The USA!!

Immediately after landing home from PNG i started out on the next leg of my kayaking mission, 6 weeks in the USA. The trip started with some 50 hours of travel across the world and back, a 15 hour layover in Auckland followed by 12 hours of flying to Korea a 2 hour transit, 11 hour flight to LA 5 hours then a 2 hour flight to Salt lack City where Zac was waiting for me with a nice warm beer. Stoked to have finally arrived we very promptly we jumped in the trusty Volkswagen and dove a further 6 hours to the North Fork Of the Payette River which was to be our home for the coming weeks.

The North Fork proved to be a true siphon, right up there with destinations such as Pucon and Hood River (where im currently struggling to escape) we tried multiple times to move on but the rivers epicness kept pulling us back. I was also lucky enough to have landed just prior to the North Fork Championship II which bought hundreds of kayakers and spectators to the area providing some excellent racing and interesting nights spent at the dirty shame (the local bar). 

Galen casual as always rolling through the nut

Myself dropping into the appropriately named Disneyland 

Jakes and golf course always get the adrenalin pumping!

Sooo good!! The north fork boof..

Eventually we somehow managed to escape the north fork and head further into the woods in search yellowpine redneck bush golf and some chill laps on a couple of the many forks of the salmon river.

Not such a bad put in, goat creek section of the south salmon

60ft long river wide log jam a mandatory portage in anyones books

Yellowpine is a beautiful spot in the middle of nowhere perfect for enjoying a clear nights sky

So remember earlier i mentioned we were travelling in a Volkswagen...yes destined for trouble typical Germans and their engineering create a key that appears to be designed to snap after a certain amount of usage and  car to smart for its own good that immediately goes into lock down with said broken key! Not so good but eventually with much $$$$ spent and new keys air freighted from Germany we were on the road again better than new and headed for the next siphon Hood River. Getting to Hood we managed to meet up with josh and joey and a long list of others who were keen for back to back green truss and little white laps. Stoked!

Rhiner?? An Austrian dude we met at the put in flying of big bro

Joey cleaning the double drop

Josh with no regard for his back absolutely launching off spirit!

With such sick water right on its door step i can see why people choose to live here in hood this place unreal, in saying that after a few laps it was time to move on north....temporarily. We made our way 4 hours north to the Leavenworth drainage for Icicle Creek and the Top Tye while they still had some water in them and a quick stop at the cooper on the way. Sorry no photos of Icicle we were on a time schedule however i do highly recommend the creek to anyone in the area its an awesome days class 5 outing. Next up was the Top Tye, putting in just above monkey cage falls we had to walk past a small creek called deception which had a big slide/drop thing jokingly we talked about running it then i actually decided she was good to go. 

POV shot at the top of deception creek slide

Half Way!

Looking back up at the second half of the slide

Looking good coming into monkey cage falls on Top Tye Itself. This is just pre piton to deck implosion to swim!

Im unsure why or how but but after Top Tye the pull of the Hood River siphon increased and we found ourselves back on the road south towards more LDub laps. Not without a quick stop at lower lewis falls on the way however.

Myself dropping into the mist!

So now back in hood debating our next move, maybe BC, maybe elsewhere in Washington or maybe we will never leave Hood who knows life is good regardless!!!!