock and let the boat go. I kept thinking well thats not a good option
Is that what he did? Nope, that's not at all what happened. A gallon of water is over 8 pounds. That's an 83 gallon boat...I'll leave the rest up to you.
I could have held on and been dragged over the rocks and hoped there would have been a place to empty the boat I guess.
Good post. Useful learning opportunity!
You are right about that. We learned so very many things!
Rivers at flood are scary fast they also have no eddies, making rescue crazy hard as this video shows, once spent 2 miles fighting the river to find an eddy
We thought we knew this river... We did not know this river at 7 feet!
Tony, I’m just now watching this for the first time. I haven’t paddled with you for like…. A month. Are you alive? I’m having too see you in the form of UA-cam videos. Jeez.
Lol, I still live, for now anyway.
... other than that, it was a fun day
Lol, exactly
Wow. With the amount of mistakes and poor kayaking skills that were witnessed I'd suggest you keep to the lakes.
Lol, you realize you are commenting on a video almost a year old right? Just so you know past me has not taken future you's advice. Present me is very glad I didn't!
@toekneegreen37 ya? your common sense must be off the charts bud 👏
@@johnnyweekend he's actually, at this time, one of the best boaters I know (and I know a lot of great boaters) and often leads others and support boats for different groups. This video was from a year ago and much has been learned since that time. For the record, the outfitter stated that the river was around 4 feet and that it would be similar to running the Nantahala.
ya? looks like everyone in this video was lucky they didn't get killed on these class 2 rapids 👏
🤣🤣
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Beatdown 😂
Painfully
It is easy to judge from a video and not trying to appear judgmental. But, I’d have tried hitting those eddies much further up to see what I could do to help. The amount of strainers I’d be trying to stay calm and find the open spaces without trees.
You are very right.
I did that section at 7.1 feet and it is a monster definitely not a run at that flow for beginners but it will definitely humble you
Yeah, at the time we didn't know it was so high. Even the outfitter said it was a good level.
There skills were beyond beginner from the start .
Yup, we were told it was only 4 feet and well within our wheelhouse. Didn't realize it had risen as much as it did till it was too late. But more importantly we learned a lot from this mistake.
When the branch snaps and the river strainers Tracy..... this becomes apparent it is no longer a joke
Yo that hooch ain't no joke!! Especially after the dam release. I heard it turns Into a legendary boil right around that time near bowman Island
One thing is for sure. There is a hell of a lot of trout on the hooch. Big ones too!!
Never been more scared or felt so powerless
@@ActionAdventureTwins Natural flow here, above the dam
@@ActionAdventureTwins it was absolutely terrifying and I know we got incredibly lucky. Things could have been so much worse.
I knew as soon as i saw dude with a rec boat paddle in a wavesport this wasnt going to end well at all.
Hey that paddle was pretty nice lol. It was not the cheapest Walmart had to offer.... What's the worst that could happen right?
The thumbnail wasn't your first clue?
Wow finally the internet has spoken in solitude
Was it about politics?
Aways have a short rope tied on kayak, very useful.
Having a rope tied to a whitewater boat is a bad idea. But now I have a throw rope in the boat and a tether tucked away in the PFD for towing boats.
That's where people drown
You can hear her scream I think at 9:54
Damn dude .Big day, eh!
Way bigger day than we planned lol
Um. What did you think you were doing?
Paddling a familiar river at 4 feet, a level we would have done fine on.
Can’t wait to hear what happened off camera
We lived happily ever after :)
@@toekneegreen37 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥relationship goals
@@Dramafree2266 I'm the wife in this video and we definitely got super lucky and have learned a lot since then.
Damn bro thats some scary shit.
I pooped my pants a little...ok a lot! We learned a lot that day!
What were you thinking?! That was a stupid thing to do.
You can read exactly what I was thinking at the beginning. Do you think we thought it was that high and still wanted to do it. FYI, I will be doing it at that level again.
What a lesson. It was kind of hard to watch.
All the strainers scared me just sitting in my office chair.
For sure improve on skills b4 doing anything close to that.
Have definitely done that! In fact, we just completed our first swift water rescue class!
We have both grown a ton in the last year. Since then we've done it 5 feet, so much calmer. I have a feeling that next time I see it at 7 feet it won't look like the same river.
@@toekneegreen37
One of the best times in kayaking is sitting around the camp fire as everybody tells stories of their best mistakes. That is fun. We all laugh now and are a lot smarter. Pass the wisdom along. :)
That's probably the most disgusting River on the planet I'm curious to know if anybody got sick after that
You are thinking down below Atlanta, and you'd be right. This is well north of that and very clean. Except when it floods and the farm waste gets in there. Tracey actually got a little sick but Charlie and I were fine luckily.
If you do that again the gods may not be so kind!
Next time we will be better prepared. We've done it at 5 feet (almost 2 feet lower). Tracey has set this as her max. I've become a much better paddler since doing this stupidity, but I do look forward to a round 2!
Tracy just disappeared into the bush! Glad to know she got out safe! All of yall!
@11:45
I was worried she got pinned under a branch. We learned a lot that day, mostly what not to do lol
you thought she got pinned under a branch and kept going for the boat!? haha what!! Run Tracy Run!
@@joshhobbs3771 ... 😆 😂 🤣
@@jairusstoudenmire3917 yeah, we had absolutely no business being out there. We truly thought it was running around 4 feet and the outfitter assured us of that. Had we known it was spiking to 7 feet, we'd have stayed home, lol. Since then we've taken level 4 SWR as well as an additional safety class. We've worked hard to develop the necessary skills and we both have solid rolls. My husband has his off-side, back deck and hand roll. I'm working on my off-side and back deck roll. We spend a lot of time on Chattooga because we live by there and it's a fantastic training ground. I might be wrong, but I think I've seen you with my friends... Blake and Nikki....in fact, if you are who I think you I almost went out there with Blake and Brian for your section 4 pfd. I ended up going to the WW Center with some folks instead.
@@joshhobbs3771 lol, I'm Tracey 🙋🏼♀️ . We were so clueless and had no business out there. So many mistakes were made. My husband wasn't able to catch any eddies in order to come save me. It's amazing that we were not injured or killed.
Why did Tracey keep letting gooooo???? Stop letting go!
She's so silly lol.
The water was pretty fierce and did not make it easy to hang on 😊
You guys are seriously crazy, everyone had a great chance of dying . Let that be a lesson to you on how water works😂
Lessons were learned that day.
This is some of the poor choices made by unskilled boaters that have no business being on the water at this level. Hope you learned something.
I guess you can't read. I hope you learn something...
Did u hear any banjos ?
Lol, I think you are thinking about the Chatooga River. It is also nearby and absolutely wonderful.
Oh yeah. Lose the sea kayak paddle with drip guards.
No longer using rec paddles lol. But you gotta start somewhere I guess
I like to carry about 6 to 10 feet of elastic bunge cord just incase i need to tow another boat. The stretching really helps with current to help keep both boats from yanking on eachother and more smooth paddleing.
Fighting the current just waste energy.
I have a tether, throw rope, and pin gear now. Much better prepared these days!
It's all fun and games until it isn't.
Exactly lol
Hootch will fool you. Can happen to anyone. Sharing this vid may save a life
I'm just glad we all made it out in one piece.
This reminds me my stupidest idea to ride a class III/IV river at solo with an open packraft. But i get very lucky and not fell out of the boat, but i had at least two close calls.
ua-cam.com/video/ZzGKND7qGFg/v-deo.html
You definitely had more skills than I did! The stupidest ideas are sometimes the best teachers...if you survive it.
Yeah, this makes me second guess if Kayaking is for me. Yeah.....no. This looks miserable and not fun at all. I guess some like thrill. I like beauty, nature and a little thrill. This is too much .
O Man, what irresponsability.
Live and learn. For example, if I was gonna be a keyboard cowboy, I'd learn to use spell check so I don't look irresponsible....