Living the Liquid Lifestyle: Yet Another Visit to my Favorite Place on Earth-- Dinkey Creek 2013!

Dinkey Creek is the very first river that I paddled in California and my first ever overnight kayaking trip. For this reason (along with it being a wonderland filled with 6 miles of the most fun, classic rapids and limited portaging), it has always held a special place in my heart.

Since my first trip there in 2009, I have made it a priority to make the pilgrimage back there every year since. This year was my 6th time paddling the creek and it was just as magical as ever! That said, this is also my 6th blog post about Dinkey Creek which means that if you've been following along, you've probably already seen the classic Dinkey photos and heard the classic Dinkey stories. I've definitely included some of those classics in my photos below, but I also wanted to share the things that made this trip extra special!

1) A Relaxed Hike-in/ Planning Ahead to Camp at Put-in- This was not the first time I've camped at the put-in, but it was the first time we chose to do this by choice, not by necessity (for that story, see http://theliquidlifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/dinkey-creek-spring-mission.html). By planning to camp at put-in, we were able to have a relaxed first day, leaving Sacramento in the morning and taking the time to enjoy the hike in rather than rush down it in order to make it to the first camp on the river.

Taking a break to enjoy the tributary creek on the way in

Relaxing riverside at the put-in

Enjoying the fire at our camp site

2) The Ladies! How awesome to paddle class 5+ in a group with as many women as there was men! It really was a pleasure to share the Dinkey experience with Katie and Jess and have some special "girl time" moments amidst all those big rapids. Having other females on the river is a special thing that I love and miss when continually surrounded by mostly male groups.

Jess and Katie enjoying some sun bathing on the hike in

3) Taylor Cavin- Yes, just having Taylor Cavin around makes everything extra special! Why you might ask? Well, simply put, "Tay Tay" is one of the most positive, energetic personalities I know and a real gem to have along on any paddling trip. Well known for packing a ukulele in his dry bag, Taylor always finds a way to make sure the trip stays exciting.

Taylor enjoying a Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Dog for breakfast from the gas station
on the way to the river

Taylor doing it right by hiking in a burrito and a PBR
(as well as some extra PBRs for the rest of us)

4) LJ in a Stubby- Unless you're LJ Groth, I really do not recommend paddling a Stubby down Dinkey Creek. But if you are LJ Groth and it's the only boat you have available, then charge on! It was pretty impressive to watch LJ style his first run down Dinkey Creek in a boat that was once considered a play boat (and loaded down with overnight gear mind you). One second LJ was running a class 5 rapid and the next second he was throwing flat water cartwheels (and sometimes he was doing both at the same time)!

LJ getting the Stubby ready to go

The Stubby even throws cartwheels in the middle of the Nikki Kelly slide! (Photo by Jess Matheson)

5) Extra Safety Set by Daan- The week prior to putting on Dinkey, just about everyone in our group had experienced either having been in or been present for a scary kayaking incident (look out for a blog post about that shortly) so we were all especially interested in having a safe and happy trip down the river. That said, we were super appreciative for Daan going above and beyond to be extra safe out there, specifically at the rapid shown below. For those that are not familiar, in 2011 there was a fatality at this rapid in the spot just up river of where Daan is standing. It is not easy to get where he is and I have personally never seen anyone set safety there before, but it was so nice to see Daan standing there with a rope when it was my turn to run the drop!

Daan setting safety at the rapid after the portage

6) The Drive Home- Dinkey Creek is in the middle of no where and the drive home typically isn't a highlight of my trip, but this time was different. Excited from an awesome time on the river and surrounded by great friends, the group really made the most of that long drive back to Sacramento. The best parts? The San Joaquin kit fox sighting and a rockin' dance party....