The EF of Indigo Creek was small, we knew that going in but had still hoped for more water than we had. Oh well, we are pretty used to taking what the Siskiyou gives us, and were excited to be there with enough water to float our boats and headed downstream with smiles and optimism.
The creek at the beginning was nondescript with some wood issues from a recent fire.
While it is typically faster to simply portage a log jam like the one below, sometimes we can't help but try to open up a path and get to paddle through instead.
Sometimes the small victories are the sweetest.
The stream eventually started to consolidate, with larger boulders and bedrock outcrops lining the bank. While wood was certainly present, we were spending more time in our boats than out, and starting to get hints of the beauty that lay downstream.
While I was really enjoying being on the EF of Indigo Creek, I was having an internal dialogue with myself about water levels. We often find ourselves paddling obscure runs at low flows. The reason is I'd prefer to error on the side of low water than high, because it's easier to deal with hazards, catch eddies, and move around at water level when the flow is low. I was wondering if that mentality had been too prudent lately, as we had run a few creeks that season that would have been more fun with better water levels and there hadn't been any reason why we needed low water.
Here we were again, on a creek that seemed like it would have been enjoyable with double the flow, and I was feeling like I was going to need to re-evaluate my preference for low flows when we came to the crux of the EF of Indigo, and all those low water trips were validated in a one hundred yard stretch as the creek got serious in a hurry.
The crux of the EF Indigo Creek, and the reason I would not put in on this tributary again, is Indigo Montana, a walled in crack drop. Here the creek is between high vertical walls, maybe there was a way around above the gorge, but I didn't see one. The first drop was a nice 5' boof, but that boof fed into a boulder pile, under a log, then into a twisting crack with a recycle. Initially, we were unsure what to do but ideas started to float and Joseph decided to get a closer look at that bottom crack to see if we could figure out something clever at water level. He was able to jump most of the way across the creek and grapple out onto the other side (attached to a tether), and was able to get down to the crack to inspect. It looked to him from his new location like our hopeful plan to walk across the log and seal launch into the crack would work.
Obviously, a plan like this does not work at what would be considered conventional kayak flows, making us grateful for the low water.
First though, we had to get to where Joseph was. And we would be able to paddle there, by way of a nice boof, before a person on shore hauled us up onto land.
Getting out of the water, then over to the launch point was a process, and the seal launch proved tricky. Ben went first, followed by Joseph and the two of them helped the rest of us through. The third person had an exciting time in the crack, prompting Priscilla, Zach and I to instead attach ropes to our boats, throw them into the crack, then have Ben (who was holding the other side of the rope) pull them through. Joseph and Yann then corralled them and placed them on shore. After the gear was through that just left 3 people, so Zach, Priscilla and I each took our turn jumping into the crack holding onto a rope and swimming through to our gear on the other side. Because of Indigo Montana, I would not return to EF Indigo, but I was so glad we did it this once, and what was waiting just below was one of the major reasons.
This Cave was immediately below Indigo Montana on Indigo Creek, and I haven't stumbled upon anything quite like it before. Stalagtites and many colors .
Close up
The creek continued to stay narrow with gorge walls, we proceeded cautiously, hoping not to find anything as committing as the narrow drop upstream. Fortunately only finding runnable rapids or readily solvable portage-puzzles.
The creek continued to be remarkable for some time, narrow and intimate. We were doing a lot of looking around, while trying to maintain downstream progress. We were glad we had planned the trip as an overnighter, so we did not have to rush through here too quickly.
The creek opened up after the gorge section, with views of an arch on a prominent ridge.
After a benign section of the creek, the whitewater picked back up into bouldery rapids for the last couple miles to the confluence with the WF of Indigo Creek. Many of these were boat-scoutable, but plenty required getting on shore to take a look. Many of the lines were tricky, and required thought. This section required the most team-work, communication, and trust. The whitewater was not classic, but was engaging. The stand out moment was a boulder garden that ended in a slot with a rail-slide. Everyone made it over except the last person, who flipped upstream about 3-4' onto their head, fortunately avoiding any rocks. They were able to stay in their boat and roll up off a rock in a bad spot, but stayed calm and the team was able to extract them.
The enjoyment in this stretch of whitewater was piecing the puzzle together and moving safely downstream, rather than the quality of the rapids.
A typical scene for us on the lower portion of EF Indigo, everybody patient in an eddy, waiting for beta to make it's way from the front of the group to the back.
By the time we reached the confluence with WF Indigo, we were ready to be there. It had been a long and enjoyable day, but we were tired and ready to let go of the focus we had needed for the day. When I had been looking for camping potential on maps in preparation for this trip, I had noted that at the confluence there looked to be a small bench of land on river-left. It had looked like the only potential spot until much lower on the main stem of Indigo, so we were banking on that hunch being correct. Fortunately, it was, and we had just enough flat area to make a comfortable camp with only a spattering of poison oak plants.
We were pretty happy with the day we had, boating through a pristine and captivating portion of the Siskiyou. We noted that the West Fork contributed more water than the East Fork, and that we might have a nice flow tomorrow if levels didn't drop much overnight.
The next day we paddled the main stem of Indigo Creek, which was one of, if not the best paddling day of the year for Priscilla and I.
Photo: Priscilla Macy
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