10 days until the Canyon

It's Christmas and I have other things on my mind as well.

I've had a fun time getting ready for the trip.  Let's just say I haven't been completely focused on that goal.  I got my list started.  I didn't achieve a very precision attack but I got the basics figured out.  A place to sleep. Some things to drink. Clothes to stay warm. A place to put your poo, and trash, but food for 12 days that wouldn't bore me to tears or stop me up so I couldn't poo proved the hardest to figure out.  Well, I guess dealing with the (unspeakable) opposite problem from being stopped up might be the most difficult situation I have ever dealt with on a long paddling trip.  But that isn't the point of this article.  The point here is food.  Sorry, I got distracted by reminiscing about Nepal. I never plan food 12 days ahead, so to say that I procrastinated the food buy would represent a serious understatement.

Enough food for 12 days, plus some extra.  Add in all the camping gear and you have a ton of stuff.

I had a few backpacker meals sitting around so I threw those in the pile.  I had tried a Bear Creek insta meal from the grocery store and it turned out pretty good, but I know it's going to bore me to tears if I eat all that just the way it is so I added in a bunch of ingredients, some veggies, and extra pasta, some spices, and other stuff.  I tried out a different style of cooking.  The directions on the bag  said to cook for 15-20 minutes but what I did was bring it to a boil and cook for 5 minutes and then set it aside for 20 minutes.  It turned out well-cooked and it will use a lot less fuel.  The bags make a gallon of soup so I am going to use most of it for dinners and then put the rest in a thermos, heat it in the morning, and have it with lunch the next day.  We'll see if that actually works.

I tried out the food... not bad with some supplementing of ingredients.

I also tried out my new sleeping bag on a cold night to see if it might stand up to the cold temps of the Canyon in January.  I froze my ass off.  I think I am going to have to wear more clothes to bed.

Tried my new sleeping bag on a cold evening. Let's just say that other than big Agnes, I didn't have much on.  

I got it all into my dry bags.

The night before all my gear had to depart for the Canyon I hadn't started.  I hadn't even tried to put anything in the bags.  Fortunately it did fit.  It took until 2 in the morning but it did fit.  Now, I just hope it will all fit in the boat at the put in.  Lee's Ferry: here I come.  I will post a bunch of stories from our exploits in the Canyon.

Now the real trick: I have to get it all in my boat.

I hope everyone has great holidays.
Let's start 2012 in style.
12 days on the Canyon will be a good way to do it.
Cheers
Shane

First Timers Always Try Harder

Garrett chillin in the backyard

Dennis taking himself too seriously as usual

Arlyn grinnin' ear to ear

Sometimes the best decisions are spontaneous.  Visualize your goal and find a way to make it happen.  The plan to paddle the Grand Canyon of the Colorado was hatched by myself and Dennis Gilfillan; sitting around the campfire at the Tallulah in November, less than a month ago.  Talk of ‘what if’ and ‘one day’ morphed into something more attainable when someone informed us of the call-in system that the NPS uses to award unclaimed launch dates.  I called Arlyn the next day- he was in.  On Monday afternoon, we secured a launch date of December 19^th.  We had little more than three weeks to shuffle our feet, jump through some hoops, and make all the necessary preparations before putting on the river at Lee’s Ferry, 2000 miles away in the Arizona desert. 

We will launch three days from now and paddle roughly 280 miles to Pearce Ferry over the course of 14 days.  We will spend 13 cold beautiful nights under the desert sky in the bottom of the mile deep canyon.  We will do it all without the aid of rafts.  This will be the first time down the Grand for the three of us, and I couldn’t be more excited.  Thanks to all who have lent a hand to help make this a reality.  -Garrett

I am excited to hear these guys story because all too often these days when heading into missions like this one person in the group has experience with how it will all go down.  Some of my most cherished memories are when I have ventured into the adventure with open new eyes. I am sure they will come back with good stories. - Shane

All important Groover production!

Groover Wall in Place.  It fits!

The Groover Wall

Arlyn's craft for the mission

Here is a video about the "Groover".

words by: Garrett Thompson

pictures: arlyn agababian

Composite Playboat Prototype #1

I got bored and added some stickers.

The First Glass and Kevlar Prototype

The first prototype of my composite playboat started early this year but the process has been drawn out a long time because we have been working so hard on other boats and we want to get this thing just right.  The composite playboat is really a long term goal that we are trying to achieve, and that goal is to create a boat that folks would like to paddle in the 2013 World Championships here in North Carolina and a boat that we'd like to paddle anywhere we go to playboat.  No they aren't for sale... yet.

Jordan Poffenberger loving life on the Ottawa River

I have been working a lot with young ripper Jordan Poffenberger on this design because, well... he rips.  Jordan has been working hard on his playboating.  This year he made the U.S. Freestyle Team and went on to the World Championships in Plattling Germany.  Now Jordan's goals are set on Worlds at the Nantahala River and the big waves around the world.

A different and fun part of this process is working on the construction and build of this boat.  Since we are working with resin, fiberglass, Kevlar there are a lot of new considerations in the construction of the boat compared to building a plastic kayak.  The goal is to try and get the boat down to around 22 lbs, and be able to take a beating unlike many of the composite boats that are on the market today.  So the build of the boat itself is a big part of the testing that we are doing.  The initial boats are built with a combination of glass and kevlar to increase the stiffness and impact resistance.  We thought a lot about carbon but the trade off for cost, weight savings, and actual durability pointed us towards this combination.  We are also constructing this boat with the cockpit integrated into the boat itself rather than attaching a rim like other composite boats.  Its a difficult and time consuming thing to do in a composite mold but it also adds a ton of strength to the boat itself.

Prepping the Mold

Fiberglass and Kevlar Materials

We vacum molded the boats and parts to help keep the weight down and make a strong part.

Heading up the actual construction of the composite boat is Bryon Phillips who helped start Lidds Helmets, and the creation of The Sin and Drain squirt boats with his brother Aaron back in the late 90's.  We also have the long time composites crew from the Greensboro area that has been building boats for quite a while that are putting in all the time huffing fumes.

Bryon sending out a prototype

First thing I did when we pulled the first boat out of the mold was head to Big Rocks on the Nolichucky river to give it a spin in a good loop hole and throw a few old school ends.  It is also a good place to test the durability of the construction.  I will admit I found a good place to hit a rock and I did it over and over to see how strong the seam where the two halves of the boat were put together turned out.  In the hole the new shape worked out really well.  There was plenty of volume for my big ass and the ends were coming through very smoothly.  The square ends seemed to really help the boat come straight over the top cleanly for loops forward and backward, and I was starting to learn some new stuff in the hole as well.  The bow volume was a little hard to get under the water for flat water stuff but other than that it seemed like a great start to the design.

Getting all 200lbs of Shane out of the Water! 

I had to throw in some old school.

The next thing I did was fly out to Colorado to paddle with Ross Herr.  The Glenwood wave on the Colorado river was in perfect form so we went for it.  Ross and I paddled the boat for a week straight which was a perfect scenario for picking apart the initial shape.  The first part of the week we noticed that the boat wasn't as loose as we would like and it was a little bogged down speed wise.  Mid week I took some materials and added some harder chines on the hull to sharpen the looseness and also pull the stern up out of the water while surfing which made the boat much quicker and faster on edge.  

Ross Herr working the Clean Blunt

This photo you can see the different color stern chine where I worked the shape a little.

After that testing I went back to NC to reshape the model and prepare for making the next prototype.

I will post about prototype 2 and 3 later.  

Shane

p.s.  We still don't have a name for this boat.  Got any ideas?
p.p.s. I will be at the Grand Opening of the new Nantahala Wave with the latest proto.

Here is the whole album of shots.

Composite Prototype #1

20 Days and Counting: Self Support Kayaking on the Grand Canyon

It all came to a head this past weekend.  I am now in full swing packing for a fully self support trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river.  The things that are making it tight and a little bit hectic are two fold.  I am leaving fairly soon for a ski trip and Christmas with my brothers family, and Woody is leaving in his RV with all the boats and gear loaded up for the trip in two weeks.  So I need to get it all together, and order what I need or learn to deal without it.  I hope this huge pile is going to fit in the Remix XP.  I can't wait this is going to be awesome!

Here is the preliminary gear list. This is just off the top of my head. It will get more refined as I get closer to the final packing day. Compare this to a friends list below that seems to be a little, as he put it, OCD!




Paddling
Dry Suit
Thick Top
Thick Pants
Thin Top
Thin Pants
PFD  (astral)
Skirt
Paddle
Boat (Woody)
Helmet (modify for skull cap)
Gloves
Shoes (John Grace)
Wool Socks



Safety and Fixing Stuff
Personal First Aid
Knife
Screw Drivers
Pliers
Peel and Seal
Gorilla Tape
Aquaseal
screw, drainplugs



Cooking
Stove
Fuel (5 small canisters)
2 Cups
Coffee press
Pot
knife, spoon, fork
food...
snacks...
sharp knife
cooking tarp
water purifier
water bucket
water bottles

Food

12 days food

Snacks

Liquor

Coffee

Sugar

Camping
Tent
Ground Cloth
Sleeping Bag
Mat
Hiking shoes
Camp shoes
Head lamp
Spare Head Lamp
Spare Batteries
Grand Canyon book

Reader


Camera Equipment
Still Camera
Lens
Cards
Batteries
Battery Charger
Go Pro
Go Pro cards
Go Pro adhesive mounts
Go Pro boat mount
Lens Cleaner
Polarizer
New Lens for Go Pro case



Clothes
Warm Hat
Down Coat
Rain Coat
3 pair boxers
3 pair wool socks
Gloves
2 t-shirts
2 warm pants
2 warm shirts



Toiletries
toothbrush
ibuprofen
soap
razor
toilet paper
doggie bags
talcom powder
lotion
sanitizer
sunscreen

Yes I know I am missing a lot. Its a work in progress. I will update.


But check this list out! The formatting didn't work out but in this list are:  
What he needs.
Where they are.  
Where they should be packed in the boat.
How much they cost.
Etc...
Love it!



Item QTY Ship Buy in Have cost food cost fees pack in status
equipment Liquid Logic XP 10 kayak 1 meet AZ meet on A1 need
paddle hot socks 1 meet AZ meet bow A1 need
paddle Kokatat drysuit 1 meet AZ meet on A1 need
paddle poly shirt 1 meet AZ meet on A1 need
paddle skull caps 1 meet AZ meet on A1 need
paddle sturdy booties 1 meet AZ meet on A1 need
groove groover ring or elastic 1 meet AZ need groover A1 need
food almonds 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food animal crackers 1 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food bananas 5 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food burbon 1 buy AZ need $20.00 AZ need
food carrots 6 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food cashews 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food cocoa 24 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food Cookies 1 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food Cup a soup 10 buy AZ need $6.00 food bags AZ need
food extra zip bags 10 buy AZ need $9.00 food bags AZ need
food granols bars 8 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food grated cheese 1 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food jelly 1 buy AZ need $3.00 food bags AZ need
food limes 2 buy AZ need $2.00 food bags AZ need
food mini chocolate bar 2 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food oatmeal 24 buy AZ need $6.00 food bags AZ need
food Oranges 6 buy AZ need $4.00 food bags AZ need
food peanut butter 1 buy AZ need $4.00 food bags AZ need
food sandwich rounds 26 buy AZ need $6.00 food bags AZ need
food slicec ham 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food sliced cheese 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food soprasetta 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ want
food sunflower kernals 1 buy AZ need $5.00 food bags AZ need
food tuna pouch 10 buy AZ need $15.00 food bags AZ need
food uncle ben rice 6 buy AZ need $9.00 food bags AZ need
groove beer 12 buy AZ need $20.00 groover AZ want
hba sanitary wipes (package) 2 buy AZ need $6.00 groover AZ need
clothing hiking shoes 1 bring NH have bow body need
clothing puffy 1 bring NH have lap body need
clothing warm hat 1 bring NH have $0.00 lap packed need
clothing warm leather gloves 1 bring NH Have $11.00 lap packed need
equipment camera batteries 4 bring NH have $20.00 lap body need
equipment digital camera 1 bring NH have lap body need
equipment sunglasses 1 bring NH have on body need
clothing down camp booties 1 bring NH have bow carry on need
clothing fleece pj pants 1 bring NH have bow packed need
hba imodium AD 1 bring NH need seat back packed need
clothing poly undies 1 bring NH have packed need
clothing wool socks 4 bring NH have $15.00 bow packed need
equipment carabrrners 8 bring NH have packed need
equipment cutting board 1 bring NH have $3.50 rear hatch packed need
equipment extra batteries 4 bring NH Have $2.00 eq bag packed need
equipment extra batteries 14 bring NH Have $2.00 eq bag packed need
equipment extra head lamp 1 bring NH have eq bag packed need
equipment GPS 1 bring NH have lap packed want
equipment neo gloves 1 bring NH have packed need
equipment sunglass strap 1 bring NH have $2.00 on packed need
food bleach in small bottle 2 bring NH have food bags packed need
food breakfast almonds 1 bring NH have $3.00 food bags packed need
food drink mix 6 bring NH have food bags packed need
food flask 1 bring NH have packed ?
hba eye drops 1 bring NH have lap packed need
kitchen fuel for stove - 4 cans (4"x3") 3 bring NH have $16.00 rear hatch packed need
kitchen sharp knife 1 bring NH have lap packed need
paddle Helmet 1 bring NH have on packed need
paddle paddle 1 bring NH have $0.00 on packed need
repair kit adhesives 4 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit chemical wipes 4 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit epox sticks 2 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit gorilla tape 1 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit knife 1 bring NH have eq bag packed want
repair kit mini multi tool 1 bring NH have eq bag packed want
repair kit Multi Tool 1 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit sand paper 1 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit seal all 1 bring NH have eq bag packed need
repair kit super glue 4 bring NH have $1.00 eq bag packed need
sleeping plastic sheet as ground cloth 1 ship NH have $3.00 bow packed need
solice bladders for burbon 2 bring NH have rear hatch packed want
clothing Neck warmer 1 bring NH have packed want
Andrew Jet-Boil stove 1 bring NH have packed need
kitchen fry pan 1 bring NH have $15.00 rear hatch packed need
sleeping 2 man tent 1 bring NH have $77.00 bow packed need
sleeping Tent pole & stakes 1 bring NH have seat back packed need
repair kit tent repair kit 1 bring NH have packed need
equipment note book 1 bring NH have packed need
equipment tote bag 1 bring NH have packed ?
equipment flash light 1 bring NH have packed need
equipment whistle 1 bring NH have packed need
equipment extra nose clip 1 bring NH have packed want
equipment Camers battery charger 1 bring NH have packed want
equipment can opener 1 bring NH have packed ?
clothing extra helmet liner 1 bring NH have packed need
fishing fish stringer 1 bring NH have packed need
fishing fishig line 1 bring NH have packed need
fishing knife sharpener 1 bring NH have packed want
equipment MATCHES & lighter 2 bring NH have packed need
equipment plastic poncho 1 bring NH have packed need
fishing swivels 5 bring NH have packed need
repair kit zip ties 1 bring NH have packed need
food vitamins 1 bring NH have packed need
clothing camp towel 1 ship NH have hba bag shipped want
clothing fleece vest 1 ship NH have bow shipped need
clothing Large stow float - colthes 1 Ship NH Have bow shipped need
clothing light weight poly pants 1 ship NH have bow shipped need
clothing light weight poyl top 2 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
clothing Neck warmer 1 Ship NH Have bow shipped ?
clothing sleep hat 1 ship NH have $0.00 lap shipped need
clothing underwear -- poly oly 2 ship NH have bow shipped need
clothing wind jacket 1 ship NH have $0.00 lap shipped want
equipment Basic ws drybag - fish / trash 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
equipment camp chair or seat 1 ship NH have $25.00 rear hatch shipped need
equipment cooking tarp or mat 1 ship NH have $0.00 rear hatch shipped need
equipment cord 1 ship NH have $3.00 lap shipped need
equipment head lamp 1 ship NH have lap shipped need
equipment Jet-Boil stove 1 ship NH have seat back shipped need
equipment lap bag drybag 1 Ship NH Have lap shipped need
equipment mini first aid kit 1 ship NH have $2.00 lap shipped need
equipment spare 4 piece paddle 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped want
equipment spare PFD 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
equipment speed lite 20 w/ 3 liter bladder 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped want
equipment straps 3 3 ship NH have n/a shipped need
equipment throw bag 1 ship NH have seat back shipped need
equipment web loop 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
fishing Deck bag 1 Ship NH Have deck shipped want
fishing FISHING ROD & BAIT 1 ship NH have $25.00 deck shipped need
food 2 liter baldder 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
food 2 serving backpacker meals 7 ship NH have $48.00 food bags shipped need
food basset dry bag - food 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
food cliff bar 1 Ship NH Have lap shipped need
food coffee singles 24 ship NH have $20.00 food bags shipped need
food condiment packets 20 ship NH have $0.00 food bags shipped need
food crasins 1 ship NH have $3.00 food bags shipped need
food drink mix - Gatorade & iced tea 10 ship NH have food bags shipped need
food food jar 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
food insulated cup 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
food mtn house b-fast 2 ship NH have $6.00 food bags shipped need
food Quart bottle 1 Ship NH have lap shipped need
food Quart bottle 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
food Quart piss bottle 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
food Ramen noodles 5 Ship NH Have $4.70 food bags shipped need
food small stowfloat - food 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
food tabasco sauce 1 ship NH have $3.00 food bags shipped need
groove camping toilet paper 2 ship NH have $4.00 groover shipped need
groove Groover 1 ship NH have groover shipped need
groove groover wrench 1 ship NH have groover shipped need
groove plastic bags 14 ship NH have groover shipped need
groove sanitary wipes (package) 1 ship NH have $3.00 groover shipped need
hba big wipes 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba floss 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba gell sunblock 1 Ship NH Have rear hatch shipped need
hba gold bond powder 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba hand sanz 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba ibuprofen bottle 3 Ship NH have lap shipped need
hba ibuprofen pm bottle 1 Ship NH have lap shipped need
hba lotion 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba nasal spray 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba petrolium jelly 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba q-tips 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba sinus tabs 6 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba sunblock 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped ?
hba tissue 1 Ship NH Have seat back shipped need
hba tooth paste & brush 1 Ship NH have lap shipped need
kitchen biodegradable soap 1 ship NH have hba bag shipped need
kitchen collapsible bucket 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
kitchen MATCHES & lighter 1 Ship NH have stove shipped need
kitchen plastic plates & bowls 2 ship NH have seat back shipped need
kitchen sm water filter 1 ship NH have lap shipped want
kitchen solid plastic plate 1 ship NH have rear hatch shipped need
kitchen solid utensils 1 ship NH have seat back shipped need
kitchen thermos 1 ship NH have seat back shipped want
equipment 3 small dry bags 3 Ship NH Have n/a shipped need
paddle 200 S pants 1 Ship NH Have on shipped need
paddle breathable PFD (Camino) 1 Ship NH have $57.00 on shipped need
paddle pogies 1 Ship NH Have on shipped need
paddle poly shirt 1 Ship NH Have on shipped need
paddle spray skirt Mt. Surf 1 Ship NH have on shipped need
paddle surf trunks with pockets 1 ship NH have on shipped need
paddle tri lam shirt 1 Ship NH Have on shipped need
sleeping down bag - zero degree & drybag 1 ship NH have $35.00 bow shipped need
sleeping pillow case to fill as pillow 1 ship NH have bow shipped need
other fish license 0 buy o need $18.75 n/a z1 want
other boat transportation 0 n/a o o $133.00 n/a z1
other food at hotel 2 br, 1 lunch, 2 dinner 0 n/a o o $65.00 n/a z1
other hotels 0 n/a o o $70.00 n/a z1 ***140 total - KF paying 1/2
other Hualapai access 0 n/a o o $74.00 n/a z1
other NPS permit fee 0 n/a o o $100.00 n/a z1
other REO shuttle 0 n/a o o $119.00 n/a z1
other shipping gear 0 n/a o o $45.00 n/a z1
other shuttle fuel 0 n/a o o $17.00 n/a z1 $558.00
other wetsuits 0 n/a o o -$140.00 z1




More to come on the trip.
Shane