Poor Liam had to spend Tuesday in the Lakes handing in University coursework (and taking his Dad for some 'father - son' bonding on Coniston Water), whilst JB, Shaun and Tom headed off to Ingleton to paddle the lesser known of the Ingleton Waterfall runs, the River Twiss. Some cracking sections of Grade 4 / 5 creeking, the huge (portage) Thornton Force and the cheering specatators on the banks make for a great trip out.
All three took playboats, it is afterall a big walk in / out. After walking round the mighty (unrunnable?) Thornton Force we dropped into the start of the gorge. Some fun small drops to warm up led to the power of Hollybush Spout, which was at a good level. A rock in the lead in, causing a twisty bit at the top make for a great drop. Tom went first, his deck popping at the base of the fall. He managed a roll but his boat was swamped and he had to bail at the base of the small drop below. Shaun then JB b
oth ran it, to the delight of the gathered crowds. Next up the Twin Pecca Falls, a small drop and then a great boof, again with a perfect spot for spectators. The final drop of Pecca Falls is a nice, but shallow 15 footer, that quickly leads into a nasty unrunnable 50 footer. The guys set up some (un)safety between the two drops, to make sure no-one got washed down the bigg'un! It didn't really work, and after an incident with Shaun and a nastly landing for JB, Tom decided not to run. The huge walkout ensued, taking about 30 minutes (1.5 kms), a quick stop at the Co-op, and then onto the Doe.
Motivation, now to be known as 'boativation' when kayaking, started to run low as the boys were tired and dehydrated. They still put on and ran Beezley Falls, but at the top of the Baxenghyll Gorge decided that today wasn't the day, and that they'd prefer creek boats for this one at that level. Shaun was still keen to run Snow Falls, but a walk down, a look at the levels and a bit of disapointment, led to the decision that it was too low and that today was not the day.
Still, a great day was had by all three, and none wanted to tell Liam how great the Twiss was, but they did anyway!
Thanks to Sharon Arnone for her kind email and the above photo, showing Shaun on Pecca Falls, and Tom filming in the foreground.
Videos and photos online soon at www.designcrisis.co.uk
Tom
All three took playboats, it is afterall a big walk in / out. After walking round the mighty (unrunnable?) Thornton Force we dropped into the start of the gorge. Some fun small drops to warm up led to the power of Hollybush Spout, which was at a good level. A rock in the lead in, causing a twisty bit at the top make for a great drop. Tom went first, his deck popping at the base of the fall. He managed a roll but his boat was swamped and he had to bail at the base of the small drop below. Shaun then JB b
oth ran it, to the delight of the gathered crowds. Next up the Twin Pecca Falls, a small drop and then a great boof, again with a perfect spot for spectators. The final drop of Pecca Falls is a nice, but shallow 15 footer, that quickly leads into a nasty unrunnable 50 footer. The guys set up some (un)safety between the two drops, to make sure no-one got washed down the bigg'un! It didn't really work, and after an incident with Shaun and a nastly landing for JB, Tom decided not to run. The huge walkout ensued, taking about 30 minutes (1.5 kms), a quick stop at the Co-op, and then onto the Doe.Motivation, now to be known as 'boativation' when kayaking, started to run low as the boys were tired and dehydrated. They still put on and ran Beezley Falls, but at the top of the Baxenghyll Gorge decided that today wasn't the day, and that they'd prefer creek boats for this one at that level. Shaun was still keen to run Snow Falls, but a walk down, a look at the levels and a bit of disapointment, led to the decision that it was too low and that today was not the day.
Still, a great day was had by all three, and none wanted to tell Liam how great the Twiss was, but they did anyway!
Thanks to Sharon Arnone for her kind email and the above photo, showing Shaun on Pecca Falls, and Tom filming in the foreground.
Videos and photos online soon at www.designcrisis.co.uk
Tom
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