Erie PA Near Death Whitewater Kayaking ( Micro Creeking) first descent Belson Creek aka Gages Gulf

Belson Creek AKA Gages Gulf: 7. 5 square mi drainage 1. 75 ft Rt. 76 Ripley NY Gages Falls. From the center of the GoPro lens to my mouth is is between 10. 5 and 11 inches so a lot of this video I am barely underwater and the camera is not. If you cant here my moans there s a good chance Im underwater. I rationalized it several ways, none of which were legitimate. It was the last significant whitewater creek from the Ohio line to 20 miles past the NY line I hadn t run and really wanted to check it off the list. I knew it was deep because I camped back there 4 days solo this summer getting to know the run and clearing wood. The spot I almost died was actually where I took my baths. A deep pool is a critical safety feature on a sticky hole because you can ball up and sink to the bottom to get washed out which is sort of what saved me. I told myself the gauge is only at 1. 75 ft which isnt anything on any other creek, even though I didnt really know how to interpret that because it had never been run. The flume