Little North Fork Santiam: Opal Creek and Upper Opal Creek

With all the water coming from the top in the form of snowmelt, we had a nice combined run of the Upper and usual sections of Opal Creek.

Opal Creek: now I see why they call it "church"

A mob of folks were on Opal Creek, and I ended up paddling with Trev, Jason W., Nobu, Anthony B., and Kourtni. There were five swims shared by three people, and once again I avoided the cold bath. It's an amazing run, hands-down the most beautiful stretch of river I've run. Uncut old-growth forests and crystal-clear water make this a classic. The fun whitewater helps. More to come, including pictures...

While it's not the most thrilling section of river, here I am running the sneak route on Big Ugly:


(photo sequence by Nobu Suga)