Nash and I made the big hike to one of Oregon's legendary mysto spots on Saturday. Two miles down a muddy switchback trail without any indication of what the waves would be like was enough to keep the weekend warriors away, but we'd done a little homework and were fully committed. When we reached the beach, we were greeted by a speedy a-frame barrel rifling in both directions. Not a soul in the water.
I paddled out first and quickly realized that my inexperience in hollow conditions limited my ability to make the most of the waves. For the first hour I didn't make ANY... Some would break with that perfect head-swivelling peel, but others would close out like a curtain call. The difference, when paddling into a peak, was sometimes tough to judge.
I eventually figured out where I needed to be to make the drop - right in the middle of the "U" where the wave was bending. After that I caught a couple steep rights and directed the heel side of my board toward the highest line it could hold, but I never even tried to duck into the tube, content to get speed and distance (and also a little wary about the prospect of getting slammed so far from civilization).
A few hours later, after checking out a peak where a couple other surfers had made their way into the water, Nash and I decided to take a break. By the time we had finished lunch, the wind picked up, the tide changed, and the waves were gone.
As we hiked back up the steep path, I kicked myself for not charging harder earlier. I'd have to get over my new fear of injury if I wanted the reward of my first tube.
Surf Punks "My Wave"
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9 comments:
Sounds like a great day at the beach!
Looks like you were there at low tide? That place is way mor managable when the tide fills in. I've probably had my best waves in Oregon down there.
We got there right at high, but because of the neap tide, it was really pretty low to begin with. Then, when it dropped even slightly, the waves turned to crapola.
Just don't tell Slim you went down without him. I surfed Needels on Sunday. It was serving up some fun beach break peaks. Heading to Shorties tomorrow... Wish I had the time to hit the above mentioned spot this week.
Uncertainty is what makes surfing so special.
The first time down there is magical, even if
the waves are perfect. My first time down was
with pete. We sweated our asses off charging
down the path and surfed some fun waves. On the
way back the skies turned black and we were pleated
with hail and monsoon style rain. Unforgettable.
Nice to hear you make the trek.
Oops. Meant to say even if the waves AREN'T
perfect and PELTED not pleated...guess I was
starting at my chinos when I wrote that.
Yo, Patrick! I think there are rumors of a trip down there again this weekend. Ask surly Slim for deets.
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