Whitewater Kayaking Journal: Dozens of free kayak movies and whitewater photos documenting daily progress of actor
preparing for role in the film Savage Snow. From absolute beginner on Paddle Day 1 to advanced big water paddler.
PADDLE DAY 17 - Shoshone Kayaking Neck Injury
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Shoshone Kayaking Day 4 - "That didn't feel so good."

Jon from NC (now NM) stops in for a visit.
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Me after climbing over rocks to get to higher put in.
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Jon, a friend of mine met back on Paddle Days 5, 6, & 7 on the Tuckaseegee River and Nantahala River in North Carolina, moved out west around the same time I did. He lives down in Taos now and came up to visit and get in some Shoshone kayaking.

Jon is a significantly more advanced boater than myself, and I was looking forward to showing off my small progression since we last paddled together.

Bonus waves above regular put in.
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Shoshone kayaking. Jon showing me how its done.
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After climbing over the boulders next to the regular put in for some bonus wave play, we then begin our descent.
I get into trouble early on after impacting yet another underwater boulder in the shallow waters of Shoshone. This time I hit while sideways in strong current. The helmet did a great job of protecting my head, but my neck is torqued painfully from the side impact. The pain is sharp and very intense. Although stunned, I try one roll and fail. I do not try another. I swim.

I manage to get to the riverbank with my kayak and reconfigure myself in the boat, but I am disturbed and hurting. I am not incapacitated. We make it down ok.
Before we get to the base, I have already decided we have to run it again because Jon won't get this chance too often.

On a somewhat happier note, I ran Shoshone the second time this day without getting flipped once. It is the first time I have gone down the whole length of the run without one involuntary flip. However, the only reason I didn't flip was because I was paddling with sheer terror focusing on how desperate I was to stay upright. Because of the neck injury, at every turn and every drop, I was tense and demanding to myself, "I MUST NOT FLIP!" This is the first time I have paddled where fear overwhelmed the pleasure of the experience. It was not a good thing.

I don't want to say this was a bad day for me, but it definitely was an interesting psychological experience.
-Dan
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