Thursday, June 4, 2009

Go HUCK yourself - Waterfall tour

So i just picked up a new Habitat 80 from Wave Sport, and it has handled everything ive tossed at it with extreme ease. Below are photos from my first two days in it from this last weekend.
-enjoy-

Courthouse Falls
-on the brink-Tuck 'er up!
Triple Falls - DuPont National forest
Hooker FallsToxaway(Above) hiking up to the Goods. -And (Below) it was indeed good.(Below) Here are some shots of me paddling down zoomed out, so you can see the grand scale.(Below) Road-side Park n Huck
Lots more pictures if interested, as well as video coming soon!! so stay tuned.
-charlie simmons-
Team Wave Sport, Ophion paddles, Shred Ready helmets, Skirtworks, and Bomber Gear

Monday, June 1, 2009

Week long Birthday expo- Paddling/camping/climbing

So for my birthday my girlfriend Brittany surprised me with a week off of work and the willingness to go where ever i wanted for the entire time.
We started things off on Mothers day Sunday, in the Birmingham area. First the Mulberry Fork of the Warrior river, it was a good plush level of about 7 feet, equaling good wave trains and surfs all the way down the river. With my play boat stashed at the take out (and the best surf waves on the run) Brittany and I headed down stream in the dynamic duo. Below are a couple shots from the Mulberry fork.

I love every moment spent in my project 52, it is the sweetest play machine ever.
ALL these GREAT photos were taken by my girlfriend Brittany
Surfing in the Duo, solo..... The following day we hit the counter partner of the Warrior river, The Locust Fork. Joined by good friends and good water levels are day was awesome on the locust. We started the day with Jeremy Adkins and his wife, as well as our friend Jennifer. Taking all day to float what normally doesn't even take half that, we took it very easy needless to say.

Here are some photos from the Locust fork:
(Below) Me play boating At Kings hole. (Below) Good friend and fellow Team Shred Ready member,Jeremy Adkins, shredding up too! Had to toss in the "paddle-copter" down the Standard line at Powell falls (Above) Jeremy and I running the far river left line at Powell falls.

We woke up the next morning and headed up to Sand Rock, Alabama to Cherokee Rock village. Sand Rock is a crown Jewel for rock and especially sport climbing our state.
Below are some photos from Sand Rock:
Me and B Shadow Bouldering B with the Dogs and view from campsiteAfter camping/climbing at Sand Rock we were NC bound, and started off to the Nantahala gorge. There we would meet up with several folks for a good time on the lower gorge section, as well as the goods up stream on the Nantahala Cascades, and White Oak creek falls for me! White Oak Creek Falls is a broken down, or cascading, off vertical 35ft drop consisting of SEVERAL must make moves. It begins with a nice 5ft. flair into a 3ft wide slot/slide for about 10 feet ending in a 4ft auto boof into a very small re-circulating eddy, and the entire thing is finished off with a vertical 15footer into a tiny landing pool. = all together the shit!!! Thanks to my bad ass Ophion paddle (http://www.ophionpaddles.com/) the must make strokes were effortless and the landing was soft and GOOD!
And below are some pictures of these great times.
White Oak Creek Falls photos:Nantahala Cascades-(upstream from normal run, downstream from WhiteOak creek) Me on "Horns of God" (Above) --And (Below) Sam England and I blue angeling the same rapid (Above)Me on typical Cascades slide(Above)- Me on Big Kahuna
Photos of Lower Nantahala Gorge with Brittany and friends:
Brittany and I on Nanty Falls
Check out her boof stroke over the hole! Every shot this week was taken by my girlfriend Brittany. With the exception of ones with her in them.
After two days in the Nantahala gorge we were off to the Ocoee river in Tn. I also took my whitewater raft on this trip, so i could meet up with a few more people and have a good time all together. There we met up with my brother and his girlfriend, and another buddy Zach.
Saturday May 16 2009, my birthday. We started the day off in my raft, and had a good time Guiding the rest of the group down on a slow, SAFE day on the Ocoee with my friends and family....... But as sweet as that was, Zach and i where dying to get in our play boats and head back down for a second lap on the Ocoee.....

i.e. Nothing like raft guiding (pushing rubber) makes you want to kayak sooooo bad!!!!
Here are a few shots from Hell Hole that day: All in all, i had one of the best times i have had in a long time. I know that being with friends and family that i don't normally get to experience paddling with really went a very long way for me.
Til next time
-charlie simmons-
Team Wave Sport kayaks, Shred Ready helmets, Ophion Paddles, Skirtworks, and Bomber Gear