Chilliwack River March 25 2018 Tamahi

As normal your President was the first to capsize – so they must write the report. Notice my modern use of the pronoun “they”.

I will now refer to myself in the first person. Not to be left out Jenny Wakely and Bill Moore who I refer to as Bill from Whistler flipped in trailer court so I am not alone.

Many people, see next paragraph, were up on Saturday planning this summer’s wilderness trip on the Rabbit River at Wakleys’ new place near the Chilliwack, so they ran mailbox to Peach Avenue Saturday and talked over the trip on Saturday night.

Sunday. It was cloudy, it was sunny, it rained a little, it was cold. We started out from Thurston. Carey and I in solos, James Wakely in a C-1 and the rest, Heather and Denise, Dave Westell and Leigh Burton, Jenny and Bill, Ann and Alain, tandem.

The Chilliwack was lowish-15 and the paddle was pleasant, not pushy, but really cold. Leigh forgot her gloves – bad idea. She got Denise’s cycling gloves. I had my new gloves, but boy were my fingertips cold and numb. The Chilliwack has changed: a few hard corners weren’t hard any longer. We ran into TRU University outdoor kayakers from Kamloops. The usual fishermen. Stopped for lunch.

At trailer court, happily, Jenny and Bill swam and were rescued by Ann and Alain so I was not a lone dumper. At Tamahi most bailed except Carey, James and me. I said, I’ll follow Carey with James in the rear. We enter centre right. Suddenly Carey eddied out! Later he confided he likes to slow down in Tamahi. In the meantime, I sailed by Carey and failed to eddy out and went over a pour over into a large hole.

By this time only me, my canoe, my pride and James still behind. I self rescued and got in my canoe and followed James. He went through a hole blocked by a large rock in the middle and zoomed sideways around it. Miraculously I too zoomed sideways and made it!

Usual shuttle and home to a warm bath great first Beaver paddle of the season.

El Presidente