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March 30, 2005
A Reason To Wake Up
Entry by Jay Kincaid:
My good friend Macy Burnham is staying with me for a few days. Today we went over to the North Yuba to play at a little secret play spot. It turned out to be a great flow and we both about killed ourselves trying to one up each other for a couple of hours. In the end we both had great sessions and had a hard time staying awake on the drive home. It was an awesome day, maybe being the most fun that I have had in a long time. These are the days that I get up in the morning for.
Posted by AdventureGrrl at 04:49 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2005
Left! Left!
On Saturday, the hubby and I went skiing at Heavenly, where we discovered Mott Canyon the last run of the day.
Right about the time we should have started skiing back to the car, JB came across a gate that led into a double diamond run. We pretty much have a rule of thumb that if there is a gate with a warning sign to enter a run, we must ski it.
It was definitely the steepest stuff we had found at Heavenly, and I was bummed that we discovered it on our last run of the day. Now we have to go back!!! Half way down the steepest part of the run, we came across a man sitting with his skis off. We inquired if he was injured, and he said, that he wasn't, and that he just couldn't make it down that hill so he was waiting for ski patrol to come bail him out. As we were talking to him, a ski patrol appeared at the top of the run, so we left, knowing he was being taken care of.
But it must have hurt his ego to have a woman check on him and then ski right down it without hesitating!
When we got to the bottom of the run, we saw signs for the chairlift pointing through the trees. The sign pointed left. The hubby went right.
So, there I was, going left on a little trail through the trees, and as I'm skiing, I'm screaming at the hubby, "Left! Left! Wrong way!!!" Next thing I know, I hit a huge hole, my ski tips dug in and I went flying face first into the snow. When I landed with a thump, both shoulders cracked, and I sat there trying to determine if I was injured or not.
When I determined that I wasn't injured, I sat on my butt, and said the first thing that came to my mind, "Holy smokes."
I then heard the hubby calling me on the walkie talkie asking what happened.
I replied, "I was so concerned about you going the wrong direction that I didn't see a hole in the snow and I did a face plant that ripped me out of both skis. I'm going to be a few minutes."
Of course he was very entertained by all of this. This is what he said he heard, "Left! Left! AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Next time we go to Heavenly, we're starting in Mott Canyon so that we can give it the proper attention!
Posted by AdventureGrrl at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2005
Flood Dreaming
Today was an excellent day. I met up with Scott Lindgren and Dave Garringer this morning for a high water run on the Chamberlain Falls section of the North Fork of the American. It had been almost ten years since I had been on that piece of river and I was excited to return especially due to the high water.
When I left Reno the river was running around 3000 cfs, but on the drive over the mountain it was pouring down rain like I haven’t seen in years. By the time we put on the river we guessed the flow to be between 4 and 5 thousand. As some of you know, judging the flow of flooded steam beds can be very hard to do. All we knew is that is was high and we were ready for some good play boating and river running. It turned out to be just what we hoped for with lots of play spots and some big fun rapids between.
I actually got tired at one of the play spots which was very exciting for me as it has been a while since I have paddle that hard. So, after we got off the river Scott quickly checked the flow and found that the flow was actually 5 to 8 thousand and rising quickly while we played.
Five minutes ago I just checked the flow again and it is now even higher. I can’t help but let my mind wonder as thinking about how the river would be different at even higher flows is very exciting to me. One of my favorite things in the world is being on a river at flood, but depending on the place it can quickly change to be your worst nightmare. Maybe that is part of the appeal?
Posted by AdventureGrrl at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2005
Ripping Up the Pow Pow
I had great hopes for the storm this past weekend, and was not disappointed. When I woke up on Sunday, I went online to find out how much snow Kirkwood had received.
Up to 30 inches in 30 hours was my answer. I bundled up and headed to the hill with the hubby.
It was truly an epic day. And in fact, I'm proud to report that I'm actually starting to get my powder mojo going.
Sunday was a day for the die-hard powder hounds. It was snowing hard, the wind was blowing extremely hard over the ridges, avalanche cannons were repeatedly going off, and there were smiles abound everywhere.
At one point, a lift attendant asked me, "How's it going?"
And of course, I said, "Great!"
His response was, "Well, you better be!" And I think that says it all. The snow was so good that you were cutting fresh tracks on every run, and it was like skiing on a cloud.
It is forecasted to snow almost every day this week, so make your plans to head out to Reno-Tahoe next weekend, as the conditions should be phenomenal!
Posted by AdventureGrrl at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
Blistering
I looked at my fingers last night while watching a little TV before bed and they were actually blistered. This can mean only one of two things.
Either I have been kayaking a ton, or I am frail.
I’m going to believe that it because of how much I have kayaking lately.
It looks like some cooler weather is heading this way so it's time to bust out the thick fleece again. It's good news, though, as all it really means is more water for us this summer.
Posted by Jay Kincaid at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)
The Jay Kincaid Blog Is Back!
Jay Kincaid has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he's done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California. When asked about his goals in kayaking, Jay said, "I want to simply be the absolute best that I can be. I feel that I was given a gift for kayaking, and in the end I want to know that I gave it my all never cheating myself or the sport."
The last 15 months have sure been crazy for me. I spent a lot of time in 2004 injured with one thing or another. I had torn cartilage in my ribs, strained muscles in my neck, tendonitis in my hand, tendonitis in my knee, and far too many random pains. In the last few years I have really tried to focus on the little things in my training to ensure that I don’t have times like this, so it is beyond me why I haven’t felt healthy in so long. Very frustrating but just bad luck I hope. So, I am saying it now. My goal for 2005 is to stay injury free. Athletically, not all was bad in the last year though. Somehow I managed to win 6 of the 7 freestyle events that I entered, and got some amazing “free time” kayaking in as well.
The 2005 World Championships were this January. I spent six weeks before the event not paddling due to a neck injury which certainly wasn’t ideal. Then maybe the hardest personal hit of my career came when I finished 3rd and was not able to defend my title. Do I believe that it was because of injuries? No, not really. I believed that I was still paddling well enough to beat anyone, and I put myself in a good position to win, but somehow I just didn’t get it done when I really needed to. I have spent countless hours trying to figure out what happened and in the end I could come up with nothing positive, so I’ve let it go... Now it is all behind me. I have refocused on my training and am ready to get back to the same old me. I do know one thing with out question. I would put my money on me every time in that very same position.
Now, I am hanging out in Reno. The weather is amazing, the river is up, and life is good. I have a great girlfriend, a great dog, a house that is slowly coming along, awesome friends, my family, and life is good. I have been getting back in good shape, which is very important to me, and becoming a better kayaker, which has been a constant goal for almost 15 years now.
Locally it is really good to see the paddling community coming out of hibernation. I am starting to see those familiar faces on the water again and that is more fun for me then most people know.
All I have to say is that if you haven’t yet been out enjoying the higher water and the warm weather then you should really think about treating yourself better.
Posted by Jay Kincaid at 11:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 13, 2005
Weather to Bike or Ski?
That was the quesion I asked my husband Saturday morning. Only in Reno! Well, the fact is there is still lot's of snow, and the weather was also biking weather. We figured we'd take advantage of the warm sun, since it wasn't supposed to last, and because March wouldn't normally be the best time to bike.
So where to go? We decided we'd try a new ride, so we headed down to Washoe Valley and climbed up into the Jumbo Grade area. To get there, you just take East Lake Blvd into New Washoe City, and when the houses start to thin out (about 4 miles) you look for Jumbo Grade Rd on the left.
Beside the historical value, it is a great place to ride. And this year was extra fun--seemingly because of the snowmelt there was lots of water everywhere. The ride is generally a climb up to the old mining town of Jumbo, and you could continue on to Virginia City if you wanted to. The views were fabulous as soon as we climbed enough to be able to see a bit. It offered a whole new perspective of Mt Rose, Slide Mountain and the Sierra's along Washoe Valley. The vegetation was great, and it was apparent that there had been lots of water in the season.
This ride presents lot's of great views and lots of creek crossings. Actually, there are a few places where you have the choice to either go up the road which has over time been relocated farther up the side of the hill, or just ride up the creek itself. We went up the creek--and were amazed that neither one of us ended up falling/stepping in the water! The roads were generally in good condition. In fact, there was still snow all over the place, except for the road--that is, until we had climbed about 4 miles from the start and reached a point where there were two options: 1) Either put tracks on our bikes so that we could make it up the snow covered road with muddy ruts where the motorcycles had already gone, or 2) Decide to have lunch. We chose the later. To our great delight we also were able to find a single pinon pine nut to eat, ashamed that after so many years in Nevada we really didn't know the season for the nuts, but happy that one was still preserved somehow by the winter weather.
We eventually did the downhill back to the car--and all day with shorts and a t-shirt. What a day!
Posted by tele girl at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2005
An Afternoon At Whites Creek
I love my dog, Kona. Perhaps it may be more accurate to admit to engaging in an extremely toxic, co-dependent relationship with her.
It was one of those weeks where way too much was happening at work, home, etc. Something’s gotta give, so unfortunately, Kona got short changed with lame 15-30 minute walks through the neighborhood. The dirty looks and the incessant “stare-mommy-down” episodes increased as the week transpired. Living in the Sierra Nevada, she has grown quite spoiled, expecting runs in the woods nearly daily. Kona argues that being tethered to a leash and dragged through the neighborhood is a humiliating experience where she is not allowed to wolfishly run wild and get in touch with her inner puppy. So many stinky things to roll in; so little time...
Finally the weekend came. My promise of hiking up Whites Creek, deep into the Toiyabe Forest, was kept. Sweetening the deal was the news of her best friend, Rudy and Rudy’s mom accompanying us. Kona and Rudy are both 10 years old and madly in love with each other.
Whites Creek is a major trailhead heading deep into the Toiyabe National Forest on the southwestern edge of Reno just off the Mount Rose Highway and clearly marked off Timberline Drive. This trail goes on forever and hooks up with the spectacular Thomas Creek and Galena hiking areas. All have great trails to bring your dog because of all the water.
The forest is beginning to smell great – really earthy – because the snow that dumped on us in December and January is beginning to melt in areas. At higher elevations, mainly on southern ridgelines, there are actually snows-less trails – what a novelty after hiking with big snow boots for months now. We stopped at the top of a ridge overlooking the entire Washoe Valley at an area called Dry Pond before heading back. We had a great hike – 6.4 miles!
Here is Rudy taking a dip in Whites Creek:
There's Rudy on the left and Kona Grrl on the right:
This image shows you the snow-less (!) trail with the spectacular Mount Rose in the background:
Here's another view showing those scary Chutes at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe:
Posted by Artemisia at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)
March 07, 2005
Sunday Afternoon
Around 2:30pm, typical for us, my husband and I decided that it would be a great day to go tele up some new peak. So we set out for Mt Rose highway and we parked at that new rest area at the highway summit. We set out for the peak that is just to the south of the peak with all of the relay stations and antennaes that is at the top of Mt Rose ski resort.
We had a great climb up, though it was alot hotter than we had anticipated, especially for that time of day. We finally got to the peak around 4:45pm with plenty of sunshine and a nice cool wind that forced us to bundle up a bit. The views from there are spectacular. You can see Lake Tahoe and Washoe Valley at the same time! And We got a completely new view of the mountains than the one we are used to. And even better, the skiing on the way back was great on the north slopes--it was hard to believe that the powder from the last storm hadn't iced over or gotten wind packed. Of course, there were pockets of ice and crust, but we were still surprised.
Needless to say, on the way back to the car as we were on the slopes with other aspects, the snow was just short of an ice skating rink! We pulled pack into the parking lot around 6:10 pm, realizing that the days aren't so short anymore and that it was a good thing we didn't just sit at home waiting for the next storm.
Just another fun day in the Sierras!
Posted by tele girl at 06:20 AM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2005
A Night With Garrison Keillor
Lucky me, I had the chance to see Garrison Keillor last night at the wonderful Nightingale Concert Hall on the campus of UNR. Nightingale is great – never a bad seat in the house and it’s located at the UNR Fine Arts Building.
I got there early (on purpose) because I just had to see (again) the Patty Wickman exhibit at the Sheppard Gallery, just down the hall from Nightingale. Wickman’s work is so compelling; her exploration of the social implications of complex rituals and rites of passage is at once thematically complex and allegorically beautiful. Sheppard Gallery is always a breath of fresh air for me.
So, back to Garrison, the consummate story-teller and humorist. I was sitting in the front row, right under his red socks and red tennis shoes (with matching red bow tie, of course). He sang; we sang; he told us great stories that went on forever, but left you wanting to hear more. Garrison read one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems from memory – or perhaps more accurately, from heart. That voice, that mellifluous voice, previously only heard by my ears on The Writer’s Almanac, now, right in front of me, reciting Oliver. Lucky me.
Here’s one of my favorite Keillor quotes:
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.”
Finally, with apologies to Garrison...
So that’s the news from Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place...
• Where all the women are strong
• All the men are beautiful
• And all the children are way-way-above-average
Here are some pictures I took at the event:
Posted by Artemisia at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)