North Fork Clackamas, V+(VI)

Flows were high on the North Fork Clackamas, causing some raised eyebrows at the put-in. We are usually shooting for 250 on American Whitewater's calculated gauge for this run. (The AW gauge is calculated to be 10% of the difference between the gauges for the Clackamas at Estacada and Three Lynx.)

The river peaked while we were running it on this day, putting our flows in the mid-to-high 300's -- definitely the high side of high. Too high, in many respects. Eddies were tiny, rare, and often guarded by tree branches in the water. With a group of six, balancing spacing and communication was a constant challenge.

There was plenty of amazing continuous Class IV from the put-in down through a mandatory portage or two and some challenging log sneaks. Wood was a constant threat, but the number and quality of juicy boofs was well worth the constant vigilance.

There is a nasty sticky ledge that comes up quite fast in the upper gorge that has been a common problem spot in the past, and this day was no exception. First, Tango Charlie took it to the mat and pulled himself out of the hole using some logs on the right bank. GRRRRR says the honey badger! Moments later, Diesel dropped in for a short and terminal ride to the deepest part of the pit, and was roped out while still in his boat. That Jimi Stik that floated off will turn up someday, we hope.

With our delayed progress through the upper gorge, the rising water was catching up with us, and things went very quickly down to the "15-footer" above the unrunnable big falls. (Oregon Kayaking's NF Clack description calls this drop "Speed Bump", and says it's ten feet.) Too quickly, really...

Speed Bump seemed closer to 20 feet on this day, especially when routing into it unawares. Due to the high flows, our probe service was quite loose. It's quite an unnerving sensation to be jamming down a long and fast Class IV boulder garden and realize that it is routing right off the lip of a flooded-out waterfall. A variety of blind lines were had, with the key commonality that the paddler went extremely deep and ended up on the left at the bottom, somehow clear of the maw and upright.

Looking back at this drop from below revealed that a forearm-thick tree branch was protruding from the right bank into the center of the flow. With the volume of water going over the falls on this day, it would only have been in play for someone going over the far right.

Without taking the time to frame the shot without foliage, I snapped a quick photo to document just how juicy Speed Bump was before we got to work on portaging the big one:



Two of our group were lucky and/or smart enough to stop well above this drop and use the nice-and-easy fire road portage that ends at Stairway to Heaven.

Those of us that found ourselves below the fifteen footer were faced with a much tougher (but shorter) portage. (It's a damned good thing that Palmire gave Tendercheeks the beta about the portage route before our run.) In exchange, we got to see more of the river, including a good look at the rapid leading in to the lip of the big one. The last time I was in this spot was on a low-side-of-low spring day a few years ago, and I remember the lead-in as a series of relatively glassy pools divided by dry bedrock and twinkling in the sun. Not so on this day:



If a paddler were to swim out of the fifteen footer and fail to get to shore before entering the section depicted above, they would have a good chance of finding themselves dropping over the big no-no horizon line at the top left of this photo:



Such a swimmer would face death or dismemberment at the hands of the rockpile at the base of the big falls that are always portaged. Our portage on this day consisted of a steep scramble 50 feet up the left bank, roping boats up behind us, followed by a reasonable but steep traverse to the top of a steep ravine that heads down to the river.

The ravine back down to the river has a conveniently fallen tree whose rootwad marks the top of our route down, and also provides a handy anchor for the couple hundred feet of nylon rope someone has left in place. The lowering of boats and selves was plenty strenuous, but this route would simply not be possible without a rope. The entire ravine is an active erosion zone, made all the more active by four paddlers and kayaks making their way down.

Here you can see one of our group getting ready to launch from the base of the ravine we came down:



The paddler launching in the photo above is in the mist zone from the big drop, and is getting hammered with 20-mile-an-hour winds comprised of 50% water spraying from the base of this monster. When I was launching, I was sponging out my boat before ferrying across to take a couple of photos, and realized at one point that the spray was so heavy that I would need to just call it good enough and get somewhere drier to finish the job.

But, man! What a sight the big falls was on this day!







Looking downstream from the big one. Stairway to Heaven is literally around the corner:



This guy actually likes it when the water is a bit too high:



Stairway to Heaven was quite impressive to behold. As with lower flows, the left-to-right line was clearly the way. When Jer-bear and Loneman get there they know, if the stores are all closed, with a word they can get what they came for. And a new day will dawn for those who stand long and the forests will echo with laughter.

Jer-bear makes me wonder:



The stories don't stop below Stairway, but the Led Zeppelin lyrics do. :-)

By the time we got down to Storm Drain, three of our crew of six had gotten their fill, and opted for the scenic land-based egress to the takeout, while three of us polished off the remaining mini-gorges and boulder gardens. A notable moment came when a wrist-thick sweeper awaited out of sight right below the horizon of a random five-foot ledge. Jer-bear and Loneman made friends with it before proceeding downstream and I was the lucky one, having managed to boof my bow over it.

I've been on the NF Clack when the top part was good to go and this lower section was too low to float, and it sucks to choose between monkey-knuckling and just getting out and walking. It was quite a treat to have it be rowdy continuous Class III, but the blind channels and three short log portages right before the end demanded constant attention.

We made it to the takeout with minutes of daylight to spare, having spent just under 5 hours on the river. Shuttle got ran while the other half of our crew made their way out of the woods, and most of us proceeded to The Country in Estacada for food, drink, and a debrief.

The North Fork Clackamas always delivers interesting times, it seems. Lots of epics and lost gear come out of this canyon, and this run was no exception -- plenty of portages, a lost paddle, a swim, some blind runnings, and some hiking. Given the high flows, abundance of wood, noontime put-in, and six paddlers sharing tiny must-make eddies, we came out pretty damned squeaky clean!

Squirtboating: Weasel Gathering, underwater footage

I had a blast figuring out how to sink at last weekend's Weasel Gathering. I'm so grateful to the small community of Northwest squirtboaters for letting me try lots of boats and giving me crucial pieces of advice at just the right moments. I managed to get 6-8 consecutive submersions, with a max of 8 seconds, once I was in a boat that worked for me. (Noah's KOR was just right in a very Goldilocks way.) I came in last, but posted no zeroes. Not bad for my second day on the river in a squirtboat. What helped me get fast results was having read Squirtboating & Beyond and then rereading it again after doing a lot of playboating, before ever getting into a squirt boat. Handpaddling my playboat a lot and getting partial mysteries doing so at high water Big Eddy on the Clackamas helped a lot too, no doubt. The hook is set; now, I just need to knock off a bank so I can get a custom squirtboat and accompanying gear.

Weaver sinks into the Weasel at previous, higher flows.
At the end of Sunday's session, I volunteered to shoot some underwater footage of Tim Hollar dropping at The Weasel. To prepare, I swam into the downwater and rode the mystery with swimfins and one handpaddle, which was a trip, indeed. It's as if there is a creek beneath the river that follows the contours of the bottom-most part of the riverbed. It would be nigh impossible to stay in the "body mystery" while filming, but it was an instructive experience nonetheless. For the following footage, I just stayed in the seam on the surface, upcurrent from Tim, and managed spacing by kicking forward with the fins or pushing back with the handpaddle. Thanks to Joel Meadows for letting me use his camera, and thanks to Tim for the use of the goggles and snorkel.


(footage by yours truly, who has no "S" in his name)

Upper Clackamas play: Joe Bob's

Joe Bob's is better at higher flows, but it's fun enough at around 2850cfs. Paul filmed me working on clean spins:



...and doing some sort of proto-blunt:

PDXkayaker Film Fest 2008: Semi-Pro Spotlight

Luke managed to get 2nd place in last year's PDXkayaker Film Festival, with Semi-Pro Spotlight:



I shot much of the footage used in the film. Luke and I were going to co-produce our effort for the contest, but he just had more spare time in the week leading up to the contest. I'd say he represented, for sure. The Johnny Ott BZ Falls carnage clip was a huge crowd pleaser. Ahh, memories.

Epic day at Indian Beach

The North swells were 9 feet at 13 seconds, with a 5-15 mph eastern wind (blowing offshore) and 70 degree temperatures. We arrived at 12:30 to find Liam and Trevor packing up. "Too big," they said. "Can't get out past the break." We were already suited up, and wanted to see for ourselves, so we were rewarded with a beautiful day of shredding some huge breakers.


Just after the tide peaked, there were two sets of breakers, with an in-between zone where the outer breakers would 'unbreak' before collapsing closer to shore. The inner breakers were providing nice, long, if mushy, rides. The outer breakers were where the real excitement was, with 9-10 foot swells that were being stood up by the wind blowing out to sea. Much air was caught and many a wild ride were had. By the time the sun set, the water was out far enough to eliminate the inner breakers, and the remaining break zone was fast and furious indeed.


I tried out the Astro 58 with fins installed, and had some breakthroughs in ride length, cartwheeling in the foam pile, and airtime. I suppose my lack of fear for the big waves comes from having not been really worked in the surf before. I'm in no hurry, though. Hopefully, there will be a few more days of storm swells under sunny skies at the Oregon coast before the rains come into our rivers and our attention is diverted elsewhere...

Fall Creek of South Sister: exploratory boating

Luke Spencer, Chuck Taylor, Johnny Ott, and I had a blast exploring a steep, Class V, micro-creek in the Bend area over the holiday weekend. There are several gorgeous drops that made all the hiking and scouting worth it. For example:


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After the run, asking around on BENDkayaker if this was a first descent yielded a response from James Fredericks to the contrary:

It's really cool you guys did the run! Unfortunately, you don't have the first descent. In June of 1995, my friends Kent Koeller, Chip Hogan, and I first ran the stretch from the upper footbridge (about two miles up from the parking lot) on down. All the falls except the big one were run. So, one of you guys ran the 35 footer? I personally waded out and it was waist-chest deep at the bottom!

I went back again that July with Jayson Bowerman and did the run again.

I do believe that the one who ran the 35 footer has the first on that falls. Thanks for the report, and stop in at Alder Creek in Bend-I work there Mon-Thurs.

Waist/chest-deep is enough to boof into, so I nabbed a first known descent of this chunky 35-footish waterfall (officially named Fall Creek Falls):

Chuck and I in silhouette
As the first person stupid enough to run this waterfall, I dub it Confusion Falls. Reason being, when I was standing atop the falls and preparing to fire it up, Luke (a.k.a. Mr. Magoo) thought I made the sign for "I'm calling it off" when I had actually made the sign for "inner calm". Luke called off the troops, and when I gave a long "I'm firing it up now" blast on my whistle, I took Chuck's "I'm over here, Willie" whistle blast as a "you're good to go". Lesson learned: don't oversign. I almost named it Placebo Falls, since the safety was purely imaginary.

me and my line on Confusion Falls
It's good that I greased my line, as none of my crew were there to provide safety or document my run. I landed in the foam pile a couple feet from the maul, 30 degrees from sideways, and 30 degrees off the horizontal. Immediately upon contact, I lifted my bow to make sure my scoop was shallow. I may have just grazed the bottom. I surfaced without flipping, noticed one of my paddle blades missing (landing in a low brace seemed prudent for this drop), and looked up to see a rather astonished-looking European tourist staring at me with his mouth hanging open. Looking to the other side of the pool, I saw a disbelieving Chuck Taylor sitting in his boat, waiting for me to hike down. I feel lucky that nothing bad happened when I took the quick way down, considering the major miscommunication.

As a bonus, I got to work on my C-1 skills on the Class II runout. It was interesting and fun, but I'll stick to two blades for now, I think.

Here is a short video clip of the falls:


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I'm sure I'm going to be hearing "pictures or it didn't happen" about this one! I'm tempted to go back and fire it up again to get some photos for posterity. This run has enough quality that we'd like to go back and do some wood removal, so I'll probably get the chance. I doubt I'll take that chance, though. In hindsight, it only happened the first time due to a perfect storm of a great water year, a solid crew, and my own lack of experienced judgment. I'm aiming to be a little wiser in my second year of boating. :)

You can check out Luke's scouting report from when he checked this run out last summer. Luke has a full trip report up, as well.

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.

Breitenbush River

Great day on the Breitenbush with sunny skies and twice the flow of my first time down.

North Fork Clackamas

Luke S., Ryan Y., Allen S., and Paul M. fired up the North Fork Clackamas at low flows. Much of the run was bony and woody torture, but Stairway to Heaven was nice indeed. Here is a shoddy low-res video of Ryan firing it up. (I forgot to up the default video resolution when I got my insurance replacement handset.)

Carnage Run is always fun

Another classic Carnage Run from Fish Creek to Bob's Hole on the upper Clackamas River. The levels were too high for any of the standard play features to be in, so Tim and I took our time playing the whirlpools at Big Eddy for a while. Maybe someday, whirlpool play will be the next big thing, but I doubt it. Sure is fun, though. Someone brought leftover kegs from the previous weekend's WKCC safety clinic, so we chilled in style at the takeout for a while afterward.

Molalla River, Table Rock Fork confluence to Glen Avon Bridge

Luke, Paul, Ryan Y., and I (were there others?) fired up 13 miles of Molalla goodness. I was loving the 0-degree-offset AT2 as I rocksplatted and sternsquirted down this long-feeling run in the RAD 195. I'd have more details, but I'm writing this a week and a half after the fact.

inaugural Carnage Run was a blast

This year's inaugural Carnage Run saw about 20 boaters gathering for an after-work run from Fish Creek to Bob's Hole on the upper Clackamas River. Minor carnage and many a good time were had. The carpool from Next Adventure just made it all the sweeter.

It was a trip to not be one of the noobiest boaters on the run...a stark contrast from last year.

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)

Bull Run lappage, sweet

Had a great time on the Bull Run River after work with Paul Meier. Justin from NA forgot his skirt, so he was our shuttle bunny for the day. Level was dropping from 1750 to 1700 cfs during our runs. It's an entertaining, if short, Class III run. We charged down it three times in little over an hour, thanks to the convenient shuttle/bunny. I was in the RAD.

It's always fun to check out new rivers, especially when you have good recent beta and everything is boat-scoutable. The Bull Run is pretty, too. If the section above were not closed to boating (it's Portland's water source), it would surely get run -- kayakers who've hiked it report that it looks great.

Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival 2008

What an amazing weekend! I was so excited driving out that I took a self-portrait:


Here's a YouTube video from fishhawk1400 (feel free to pause it and then skip the 55-second boring text intro):


Sunday. After a late start (I missed the boatercross kayak race, unfortunately), I enjoyed the tail end of the event and set to work helping tear everything down. It was a privilege to be one of the last to leave, and to get insight into how these events actually come together.

Saturday. This was the day of the Mass Start Race, Relay Race, and Big Air competition.

I took 3rd in both the Next Adventure Mass Start Kayak race and the Next Adventure Kayak Relay race, and was a finalist in the Next Adventure Big Air Competition. (Who sponsors these things, anyway? ;) ) Highlights included my first 14 miles of catarafting, a midnight run in kayaks with some other crazies, and huge applause for running the big air ramp backwards and attempting a forward flip:

(photo by Jeff Bledsoe)
Here's some video of the mass start race. I have a blue boat, yellow drytop, blue PFD, black helmet, and black paddle. Jersey number 44. I'm the fourth guy down until the end when I snake third place.

(video by dweiber)
And some pics, too. This one has me pivoting off the very large wave in the middle of Carter Falls, after trying to catch the gate by surfing it:

(photo by Robert Virostek, Sr.)
And here I am, right behind Chuck Taylor, booking for third place:

(photo by Robert Virostek, Sr.)
After all the excitement of the competition, we had video premieres, an awards ceremony, and a bluegrass band near the Andy & Bax campsites in Lockaby campground. Sometime around 1:00 a.m., it seemed like a good idea to go kayaking. Austin R., Christina G., Kenny Kiley (maker of Blunt Family (woody bent-shaft) Paddles), Ryan Youngs, and I headed up to Fish Creek for a moonlight run. On the way up, I took the opportunity to ghost ride the whip, much to the amusement of my companions. The run was uneventful and a lot of fun, and we hit up the big air ramp afterward for good measure. My recollection of the night is fuzzy after we met up with some folks with Eugene and partied in the middle of Fish Creek bridge on the way back.

Friday. After wandering around during the morning in search of the folks I was supposed to be volunteering with, I threw in the towel and took an offer from some catarafter friends for a run. It was my first time catboating, and moved my total hours of rowboating up to the neighborhood of ten. Luckily, I figured out how to row in time to save myself from the Clackamas at 9,000 cfs. I formed a wicked blister on the base of my middle finger on my left hand, but it was worth it.

When I got back from catboating, I found that my homies had shown up, so we took in a quick run in kayaks, followed by some testing of the big air ramp. I did a perfect half-back flip off the ramp and lost my grip on my paddle. Following a couple of failed hand rolls, I punched and went for the most epic swim I've had so far. It took me 1/4 mile to get to the bank, with my boat and paddle booking downstream. Luckily, my new friend Dave helped me with some chase boating, and I had a few moments to collect myself before jumping back in and swimming to the other shore, which took another 1/4 mile. Did I mention I was wearing a drytop with nothing underneath, swim trunks, and 0.3mm neoprene booties? :) I dragged myself out of the eddy, collected my gear, and rendezvoused with my homies. I have video of my valid booty beer, which should be forthcoming.

Thursday. I headed out in the early evening to help set things up and camp with my homies. I ran into Dave Martin from Wet Planet and, after introductions, we took in a run together, from Sunstrip to Carter. After asking around, I found out my homies had headed back into town. I'll be damned if I camp with stinky rafters, so I spent the night listening to the sounds of the rapidly-rising Carter Bridge Rapid and sleeping on the flat part at the bottom of the country's largest big air ramp -- sweeeet!

More to come!

Joe Bob's is sick!

I can't really fathom why people aren't flocking to Joe Bob's (near Bob's Hole) on the Clackamas these days, as it is seriously "in" lately. If flows are this good next weekend, we may have to have a rodeo event at the 25th annual Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival! Going by the NWRFC forecast pictured at right, it might just happen...

Thursday. Headed out to Joe Bob's for dawn patrol (5am) with Luke and Eli L., with the level around 3850 cfs. Good times all around. We got a solid 1:45 of surfing in before I broke my backband and had to call it. It's a very aerobic wave to work, due to how fast the eddy is, especially if you exit the wave in the center or on the furthest side from the eddy. I had some nice cartwheels in the foam pile and some sort of proto-loop attempt sprinkled in with some longer rides. Backsurfing and flat 180s are coming along nicely, as well. I think I missed the wave twice this morning, ferrying out while winded a couple of times because of the time pressure.

Wednesday. Headed up to Bob's Hole after work, solo style, to see if Joe Bob's was as good as I had been told by Todd R. Just like he found Tuesday night, no one was there to take advantage of the best play within fifty miles. What were they thinking?!? I had a few 30+ second rides, which was a breakthrough for me. Level was around 4000 cfs, and I got a nice 1-hour session followed by a break and a 45-minute session. I recorded video of the second session with my camera phone...I need to get the card reader situation worked out, edit it down, and post it. Reviewing the footage has already been immensely helpful in troubleshooting my mistakes and inefficiencies. I only missed the wave once, and barely at that.

Man, is it nice to have a boat that doesn't leak like a sieve. Thank you for taking my money, Gorilla Tape and Wild Wasser! ;) I'm measuring post-playboating water by teaspoons instead of gallons, and I feel like a new man for it.

weekend update - spring begins to arrive

Sunday. Two laps on the Clackamas, Sunstrip to Bob's. Paul M. and I had a good time bombing down. We stopped at Toilet Bowl during the first run, and I was able to catch and carve the monster bronco wave at the bottom -- a breakthrough for my surfing ability, for sure. The nice weather during the previous few days had all sorts of people out enjoying the river. Cat boaters, commercial rafters, IKers, and dirtbag hardshellers, boating in (im)perfect harmony. Awwww....

Saturday. Two laps on the East Fork Lewis's waterfall run -- one in the morning with Luke and Dave B., and one in the afternoon where Oly and I suited up and launched from his house to join Kourtney, Kim, Paul, Grace, and Dave P. for the last half of the run. Oly and Brenda made a big rib dinner that everyone was late for, but were gracious enough to pull it out of the fridge for us when we arrived. I think I owe Oly some indentured labor for how not-smoothly the evening went off.

Friday. After-work run on the Clackamas, from Sunstrip to Bob's with Robbie V. Ran into Trevor R. and BSed over some El Jimador. Good times.

Thursday. After-work run on the Clackamas, from Sunstrip to Bob's with Luke. Kind of a tweener day for play, but got some nice rides on Teeny Weeny Wave and Bob's. I left my PFD in Ashland after the "Upper Klamath" race, so I rocked the outfit at right. Style. Sophistication. Female attention. Have it all with an old-ass orange rafting PFD!

Upper Klamath River and Scott River

Bryan from Next Adventure shuttled us down to the Upper Klamath race in Deek's bitchin' Mercedes van, with a dozen boats and 11 people making the journey. It took us 5.5 hours and 4 cases of beer, but we made it. I think everyone liked my story about hunting with my dad and brothers and running into a trapped sheep. For some, it was a crash course in my sick sense of humor, I think. We arrived at Noah's Rafting, set up sleeping bags both inside the warehouse and outside by the van, and conked out, eagerly anticipating the next day's whitewater.

Saturday morning brought a clear and dry dawn. After a bomber breakfast at the Breadboard in town, we loaded up and hit the Upper Klamath. The Upper K is a classic big water Class IV+ run. We were fortunate that both turbines were releasing from the dam, so flows were around 2850 cfs, which made for more entertaining whitewater and fewer nasty rocks to hit. Caldera was definitely the highlight of the run, with about a quarter mile of big Class V-ish waves, holes, and funky hydraulics. Our kayaker crew styled it, with most of us running in playboats. We definitely did a good job of representing Portland kayakers.

Snow Saturday night forced Tim B. to relocate the race to the Scott River. We even had a couple of inches on the valley floor.

A highlight of the trip came when I was inspired to throw a wet sheet of plywood on one side of the huge bonfire we had and jump it on a borrowed bicycle, under the full moon on 4/20 -- twice. I flubbed the landing both times, but Ty styled it once and called it good. I don't have any hair left on my knuckles. Paul Gamache from Team Bigfoot let Robbie Virostek shoot some video -- apologies in advance for the camera work of an inebriated minor:



Here's the weird part: I hadn't read Willamette Week before hitting the road, and I only sometimes read the Free Will Astrology horoscope. After the trip, I returned to read this horoscope:


Ooh-wee-ooh! Spoooooky!

belated weekend update

(The cable modem at home was out over the weekend.)

Wow, it's been all Clackamas all the time of late. My playboating has really come along, though...I'm gaining better control over surf waves, and nearly-reliably flatwater cartwheeling (example) my RAD 195...on one side, at least.

Sunday. Once again, I hit the upper Clack, playboat style. This time, with Scott W. a.k.a. Werewolf. We ran into Todd R. and Ken H., and I got more highly-valued tips from the old-schoolers. I'm feel so blessed to have these old hands at the game advising and encouraging me.

Saturday. Playboated the upper Clackamas with Kourtni. More progress playboating, and a nice day out. Teeny Weeny and Joe/Bob's Hole gave up nice rides for me. Turns out that Kourtni is not a half-bad boating companion...who knew?!?

Thursday. Got out after work with Luke S. on the waterfall section of the East Fork Lewis River. It was nice to see Oly, and I got a bit more insight into Screaming Left Turn, which is probably the most technically challenging rapid on the run.

I've been a bit timid since I smashed my nose on Canyon Creek. Fairly peeved with my helmet manufacturer (who shall remain unnamed for now) for their continual delaying of the release of their full-face add-on. I'll be firing it up again, but with this year's 150%+ snowpack, I'm in no hurry.

Looking forward to Lochsa River, Idaho for Memorial Day. Also, this summer's Northern California trip with the elders should be quite nice. Man o man, I love kayaking. It might be the best thing that ever happened to me.

mellow day

Well, I opted to not head out for the Wind race. My buddy Tony took second, and His Honor Luke S. took 6th. Lots of loot for everyone.

I took a late afternoon play run in on the Clack, and boated well. I continue to develop the core strength I need to throw ends all day.