Klickitat: Parrott Crossing to Fish Hatchery

I had never run the Klickitat, so when Kory suggested we do a leisurely trip at a time of year when there wasn't much in the way of new stuff to check out it was an easy sell.

His wife Jo rafted with Priscilla and their dog Jackpot, my dad and I IK'ed and Kory took an RPM Max.  This assortment of craft fit right in on the Klickitat.

We had about 1200 cfs from snowmelt on August 13, 2017.  

We had concerns the low water would render the run a pain, but it was plenty of water for seeing the canyon.  The raft only stalled out once when they took the wrong route.  In a kayak, the depth was of no concern.  The whitewater was continuous and engaging class II-III without any real flat water, yet no distinct rapids.



There were some nice cliffs to look at, apparently at high water avoiding them and the hydraulics they create are the stand-out challenge of the run.  There was an outdated sign at the put in about a dangerous log jam, it must have washed free this last Winter.  We took all the main channels and while there was wood in play here and there, nothing was sketchy and nothing required a portage or shore scout.  I'd imagine this river only gets more fun as the level rises.

The shuttle directions on American Whitewater were spot on.

    -jacob

Bridal Veil

Priscilla Macy dropping the bottom tier of Bridal Veil Falls.

~1,200 cfs on the Bull Run nr Multnomah gauge.

Photo: Andy Ploon

Bridal Veil gauge beta:

  This drop is commonly run when it has been raining a lot in the Portland area.  If you are willing to take a hit, it has been run pretty darn low.  If you want medium flows, with a nicely aerated pool, shoot for about 1,000 cfs or more on the Bull Run near Multnomah gauge.   You can expect around 15% of the flow on that gauge in Bridal Veil Creek.  I have never seen (in person or photos) this drop with too much water in it to run.

Bridal Veil from PMacy on Vimeo.

It's been rafted too, here is a video from the first time that happened.

Bridal Veil from Jacob Cruser on Vimeo.

 Location:  45.5548, -122.1802

 The falls is found taking the Bridal Veil exit off I-84, about 20-30 minutes East of Portland.  After taking the exit, turn right/West shortly onto the historic highway (aka follow the signs).  There is a parking area and trail to the base of the falls on river left off of the historic highway.  Poke around a bit and you will find a way to get to the seal launch between the two falls.  People hucking the upper tier put in where the historic highway cross Bridal Veil Creek.  The falls can also be accessed from behind the Bridal Veil Post office at the end of the gravel road.

Little Klickitat

-By Nate Merrill

Hanging out with friends on Friday night, I expressed my feeling that the following day was going to turn into a circus. I had to laugh when my buddy Skip replied "When was the last time you went Kayaking and the trip didn't turn into a show?" It was true! After spending Tuesday driving up to the Olympic Peninsula only to get skunked and leave the area without putting boat to water, I too was having a hard time remembering my last trip that went off without any unforeseen problems. That being said, we had hatched a semi-cunning plan to ensure we were able to take advantage of the recent rainfall. With levels sky high around Portand and the Western Cascades, the group set our sites on the Little Klickitat drainage just outside of Goldendale, WA. Despite the LK being known as a run that only comes in with immense rainfall, the gauge for the rairly run creek was actually around 300-400 cfs higher than recommended flows. Given this fact, we decided that are backup plan would be to run Canyon Creek (LK trib) if indeed the LK was too high.
The next morning rolled around and as the group assembled and began loading boats, the rain continued to come down in sheets around Portland. Dan Rubado, Emile Elliot, Ryan Cole, Jacob, and myself all piled into Dan's new VW Sportwagon (45 mpg!) and headed east. After meeting up with Joe Stumpfel, John Edwards, and Matt Horton in Hood River, we beat feet up past the normal LK takeout to inspect Canyon Creek. With no eddies in sight and thick brush lining the banks, we decided that Canyon Creek was far too high to run with any regard for safety. It was the Little Klickitat today and it was juicy. (1300cfs? - The gauge was doing funky things when we put-on the creek NOTE: This was the old gauge, on the new gauge that would be a more medium flow) We quickly rallied back to the takeout, met up with some other paddlers from Hood River, and set shuttle.
The group, which had now ballooned out to nearly 20 people, opted to break up into smaller platoons to better handle the high water and the potential scarcity of large eddies. Sticking with the crew from Portland, we geared up and were just about to put-on the creek when another boater came into view walking up river. The conversation was brief but it I did catch the words "Swim", "Lost Gear", "No Eddies", and "Unscoutable". He was gone in a flash and everyone was left just a little less confident than they had been a moment earlier. This is where Ryan Cole stepped up in a big way. Having run the creek several times before, he offered to lead the run and delivered excellent beta throughout the day.
As soon as the boats hit the water, the true nature of the creek reveled itself. The creek, which was in the bushes, was colored a murky brown (probably had a lot to do with the copious amounts of cow dung in the surrounding area. yum) After floating for only a few minutes, we found ourselves rounding a bend and floating into the first big rapid of the day. Ryan had warned us to stay as far right as possible to avoid being swept into a nasty crack in the middle of the river. At this flow, there was no viable eddy above this drop and it snuck up quick! We all made the move to the right without difficulties and were able to catch a small eddy downstream and regroup. (I believe that the group we encountered hiking off the creek ran into trouble when they attempted to run the far left side of this drop.)From this point on, the creek never really let up. Big rapids were separated by fast moving boogie water. There were times when we would travel over a mile without seeing an available eddy to slow down.
A short distance below the initial drop, we came to the single most technical drop on the creek. This long boulder garden was scoutable on the left and had several pushy lines to chose from. After discussing the different options, Dan and I decided we had seen enough and returned to our boats to probe the center line. We pealed out and ran the lead-in without any problems. The next part is a little fuzzy in my memory: it all happened in the span of 3-5 seconds. After boofing over a rock near the top of the drop, I attempted to take a left stroke when agonizing pain shot through my shoulder and I realized that I couldn't move my left arm. I had somehow dislocated my left shoulder (not really sure how, but I didn't throw any brace) and was fast approaching the crux of the drop. After nearly rolling over in shock, I was able to reset my shoulder using a paddling motion and finish the drop upright, but in considerable pain. I consider myself very lucky to have gotten the shoulder back in so easily.
After catching an eddy and watching the rest of the crew come though, we took a break and discussed to option of me hiking off the creek. Several folks volunteered to help me with the hike out, but at this point, Skip's words from the night before were resounding in my head: "When was the last time you went boating and things didn't turn into a show?" After resting for a good twenty minutes, I decided that I was going to keep paddling. The shoulder hurt, but my range of motion wasn't being hindered and I felt I could continue on without putting the group (or myself for that matter) at risk.

John Edwards and Jacob board the freight train.

Ryan Cole is In Like Flynn

We got back on the creek and started bombing downriver. The next two drops came up in quick secession. The first we scouted from the right. It featured a nasty boulder pile in the middle but was fairly clean down the right bank, with only minor hole punching required.

Extra Frothy.

The second drop (we refereed to this one as the slide) was scoutable on the left but required committing to the rapid and catching a last chance eddy. It looks scary, but I promise, there is a large eddy on the left! You just can't see it from above. Faith! The drop itself featured a giant slide that feeds into a horrible looking hydraulic. This thing was massive! Fortunately, there was a narrow brown tongue that just missed the worst of the hole. We all attempted to ride this tongue with varying results. Matt Horton even got some rodeo action in on this beast. I could only watch from afar as he whipped off cart-wheels and loops at warp speed before calmly surfing out of the hole towards to center of the river. Well done!

Dan Rubado: "Hey diddle diddle, right down the middle"

It wasn't far down stream from the slide that we came upon the largest vertical drop on the LK. The falls is very wide and features a plethora of possible lines. Be careful when approaching this drop, it would be very easy to get swept into the falls when boat scouting. Ryan was able to recognize the drop 50 yards upstream and we still had some trouble stopping to scout. The drop is marked by a heavily wooded island that splits to river right down the middle. The easier scout is on the left and requires that you run down the left channel. If you run right of the island (like we did) expect to have some trouble stopping above the horizon line). Everyone had clean lines off the falls, which wasn't a gimmie on this day. If you failed to get your bow up, the uniform hole at the bottom promised to smack you around for awhile.

John fights gravity. And wins!

After the falls, the creek kept boogieing, but everything from this point on was easy to scout from within your boat. There were a few ledges towards the end of the run that could hand out a whipping if you weren't on your toes, but for the most part, the creek just rushes down stream. Right down the middle. Somewhere between the falls and the takeout, the sun actually made an appearance and I think we all took a minute to sit back and appreciate the unique area. Being local to the Willamette Valley, it is certainly a stark change to venture over in the central region of the state. Wide open rolling hills as far as the eye can see! As we arrived at the takeout, we met back up with the group that had put-on before us and there was a general feeling of success. Having knocked off such a rarely run creek at such an abnormally high level left everyone feeling pretty stoked on the day. I'll certainly be back the next time levels spike! Despite my shoulder injury, I still classify the LK mission under "Not at a complete circus", which is an upgrade over recent weeks. Thanks again to Ryan for sitting shotgun on this roller coaster. And Jacob for offering to hikeout with me when I injured my shoulder. Until next time. Nate

video from Emile from that trip

Little Klickitat from Difficult E on Vimeo.

Eagle Creek; Columbia River Gorge

BETA

Stream:  From the Pool below Twister Falls there is a short section of class III-IV warm up before a scout at the EF of Eagle Creek confluence.  Both the main channel and the EF channel can be run.  Just downstream is Grand Union Falls, a 50-ish foot ramp into freefall ending in a big pool.

Photo: Paul Thomson

2 miles of read and run boulder gardens lead to Skoonichuck Falls (you are getting close when you cross under a foot bridge).  Scout from either side, but left is more common.  This 50-ish foot double is usually run with a delayed boof in the middle for the first their, then wherever the current sends you for the second one.  The top drop can also be run left.  At least one person has ended up behind the veil but this is uncommon.

The pool exiting Skoonichuck is class III-ish but it is imperative that boaters get to the left bank after it ASAP.  The current gets shallow here and funnels into a narrow chute on the right that has a log wedged in it.  Boaters need to get left and go over a shallow slide.

Between here and the High Bridge gorge are three rapids, the first can be scouted from the right.  The second is run off the point just on the left side of the current (45 degree angle to absorb the shelf it lands on), and the third is run along the left bank.

A short and beautiful float through the narrow High Bridge gorge brings you to a tiered rapid best finished on the far right to avoid a hole.  The top tier is odd so take a look from river left.

Photo: Paul Thomson

A mile of read and run brings you to a 10 foot ledge, easily scouted on the right.  Just below here is the entrance to Punchbowl Falls.  There is a shallow class II entry slide, the eddies are small and soft so go one at a time.  

Scout Punchbowl from the left, I like to run the lead-in ledge on the right with a left stroke.  Then for the main drop most people like to drive up onto the boil and hold a right stroke going off.  People used to take a right side meltdown sometimes, but that's not very common anymore.

It's a tricky lip so analyze it thoroughly.  The hit can be hard, but good lines usually result in reasonable impacts.

It's worth spending some time in this punchbowl.  Float around the corner and take out above the next horizon.  If you want to portage Metlako without doing a throw and go, take the spur trail found here back up to the main one and head downstream.  Immediately after passing the second narrow cliff section there will be a way back down to the creek via a scree slope.  There is usually an animal style path helping the cause on the downstream end of this scree slope.  Below here it is class II-III to the take out at the low head dam.

If you are not portaging, scout Lower Punchbowl and run off the center-right flake.

There are two rapids between here and Punchbowl, the first one is run center and is III-IV depending on flows.  The second is a small riverwide ledge.  Run this ledge as far left as you can (even if you have to scrape).  There is a hundred feet of flatwater between here and Metlako.  Scout from the platform on the left.  It is possible to attain back upstream from here at lower flows, but it take some effort.

Here are a variety of Metlako lines, high water means a softer landing but a more hazardous pool (0:55).  The throw and go is intimidating but fine.  Try to land in the boil.  

The pool here is another special place, enjoy it if you have the time.  Easy floating leads to another horizon, it's an easy portage on the left.  Not sure if this ugly drop has been run, probably I'd guess.

Just downstream the creek leaves the gorge and meets up with the portage route.  There is one class III rapid and the rest is class II down to the take out at the low had dam. 

Flows:   Use the Bull Run Nr Multnomah Falls gauge.  400-700 is SOP, but 1,000 cfs is doable.

Access:   Take exit 41 off Hwy 84 East (no access heading West).  Turn right and follow the road to it's end in about 1/2 mile.  Find a parking spot and pay the $5 fee.  Hike up the trail until you reach your put in.   

Hiking distance to put-ins

 

      Full Run (Base of Twister Falls):          5 1/4 miles

         Standard  (Skoonichuck Falls):          3 1/2 miles

Hike and Huck (Puncbowl Falls):          2 miles 

 

More Eagle:  

Winter Sunshine

Rafting Report

Rafting Video

Tubing

Swimming

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Original Write-up
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After running different section of Eagle Creek for years, Matt finally got the ball rolling and convinced us to hike past the conventional Skoonichuck put in, tracing the footsteps of the Preistly brothers, Ryan Scott and their friends to tackle the upper waterfalls.  The link below is to a Canoe & Kayak article about that trip.

http://www.canoekayak.com/photos/eagle-creek/

Paul Thomson Photography

http://www.canoekayak.com/photos/eagle-creek/

After doing this trip, I now consider the true Eagle Creek run to begin at the base of Twister Falls.  Putting in lower is cutting out some good stuff, putting in higher lowers the fun:dealing ratio below the threshold of classic.  That said, all sections are enjoyable days in a kayak, tube, or swimming.  If you want to get vertical, this stream will leave you satisfied.

Rock Creek Recon: C & K version

Photo: Keel Brightman

Ryan and Keel did a good job recounting our foray into the headwaters of Rock Creek in the Columbia Gorge for Canoe and Kayak magazine.  Apparently some of it is in the physical magazine for the June issue as well.

http://www.canoekayak.com/travel/rock-creek-recon/

Is it all just a cheap thrill, or so-called adrenaline rush?  Does it have a deeper purpose and meaning? It feels deeper to me.  It gives me something to dream about when I'm stuck in the mundane moments of life.  Something to remember that took everything I had in me to accomplish.  A rich sense of camaraderie and friendship that lasts a lifetime.  This time we experienced it on Upper Rock Creek.

   ~Keel Brightman



Blog write up of the trip here.

Little White Salmon River

Photo: Matt King


BETA

Stream: One of, if not the, quintessential class V backyard run in the world.  It can be paddled 365 days a year (about half those days is it flowing at it's prime), and has non-stop action the whole way with easy access and proximity to Hood River and Portland.

Most people's first trip down consists of following a guide down, if levels are below 3' you can figure it out yourself without undue consternation.  People building their skill set often ask how they know they are ready to run the Little White their first time.  The closest I can get to an answer is this:  When your boat does whatever you want it to, whenever you want it to, you are ready.  Another way of putting it is; you will know when you are ready.

The following beta relates to flows between 2.5'-3.5', the most common level for people who are stepping up to the Little White.  It gets run much higher, and the river does increase notably in difficulty. It also gets run down to about 1', but it's a different river at those levels.

The run starts with 1/4 mile of warm up before reaching Gettin' Busy, marked as of the last decade by a log jam that needs to be portaged left.  Gettin' Busy is a half mile long boulder garden.  This rapid is fast paced and many a first timer has exclaimed how surprised they are to be out of breath!  Kayaking is not often this cardiovascular.  The more you run the Little White, the more you learn to use the water instead of fight it.  While things come at you fast, typically the line is where the current is.  

Gettin' Busy ends in exceptional form at Boulder Sluice, one of the best drops on the run.  This 8' boof should be run off the peak of the launch pad at the lip or just to the left of it.  The first couple times I ran it my peripheral sensors were concerned I would hit the rock it the landing, but it's never happened to me.  While some people splat the rock, it is rare for someone in a creek boat to even touch it, let alone land or piton on it.

Boulder Sluice

                                                                                        Photo: Matt King

Downstream is some easier boogie before the river spreads out at Eye of the Needle, and stays that way to Island.  If you are showing yourself down this section is worth scouting, if you are following someone there is no need to have this part memorized.

At the Island, be ready to check out the rapid called Island.  Some years the rapid can be snuck to the right of island, but I have found it easier to portage left than bother with that.  The main line down the middle probably causes more problems for experienced Little White boaters than any other rapid on the run, but the consequences are justified towards pain over hypoxia relative to other rapids on the run.

Downstream the boulders start to give way to ledges, the first few are read and run, eventually leading to Sacriledge.  Sacriledge is to be taken seriously, this story is not the only close call that cave has produced.  Tentative first timers should run far left, nose pointed downstream.  As you get more comfortable, a fun boof option in the middle may be more appealing.

Sacriledge

 Nate Merrill

Photo: Matt King

A short bit of boogie leads to Double Drop, which can be scouted right if you are boating cautiously.  Beware sticky holes in the center of both ledges.  

Just downstream is one of the few inconsequential and named rapids on the Little White, Typewriter.  Drive center to right, a hydraulic breaking right to left at the bottom can take you for a fun ride (it doesn't hold boaters).

Some bouldery rapids continue downstream, leading to another island at Enchanted Forest.  Left of the island is a series of low angle slides (but has wood as of 2017), right is a bouldery rapid that can be read and run.

When the currents converge at the end of Enchanted Forest, get ready to eddy out and scout S-Turn in less than 100 yards.  This 10' waterfall offers a fun boof at the top, but demands much respect.  The second ledge is tricky, and the run out feeds under the downstream wall, there has been a fatality here.  Boaters often choose to run right-right to remove the thread of the cave.  


                Anna Herring taking the right-right line, this photo is taken from the roof of the cave.

Photo: Matt King

More read and run continue, the next named rapid is Backender.  This rapid has two short ledges, back to back.  The second one can flip boaters end over end, but is not sticky.

Some more boogie leads to Bowey's Hotel, where a busy lead in ends in a riverwide ledge.  The left side is sticky, the right side is easy.  If you are not following someone, and flows are low you can scout this one from the left.  You know you are there when there is yet another island, with a log extending into the right channel (circa 2018).

The next rapid downstream is Wishbone, a 20' waterfall.  If levels are 2.5' or above, the easiest line is about 6" off the left bank at the lip. If it is below 2.5' you will have to go center, but at those flows you can scout from the left just below Bowey's.  Or go center at any level if you want to feel the force of the Little White.  The right channel has been run, but it is not common.


                                                Lucas Glick, feeling the power.

Photo: Matt King

There is a big pool below Wishbone, the water exits into The Gorge/AKA The Squeezes.  This is worth a look from the left bank your first time down, if you look close you can see the horizon at Horseshoe downstream, the most common spot to cause trouble for boaters stepping up to the Little White. 

The Gorge can be entered right or left, then there are two holes to punch, center or center-left is where both flush best.  In the squirrelly water downstream, you must set up for Horseshoe.  Horseshoe should be run far right, but don't drive right too early.  If you go over in the right spot (the right side) with a strong right stroke the hydraulic is not hard to clear, if you do anything else, it is hard to clear.  This is a good place to be bold, and paddle aggressively.


Beatdown on the Little White Salmon from Nate Pfeifer on Vimeo.



The next horizon line is Stovepipe, scout and portage left or right (left is less hassle if you portage).  There are two lines at medium flow, right or main.  The main line is clean down to about 2.7' when it starts landing on a shelf/pothole.  The right side offers a great boof at the top, with a run-out.  The right side closes off/dries out around 2.5'.

One short and easy rapid leads to Contemplation Canyon, a short section of flat water during which the upcoming Spirit Falls is often contemplated.  More class III-IV boogie continues until the river bends right and over Spirit Falls around a semi-blind turn.  If levels are around 3' or less I like scouting/portaging left, but as levels rise a log jam downstream of the launch point can get hard to avoid for portagers.

The walk on the right side is starting to experience erosion with the influx of boaters running the Little White, and people hiking into Spirit for photos in recent years.

There have even been a handful of raft descents of Spirit Falls, Iv'e only heard of one where both paddlers stayed in the boat.  

Photo: Paul Thomson

Spirit Falls is a powerful drop and should be taken seriously.  It can hand out scary beat-downs, and has broken more backs than any other waterfall I am aware of.  Then just below is Chaos, a powerful ledge that has also handed out a lot of beat-downs.  Despite the hazards, Spirit Falls is an attention-grabbing, aesthetic drop that is as culturally significant to kayakers as it gets.  If you could plant the feeling of your first time in the pool below Spirit to a non-kayaker, for many boaters it would be as close as it gets to answering the question "why do you kayak?".  This drop fully lives up to it's reputation and deserves all the attention it gets, truly a contender for one of the more special places a kayaker can visit along the beaten path. That said, while many young kayakers run Spirit every lap (and sometimes more), it's also a drop that many "experienced" kayakers portage most of the time.  One of your runs over Spirit is going to be your last one, don't make it the one that compromises your back.    Scout, set safety, make good decisions.  For the easiest way to set safety at Chaos, portage right, the trail returns to the river just below Chaos.

                                          The right side of Chaos used to be considered extremely dangerous and paddlers tried to make a move to the left channel.  A transition of perspective occurred in the 20-teens and nowadays it's nearly 50/50 (and increasing yearly) that people go for the right side line.  Safety can be set by portagers or probers on the right from where this photo is taken.

Right line at Chaos

Photo: Matt King

Downstream are two channels, the left one ends in a log jam that has taken a life.  The right channel is easy.

Some class IV leads to the gauge (on the left in a pool) and Master Blaster.  Master Blaster is typically run left through some hydraulics, the last one can mess with you.  There are some other lines center and right, the rapid can be scouted right.

Master Blaster is the end of the class V, and it's now acceptable to let your guard down a bit.  Everything except the dams is read and run class II-III with some fun eddies to catch.  There are three low head dams, if you go off the top of them pointed straight downstream you may piton, if you are not pointed downstream when you land the hydraulic may hold you.  The higher the level, the stickier the holes at the base.  If you have made it this far, you will have no trouble sorting them out.

Landing off the last dam, you will find yourself in Drano Reservoir and it's really time to celebrate!  It's about 300 yards of flat water down to where the cars are parked.





  
Flows:  There is not an online gauge, but if you are on Facebook you can get a pretty good idea what is going on out there.  It can be run nearly every day of the year, but the majority of first time runs are done in April/May.

There is a gauge of the staff variety.  The friendliest first time flows are 3.0-3.5'.  A half foot in either direction of that is still in, and an additional half a foot past that is getting into the extreme's of what your typical boater will enjoy.  Yet another half foot beyond that in either direction and it's really not the Little White as the general kayaker population understands it anymore, but something else.

The definitive gauge is near the end of the run, just above Master Blaster on the left.  There is also a correlation gauge at the top of the run that is close to correct, enough so that you can at least have an idea of what you are getting into for the day.

The Little White is usually at the good first time flows of 3.0-3.5' in April/May.   By August, it is usually class IV.  The guys pushing the upper limits run it after heavy rains in the Winter and Spring.

Below are some videos from various flows.

At about 1.5'

Low Water Little White from Rogue Specimens on Vimeo.

At about 3'

Little white salmon from Difficult E on Vimeo.

At 5.4'

Access:  Bring some dollar bills for the bridge crossings.

The take out is just outside the gates for the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery (45.718726, -121.646259)

To get to the put in return to highway 14 and turn right (west).   0.6 miles later turn right onto Cook-Underwood Rd.  6.6 miles later you will cross over the bridge at the put in (45.779941, -121.628540).

One last video from Taylor Hazen.   It could be said the epicenter for the bro-brah culture in kayaking is Hood River and even more specifically the Little White Salmon River.  The humorous intro to this video nods to that.




Enjoy

Rock Creek: The Top Rock (Stevenson)

                          
                                                            Photo: Keel Brightman

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The rapids on this run follow a Lord of the Rings theme.  The drops are in order of the Hobbits adventure and the drops correlate with their challenges.  If you are familiar with the story, you will have an idea how far along you are on the run by the names of the drops.

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Stream:

[Italicized portions of the report are Nate Merrill's commentary, who was on the trip where we completed the run.]

After a complex shuttle, and short hike in, paddlers arrive at a small class I-II creek bed with barely enough water to float.  Upstream is a 12'er, downstream are a number of easy log portages.  It is best to make haste through this section, as it is easier to save time here than later on.

Bree

As we were gearing up and about to put boat to water, I remember turning to Cruser and asking, "Is this a bad idea?" His response wasn't entirely what I was hoping for: "Um. Maybe. But it's happening." Needless to say, Jacob's epic hike out the previous winter had me on some pins and needles. 

Less than a mile into the run shallow, low angle slides will appear.  At this point be on alert for the first falls.  The creek will make a left then immediate right, making this right turn will result in a run over the falls.  An alert boater will find there are eddies where they need them.  The portage is easiest with rope on the right, but has been done on the left.  The landing itself is deep but had a barely visible log in the landing on this trip.  This was the first taste of the challenges to come.

Weathertop

A couple more views of Weathertop

Photo: Ryan Scott

 Below here a short ways is a class III slide and the next rapid is the first class V.  It looked portageable on the left, but don't be tricked into going very high or you will be cliffed out.  At low flows we boated/portaged our way at river level.

First notable rapid

Soon is the first big falls, it has three tiers, only the second and third appeared runnable.  We portaged high on the right, but this was not favorable.  After the portage we discovered roping the boats down the first falls on the right, then ferrying over to river left above the second falls would lead to a much simpler river level portage.  It also allows for a boater to scout the third drop from the lip.

I ended up doing a rappel down to the base of the last falls in this series while others lowered their boats down and proceeded to tackle the long hike around. After seeing this fall from the base, I estimated the drop is closer to 45 feet it height rather than the 60 foot drop we'd estimated from high up on the canyon walls. If you follow Jacob's portage directions above, you'll have ample opportunity to decide for your selves. 

Rivendell

The lip of the first (marginal) drop in Rivendell

The second and third (runnable) drops of Rivendell

Having already completed the gorge that had turned Jacob back the year prior, I was feeling pretty good at this point. We were making good time and the drops were all classic affairs (although we weren't firing). I remember taking a rather long break below the gorge and eating a bit of food while resting up for the next stage of our journey. Looking back on it, this was one moment where we really could have saved our selves some time down the line. We may have been lulled into a sense of complacency with regards to daylight seeing as we'd just completed what we expected to be the hardest portage. 

Below here is a pretty manky section that would be fast and eddy-less with more water.  It starts with a 25' slide into a narrow sluiceway.  This turns the corner and enters some brush and pinny stuff, then some runnable boulder gardens with some wood.

Moria

This section bogged us down as a group and reminded us that every part of this creek has bite, both on and off the water.

It's worth noting that there is an active landslide the pours into the creek from river right just below the 25' slide. We all portaged along the slide, however, Matt narrowly avoided serious injury when several dump trucks worth of rocks shifted under his feet and slid down into the creek. Portage with care!

Below here I think things were smooth for a bit with an easy slide at the base of an impressive river-right wall.

Helms Deep

After spending such an inordinate amount of time and energy making our way through the brushy mank upstream, it felt great to be running some rapids and making down stream progress. The wall that is featured in the photo above is really a sight to be seen! A sheer, slanted slab of rock that is easily 300 feet tall that shoots directly up from the creek. 

Below here a creek enters on the left, marking the lower gorge.  The next horizon line was supposed to be the first of the 20'ers. There was an eddy on the right above the first falls.  The first drop is a twisting 40'er that looks runnable, with a runout that feeds right into an abrupt 50'er.  The 50 looked deep from above, but Nate was collecting boats in the pool below and had his doubts.  To portage the two drops, we roped them down on the right side of the first falls and scrambled through the woods to collect them.  This left us needing to get to the left for the second part, which led to a classic "scary ferry".  This required being propelled into the base of the first falls and paddling like mad to make it to the river left eddy.  Keel went last after pushing us, so wasn't able to get a push but still made the move.  Thanks Keel!  After this we pushed the boats off the second falls where Nate and Matt collected them, then did a moderately exposed traverse on river left.

This is right around the point when the trip took on a more desperate nature. With daylight burning fast we found ourselves standing at the lip of a second intimidating gorge. As we stood on the patio and looked over the edge of the first drop, we could tell that the portage around the gorge was going to take a good chunk of time and I think everyone was starting to feel the looming threat of a cold night out on one of the darkest days of the year. From this point on, we all adopted a very workman like mentality when it came to down stream progress. Looking out over the gorge and not knowing just have big the next horizon line will be was a feeling I'd not yet known in kayaking.

The Two Towers 

The scary ferry between Tower 1 and Tower 2

A few short slides led to the next horizon.  Matt and Nate had already scouted, and Nate said I shouldn't scout this one, just go with the water and tuck.  I was a bit skeptical, but with a twinkle in his eye Nate said "trust me" and got into his boat.  I followed and using that beta cleaned up on the funnest drop we ran that day.

Gondor

The bottom set in Gondor was class V+ made worse by a raft stuck in the first drop.  Keel and Nate think this drop is the creme de leche of the run, and has the potential to become yet another signature drop in the Columbia Gorge.  It is a 25' pancake only drop, immediately (maybe time for a stroke) into another 25'er with a clean pool.

Minus Tiruth at the exit to Gondor

Photo: Tim Olsen

(Taken at summer flows)

The pool below.

 This is followed by some boulder gardens and wood before the next biggin' (Black Gate), a tough 40'er with a deep looking pool.  The faster portage is on the left, but looked exposed to us who portaged on the right.  Boats were also thrown here.

After reaching the start of the second gorge, the group had developed a pretty stringent guide for portaging around these large waterfalls. Almost every single drop on the top of the rock falls into giant basalt amphitheaters that require long, strenuous portages up and around. Imagine portaging Punchbowl Falls on eagle creek, from the lip, repeatedly.. without the aid of a trail! In order to speed up the process, the group would divide up into two groups when we hit a new horizon. 2/3 of the group would begin the long walk immediately sans boats, while the remaining 1/3 would hang tight. Once the 2/3 had made it to the bottom, the folks at the top would huck boats and paddles off to be corralled at the base of the falls. As the 2/3 drained boats, the 1/3 would complete the hike. This kept everything moving down river!

Black Gate

Photo: Ryan Scott

This was run on a later trip by Dave Fusilli.

Following this was a fun section (Shelob's Layer) of boulder gardens with some wood.  Scotty led a charge through here to keep us on schedule.  My second favorite drop was in here.  This boulder garden saw us sneaking into a small channel on the right, then driving back center for a fun couple of moves.  A swimming portage on the left followed awhile later and we were nearing the end of the hard stuff.

    In Shelob's Layer

 This section ends with Doom, another ten foot log choked drop into a narrow landing that may go with more flow, but we were able to portage on both sides.

Doom

Below here its just a race against darkness, once you pass a green colored cliff on the left you have reached The Shire and the PCT bridge is just downstream.   It is possible to hike a mile on the PCT out to a road, but at this point you are only a mile of class II away from the end so if you have light you may as well take it easy and float to the vehicle bridge.

The Shire

Everything about the Top of the Rock grades out on an epic scale. Access requires a 2 hour one way shuttle which circumnavigates several nearby drainages.  The road to the put-in tops out above 3000 feet and is snowed in much of the year. The drops are large and the portages are taxing. Weather patterns have necessitated both attempts to have occurred right around the winter solstice  which dramatically decreases the amount of usable day light to complete the run (and you need every moment) An attempt on this creek should not be taken lightly! That being said, there are some classic drops in there and I personally look forward to watching folks start to pick em off. This trip was more of an exploratory mission to get the whole thing dialed in. As such, no one was really in the 'go big' mindset and we ended up leaving all the biggins un-run. I know that I can't wait to get back in there and maybe have a crack at one or two of the falls. Just be aware, if you do wreck yourself on Top of the Rock, egress out of the canyon won't really be much of an option. Go get em!

Video from Ryan Scott of CRG productions


Rock Creek, WA - Headwaters Canyon - (Top of the Rock) from CRG Whitewater on Vimeo.

   -Nate & Jacob

Flows:  Rock Creek once had a gage that was available online from 2008-2013.  Currently only the gauge height can be ascertained, and that must be done in person.

Here is a rough correlation showing the relationship between the gage height and cfs. 

 G.H                                    CFS

9.00    ..........    304

9.50    ..........    454

10.10   ..........    701

10.50   ..........    904

 10.80   ..........   1,050

 11.00   ..........   1,160

 11.50   ..........   1,490

 11.90   ..........   1,810

I believe the range is roughly 11'-12', with 11.5' being ideal.  Yet with only a couple data points that is guesswork at best.

• The first time we tried this run on 10-30-2011, Rock Creek was raging at higher flows than the gauge could register (the online gauge did not read higher than 12' or just under 2,000 cfs). This was not a good first time flow, and a visual estimate of the flooding creek was in the 3,000+ cfs range at the gage site.  The EF Lewis standby gage was at over 4500 cfs.

• The photos on this trip report were taken at about 11', or around 1,100 cfs on 10-8-2012.  This gage is far downstream on Rock Creek, we probably only had a couple hundred cfs max in the headwaters which was a low, runnable level.  The EF Lewis standby gage was at 2200 cfs.

The gage is found where Rock Creek flows under the Ryan Allen Rd bridge a short distance upstream of Stevenson.  45.6985, -121.9053

The readings stop at 10.10, but this ruler has been added to extend the gage.  The inches start at the 10.00 mark, so this part of the gage reads as inches + 10 feet. The top of the metal is at 22" or 11'10" so a covered gage means high water.

There is also a rough gage on the right pylon of the bridge that extends the readings further if the metal portion is covered.

There are some nearby streams with online gages that can be used to guesstimate when The Top Rock will be flowing.

Here are some notes related to those gauges:

Ok flow with      -      EF Lewis @ 4200 (dropping); Washougal @ 5800 (dropping); Wind @ 1800 (dropping)

Similar flow with    -     EF Lewis 4000 (peak); Washougal @ 4600 (peak); Wind @ 7.5/1600 (peak)

Access:   Look at a map, the take out is the highest bridge on Rock Creek near the PCT and Snag creek trail.  This part of the shuttle is mostly along Red Bluff road.  To get to the put in; drive all the way back down to highway 14, then up the Wind River Highwater to Stabler.  After turning onto Hemlock Road and crossing the Wind River, turn right in a little over a mile onto NF-417 (just before crossing Trout Creek).  Continue up NF-417 to the Upper Trout creek put in bridge, just after the bridge turn right.  After a period of time the road will turn left (there will be a gated road to the right) and start going uphill.  Follow this to the top of the ridge and turn left.  Within a quarter mile a barely visible trail will be on the right at a small pull-off.  You might notice a painted square on a tree here.  Follow this trail to the creek, it will peter out at points, but intuition has gotten everyone where they need to go so far. 

Needless to say, some pre-trip map work is necessary.

Snow Marker:  The elevation of this corner coincides with the elevation at the head of the gorge. 

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Background

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Rock creek has long been on the radar as a semi-classic class IV run in the CRG and the oft-hucked Money Drop. But until last year, no one had really explored the upper reaches of the drainage. Upper Rock descends through a canyon that rivals (and even outshines) the Salmon River which flows off the flanks of nearby Mt. Hood.   ~Nate Merrill

After our failed attempt last year, I was unsure if I was ever going to return to this section of river.  I had seen the committing nature of the run in the form of 4 failed attempts at gaining access, hours examining topo maps, and an intimate experience with the canyon as we flanked its river left wall hundreds of feet above the stream for 8 hours in the dark last year.  I was worried the lower gorge contained numerous massive waterfalls of a similar stature to the entrance falls that prompted our hike out last year.  I did not think it was a good idea to commit to the run without scouting all of it by foot first.  Hans was interested in the run and decided to do the leg work to puzzle together the lower gorge.  He did some scouting this summer and his report of 5 clean 15-20 footers in the lower gorge made me reconsider and think this trip may actually be possible.  This in my mind was not enough to make me jump on the wagon and give the run a go however, as I was not sure the first falls could be portaged, and on our hike out I witnessed "a lot of white" between the first falls and the lower gorge.  The walls were massive, I did not want to put my family and friends through another fiasco, so told Hans I wasn't sold.  However, the fire had been lit and he assured me that he could repel us around anything we came across and that the section between where he had scouted and the initial falls would likely be brushy mank, but nothing too big.

When all the stars aligned again, we decided to go in.  We wasted time in the morning and after getting to the take out to set shuttle I knew there was not enough time to tackle the run today.  We briefly considered hiking in from the bottom, but made the wise choice to save it for another day, running the "boof to bliss, pin to panic" section of Rock Creek.

Fast forward to this week and the momentum had grown.  The research had been done, a crew consisting of the majority of exploratory boaters in the area had been assembled, and shuttle was taken care of.  The seed had been sown, it was time to reap the consequences and rewards of our decision to commit.  There were two meeting times, first the raft group, then the Portland contingent would meet up about an hour later.  As the only person who knew access I needed to take the first group to the trailhead, then head back to collect the Portlandians.  There was the expected chaotic start from such a large group, but eventually we all arrived at the put in after a short 15 minute hike along a convenient berry picker trail that offers the only reasonable access to this run.

 Along the berry path/descent into Middle Earth

The word about an unsolved puzzle right in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge had certainly spread over the last year. As it were, we ended up with a rather large contingent of paddlers. In addition to Matt, Jacob, and I, we also had Keel Brightman, Ryan Scott, Brett Barton, and Scotty Baker. Hans Hoomans and his friend Eric from Colorado also joined in on the fun in a 13 foot raft.  ~Nate Merrill

Getting an early start:  5am in Cascade locks

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Nomenclature

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Bree:  The early challenges in Bree were not significant compared to what would come, but required gumption none-the-less.  It is tempting to stay here where things seem routine, but if the journey is to be successful a speedy departure is necessary.

Weathertop:  The next notable challenge on the journey, this one more significant than what was encountered in Bree.  Yet again, increased difficulty will be faced downstream.

Rivendell:  In the books, Rivendell is the first magical location the Hobbits find themselves.  Rivendell is full of waterfalls both in the book and on this creek.

Moria:  The location where the fellowship meets problems that slow them down for the first time.  We had a number of issues occur in this short stretch when paddling the river, including a frightening swim and some paddlers riding down a rockslide.

Helms Deep:  This is named for the large river-right wall found here, which is remeniscent of the large wall found in Helms Deep in the books.

The Two Towers:  There are the two towers that the second book is named for (the middle book of the trilogy).  Once these two waterfalls (symbolic of towers?) are passed, paddlers are about halfway through their own journey.  Both towers are antagonistic in the story, and both are unfriendly looking waterfalls. (Orthanc and Minas Morgul are the names in the book)

      Orthanc:  This is the tower of Isenguard, the less evil of the two towers in the book, and the more   runnable of the two on the stream.

     Minas Morgul:  The more evil of the two towers and the less runnable of the two waterfalls.  In the book the original name meant "tower of the rising moon", at this point in the trip daylight was starting to be a concern for us on the first successful descent.

Gondor (Minas Tirith): A set of three falls, the first is friendly. The bottom double tiered set (Minas Tirith) has an obvious but difficult line.  In the book Minas Tirith is a many tiered city defended by the "good guys".

Black Gate:  The Black Gate is one of the final obstacles to overcome in the story, and the largest.  This is the final waterfall paddlers must face on their trip through this canyon, and the largest.

Shelob's Layer:  In the book, Shelob's layer is a series of tunnels and narrow paths that the hobbits must travel through, an area that is the domain of a giant spider.  On the river there are many obstacles in this section coming in the form of boulder gardens.  These are not as challenging as the waterfalls upstream, but there are many and they can still have harsh consequences.  One of the portages on our trip required crawling through a small cave.

Doom: In the book the crack of magma within Mt Doom is where the One Ring needed to be delivered to destroy it.  Frodo struggles with his weakened mind to complete his duty.  Once this has been done, the journey is nearly complete and the major obstacles are behind them.  Now all that is required is the journey back to their home (The Shire). The final obstacle may not be as grandiose as the rest, but after such a tiring day a paddler may not have the volition to see to this final task.  Once this final hurdle has been negotiated (paddled or portaged), the home stretch awaits.

The Shire:  Once you see a small green cliff on the left the PCT trail is near.  You have now made it to safety and can relax.  You can hike out here or continue through the easy final mile.