Having fun in Redwall Cavern

This was our second Grand Canyon kayak trip in a row. That’s 27 days on the Colorado River. It’s not easy leaving the Canyon after so many days. Writing about the adventure is even harder. This group was into experiencing the Canyon to its fullest, both on and off the water. We’ve never explored the side canyons as much as we did on this trip!  In addition, we celebrated birthdays, heard great music performed, saw personal challenges faced, new skills acquired and most wonderful of all, there were long-standing friendships strengthened and new ones forged. If some of these events sound life-changing, it’s because a trip down the Canyon tends to be just that.  It’s a little of the magic that place performs on us all.

I’ve posted a photo gallery here to make up for my lack of words.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

Ross, one of the Brits, leading the charge into Granite Rapid.

Just two days prior to putting in on the Grand Canyon, we had been amongst the lush forests of the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. The area around Lee’s Ferry in Arizona, the put-in for the Colorado, could not be more different.  Driving through the lunar landscape from our meeting point at Marble Canyon Lodge to the put-in at Lee’s Ferry you wouldn’t expect to find a river there. One of the things that I find so beautiful is the red cliffs in contrast with the blue, blue skies and puffy clouds.

The view looking toward Vermillion Cliffs near the put in of Lee's Ferry.

Mary H. and Will enjoying the ride.

The first 7 days of this trip began with flows fluctuating between 11,000- 18,000 cfs then it settled into a steady 10,000 cfs for the remainder of our river miles.  Our mostly American group was joined by seven Brits, all family or friends from the same club.  We had been emailing them for over a year, so it was good to finally meet them in person.

Those crazy Brits- you should have seen them the last night when we all dressed up!

"Hiking" Matkatamiba.

Despite our similarities in language (ours was English, their’s was proper English), there are some wonderful differences in kayaking terminology. As we discussed lines, technique, equipment and strategies it was fun to see the sometimes puzzled looks on all of our faces as one group used terms unfamiliar to the other.  Splits, cags, stoppers, break ins, break outs, domer, cfs vs. cms, fpm vs. mpk  and buoyancy aid were just a few that required clarification. Nothing a pint at the end of the day wouldn’t clear up .

Enjoying an impromptu raft party at the end of the day.

How did you want that fish cooked?

Joel in his HPIK (high performance inflatable kayak) at Havasu Creek.

Here is a quick summation of the trip: It ain’t over till the Hawaiian swims, twins x 2, number nine, go big and GO BIGGER, Mike K. on grill, “No thanks, tequila makes me dance naked”, laps at Granite,  Andrew’s amazing one-oar raft technique, windstorm at Fern Glen, Steiner’s geology, laps at Crystal, Bruce’s poetry readings, cooked Brits at Thunder River, raft parties, Ross’ paddle dance, rainstorms and rainbows, dinners by Dave, and “can someone translate ?”.

Connor gets his weight forward in Granite.

Liam between big and BIGGER in Granite.

Desert rain at Galloway camp.

British and Americans unite! The August 26- Sept 7 Grand Canyon group.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking all rights reserved.

Larry M negotiates Tyee rapid at the end of our first day. Photo courtesy of RRJ

Everyone comes on a river trip for different reasons; work on skills, relax, have fun, be in a beautiful place, reconnect with friends and family.  And when the group is eager to learn, like this one was, we are on fire. The Rogue has many wonderful, user-friendly sites to work on skills, and the warm water (about 68° F) makes you want to be wet. As with anything you’re doing, if it’s really fun and interesting, you can lose track of time.

Phil and Ed discuss the finer points of surfing at the perfect teaching spot. Photo courtesy of RRJ

I’ve often referred to Mary as the task master.  I mean it in a good way. She’s an amazing instructor that has boundless energy for her students. Because of that she and her group are usually the lasts one in at the end of the day. Well, on this trip I had her beat, hands down.

Mary draws on all her playground skills while giving a talk on eddy maneuvers before hitting the river.

My group and I might have been a bit a little late for lunch one day (an hour- don’t worry we had snacks) because we stopped to work a couple of killer eddies and run every “optional” line I knew, plus hone our jet ferries, surf waves and make attainments. It’s also possible we drifted into camp with just enough time to change and line up for dinner that evening, “But we had to play that cushion, you know, the one by Battle Bar.”  We all slept pretty well that night!

Ed R at the crux of Upper Black Bar Falls. Photo courtesy of RRJ

Mary spots Sam P, making the move above the "picket fence" in upper Blossom Bar. Photo courtesy of Jon P.

Thanks go out to long time Rogue returning paddlers Jim and Ginny. Paul K was back for his second time and brought his friend Larry.  Alaskan Terry P was soaking up the sun and warm water.  First timers Isabella, Ed, Donna, Mike, Helen, Jon and Sam were talking about returning again next year. We hope we see you too!

Our group from August 19-22, 2009. Photo courtesy RRJ.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking except where noted, all rights reserved.

Running the fish ladder at Rainie Falls. Photo courtesy of RRJ.

In mid to late August we ran two trips on Southern Oregon’s Rogue River.  We’ve long touted this as a great introduction to multi-day river trips and it didn’t disappoint.  Looking back through the photos I am reminded of the incredible weather we had with clear, blue sunny skies. It is so typical of the Rogue that time of year.

Enjoying breakfast and the warmth of the sun.

We had a lot of Rogue veterans return for the first trip, proving that this river has something for everyone.  We got to reconnect with Doug H. and his two, now adult, boys Trevor and Brett- what a solid paddling family.  Our long time friend Steve F., another solid class IV boater (who we’re used to seeing in Ecuador) used it as a chance to forget about work and spend some much overdue time in his kayak. Sheri M., Hubby Bill H. and Sherri’s son Marc and his wife Angela used the trip as their summertime, family get-together.

Sound advice from the back of Jonathan's T-Shirt.

Howard D. was there with his young son Johnathan. Don’t show him the guide book, he’ll memorize it and give you the blow by blow on rapids. Lynne A. and Lynne V. came from Texas, mixing things up with hardshell and inflatable kayak skills.  Bird L., on the fast track, pulled off a highly successful trip with a grand total of  7  river-days under her belt (don’t try this at home)- that’s just not fair! She’s been picking up some good skills from partner Mark, a verteran kayaker. Mary K. and Richard brought a boat-load of good, positive energy. Doug S. used the river as a stepping stone to further his whitewater paddling before heading back to Hawaii.

Kayaks and the view from camp at the end of day one.

A big treat for us was having our godson Hayden S. join us on the river- all the way from North Carolina.  Zeroing in on his last year at high school we knew it would be hard to get this opportunity with him again.  Rogue River Journeys provided a stellar crew with their usual first-class support and great food.  A special thanks to J.R., our third kayak guide.  His knowledge of the Rogue and smooth style were greatly appreciated.

A black bear checks in to see what's cookin'.

Katherine, one of the great raft guides from RRJ, goes big!

What happens on the river, stays on the river- that's the hope anyway.

The gang on our August 12-15 trip

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking except where noted, all rights reserved.

We hope you’ve had a great spring and summer of paddling.  If you’re  not ready for it to end why not join us in Ecuador for one of our many offerings this winter.  We have a variety of trips for skill levels from class III+ to IV+.  Check out our website www.adventurekayaking.com for more details. Start dreaming today.

Our camp at Solitude on the lower Rogue River.

In what may be one of our quickest set of turn- arounds between trips we have spent less than twenty four hours at home.  We’re just back from two really great 4-day Rogue trips and we are now off to the Grand Canyon for two trips there.  We’ll be back the first part of October to write more about it. Gotta run (aren’t we lucky!).

Kayakers take in the sites while floating near Saddle Canyon, Grand Canyon.

Kayakers on a mellow section of the upper stretches of the Middle Fork Salmon- day one.

Between the weather and the folks that were along, our second trip on the Middle Fork was quite the variety pack.  While the West was strongly represented, we also had folks from as far away as Washington D.C., Wisconsin and Canada. There were several families, couples, friends, hardshell kayakers (long boats and short), inflatable kayakers and rafters, . We also had a good mix of ages, including a pod of youngsters, ages 16-21, that we affectionately referred to as the “pack of wolves”.

Once our bags were loaded onto the support rafts at Boundary Creek, we did our usual thing of dividing the hardshell kayakers into three groups, each with it’s own guide, so as to give us all plenty of room to move about the river and play.  That first day I had the wolves. This group of young, enthuisastic kayakers were all in play boats of one type or another.  Their motto seemed to be “leave no river feature untouched”. This was demonstrated as they zipped about the river in search of  the slightest hint of  play. Nothing was off limits; boofs, waves, holes, and given the chance, each other. My job that day was to keep the wolves at bay from the other groups and make sure they were “well fed” with play and challenges.

Hannas F., one of the pack, hits the boof at Ram's Horn.

The raft crew once again did a great job negotiating camps for us prior to the put in.  We’re always looking for the right blend of distance, play and, if possible, a hot springs when choosing camps- you’re only allowed one.  On the Middle Fork camps all get assigned before the start of the trip so you know exactly where you’ll be staying each night.

Breaking camp at Sheepeater camp the morning of day two.

Some of our support rafts neogtiate the crux of Pistol Creek rapid, day two.

On our third morning I awoke early to roust Chris L. who said he wanted to do a 6:00 a.m. surf session at the wave where we were camped.  Talk is always bold the night before, so I was a bit skeptical about Chris’ commitment.  He took me by surprise when he came out of his tent after the first call and donned his drysuit.  For 40 minutes he had the wave to himself while I sat on the shore taking photos.  The normally clear waters of the Middle Fork were running dark, an indication of a flash of some kind upstream of us that must have occurred during the night. I still don’t know what side stream it was, but based on the short duration of the muddy waters the rest of the trip, it wasn’t very big.  Chris and I returned to camp before anyone other than the crew was up.

Chris L. pulls a dawn patrol surf session on day three.

Chris L. watches the muddy waters of the Middle Fork race by during his early- morning surf session.

While some of us worked in the kitchen prepping our third night’s dinner, everyone else could be found down by the waters edge relaxing and swimming.  At one point someone indicated there was a badger swimming across the river in our direction.  I have never seen a badger in the wild.  This guy obviously had a routine he wasn’t going to let us disrupt.  He swam straight toward the beach where our group was hanging out, clambered out of the water and gave us all a look as if to say “what, haven’t you ever seen a badger before?” Everyone stood there in awe of this bold little fellow at which point he arched his back, let out a hiss which caused the group to part.  He went right through the middle of everyone, up the beach and continued up the steep hill behind camp like he was late for a date the next state over. I think we were all so stunned I’m not sure anyone got a photo.

Steam and sunrise in the kitchen the morning of day four.

Our luck with the weather of the first trip didn’t hold. We were experiencing quite the mix of conditions, fortunately when it did rain, it happened at all the right times.  On our third night at Shelf camp,  sometime around 10:00 p.m we were treated to a simultaneous flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, indicating just how close by the lightning had been.  The sound of the thunder echoed off the canyon walls as it rolled downstream while big rain drops began to fall with little warning.  While most of us were safe in our tents, there was an adventurous group (read the youngsters) that had hiked to the hot springs at Loon Creek two miles away.  Some were still in the springs when the rain hit and said it was magical, while others were mid- trail on the return trip and got pretty soaked.

Pulling in to take advantage of the hot springs at Sunflower.

Connor D. looks out from one of the pools on the upper bench at Sunflower hot springs.

Kayaker Todd L. and raft guide Tessa S. demonstrate the two extremes of attire on the Middle Fork at Sunflower hot springs.

From our camp we had easy rapids  providing us with some nice warm-up before hitting the Tappin series. This included the newly formed rapid at Cove Creek which had once been Tappin II and III.  The line was the same a the week before- down the left, moving center at the bottom. With a mellow stretch in the middle around the area of the Flying B Ranch, the river picked up again at Haystack and moved right along into camp. Our fourth night’s camp saw us at Survey, a beautiful, low bench amongst the trees. To get there we put in our longest day of paddling, so the comfortable camp was a welcomed site.

What goes up gets to come down. Hiking up Big Creek.

As with our trip in late June, on the fifth day we got in run on the lower mile of Big Creek by hiking our boats up to the first bridge. It wasn’t for everyone, so the others spent the time exploring waterfall creek and the confluence with Big Creek.  From there we all went down to Veil Falls and hiked up to the alcove where the mist from the falls chased us around the lush, green meadow at it’s base. The view from there looking upstream is spectacular.

The gang just before putting in on Big Creek.

With the rapids at Redside and Weber behind us, it was an easy four miles into Parrot Placer, our last night’s camp.  Many of the raft guides had headed to camp early that afternoon. As we paddled into the eddy and climbed out of our kayaks we were treated to costum clad guides with appetisers in hand- now that’s service!  Not wanting folks to feel left out of the fun, the guides had brought plenty of outfits to share.  The last night had a lot of laughter and came with the reminder that what happens on the river, stays on the river.

The group at our take out on the Main Salmon.

Thanks all for another great trip and thanks to our all our raft guides this season; Collen W.,Tessa, Zach B. Billy, Hata, Dewi, , Collen B.

You can never get enough susnets over the Sawtooths.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

The sun rises over a meadow near Stanley Idaho.

I’ve written before about how I look forward to our trips.  It’s not just about the paddling, it’s also about where the paddling takes place. In this case it starts in Idaho at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains just outside of Stanley.  Stanley is a small town that sits in a stunning valley made up of mountains, rivers and meadows.  It sits at a crossroad between Boise, Ketchum and Salmon in a mostly roadless area of Idaho.  Only the two-lane highway is paved, the rest of the streets are dirt. There is a small dirt airstrip on top of the hill behind town where the airplanes take off and land when shuttling folks from Boise or into the Middle Fork for low- water trips later in the season. It’s mountain flying, so early morning and late afternoon are the only times you usually hear the engines.  A dirt lot across from the small hotel where we stay is full of cars waiting to be shuttled to the take out.  Hang around the gas station for an hour and you’ll see rigs loaded with rafts, kayaks and other gear on their way to the put in at Boundary Creek.

Mary kicking up her heels at a view of sunset over the Sawtooths. Stanley, Idaho

It’s in Stanley where we meet our groups the night before the trip.  Final questions are answered, drybags handed out, and plans for getting everyone to the put-in the next morning are gone over.

The first day of this trip folks were up early, excited about getting to the river.  We loaded the bus and trailer with all of our gear and began the hour and a half drive into Boundary Creek.  The ECHO crew, our support team for this journey, had gone in the day before to rig their rafts and were there eagerly awaiting folks and set about the process of rigging drybags to rafts.  We had a great mix of folks; Middle Fork veterans, first-timers, many kayakers and a few rafters.  Because Boundary Creek is not far from the source of the river, flows at the put-in are usually low volume.  The river picks up water from the multitude of streams that flow in throughout the length of the Middle Fork.  Day one we moved along at a good pace and were able to make it to the riverside hot springs at Trail Flat for lunch.  Folks took advantage of the opportunity to follow up their lunch break with a nice, relaxing soak. More hot springs were enjoyed once in the evening as we were lucky enough to get assigned Sheepeater camp.

Paddlers enjoy a relaxing soak after lunch on day one.

Paddlers prepare to leave Sheepeater camp the morning of Day Two.

Day two included a nice warm-up before getting to the rapids at Lake and Pistol Creeks.  Lake Creek is the site of a new rapid as a few years back the creek blew out due to late summer thunderstorms.  The first season it was a nasty blend of live tress still standing in the flow, dead snags and an unstable alluvial fan- we portaged that year.  Each year it has gotten progressively cleaner.  Now, the trees are gone, the fan has been cut back and the only real obstacle is a crashing hole that needs to be skirted at the base of the rapid- or not!  Pistol Creek, a fast moving constriction is a bit squirrely at this flow. Lunch awaited us at the bottom. The afternoon float was very social as the rapids mellowed out to allow us to enjoy each others company and look around at the scenery. Our camp was only 75 yards upstream of one of the best waves on the river and folks were able to enjoy both an evening and morning surf session.  The wave is big and fast, yet forgiving, and a lot of good learning that takes place here.

The smile on Steve H.'s face says it all about the ride and the wave.

Henry L. shreds the wave at camp on the end of day two.

Nick B. shows this waves not just for little boats.

The view looking upstream toward camp at the end of a good surf session .

Day three’s rapids are straight forward and mostly relaxing, giving folks a chance to rest a bit as they float.  It’s also a chance to see some of interesting sites off the water too, like the pictographs at Cameron Creek. Our camp at the end of the day at White Creek put us withing walking distance of Loon Creek hot springs, the largest spring on the river and the last one accessable from the river.

If you know where to look you can find great examples of pictographs left by the mountain Shoshone, who called themselves the Tukedeka, or Sheepeaters.

Things pick up again on day four with the Tappan series; #1, Tappan Falls and what used to be Tappan #2 and #3.  We had heard of a new rapid- created by yet another sidestream blow-out, this time at Cove Creek.  All of the gradient of Tappan #2 and #3 were now stored up under the new rapid.  There ended up being a very straight forward, yet thrilling line on the left that both the kayaks and rafts ran. This rapid will get more interesting as the water drops over the course of the season. This was also the day we had to travel the most miles, making camp a welcomed sight.

With some major tributaries like Loon, Camas and Big creeks adding to the flow, the look and feel of the river changes dramatically from our little beginnings on day one. We’re now paddling about 5000 cfs.  The canyon takes on a different look as well, transitioning from high Alpine, to a much more rugged and arid feel.  Up to this point there has been a hiker’s trail along the river from the put-in to Big Creek.  It is at Big Creek where the canyon becomes too rugged for the trail to continue alongside and detours up Big Creek, giving the remainder of the canyon the imposing name of The Impassable Canyon- by foot.  Good thing we’re in boats!

Arn S. in one of the rapids approaching the beginning of the Impassable Canyon.

Lani H. somewhere in the Impassable Canyon.

Day five took us past Waterfall Creek followed shortly by Big Creek. Some of us carried a mile up Big Creek to the Bighorn bridge for a taste of lower volume, technical water. Each time I pass by this confluence I think of the multi-day, self-contained run I have heard about, yet haven’t had the chance to do, from the top of Big Creek to the confluence with the Main. Just downstream after confluencing with the Middle Fork, we scored an awesome surf wave at Cutthroat Cove with easy eddy access.  This high speed wave had a sweet spot that shifted from side to side, requiring us surfers to do the same.  With lunch set up just downstream, folks could peel-off to eat when they were ready.

Waterfall Creek tumbles into the Middle Fork just upstream of Big Creek.

A kayaker moves out toward the wave at Cutthroat Cove.

After a stop at Veil Falls we continued downstream and encountered some of the larger named rapids, Redside and Weber.  Camp that night was at Parrot Placer.

Day six is always bittersweet. It has the highest concentration of rapids per mile, making it really fun, but it is also our last day.  Upper and Lower Cliffside, Rubber, Hancock, Devil’s Tooth and House Rock make the miles fly by.  The river at this point is many times larger than when we first put in on day one (5000 cfs vs 500 cfs!) yet everyone was home with these larger flows since the growth was gradual.  As we approached the confluence with the Main Salmon the gradient eased off.  Unlike many rivers, the surrounding terrain remains steep and rugged.

Once on the Main the feel is completely different.  It is big, open water consisting of friendly, rolling wave trains. Even the water is much warmer than that of the Middle Fork.  It’s a three mile paddle from the confluence to the take out at Cache Creek.  A mile before the boat ramp there is Cramer Creek rapid, another creation of a side stream blow out.  When this was first formed in 2002 it was a formidable rapid with a Grand Canyon type feel.  Each year, due to the cutting action of the river, this rapid becomes more and more straightforward.  This day it was a straight-up tongue down the middle into a big, rolling wave train of 9000cfs.

The Group at our last nights camp.

We heard much talk at the take out about doing it again next year.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

]]> http://adventurekayaking.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/middle-fork-salmon-idaho-june-25-30th/feed/ 0 philmary Sunrise_stanley_meadow Mary_dancing_sawtooths Hotsprings Paddlers_Sheepeater Steve_H_Surf Henry_surf Nick_surf Marble_blurr Pictographs_Stoddard Paddler_rapid Paddler_impassable_cyn Waterfall_creek Surfer_wavetrain Group_June25 http://adventurekayaking.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/mary-featured-in-american-whitewater-journal/ http://adventurekayaking.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/mary-featured-in-american-whitewater-journal/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:48:29 +0000 philmary http://adventurekayaking.wordpress.com/?p=751 ]]>

For the past several years AW has produced a “Women’s issue” of their journal.  Check out the July/August 2009 issue (page 32) featuring a profile on Mary.  Besides seeing the many different ways you can spell our last name, you’ll get to learn a bit about Mary’s beginnings in the sport, wild water racing, exploration and her path toward becoming one of the top instructors in the field.

If you’re not currently a member of AW please consider joining.  AW really does a lot of work toward boater access issues as well as pushing for recreational releases when hydro projects come up for relicensing.

Mary's profile in the women's issue of AW Journal.

Kayaks are wonderful crafts! What better way to transport yourself through remote locations than while seated on your arse? Not far from our house is a fine run that is often part of my spring ritual- it’s called Giant Gap. It’s a spectacular stretch of river with a remote feel that is just the right amount of difficulty, a great tune-up for the harder runs one hopes to do as the snow melts, yet straight forward enough it puts a smile on your face. The only problem with Giant Gap is the put-in trail. More specifically, the two mile, 1900 ft. of elevation loss to get down to the river.

Kayakers on the trail to Giant Gap

When boats were lighter (and I was stronger) I used to just suck it up, throw the boat up onto my shoulder and hike the boat in. My boat was pleased but my back was torqued.

Thankfully, there is a nice layer of fallen leaves on most of the Gap’s trail. A plastic kayak slides easily over this layer, freeing one’s shoulder and back from a Quasimodo-like posture. As with kayaking a river, a little control goes a long way when sliding the kayak down to the river. Here are some reasons I don’t want to just shove my boat off the top of the trail and hope for the best; the safety of others below, the well-being of my kayak and of the trail. If I haven’t motivated you yet, let me mention the Gap trail can be loaded with poison oak; oak on boat can equal rash on boater.

Some time ago I learned a slick little trick from a canoeist who rigged a rope bridle from the bow to the stern.

Dennis Eagan rigs his boat at the trailhead of Giant Gap

The amount of control you gain from this simple method is remarkable. The bridle allows you to steer the boat while at the same time speeding it up or slowing it down. Some folks use their waist slings as the bridle. I find this to be too short unless I extend it with a prussik or two. I prefer more length so that I can stay toward the back of the boat to steer without getting whacked in the shins every time I change the boat’s direction. For that reason I like to use my throw rope. It allows me to fine tune the length and I don’t feel that the bridle application puts undue wear and tear on the rope (very important if you need to use your rope under load for a rescue sometime).

Just enough bridle length for control and to stay out of the way.

If the trail is slopped to the side, or I have to negotiate a switchback, I’ll walk on the uphill side to steer and prevent the kayak from slipping sideways off the trail. To keep the excess rope from unpacking itself during the descent I tie a loop in it where it just comes out of the mouth of the bag and clip it to the bag, the bag is then clipped inside my boat.

Here’s the disclaimer: No matter how careful you are in dragging your boat, you’re going to lose a little plastic on the trail here and there. (Probably not as much as on a run full of killer boofs.) So, pick up after yourself and realize that this method is not appropriate in all situations. There will be times where you just have to suck it up and shoulder the load.

Dragging does have it's drawbacks and is not suitable for all situations.

Borrowing an old trick from canoeists, kayaker John Weld begins a 100 mile upstream passage of a river on Baffin island, Canadian Arctic.

Take it to the water- the above photo shows a kayaker using a longer bridle to work his way upstream against a class I-II river.  By setting the bow at a ferry angle away from shore, the oncoming current keeps it pushed out from the river’s edge while the paddler walks along the bank. Why, you might ask?  You can never have too big of a bag of tricks.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.