A Summer Full of Personal First Descents

It was a busy summer paddling season for me, and one filled with a lot more paddling than I expected--and a lot more personal first descents of rivers for someone who's been mostly cruising Class I-II the past few years.

The only river on my list for advancing my paddling skills in 2014 was the Cuyahoga River Lower Gorge, which depending on the levels has some nice Class III-IV paddling beneath the Ohio Edison Dam.

I managed to tackle that section and then some this summer. First I was able to jump on a Keelhaulers trip to Slippery Rock Creek in Pennsylvania. Then I also tacked on the "new" section of the Cuyahoga River where two dams were removed above the Sheraton section in downtown Cuyahoga Falls (mostly Class II-III).

I was lucky enough to paddle Stonycreek River Canyon as well in early October. I learned more this summer about whitewater paddling than in the past four years of recreational paddling. Enjoy the photos!

I was lucky to paddle with a large, and stellar, group of Keelhaulers for my personal first descent of Slippery Rock Creek.

The eddies on Slippery Rock Creek are calm and plentiful.

Three members of the intrepid paddling crew about to put on the Cuyahoga River Lower Gorge.

Shoving off in my Jackson Karma.

We waited out a nearly two-hour torrential downpour in Gorge Metro Park before hiking the mile up the Cuyahoga Lower Gorge to the put-in. All the rain that day had the river running at 1400 cfs for our paddle.

Lined up and ready to roll.

GoPro pictures never turn out in focus. I love my Karma. For a big boat, it's nimble enough. Look for a review from a beginner's perspective soon.

Everyone and their gear made it off the Stony intact for a bomb day on the water.

Four of our five-man group getting ready to hit the Stony. We had a balmy high temperature of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It proved chilly for early October!