Build your own 'shore

Build your own 'shore. For anyone whose confused, or not a mountain biker, we're not talking about beaches or seafronts here, we're talking North Shore. Wooden and dirt trails for riding over on mountain bikes. Originaly from the deep dark woods of Canada, first built to cover stretches of bog, now built just for the fun of it!
We've been allowed access to a piece of private woodland so that we can make our very own 'shore, jumps and general MTB mayhem! It helps lots that the land owner (another Tom K) is a keen biker and paddler and general outdoor sportsman, and was just as keen to join in the action as we were!
It was the first time I'd been upto the woods, but Tom and Ewart had already started on the trail building, but this time there was a whole mob of us, Tom, Ewart, Andy, Phil, the other Tom and myself. Plus this time we'd brought power tools with us! So armed with a chainsaw, a hammer and a pocket full of nails I set to work.
Ewart acted as trail boss, having fallen off his bike two days before and badly dislocated his thumb, he set to, telling us what to do to turn his shore vision into a trail reality! Most of the action began with finishing off the wall ride that had been started on previous days. Ewart, rake in one hand, started marking out the rest of the trail, and Andy started trying to clear under growth.

The wall ride takes shape

Ewart his rake and his busted thumb

Trees were cut (only using what had already fallen or was dead), nails were nailed, Berms were dug, and pine needles were raked. The wall ride started to take shape. Tom and Andy made a ladder, for a bit of elevated shore action. This was incorperated into a step-up jump onto the ladder, with a jump off the other end, onto a downwards sloping ladder.
The wall ride was finished and christened. Tom K (the land owner) rode it first, and became its first victim, sliding of the wall half way round! I rode it second, and going a bit slower, managed it all the way round.

The step-up and ladder in the making

The trail then snakes across the hill side, weaving between the trees, before a tight berm spits you out towards the step-up. With a last all hands on deck effort the step-up, ladder, was finished. With the light rapidly fading under the trees there was only one thing to do, RIDE!

Two views of the trail weaving through the woods

Andy hits the wall ride

Andy and power tools, and dangerous combo!

Trying to keep enough speed through the tight berm was daunting, but with a reasonable run out and some gradient there was just enough room to gain the speed for the step-up. After riding it a few times Phil and I realised that with enough speed, you could jump up the step-up, and then launch off the top of the ladder, getting a good bit of air, before just landing on the end of the down ladder.

Phil, air from the top of the ladder

Me, also airing the ladder

Phil steps up

me, landing the step-up

There's still lots more trail to be dug, but what we've got so far rocks! with a few more Sundays spent digging, cutting and nailing we'll soon have some awsome trails!

Sunny Sundays at the pots

Its a Sunday, the sun is shineing, the Exe levels are perfect, theres only one place to be. The Mighty Pots. We arrived a little late, (having had to fix Andys Playboat first) and found a few of the usual faces getting off. But Sam A was still on, Greg was in his squirt boat, and Andy and Ewart were soon kitted up and on the water as well.

Ewart wheelin'

Andy trying not to split his boat again

Sam Clean wheelin'

Be-nighted on britsh class 4

Imagine the situation, be-nighted on your favourite stretch of class 4 white water. Having to sleep under the stars and cook food on an open fire. Doesn't it sound terrible? Errr, no, actually it sounds like a great idea, lets try it out!
So off to our local favourite river we went. We launched into the near complete darkness (having spent a little to long getting ready!) with boats laden heavy with kit for our first taste of British multi-day expedition boating.
Having carefully picked our way down a number of rapids, relying on our ninja skills, river knowledge and a small slice of luck, we settled on a flattish looking piece of river bank for the night.
We set up a little shelter, gathered some wood for a fire and made our-selves comfortable for the night. With a fire burning in out portable fire bowl (so as not to leave our mark on the landscape) and our collapsable grill assembled dinner was grilled, drinks were drunk, and the wonderful surroundings were taken in. What a great and relaxing way to spend a night.

Getting a fire going

Our little shelter in the darkness

Grilling our dinner on the collapsable grill

The next morning dawned cool and bright, the sun slowly making it's way to the bottom of the valley to warm our bodies, and raise our spirits once again. Breakfast was eaten, kit was packed, boats were loaded. Then it was back onto the river. What a great way to start the morning, barely nine in the morning, sun shining in our faces and already stuck into some classic whitewater!

Early morning

Packing it all back into the boats.

The Team, (L-R) Andy, Ewart , Robbin and Me

But Like all good things it had to come to and end. And so we finally made our way off the river, quietly treasuring our memories of a slightly different but very enjoyably different way to paddle our favourite local river.

It's a hard life

Wednesday, paddling, Carbon Copy of Sunday!

Less water than on Sunday, Just tickling the Slab at Newbridge, but the Upper was Great, the Loop was a little on the Low side but there was just about a playwave at Triple. Paddled this time with Leo, Andy, Roger and Ewart. Plus this time I managed to get my Camera out on the Upper as well as the Loop.

Roger, Euthanasia
Leo, Euthanasia
Ewart, Euthanasia
Andy, cheeky grab, Euthanasia


Roger, Suprise Suprise
Ewart, Deck grab, Suprise Suprise
Andy, big deck grab, Suprise Suprise

Leo, Triple Play wave
Andy, Triple Play wave

Leo, The Anvil
Andy, Super clean, The Anvil
Ewart, Triple Play wave
Roger, Triple Play wave

Double up on the Dart

Well its Sunday, there's water in the rivers, must be a double header on the Dart!!. With limited imaginations, and the home run being......Well the home run and totaly brilliant, we set off for the Dart, again. We met up at Newbridge with a few other locals and the mission was on. Ewart, Andy I, Steve from Nookie The Big O, Arthur and Matt (some local young guns!) And I set of for the Upper. The level was Great, the sun shone (occasionally!) and we Blasted on Down. I didn't take my camera, but seeing as the only thing we stopped for was me walking Euthanasia and Suprise Suprise (again, as usual!) there wasn't alot for me to take pictures of!!
Then with a bit of Boat swapping, and quick shuttle running we were back on to the loop for some playing. Ewart, Andy, Matt, Arthur and I headed down to triple to play on the wave, stopping only to see Greg and Dan squirt boating at the Webburn, Dan was hitting huge ten second plus mysterys, and Greg was getting smooth head deep mysterys and great flying fish style exit moves.
The play wave was banging, and we all got some good rides, as well as the usual sillyness! I got the camera out and we even managed to get a few pics. After we'd had our fill of triple we cruised on to the Anvil. Andy got some great rides with loads of some super cleans, and Matt kept on working his loops.

Ewart rips another Blunt

Arthur, stuck in his creeker, makes the most of the wave

Andy launches another big Blunt

Matt sticks a good Loop

Me, Blunting

2 weeks in Malawi

Well I've just got back from 2 weeks in Malawi. Me and my wife, Louise, went out for my Big sister Kathryns' wedding. Kathryn has been living in Malawi for about the last nine years and with her (now) husband, Gary, has set up a fantastic back-packers lodge, Mayoka Village, on the lake shore at Nkhata Bay.
This was my fifth trip to Malawi, and Louises second. It was also a great chance to catch up with the rest of my family who now all live in Malawi. My parents moved out there two years ago, and my little sister moved out there about 8 months ago.
I've seen a fair bit of the country on my travels around, but I've never been to Malawi in the wet season, and so I've never really been aware of the paddling potential, apart from the obvious paddling on the lake. So I also went out with the intention to check out some of the rivers.

Gary and Kathryn, outside the church

The wedding was an incredible event. It also seemed to coincide with the hottest day of the week! Kathryn and Gary had decided to have a traditional Malawian style wedding. Which meant that the service started outside the church with a group of dancers, starting off with young boys and girls dancing in parallel lines, then another group of slightly larger boys and girls, and ending up with a third group of teenagers and adults at the back. The danced very slowly, through the scorching sun, into the church. Eventually everyone got into the church, and the service started. The service then took place in two languages at once! Then after the service they had to dance their way back out in to the scorching sun again!

The families out side the church

Then there was a brief rest bite at Mayoka, before moving onto Chikale beach for the reception. Once again there was more dancing action, with Kathryn and Gary being led in by their dancers again. Then once inside they weren't allowed to sit until the guest had donated enough money to them! The rest of the reception seemed to then follow roughly a 'normal' pattern. But generally very noisy, and confusing for most of the 'Muzungus' (white people!).

Me and Louise take a break from the wedding at Mayoka

I did manage to check out a couple of rivers, and also get my hands on a couple of maps of the appropriate areas. The geography of malawi makes for some very strange rivers. The Lake forms the end of the Great Rift Valley, with the land rising quite steeply from the lake to a number of plateaus, often divided by small ridges. This means rivers often meander across a plateau, quite unexcitingly, before bursting through a ridge in a small gorge, before meandering across the next plateau.
Alot of the plateaus are also covered by vast boggy areas, called Dambos, that are fed by many small rivers and streams, but are eventually drained by one bigger river. Many of the smaller rivers are very much rainfall dependant, but during the wet season when and inch of rain can easily fall in one day it just a matter of follow a rain cloud! It seemed strange to drive over numerous dry looking rivers, that had huge tide lines, to then find a massive volume river running just 10km away. The water either draining from a Dambo, or coming from another heavy downpour further upstream.

The Lower section of the Bua River

One of the better looking rivers on the Map was the Bua river. Unfortunately time constraints meant I didn't get to see as much of the river as I had hoped. But the bottom bit that I saw looked very promising. I was expecting it to be fairly flat, but was surprised to find fairly high volume grade three. My Dad was sure that that section continued for about another 5 to 10 km further upstream. And the section above that looks even steeper on the map. So the chance for some serious whitewater looked pretty high. But it runs through the middle of a game reserve, with limited motor access to the river, and man eating animals!

The road bridge on the south Rukuru

The other river I got to look at properly was the South Rukuru. Slow and meandering for many miles, is gradually picks up massive volume, before punching its way through a short gorge, just below Rumphi, before continuing to meander. For a about 2km the river looked to be a fantastic high volume, fairly technical grade 4 pool-drop. Even better the road runs right along side it for the entire way. It was fairly hard to see all of it due to masses of vegetation growing along the banks. But every now and then you'd be rewarded with a glimpsed of a drop or a chute or a rapid.

Another Drop on the South Rukuru Gorge section

Then after all the excitement it goes back to weaving in and out of marsh and reeds for about another 20km. However once it reaches Phwezi it picks up the gradient again, and charges headlong for about 30km . The road shadows it again for most of this, with occasional glimpses to vast chocolate brown grade 2 wave trains. None of it seemed too hard just big and fast. However before it can get to the lake it has to cut it's way through another ridge, forming another gorge. Unfortunately the road abandons it at this point, but the maps once again mark it as being a fall or a rapid, so something good has to lurk in the gorge!

The South Rukuru at Phwezi

The end result of my river scouting is, that there are some good rivers, but they're either going to be short sections, or fairly remote. There is also the huge Shire river (pronounced Shear-E) which drains lake Malawi. I've seen a number of pictures of the rapids on it and it looks like a real Zambezi style monster, there is also some video footage of it somewhere on one of the Sick-Line kayaking movies. Whether any of us will get there and paddle is unsure but the opportunities are there for the taking.

Double header on the Dart

With yet another great amount of water in the Dart it was time to hit the Double header Home run. A run down the upper in creekers, before swapping to playboats for a session on the loop.
Ewart and I hit the Upper. The level was sweet, some nice lines, great waves and holes and still plenty of opportunities for rock spins and splats.

The meat of Euthanasia.

Ewart tried to get me to run my two Nemesis rapids, Euthanasia and Suprise-Suprise. I've run them in the past, but since dislocating my shoulder for a second time I've been less then keen on them. The water level was great and the lines were fairly clean and but after a spot of head rudder action on the drops above Euthanasia I didn't fancy it!

The classic view of Euthanasia.

When we got to Newbridge Ewart had to get off the river, Because he had to get back to Exeter for Lunch. After a quick bit of shuttle run action I got back on the river for a spot of playboat action.

I had hoped to join Roger for a play on the Dart. But Ewart and I were to late to Newbridge for me to catch up with him. I did however bump into Tom B in his squirt boat, and then down at Triple we met up with Andy, Dom and Sam.

Ewart hitting the line on Suprise-Suprise.

(click the image and be patient, wait for the animation to load)

We had a good session on the playwave a triple, but the clear blue skies of the morning were gone, and the clouds rolled in again. After a full day on the river I was shattered. Time to get back to Exeter and cook some Dinner!

Ewart, catalogue pose below Suprise-Suprise.

More Dart action!

Well we had hoped to go for a paddle somewhere different, but commitments in the morning led to a late start. So it was back to the Dart Loop again!
The level was great, covering most of the slab at Newbridge. So Andy, Louise and I got on for a quick bit of Loop action. Andy and I went for kayaks, as usual! but Louise decided to go Solo in her Open Boat, a first for her on the Loop.

Andy, showing his Old Skool cool!

Louise managed to nail every Rapid, and every line. That was until Triple Two nailed her! She got caught by the river right eddy line and took a quick dip. Mean while Andy and I got stuck into the play wave, and Louise caught a few pictures of us.

Me, lining up for a big Blunt.

Andy and I had great fun on the wave. Even if Andy did Grumble about his 'on loan' boat. His trusty Orbit Fish was stuck at the shop for some repairs, so he had to make do with a Draggo-rossi thruster. Let's just say it was OK but Andy won't be buying one!

Yet another right hand blunt on the shoulder

After a quick play, and a chance for Louise to drip dry, we headed on down the River. It was all fine until Spin dryer, I threw a wave wheel, but got in Louise's way, forcing her to take another swim. Oops! And that was that. Another great Loop trip!

Cross deck grab, and tongue, surely a freestyle winning move!