Spills were taken, mistakes were made, and jangles were had but each misstep I took unveiled another fragment of the Payette beauty. When I arrived in Banks, a high water South Fork lap put me in the trough of the largest wave I had ever laid eyes on. I thought how in the world am I supposed to take on the mighty North Fork if its infant sister seems to be a monster whose clutches I barely escaped. Nonetheless, being cradled in the junction of the class II-III Main Payette, Class IV South Fork and varying levels of class V on the North Fork allowed me to be nursed from a newborn to big water to an overconfident teen ready to tackle my first lower five miles. I passed that first lap with flying colors, but shortly after on my second attempt, the mighty North Fork reared her head and reminded me of an important lesson that will hopefully now be imprinted on my brain. This lesson is that if you don't feel like you're on the top of your game, you're not. Just because you've done something once does not mean you will be successful the next time, or the time after that. Do scary things because you're confident and excited about it at that moment, not because you've done it before. My elderly and very frail but beloved 9r was a casualty of this mistake. With a fixable but significant crack in her bow, I decided it was time for a new partner in crime. Getting used to a new boat required me to return to the cradling arms of the South Fork and just as she had torn me down, the Payette built me back up once again. A month later, I was the most confident in a kayak I have ever been as I tackled my first top to bottom of the North Fork. The growing pains that led me to that moment were brutal but revealed the beauty of the Payette’s ability to push you down and help you come back bigger and better. I could not have chosen a better training ground for the year of kayaking ahead and am beyond grateful to the river, the people, and the energy of Banks, ID.
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