The six year curse

 Within the last six months several very experienced paddlers i know and folk who are much better than I am i a kayak, have swam for the first time in around six years, giving rise to what has become known as the six year curse. With my sixth year approaching i knew it was coming!
 Now spring has sprung and the nights have gotten longer it's given the opportunity for adventures long into the evening and with the combination of ligament damage to my finger after the break and wet weather stopping climbing, kayaking has been on the cards. With split shift runs down the Findhorn gorge and a good session after an admin day Monday, it was time for a change of venue. I was keen for some air time so we headed over to the Etive. The granite bedrock slides and drops of the Etive give unique paddling more akin with the rivers of Val Sesia or Corsica than the Highlands of Scotland, and the snow capped peaks gave a stunning back drop. This is a perfect training ground for bigger drops and the rapids give excellent boof and flare lines, enough to give anyone their airtime fix!

After an ace session we head back to Fort William for a fast food fix and decided a quick blast down the Spean gorge was in order on the way home.
 A low level made the rapids technical and a combination of fatigue and being complacent meant some errors were made. Reaching "constriction" i ran first, clipping a rock normally covered in higher water i was pushed into the fold. The water forced me and the boat under the water and pinned me, fully submerged, between the rocks. I wasn't hanging around and popped the deck ending my swim free period! Luckily the force of the water filling the boat was enough to flush both me and the kayak from the pin and nothing damaged but my pride!
Despite the dunking it was an awesome couple days and another reminder why Scotland is the place to be for all outdoor sport!