6.24.07...Another Green Day

An afternoon on the Green River, NC..........



click here to see Another Green Day

photo: Gabriel Latini
paddler: Keith Sprinkle

video: Bryan Owen
paddlers: Houston, Bartholic, Elliot, Issac, Gareth, Sprinkle, Pilson, Bednar, Latini, Owen

Astral Currently

Howdy Sampsonspot fans. Its been a while since you got an update from your homeboy Sampson, but I assure you that he is up to his usual program of eating, being gaseous, and reporting on his friends' paddling exploits. Sampson's Southeastern Crew, aka Moustacheville, has been getting on the Rio Verde a good bit. In addition Sampson has joined forces with his boys at Astral Buoyancy to bring you a new web endeavor Astral Currently. Please check out this new online project and enjoy some of Sampson past videos, located on the sidebar to your right!

Salud,

Bryan

above: John Pilson finishes Frankenstein on the Rio Verde. photo BO 2007

Black Canyon Rangers Video

So yesterday I finished up a video project that has been in the works for the last 2 years. You will find some liks at the end of this post that take you to the video called "Black Canyon Rangers." It has been split into 2 mpeg videos so it loads faster. If you want to read about some of my best memories from the Black Canyon check out the CKS Squad Blog.

Thanks to all the JR Rangers out there especially to Larsen, Milo, and Ben for showing me the way down!

Bryan Owen
Salida Ranger 420

















click here to view the "Black Canyon Rangers" Part 1

click here to view the "Black Canyon Rangers" Part 2

CKS Launches New Website and Team blog

Chris Menges runs Dragon's Back

Lime Creek, CO

Read more at the Colorado Kayak Chronicle

We've been busy out here in Colorado launching a new website at CKS and developing the Colorado Kayak Chronicle, a blog that will inform the paddling public on events in the CKS world. If you have a moment, check out this new blog at www.coloradokayak.blogspot.com

Also, I'm happy to announce a return to the Southeast for CKS Staff and Squad member Bryan Owen and his fearless hound Sampson in November. After 5 years of the wild west we are heading home to the dirty south. I'll throw up some Southeastern shots as soon as we hit the Green.

Thanks so much to CKS for being such a great place to work! Check out their new website at www.coloradokayak.com

On Setting Out

On Setting Out


by Diane Smart


Time flows by slowly, quietly

We drift in the stream

surveying the shore,

content to pass,

but discontented still,

We change direction.


The current sweeps us away

From all we know

while we watch

those we leave behind

slip away

Their images grow dim.


Ahead the bright, churning water

Approaches, and fear

of what might happen

of what must happen

of what might not happen

As we are swept along.


The thrill of the ride comes

From knowing

there are no rapids

without rocks and

no ride worth taking

Without risks.

Sampson Goes to British Columbia (part 2) with Video

So after having a good time creek boating near the Sea to Sky Highway, Sampson's crew headed to Horshoe Bay to hop on board the ferry to Langdale. From Langdale the crew had some beta to check out a little place called "Roberts Creek." Robert's Creek is not really a "creeking" destination but a hippie commune that started sometime during the Vietnam war era. We met up with a few locals and enjoyed an evening of camping, talking to bears, and hearing crazy stories of the Roberts Creekers.

The next day we packed up and drove an hour or so to the town of Egmont near the Skookumchuck Narrows.

The ferry is the only way to get to skook and costs about $100 canadian to get across (both ways).

BC sunsets are amazing, especially from the ferry ride.

Skookumchuck is probably the most predictable surf wave around as its actually a salt water inlet, so tidal flows determine the rapid's timeframe. As you know, tides are dependant on the moon and skook was running about 14-15 knots for our trip. Bryan liked to surf skook when he wasn't shooting video (see link below).

Germans like to use creek boats to surf at Skook. This guy really tore it up, no joke!

At skook you are likely to meet Mike Olson (Oly) and he likes to bring lots of boats to Skook. We saw him in a squirt boat, a session, and a Zodiac (motorized raft). Mike is an amazing guy and has a really cool family. He definately showed us a great time and helped us get some incredible footage from his boat. Thanks Mike!

Steven Olson is still in high school but rips like a Skook vet. He also enjoys creeking with his dad on the Little White Salmon.

Max Keller enjoys Skook when its big and fluffy. He also likes to avoid going on the "tour" which lies downstream. Here whirlpools develop that could swallow Sampson whole!

Meng was also killing it at Skook. He can surf for hours and still throw down. All 3 members of Sampson's crew (Max, Chris, and Bryan) were loving the Liquidlogic Vision 56!

Afterwards Capt. Mike Olson took us on a tour of the Skook zone. Sampson was loving his ride in the Zodiac! We set up camp, ate fresh fish and clams, then enjoyed the bioluminescent creatures of the Sechelt Inlet at night.

The next day we had a brief surf session then motored over the border back to the US. Mission Burn Sampson 420 was a sucess. On the way home we were jonesin' to boat so we hit the NF Payette again. It was a sick trip thanks to a great crew, and I can't wait to go back!

Bryan Owen

click here to view the Skook video

Chris Menges and the BURN MISSION

Below you will find a link to some video of Callghan Creek, BC and Chris Menges paddling his new Pyranha Burn "Mission" kayak. It's a short video with 5 or so drops that shows some of the highlights from this sweet run:

click here to view the BURN video