Tino had been telling us of the Eldarado section of South Boulder Creek and a large and technical sequence of drops that they had run a couple of day previously. We did manage to drive up the wrong drainage first but when we did make it to the run and head into the park all of us realized that this was not a “feeling blurry” run. Homesteak ho!
I have a checkered history with Homesteak Creek and it always makes me think twice before racing. In 2006 I missed a boof and swam after a little pocket beat down in a warm up on the day of the race, this was my first swim in 7 years although I managed to pull it together and place 16th. Last year I was racing hard during the practices and getting smooth lines. In the race I turned it on and tried to cut one line too hard resulting in a double pin and taking myself out of the race. There was a small silver lining to that enormous cloud that Mather got me on the rescue squad for the rest of the day and I was able to assist in Valarie’s backboard and evac. It was something to do and the more elaborate rescue that I have been involved in to date. Maybe 2008 will be different?
What we get when we make it to Homesteak is a run on roids. It’s pumping with the high snow pack and the upper section is solid white. After a little time checking out the line Mike and I put on, Tino is still napping in the car even after we asked him to hang out with a rope just in case. From the moment I put on the run it had a very different feel and I was moguling my way between holes and flakes. I had time to look up to Mike twice but the third time I was greeted the hull of his kayak and the thought he might be a little messed up. He surface up just in time to grab my boat and get his grip two feet above the next drop. Unable to hold his boat it ran the next two drop and Jason was on hand to stop it short. Clipping in and pendulums it to shore one more drop down it was clear the boat was feeling the swim as much as Mike’s thumb.
The cost of HomesteakJoe’s Apartment and the singing cockroaches provided some light relief from Mike’s event and we finish up the night sleeping out east of Vail.
Homesteak was not about to let up and with the water on the rise this morning pushed through a few clean runs. The issue at this point is not longer the creek but the freaking altitude. It’s kicking my arse. Fortunately Pat Keller was there to chat to about the lines and it was good to watch someone else running the top section of the course. During my last run in the final drop I managed to boof out keeping right on the exit but as the bow of my boat kicked up I caught my head on the rock wall. It’s moments like this that even when you are upright and you can catch your head that the race really is going to be fun this year.
