Late Season Goods

I had the opportunity to get in a great late season run a couple weeks ago. The Big Thompson is a super fun medium volume river that had some excellent releases late into the fall this year. Similar in character to many of the runs along the Colorado front range, the Big Thompson provides a range of different class runs, like the neighboring Cache La Poudre and St. Vrain drainages.

It had been a couple months since I had last gotten in the creek boat and firing up the fairly technical class V section had me a little gripped. But after a shaky and exciting first lap it was smooth sailing punctuated with clean lines and rowdy boofs. By the third lap Leif Anderson and Conor Flynn were ready to run the often skipped crux drop of the run, Garbage Disposal. I’d say it’s an applicable name especially if you find yourself upside down. The 12-13 footer is whirlwind of sharp rocks with a fairly narrow landing, and is certainly no place for the boof impaired. The guys both had awesome lines and from there we made our way downstream for another lap. With the sun setting over the ridge by 4:00 we decided to call it a day, and what a day it was. Despite the cold, late fall boating is always a great time.



Happy boating, see you on the river

Casper Whitewater Rodeo 2010

Casper Whitewater Rodeo 2010 from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Thanks to the Backcountry Kayak School for organizing the event and big props to great sponsers for there continued commitment NRS, Predator Helmets, AT Paddles, Rocky Mountain Sporting Goods. Enjoy a little clip

Bad Addicts short

Bad Addicts from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Just a little footage of the shenagegans that kayakers go through, in fall and early spring. Enjoy local Cody bad ass ED Conning and friends, on the shoshone for a fun low water run of the upper goods in November.Also enjoy a solo run of the not so classic South Fork of the Gallatin from this last Spring.

Fall Update...Mid November

Ed Conning getting his stroke on, ''customs"

Kayak Culture of Cody, gotta love Hot Springs

Fall update.. yes the rivers are low.. Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone are all still running. I have only been able to enjoy 2 of these rivers, the other has sweet goods that shall be layed to treats soon enough. besides getting in the water a couple times a week up this way the snow has just now started to fly. Good news for this spring i hope.. and for a great new hobby, snowyaking.. anyways, its November, I was able to make it to Cody for some quality IV for this time of year. Hopefully I will have something sweet planned, in the next couple of weeks, if plans turn out for the better.. so with that here's an unload.

night driving

walking up to the goods

Roberto seal launch

Beautiful day on the Rio

Cody Groms

Luke Sutton last bit of "entrance exam"

Roberto, "customs"

Beauitful water line at the hot springs

October in Montana

Year Round Kayaking, here on out!

Oct in Montana HD from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Britney Hiking the trail next to "Go Right" or "mank"

I received a phone call, from my mother, today, from good ol Casper, she's worried i have become "obsessed" with kayaking, I cann't deny that. September was a Sweet month for late season boating. I was able to make it down to Gore fest with Luke, Baker, and Toft;mainly thanks to Luke for driving up to Bozeman to enjoy some Gally and pick me up. We also were able made it back into Fremont Canyon where Luke and I made the Second known full descent of the canyon.

Luke Sutton amongst it, The Jackalope

Fremont Canyon, Polish Gnar Bar from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Fremont Canyon is one place i can see my self being drawn back to particularily with more H20. We enjoyed a much steeper lower canyon than we anticipated; and ate crawdad's at the take out, at least 3 miles of lake paddling in a gorgeous canyon luminated by the setting sun.. paddling out and reaching the take out by 9 was the plan and we were able to beat the time by 20 minutes, and still have time for a beer before the flatwater.
Continued to stay wet on the Gally and managed to score some laps on quake. As October aproached the amount of times i look at a map increases as well as gauges, i was wasting some time on the buzz, when i received a message from Nate, yo Pots, or soemthing i was mildly incoherent as an instant jolt of the shit i crave hit me, "Kayaking... Pots.. Stillwater.... Novalty..Pots Falls in.." is about all i could pretty much comprehend at the moment.. I love to kayak, Big Water, to the lowest shit pill mank creeks most people wouldnt care to look at(east fork elk horn creek) doesnt matter to me. Sometimes this is good but sometimes you do find yourself in places of question; brings me to this...

Author,Drop into the Wall

Glenn Watt, Drop Into the Wall

last of the upper pots

The Pots, of the Stillwater, is beautiful mile long section, of canyon, that so happens to be the put in for the woodbine; as well as the take out for the 3 day mission on the Upper Stillwater. It felt like a miniture version of Big South and PoPo Agie squeezed down to one mile. Perfect for those paddlers just needing a quick fix. Overall this Mank novalty was well worth the effort and gas from Bozeman, containing over a hand full of well placed boofs. I had pleasure of enjoying the whole creek top to bottom. Does get boney but it all goes..

Glenn Watt Dropping in

Author, Pots Falls

stoked for more mank

author, tight pot in every aspect

Henry's Fork of Snake River, Lower Mesa

Teague Manley below the beauty

Henry Fork of the Snake River and the sweetest park and huck in the Rockies. Couple pics and a vid of the Henry Fork with a little more water than usual.

Henry's Fork Highwater from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Tie'n The Knot

Beautiful view of the Laramie Range

Alot of boating can happen in 4 days. specially when you are getting married.. so here's some pics and a vid of my awsome Bachelors party

Chillin between Laps

Thursday, no water in Bluegrass, went to Poudre ran one lap through uppers, 2 through middles and 7 laps thru lowers, finished the day at bridges..

Lower Cache Narrows

Friday woke up and drove to Gore because Bailey wasnt running..meet up with Ian and we popped 2 gore newbies cherries that day and we partied because we could, steak and fries over the pit..

Ian getting some Gore

Routing thru

Sat, 630am seal launch into the fog above gore , just me and my sensi, no portage no scout. 900 packing up shit to drive back to poudre..1at race meeting stoked to see everybody2pm racing and feeling the burn but still keeping leaders in sightraced 2 more heats making semis, swam in the pool after the finish line. drank up immediately, ran shuttle for my boys watched them lapand finished the night drinking beer on a shredder on bridges..

pre-race Gore


Pat Toft 630 am stoked to be at Gore

Sunday drove from fort to Clear creek and popped 3 cherries this morn, on the black rock section.. than hit the super sweet top section of Bluegrass on the drive back to the 307 this afternoon..just want to thank everybody for boating and having a killer time

Puttin Black Rock Clear Creek

Here's a sweet little vid I put together. Fun 4 days of paddling

Bachelor Party from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Fremont Canyon, 2600+ cfs

Geranimo from above

Just going to throw up the pics cause the short write up is on the previous post.

Alcova outflow

Luke Sutton Entrance to 1st Gorge

Fremont Canyon, 2600+cfs from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Busy Boating update

Been alot of boating going on like their should be, Henry's fork at 2200 with the GYGK's Tegue, and Austin, than ventered back to Wyoming where I am posting this.. Totally happy today just chilling and sitting back. Luke put together a great Rodeo on his birthday none the less, so found it fitting to take him out and get him into a super intimate gorge.. Fremont Canyon was def stout. trying to figure out what the aprox. flow was but the gauged outflow for Pathfinder Reservoir was reading 4800+ and depending how much was being taken undeground we estimated flows to be about 2600-2800cfs give or take a bit. Fremont Canyon has stomped my expectations.. the main gorge above the bridge contains one super choice class 4 rapid dubbed sitting bowl for the chance to sit and chill and do your thing before entering the partially unportageable gorge and the following drops are of the highest quality. The two remaining drops are amazingly stout, Class 5 paddling in an intiminating gorge due to no possible safety and some big ass sieves.
The second drop is alot steeper than it looks from the top as you scout on the way up..i dubbed this one Cali Classic due to the big water boof you stomp river right off a sweet tonge flake, onto a bad ass lateral toilet bowling feature, than get juiced back to the right... The enormious wall splits the flow making a very difficult looking eddy to exit, on river left. I remember paddling up plan was to move left to right, as we paddle to the horizon i said right due to the giant wall... The 3rd drop was originally dubbed Caveman due to the nasty shit on the right but the fact is the entire drop contains over a hand full of hidden seives.. We dubbed that biia, Geranimo for one of the toughest Natives, The Upper Canyon above the main gorge contains a sweet pool drop entrance rapid dubbed John Fremont. After that sweet entry rapid you paddle up to the would be car size boulder seive section and best way to compare it would be Royal Gorge of the Ark, and the Mad Mile section of the Gallatin at peak flows.... Big Laterals, Big pour overs, and alot of fun in general.. This run moved up my list to Top 5 which includes. Big Timber, Big South, Henry's Fork, Boxelder Creek... still got some editing too do for some Mesa and Fremont footage as well as some Rodeo action... been a really good weekend, vid and pics coming really soon.

with that i want to give a shout out to my boys GYGK and throw up the link for teague's sick vid of the Sweet action from the Henry's Fork and Lower Mesa Falls...

Macho Munchies

Just another update. Casper Wyo has been going off this year. Fremont Canyon ran for the first time since 84', Luke, David, and Jason layed treats on the sweet class IV gorge.
Macho Munchies ran for the first time in 4 years and I cant say how nice it was seeing the features at the Casper Whitewater park how they are suppose to be. Deep Bouncy wave holes.
David Schmitt was on Rodeo Tour most of the summer and is Wrapping up on the slave as we speak living out of the leaky truck which is still no match to my new 93' red chevy lumina.. steezzzy , sorry for almost breaking your nose before Team Trials bro..
I, myself have been enjoying the highwater treats around the area and many many laps up the hyalite canyon before it stopped running this last week. Waters dropping out quick, so get boating!

Macho Munchies from Mike Perry on Vimeo.

Upper Hyalite Creek and Big Timber Creek POV's

Photo Andy Janoski; Mike Perry Oowweees wooees,

Photo, Justin Merrit: Mike Perry, ZZZZ post pinch fun shit

Photo Justin Merrit: Mike Perry Gambler

Montana doesnt take long to grow onto anybody.. It's official, I'm hooked on the area and dont see myself leaving for a while now.. Here's a little POV action from Upper Hyalite Creek and the ever so stompin Big Timber Creek. Both runs were lower than one would like, but one must take, what one can. He shall not waste this precious substance, called Water. Enjoy


Big Timber Creek

Upper Hyalite

Deer Creek POV

Deer Creek at a really sweet level with Mike, Austin, and David....>825cfs

Deer Creek >825cfs

Austin Woody super classy BOOF

Deer Creek is one of the most unique gems in the Casper area. Located east of Casper 20 minutes, running north from the laramie range, the creek drops through some sweet layers of earth, while the run is prodominately granite theres some other rock layers mixed in aswell. As far as flow; we estimated the flow to be close to 1000cfs. Do to the fact that Boxelder gauge was 825cfs; Deer Creek is a bigger drainage all together, w/ less irrigation before the putin. The lower canyon is the highest quality read and run, holes and boulder drops.

driving up the swichback to the put in

Austin, Dschmitt and myself arrived at the Banner ranch gate just before the beginning of the meadow between the upper deer creek plateu and the main platte basin. The weather was ideal for hiking the 2.5 to 3 miles to the put in at the beginning of the lower canyon/possible take out for the upper canyon, if resorting to plan b is the better option.

classic deer creek read and run

The canyon consisted of one main gorge after a sweet 3/4 mile of stout read and run. exiting the gorge is the crux of the run. Gilligans island leading directly into the Vorox. mostly straight forward rapids; the island is undercut and a giant sieve. After some more read and run, the squeeze box comes up on you which is a granite gorge that has the creek flowing direclty over the bedrock. It's super fast and has unusually big holes! My favorite rapid on the creek hands down. The run ends with some good read and run to the take out, where you have one long ass shuttle to the put in and back out to the interstate.

Mike and Austin vader boof blue angel

Giligans Island, V+ lead in to the vortex, its a big rock/island with pine tree growing on it is also a undercut seive.

Vortex from above

not much of a release

stayin upright on the sub

Paddling my ass off out of the pit

sweet false lip drop, with a nasty seive trap on left side of big rock, about to hit the hole and get a little rodeo action

Pre Squeeze

Austin and Mike, Squeeze Box Blue Angel

post run 307-stokage

Chillin at the take out waiting for Pops the shuttle driver