Bear Creek High Water Fun

"So, how's  she lookin?" I ask Matt as he walks back up from the creek's bank. He chuckles, and replies, "Well, it's not low. That's for sure." 

Not low. Huh. Now there's an understatement. 

We gear up in the parking lot, attach our boat backpack systems, and begin the trek upstream. After hiking for around a mile, we reach Brave Bear Falls, the culmination of the run, and the take-out point. Looking into the meat of the slide, a normally prominent rock is now fully underwater and invisible in the massive pillow forming upstream. My sphincter tightens. Matt and Zach laugh nervously. Yup. It's not low. 

Unabashed, we continue upstream, scouting the major drops as we go. The "Tijuana Crack Whore" looks spicy, with a nice juicy lead-in. The nice thing about this flow is that the crack that runs down the middle of the slide, notorious for smashing elbows, is now covered. Around the corner, we take a peek at the Money Slide, Log Drop, and Airplane Turn. It all looks good to go, minus most of the usual eddies. 

We finally make it to the put-in slide, the Big EZ, and peer downstream. We all seem to take our time at the put-in, and after a few minutes longer than usual, we are ready to rally. 

The paddle down was awesome. After all the anticipation, it was nice to be on the water and let instinct take control. The Big EZ flew by in a flurry of splashes and giggles, followed immediately by the Jedi mank of the Swiss Chute. We managed to catch a small eddy before dropping into the Airplane Turn, and launching a sweet boof in the center of the creek. Below this was some fun to be had at Log Drop, and then the Crack. 

The Tijuana Crack Whore, or TCW, is a tricky slide with a boulder garden lead-in to the main drop. The idea is to run the slide straight, either forward, or equally as common, backward. At this point in the season, I am 4 for 5 on keeping it straight, but on this day, I ran about half the drop stern first. 

After catching the eddy below TCW, we all decided to call it a day there. To go beyond this point, with this much water would necessitate running Hotel California, a slide into a massive hole. You can check in, but you can never leave. If you do make it through the hole, then you are pretty much committed to running Brave Bear, which looked heinous. We decided to play it safe, and save the lower section for a day with less water.

Two days later, I returned with Zach, as well as a few others, and ran the same section at even higher flows. Definitely sporty, to say the least. 

Enjoy some of the photos Rosalynn took!

Brave Bear Falls, the top third.

Matt and Martin coming through the bottom of Airplane Turn.

Money slide. TCW is right around the corner from here.

Martin about to go backwards through the bottom hole. Good times...

Zach Campbell making it look easy in the Crack Whore.

Log Drop. Best to watch your dome at this flow.

Bear Creek, Bitterroot Range Montana

This past weekend we made a trip up to Bear Creek in the Bitterroot Valley. A warm spring day coupled with fantastic whitewater and good company made for an awesome trip down this Western Montana classic. 

To gauge the flows for this run, the difference between the gauges on the Bitterroot River at Darby and Victor should have about 600 to 800 cfs difference. On this day we had a flow difference of 800 cfs, which seemed like a great level. 

The drops were nice and padded, but not pushy and there were plenty of eddies available. The section starts off with a great slide, the "Big Easy" shown in the video. Below here there is some classic Montucky mank that plummets down a narrow chute, before reaching Airplane Turn. After this is another fun boulder garden, and then you are off to visit the Tijuana Crack Whore, which goes surprisingly well. Below here are some more fun low angle slides before Hotel California, which we portage this run, and then the grand finale of Brave Bear Falls. Matt decided to fire off the falls, while I puckered, and opted for a nice lil portage. 

Here is a short video from the day that Rosalynn was nice enough to film for. Enjoy!

It's Springtime in Montucky! Finally...

Winter has finally decided to ease it's clutches on Western Montana, and with the warm temps, we finally got out boating. This spring has been one of the craziest in my life, but unfortunately not due to paddling. Between school, an EMT course and teaching swiftwater rescue classes for the Whitewater Rescue Institute, it has been all I can do to keep my head above water, no pun intended. Luckily, during the first week of April I was able to get out a bit during spring break, and the flows cooperated for some Bitterroot creeking. With the flows up a bit, we headed down to Kootenai and Bear Creeks, and made a dash over to the Lochsa, only to be greeted with a blizzard.

Kootenai Creek is a fun, short blast of creeking joy, located about an hour south of town. The run is a continuous set of mank, with one nice boof and a little slide to finish up with. After paddling Kootenai creek, we decided to head a bit farther south to Bear creek the next day. From the trail head, flows looked low, but adequate, so we geared up and started hoofing up the path. Once we got to Brave Bear Falls, the largest, and last rapid of the run, we were disappointed by what turned out to be a mere trickle of water. I guess we mis-judged flows from the trailhead. Oops. Undaunted by the dismal lack of water, we decided to tromp a bit higher up the trail and run some of the fun slides that Bear creek has to offer. Too bad the camera was forgotten in the shuttle rig...

Even with the low flows, it was great to be out on the river again with good friends. It's amazing how much fun you can have bouncing a little plastic shell down rocks. And yes, sometimes that plastic is in the form of a helmet. But seriously, who really pays attention to those minor details?

And now, for some photos.

 The view looking up Kootenai Creek. Jesse Dagle Photo.

Jason Shredder running the Kootenai boof. Jesse Dagle Photo.

Martin running some nice Montana mank. On the first lap, one of our buddies and I both ran the right side and flipped over on a hidden nub rock. The rest of the rapid was a mix of head ruddering and body bashing into the eddy. Good Times. Jesse Dagle Photo.

Rosalynn dropping into the Grim Reaper, Lochsa River.

The Pipeline wave was in prime form this day. Too bad no one had playboats.

Martin going for a blunt in the gloaming. Downtown Missoula, MT.

Drew Hossle surfing Brennan's Wave on a warm Missoula evening.

Metlako Falls

This past weekend, Drew Hossle and I rallied from Missoula, MT over to Hood River for a quick trip out of the frozen tundra and into creeking paradise. After a 10 hour drive, during which we consumed about five times the recommended servings of caffeine, we pulled into White Salmon, half cracked out of our minds to meet up with Orion Meredith, Dustin Stoenner, and Will Stubbelfield.

With the Little White and the Green Truss turned into a beaver's wet dream of strainers, we decided to head up to the Wind River next morning for a nice warm up run. I picked up my new Magnum, finally, in Portland that morning and we headed out. After driving in circles for a good hour, searching for takeout, we arrived at the river to join the growing crowd.

We had a great paddle on the Upper Wind with a crew of around 15 people, and then rolled back to Hood River, where we were fortunate enough to stay with the Airborne Athletics crew (Kyle Hull, Kristina Van Wijk, and Devyn Scott) at their awesome house up on the hill. That night, in a flurry of shit talking and PBR drinking, we decided that the next day we should head up to Eagle Creek. I had been wanting to run Metlako Falls for about four years, but had never been their with a good flow or a motivated crew. This time however, it all came together beautifully.

Our friend Xavier Engle met us at put-in the next morning, and after he and Will fired off nice lines on Punchbowl Falls, we cruised downstream, through a gorgeous canyon to the lip of Metlako. We arrived at the drop, and I popped my skirt to extract a delicious PBR, which I enjoyed while sitting in the eddy, waiting for the camera crew to get set up. I retrospect, it may have been foolish to not scout the drop from above, but deciding that I had already seen it from the overlook, and that the only way down was through the crack in front of me, I opted to chill in my boat.

With my empty can in hand, the camera crew signaled that they were ready. I stuffed the crushed can in my vest and made one last smart ass remark to Xavier and Will, then turned and peeled out of the eddy. Rollin off the lip, I think I was a little too far right, and as I tossed my paddle, my bow deflected off the right wall curler. Looking down at the impressive height, and realizing I was going to land a bit crooked, I tucked up tight and enjoyed the float down, bracing for the hit. Turns out, that falling that far without the proper angle ends with an impressive  hit, and I was ejected from my boat. Ironically enough, I popped up right next to my jettisoned paddle, while my boat proceeded to go behind the falls and then get worked against the right wall for ten minutes  or so. Oops. Will followed with a beautiful line and a skirt implosion, but made it into the eddy in his boat. Xavier followed him down, opting to hang onto his paddle. He had another great line, and popped up on the pillow grinning. The impact, which he reported to be less than soft, sheared his bulk head screw clean in half on the right side of his boat, resulting in a worthless foot block.

With our little crew reassembled at the bottom, we cruised downstream, stoked, to the takeout. Thank you to everyone for the support, photos and safety on this trip!!

Enjoy the photo, courtesy of Katrina Van Wijk.

Thank You Astral Buoyancy!

I would like to give Astral Buoyancy and Bryan Owen a HUGE Thank You for their continued support during the 2012 season!

In this day and age of sink or swim, Astral provides the swimmers amongst us a means of staying afloat!

Burnt Ranch Gorge, Race Day.

Be sure to check into mtwhitewater.blogspot.com soon for updates from Montana creeking expeditions!

New Blog Site!! mtwhitewater.blogspot.com

When it was decided that we would be moving back to Montana, after an epic fail at trying to relocate to Portland, I began to worry that this would put a serious damper on my kayaking over the next few years while I finish school. However, after a little research, I now believe that being here is in fact a great opportunity to explore the untapped rivers and creeks of my home state.

Check out the new blog site where we will be chronicling our paddling adventures in the Big Sky state. Enjoy!!

http://mtwhitewater.blogspot.com

Rio Claro

The Rio Claro runs clear and cold, streaming off the flanks of snow covered peaks surrounding the canyon. Perched high in the mountains, away from prying industrialization, the small Parque Radal Siete Tazas protects the precious Claro, and its maze of twisting gorges. The Rio Claro is truly an amazing place, and lived up to everything I had heard. The crystal clear water, and clean drops make for a unique river experience unlike anything I had seen before. With sections suitable to a range of abilities, it was the ideal location for our group to spend several days camping, and enjoying the great weather.

"Oh ****!" The first thought to pass through my brain, as I watch, as if in slow motion, our borrowed Jefe Grande slip from its precarious perch and fall, careening off the cliff, into the pool below. We had been lining boats across at the take-out of the Siete Tazas, and growing careless near the end of the seven boat string, had attempted to stack two boats on top of each other while roping the one remaining across the slick rock. This, as we found out all too soon, was quite a mistake, as the Jefe squirted out from under Frenchy's boat like a stick o' butter. At the far end of the pool was a particularly heinous looking rapid, made up of a six foot ledge dropping into a wall that looked like it could very well work you until another earthquake either dewatered the river once more, or else swallowed you whole and spit you out in China. Without having time think, I buckled my helmet, and followed Orion who was already mid leap off the canyon wall, and into the water below. We managed to snag the boat, and clinging onto the cliff for support, we hacked out a plan. It turned out that Orion had a breakdown paddle stashed in that boat, and with a little finesse, we were able to get it out of the back, drain some of the water from the boat, and I scurried up the stern, and into the seat. With Orion holding on to the stern, and me paddling for dear life, we made it to the opposite shore and pulled the boat into a small nook in the rock. After a few more minutes of sporty free climbing out of the gorge, I made it out, no worse for wear. Much to my surprise, The rest of the group was waiting at the top of the cliff with a triple backed up equalizing anchor in place, and a prussik loop ready to roll onto the 2-1 system they had in place. Talk about being prepared. These guys were A+ dirtbag rescue team. All it took from there was a quick minute of pulling, and Orion, complete with our deviant Jefe were back in action.

We had a relatively juicy flow during our time at the Rio Claro, which made the boofs nice and cushy, without the threat of man-eating holes lurking around every turn.

Nice photo by Orion Meredith of Gabriel styling the second to last drop in the Siete Tazas.

This is the first drop below put-in on the 22 Saltos, and really sets the tone for the run, Just plain FUN. The first day that we paddled this section, we had about 12 people, most of which had never been on the run, and some of whom had never been creeking before. Needless to say, it was a rather sporty day, but without any serious carnage.

Another great photo from Orion Meredith.

Orion Meredith on the silky smooth entrance to the 22 Saltos.

Rosalynn Belden running the first drop of the Siete Tazas.

Orion looking fresher than a spring chicken, and getting ready to cash in some international sky miles.

Rosalynn getting a crash course in boofing.

Here we are, just as happy as can be, at the take-out for Siete Tazas. This is the spot where our unfortunate kayak companion decided to play humpty-dumpty, and take a great fall, prompting a speedy dirtbag rescue.

Ah yes. The token booty beer shot. And not without a good story to back it either. But before we get started on that, I just want to draw attention to the perfect form with which these two are downing their hard earned beverage. Orion's story begins just earlier this same day, after a nice jaunt down through the 22 Saltos with Gabriel and Myself. Gabriel had dropped into the Entre Saltos the day before, and been forced to hike out at the Garganta del Diablo (Twirly Bird Slide) due to the fact that no one had a break down paddle. After that, he was very keen on going back into the gorge, this time prepared for anything. Finding the gate to the take out locked, we had a momentary setback in plans, but decided to drop in anyways, having found another potential exit further downstream. Feeling good after the 22 Saltos, we carried on into the Entre Saltos, made a few quick portages on the shores of the campground that borders the creek, and headed for the goods.

Gabriel, having run the portion above the Twirly Bird the previous day was able to route us into the first rapids without too much trouble, or so we thought. Above a longer looking rapid with a sneaky little entrance, we were informed that this had been the location of a swim the previous day by one of the group. Apparently, the bottom hole was quite retentive, and as Gabriel was struggling to free himself from the boil, Isidro had come swimming past, from somewhere upstream. It had ended without incident, but just the same, Gabriel wanted us to know, so as to be on good form. A few fist bumps later, we were off, Gabriel in the lead, me following, and Orion bringing up the rear.

The beta we had was simple, boof the crack and charge left. Once you got left, keep going left, and get your nose up. I made the move, and ended up high and dry at the bottom of the rapid, which was much larger than expected, and caught the eddy, thinking Orion would be hot on my heels. Looking upstream, we could just see the tips of paddle blades spasming through the air. Pretty soon, I was out of my boat, scrambling upstream as Orion's paddle came cruising into the hole at the bottom, where it wold stay for about 15 minutes, spinning carelessly in the backed up hydraulic. Once I made it to where I could see the top drop, Orion was standing in ankle deep water near shore, looking less than fresh, and his boat was still doing ends in a sort of hole-cave-undercut-boil thing.

Once all was said and done, it took some creative rope work, and feisty little hip belay, and all three of us present to pull the boat out of its gurgling trap. Surprisingly, the boat was not at all damaged, still had its outfitting intact and Orion's camera was safe and dry. Having had enough adventure for one day, we elected to hike back to camp, tails tucked between our legs. Much to our chagrin, it turned out we had not even made it past the furthest downstream camps in the park area, and after a few minutes the girls turned up with the truck, having heard of our misadventure from Gabriel. The booty beers turned into Pisco sours, and by the end of the night we were all laughing around the fire about swims and past carnage.

Meredith Family Portrait. There is still some debate over whether or not Emily can boof bigger than her bro, but it is clear from this instant replay freeze frame, that Orion has the upper hand on the vertical paddle strokes.

Until next time....

Buenas Lineas.

2011 Chile Kayaking Video

Rio Nevados GoPro Video

It was great to be able to return to the Nevados this year, and be able to run the entire creek, from the bridge down. The upper canyon is a great section of water, with awesome drops in a tight, mossy gorge. This video shows all the major drops of the Nevados in order from top to bottom, excluding the Demshitz Drop and the Lower section, which were too high during the time we were in Pucon. Enjoy!

Rio Maipo, Cascadas de las Animas

Running one of the fun rapids on the upper section.

The Rio Maipo lies to the south east of Santiago, a short drive from the bustling metropolis of Chile’s largest city. The river is high volume and continuously chocolate colored due to the arid landscape and sediment found in the water. The upper section of the river flows from the confluence with the Rio Yeso until the take-out at Cascadas de las Animas, the family owned tourism business that we were fortunate enough to stay with during our time in the region. The upper section of the run is characterized by continuous class III-IV+ boulder gardens and wave trains through a beautiful desert canyon.The road runs along the path of the river for the entire run, but because of the canyon walls, is not accessible and is out of sight for the majority of the time. La Curva Frances, the “French Curve” is the largest rapid (V) on the run, and is conveniently located just off the road shoulder. Below this is a long rapid that finishes with a constricted wave train in a narrow canyon, and was definitely the most fun we had on this section. The lower Maipo runs from the foot bridge at Cascadas de las Animas for several kilometers downstream to another bridge across the river. The lower section is fun class III, with a similar continuous feel as the upper section.Currently, The Maipo is under threat from yet another proposed hydroelectric project that would dam the river in the upper section and effectively dewater the entire section downstream. The project is not yet underway, but has been approved to move forward. If this dam is put in place, it would displace the many companies that use the river as a source of income from tourism and rafting trips, as well as disrupt the lives of the people who live along its shores. Many of the plants that thrive in the area are dependent on the river for their source of water, a it is otherwise an arid desert climate. The riparian zone along the river becomes quite apparent once you climb up onto the canyon walls.

For more information on the Rio Maipo, visit the Cascadas de las Animas website at www.cascada.net.

Classic "Disco" dish cooked up by the Astorga family.

View of the Maipo Valley from high on the canyon walls.

Beautiful scenery rounds out the amazing whitewater the Rio Maipo has to offer.

Team Casi-Semi-Pro, Chilean Style

Orion Meredith Photo.

So here we are, on back streets of Santiago, and there is a preist, a rabbi and a talking squirrel...

ok, no. But seriously, it could have happened, given the random events that took place on our trip to Chile with the Meredith's, Orion and Emily. Our Gringo posse consisted of the two of them, plus Rosie and myself as we did our Tour de Semi-Stout/Eat as many Empanadas as possible in a three week time span.

Team Gringo at the Rio Claro Camp. Orion Meredith Photo.

The country of Chile welcomed us graciously into its midst, complete with a Chilean shuttle bunny sent to sweep us off our feet, and into the beautiful Maipo Canyon. Once in the Cajon del Maipo we stayed with Emily's friends, the Astorgas, who own and operate Las Cascadas de las Animas, an amazing adventure tourism company based on the shores of the Maipo River.

Maipo River Valley. Orion Meredith Photo.

Blue angels on the Upper Maipo. This rapid had a sweet constriction around the corner with some nice big waves. Orion Meredith Photo.

After about a week of paddling and lounging in the warm valley, we packed up, and headed south to Pucon, were we stayed at Dave Hughes's awesome Pucon Kayak Hostel. I highly recommend this as an option for anyone planning on traveling in the area, especially if you are looking to be able to have a boat rental, and a nice bed to sleep in.

visit http://puconkayakhostel.com for more information. During our stay in Pucon, we rallied to hit the classics in the valley, such as the Nevados, Palguin, upper and lower Trancura, and Liacura, as well as lucked out with some rain and managed to get a run, albeit a very shallow run, down the Turbio.

Gabriel on the Nevados Slide. It was great to go back to this classic run this year and be able to run the entire creek from the bridge down, now that the wood in the upper canyon has moved. Running the upper section almost doubles the length creek and adds some incredible gorged in boofs. Orion Meredith Photo.

Orion Meredith boofing the last drop of the Turbio put-in slide. Such an awesome creek with great scenery and some really nice drops. Martin Belden Photo.

Martin Belden dropping into the Medio Palguin. We had a great flow this day, and the landing was so nice and fluffy. It just doesn't get any better than this for a big falls. Orion ended up boofing huge off the curler at the lip and was looking like he was coming in for a hard landing, but managed to put his bow down, and had a great line. Emily Meredith Photo.

Hanging out at the put-in for the Upper Palguin. The owner of the property, Ben (owner of Kayak Chile) loves beer and BBQ, just so ya'll know if you stop by...

Orion Meredith Photo.

One week later found us on the road again, this time heading back North, to the Rio Claro. The Claro is a river I had known about since I first started kayaking, and along with Upper Cherry creek, was one of the rivers I always wanted to go to. The Claro was everything I hoped for, and more. With a nice juicy flow, we ran a few laps on the 22 saltos and the 7 tazas, as well as an aborted mission into the entre saltos, but more on that later. Clean waterfalls, spectacular scenery, and a canyon whittled away by an artisan creek, the Rio Claro has everything you could ever want, in an unspoiled setting.

Rosalynn Belden dropping into the first of the 7 Tazas. This was her first real waterfall run, and she killed it. Emily Meredith Photo.

Martin Belden running the last of the 7 Tazas, and boofing way bigger than Orion...

Emily Meredith Photo.

After five days on the Rio Claro, we made our way back to Santiago to return our rental truck, and then made for the coast, were we visited Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Good food, great wine and sunny times on the beach made up the next few days until we returned to the Maipo for a final visit before our return flights Stateside.

And now its over. Another trip logged in the memory books, and photo albums, never to be forgotten, and yet, never to be repeated. Funny how it works out like that.

I owe a big thanks to Orion Meredith for taking the majority of the photos from this trip, as well as Dave Hughes who hooked up a great spot to stay during our trip. Also, to Emily Meredith for making so much of this trip possible with her great connections, and of course to Rosie, who always helps keep me pointed downstream and productive in this crazy world.

Check back soon for more trip reports and video edits from Chile!!

Summer 2011 Wrap-Up

The Montana summer is fading into fall. Leaves slowly are changing colors while the crisp mornings herald the cold weather, hidden just around the corner. Fortunately, we are heading south, chasing the summer into the southern hemisphere where the water will be running cold and clear, beckoning to wandering souls such as ourselves.

The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity for me and my new wife. Yup, I said it. The "W" word. This September 10, we (Rosalynn and I) were married out at the Montana River Guides Ranch, under a warm sun and big Montana sky. The summer itself was busy enough, with having to keep a rafting company afloat, but on top of that we had a wedding to plan and a ranch to clean. Fortunately, everything went off without a hitch, and good times were had by all. The dance party after the wedding was one for the record books, rivaling even the infamous Thunder Storm part in Banks last year. Those of you who were there know what I'm talking about. Those of you who weren't, well I guess you missed out.

Since the wedding, we did a week on the Wild and Scenic Salmon River, and are now road tripping down to Cali for the BRG Race, some more boating, and then to Phoenix to catch a flight to Santiago, where we are meeting up with Orion and Emily Meredith for some good springtime kayaking action in Chile.

Not the best lighting, but still a sweet drop on Boulder Creek, North Idaho.

The First big drop on Boulder Creek.

Nick Bandy, North Idaho local, about to get some goods on Boulder Creek.

Summertime Lochsa fun.

Grim-Reaper rapid on the Lochsa. My friend Drew and I went over to the Lochsa this past weekend and ran the Fish creek to Split creek section at a stomping 410 cfs! Haha. It was pretty neat to see the river at such a low level, with crystal clear water and huge fish swirling in the shadows.

Drunken South Fork Payette Bachelor Party Debauchery.

Apparently this is a good idea...

Searching for the hot-springs near our camp on the S.F.

Emily Meredith, Houndstooth on the N.F. Payette.

Will Parham, Orion Meredith and Myself, giggling somewhere on the North Fork.