High Pressure Blues
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13749
Printed Date: 13 Aug 2025 at 11:08pm
Topic: High Pressure Blues
Posted By: BIGWATER
Subject: High Pressure Blues
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2014 at 7:17pm
The fact that we are heading into another week of cold, clear, river dropping weather is really getting me down. The persistant high pressure this winter is slowly maken me crazy....or is it maken me sane? If the weather had been like this for the last 20 years what would my life be like?....
During a normal wet winter I spend most of my days on the river, and that's all that matters... work, women, the future, and everything else that so many hold dear is secondary. But this season I'm beside myself, with less days on the river in 5 months then I would get in 2 weeks. What have I been doing? Working to much, spending to much, went to the mall and got a smartypants phone(I really hate texting), online dateing(wow kayakers can get laid), dreaming of many escape fantasies (sell the property and sail away), and generally haveing some kind of freezing cold, low water driven midlife crisis. I love being a kayak bum, but without water I guess I'm just a bum that hates working but has no excuse not to. How do regular people do it?
I guess I'm just spoiled and this winter is a realty check, but if its like this next year I realy will go sane
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Replies:
Posted By: Kiwi
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 8:00am
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it's negative 30 outside my door in Bozeman, Chris. Things can always be worse!
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Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 9:41am
this is an easy one....plan a trip. ecuador. chile. peru. mexico. all have rivers. all are warm. all are accessible in january-february.
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sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end
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Posted By: Sam_Graftton
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 2:37pm
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We've had water Robes been in and the Sky always has water it hasn't been epic but hasn't horrible. It looks like it's going to snow at Stevens this weekend!
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Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 5:06pm
Yes -30 is worse Keenan haha
And your right Chipper a trip would be great, altho not financial possible for me this month
Yes there has been water Sam, but not like a normal year. I may just have to bite the bullet and head north to the land of traffic for some boating. But I gave up on day trips to the Sky from Oly years ago and generally go south or out to the Olympics
Im just spoiled and whining I guess.... But the fact is if the weather was like this for the last 20 years my life would be much difrent, as I have made kayaking the wounderfull storms we normaly get all winter a way of life. Strange to think about what my life would be like without kayaking.
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Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 8:01pm
With food and everything, it's realistic to plan for $1200 for a month in Mexico or Ecuador. Bring a few hundred extra for anything else.
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"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman
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Posted By: James
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2014 at 11:54pm
just pack another 1k on for travel. then half your life for the divorce and take off to the land of sun. what it was like to be young... wait. how old is you brett?
well this weather has messed with fishing, snow sports, working on cars, riding bikes and taking my kids to play in the sprinklers so i guess it got us all bigwater.
i was spraying water in the street today to go skating with the kids tomorrow and my neighbor got all mad cuz his car couldnt get in the driveway.... cant win for loosin
oh smart phones are sweet. i did this wicked cold post on one in the skate park.
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Posted By: huckin harms
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2014 at 10:09am
James, after reading this, I'm glad your not my neighbor!
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Posted By: cbishop1
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2014 at 5:56pm
Posted By: AdamG
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 11:10am
Bigwater - I like your perspective, great questions.
I've also got the high pressure blues. During this drought, I've taken up trail running (wtf), billing extra hours at the office, have caught up with family and generally caught back up with "life". But as others point out, we're spoiled with boating opportunities and as others say, take a boating vacation (if that's your thing)!
But I want to respond to your questions. It is interesting how kayaking-driven decision making defines who and where we are. I mostly boat weekends nowadays but regardless of the percentage of time spent on the river, at the end of the day, that time is still what motivates me. During dry periods, thoughts of work replace dreams of wilderness rivers with friends and this is usually my reminder to rebalance. While these times are depressing, I use them to get caught up in other aspects of life and build up the bank account for future adventures. Of course, I wouldn't be so optimistic if the forecast was different:
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/p120i12.gif
Here's to a wet late winter/spring, YES!
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Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2014 at 8:43pm
Adam- thanks for the post I was starting to think I was the only one with the high pressure blues. I like how you said you have been catching back up with "life"...I think my realization of how much catching up I could do is a big part of my blues...maybe it is time to rebalance (certainly my bank account). But as I type this the sound of the rain on my skylite is washing my blues away. Would I trade 20 years of kayaking for other things I may have missed out on? Hell no! (altho this smartphone is pretty cool) Guess I'm just a river bum, and have been for long enough that its to late for anything else
Haha...Let it rain!
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