LL Biscuit 55

Liquid Logic's newest playboat, the Biscuit, is one radical machine. Named after designer Shane Benedict's crazy hyper dogg Biscuit, this boat doesn't let down the dogg in its plastic form.

Thanks to the friendly folks at Rock/Creek outfitters, Jamie and Taylor, for letting me borrow their fresh Biscuit SS demo for its inaugural run of Rock Island. The dam was releasing; so, we decided to Charge off the Mill Side of the Falls. The Mill Side is a straight up waterfall, and I was surprised how tall it was after cresting the lip. So, I went for a reverse McNasty and nailed it with style. Check the Vid. After that, we hiked up to the Spout, the one everyone hucks off in LVM, and threw a freewheel into the foam. The Biscuit was treating me well.

The hole next to the put-in waves was good at this level. I forgot my overthruster, and wasn't able to get as high as I would have liked to, but the boat cartwheeled smoothly and looped good for not having an air dildo. Super stable in a side surf. You could sit their all day.

The main hole was beefy, but the Biscuit's no fear attitude gained control of the Maw and sat rather smoothly and gracefully in the pit. I couldn't believe how much pop this thing has. I missed my blunt stroke because it goes so big.

The Brave Wave was sitting tall and proud at this level. Not much foam to keep you, but the Biscuit had plenty of energy to catch and rip up this haystack. Very fast, loose, and controllable, I was able to wear myself out surfing until I felt like getting off the wave. The Biscuit also rode up on top of the turbulent waters following the wave, which is where the name Brave Wave comes from, and allowed me to catch the eddy everytime. No walks of shame for me.

I went back to the Rock at a regular 3,600 CFS day in the Biscuit and couldn't believe how easy it was to catch the finnicky Brave Wave. Of course, the Main Hole was hungry for Butter Milk and ate me and Biscuit whole a few times. Good training.

For reference, I'm 6' tall, size 11 feet, weigh 165 lbs, single, and looking for a good time. The Biscuit is loose and easy to go big. I think I won't be the only one looking to take her home in the future. Charge on.

Heres the vid.

Suck Creeking

Suck Creek is Chattanooga's local roadside gem. If you are wondering why its called the Suck, its not because it literally Sucks. The reason lies in the history of the Tennessee river before it was dammed. Back when the Tennessee river was wild and scenic, some considered it the Grand Canyon of the East. The river was, and still is high volume, gorging out the surrounding sandstone mountains to create a magnificent canyon perfect for rock climbers, hang-gliders, mountain bikers, and of course kayakers. Now, I'm not saying the Tennessee is good for whitewater boat riding today, but in its pre-dam stage, I'm sure it had some Big ole' Burlers in there at the right water levels.

That being said, this is how the name Suck Creek came about. When the river was still wild, and the river was the best form of transportation around, many a boat captains challenged the mighty Suck rapid on the Tennessee. There are stories that say 100' long barges were know to get sucked into this knarly hydraulic and flip, causing all passengers and cargo to go for a swim. Suck Creek supposedly flows into the Tennessee right where this rapid used to be.

I can't say that the Suck Rapid dishes out its fair share of beatings anymore because its now flat-water, but Suck Creek sure does. When they built the road that runs parallel to the creek, workers blasted and hucked huge jagged ricks into the streambed. During some road repairs, they even chucked peices of scrap asphault infested with rebar into our beloved Suck. As you can tell, this gave our local gem quite a knarly character.

Nonetheless, Ron Stewart, Mike Culberson, and my dad Paul Pruett were planning the first decent in the early 90's. Ron was one of the greatest whitewater pioneers around. He claimed first D's on most of the steep creeks in the Chattanooga area in boats like the Cosrsica and Freefall LT. When the rain arrived and the time came for the first D of Suck Creek, my dad was forced to work and bail on the mission, but warned Mike and Ron that 2 people aren't enough poeple to set proper safety in the case of a pin. Hungry to slay the beast, Ron and Mike put on by themselves anyways. Unfortantely, Mike got pinned on one of the first rapids we believe is now called Road Construction and Ron wasn't able to free him. Mike died that day on Suck creek. Ron was especially remorseful of the situation, as was my Dad, and neither or them ever paddled the run again.

Ron Stewart also recently passed away this past Spring after battling Cancer for many years, still teaching Calculus at Baylor, my High-School, up until the very end. I want to give my greatest respect to Ron and Mike for paving the way for all the Chattanooga Chargers. I dedicate this vid that I shot on a low water day to both of them for Given'er Full Throttle.

My Dad always warned me that Suck Creek is not to be taken lightly, and I didn't my first time down in a Space Cadet. But with people achieveing such crazy feats as running 100' waterfalls, and the Middle Kings in a day, its hard to step-back and realize that without the old-school chargers, we would never be where we are today. I hope we will continue to make them proud.

Heres the vid. Charge on Brothers and Sisters.

Ridge Riding

Howdy Ya'll

The element of life once again fell generously from the skies attempting to lure the Bear out of its den, but was only capable of catching a Lil' Possum off gaurd. Misled by the amber colored aqua I found at the take-out, I gave word to Team Jib that the Possum was high, but was quickly corrected at the put-in when we found a minimal flow of 4 tubes @ 60% capacity. Nevertheless, we were there and ready to Charge. So, Nick Murphy fired up a first D on the left tube, and we paddled down to Biggy Smalls formerly known as Immodium. Various entry angles resulted in various levels of pain/pleasure from the low aerated 25' waterfall. Double Drop comes quickly after Biggy, and I showed by example that the river right flume is good to go at this flow. Burl Master Bryce felt obliged to show the youngens that the old-school, high-water, left-line is also open for business at low flows. White Out is the last big rapid of the run, and dished out a fair amount of Carn for the Team. We narrowly avoided the rubicon of trees that plague the lower section of the run, and were stoked to have succesfully scraped down Walden's Ridge in relatively good time.

Being just 3:00PM when we finished off the Possum, Bryce baited us to go and get a taste of Henderson, which he was certain would have more water. After a quick stop at a up-scale dining establishment in Dayton, TN, we climbed the Ridge once again in search of a small trib with some stout drops. The gauge at the put-in read -7'' which doesn't sound like enough, but it was. The 3 miles of flatwater aren't exactly scenic when you're stroking for broke to make it to the steeps before the sun falls in the west. However, we made it to the sweet boof above Spinal Adjustment, and performed a mini-stomp technique to preserve our Cords of Nerves. Adioslave pulsed through my mind as we approached Spoonman, Jeremy's stylish line gave us confidence to Burl-On. Next up, the hardest rapid in the greater Chatt-town area, Fire Escape. This rapid is a multi-tiered, complex, and highly consequential rapid that has served more carnage than any other rapid I've ever seen... besides that angry low-water monkey. Jeremy's Jefe got a little impatient while we were scouting, but wasn't very succesful without Jeremy's jedi master skills guiding it and got stuck in a sieve. Determined to finish the run, Jeremy jumped across the creek, and rescued his kayak. We escaped the wrath of Fire Escape safely and continued downstream to the juicified Richland portion of the journey. We got off the Rio right at dark, and had to call our buddy the Sheriff to open the gate for our final escape. It was quite an endeavor we completed in a day for us to run Possum and Henderson in a day, and we had alot of fun. Lessons were learned from our epic day of Charging, and we all walked away braver men from the experience. Keep on Charging!

Heres some vid I got from the adventure.

Chattanooga Chargers

Salutations fellow cyber-spacers,

    Thanks to all the kayakers ritualistically doing rain dances, prayers, and checking the radar. The blessed rain returned to defeat the evil drought that gripped the Southeast so tightly in its grasp. The parched earth took a mighty drink from the frequent yet minor showers that hit during November and helped establish the water tables that were close to extinction. These minor showers weren't enough to get the mighty Bear to rise from its deep slumber. It wasn't until the leaves had reached their final resting place in December that the big guns rolled in and dropped the blessed bombs of liquid pleasure that would fill the earths gutters enough for the Bear to come out of hibernation. 

   

 The Chattanooga Chargers were not caught off guard. The Legends of Team Jib rallied at headquarters to decide when and where we would make our move. One look at Lookout Creek gauge and the decision was clear that the Bear was ready for a visit. Upon arrival, we found a steady yet stout level of 22'', and casually geared up for what would be a day of ultimate Charging. Stairway to Heaven was travelled at great and blinding speed as the whitewater highway would pose no speed-limit or hinder freestyle. A new log in Big Bang made more than a few contemplate the throw and go option, seeing as portaging is not an option here, but Bear master Bryce would lead the calvary to freedom with a smooth line despite the wood. Not everyone would make it through the infamous Boulder Gardens unscathed. A section, which at 22'',  proves to be a perfect training course for the legendary Middle Kings. A booty beer for me would please the river gods and allow safe passage for the upcoming downpours of the beginning of 2009. 

     

 The Gulf of Mexico brewed up the perfect storm to start 2009 with a torrential downpour unseen in the most recent past. Finding every single local creek breaching its banks, I decided to look at a supposedly un-run 30'er on Daniel Creek, a major tributary to the Bear found in Cloudland Canyon. One look at the entrance and it was quite clear why this waterfall remains a virgin to white-water boat riders. Feeling humbled by what turned out to be a 50'er on Daniel, and with the Bear raging at 27'' and dropping slowly, I decided to go and try to tame a different animal. Little Possum beholds one of the cleanest 28'ers around Chattanooga. So, we rallied up JC Sprayer, and found the Possum to be an admirable waterway. Of course, after the Burly runs loose their juice, our local Suck holds well and allows the Chattanooga Chargers to continue get their Boof on days after the animals have receded. Until the next rain arrives, we will give the playboats some action at the mighty Rock Island, seeing as its lake is still rather full. 

I captured much of the Charging on film and want to share a glimpse into some of the gems we possess in the greater Chatt-town area. Little River Canyon, South Suck, and Johnnies can also be found in the video. Hope ya'll have been getting wet also. Charge on... 

Chattanooga Chargers from Will Pruett on Vimeo.

Middle Kings Mission

HowdyYa'll,

The Middle Kings is truly "a river trip of a lifetime". Undoubtedly possesses some of the greatest scenery, rapids, magic, inspiration, and burly-ness I have ever experienced, and I don't think I'm all alone in saying that. Check it out.

Shuttle warriors, Dru Duvall, Joe Barkeley, and myself, beginning our epic 4th of July trip around the Sierras.

We ran out of veggie fuel quicker than expected, and hoped to find some at the Kern River Brewing Company only to find out their brewer was now harnessing the veggie power in his own rig. Forcing us to buy the fossil powered, $5.00 a gallon diesel, which would fuel us to Bishop.

We slept in the South Lake parking lot, after waiting on Joe for an hour to decide what kind of Peanut Butter to buy, only to awake to a swarm of burlers arriving to charge the Kings as well. Demshitz, Jed Selby, and Chilean bro opted for the Mules, but ended up having to carry TheirShitz like the rest of us due to a rock slide at Bisop Pass, which is where the above photo was taken, using a Ansel Adams autographed disposable camera, at somewhere around 13,000'

When you think of the MK hike-in, you immediately think back-pack. I'm here to tell ya'll, you don't need one! I carried my 90lb Jefe the entire way on my head, Sherpa Style, and can honestly sat it was good to go. I actually made rather good time, despite the viscous swarms of skeeters attacking my well-being. Don't forget OFF.

The 7 rivers cover drop being completely styled by our main man Dru Duvall.

Johhny Kentucky fires up one that one else decided to run because it lands on a shelf, and there are plenty of other rapids that don't.

Simply stunning scenery leaves one with a feeling of oneness with the universe.

Joe is a baller, in a pimping pad. We were serenaded to sleep by a giant slide right next to our camp site. Now this is living.

On our second day, we awoke early to get our Charge on, and passed Ryan Casey and Fred Corriel crew at Sik Camp, then caught Team Demshitz at the classic 200' slide. Heres Graham Seiler dropping into the waterfall gorge. They were in a hurry trying to get back to Colorado, but we just kept catching them. This is not a place to be in a hurry.

A nice scenic shot with the paddle that would later break in the Bottom 9, what a suprise... Not! However, the ever-trusty Jefe would stand the test strongly, and keep me safe and dry. Plus, I beleive at my weight of 160lbs, the Jefe performs better with the added weight in the back.

Dru Duvall charges the Big Bad Beaver. Dru flipped when he hit the compression hole in the middle, but it didn't hold him, and Dave Fusilli styled the whole thing. Props for charging it.

Jed Selby models in front of the magnificant Tehipiti Dome. Fantastic place to camp, but paddling 13 miles the day before the Bottom 9 is not the best idea.

After paddling 13 miles our second day on the river, Dru cracked his Nomad, and had to weld her back up with a camp stove. You do what you gotta do to get through.
Johnny Kentucky shows a warning sign of what was later to become, a bad swim in the Bottom 9, which resulted in a lost boat and hike-out after paddling 2 of the bottom 9 miles.
Typical sight on the Bottom 9... long, continuous, boulder-clogged, steep, unforgiving rapids, which I enjoyed the most out of the entire run. I guess I just love read and bombing type rapids.
Good morning Middle Kings! We made it through the Bottom 9 and set up camp to find Kentucky emege from the jungle looking like a brutalized Tarzan.
We opted for the Garlic Falls run instead of hiking out at Yucca Point, which Kentucky had to do alone, without a ride, and no cell phone. The Garlic Falls section proved to be a killer section of river with big water style waves and holes. Dru led us into this rapid above blind and he got worked like Freddy does in 7 rivers, but luckily I boofed the middle rock by intuition, and pointed for Joe and Jason to do the same. However, Joe read my signal as far river right, and boofed the rock in front of the spray in the top of the picture, but Jason got pulled back into the wicked pocket hole, forcing him to wet exit. Now 3 out of the 5 us had swum on the Kings, including myself due to the broken paddle in the Bottom 9.

The site of my car never looked so good after 5 days of Middle Kings Full Throttle style action.

Luckily, Kentucky found a ride out of Kings Canyon to Fresno, where we, by intuition, found him trying to hitch-hike back to Sac at this McDonalds.

As you can see, we were stoked for our 300 mile shuttle ride back to Bishop, having just completed the Middle Fork of the Kings at a "high side of good" flow with some stellar bros.

Until next time. Charge on fellow brothers and sisters.

Peace-- Will

Sierra Surfing

Greetings fellow earthlings,

I hope you all have had a wet and wonderful summer, as I have. Here are some photos from my kayaking adventures in California. Big thanks to Kevin Smith for taking the sweet shots. I also want to add that the title of this long post comes from the book I've been reading called Surfing the Himalayas, and has some amazing insights on how to become one with your board, kayak, or whatever you find yourself doing. A very good read indeed. Basically, to become one with your kayak, you must stop thinking about kayaking and just do it... or thats what Enlightened Master Fwap suggests.

Gittin me some in the Gus on Dry Meadow.

Squeezing through the crack.

Stomping her down into one of the Teacups.

Local BA Eric Giddens charging it whilst his wife Rebecca films... Nice view Eh

Rebecca Giddens shows us some fine olympic caliber form.

Sure are alot of peeps at a creek most haven't heard of in the Kaweah Drainage... Clover Baby!

Haven't seen anybody run these bad boys. Although they look super good to go... more water would be better.

Slippin sliddin down a sweet slide on Clover at around 9000 feet. The water is frigid!

Finishing the day with yet another super smooth slide on Clover.... get this bad boy early in the season when Hospital Rock is too high. Its up near the Giant Forests of Sequioa. Park n´Huck.

Heres Eric boofing through the 420 gorge on the fine Hospital Rock of the Middle Kaweah.

Kevin from Mammoth...our photgrapher.

You can barely see Luke from Mammoth going Zero to Sixty on middle Kaweah.

Me, myself, and I staying High and Dry on the Hospital Rock.

Here we are on the not-talked-about-much Cataracts of the Kern. Can't beleive this thing is roadside, damn released, and Class V and not many people hit it. Except the Giddens of course.

I dropped my HD camera in the river moments before this... hence, not much footy this summa... what a bumma.

Dinky Creek has some stellar rapids!

My boy Tim Collins firing up Wet Willy on Dinkey!

Nice 20'er followed by a not-so-nice seive... I probed and set safety for the boys. Sketchtron...

Heres Luke recovering the boats after the classic portage on Dinky. Note: not the only mando porto... watch out for an almost landbridge, followed by a knarly unrunnable... I almost ran.

Tim Collins getting some breakfast slide action.

El Jefe doing what it does best... Charging!

Stomping is so much fun... even on small drops.

I led the boys off the perfect waterfall in the background blind, and they loved it. All smiles :)

This is the moment I live for... dropping into a perfect 20'er completely blind yet fully awake.

As Kevin found out, the river left side of this falls is rather sticky.

Nikki Kelly is one bad mamma jamma, and she got worked in this one, so I decided to sneak her. Still Fun though.

Hope you enjoyed these captured moments. Can't wait till next time. See you on the river.

Peace, Love, and Enlightened Kayaking-- Will Pruett

Some Video

Yule Do It.

Yo Yo Yo,

Heres a little story about an adventure on a creek called Yule. If you haven't already heard of this creek, let me just say this... its a BURLFEST! Well, it was a nice sunny afternoon in late June when we decided to charge this hogg even with its dwindling amount of wadditah (H20). But hey, the opportunity arose, and we shot it down like a turkey before thanksgiving. Speaking of shooting down, ole J.C. Sprayer from Chatt-town, TN forgot his camera in some of the upper boogie and we had to wait on him to scramble back up the scree walls in search of it... luckily hes kinda fond of his camera and found it pretty quick. Back to the matter at hand, we (being a bunch of chargers) blazed down the first mile or so of super-fun slides in pretty quick fashion, knowing that the mighty Ball Check lay ahead. The cahones receded as we peered over the lip of Ball Check and saw what lay in wait of our descent. Being commander of the Jefe and all, I checked my balls first, with hopes of capturing my mates flying off the mighty Ball from below.

A Ball Checking we go...

Not only did I get the shot, as you can see above, but also gave the boys some superior guidance on where to be on the lip of Wall Check to proceed with a stellar ride. You can see Toolsbee... I mean Silsbee flying herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8vU4shG0Gs footage courtesy of Full Throttle.

So after everyone styled the infamous Wall Check with grace and composure, I decided to hop back in the ole' Jefe and give er'. Lets just say I wish I was standing on the lip telling me where to go.

Om Ah Hum and away we go.

Right? No.. not right... b/c i started too far right...

Hmmm... why ain't I flying in the air like the
rest of the boys?

Ahhhh... it was my destiny to be Checker of the WALL!!! Kids, don't try this at home.

The joy of being, and the pain that makes us feel so alive.

I must admit, that wall is pretty damn hard, but not hard enough to stop this maniac from finishing this here river trip with a portage! Even though my hommies offered to carry me up those 200 foot scree walls, I told myself what any good football coach will tell an injured player, "Walk it off son". So I did, and it was all right. Then I grinded down some little slide called Oreintal Massage, and it was pretty wicked.

Shane Groovesy flowed down that slide like MSG on stir-fry to-go... but thats in another video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_JJZY9ACBc and Nathan decided to wheel it...

I don't know what that last drop is called but I'd like to think its Soylent Blue

To wrap things up, my beers floated away from the take-out while we were charging, El Walle ate the bow of El Jefe, Mr. Finney fell and ripped his pants whilst taking these wonderful picutres, and a 36 hour drive back to TN is not the best way to heal sore ankles. But hey, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "If you ain't first, you're last"! I'm not sure how that quite applies to this blog post, but hey is for horses. Do you live in a barn?

Peace, Love, and Charge-Festivals--Will Pruett

Shane Groves, Nathan Silsbee, Jonathon Cambell aka Sprayer. De Chargers man'