Thanks a bunch man! Hopefully I'll get a chance to paddle with you sometime soon. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks a bunch man!

Appreciate it dude! Man you're everywhere in the comments on KZfaq paddling videos, have I ever paddled with you before?

Oh yeah this is Seth if you were wondering. I'm so jelly you got to paddle with Wade dude! Tell Jake I said "I miss your sultry bones"

Sure does... We sat there watching people run Oceana for about 30 minutes after we came down, and out of the 8 or 9 people who we watched run the center line, only 3 of them made it through smoothly without getting washed out of their intended line, or going upside down while still on the slide itself. Although that variation on the center line where you just fully commit, and use your speed to jump the entire hole in the middle of the slide like the guy at 3:20 did had a way higher success rate, and looks fun as hell!

No it didn't, The Thing really isn't nearly as bad as it looks, because god damn does it look intimidating! I walked it my first time down as well, same as you. But seriously, I went straight into it as you saw, and all it did was spray a shitload of water up my nose, and blinded me for a second afterwards which is why I hit the bottom at that really weird angle. Go for it for sure next time you get out there man, the rapid is over in 10 seconds, and you'll be sitting there at the bottom wishing you had gotten on it sooner! One of the biggest adrenaline rushes I've had in my life... Don't be afraid of The Thing, embrace it!

@@tankmaster1018 Thanks man. Hoping to get there in November!

@@DenverTide This November? Trying to get back up there at least once this year. Just got up to NC on the weekend of May 11th for the Cheoah release, but I'm pretty determined to get one or two Tallulah laps this year, and since none link up with the Week Of Rivers or a weekend that also has a Cheoah release, and I'd really consider coming back up whatever weekend you're planning on being there if you would want to paddle! What weekend are you thinking? November 2nd/3rd, the 9th/10th, or the 16/17th? That's if you want of course, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, lmfao!

Hey dude, sorry just saw this. I seriously doubt anyone featured in this video turned you down to paddle with them out of any malice, an elitist attitude, desire to gatekeep, or anything at all against you personally. Wade and his group are just constantly traveling and busy, as well as the fact that they have been paddling together longer then I've been alive, and as a result would be naturally apprehensive about letting someone who they haven't paddled with before and don't know their paddling skill level join their group. It's just a fact that when you get those small tight knit groups of paddlers who spent enough time together to be finishing each others sentences, they are going to be super cautious and uncomfortable with a new face in their group until they know you can handle anything you're likely to face. Don't get me wrong, being excluded from groups of paddlers who run class IV rapids and up feels like shit, and always shatters any sense of confidence, or pride in how my paddling has improved over the years, but it's almost never personal, and usually just because they don't want to see anyone get hurt, and would have no way of knowing if you were prone to accidents like that unless they had paddled with you before. Sort of a catch 22 since it's hard to show a person who won't paddle with you that you have the skill set to join, but I've always got around that by inviting them to paddle rivers gradually increasing in difficulty with me, until they start to feel comfortable and know what your capable of. You were also totally right though in your speculation. The only reason this ended up coming together was because I contacted Wade a literal year in advance, and asked him if he could be hired for the weekend to lead me and some other local paddlers from my area down the Cheoah and Tallulah for their PFD's. I paid him for both days as well like you suggested, I'm not even well known in my local rivers, so theres no way I had enough clout to join a group like that unless it was treated as a guided lesson. And even after he agreed to lead both days, our plans fell apart and we had to reschedule 3 separate times. Wade and his group are just busy and cautious, nothing more! You really shouldn't take that personally, I bet you anything that if you keep paddling and improving, you'll be able to join Wade anytime on rivers like this.