Junior World Record: 82' Metlako Falls

Christie Glissmeyer sets the new female record waterfall

For a while now, I've had it in my mind that it would be very possible to break Pat Keller's 75ft. Junior World Record Waterfall. And on Sunday that thought turned into a reality. Evan Garcia called me and said that Christie Glissmeyer and himself were itching to run 85ft. Metlako and that the flows were good to go. I knew this would be a great accomplishment in my kayaking and joined the two on their trip to Metlako. At the trailhead Christie, Evan, Erik Boomer, and some other buddies hiked the beautiful 2 miles to Metlako. We scouted the stout from each angle, and decided the flow was as perfect as it gets. Shortly after getting in our boats and boofing the 10ft. Lower Punchbowl as a warm up, we arrived at the lip of the beast. Evan and Christie were first to roll off the lip, and after excited shouts from below I knew it was my turn. I paddled toward the drop in total control and as I rolled over the lip I kissed my deck, let go of my paddle, and waited for impact. After 3 solid seconds of freefall, I penetrated the deep pool below with little force of impact. Surfacing in the massive boils, I hand paddled to a cove on the right, and got my first look back up at the 85ft. stout. Christie and I shared the excitement of having just broken the Female and Junior Record Waterfall with Evan. The photos of myself are still on hold, but before too long I'll have pictures to go along with this story. Also make sure to check out Christie Glissmeyer's interview with Paddling Life Magazine.

Summit Creek First Descent

Earlier this year I had visited Summit Creek in hopes of big drops and good whitewater; when I arrived at the lower gorge I knew I had found just what I was looking for. As soon as I found the goods I called Cody Howard and the next Saturday my brother, Cody, Brett Adams and I left for the first descent. Highlights of this run were running some super smooth slides for the first time, and scouting the massive Skate Park Drop.
I was really satisfied with the First D of the lower canyon, but I also knew that there was an upper canyon likely to have drops of similar magnitude and style. After hearing Cody's positive report about the upper gorge Erik Boomer, Evan Garcia, my brother and I went out to get some for ourselves. The upper gorge started out with some gnarly log portages, but slowly turned into the most amazing 10-30ft. slides.

Sliding a smooth 20 footer
After boat scouting and running a number of these smooth drops, we came to what seemed to be the start of the first gorge. A quick scout revealed a sweet triple-tier slide as well as a stout 60 foot waterfall all within a beautiful deep gorge. Third in line to run the triple-tier drop I ended up running the last section backwards but was able to correct before landing in the pool below. We took out below the triple tier and spent about half an hour scouting the 60 foot Summit Falls. The waterfall had a pretty smooth lead-in but also a small landing zone and questionable runout into two 20-30ft slides. After much speculation, Boomer decided to give'er. He landed flat after a sweet boof, but with his imploded skirt was forced to run the two slides following with a boat full of water. After Boomer's sweet First Descent of Summit Falls I knew the stout was good to go and decided to give 'er. Instead of taking a boof at the end of the drop, I went for the plugger line and ended up resurfacing against a rock below with an imploded skirt and boat full of water. Luckily I was able to swim to shore before the slides, and my boat got caught in a nearby eddy below the slides. Stoked as hell, I got up on the shore to watch Evan huck a huge boof, and again end with an imploded skirt.

Scouting the Upper Gorge

Flying off Summit Falls

Summit Falls was the end of the first gorge, but before too many log lams we arrived at the second gorge. Already knowing our lines, we were able to run this section much quicker. Our only stop was at the 50 foot Skate Park Drop, where we all went big and stomped some huge autoboofs. With a 40 foot vertical drop leading into a smooth 15 foot horizontal kicker, this drop is like no other, and is one of the most unique I've ever run. After a couple more smooth slides we ended the run with huge smiles across our faces. With two of the most beautiful gorges in the Northwest and with its amazing whitewater, Summit creek has become one of my favorites.

Erik Boomer drops into the Skate Park

Photos- Erik Boomer

A Week with World Class

Last week my brother and I were lucky enough to have the World Class Kayak Academy stop by for a week of paddling in The Gorge. The entire crew, staff and students, were very enjoyable to be around. I rarely get to paddle with kids my age, except for my brother, so this was a treat. Most the time I spent with World Class was on the White Salmon, and by the looks of their paddling I could tell they'd been instructed by the best. Paddling with World Class was a great experience, and I look forward to paddling with them again.

Two 50 footers in Two Hours

My brother and I had been eying down Bridal Veil Falls (55ft.) and Money Drop on Rock Creek (58ft.) for quite some time, but it wasn't until this weekend that we finally fired up both drops. On Saturday Tate Taylor, my dad, my brother and I all piled in my dad's car to celebrate the warmest day of the year with an all out huckfest. Our first stop was Bridal Veil, and as soon as we decided the flow was good my brother and I started setting up safety and checking our lines. I was first off the stout and after a smooth line right down the middle, I punched through the soft hole at the bottom. As I resurfaced, I was able to look up at the drop in a state of euphoria and take in the feeling of a new personal record. My brother was also able to clean the drop with a smooth line, and paddle safely to the shore.

A short video of my run (filmed by spectator Larry Ellis)


Within an hour of having launched Bridal Veil we arrived at Money Drop only to hear the ecstatic yelling of boaters below. When I arrived at the lip I saw a couple paddlers in the pool below, and got to evaluate the lines of two more. My brother and I decided, that because this drop ------------------------------------------------------------------ had such a fast lead in Disconnecting from Money Drop ------------------- the key was to kiss the deck before even reaching the lip. After a quick evaluation we grabbed our boats and set up for our own runs. My brother was first to go and had a super clean line, airing out into the huge boils below. He was quick to roll up and give me "the go-ahead." As I flew off the lip in the perfect tuck I truly felt I was flying , until of course I smacked the bottom and felt my paddle snap in half. In the pool, I rolled up with my single bladed paddle and eddied out with my brother. We admired the 7 ft. boils for a while, then I C1ed my way through some class II rapids to the take out eddy. Overall it was an incredible day; I was glad my brother and I cleaned each drop, and again Tate Taylor came out with amazing photos.

Standing below my biggest drop-- Stoked

Northwest Creeking Competition

This weekend was my first time at the Northwest Creeking Competition, and I don't think it could have gone any better. My brother, Tate Taylor, and I drove up the E. fork of the Lewis River and rolled into the Olsen's riverside property late Friday night to enjoy a night under the stars hanging in our hammocks. The next morning my brother and I woke up early so we'd have enough time to check out the course. The 2 mile class III-IV run was a lot of fun and had some entertaining drops, notably 15ft. Sunset Falls and Screaming Left. After getting a feel for the run we took a shuttle back to the put-in and watched the start of the race, right over Sunset Falls. When it came my turn to make the run I thought one last time about my lines down each rapid and remembered to set a steady pace. My line down Sunset Falls and nearly every other drop was smooth and, though I didn't see a time at the bottom, I felt I paced myself just about right for the 2 mile run. Later in the night after some delicious Olsen family burritos, the top three times for each division were announced. I was stoked when Luke Spencer announced my brother's second place and my own first place in the Junior division. The junior award was an awesome silver kayak necklace and Predator Helmet. The rest of Saturday night was fun with a campfire, music, and even more burritos. Then next day we all slept in a little later, and woke up to heavy rain. As most of the crowd dispersed we decided to stay for the Sunset Falls Huckfest. Around noon people gathered in all sorts of craft, from Sam Drevo's inflatable surfboard to 12ft. long boats of the past. Each competitor was given three attempts to impress the crowd with they're best trick over the drop. My first two lines were simple wavewheels over the left side, but on my last attempt I hit the the middle line and threw a donkey flip paddle toss and stuck it clean to take home first place overall. My brother also had some very sick lines, and took home second place using hand paddles with a reverse wavewheel. Sunday's first place prize was a beautiful Accent paddle. Thanks Next Adventure and all the sponsors who made the NWCC possible. Overall I had an amazing time this weekend, and look forward to more competitions to come.
-- For more on the NWCC read the front page article of Vancouver's 'The Columbian'--
Photos- Tate Taylor and Molly Elliott

Starting the 2 mile Downriver Race
















Sunday's wining trick-- Donkey Flip Paddle Toss

E.F. Lewis Race 2009 from Sheer Madness Productions on Vimeo.

Wilderness Advanced First Aid

Whether it results in a simple broken nose or severe case of hypothermia, everyone knows that accidents happen on the river. I've been involved in multiple situations like this, so I figured it was about time I get some professional instruction on Wilderness Medicine. Between Mar 16 and Mar 20 I took a Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) medical course through the Wilderness Medicine Institute. From treating the average fracture to performing CPR, I learned many medical skills from the course and feel far more confident about helping victims of whitewater accidents no matter how remote the location may be.

More Local Creekin

Creeking seems to be taking up more and more of my life, of course for the better. My brother and I got out on the water 5 days last week and plan to keep our paddles wet throughout the rest of the year.
Two weeks ago my brother and I got out on the Little White Salmon for our first time and had a blast. Cody Howard of Huckin Huge not only showed us the lines down each rapid, but also got us involved in some crazy cinematography. The crew (of about 14) set up a zip-line on S-turn and got some amazing shots from a video camera in constant motion. The flow was pretty low but perfect for our first time down. After watching Keel Brightman launch Spirit Falls I knew I had to share the thrill. I had a pretty smooth line off Spirit and enjoyed the euphoric moments following. From the eddy below I watched my 14 year old brother contemplate the drop, but knew in the end he would go for it. As he had a little more of a rough line than me he ended up swimming below, but managed to pick up the pieces and enjoy the rest of the trip. The rest of the run went smoothly, and we were stoked to have safely paddled our first run down the Little White. (Pics and Vids soon to come)
This last weekend my brother and I got out on the Truss twice with Todd Anderson and Erik Boomer. Both trips went smoothly and I was glad to have Todd and Boomer giving me helpful pointers the whole way down- definately improving my paddling. I also got to see 14 year old Devin Morton huck Big Brother for his first time with a super clean line.
Last week my brother, Tate Taylor, and I also got a chance to shoot some still shots on a fun rapid we call Holsteins Falls right above the Farmlands put-in on the White Salmon. This rapid doesn't look too big but the tight slot and big waves allow for only a small margin of error. At the end of the day we were glad to have tackled a new rapid and have Tate come out with some sweet pics.

Paddling through Holsteins Falls