SeshTember

Finally finished the SeshTember edit... Only took 3 months.

While Adrian was in town we were able to hit up the North Fork Payette river in Idaho for the long three day weekend, then some weekday boating on Tumwater Canyon outside of Leavenworth Washington. The week ended with a day in the Chelan Gorge.


While I was back East for the summer, taking my licks on the Green, Adrian and I began formulating an epic road trip idea for the Fall. I had made an off hand comment about renting an RV and making the annual pilgrimage out to the North Fork Payette in ID. The long Labor Day weekend is one of the few times that the Seattle Crew rallys out as a group to another state for boating. We have year round flows in WA so you usually do not have to go far to get wet. But August and September can be a bit dry if you're looking for a bit more than class III. So, as long as I've been back into boating, the Seattle crew has picked up and headed out to Idaho for the 3 day weekend in early September. I missed the trip in 2009, due to work, but Adrian had made it (I was able to get out there the weekend before, another epic journey entirely). Adrian was getting back into boating as well, after a long sabbatical.For Adrian, the trip resulted in a broken paddle, bootie beers filled at the tap in a bar as well as a bruised ego. He wanted a rematch. I was able to make it out last year, 2010, and had a blast. Adrian was not able to join on account of work. So this was the make it or break it year. With Adrian in San Diego now and me on the East Coast, I thought our chances of a boating reunion were pretty slim. So, I was very surprised when he called and said that he had bought tickets to Boise and would be renting a car to come out and join us.

I was Stoked!

Then trouble started. I started posting on ProfessorPaddle, trying to gauge interest in the trip for the 2011 season. There was absolutely none. It could have been part of the down economy or the fact that BC was still going off. Either way, it became apparent pretty quickly that I was going to be driving out to Idaho solo.

I called Adrian and told him that I was getting a bit of a bad feeling about it and that maybe we should cancel the trip. Adrian, forever the optimist, did opt to change his flight. So he flew to Seattle to drive out with me.

We decided that we would pack up and leave Friday afternoon and try to make it all the way to Banks in one shot. I had only been able to do it once in the past. When 4pm rolled around and we were still loading the truck, my hopes where dwindling. We would be joined on this journey by my awesome girlfriend, Sara, and the worst dog in the world: Stokes.

The four of us piled into my 99' Toyota Tacoma with enough supplies for 4 days, two creek boats and enough beer to drown a competent kayaker.

Disaster struck around midnight when I miss judged our fuel level and we were on fumes in the middle of Eastern Oregon with no gas stations open. We camped there and filled up in the morning. Breakfast was provided by the Hungry Redneck cafe. Seriously.

We rolled into Banks pretty early and were stoked to meet up with Jason Stingl and Chris Menges. Chris was unhappy with his demo boat and decided to head back into Boise for another. Jason had just come off a warm up lap on the lower five so we decided in the interest of time to just head up to the upper putin and sort it all out. Jason had never run the upper or middle five, neither had Adrian. I was now the trip leader, not a good position for me as time would soon tell.

We started routing down and had no problems. We were having a blast and getting in the groove. Neither Adrian or I had been boating much in the past month or so and were a bit rusty. We opted to walk Jacob's ladder. The rest of the day was going great until we had an issue at Jaws 1. Jaws 1 is a sequence of two ledge holes. One comes about 3/4 of the way across the river starting on river left and working right. The second ledge is river wide and horrible. There is a sneak line on river right that I didn't know about. I had never scouted the rapid and I remembered the line so I shouted beta to Adrian and Jason and told Jason to just follow me. The line I knew was a little boof through the top hole and then an immediate hard ferry towards river left and boofing the second ledge just a little left of river center. I made the move and looked back upstream to watch Jason's line, just in time to see him go over the ledge sideways. The video will show the rest, but I have to say, you're never in as good a shape as you think you are...


After this little "experience", we were done for the day. We met Chris at the takeout above Houndstooth and decided to head to camp and start drinking. The next two days were a blur of beer, white water and awesomeness. We got multiple laps on the full 15 and Adrian styled his lines at Jake's.

Sunday afternoon we got off the river after a full lap and it was time to head back to WA. I had to be at work in less than 18 hours with a 13 hour drive ahead of us.

Adrian boated Tumwater all week and was able to meet up with some old friends.



Next on the list for the trip was the second to last flow study in the Chelan Gorge. All the scheduled releases for 2011 up to this point had been canceled due to a lack of participation. We were very worried that we would not have the requisite 6 boaters signed up in time. I called in sick on Friday and we headed up to Tumwater Canyon on the Wenatchee river to get some warm up laps under our belt before heading into the Chelan Gorge. Friday we still had high hopes that Saturdays release was on but we got the call from Fish that it was a no go. But, Sunday was still on. So at least we had that. We camped at the not-so-secret camp on Icicle creek and got up early to get some more Tummy laps in. After our first lap we were joined by the Seattle Crew: Fish, Totten, Brett and Alex.

Good times were had and now we had an hour road trip up to Chelan ahead of us. Chelan holds a special place in my heart. The Gorge is beautiful beyond description. Photos do not do it justice. And the nightlife... My god the nightlife in Chelan is amazing. I don't know if its the warm weather right before winter or something in the water, but these people know how to throw down. A night spent in Chelan is a night well spent.

The Chelan Gorge handed out the goods in spades. I had my first swims of the year. Adrian fared a little bit better. But we both ran everything and I was OK with my lines. Except meat locker. I had an interesting underwater experience there, pasted up against an undercut rock, but that's just how it goes I guess.

With Chelan in the bag, it was time to get Adrian back to Seattle and on an airplane. We made it back and got him into a hotel right next to the Seatac airport. Said our goodbyes and took our leave.

All in all we put around 1800 miles on my truck over 8 days, paddled around 60 miles of quality class 5 and drank enough beer to make the Brit's proud. This was one of the best weeks in my life.
I think this will become a yearly tradition.

The final Chelan Gorge release.

Left to right: Brad Xanthopoulos, Ben Hawthorne, Scott Waidelich, Brett Barton, Me, Dave Morales and Chris Totten


This past September was the final two releases in the Chelan Gorge.

I spent the summer in Virginia Beach, Virginia for work and was unable to rally a crew for the June or August releases this year. I watched the local forums in dismay as one release after another was canceled due to a lack of interest. I came back to the great state of Washington at the end of August and was chomping at the bit to get into the Gorge for the first September release.

Adrian Wigston flew in from San Diego and we spent Labor Day weekend on the North Fork of the Payette as a warm up for Chelan the following weekend. The first release day on Saturday was canceled due to a lack of interest. The Chelan PUD requires that there be at least 6 kayakers signed up the day before the release to ensure safety. But Sunday we had six people and it was ON!

2011 has been a magical year of kayaking for me, among other amazing trips I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to join a group of kayakers that asked to be part of a test release on the Chelan Gorge in Chelan, WA.

            

            The Flow Feasibility study that I was fortunate enough to be part of is year three of a three year, federally required test that was part of the deal when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an operating license back in November of 2006. This is due to the hard work of American Whitewater and specifically Thomas O’keefe. At the end of the 3 year study the Chelan PUD will be required to submit a recreation resources management plan (RRMP), which will include an assessment of recreational use and needs within the Lake Chelan basin including the power boating needs of the reservoir and whitewater kayaking needs in the gorge.

                                      Adrian Wigston gets warmed up before Entrance Exam

            Local agencies have voiced their opinions about recreational use of the Chelan Gorge. They have raised objections to the Gorge's use by kayakers due to the hazards that the locals know lay hidden deep within that gorgeous crack in the earth. With this in mind, while in the canyon, we are under constant scrutiny. You can get glimpses of the Chelan PUD personnel and security peering down at us from the canyon rim. An accident in here could mean that the study ends and no more kayaking in the gorge until the operating license is back up for renewal.

           

Brad and Joe stand guarde @ Boulder Sieve

            Because these releases are part of a study required by the FERC, the local PUD takes it very seriously. We were greeted at the takeout for the gorge by Kris Pomianek, the project leader,  as well as two security guards. We signed in and briefly went over what was expected of us while we were in the gorge and immediately after. We were given numbered cards after our identification was checked and told to hand them to the dam personnel at the top of the gorge before putting on.

           

                                  Pat in Entrance Exam

            Your first vision of the Chelan gorge is from hundreds of feet above the water from your eagles perch high on the cliffs above Entrance Exam. Peering down into that sand stone canyon, I tell myself the rapids don’t look so bad and that people have been talking this up. But then I hear a good friend and Chelan gorge veteran say “Just wait ‘till they turn the water on boys!” My stomach sinks but I still say “It looks like it will still go with more water” when asked about the first major rapid that is visible.

           

            At the put in, as you look down from the put in to the river you are at first struck by how little water there is in the wide river bed. It looks like you’ll barely make it down. When you think about it 400 cfs is not a lot of water separating you from the rocks.

           

                                         Marco Collela


                       Adrian gets ready for Entrance Exam


                Brett Barton warming up before Entrance Exam

            You get to warm up on 3 miles of class 2 with two or three class 4 rapids thrown in before you get to the (in my opinion) toughest rapid in the run. Entrance Exam.

Looking downstream @ Entrance Exam

Entrance Exam is not a technically difficult rapid, its just one of those drops that gives me a sinking feeling in my chest when I look at it. First you see the lead in rapid and then the first horizon line. As you saunter down the right side of the river to scout you can’t help but notice that there is no way out of the canyon. All but vertical walls surround you.


                           Upstream View of Entrance Exam

There are four distinct drops in Entrance Exam: The lead in rapid with an interesting hole at the bottom, The first 6-8’ ledge with a distinct U-shape, then the “Pile-Up” a river wide hole with an air of carnage about it and finally the “Final Plunge”. The entire river drops and funnels through two rocks roughly 8 feet wide.

           

Adrian, Matt, Jon and Scott weighing options @ Entrance Exam

            Entrance Exam is, in my opinion, the hardest but also the safest rapid of the day. It’s steep, dynamic in nature but has plenty of open space for safety to be set by your mates.


                           Team Safety: Hard as Fuck.

           

Alex Podolak smashes Entrance Exam

Entrance Exam Photo Dump:


                                                            Brad @ Entrance Exam


                                     Brett Barton gets set


                           Ellie Wheat eyes up Entrance Exam


                                                           Ellie drops into Entrance Exam


                                                               Decides to rodeo a bit


                                                      Darren Albright @ Entrance Exam


                                                                          Team Safety


                                                Brad says: "It's all good" @ Entrance Exam


                                     Brett knows better...

            Some fast and fun boogie water brings you to The Chelan Slide. Chelan slide is just that, two slides side by side separated by an alligators back of rough stone. The river left side is very manageable. Not very steep and not much to speak of except for being a good photo opportunity. The river right side is a different story all together. It is very steep, choked and has a nasty hydraulic at the bottom that was dubbed the Meat Locker by Brett Barton. The line goes, but the boaters who venture to the right side are in the minority.


Scott Waidelich likes to dip his toes in warm water before a stout run.


                                        Matt Kurle opt's for the left line @ Chelan Slide


              Alex and Marco decide to give the right side a go.

           

            Directly below is pure boofing bliss. Super Boof is maybe 6 feet tall and is one of the cleanest boofs you will ever see. Drive up on the rock on river left and you will pop up in to the air like your boat is part pogo-stick.

           
                                                     Scott Waidelich @ Super Boof


                                                             Brett Barton @ Super Boof


                                                            Sam Grafton @ Super Boof

            A small emerald pool separates you from the bottom of Super-Boof and the lip of Throne, one of the more intimidating rapids on the run. There is an ominous almost natural looking warning that your eyes are drawn to high above you on the rock as you boof into sheer bliss running Super-Boof. “The point of no return” is crudely spray painted on the rock face staring you down bringing back memories from high-school history class of the pictographs found in the oldest caves.


                                                            Dave Morales @ Throne

                                                             Joe Howard @ Throne

            Throne is a straightforward drop. You see the line from the top. But you also see Pinnacle Falls waiting below Throne. Pinnacle Falls had not been run until the final Sunday release, and for good reason. Throne has plenty of room to set up safety on both sides of the river and this is highly recommended as a swim over the 20 foot Pinnacle Falls would likely be fatal. There is an almost river wide boulder sieve below Pinnacle Falls waiting for the unwary boater or the unfortunate swimmer. Throne is a 12-14 foot off vertical fall that is run just right of center aiming slightly right. There is an interesting hydraulic that sometimes pushes you into the cup shaped “Throne rock” on river left. Stay out of there.

           

            The Portage route for Pinnacle Falls is on the river right side of the falls. Unless you're Rob MiKibbon, in which case there is no portage route.

Rob McKibbon does pushups before his first descent of Pinnacle Falls.

           

            The Boulder Sieve comes immediately after the portage and is not to be taken lightly. On every occasion I have been in the Gorge, we had someone get out on the rocks upstream of the Sieve and stand out in the water to help direct boats. You have to ferry across the outflow of Pinnacle Falls and then make your way to the center left side of the sieve area. There is barely enough water to scrape over the rock and having someone there to give a helping hand can literally be a life saver.


                         Adrian Wigston styling Boulder Sieve

           
                                    Scott Waidelich shows the line @ Boulder Sieve


                                       Joe Howard says it's good to go @ Boulder Sieve

            Once past the Boulder Sieve you have two rapids left and you’re done. Fat Lady and Extra Credit. Both are boulder gardens of a class 4 nature but with a lot of sieves and undercuts lurking just below water level. There is one very bad but almost unnoticeable sieve at the very bottom of Fat Lady, reminding you that it’s not over until the fat lady sings.

                            Adrian Wigston @ Boulder Sieve

           
                                                     Jon Shelby @ Extra Credit

                                                              Jon Shelby @ Fat Lady



Good times.

           

            When dismantled into its pieces and parts, the Chelan Gorge, is not a tough run. Its intimidating nature, tight lines and lack of room for error make it a very trying novelty to have under your belt. In my opinion, the experiences I was part of on those memorable weekends under the hot Chelan sun and watchful eyes of the Chelan PUD exemplify why I choose to kayak class V and push my personal limits. The stress and anticipation, coupled with the unspoken bonds of trust that are present deep in that canyon, is an experience that helps me grow as a person and a member of a larger group. The pain and nervousness dissipate at the end of the day after a successful run and are replaced by a glow that takes days, sometimes weeks to go away. I can go back to work and plug away knowing that I will be back out there with my brothers, doing battle with my inner fears soon enough.

Cheers.

Stay Safe