A group of us made it into Robe when all else was too low. Snow on the ground, Ice in the trees and bright blue sky made for a memorable day on the water.
We used an alternate putin:
The forest on the trek down to the river was gorgeous.
Signs of man.
The boys breaking the frost off of their sprayskirts
Theres quite a few small hot springs in the area, none are large enough for full immersion though.
I will be the first to say that WASHINGTON STATE IS THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH!
That being said; we have two portions of the year that are less than ideal for kayaking in the PNW. September and January can both be dry (a relative term for WA). The rains do not arrive until mid February, during the winter, and this can cause some problems.
It’s true: if you don’t use it, you will lose it. So, we must seek water where it hides. This time of year it hides deep in gorges. There was one Gorge, south of Seattle, that promised water.
It also promised to be cold as hell.
The phones rang all Thursday and Friday and excuses’ started to roll though the lines. SE boaters would laugh at the excuses’ we make to not have to drive 3 or 4 hours to boat. We are so used to calling an hour in the car a “long haul” that all of a sudden those Honey-Do lists start to look more appealing than boating.
By late Friday night it was settled. We were to be Hood River bound by 730am. The drive from Seattle to the fish hatchery that serves as a takeout for the Little White Salmon is just under 4 hours, from Everett (WA) its over 5 hours.
A decently sized crew rallied. We made a plan to meet up with locals at the takeout at about noon so we split up into two rigs and started the mission.
Somehow, we made it on time. The drive from Portland towards Hood River on HWY 84 is probably the closest thing to a wind tunnel you will ever encounter outside of a turbine test facility. You could feel the Subi lifting off the ground and moving over with each gust of wind. Unnerving doesn’t really describe the sensation.
We made it, and found fresh powder at the takeout.
LDuB is one of, if not “The”, best runs in Washington state. Maybe even the Pacific Northwest. It’s incredibly scenic, challenging and most importantly: FUN. Keep in mind, this is a run that gets sandbagged by chargers and locals. This is a tough run. You need to be in shape, you need to be in the groove and you need to be able to take some licks. So check out footage and ask around before your maiden voyage.
We met up with Hood River transplants and headed up to the putin. I’m not gonna lie, I was sweating the entire drive up to the top. I hadn’t been in Little White in a couple of years and hearing stories about new, sketchy wood in “Getting Busy” (a mile long pingpong course) was wigging me out. Then there was the snow. It was really cold. But, as the situations tend to turn out, it was a great couple of days on the river.
The was new wood in the stretch immediately above Getting Busy. A mandatory portage at this level.
We definitely had lower water levels with 3.2 on the stick gage at the put in. But it was breathtakingly beautiful on the water. I do not know why or how, but the water that rams through that old lava bed is the coolest blue/green color I’ve ever seen. Its like boating on Gatorade. Contrasting this almost glowing blue was the inch or so of snow, everywhere. Snow on the trees, snow on the rocks and bank, snow falling into the river you’re trying to paddle. It was a surreal feeling, the way the snow dampens sound and makes colors and contrast stand out more prominently. Maybe this is the hunter-gatherer instinct shinning through; you don’t feel like you’re on top of the food chain in there.
Once we got into Getting Busy all the kinks started to work themselves out.
A large group made for a couple of photo opportunities:
We had a little bit of carnage, in Getting Busy, when the trees in the river decided to boof us.
The boat was recovered below Boulder Sluice and the paddle was found the next day. We had a scary moment when the boat recovery turned into a double boat recovery and a soul searching couple of seconds…
A little ways downstream you come to S-Turn.
Photo Credit: J. Bisson
A short but very hazardous rapid. Boof any way you want, but never go
near the lower river left wall. A horizontal lava tube creates an
underwater cave that is barely visible even at these lower water levels.
A swim here could be your last. Know your line and have a plan.
Photo Credit: J. Bisson
Photo Credit: J. Bisson
This beauty is waiting about halfway through the run. A lot of first-timers get duped into running Wishbone Falls blind on their virgin lap.
I jumped out of my boat below the canyon section to grab some photos of people charging the right side of Stovepipe. I think this is one of the coolest drops on the run!
Maybe a quarter to a half mile below Stovepipe is the infamous Spirit Falls. Most people stop and discuss their lines before firing up this monster, but I already knew my line! Far river right son!
Jeremy Bisson, however, was not about to have any of that nonsense. After giving me his camera to grab some stills, and some words of admonishment, he walked back to his boat while I slunk away to lick my wounds and take pictures.
Jeremy Bisson, with a SICK line!
Joe and I take to longer, dryer route.
Sunday: Round 2. Getting warmed up below Island Drop.
Alex took the center line at Wishbone Falls.
On lap number two we had two takers for Spirit Falls. Jeremy wasn't happy with his line the previous day and wanted a rematch. Mike Nash decided to give'r a go as well. Jeremy Bisson - Spirit Falls
Mike Nash - Spirit Falls
The lead-in to Chaos has a little branch in it.
The takeout had a fine layer of snow and we all had to step back and take it all in.
When
it was all said and done, we were sad to leave. The Little White in the
dead of winter is an unreal experience and I'm stoked that I got to see
it with some of the best people I know.
Heres a quick little shot of some fun on Wishbone:
After a disappointing drive to the Top Tye put-in and then a long overdue beating on the Foss River, I was looking forward to a relaxing lap on the Skykomish. The drive down to run the main section of the Skykomish, from Index to Split Rock, got a little more interesting after Sam Grafton asked if we would stop at one of the uppermost rapids and set safety for him.
Eagle Falls is the uppermost waterfall on the South Fork of the Skykomish River in Washington State. Located just downstream from the town of Baring; the “Falls” is less of a waterfall and more of a North Fork Payette style high volume cascade that empties into a massive pool surrounded by tall trees and a 60 foot smooth cliff on river left.
With the skykomish running high, Eagle Falls becomes a maelstrom of a rapid. It has three distinct drops:
The first ledge is manageable on the RR side, with what looks like a terminal hole at about river center. The next ledge, at this level, is more of a massive funnel that creates a disgusting wave/hole. The final ledge, maybe another 50-60 yards downstream is a river wide hole that looks like you could misplace a Buick in. And I’m talking old school Buick’s; pre-seatbelt era size…
We had a massive support group but with the Skykomish running at around 17,000 CFS and dropping, there was little in the way of support we could actually provide. The boater’s best friend in this scenario is the emerald green pool at the very bottom of the cascade.
As we arranged ourselves along the bank for a good view of the event about to unfold, it dawned on me that this is a rapid that I will never run. You can feel the rocks you are standing on vibrate with the force of the Skykomish being squeezed through a crack in a mountain ridge that is about a third of the size of the river bed immediately upstream and downstream of the Fall’s. The constriction in combination with the drop in elevation created a freight train effect in the Cascade we were standing above.
Sam Grafton has been running the little run drop, named Eagle Falls, for a couple years now. He opted to just get it over with and geared up without scouting the rapid for more than a couple seconds.
Sam in Eagle Falls:
Meanwhile, while we were all still cleaning out our undergarments from Sam’s run, Darren Albright decided to have a turn at the action.
Darren Albright runs Eagle Falls:
Darren boats with what can only be described as class.
Barley getting his face wet in the main ledge and then heading far right at the bottom ledge; Darren caused Sam to conclude that while his line went well, it didn’t go well enough. Sam wasn’t happy that he had rolled at the bottom so he decided to hike back up and give her another go.
Sam Grafton in round two:
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Darren Albright in Round 2:
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
Photo courtesy of Scott Waidelich
It's all smiles at the takeout while we get to shake hands with the chargers.
Here's a quick video I put together of Darren running Eagle Falls:
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