Skookumchuck!

Skooks in all her beauty Skooks

Righty on Skooks on the way up VanAndSkooks

Well I just got off paddling in salt water for the first time in the world class tidal wave called Skookumchuck in Egmont BC on the Sunshine Coast. The wave is amazing.

The trip started off with just Rain and I heading north from Vancouver to catch the ferry. After the 45 minute ferry ride we drove north along the ocean to Egmont. When I got to Egmont I met up with a few paddlers from Calgary that I met on the Slave River. We camped that night at Cline Lake.

The morning brought the 45 minute paddle in from the Marina in Egmont to the wave. When I got to the wave there was no wave. This is because the wave is created from the ocean tides rising and the water flowing into the inlet. As time passed the water started flowing faster and faster until finely a small wave appeared. We went out and surfed it and every surf the wave got bigger and bigger until finely Skook was in her full glory of a massive wave with a huge foam pile.

The surfs where amazing. After the season that only last for about 4 or less hours a day because of the tides we had to hike out for an hour. The next day a few more paddlers I met on the Slave where at Skooks. It was a great time

Later a dude named Dan from Portland and a girl named Sol from Argentina came up. There were great people.

After a great week at Skooks in the small town of Egmont (with no easy to find internet) Sol and I headed back to Vancouver as she is headed to the Ottawa River soon!

Johnny

From VanAndSkooks

The Dangerious Dock at the camp ground VanAndSkooks

Our Ferry VanAndSkooks

Skooks on the way up Skooks

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Rain and I chilling during the green out Skooks

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Sol throwing down her new trick! Skooks

Sol and I waiting for Skooks to come up! Skooks

Sol going backwards! Skooks

Vancouver

Well sorry about the lack of post lately....I have found my self in Vancouver for the last few days with my cousin Brandon and his roommates. It have been good fun. We have seen some nice things in Vancouver such as Lynn Canyon suspension bridge and Granville Island markets. Rain, Easton (my cousins dog) and I have strolled up and down the Fraser River. Here are some pictures of the Vancouver adventures so far.

Johnny

Easton And Rain VanAndSkooks

From VanAndSkooks

From VanAndSkooks

Lynn Canyon VanAndSkooks

Lynn Canyon VanAndSkooks

Jasper to Vancouver

Mount Robinson JasperABtoVancouverBC

The drive and journey from Jasper to Vancouver was another very memorable trip with people and places I will not forget. It started off saying bye to mom and Pat in Jasper as they headed down what I would say is the most beautiful drive in Canada...the Glacier Highway towards Banff.

I headed towards Vancouver with not much of a plan. I stopped at the Fraser River Upper Canyon and walked into Overlander Falls with Rain. It is a nice 15 footer. After we stopped at Mount Robinson. It peaks at just under 4000m in elevation. I could not see the top for the clouds but still it was beautiful.

I Stopping in Clearwater BC for a paddle with a guy named Mike from Riverside Adventures Rafting. The Clearwater River is BC's big water play river. It was a great river but after coming off the Slave which reached flows of 6000 cm/s the Clearwater River at 500 cm/s did not seem very big. It had a couple desent play waves but no eddy access. I played in a hole most people that hit the line right don't play in. Had a solid little beat down in the rapid called The Wall. Clear sailing after that though. It was a fun river and thanks to Mike for taking me down and letting me stay in his yoga studio/appartment for the night!

The morning took me just down the road to a town called Lytton BC. The landscape became very desert looking through the valleys. Dry dusty rolling hills filled my front windshield as I drove. When I got into Lytton I headed for a rafing company called Hyak to find paddlers. I ran into a lad from New Zealand named Hamish who was keen to go creeking. There are several rivers in the Lytton area including The Thompson, Stein, Nahatluch and many more. We desided on the Nahatluch. We had to walk the shuttle but it was not bad. The creek was sweet. The put in was so narrow I could almost reach accross the river. A real shock after a month on the 3km wide Slave River. But getting back in the creek boat on some technical pushy creek felt good. A little rusty at first when I hit a sneaky rock and got caught up in the hole behind it brefly. I started to feel good in my creek boat again when we got to a rapid called the Nossil. The only one worth looking at Hamish told me. We looked at it from ontop the canyon walls for half a second and then just went for it. The intro was easy with a few slides with green tongues before having to make an S bend turn and get back to the river right side to boof the hole. I didn't make that move. I went straight into the hole and came to a complete stop with a big back loop. The hole let me go after and we laughed about it and continued on our way. The creek was a ton of run. Thanks for going with me Hamish!

I spent that night hanging with all the rad people back at the Hyak Rafting base before heading towards Vancouver the next morning. I ran into bad traffic and got lost but I finely got to Brandon's house (my cousin) to chill and relax for the night!

Johnny

Overlander Falls Fraser River JasperABtoVancouverBC

Clearwater River BC JasperABtoVancouverBC

Road towards Lytton BC JasperABtoVancouverBC

Lytton BC JasperABtoVancouverBC

Nahatluch Creek BC JasperABtoVancouverBC

Back on the Road

Rain co-piloting FortSmithToEdmontonJasper

Well here we are. Rain and I are back on the road again. I met up with mom and her friend Pat in Edmonton at the West Edmonton Mall (hardest place ever to get free wifi!) the other day and we did some shopping and such around the city. We also went to Old Strathicona Area of Edmonton which is the Arts District. It was pretty nice.

Today we made the trip from Edmonton to Jasper where we are staying the night. We stopped at the hot springs on the way. They were so nice. Hot with one heck of a view!

And for those asking about Rain. She is doing great. She likes traveling and getting attention from everyone we meet. But things Rain has done so far are;

- go to the dog pound in Fort Smith
-run class 3 rapids (both swimming and on a kayak)
-stick her head off 107 foot Alexandera Falls and slip and scare the crap out of me
-free loaded the entire trip so far and not gave me any gas money!
-chased deer, mountain goats, horse flies and everyone else that moves
-lost all 8 tennis balls she had
-ate a garden hose
-had a 3 some...really....Solo (male) and Silver (female) both humped her!

Next stop for us is Kamloops! Can't wait!

Johnny

West Edmonton MallFortSmithToEdmontonJasper

Rain saying "You just made a wrong turn" FortSmithToEdmontonJasper

Mom and Pat in the hot springs in Jasper FortSmithToEdmontonJasper

Mom and Pat standing in the middle of a river in Jasper FortSmithToEdmontonJasper

Slave River Paddle Fest!

Donkey Flipping...Photo by Leif Anderson PaddleFest

Paddle Fest on the Slave River was one of the best festivals I have ever been too. It was put on by the Fort Smith Paddling Club over the August long weekend. It was great. There was food, parties and awesome events all weekend.

Some of the great events included a beach ball race where a team had to get there beach ball from one eddy to the one below. The only rules where no pulling skirts and no use of river knives. It was super fun. My team with Theo, Sonny, Christina and I and we got first place! We all won a flip flop. I got one that says "Surfer Girl" on it. It is sweet.

The other big event was the home town throw down rodeo. It was a close one. Two people from each heat made the finals making a final of 4 people with one ride to show off what you got. Shane from Golden BC finished 4th, Sean from Jasper AB finished 3rd, I finished 2nd and Leif from Colorado finish 1st with a sweet ride.

I am now continuing my journey heading to Edmonton then working towards Vancouver. I am going meet my mom in Edmonton for a visit.

I would like to thank John, Gen, Adam and Hillary for letting me stay at there place for a month and be a bum in Fort Smith. It is a great town with awesome people and one of my favorite rivers ever. Everyone should go and paddle the Slave! It is really not as far away as you think it is! You could make it in 3 and a half days of driving from Ontario.

Here are some photos from Paddle Fest and the last few days on the Slave River!

Johnny

Check out more photos from the Slave River Journal

Photo by Theo van Zyl PaddleFest

Photo by Slave River Journal PaddleFest

Photo by Slave River Journal PaddleFest

Leif going big and clean! Photo by Theo Van Zyl PaddleFest

Gen ensuring everyones safty. Photo by Leif Anderson PaddleFest

Opening Ceremony PaddleFest

Playing aroundo on the raft at Paddle Fest PaddleFest

Boaters at Paddle Fest PaddleFest

Having fun at Paddle Fest PaddleFest

Chillin' on the rocks at Paddle Fest PaddleFest

Playing at Roller Coaster PaddleFest

Leif doing a big old Helix PaddleFest

Last Week on the Slave

Finishing a blunt at Hang Over Cure WaveHangOverCure

So I have one more week left here on the Slave River in Fort Smith NWT. Which I am stoked to hit the road again but also so sad to leave. This river is amazing. I think I could paddle it all day every day and still feel like I did not get enough time on it. I will have spent about a month here and only have seen a very very very small portion of it because it is just so big. Here is at map made by Leif of most of the rapids and features! Check them out! We have also found a great German documentary of the Slave. It has some great shots of the size and is really funny. Watch it here!

The last few days have been still in the high water level although getting closer to medium. We have been surfing features called Sweet Spot (huge fast bouncy wave that is not good for my shoulder with an island right behind it fallowed by a couple holes) and Hang Over Cure which the pictures are of. Hang Over Cure is small but it is fast and hard and bouncy making it super fun.

Paddle Fest is this weekend. There are all ready 19 boaters here for it. Minus one that dislocated his shoulder today and swam pretty much all of the Mountain Portage section with one arm. Not a fun swim but he is alright and has a lot of questions for me.

Other than that nothing new really. Next week I will be heading towards Edmonton for a visit!

Johnny

Photos by Adam HangOverCure

Brown Town Wave

Looking at the sneak line at Pelican Photo by Leif Anderson browntown

The water level is coming down now! Finely! It is at 5000cms so it is now low enough for the high water features which is sweet. Yesterday we headed to the Rapids of the Drowned. Which is the only set of rapids on the Slave that are actually in the NWT. All the others are in Alberta. It also means I have been into all 4 sets of rapids now which are Cassette, Pelican, Mountain Portage and Rapids of the Drowned. Anyways here some photos of the wave. We paddled with the guys from Golden. The wave was alright. Hard to get to the top. It also had no name before so we started calling it Brown Town because it sounds better than the wave with no name.

Johnny

All the photos below are credited to John Blyth and Leif Anderson

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