Panther Creek (4.17.10)

The weekend before last, a group of us headed up to the Columbia River Gorge for some much needed playtime. The weather forecast called for 70 degree temps with a slight chance of showers on Saturday and sunny skies on Sunday. After getting a lot of rain lately the forecast encouraged us to stay for the entire weekend and camp out. Essentially the plan would be to boat on Saturday and bike on Sunday. This would give us better weather for biking, and also allow Emily to bike with us since she wasn't able to drive up (with the dogs) until Saturday evening, due to her work schedule.

We waited until Friday before firming up our boating destination since it was hard to tell what the water levels would end up being. When the time finally came, my push was for Panther Creek. I'd been wanting to do this creek for a couple of years, but for some reason it always fell through; levels too low, levels too high, couldn't drum-up interest, etc... It looked like (based on snowmelt) that it would be in at a medium/medium low level of ~300cfs. This was actually good news since no one in our group had run it before, and we knew that it would probably be pretty busy and blind due to a gradient of around 250fpm. After pitching the idea to the others we agreed that if the level held we'd give it a go.

Still in Eugene at this point (and just finishing up work), I scrambled to get my stuff packed to make it to the first meeting place on time, Eric's house in Corvallis. Once there (a few minutes late), Eric, Amanda, Evan and myself packed up and headed towards Tucker Park just outside of Hood River, and our campground for the weekend. On Saturday we would be joined by Dan, Kristin, and Emily, so luckily taking a second car for a shuttle wasn't necessary.

After ~3 hours of driving, talking politics, and describing how we would solve the world's problems, we pulled into the campground around 10pm. After setting up our bedding under stars and headlamps, we all turned in for a good night's sleep to the sound of water flowing down Hood River right beside our campsite.

The next morning I woke up first, took a small walk around the park, did some reading about Panther Creek, and waited for the others to wake up. About an hour later, Evan's tent started to rattle, and soon after that Eric and Amanda climbed out from their abode in the back of Eric's truck. After eating breakfast (eggs and sausage) and setting up the remainder of our camp, we called Dan and Kristin to establish a meeting place in Carson, the closest town to Panther Creek.

They had arrived about 15 minutes before us, so when we got there we quickly fueled up and grabbed some snacks before heading to the takeout. The takeout for Panther is actually the same one used for the "Lower" Wind River run, which you also end up paddling when you do Panther. Since Kristin and Amanda would not be boating, we only needed to show them where the takeout was so they could leave us a car. Once that was done we headed to the put-in. When we got there, I scrambled down to see what the stick gauge on the bridge support was reading, and it was right at 1.8'. (~21") For reference, the internet gauge was reading ~300cfs.

Gettin' geared up at the put-in

The stick gauge on the bridge support (reading 1.8' or ~21")

The internet gauge (reading ~300cfs)

We had decided to only put on for the last ~1.25 miles of Panther Creek since the top section is supposedly long and mellow with minimal action. After changing into our gear, we hauled our boats down to the the creek, jumped in, and headed downstream. Our buddy Shawn had told me that the first major rapid of the run (Raychel's) contained some wood and was a recommend portage, and a long one at that. From my recollection of the conversation, it was ~1/4 mile down from the put-in and the lead-in was also a recommended walk. With this in mind, we proceeded down using extra caution and boat scouting the first series of drops. Once we felt we had gone close to 1/4 mile we also started to incorporate some bank scouting to ensure we didn't drop into the rapid unintentionally, keeping in mind that none of us had done the run before.

The crew running the boogie water above Raychel's

One by one, we boated our way from eddy to eddy downstream wondering if it was the next one in front of us. This went on for certainly longer than our beta had suggested, but finally came to the drop know as "Raychel's", which we guessed was more like a 1/2 mile from the put-in. It should be noted that, at least at this level, we were able to run the lead-in drop and catch a generous eddy on the left at the lip of the drop without issue.

Raychel's actually consists of 3 parts; the first was a choice between three narrow slots, with the left seeming to be the best choice. All three poured into some highly aerated water before spilling over a short slide into a beefy hole, which you'd definitely want to hit straight on and with speed. Once past this hole, the creek forms a small moving pool before running down the final drop, a sliding ledge with some wood in the run-out. Although it appeared that the wood could be avoided (if you were upright and in control) the first two tricky drops, and no room for error, convinced all of us that the long portage was the best choice. The walk around Raychel's was pretty exhausting since you have to walk all 3 parts as well as some of the run-out, so I ate an energy bar and took a short rest before getting back in my boat.

Starting the portage around Raychel's.
These are the entrance slots to the drop.

The entrance slots mark the beginning of Raychel's.

The second tier of Raychel's drops into this large hole.
It should be noted that there is essentially no recovery
time between this and the slots above.

Eric back in the water at the end of the portage around Raychel's

The creek below the portage keeps its busy nature and seemed to steepen a tad. With that, we continued our conservative boat and bank scouting where necessary. The next major drop had us run down the left side through some boulders, before forcing us to ferry across to river right to avoid some wood in the left channel and a sieve in the middle of the creek. Once on the right, we all got out to scout the exit drop through a narrow slot against the right wall. Eric also pointed out a good looking boof just to the left of the slot, and decided that would be his line. The rest of us went for the slot with everyone having good lines, including Eric.

The entrance to the slot drop against the right wall

Dan runs the slot drop against the right wall

Evan lines up the same slot

Eric opts for the boof to the left of the slot

Once again we collected in a large eddy below the drop, and then continued downstream through more busy class 3-4 boogie water.

Dan runs a small ledge somewhere on the second half of the run

Eric goes for the boof again

Dan runs some more boogie water on the second part of the run

Eric makes his way down some more boogie water

Soon we came to the longest major rapid of the run. It consisted of a 75 to 100 yard boulder garden that then turns swiftly to the right, before dropping over a ledge with a hole that supposedly gets pretty sticky at high flows. However, at this level the hole was pretty benign.

The lead-in to the long rapid described above

Eric receives beta from Evan for the single longest rapid of the run.
Just out of sight of this photo is where the river breaks hard right
over the ledge with the hole (described above)

Dan in the middle of the long boulder garden

After this long drop, we scouted a few more including one with a hole that fed into an undercut boulder (and some wood) on the right. At first I didn't like the look of it and began to portage, but as I was walking down I could hear the others discussing a boof in the middle of the ledge that would make a pretty good line. I hadn't even noticed it at first, (obviously getting tired at this point) and after watching Eric grease it, I decided to join the others and give it a go. We all ended up having good lines on this one and no one came close to the hazards on the right.

Eric lines up the boof at the drop with the undercut on the right

Not far after this, the Wind River came into view. We had reached the confluence! In contrast with the steep, low volume run we had just done, the Wind had significantly more water and it took a little bit to get used to the push and large hydraulics. After some fun warm-up we came to the first big drop, The Flume. I have run the Lower Wind at low summer flows and was used to The Flume being a steep, somewhat trashy boulder drop. Although still fun at that level, it had no resemblance to the drop that was now in front of us. Basically, the water funnels down into a large exploding wave-hole about halfway through. After a brief scout, we all charged through, each hitting the hole and busting through upright. It was a hell of a ride, and one of the most fun drops I've run in awhile.

The entrance to The Flume on the Lower Wind (Photo by Evan Durland)

The author somewhere in The Flume (Photo by Evan Durland)

Only one rapid separates The Flume from the next big daddy, Beyond Limits. At lower water I've run the main line on river right with little effort. However, this level presented a whole new beast, and neither Evan or I wanted any part of it. Eric, however, gave me the double thumbs up to signal he was gonna give 'er. Dan was still contemplating, but I knew that as long as Eric didn't get destroyed he'd also give it a go. Eric walked upsteam and got into his boat to prepare for takeoff. He ferried into the main current and as he approached the lip he quickly turned and eddied out about 10 yards above the drop to get a closer look at the massive hole. After a few minutes of scouting he was back in his boat, took a couple of deep breaths (which I could see from the opposite shore), and dropped in. Due to the steepness of the ledge, he was able to build up quite a bit of speed and busted through without even slowing down. Elated, he paddled over to the left hand eddy below the drop. Now it was Dan's turn. He entered the drop in a similar fashion, but flew down the tongue with a little more of a left angle. This small adjustment allowed the hole to grab his bow and and pull him in toward the left and stickiest part of the hole. After getting surfed for a quick moment, it launched him into the air into a complete 360 before letting him go upside down. After snapping off a roll he joined Eric in the eddy below. Although he was glad to rodeo out of the hole, he also voiced frustrations with his line.

Eric blasts through the hole at Beyond Limits

Video of Eric's Line

Video of Dan's Line

Soon after leaving Beyond Limits, Shipherds Falls came into view. Basically, it is a series of four ledges with the first two tiers waterfalls, the third a slide, and the last a lowhead dam. At anything other than low summer flows these become unrunnable, and would be a suicide mission, with the terminal hole formed by the dam being the nail in the coffin. Wisely, we shouldered our boats and made the long portage around them. All excitement is not lost however, for to shorten the portage, a 25 to 30 foot throw & go allows you to do a little cliff jumpin' after throwing your gear off.

The author contemplates the jump below Shipherds Falls
(Photo by Evan Durland)

Once we had all jumped and collected our gear, we headed down the last mile or so of class 2 water before reaching the takeout. We had actually planned to meet Kristin and Amanda at 4pm at BZ Corner for a quick run down the Middle White Salmon, but unfortunately it was already 5pm, and by the time we loaded up and headed over there it probably would've been a little late for putting on. With that, we called the girls to cancel the plans, and instead all headed back to camp for the evening.


I must say, Panther Creek is definitely one of my favorite runs in the Columbia River Gorge, I only wish it ran more often. It reminds me a lot of the Miracle Mile (on the NFMF Willamette) and Upper Brice Creek--steep, tight, continuous boulder gardens. We'll surely be making a trip back.

Once back at camp, and soon after starting a fire and eating dinner, Emily showed up with the dogs. After time spent chatting around the fire, we once again climbed into our bed rolls and prepared for some mountain biking at Syncline the following day.

To be continued...



Some head-cam footy of a more recent trip at higher flow (~500cfs) and snowing:

Opal Creek (4.4.10)

The Sunday before last, a group of us headed over to Opal Creek to do some paddling. After weeks of drought the rains finally made a return and we were glad to see that one of the more faithful creeks in the area actually appeared to have enough water. (according to the internet gauge) However, since the gauge is so far downstream it's not an exact predictor, and it can vary quite a bit between winter and spring, with the latter usually having more water with the same gauge reading. Most people run Opal when it is reading between 1000cfs and 2000cfs. (from medium low to medium high) On this day we had ~1150, so we expected it to be a little low but still fun.

The gauge used for Opal Creek

After picking up Bob and meeting Jim at the Best Buy parking lot in Springfield, we headed towards the creek to meet the rest of the crew, which consisted of Eric, his brother Jason (who was visiting from out of state), and Brandon. After approximately an hour and a half of driving we pulled into the Three Pools parking lot, the take-out for lower Opal. Since we were the first ones to arrive I grabbed my camera and decided to take some photos of the Three Pools rapid, or as it's known to the kayaking community "Thor's Playroom". The first thing I noticed as I walked down the stairs toward the bottom drop of the rapid was how low the level was. In fact I was pretty sure that this was the lowest I had ever seen it. I'd paddled it down to ~1000 cfs in the past (on the internet gauge), but this seemed more equivalent to say 800cfs or so. Whatever the case we were here, and would be paddling it regardless. After pondering the flow, I walked upstream to take some more photos and just enjoy being outside, as this is one of the most beautiful places in Oregon.

Birds-eye view of the takeout at Three Pools

Looking upstream at the upper section of Thor's Playroom.
The rock column in the center-right of the photo is his hammer.

After the others had shown up, we quickly changed and headed to the put-in. Reaching the put-in of the Lower Opal run actually requires about a half-mile hike in from the parking lot via a dirt road; this is due to the road being gated off which leads to Jawbone Flat, an abandoned mining town and headquarters of the Friends of Opal Creek conservation group. It should be noted that you must take a side trail down from the dirt road to reach the put-in. This can be easily missed, but essentially it is the first trail to the right (double track) soon after crossing Gold Creek, the first bridge on the dirt road. If this is your first time to Opal Creek, make sure to check out the old mine that marks the put-in. Another thing that should be appreciated is how clear the water is, which only adds to the whole Opal experience.

Jim leading the charge to the put-in

Bridge crossing at Gold Creek

A view of the mine entrance at the put-in for Lower Opal

Jim and Brandon get geared up at the put-in

Once at the put-in, I rushed to get ready so I could get downstream before the others and set-up for some pictures. On my way down, I had a hard time not stopping at every corner due to the sheer beauty of the place that would have made a good photo even without some whitewater; however I stayed focused and set-up just below the first sizable drop in the first stretch. Soon after, boats started appearing one by one, eddying out just above the drop. Since the water was low I wasn't able to send them over a nice boof that's there at higher flows, so instead I pointed everyone down a sliding ledge to the right of it.

Jason runs the bottom ledge of the first sizable rapid on the lower run

Once everyone had passed, I loaded up my gear and started heading downriver, and once again jumped out ahead to set-up. The next location was just after a class 3 rapid that exited through vertical rock walls on either side. Just after these walls the water pools up before dropping over a ledge with a powerful hydraulic, which usually dishes out a couple of good stern squirts.

Looking upstream through the vertical cliff walls.
Notice the clarity of the water!

Jim runs the ledge below the vertical rock walls.

After a few bends in the creek we were sitting in the eddy just above Big Ugly. I've run this drop using just about every line imaginable, and with a variety of results. Typically however, I tend to run the right-side sneak which sends you bashing down and through a couple of boulders. On this day, the water happened to be too low for that, and created a high likelihood for pinning. Although the left side slot had enough water to run, horror stories from the past of underwater pins in the slot at low water convinced me that the easy portage on the river right was the best option. Everyone in the group decided the same, except the Emerson brothers who decided to give 'er. Eric went first, and after making the move from right to left he lined up the slot, shot through, and was pushed into the left wall at the bottom, but was still able to make it through without flipping. Next, Jason followed the same line but hit a nice little rock boof in the bottom slot; after landing on edge in the seam he was flipped, but he followed it up nicely with a quick roll and a smile.

Eric in the bottom right slot of Big Ugly.

Jason in the bottom right slot of Big Ugly.

Not far downstream from here lies Big Fluffy, a 15' waterfall and the largest single drop of the run. The general rule is that the hole at the base is pretty sticky above 1000cfs, and only gets worse with more water. Since the level was fairly low (and I had run it at higher) I was pretty sure I would give it a go. I left my boat next to shore, and quickly scrambled over the rock cliffs to give it a quick scout. While looking at the drop from the cliff above, I started to have second thoughts about running it. The problem was not the hole (which looked pretty benign at this level) but rather the lead-in which had a guard rock just above the lip blocking the right side. Essentially what this does is funnel the water toward the left hand wall, which is definitely not the preferred line. I believed that if I could catch the small eddy just above the lip on river left, I could ferry across the current and sneak in behind the rock making the line to the right; however after a couple of minutes of staring at the drop, I decided to shoulder my boat around the falls and use the seal launch to enter the gorge below. (which is exciting in its own right!)
Everyone else had pretty much made the same decision except for Eric and Jason (once again...) who were giving it a longer (and closer) look. After some discussion between the two of them, they both decided to fire it off. Wanting to make sure they had safety down below, I launched in from the portage rock, eddied out, and waited for the signal that they were coming down. Eric was first, and after running the entrance he peeled into the eddy that I had planned to catch, just above the lip of the falls. Next, he pulled out of the eddy but quickly turned back as he didn't feel he had lined up the falls correctly. On the next attempt he hit it perfectly, and sailed off the right side of the drop before paddling away with a few loud words of satisfaction. Now it was Jason's turn, and just like his brother he caught the eddy at the top of the falls. In similar fashion he went for the right line and nailed it, catching his breath below.

A view from the gorge below Big Fluffy.
Truly an amazing place only seen by boaters.

Eric and Jason recap their ride over Big Fluffy with Jim

Bob using the seal launch approach around Big Fluffy

Once everyone was around the falls, we headed downriver once again. Eric and Jason, excited from their lines at Big Fluffy, jumped out ahead and led the charge. After a couple of quick rapids, we entered a class 3 boulder drop that has had wood in the past. Eric, seeing a clear line down the center, headed down with his boat angled at approximately one o'clock, and dropped between the first set of boulders. What he did not see was a rock just under the surface of the water; it quickly turned his boat perpendicular to the current and pinned him with his cockpit upstream. Both Jason and I were close behind and saw it unfold. We both knew immediately that it was a serious situation, since his head was just above water and the current was pushing hard against him. Jason called out to the others while I looked for a place to get out. Getting to him proved to be difficult, but luckily, as his boat started to collapse in on him, he was able to pull his skirt and self-rescue to a small gravel bar next to where he was pinned. Watching your buddy in a life threatening situation, and not being able to to them quickly is a sickening feeling; I can't even imagine what his brother was feeling at the time.
After he was safe on shore, Eric gave me the signal that the chute to the left was clear, so I dropped though and quickly ferried over to where his boat was pinned. Soon after this, the others also made their way to the small gravel bar, and we analyzed the situation trying to determine the best approach to get his boat unstuck. In the end we decided to try and get it off without setting up a Z-drag, and after a few attempts with five of us on the line, we were able to work it free. Now that the boat was on shore, you could really see how bad the situation could have been; basically his boat was completely crushed in, and easily could have trapped him had he not gotten out so quickly. You hear of similar stories from time to time, and know that these types of situations can occur in class 2/3 water even to experienced boaters, but it's still a surprise when it does. After some crude reshaping techniques, Eric was able to bring his boat back to its original form, and we were off again, perhaps with a little more caution.

Eric analyzing the situation and happy to be out of the boat.

A quick survey of the damage

After paddling some more class 2/3 water for a mile or so, we were sitting above the grand finale, "Thor's Playroom". To enter the playroom you have a choice between 4 or so doors; I won't go into detail on each one but they all have their own character, and allow you to change things up each time you run it. My preference is typically door #2, which consists of a narrow slot where the water pours through and over a double ledge. The holes aren't too sticky, but I've seen the first one flip boaters in the past.

Bob enters door #2 at Thor's

Jim busts through the first ledge in door #2

Once through this entrance, the water turns around a sharp left-hand corner and over a small slide. After a small pool the creek then heads down what I feel is the trickiest rapid in Thor's, right above his hammer. Basically, it's a steep pitch with some laterals and small holes, so be prepared to do some quick bracing on your way through.
Only a small diagonal hole/eddy line separates you from the eddy above the final drop, and the exit from the Playroom. If you run the main line on the right, this drop provides a wild ride down a steep slide before banking to the right and through a hole (with a seam) that allows you to show off your best mystery move to your buddies. This drop is always a crowd pleaser, and cheers can be heard from the many hikers and swimmers that crowd the area on warm spring days. Everyone had a great time at Thor's, however we did have one swimmer over the last drop. Since there is a large pool below it wasn't much of an issue and he self rescued in the left eddy at the bottom of the drop.

Bob runs the final drop (and exit) in Thor's

A boat solos the bottom drop in Thor's

From here it is just a quick walk up some stairs to the awaiting cars. (thanks girls!) At this point the rain really started coming down, so we all changed as quickly as we could, pretty much skipped the goodbyes, and headed home.

Lake Creek (4.3.10)

After a quick check of the water levels on Saturday morning, I decided the best bet was to join the crew that was headed to Lake Creek for some playboatin'. Typically, it's difficult to get me to head there, but the level was good (~10 foot on the gauge) and creeking options were slim; plus I've started coming to the realization that although playboating is not my forte, it's good practice for hole rides, edge control, and rolling while on the creeks.

Gauge used for Lake Creek (~10 feet)

On this day our group gathered at the Shell station, just west of Eugene on the main road to the coast. From here, I jumped in with Pete, Arthur, and Brad and we headed to the put-in just above the Grassy Lawn play hole. Once there, I quickly changed and was the first one in the water. I headed downstream to a nice glassy wave on river left about a hundred yards or so from the put-in. Soon after, Brad came down and also got in a couple of surfs before we both headed to Grassy Lawn.

My favorite level for Grassy is actually between 10 and 11 feet, so I was hoping for a good day. Basically, when it starts to get into the 14 foot range it gets pretty bouncy, (and sticky) and it really just turns into out-of-control survival boating for me. That said, I know many people that love it at those higher flows, but they are also much better playboaters than myself.

Both Brad and I were able to get in quite a few rides at Grassy before the next batch of boaters showed up. In fact, from this point on they just kept coming, and after awhile the eddy started to get pretty crowded. It's a funny thing, you can go almost a full season without seeing any other groups on the river, but when Lake Creek comes in people travel from far and wide. I believe that this is mostly attributed to the fact that on the whole, the playboating in the PNW is not all that great (just what I've heard), so when Lake Creek is in, it's the place to be. Once the eddy does get full at Grassy it can be hard to keep your place in line, as well as not accidentally cut someone else, which is due to the swift upstream current it creates. Luckily, it's always a friendly atmosphere and exact line order is of minimal concern. On this day our group was fairly large (~8 peeps), but there also two other groups sharing the hole which included a playboating clinic of sorts.

Brad works the outside shoulder at Grassy Lawn

Arthur at Grassy Lawn

Jeremiah sets-up for a cartwheel at Grassy

Pete mid cartwheel at Grassy Lawn

Pete at Grassy Lawn

Kim throws a loop at Grassy Lawn

Kim diggin' in at Grassy

I'm certainly not one to get extensive rides, but for some reason in large groups they tend to be really short and I seem to flush-out every time I try a spin. This can be quite frustrating, especially since you won't see another turn for about 10 minutes or so. Luckily for me, our group started heading down river to Mill Wave one by one, and soon enough I was the only one left from our group. Since this cleared the eddy quite a bit, I was able to get rides more frequently and soon enough I started to find my edges and get into more of a flow. It was also good to mingle with some of the others with whom I had never met before or hadn't seen in awhile.

After about 3 hours of playing at Grassy, Bob and Dan showed up after getting a later start out of Eugene. Unfortunately, I was too tired to hang out with them so I climbed up the steep muddy riverbank to the road above and walked back to Pete's car. In hindsight, it's really best to paddle down to the bridge just downstream, since it probably takes less time and is certainly better from an erosion standpoint. Once back at the car I quickly loaded up my boat, and drove to the takeout to meet the others. As I pulled in, I could see everyone else just starting to get changed. It turned out that we had all gotten tired around the same time, which made for perfect timing. The word from the rest of the crew was that Mill Wave was super good, and Red Hill was just a tad too high.

After we all changed and loaded up, we drove to Mapleton for some coffee and then headed home. All and all a great day of surf had by everyone!

ELF Boating on Lower Brice (3.27.10)

The last Saturday in March brought us warm temps, and what appeared to be enough flow on Lower Brice Creek (based on internet gauges) to have a great day on the water. With water in the forecast for the weekend, and after going through an extended drought period, I was actually a bit surprised that I was having problems finding anyone to commit to getting out on Saturday. However, in the end I was able to convince Bob Lee and Ken Hutchinson that we needed to get in our boats.

From reviewing the gauges the night before, it looked like Lake Creek would end up being the best choice, but after a quick check in the morning, it appeared that it would be too low for the surf to be any good. That said, we turned our attention to Lower Brice Creek. I knew from the gauges that the Upper (and better) section would certainly be too low, but I was fairly convinced that the lower would have enough water, and heck, with sunny skies and 7o degrees forecasted, even a low water event would be better then hangin' in Eugene.

The Row above Pitcher Creek gauge
Typically you want between 5.75' and 6.5' for the Upper Run,
and between 5.25 and 6.25 for the Lower Run (which is what we did). It should be noted that since this gauge is actually on
the Row River, these figures will only get you in the ballpark.



The Row above at Dorena Dam gauge
I actually don't like to use this gauge except for the forecast
since I don't find it to be as accurate as the Pitcher Creek one.
However, If I recall correctly, you want between ~2,200cfs and 3500cfs for the Upper Run, and between ~1,500cfs and 2,500cfs for the Lower Run.

After making calls to the other two, we all agreed Brice would be the best choice and to meet-up at LCC at the relaxed departure time of 11am. It was pretty nice getting a late start, which allowed me to put together some pancakes and sausage for Emily and myself. After throwing down breakfast and kissing the family goodbye, I was off to meet the fellas.

As I pulled into the parking lot of LCC, I could see both Ken and Bob were sitting against their cars waiting for me, which made for a speedy departure. Since I knew it would only be the three of us, and not wanting to waste any more fuel than necessary, I had also brought along my commuter bike to shuttle with. With that, we all loaded up in the ol' Suby and headed south-east toward the creek. On the way up, we took a quick detour to Wildwood Falls on the Row River (which Brice flows into) to give a quick scout. Truth be told, I've been wanting to run this 15'er for awhile now, but it was always too high (with a beefy hole) for my comfort level when going to do Upper Brice. On this particular day it actually looked really good, with the hole flushing out nicely. The blue sky and sun beating down on it didn't hurt either. However, we decided it would be best if we ran the falls on the drive back down, after a day on Lower Brice, which would allow us to get a little warmed up.

After a short bit we crossed over the Row where Brice entering just upstream. At this point, I noticed that there didn't look to be much water coming in from the creek, but I remained silent and hoped for the best. We were now driving up the road paralleling Brice in an upstream direction, my observation on water level was confirmed, and it was indeed on the low side. Since we already made the drive, we decided there was still enough water to have a fun day and continued to the take-out, Cedar Creek Campground. Once there, I pulled the bike off the car, walked it down out of sight, and cable locked it to a tree. Next, we drove up to the put-in at Champion Creek, where we were not alone. ATVers, hikers, and bikers were also enjoying their respective recreation as well. The three of us changed into our kayaking garb, stashed a couple of beers in our boats (for the takeout) and hiked down to the creek to put on.

I immediately paddled out ahead so I could get some photos at Upper Trestle, which is only about a 1/4 mile down from the put-in. The first mile or so of Lower Brice is actually the steepest section, and a majority of the major ledge drops are found in this stretch with Upper Trestle being the first. After paddling some boogie water, I pulled into a small eddy on river right just above the drop. As I pulled my camera from my boat and out of the case, I turned to see both Bob and Ken coming into view from around the corner. As they approached, I gave them the standard head tap to signal that all was clear, and motioned toward the normal airplane boof over the left side of the drop. Bob went first, followed quickly by Ken, both having good lines.

Bob prepares to fire off Upper Trestle

Ken goes for the boof at Upper Trestle

I quickly packed my camera away, and joined them in the pool immediately above the next drop, Lower Trestle. This ledge is pretty straight forward at this level, as the hole at the base is pretty forgiving; however as flows increase so does the potential of a serious beating. Essentially, the creek splits around a small rock shelf into a boily cauldron, which exits through a short narrow gorge. Once again, both Bob and Ken had great lines and I followed in similar fashion after putting my camera away.

Ken in the pool above Lower Trestle
(upper Trestle is just out of sight in the upper-right corner)

Bob lining up Lower Trestle

Ken drops down Lower Trestle

Bob and Ken just below the mini gorge that exits Lower Trestle

The next ledge drop (just downstream) is called Pogo. I've never liked the looks of this drop and therefore have never run it. At low flows (like we had this day) the hole doesn't look too bad, but the lead-in is quite scrapey, and pretty much forces you down the center slot where there is a high potential for getting flipped in the fold. This would most likely result in a swim, since it is highly aerated at the base, which makes it difficult to get the necessary blade purchase for snapping off a roll. At higher flows the lead-in is much cleaner, but once again the extra water makes the hole very sticky, and hitting your line is critical to avoid getting mangled (notice a theme here?). Both Ken and Bob didn't like the look of it either, so we all shouldered our boats and made the easy portage along the rock shelf on river right.

Pogo (the only real option on this day was
the center slot due to the shallow lead-in)

Ken and Bob make the easy portage around Pogo

The next major drop you come to is a shallow/gritty slide, aptly named Cheesegrater. I've actually had a few run-ins with this particular rapid, and I'm not looking forward to another. One came during my first trip down the creek. While running the lead-in, I was stern squirted in a small hole just above the lip of the drop. As my nose came down, it was pointed to the right, setting me up for that angle as I went down the slide. Unfortunately, at this point there was no way for me to re-correct, and I was forced hard right where all the current shoots directly into an undercut. Luckily for me, I was flipped before going into the wall and floated upside down through the undercut. Had I not flipped, I'm pretty certain it would have resulted in some facial reconstruction. My second incident occurred at high water, where I swam in unison with a couple of buddies out of the bottom hole. At one point, all three of us were stuck at the same time before pulling the pin one by one. In fact, another guy in our crew barely escaped being the fourth-- it was his lucky day. Once again, the hole on Cheesegrater gets pretty nasty at high water, so a left side sneak is recommended at those flows. Since the water was low on this trip, we all ran down the center of the slide without issue.

The Author running the center line at Cheesegrater
(photo by Brad Bassi; taken on an earlier trip at similar water level)

From here, the creek continues with a class III character for a mile or so before entering the next series of drops, Fun and Not Fun. Fun should be run left of the big boulder at the bottom, and Not Fun is typically run down the center of the right channel, which is created by another large boulder. Both drops are actually quite fun and fairly straight forward; although wood can be a problem here, so caution is advised.

Bob and Ken in the pool between Fun and Not Fun

Ken havin' fun at Not Fun

After these two drops you are faced one again with more class III style creekin'. Just as you start getting itchy for some more sizable drops, the lead-in for Laura's appears in front of you. Typically we run the lead-in by starting center, and heading left about halfway down. From here, the creek flows along the left bank before heading back to the right through a small wave-hole into a moving pool. This pool is what separates you from a series of two drops known as Laura's (Thighs). After running the lead-in, all three of us took up the small river right eddies just above the lip, (of the first ledge) and got out of our boats to scout. This rapid is the single largest on Lower Brice, and is still exciting at lower water. The first move consists of a pour-over ledge, which shoots you through a narrow line between the right wall and a large (mostly underwater) boulder to the left, that a good amount of the water pushes into. From here, a short fast moving pool is the only thing that separates you from a~5' wide slot of turbulent water that the whole creek funnels through before depositing you into the slack water below. While we were scouting, a couple that was enjoying a picnic overlooking the falls realized we were going to be going over it in our kayaks, and became very interested. After listening to the usual "Are you gonna run that?", "Have you ever done this before", and my personal favorite "You guys are crazy!",Bob made his way back up to the top to get in his boat. Once again I was on camera duty, and Ken armed himself with a throw bag. Bob pulled out of the eddy and greased the whole thing, barely getting his head wet. The couple that was spectating seemed taken aback, and both agreed that he made it look pretty easy.

Bob running the first part of Laura's

Bob drops into the bottom slot at Laura's

Next up was Ken. He, like Bob, came through the top drop with style, and as he lined up for the slot and dropped through, he was overtaken by the violent flume and had to snap off a quick roll in the pool below. All in all, still a great run.

Ken cleans the top drop at Laura's

Ken gets swallowed by the bottom slot at Laura's

Now it was my turn. Since Bob was gracious enough to walk back up to the viewing platform and take over the camera, I wanted to make sure I had a good line. After visualizing it in my head, I pulled out of the eddy and prepared to drop over the first ledge. Not wanting to hit the partially submerged rock at the base of the drop, I entered left with a right angle. I actually ended up starting further left than I wanted, but I was still able to make it through nice and clean. Next, I lined up on the small diagonal just above the slot, busted through, and dropped into the slot finishing it off nicely. It always feels good to run a clean line on this one, since you have to make a couple of moves to do so.

The author a little left at the entrance to Laura's

The author makes a clean break from the top drop at Laura's

The author up to his pits in the bottom slot at Laura's

After some thumbs up and waves from our spectators, we paddled away from the falls and made our way down the short section between it and the takeout. As I eddied out underneath the bridge, I was happy to see my bike sitting against the tree to which I had locked it. Knowing that I still needed to run the bike shuttle I quickly carried my boat up to the parking lot, degeared, and walked over to my bike to unlock it. "Shit!" I had left the key up at the car which was sitting at the put-in. At this point, I really didn't want to dwell on the situation, so I walked back to my boat where I had strategically stored a delicious, hoppy, northwest style beer. After poppin' the top and taking a couple swigs, I decided to inform the others of our misfortune. Luckily, I was able to convince a nice lady and her son to give me a ride back to my car. I offered her a bottle of beer for her troubles, and she turned it down. Can you imagine?!

After finishing our beer, the three of us were feelin' a little too tired for a huck session at Wildwood, so instead we headed for the border (Taco Bell), and grabbed a quick bite before heading home. Although the water was low, and the company was questionable... we all had a great day on the water!

The following video was one that I put together about a year ago, which combines both Upper and Lower Brice runs at higher flows. This video was also taken from multiple trips, and features too many boaters to list. Enjoy!

Upper/Lower Brice on Vimeo.

And here is a head-cam perspective of the run which also includes portions of the Upper:

Brice Ceek by Kayak on Vimeo.

For a trip report of mountain biking on the trail that parallels this section of river, see the following link:
Brice Creek Trail (mountain bike)