Sorry to hear that you've been out of commission... the shoulder is of course the traditional paddler's injury, but that doesn't make it any easier to be off the river, especially during the season. We're in the peak season ourselves, but all the paddling I've done has been on my neighborhood creek, and in ocean surf. I haven't gotten out as often as I'd like - I need to get some more people paddling, as I often get stuck at home for want of companions. I'll surf alone, but the creek is a steep and technical piece of grade 3 and 4 whitewater, not the sort of thing one does alone. We've had plenty of rain and the water has been high and boistrous, so the times we have gotten up there are fun. Waves have also been good this year. We spent a day surfing in the midst of a typhoon a few weeks back, providing entertainment for a group of locals, who were out for some undetermined reason.
Some friends of mine are running the Kalewa, a long and very beautiful jungle run with serious rapids and a runnable 5 meter fall, this weekend; I'd love to go, but school starts next week and there is too much to do; it would also be a huge drive back. I will get out there soon, though. A local buddy and I will get up to the creek for consolation, and hopefully out on the waves as well.
I have plenty of memories of turtles painted and snapping; they were frequent sights on the lake beside which I grew up. There are similar species here, but they are rarely seen - in the 3rd world, just about anything that moves is food.
I'll try to post more as the season wears on, especially when long trips start to come up... |
