PDX River Explorers

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

Just a little something to celebrate Christmas!

Paddler: Luke Spencer

Photo: Brian Shulz

2011-12-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

2011 Hobuck Competition Video

video produced by Ginnette Marberry

See more from Creative Web Marketing @ http://www.creativewebmarketing.net/

ENJOY!

Italy / France Team Trip part 2: The Guil

2011-09-30T10:55:00.001-07:00

Our next target on the Fluid Team trip was the Guil. The Guil seemed to be a popular summer destination for Europeans paddlers. With great scenery and solid intermediate to advanced paddling I could see why. We paddled two sections of the Guil the "Combe de Chateau-Queyras" and the "Combe de l'Ange Gardien", which I'm told means "Guardian Angel Gorge".

The first section was very unique, with an old French castle perched high above a narrow gorge. The spot was a major tourist attraction with castle tours, rafting, and some cool canyoning in the gorge below the castle.

Looking out over the Guil River from high on the hill just below the castle

The Guil River with the castle high above the gorge

The Castle

The Gorge

Canyoning in the Gorge

Paddling towards the bridge and narrow canyon

Celliers Kruger in the Gorge

Fluid Team Paddler: Val Grollemund

Looking back up the Gorge

Celliers and David below the Gorge with the castle in the background

A nice boulder garden below the Gorge

Val Grollemund

Fluid Team Paddler: Hugh De Preez

Val Grollemund paddling through a very tight spot. This was a sketchy rapid and would have been a mandatory portage at higher water.

After paddling the Upper Castle Gorge and the rapids below it we continued downstream to the Guardian Angel Gorge section which had more great rapids.

The Guardian Angel Gorge didn't have any castles perched above the canyon walls but it provided great whitewater and solid scenery!

Guardian Angel Gorge

Hugh De Preez

Fluid Team Paddler: David Arnaud testing Fluid's new creek boat the "Bazooka"

Val Grollemund

Hugh De Preez

Val & Hugh

We were stoked on the late summer paddling that Paul and Val turned us on to in the Durance River Valley. The French Alps are a worthy summer destination for intermediate to advanced paddlers and provided a awesome testing grounds for the prototype Fluid creek boat we were testing "The Bazooka"!

Check Back Soon For Part 3 of the Italy France Team Trip!

Part 1: 2011 Fluid Team Trip ~Italy & France~

2011-09-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Torrent du Chichin / French Alps

Let me just start by saying the French Alps are an amazing place! The scenery, food, and the history in this area is hard to beat! I was lucky to have been invited by the owner of Fluid Kayaks to join himself and 5 other Fluid Kayak team members to paddle in the French Alps and test a new creek boat design.

The trip started with a short drive north to Seattle where my little brother Nate was kind enough to drop me at the airport and see me off to Italy. From there I made the 9 hr flight to Amsterdam where I had a 6 hr lay over before connecting to my final destination a small airport in Caselle about 45min out of Torino Italy.

Everything went unusually smooth for me and I arrived in Italy tired but stoked. I touched down late at night, which was a bit disorienting due to my lack of sleep and inability to speak Italian. The airport at Caselle was small and deserted when I arrived around 11pm. With the help from a local who spoke a small amount of english I was able to hop on a bus to Torino.

When I arrived in Torino I quickly found a hotel, celebrated with a beer at a local pub and hit the sack to try to sleep off some of the jet lag from the long flight. Italy is 9hrs ahead of the NW so the first two days were a bit rough.

My 1st beer in Italy

I woke up late (11pm) and with a day and a half to burn before meeting the the others I decided to cruise Torino and take in the sights. Torino was a busy place, stuffed with shops that were broken up by old Italian buildings from the 1700 and 1800's.

Sights around Torino

After seeing some of the sights in Torino I hopped the bus back to the airport where I met Hugh and Cellier who flew in from S. Africa and David a local paddler, guide, and interpreter. We hopped in David's car and drove to his house where him and his girlfriend ran a small European style bed and breakfast.

A nice home away from home!

Looking up the valley into the Italian Alps from David's house.

The pool with a view!

At David's we got our gear in order and the next morning took off to the Alps for some paddling! The boarders between Italy and France are pretty much non-existent. The only way I knew we were in France was because the writing had changed from Italian to French. Soon we were in the scenic French Alps making our way over a pass, through a ski town headed for the Durance Valley.

The French Alps

The crew

The roads were narrow, curvy, and crowded. Motorcycles using an imaginary middle lane and passing on the tight mountain corners almost out numbered the cars. Cyclist who seemed to think they were on the Tour De France braved all the motorized vehicles for an epic self torture mission to make the steep passes.

After descending the pass we arrived at a French fortification. Similar to a castle, fortifications were designed to keep towns safe from invading armies. Inside the walls of the fortification lied a small village with shops and restaurants.

The Fortification

The fortification entrance

Behind the walls of the fortification

After descending the pass we dropped into the Durance River Valley where we got our first taste of whitewater.

At the Torrent du Chichin we met up with two French Fluid Team paddlers, Paul and Val. With no prior warm up the Frenchies led us straight to a French Park & Huck. The 1st drop was a 10-12 ftr with a tricky entrance. The 2nd was a 15-20 ft 30deg slide that spouted up like a fan and off the final small ledge. We all met at the trail head which was popular with hikers, we geared up and made a short hike to the top of the falls.

Torrent du Chichin

Hugh below the falls

David headed down the funnel

Hugh in the lower spout

After the Park & Huck we headed to the Fournel. The guys told me this was a hard one to catch and that we were lucky to paddle it in August. The Fournel was a small creek with a bunch of man made structures designed to slow down the water during the high season. For us it was a chance to test our boofs!

Me running a drop on the Fournel

Hugh

David

Val

Free Wheel Sequence

Hugh

On the way up I noticed the canyon below our take out looked steep and deep When we got done it was obvious that there was undoubtedly some steep rapids in there. Unfortunately the water was diverted and apparently there was not much info on it. Val told me it was better for canyoning.

The canyon below

The next day we headed to the Guil River which was very cool!The Guil offered great scenery and quality rapids!

Stayed tuned for Part 2 ~The Guil~

Wenatchee River

2011-07-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

For whitewater lovers the Wenatachee River has been a long time summer destination! Located on the east side of the North Cascades the Wenatchee has great summer time flows, sunshine, great camping, and whitewater for all levels. Summer time Class 5 boating can be found on Tumwater Canyon and Icicle Creek. Tumwater Canyon has some of the best big water class 5 kayaking in the NW, while Icicle has continuous, steep, and technical class 5-5+.

For those wanting something a little mellower head to the German style town of Leavenworth aprx. 15 minutes west form the normal class 3 takeout. From Leavenworth paddlers will enjoy big water that is well suited for intermediates.

Just above Cashmere play boaters will be treated to world class play. Spots like Rodeo Hole, Trinity, Turkey Shoot, and Grannies will keep even the best play boaters satisfied!

After a long day of boating head into Leavenworth and enjoy a good German beer in a German style town set below steep snow covered peaks. Let yourself drift off and you may think you have flown to Europe!

If the flows are between 12,000-2000 go check out the Wenatchee!

Shots of Tumwater Canyon at High Water 10,000cfs

The play is great! This was between 8,000-10,000cfs

T at Rodeo Hole

Willie dodging rafts

Me at Rodeo

T Ripping

Willie

Willie on Turkey Shoot

Willie

Sunny weather, great camping, fabulous whitewater and world class playboating make this area a summer trip not to be missed!

SYOTR!

A bit of the Little White Salmon

2011-05-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is hard to get photos when you are bombing down the river. Here are some shots that I was able to quickly snap off on the Little White Salmon the other day!

The Little White is undoubtedly one of the best runs around! For local class 5 paddlers the run is a staple. When the sun is shining in the Columbia river Gorge you can bet you will find the who's who of NW paddlers hanging around the take out amped to run some laps on this gem. Here are some pics from the lower section of the L-Dub.

Dan Rubado headed into the Gorge above Stovepipe

Dan & Brookes Foster in the goods

Ryan Scott

Stovepipe

Ryan Scott / Stovepipe Right Side

Brookes / Stovepipe Right Side

Joel D Meadows / Stovepipe Right Side

Ryan Young / Stovepipe Left Side

Spirit Falls

Chaos + logs

Ryan says "I will see you on the Gnarr! Catch you soon!

Mollalla R. Table Rock Fork Gorge

2011-04-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Table Rock Gorge has been one of those spots that alludes me for no good reason. The Molalla R. is most famous for its fun class 3-3+ section known as the "Three Bears Run", but it also has a handful of other fun sections. The Table Rock Fork has 3 sections on its own including the Lower Table Rock Fork, The Table Rock Fork Gorge and the Upper Table Rock Fork. There is also the Nasty Fork and its upper section known as the "Copper Creek" stretch.

Supposedly there is a nice class 4 stretch on the North Fork Molalla that is rarely run do to a locked gate. For playboaters there is a great play spot known as the "Warehouser Wave" that lies down stream in the easier class 2-3 whitewater below the Glenn Avon Bridge.

With many sections waiting to be explored the Molalla still sees very few paddlers. The Table Rock Gorge is probably the least run section in the drainage. I think many paddlers had read the write up of this section on the Oregon Kayaking website and been steered away. The write up describes the slot in the middle of the canyon to be very dangerous and possibly un-runnable at flows over 700cfs. A slot drop in a walled out canyon with a large boil pushing in to a nasty undercut room was not making it sound inviting. But the Oregon Kayaking crew had explored the section at a very low 400cfs and we wanted to check it out for ourselves.

My friend Jeremy had been itching to find a sucker who would probe into the canyon with him. He claimed it was good to go if we had the right level. So during a trip down the Nasty Fork we scouted the gorge at 3700cfs, this was NOT he flow we wanted. However after scouting the rest of the stretch I was stoked to at least knock off the rest of the gorge even if I didn't run "The Slot". A few weeks later I called Jeremy and we decided the flows looked good, so we headed out to give it a shot.

The rest is what you call history!

The entrance ledge to the gorge looks easy from the road but be careful it can be a bit deceiving form the road

The Entrance ledge that entices paddlers to enter the tight Table Rock Gorge

Looking at the entrance ledge from the road

Looking down into the scenic Table Rock Fork Gorge of the Molalla

The main reason why paddlers avoid this section

The ledge just below the slot drop

Jeremy Happy to be in the Scenic TR Gorge

Time to see what this nasty slot drop is all about!

Jeremy Bisson fires off the "The Slot"

Jeremy says "Money Bro! No probs!

Is that the upside down claw?

Me in the gorge after running 'The Slot"

I agree with Jeremy, scenic and sick!

keep exploring

SYOTR!

Another Change for Canyon Creek Washington

2011-04-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature never stops altering our world and water seems to be one of its most powerful elements!

Over the weekend paddlers gathered on Canyon Creek as they do on many weekends during the rainy season. As we geared up to descend the creeks tight canyons and rapids no one really knew of the surprise waiting down stream. A few had come form out of town for their first run on the classic stretch. These paddlers would run creek with blissful ignorance never knowing the monumental change that occurred to Canyon Creeks river bed.

For the locals who know Canyon Creek intimately the change in store would be a huge surprise.

The Boulder Garden as it is called is one of more challenging rapids on Canyon Creek. The long Boulder Garden climax's with two ledges. The first is a ramp style ledge with a large whoop de do. The second is a 8ft non vertical ledge with a hole that has the reputation of being sticky and retentive. Many paddlers have been caught off line and paid the price at the final ledge.

Like many other times before I approached the first of the two ledges and lined up so I would be in a good spot for the final ledge as approached the 2nd ledge and prepared for a boof I was astonished to find no more ledge.

What was left in its place was an easy flume style rapid with no hole. The consequence was gone and the ledge's reputation for being a crux move was no longer appropriate, the threat of getting a beat down was gone!

Part disappointment with part relief.

As I sat in the eddy with the rest of the group the appropriate eddy buzz could be described as stunned! The old days of nervous paddlers hoping for good lines through the final Ledge of the Boulder Garden would only live in photos and in memories......

For those of you that never saw the final Ledge here it is. For those of you that new and loved that last drop in the Boulder Garden here is a few pics to remember it fondly.

I think we should name the new rapid "Cake Walk"!

The NEW Flume Rapid that replaced the old sticky ledge

The old rapid know as the 2nd or final Ledge of the Boulder Garden

Thats all for now!

East Fork Lewis River Creek vs. Play!

2011-04-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

The EFL is a thought to be one of the NW's best step up creek runs for paddlers looking to start creek boating. With the waterfall run on the EFL providing quality class 4 creeking most boaters never even think about the play that comes in at higher levels. When the level reaches 2500cfs and up some nice play features come in. So next time you are on the EFL and its up don't forget to bring your play boat!

The normal line at Horseshoe Falls 2500cfs/Jeremy B.

A nice play wave on the EFL just past the normal take out

Eddy service!

Mike Olsen

Jeremy B.

A new spot we found that looked nice!

SYOTW!

Hagan Gorge

2011-03-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hagan Gorge and the NF Washougal is one of my favorite runs. The Washougal R. drainage is a great place in the spring with tons of amazing whitewater! I always enjoy Hagan Gorge/NF Washougal . Check it out!

The re-arranged log jam and portage above the start of the gorge

The bottom of the log jam.

Allen Satcher/Euphoria

Tea Kettle

Me/Tea Kettle

Orion/Tea Kettle

Allen/Crack in the Earth

Orion/Crack in the Earth

Back at you with more soon!

New Kayak Porn to come : Halo Effect

2011-02-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

This looked liked it might be entertaining so I thought I would share, I look forward to seeing it!

Eagle Creek

2011-02-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Eagle Creek that drains in to the Clackamas River's lower stretch is a fun warn up for paddlers looking to get some easy creeking under their belt. The run is mainly class 2-3 with 2 fun waterfalls. If you are a competent class 4-5 boater this run may bore you. However the two falls make it worth paddling this section at least once. If you have friends that want to step it up and get some drops in this could be a good place to test the waters.

Easy class 2-3 and a couple easy log portages bring you to the first falls.

The First Falls is super clean and easy! With enough water it can be run just about anywhere

Falls #1

The second falls is more difficult then the first and being off line here can have bad consequences! Be sure to scout really well. The line is river right near the fish ladder.

Falls #2 Eagle Fern Falls also our take out

SYOTR

~luke

High Water Hits the NW!

2011-01-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days a strong storm hammered the NW and although we love the rain sometimes the drenching rain can be hard to correlate with river levels. The rivers can go from being too low to being off the chart and things definitely went off the chart!

Sherars Falls on the Deschutes

Trestle from High up on the cliff

The Trestle Wave on the Deschutes R. in Eastern Oregon is a place that few have surfed because it rarely reaches optimal levels. I have been told it comes in between 12,000 and 18,000cfs but I have not had the opportunity to experience it.

The only people I know that have actually surfed the wave are some of the old school playboaters who I learned with. Lucky for me the guys that I to looked up to then are know great paddling buddies of mine! When I received a call from Todd that Trestle was in I loaded gear and headed east 2.5 hours to see what Trestle Wave is all about.

2.5 hours later we arrived at the spot. Its a short steep hike down to the river and a short paddle down river to the wave. Where you park is high above the wave which makes for a tough scout. When we arrived the parking spot was empty and my friends were no where to be found. We looked at the wave and it looked huge the river was full of debris with large logs floating down river.

We thought to our selves is it too high?? Dan informed us that there was another wave/hole a few miles down river that they may have fled to. We decided to go check for them and see what was up. When we arrived at the other spot known as the Sissy Wave the boys were already playing. The wave looked very nice big fluffy and steep!

Sissy wave is a very large wave/hole with a reasonably steep left shoulder and a very retentive pit in the middle. At this level the ferry out to the wave was very difficult, one of the hardest I've been to. Once you made it on the wave it was sick!

Despite the sweet play at Sissy Wave we were all a bit disappointed to not surf Trestle. We sessioned at Sissy Wave until it felt like we could session no more and headed up to scout Trestle Wave again.

Our scout was from high up on the cliff and from here it looked burly. We knew if it looked stout from here it definitely was.

Scouting from high on the cliff

Sissy Wave a few aprx 2 miles below Trestle Wave

Debris in the river

Todd surfing Sissy Wave and dodging logs

Dan R.

Bryan C.

If running creeks at high water is running the brown, then this would be considered playing in the brown!

Trestle Wave at over 18,000cfs from 150-200ft up

Till next time!

Dawn Patrol on Lacamas Creek

2011-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Creeking, playboating or river running, there is nothing quite like early morning kayaking before work. In the NW we are lucky to live in a place where the rivers are close.

25 minutes from Portland Lacamas Creek is a great short run. It drains Lacamas Lake just outside of Camas Washington. The creek is less than 1.5 miles and has 3 drops and one class 3 rapid.

Dawn Patrol in the parking lot at Lacamas Lake

Paddlers access the creek by making a short hike from the parking lot at Lacamas Lake Park. Follow the well used trail, cross the dam and put in on river left just below the dam.

High water spill off at the dam

The day we paddled Lacamas Creek the gate was locked at the dam and a sign informed hikers of the access closure do to high water. Despite the closure we were still able to access the put in.

Paddlers usually run the class 4 drop at the put in then continue down to the first waterfall. At high flows the first drop has a stout hole on river left.

Because we had good flow we were able to run a nice 12-13 ft kicker coming off the middle left of the falls. At lower flows this waterfall has some nasty looking rock formations living up to its name Pot Hole Falls.

Dave Hoffman scouting the first falls

The entrance to the first falls

The Lip of the first falls

Ryan Scott with a crushing boof of the first falls

Chuck Taylor

A view of the first falls from below

Dave Hoffman

The second falls named Little Norway by local kayakers is a long stout slide. It starts very low angle and steepens half way through. At high water the entrance has a big hole and the top of the 2nd steeper portion has 2 giant spine style kickers. With the speed we carried down the slide neither were a problem, but don't scout the drop too long or you may talk your self out of running the it.

The second falls "Little Norway"

Looking at the upper portion of the slide

A view of Little Norway from below

Me running Little Norway
Photo: Dave Hoffman

After Little Norway it is a short class 2 paddle to the take out.

If paddlers are looking for a quick whitewater fix and the water is up Lacamas makes a great option!

See you on the water!

Winter Playboating in the NW

2010-12-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

When paddlers talk about boating in the NW its usual about the top notch creeking and river running. It is less common to here people speaking about the great play boating. There are a however some fantastic play spots here, like Bob's Hole which is probably the play spot paddlers are most familiar with. Some of the other great spots are less well know, but are probably as good or better than Bob's. The Washougal, Wilson, Lake Creek, and the Tilton all have fantastic play spots. It is also accepted that paddlers will normally encounter frigid water temps, a bit different than the warmer waters of the Midwest, SE, and East Coast. To brave the frigid NW waters a dry suit, head warmer, ear plugs and a set of pogies will make the experience more delightful.

For a full description of play spots around the Portland area check out the NW Play Spots page on my blog http://pdxriverexplorers.blogspot.com/p/oregon-play-spots.html

Bob's Hole

Clackamas R.Oregon

Brian C.

The Washougal Hole

Washougal R./Washington

Paddlers on the Washougal Hole at medium flows

Dan R.

Joel D.

Brookes F. and Scott W.

Willie I.

Brookes F.

Washougal Hole at HIGH water 7000cfs

Paul

Jess K.

Ryan Y.

Me and Jeremy B.

Tony S.

Don't forget to check out the NW Play Spots page on my blog for more detailed play boating info!

South Fork of the Wilson R. "Prison Camp Section" Undiscovered or Rediscoverd?

2010-11-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

S.F WILSON October 2010

shot form the bridge at Highway 6

With all the paddlers cruising the internet and tromping around the woods these days it's rare paddlers stumble upon new runs, but the South Fork Wilson would prove to be one of those rare opportunities. Unable to find any information on the creek I figured it was either forgotten about or had never been run. I drove by often without even realizing it was there. Time after time I had blown right by the South Fork on my way to the Wilson's amazing play waves. One day with little expectation I decided to drive up the road that follows the creek After a mile of mainly class 2, I came across a unexpected double drop, a quick scout determined it was runnable and I continued upstream.

2 miles or so above the double drop was a small canyon with a boulder garden, this was enough to convince me the SF was worth paddling. The following season after a little bit off flow research I would make the descent.

The double drop

Early rain brought the SF in so I decided not to wait any longer. I was able to scout aprx. 50% of the creek from the road and figured we could work our way down with out trouble.

Our put in was a large pull out on river left aprx 4 miles above the confluence with the Main Wilson. The put in was just upstream and around the corner from the lead in of the class 4-5 canyon. The canyon started out class 3 and quickly steepened into back to back class 4-5 rapids. There were two major drops with tricky lead-ins, then it eased off with a nice class 4 boulder garden which exited into mellower water. After the exit boulder garden the creek backed off to class 2 as it made its way to the class 4 double drop. All of the hard rapids were in the top section above the Prison Camp, below the camp the creek was class 2-3. There was a short section of flat water and a couple log portages between the double drop and the Prison Camp.

The Put In

Upstream of the put in

The lead-in above the canyon

Looking down stream from an eddy above the creeks steepest section

Class 3 lead-in

The class 3-4 lead-in to the canyon

Looking back up at the class 3-4 lead-in to the canyon

The first of the big two rapids in the canyon we didn't name but, I kind of like "Assault with a Deadly Weapon"

Photo Brian Shulz

Me running "Assault with a Deadly Weapon"

Photo Brian Shultz

The 2nd big drop in the canyon was a slot drop we named Knuckle Buster

Knuckle Buster

The horizon line at Knuckle Buster

Me above Knuckle Buster

Photo Brian Schulz

Me busting my knuckle

Photo Brian Schulz

The exit boulder garden out of the canyon we named "Exit"

The exit out of the canyon

The 3 ft ledge above the double drop

A log in the upper ledge of the double drop

Brian dislodging a poorly placed log in the double drop

Looking down at the double drop

The top ledge of the double drop

Brian about to make he weir portage at the Prison Camp

Brian paddling some class 3 in the lower section

We made quick work of the class 2-3 in the lower section and founds ourselves at the confluence in no time. The run took us aprx 3 hours or so but it could easily be done in a hour and a half. The SF was one of the better exploratory runs I've done in a while and I hope others will go check it out. Look for the Main Wilson to be over 6.5 feet.

Till next time...

Here Today Gone Tomorrow: Urban kayaking

2010-10-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

This mission started with an email from my buddy Nate who informed me of a unique opportunity to paddle a short section of creek below Lake Oswego Lake. The email outlined that the City of Lake Oswego would be draining Lake Oswego Lake in order to remove and then replace an old sewage pipe that was located beneath the lake. Nate's email include some specific information regarding time and flow. He told me that the lake would be drained using large pumps and combined with the gate used to release water there would be adequate flow to run the creek. The access around the dam was private and he asked us not to attract any attention (which would prove difficult). We would have a few days to complete the descent before they would stop pumping water over the dam. The city of Lake Oswego was calling this the lake Down Project. The flow provided by the project would bring life to a creek that hadn't had flow in our lifetime and unless a disaster struck it would not happen again.

We made plans to meet early in the AM before work that upcoming Saturday for the descent. We arrived Saturday to find aprx. half of the pumps on and we hung around waiting for more pumps to flow. But as the clock ticked on we decided we couldn't wait. We grabbed our boats and made a couple of successful runs before being greeted by a angry land owner. The land owner insisted that we were trespassing on his land, so we called it a day in hopes that we could return with more water.

We arrived the second day to find the same flow and surprisingly, another group of kayakers . We warned them of the angry landowner and they headed for the put in. To avoid any more run ins with the local landowners, we set shuttle down river at a park where the creek confluenced with the Willamette.There wasn't much worth paddling below the slide but we avoided another land rights dispute.

The take out at the local park right on the Willamette

The magic pump machine

1st day with half the pumps going

Day 3 with a pump going and the gate open

Day 4: The flow with all the gates pumping

The pics below are from day 1

An Early Morning Mission

Willie Illingworth & Ryan Scott

Willie Illingworth

Pics from Day 2

Ryan Scott setting up to catch the action

Chuck Taylor with the sick entry move!

Jacob and Matt from the other group

Jacob

Bryon Dorr

Me and Bryon Dorr, Blue Angel style

Bryon Dorr

A view of the creek below the slide

Bryon Dorr

Day 2 started off pretty good and then the cops showed up, we thought we were busted for sure. One cop found me on river left while the other came in from river right to chat with the safety and video crew. The crew that had shown up earlier scattered leaving us to talk with the cops. After a brief conversation the police told us our only legal access option was to utilize the public trail on river right below the houses and to stay within the high water line. We happily agreed and continued our park and huck! Thanks Lake Oswego police for solidifying our right to access this park and huck!

Pics from Day 4 with all the pumps going

Me making the one handed log duck

Thanks, Lake Down Project!

After the completion of the descent we were interested to know a bit more about the project that allowed us to take part in this unique experience. Here is some of the info and pics we found. The vids below give a bunch of cool info on the project and I encourage readers to check them out. I found some old photos as well on Lake Oswego's Public library website that I thought were cool too.

I have left two links below that describes the Lake Down Project more clearly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnnN2pYJRzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91oJRQ1KySk&feature=related

Thanks for taking the time to check out the blog!

Till next time.

Don't Miss The 2010 PDX Kayaker Film Festival November 13th

2010-10-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Paddlers

This is the 10th Anniversary of the PDX Kayaker Films and this year should be a awesome time! Mark your calenders for November 13th so you don't miss out.

Late Summer Kayaking on Mt. Adam's! "Upper Upper Cispus River"

2010-09-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

~August and September can be a bit dry on the local Columbia River Gorge runs. Rivers like the Little White Salmon, White Salmon, and the Wind all get a bit bony. But in the endless search to keep paddling, the NW never disappoints. You don't have to drive to far to find the find fluffy stash's of white water.~

Name: Upper Upper Cispus
Description: The Upper Upper section of the Cispus is a great run! Waterfalls, boulder gardens, canyons, ledges, slot drops, mank, and wood all lie within its tight walls. Cold water, wood and mank keep some paddlers away, but the quality drops that make up the majority of this run make it more than worth while. Wood and pin potential seems to be a bit higher on the U.U. Cispus but I wouldn't consider the drops much harder than that of other local class 5 runs. Luckily, for paddlers the majority of the wood lies in the class 3 sections and is pretty easy to avoid.
Location: Mt Adams Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Class: solid 5
Season: mid-late summer after peak runoff
Length: 6 miles
Water Level: Paddlers have been known to run the U.U. Cispus all the way down to 350cfs on the gauge at Randle. Optimal seems to be somewhere in the 500-600cfs range. above 800cfs would be considered high by most and over 1000cfs is a stomping level!
Access: Easy
Gnarr Factor: Medium
Blister Factor: Low

~The pictures below were taking after a hot spell when the Cispus Gauge at Randle was reading high 500's cfs. We all agreed it was a nice medium flow, maybe optimal for masses!~

Ryan Young running the first just around the corner from the put in

Tony on the 1st waterfall

Ryan Young at the Piton Ledge

Me at Island Drop

Tony at Island Drop

Ryan Young 1st ledge in the gorge

Ryan Young at the hole near the end of the gorge

Ryan at the bottom of the hole

Tony S. top ledge of the gorge

Tony S.

Me headed in to Behemoth Falls

Me at the bottom of Behemoth

The top of the boulder garden bellow Behemoth

Tony smiling with Behemoth behind him!

Till next time!

Summit Creek Slides in June

2010-07-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Summit Creek is a tiny tributary of the Klickitat River aprx. 2 miles from the Yakima Indian Reservation. After seeing pics of Skate Park Falls I was very interested in checking out Summit Creek. Being late June I wasn't sure it would have enough water, but after hearing whispers that it was all spring fed we were curios enough to check it out. With that said I was still skeptical being that it was the latest anyone had been in. It was late June and having adequate water on a creek of that size seemed hard to believe, but here are my findings!

Name: Summit Creek, Lower Gorge (yes there is a upper section)
Description: A tiny trib. of the Klickitat Summit Creek is a bit of a novelty run with a handful of fun slides and two gnarly class 5+ slides. The section paddlers come for is all pool drop slides with two nasties that stick out above the rest, you might even say paddlers come for Skate Park Slide Falls alone. The rest of the slides are very fun and low consequence, totally the opposite of Skate Park and the drop below it. An absolutely breathtaking waterfall Skate Park is also one of the most unique drops I have ever seen! A nearly vertical slide totaling 70-80ft with a wicked transition and a nasty kicker that will send paddlers 15ft in the air and 20 or so feet out. Directly below Skate Park is a 25 ft slot drop that narrows as it drops. The other large slot drop below Skate Park is just wide enough to fit a kayak or if you ask Dan M. a raft on one tube standing up.
Location: SW Washington
Class: 4+ (with 2 gnarly 5+'s)
Season: Fall to early Summer
Water Levels: The gauge is visual only. Most paddlers tackle Summit Creek after a rain storm, however a group of us headed paddled the creek in June during a bit of a dry spell and were surprised to find that everything was runnable. All of us portaged the slot drop after Skate Park Falls, and Zone Dogg ran Skate Park at low water. The rest of the falls had adequate water although I will not go back at the level we ran it. Skate Park Falls seemed a bit bony for a 70ftr.
Access: The access to the lower run is easy, requiring a 10 minute walk down a old gravel road.
Gnarr Factor: Low, except for the two class 5+ rapids
Blister Factor: Medium if you portage Skate Park Falls.

The Evidence:
Below are pictures of the take out were paddlers can get a visual on the flow. I shot a pic of a the rock on river right that could be used to gauge the flow. I think if the small boulders above the main rock in the pic were covered you would have better flow in the gorge.

The Take Out

The pic below shows my gauge rock if the little rocks above the biggest rock have water flowing over them you will have a nice flow. The flow pictured here would be a mellow level for the apprehensive yet curious paddlers.

My Gauge Rock

This is the bridge over the Klickitat at the confluence of Summit creek and the Klickitat if you are here you are in the right place.

The Klickitat as seen up stream of the bridge near the confluence

Sure signs of wild life

Looking down the canyon from the road on the hike in

Zone Dogg

Ryan Young scoping flows at the put in

Looking down stream from the put in

Pics of the manky stretch above the canyon

Manky class 3 on the way to the gorge

Ryan Young in the Mank!

The first good slide

Zone Dogg scouting the 30ftr and the pool above Skate Park

The 2nd 30ft slide was super clean

Zone Dogg on the 2nd 30ft slide

Another view of the nice 30ft slide

The horizon line at Skate Park Falls!

Check out how small the person is scouting on the cliff in right side of the pic on the cliff!

Skate Park Falls, WOW!

Views looking down the falls

The entrance to Skate Park

Unfortunately the camera wasn't ready but we did manage to get this sequence of Bobby Miller, which shows the kicker at the bottom. The camera angle from the bottom makes it look way smaller than it is.

Zone Dogg hitting the kicker!

Next comes the nasty slot drop. This has been run but we deemed it unworthy at this flow! You get a good perspective with the pic below. You can see the size with Ryan standing next to it for perspective.

The slot drop

We seal launched of the cliff into this next slide which is an extension of the slot drop. Be careful not to piton when you launch.

The slide just below the slot drop

The same drop looking back up stream

The last good slide before the run out MANK!

Ryan Young in the run out

The Yakima Indian restrictions! I suggest you don't get caught in the res. with the goods.

All in all the is a very unique run well worth doing a few times especially if you run Skate Park Falls. With that said if you do run Skate Park it is no joke. This is a very tall drop with consequences for mistakes. A few very good paddlers have had to take some time off paddling after this one. It guarantees a sore back so book your chiropractic appointment before you go!

SRG class five and much much more!

2010-07-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

As ridges begin to appear on Mt. Hood and the peak snow melt begins to subside there is special place in Oregon where determined kayakers go to get their class 5 fix.

But this place is not just a solid dose of class five, it is much much more. The sheer cliffs, polished basalt canyons, and towering waterfalls create a place of magic and a place for adventure!

This special place is Mt. Hood's Salmon River Gorge. Located deep in the Huckleberry Wilderness the SRG Falls off the end of the earth as it makes towards the Sandy River.
Kayakers paddle through tight gorges and over breathtaking waterfalls in a canyon that most people will only get a\to peak at from high above the gorge on the trail.

Shuttle Logistics: To descend the SRG paddlers are required to get an early start, make 2 mile hike from above, or make the 8 mile hike in from the takeout. If paddlers decide to come from above it is highly recommended that they find a shuttle driver to drive cars out from where the hike starts or enjoy a 4 hour shuttle after the run. There is great camping at the end of the road where the hike starts.

The shuttle is an adventure in its own, requiring a good map, keen sense of direction, and high clearance vehicle. Both will be necessities to complete this one day expedition!

Water Levels: The SRG is a summer run. It is usually paddled after the peak runoff starts to slow. Mt. Hood should be starting to show some ridges and rock, but don't wait too long or you will be disappointed with low water. On the other hand going in too early could be a humbling experience. Getting some beta from SRG veterans like Ryan Scott and others is a wise choice!

You can get a visual on the flow at the take-out bridge. If it looks a little bony but you can float your boat over the upstream rapid you should be fine. If it looks even a bit on the full side you may want to wait a for it to come down

The Run: The run itself is of pool drop character. But don't be fooled the SRG pools are sanctuaries between large class 5-5++ waterfalls. There are a few fun drops to ease the whiteness of your knuckles but bring your A game. Frustration will likely max out your adrenaline levels and if that doesn't do it, running 80ft Final Falls will!

Paddlers will need to have a plan for getting around Final Falls since portaging on foot is NOT an option! Paddlers will be faced with either jumping a 70-80ft cliff or making a 90 ft rappel with rope and harness.

Once paddlers have finished the rappel there is a few class 4 boulder gardens and one that is usually portaged. After the portage paddle out some mellow class 2-3 for about 30min. down to the bridge/take out.

If you are lucky enough to have a shuttle driver this is where your adventure ends!

Till next time!

One of our shuttle rigs

Ryan and Joe making on the hike

The crew gearing up to descend the canyon

Looking down river from Split Falls

Split Falls

Ryan Scott/Split Falls

Bobby Miller AKA Zone Dogg/Split Falls

Tadd Wells/Split Falls

Split Falls and the Boulder Garden just above the Portage

Random manky ledge above Disappearing Falls

Ryan Scott/Little Niagara

Bobby Miller Giving the Thumbs up to Disappearing Falls

Bobby Miller/Vanishing Falls

Joe Stumphel/Vanishing Falls

Bobby Miller/Exit Drop in Vanishing Gorge

Ryan Young/Exit Drop Vanishing Gorge

Joe on a random ledge

Looking down river towards Frustration Falls

Portaging the first tier of Frustration due to new wood

Frustration Falls

The Exit out of Frustration Falls

Ryan/Frustration

Joe/Frustration

Joe on the drop below Frustration and above Final Falls

Bobby Miller

The Crew above Final Falls

Scouting Final Falls

Final Falls

The rappel!

Joe Running the portage in the class 4 run out

2010 Upper Clackamas Festival

2010-05-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

Every May whitewater enthusiast converge on the Upper Clackamas River for a weekend of competition and good times. The UCWWF hosts a wide variety of whitewater disciplines including raft, cataraft, kayak, inflatable kayak, riverboard, and drift boat. The hardshell kayak competitions include a playboat mass start, boater X or boater cross which is 4 person head-to-head through gates, freestyle, downriver, slalom, and freestyle aerial ramp. Now that is a list that should cover every one's specialty!

Other happenings include clinics, free BBQ, music, vendors, camping, and a great party!

There is great beginner, intermediate and expert paddling close by. NF Clackamas, Roaring R., Collowash and June Creek are fun for intermediate to expert paddlers and Bob's to Memaloose for beginners.

Ambitious paddlers with extra energy and time may want to venture up to the scenic and soothing Bagby Hot Springs aprx 1 hour from the Carter Bridge event site.

The 2011 Upper Clackams Whitewater Festival will be hosting the National Rafting Championships so be sure to check the website for info!

For more info on the event go to http://www.upperclackamasfestival.org/

Here are some cool pics from the 2010 Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival!

Mass Start & Boater X Pics
Photo: Ginnette Marberry

Photos: Dave Brigg

Pics from the Big Air Ramp!
Photos: Tobin Daily

Photos: "ORT" Oregon Rafting Team

Upper Klamath Festival

2010-04-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

For the last couple of seasons in mid-April ORT and Noah's Rafting put on a kick ass event the, "Upper Klamath River Festival".

This years event was fun as usual. Thanks ORT and Noah's!

Tim Brink

The race course was from Caldera and went ended at State Line Rapid. The rafts took about 40 minutes to complete the course.

Photos of Caldera

Scouting Caldera

The girls in the Champagne Eddy after Hells Corner!

R2!

2010 NW Creeking Competition

2010-04-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

This April saw the 4^th Annual NW Creeking Comp on the East Fork Lewis River. 81 competitors showed up to negotiate the falls and rapids of the EF race course competing in a range of categories including K1, R2 and IK.

Tao Berman showed up sweeping the field and taking first in Men’s Pro Short Boat, Long Boat and Mass Start. Kim Russel took first in the Women’s Pro settling last year’s tie between her and Christie Glissmeyer and Drew Eastman took first in Men’s Expert

With 13 R2 teams on the course there was no shortage of entertainment for spectators who came up to watch the action at Sunset Falls!

The local gals from Femme 45 brought the night alive with the premiere of LVM 33 and the fun continued late into the night with dancing, drinking and hanging around the fire!

Cooperative water levels along with sunshine stoked out participant and with a free BBQ, t-shirts and camping everyone agreed that the 2010 NW Creeking Competition was an event not to be missed!

For 2010 results and info on next year’s event visit www.northwestcreekcomp.org

Until next year Enjoy the photos!

The short boat class, Kenney Kiley of "Blunt Family Paddles" on deck

3,2,1, Go!

Ryan Young

Dan Rubado

Ross "the Boss" Henry

Kenny Kiley

Willie Illingworth

Mike Olsen

Nate Herbeck

Chris Benseh

Drew Eastmen

JP!

Dick S. one of the starters

The Longboat division

Rafts!

The Next Adventure BBQ!

Awards!

The Femme 45 LVM 33 premiere!

The Party!

The party Monster!

Reunited with Bob's Hole!

2010-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

Around 2005 after a shift in the river bed Bob's Hole seemed to just disappear. With Bob's gone people stopped coming to play and the eddy fell quite. Amazingly, like magic Bob's Hole seemed to reform this winter! Everyone is happy to have Bob's back, it is not exactly like it was, but it is close and I am grateful!

So here is a clip from Bob's around 1900cfs!

Northwest Creeking Competition April 10-11

2010-02-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

www.northwestcreekcomp.org

Paddlers
Spring is on its way and so is the 2010 Northwest Creeking Competition. April 10-11 paddlers will confluence on the East Fork Lewis River just outside of Yacolt, Washington to find out who can navigate the class 4+ creek course the fastest. The competition showcases the most competitive K1, R2, and IK down river creek races in the Nation. No other event offers the variety of whitewater racing disciplines in a down river class 4-5 creek race as the NW Creeking Competition! The competition also offers a fun category for first time racers looking to test the waters.

Spectators can easily access Sunset Falls at Sunset Falls Park to watch competitors take the 15 ft plunge over the falls before continuing down the course towards the gorge section!

A competitor takes the middle line at Sunset Falls

Racers diplaying questionable technique on Sunset Falls

Freestyle time at Sunset!

Come enjoy a great time on the East Fork Lewis River April 10-11!

Bob's Hole Beta Update

2010-02-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

Bob's is Back!

After a session on Tuesday at 1750cfs I felt it was necessary to do a bit more research on this recent phenomenon. Sometime in the last couple of months Bob's Hole seemed to magically reappear. This is great news since it vanished about 4 or 5 years ago. It also gives Portland boaters two great spots on the Clackamas that come in at different levels! Today we went back at 1850cfs on the 3 Lynx. The Hole seemed a touch better so I look forward to seeing it around 1900-2000cfs. A friend went yesterday at 1650cfs and thought it was a bit low.

The Upper Wave just above Bob's Hole

Bob's Hole 1850cfs

Ryan Young

Me on Bob's

Paddle Anouncement: Bob's Hole is Coming Back !!

2010-02-03T11:41:00.001-08:00

Paddlers
I am glad to announce that I was personally at Bob's Hole and enjoyed the play for the first time in at least 4 years! It was great to be hanging out in the eddy waiting for my turn in the hole with friends that have never even seen the real Bob's. I would like to thank Mother Nature for once again providing us with a great play spot! I have left my initial findings below and will update my blog as I research different levels. Stayed tuned for hard evidence for non-believers (pics & vid)!

Here is the beta I have so far:
- level was 1750cfs on the 3 lynx gauge
- surfer's left shoulder was not giving up blunts but the pile was very nice!
- the feature is a hole style feature retentive and ready for cartwheels, split wheels, etc
- the penalty box was in full effect

2010 NW Playboating: Joe Bob's

2010-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of 2010 brought lots of rain to the NW! I decided to take advantage of what Mother Nature provided by bringing in the New Year with some play boating on the Clackamas River. The NW is home to some of the best class 5 in the world, and for paddlers willing to take a day off creek boating there is also some awesome playboating!

One of my favorite spots is Joe Bob's on the Clackamas River. Joe Bob's can be found just river right of the former Bob's Hole location but comes in at higher water 3000-4500cfs on the Three Lynx gauge. At higher levels Joe Bob's is a fast energetic wave with a nice pile. At lower levels it becomes more of a hole with a shoulder on surfer's left and a pit on the right. When Joe Bob's is in the river is usually fluctuating quickly, so paddlers need to watch the gauges and be ready to go.

Because the Three Lynx gauge is miles above the play spot, paddlers need to interpret the gauge to decide if it is in. There are 2 major tributaries that confluence with the Clackamas, roaring River and Fish Creek. Combined they can greatly alter the flow at Joe Bob's depending on the runoff.

Over the New Years I was lucky enough to hit the spot on the way up and on the way down. New Years day I caught Joe Bob's at 4200cfs and rising quick. The spot started out with a pile on a nice wave and ended up with a steep, fast green wave with a small pile on top!

Joe Bob's 4200 and rising
Joe Stumphel paddling his new Big Dog Kaos

Bryon Dorr in his pink Fluid NemesisJanuary 3rd I caught it at 4000cfs and dropping. At this level it has a shoulder on the left but is really retentive and pity on surfers right.

Joe Bob's 4000cfs and dropping
Jesse Becker

Rob

Micheal Williams

Ryan Young

Later!

Boofs & Blunts: Washouglal Drainage Double Header

2009-12-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

Creek runs, play spots and fun class 3-4 river running the Washougal Drainage has it all! Hagen Gorge, Stebbins Creek, and the Washougal Hole are just a few of the world class spots to paddle.

The close proximity of the runs in the Washougal drainage make it possible to hit multiple runs in a day even when day light hours are short. The Washougal Hole is a great play feature and back to back with one of the other creeks in the area it makes for a super fun day! With a large storm pounding Oregon and Washington I eagerly followed the gauge on the Washougal hoping to nail a double header and paddle Hagen Gorge then have a play session at the Washougal Hole.

With the gauge on the Washougal reading about 2400 and gently rising I thought it was a bit of a gamble to get both. But the prospect of the double header had myself, Bryon Dorr and Ryan Young unable to pass up the opportunity, we were joined by Rob for Hagen Gorge. When we pulled up to the bridge at the take out for Hagen I was a little disappointed in the flow. But with the plan already in action we headed to the put in!

New wood in the beginning of the run
The portage above the gorge

We scraped our way down the first section to the portage, portaged then paddled down to the good stuff. Lack of water made it a little bony and anticlimactic, but with good spirits we arrived at the first falls. We took a quick scout for wood and all ran the falls. It was surprisingly clean for low water and we paddled out of the eddy with smiles!

Bryon Dorr Running the first falls.

Bryon Dorr Euphoria Falls

After Euphoria Falls we paddled down to the confluence where Skamania Mines Creek confluences with Hagen Creek to make the NF Washougal and were delighted to have more flow!

Bryon Dorr
Teakettle Falls

Teakettle is one of my favorite drops on the run, it looks a little burly but it always goes! Last but not least was the double drop. This is probably the hardest rapid on the run. With a kinda tricky 12 ft boof into a walled out mini gorge, then a tight exit through a narrow slot drop. With the lack of water the entrance boof was a bit tricky. The boys were a bit concerned but were stoked to see me probe it. After I hit my line Ryan and Bryon stepped up for there shot and fired it up!

Ryan Young
Double Drop

Ryan goes deep at the slot Bryon Dorr The Slot

After we were done Hagen Gorge we drove back down to the takeout brideg for the play run where the little mercantile is and sampled some of the local fare. Ryan went with a dog and all the fixin's and I choose a pizza stick! We warmed up with a little coffee since we were still in our paddling gear, ate, and headed up to put in.

Now I have been coming to the Washougal hole since Bryan Fields, Ken Pita and the old Playboating NW crew showed it to me about five or six years ago and I've always been keen on the spot. What I have come to learn over the years is that the Washougasl Hole is one of the premier play spots in the NW. No B.S. from 2500-7000cfs this spot is rock'n! If yo don't believe me then that is cool I will continue to have the hole to myself. However I encourage paddlers to check it out, I could use the extra rest in the eddy! To get to the play spot paddlers have to park at the pull out on the right side of the Washougal R. road just on the other side of the NF Washougal bridge. Then walk back across the bridge and bushwhack down to the bedrock shelf on river right on the N Washougal. Put in and paddle down to the confluence with the main Washougal and continue a short distance to the Washougal Hole. You will not miss it, as it is very obvious when you get there. It is less then 10 minutes from the put in to the play spot and if you are lucky there is a warm up spot on the NF!

Bryon Dorr
Rat Hole

This is Suicide Hole, directly below Rat Hole and is the window shade special if you are not careful! With high water this turns into a epic play wave!

Suicide wave is on the surfers right shoulder of the Suicide Hole. Paddlers can either drop in after surfing Rat Hole or make the tricky Suicide Ferry across the hole and onto the wave! The Washougal Hole changes at different levels but in my experience has always givin up the goods. So don't be surprised if it looks a bit different when you are there!

Enjoy!
Happy Holidays!

TR: Eagle Creek, Clackamas R. Drainage

2009-12-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

There are two Eagle Creeks within close proximity to Portland. The more famous of the two is in the Gorge, the other is a tributary to the Lower Clackamas River. When most people talk about Eagle Creek you hear about the hike in, large waterfalls, and challenging rapids in a walled out gorge! However you may also hear whispers of fun class 3, with a couple of waterfalls, and a few log portages. This tributary to the Clackamas is in various NW guide books however the descriptions were written ages ago, with one dating back to the 80's. So I figured why not get some new info out there. The creek is broken up into three sections. the first and upper most section is above the fish hatchery and is rarely run. The book called the run fast class 2-3 with a waterfall just above the fish hatchery. The fish hatchery has a electric line in the water at the fish hatchery to detour fish from going upstream to spawn. I do not know much about this so if you intend to run this stretch make sure to find out! The second stretch is the one described in this trip report. We put in at the fish hatchery and ran down to Eagle Fern Park then continued aprx. a quarter mile or less to the falls just below the park. We took out on river right by climbing 20 ft up the bank and to the road. The third section is from Eagle Fern down to the park above the confluence of Eagle Creek and the Clackamas River.

Dave Bakkum enjoying fun class 3 in the upper stretches of the run

Eagle Creek is a nice intro for paddlers looking to dial in there creeking skills that want to tackle some of the NW's best creek run. Its tight class 3 read and run nature, the portages and the waterfalls make a great entry level creek run. It starts of with fast moving class 2 which quickly leads to a few portages. I believe there were about 4-5 all at river level, and requiring no more than a few minutes to get around. Don't get discouraged it won't be long before a nice horizon line shows indicating that you are at the clean 15ftr!

Dave Bakkum running the clean 15ftr

Fun class 2-3 precedes the toughest rapid on the run, paddlers will know they are there when the go past the small youth camp on river left. The rapid that follows is the toughest of the day. A fun class 3+ that ends with a small ledge!

Class 3 above the the 3+ rapid

The class 3+ with the small ledge at the bottom Below this is more class 2-3 and unless paddlers are going to take on the second falls the worst or best is behind them. Immediately after Eagle Fern Park is a 3ft weir with a easy line right down the middle. Once you have passed the weir keep on your toes it is not long until paddlers hit the second falls. The second falls is a bit tougher than the first the book called it a class 6, this is definitely not the case. A good class 5 at most with a nice class 3 sliding entrance that leads to a 6ft boof on the far right up against the fish ladder.

The second falls below Eagle Fern Park

The boof is in the far left of this pic, it is not the obvious dark flake but the one just left of the nice looking flake banking of the concrete wall. The obvious dark flake falls into the bedrock coming in from the middle of the falls.

Till next time!

Unlocking the Mystery: Fly Creek, WA.

2009-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

Fly Creek is a tributary of the classic Canyon Creek run in Washington state. It confluences with Canyon Creek at the old put in for the Lower Canyon Creek section. Often at the Canyon Creek put in I would wonder what was up Fly Creek Canyon and why no body ever paddled it. As far as I could find out nobody had really paddled it since 1992. I confirmed that Mike Olsen and Bill Bowie had paddle it as well as Phil Unsworth but wasn't sure if they were on the same trip or not. After reading the description in the back of Jeff Bennett's book, "A Guide to the Whitewater Rivers of Washington" under "Other Runs and Adventure's" I understood why. The write up opens with "If you are itching for a day of epic self-inflicted punishment but the bondage gear is off at the dry cleaners. then this run is for you. This river is a masochist's dream: a solid serving of class 5-5+ drops interspersed with logs, big unrunnable waterfalls and portages." It wasn't till I had explored many of the other quality NW runs that I really got the itch to try and tackle this one. Another reason this run has remained in such obscurity is access issues. The put in lies on Warehouser property and the gate to access the put in road is only accessible during daytime hours in the hunting season. With our curiosity getting the best of us a crew of three myself. Chuck Taylor and Andy Lichtenheld decided to give it a go. After some good fall rains with the Canyon Creek gauge reading 900 and dropping we headed out on what would surely be an adventure! I would to pref is this trip report by revealing our lackadaisical approach to such a challenging run. Are morning went like this, I woke up about 15 min. before I was supposed to meet Chuck and Andy. As I gather my creeking gear for the first time this season I realize I can't find one of my creek booties, Urr. This puts the group behind by 30 minutes. We head out fueling up and grabbing essentials along the way gas, coffee, and food. We stop again at the Chelatchie Prarie store so we can drop of any extra pounds left over from last nights dinner. We also decide to stop at the bungee bridge to check out the log jam on Canyon Creek. This leads to an long conversation with the developers of a new adventure tour area that is being constructed at the bridge. We set shuttle and like amateurs we neglect to leave dry clothes at the take out, DUH! We then set off for the put in hoping we can find it with out wasting any more time. This of course does not happen as we get lost and end up in the out skirts of Yacolt. We head back locating the spot were we decide to drop into the canyon. We first take a quick scout and quickly descend to the river bank to confirm we were where we wanted to be. When we got to the creek we were stoked with what we saw ok flow and bedrock!

Chuck making his way to the put in

We geared up made our way back to the river and headed into the unknown, the time was 12:00pm.

Andy at the put in
Looking back at the put in rapid

The creek was initially class 2 with a few 4-6 foot ledges. We soon came upon a nice 15ft waterfall and jumped out to scout excitedly!

The ledges above the 15ft falls

The 15ft falls above the first portage
Chuck Taylor on the first falls

Andy Lichtenheld running the first 15ft falls Shortly after the first falls the river gorged out a bit and after a short class 3 drop a large horizon line showed up. We eddyhopped down just above the lip and hopped out of our boats. The river dropped off a 30-40 foot falls landing on a slab and then dropped another 15 ft or so. We quickly chose our portage route on river left.

Chuck and Andy looking at the falls
Looking at the falls from the portage
The Falls at the bottom of the portage, what a glorious site!

After portaging the falls the river had some nice class 3-4 boulder gardens which continued down to the first walled in gorge. The first gorge had a couple of smaller drops that swept quickly into a death sieve, then a slide that lead to a clean 10 ft boof which exited into a large pool.

Boulder gardens above the first gorge We were moving along at a good pace when we eddy hopped one eddy too far and found our self's walled in. We were lucky to have been able to portage the death sieve at river level. If the water was higher this could have been a really bad move.

The entrance to the first gorge.
Scouting in the 1st gorge
Looking back up at the entrance drops to the 1st gorge

The death sieve in the 1st gorgeThe portage around the death sieve through the blow down

The entrance rapid above the 10 ft boof drop

Chuck Taylor about to exit the 1st gorge

Andy Lichtenheld taking one last look at his line

The nice boof looking back up stream

Hopes were high at this point but it was short lived as we rounded the next bend and set eyes on a second gorge that looked equally challenging. This gorge was named Three Bone Gorge by the crew that went in in 1992. It consisted of a small slot entrance, a second larger slot style drop and what looked like a 15 or twenty foot large slot drop.

The entrance to 3 Bone Gorge

The 15ftr in 3 Bone Gorge

A quick scout sent us portaging on river right. It was on this portage that I started hoping there were no more gorges and that the whitewater as well as the portages would ease back. But as we portaged high above the gorge I could see large sections of white that seemed to be stout drops and falls. After portaging river right for too long we were forced back to the river by a tributary and roped our boats back down into the gorge. When I got back down to the gorge it appeared to have more stout runnable class 5. At this point I remember Chuck looking down stream and saying "What is that!" We hopped in out boats and crossed the creek to scout on river left. Below us was a 100ft falls. I would like to say I got a good look at it to determine its run ability but that was not the case. At this point it was getting late and I was wondering what time it was but I didn't ask because it didn't really want to know. We needed to find a portage route and get below the falls. This portion of the already too long portage was even worse. It started out easy and quickly became a test of will. Steep, logy, thorny, and unstable large lava rock, combined with the distance of this portage really took it out of us. When we finally got to the river again we were beat down and running out of daylight. The boulder gardens, steep slides, 100ft falls, and the gorge above the falls combined to make extremely high gradient and the heart of the canyon. back at river level was a nice looking 30 ft slide and another small portage. We put in, then portaged the next small log jam and were re leaved to see some flat stretches and small rapids. We paddled for less then five minutes before we heard a roar. Our hearts sank as dark was closing in on us. We had hoped to at least make the bridge over Fly Creek on the road that we had driven in on . This would mean that we could hike the 2 miles to the gate and be in the clear. A scout revealed more unrunable rapids. I asked Andy what time it was and he told me it was 5:15. I told him we needed to call it and start hiking out of the canyon. Andy wanted to portage around the next rapid and I reluctantly agreed. We made it about 50 yards and with one look down the river we all knew what our next move would be, hiking out. We stashed our boats and started out of the steep canyon. The hike started out extremely steep and tapered back as we neared the top of the canyon rim. We soon hit a unimproved road which gave us a small sense of security. The rain started coming down at this point but we continued in hopes that we would hit road 8300. A few washouts later we hit road 8300 and started going in the direction we thought would lead us to the bridge. As we started descending in knew we were going in the right direction and soon came to the bridge. Tired, dehydrated, and hungry we all took a sigh of relief even though we were still about 3 miles from the car. As we finished the hike out it started to thunder and lightning and the heavy rains resumed shortly after. Rounding the last bend and seeing the refection of the car was an amazing feeling. We loaded up and headed out but we all knew we would be back sooner than we wanted. We had left not only our boats in the canyon but Chuck's truck was locked behind the gate in warehouser land.

The next day I took Chuck back to retrieve his truck and that night we all agreed the following day we would go back for our boats and finish the run.

Hiking back into Fly Creek Canyon

The whitewater of Fly Creek far below

Thursday we drove back to Fly Creek, drove as far as we could, then started our steep hike back in to the canyon. Once we made it back to river level and our boats we continued to portage. Andy ran the first double drop and the class 3-4 rapids right after but we were all forced to portage do to logs and steep chunky boulder gardens. One of the sections had a 5+ pinch that dropped in steep chunks barely two boat widths wide.

The double drop that Andy ran

The chunky pinch

The boulders that help create the pinch
The nasty looking falls just aroound the corner from the pinch
A nice drop below the chunky stuff

We were finally able to put back in and the river eased back to class 3-4. This gave way to some fun class 4-5 slides and one class 4+ boulder garden. After the boulder garden we rounded the corner to see the bridge! At this point I felt a sense of accomplishment in completing the run despite our challenges from the previous days. We continued down stream through about 20min. of class 3-3+ until Fly Creek hit Canyon creek where we paddled onto C.C. and our take out!

The slides just above the bridge

Chuck Taylor
Andy Lichtenheld
The boulder garden around the corner from the bridge

Till next time!

Snake River / Hell's Canyon Section

2009-10-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hell's Canyon of the Snake River

Hell's Canyon of the Snake is a wonderful multiday whitewater trip. The Wild & Scenic section is truly wild & scenic and if you have been there and taken it in you know it is much more than just another multiday whitewater trip. Not unlike the Grand Canyon, Middle Fork Salmon, and the Wild & Scenic section of the Rogue these places hold a page in history. It can be all too easy for us to get wrapped up in the adrenaline of the whitewater and miss what is truly unique. We can easily pass through these wild canyons and never see how truly special they are. I can not catch the canyon's true beauty in these pictures, so it is up to you to go and see for yourselves and explore nature's beauty!

After a long 7 hour drive the adventure starts here at Scotty's.

At Scotty's you will be treated to free coffee while you set up your shuttle which will cost $150 per vehicle. They will check your oil and make sure you are full on gas then have you leave a few extra dollars for gas.

The dam is about a 30 min. drive from Scotty's
The put in, just down stream from the dam

Snow on the top of the canyon

Once on the river the scenery is amazing. Here is Willie dwarfed by the canyon walls. October usually has mild temperatures but it was a little colder than usual. You can see the snow capping the very top of the canyon rim.

The river was running somewhere in the 20,000-25,000cfs range which was higher than usual for this time of the year. This flow created big volume rapids, large boils and fun eddylines. Wild Sheep was the biggest on our first day and the largest of the run. We camped a little ways down stream just above Granite the second biggest rapid on the run.

Wild Sheep Rapid as seen from the scout on river left

A raft dwarfed in the entrance at Wild Sheep A oar rig engulfed by Wild Sheep Willie in the left eddy below Wild Sheep Looking back up at Wild Sheep and the canyon aboveCamp 1: I believe this site was called Upper Granite Day 2 on the river started with Granite Rapid. The Green Room was not in but I heard about it. I was told the water was too high.

Granite Rapid Chris & Bruce Scouting Granite
Abandoned ranches lie silent in the canyon as historical sites

The lack of play waves kept us hunting for fun eddylines and whirlpools which we found in abundance. There wasn't much in the wave of quality play waves at this flow. I would be interested in seeing it at different flows, probably lower, to see if the play improved. However on the last day I found a nice wave that was catch on the fly. On the 2nd day just before we got to camp we paddled upon a absolutely amazing whirlpool. The depression made by the swirling water was probably 3-4 feet. When we caught good whirlpools we were getting pulled down so that barely our helmets were visible. This is the best swirls I've ever played in! The whirlpools were intimidating when they opened up and swallowed you in.

Willie playing in one of the whirlpools created by the powerful eddy

Camp 2

Camp 3 was at Kirkwood Ranch, where there is a flush toilet! Kirkwood is only about an hour or so from the take out. There are plenty of campsites around Kirkwood ranch but it was sure nice to stay at a site with nice toilets so we didn't have to get out the groover.
We got up early packed up and made quick work of the 4 miles or so of river we had left. We arrived at the takeout and derigged the raft then prepared for the 9 hour drive. On the way out of the canyon we got some parting shots and said good bye.

The take out

Parting shots with Hell's Canyon in the background

till next time...

Upper Upper Cispus River "Last but not Least"

2009-09-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mt Adams

After the Little White drops, after the Green Truss is too low and when the rest of the NW summer creek runs have dropped below recommended flows... paddlers start heading to the Upper Upper Cispus! Bobby Miller a.k.a Zone Dogg showed up to have a little fun! That is Bobby in the blue/white NRS dry top. On this August day the gauge was reading about 650cfs. This is a nice flow, not too pushy and not too manky. When the water starts to drop the upper section of the run becomes manky and pinny.

Johny running the falls just around the corner from the put in.

Paddlers should think hard about running the falls just down stream from the put in, wood has gathered in the exit rapid that flows out of the pool below the falls. Most of the paddlers ran the falls on this day, while a few of us portaged. Some took the right eddy after running the drop, got out above the wood and portaged. A few ran the rapid and ducked the logs on river left.

The exit drop looking down stream

The exit drop looking back up stream from the pool after portaging on river left

There was a little bit of shifting or new wood in the stretch above Island Drop but nothing too bad. There is always a bit of wood in this run so paddlers need to keep on their toes for hazards.

Zone Dogg running a drop in the Mank Zone

The same rapid
*Warning p-ton rock, scout this if you don't know the line*

A new tree down in the creek, fortunately this one was not a portage

The section above Island Drop is a little manky, with smaller more technical drops. It is less solidified bed rock and more boulders. The section below Island tends to clean up and have more bedrock.

The photos below show some of the in-between stuff above Island

Zone Dogg in the in-between
This is one of the more manky drops in the upper section of the run

Another drop in the Mank Zone

This drop is easy but if paddlers are not careful they will p-ton the rock that is visible in the right side of the landing zone. A little left angle can save ankles and boats.

After leaving the mank zone paddlers will arrive at Island Drop. This is an awesome rapid with a great right and left line. The right line is a double drop with the first being the largest of the two at about 10ft and the second being about 4-5ft.

Alex Kilyk running the top drop on the right line of Island

The trick is to keep your bow up with a boof so you don't melt the first drop. Then you will be ready to clean the second smaller and more retentive one.

Alex running the second drop right side of Island

The left side of Island is a 15ft slide. Paddlers try to do a sliding fade of the left wall to avoid the confluence where the left and right lines converge. The falls on the left feed directly into the second drop on the right line. If you look closely at the pic above you can see the current on the right side of the pic feeding into the drop that Alex is about to run. This is the current coming from the falls on the left line.

Ryan Young running the second drop on the right line

The pic below was my favorite photo of the day! I thought the shot really captured the moment. Lots of action and style.

Ryan Scott running the second drop right line of Island

The section between Island and the bottom of the boulder garden below Behemoth falls is why we do this run! There are a few nice drops and what is know as Landslide. Scout Landslide from river right. Paddlers CAN portage Behemoth but it is difficult and also a little dangerous. the first person down Landslide should be careful a swim here without safety is unfortunate. It is difficult to self rescue above Behemoth. Set good safety for paddlers descending Landslide and scout Behemoth on river left just above the falls. Beware of the hole on river right below Behemoth Falls it is very sticky!

Matt King running Behemoth Falls

Matt deep in the second hole

Below Behemoth is a very nice boulder garden followed by another smaller one. The first boulder garden has 4 distinct drops. Right all the way works but ideally the line goes like this right, right, middle, right.

Looking down stream at the boulder garden below Behemoth Looking upstream at the boulder garden below Behemoth, you can see the falls in the background
Lana Young running one of the drops in the boulder garden

Alex Kilyk at one of the drops in the boulder garden

Alex getting ready to run the last drop on the boulder with the paddler in front of him going deep

The group in the second smaller boulder garden

Then it is aprx. a 20 minute paddle out some class 2-3 to the bridge! This is a good visual flow. If it looks like this at the take out then your should be stoked.

A view of the level from the take out bridge
Till next time!

Bear Creek: Missoula Montana

2009-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Montana

About 45min. out of Missoula lies Bear Creek, a class 5 classic Montana Steep Creek. Paddlers earn their boofs with a hike in and a little mank, but are rewarded with some amazing whitewater!

The first rapid is a nice slide, this gets you warmed up for the super mank that we called "Walk In The Woods"!

The Put-In Slide

Ryan Young on the 1st slide

We had a paddler swim this section and it was ugly. Besides a broken boat and a bruised ego the he fared well. No more than bashed up legs. He was lucky! Look at the pics and you will understand what I mean.

The Mank!
My buddies pinned boat down below the Mank. That was the end of his boat. Maybe not such a bad thing, he was do for an upgrade!

After we unpinned the broken boat we made our way down stream to the good stuff. I can not remember the names of all the rapids but her are the ones I caught on my camera with the names I remembered.I believe they call this slide Tijuana Crack Whore and the hole below is Hotel California.

T.C.W.

Paddler in T.C.W

The left eddy just below T.C.W. seems to be the common spot to start the portage of the rapid just above Brave Bear Falls.

The holes below T.C.W

This rapid is just above Brave Bear Falls. I believe this one is a standard portage. With a stout lead in and some poorly placed wood a mistake here could have tragic consequences.

Bear Creek saves the best for last "Brave Bear Falls". Brave Bear is a long slide. But this is no low angle slide with a few inches of water running over it. Brave Bear is powerful long and challenging!

Brave Bear Falls

Till next time!

S.L.C. OR 2010 Gear Preview

2009-07-21T22:49:00.001-07:00

Well Paddlers

There is some cool new stuff hitting the market for 2010! I do not have time to put it all up tonight but I will keep you posted. Here is a very short preview of some new Riot boats.

Riot has come to OR to show they are not going down with out a fight. They unveiled the Carbon Composite Astro and a full line of boats.

Riot/Ninja Surf Boat

Carbon Composite Atsro

Wavesport has come out with limited release graphics.

Stay Tuned, more to come!