Thirteen members of the LCCC paddled the NF Trask at 2200 on a chilly January 28th. All agreed it was a great level with some excellent surfing. On the trip: Patty Bolden, Brianne Condon, Bill Jordens, Cliff DeBride and his friend Ben, Curt Peterson, Greg Davenport, Eric Lindenauer, David Poole, Kendall Springer, Ken Keating, Audrey Bergsma, and myself.
This is a look back at 2011. The video includes clips and photos of club day trips, weekend trips, far off adventures, the Roaring River Slalom, and people simply having fun paddling.
On January 7, fourteen of us gathered on the banks of the Wilson and ran the section known as the Narrows–MP 18 to MP 12. The actual Narrows is a small slot with deep turbulent water. Level was around 1800 cfs and actually made the entry rapid to the Narrows easier. On the trip, first names only, were: Curt, Terry, Susan, Leon, Denny, Karl, Dee, Kendall, Greg, Eric, Paul, Alex, John, and myself. Another excellent day on the water and planet Earth.
Once again Bill Jordens hosted the first paddle of the year. This time it was on one of his favorite runs, the Devil’s Lake Fork of the Wilson, and he pulled out all stops, giving us a perfect level (3600 cfs) and even some sun. But what you all want to know is whether there was a first swim of the year and if you’re off the hook. But to find out that you’ll have to wait for the February newsletter. So send in those dues checks to make sure you get your copy and the full account of the day. Paddling on 1/1/12: Audrey Bergsma, Mark Scantlebury, Ken Keating, Greg Davenport, Kendall Springer, Bill, and special guest paddler Kris Knight from the Paddle Trails Canoe Club (Seattle). There was another group on the Kilchis that was coordinated by Carl Poston that included his new tandem partner Eleanore, plus Karl Dinkelspiel, Ted Housen, Leon Aliski, Tom and Blake McCord, and Jim Coker. Here’s a short video of the action on the DLF of the Wilson.
This is a video mash of two successive weekends running the Sandy Gorge. Levels were low–500 and 450 cfs by the Sandy River at Marmot gauge. Perfect time to try it. The common denominators were myself, Greg Davenport, and Denny Egner. Joining us on one weekend or the other were Kevin Lane, Dee Brodigan, Audrey Bergsma, Chris Watson, Gerry Orr, and a kayaker named Craig Hermes who I didn’t get much footage of. A particularly gnarly-looking drop is at the end. It’s called Revenue and is a forest of rocks. There’s a great slot though if you can make the first move into it. Scouting from shore, the view of this slot is blocked by several rocks so it’s an act of faith that it’s there and you can make it down it. Perhaps that’s why I chose the gospel song.
A group of club members ran this section of the Wilson on the last weekend in November. Level was around 3400 cfs and perfect for a first run of the season of this hard-to-catch-at-a-good-level section. Paddlers included Bill Jordens, Audrey Bergsma, Carl Poston, Kevin Lane, Murray Johnson, Jim Coker, Kendall Springer, myself, Scott Holmberg (a guest paddler from Colorado), plus a cameo appearance from Colm Lenaghan.
To celebrate Ted Housen’s birthday, a group of us joined him on a paddle from Dodge to Oxbow on the Sandy. Level was 1700 cfs, temperatures were below 40, and the sunshine that followed us all day made it feel warmer than that. Must have been in celebration of Ted. The crew included Audrey Bergsma, Bill Jordens, Dave Graf, Dick Sisson, Rob Eliot, myself, Ted, Carl Poston, and new bow paddler, Eleanor (welcome to the LCCC!).
Sixteen of us caught the perfect window. The gate to the Upper Kalama is only open for 6 to 8 weeks during hunting season, so you have to catch it when you can. Rain had fallen the night before, kicking up the gauge for the East Fork of the Lewis (the gauge we use since the Kalama doesn’t have one) to 700 cfs, and the level was nearly perfect. A little more water would have made the surf waves better, but there was still some good ones to be had. Fall was in full glory and the water was mesmerizing with the swirl of alder leaves in its depths. On the trip: Carl, Mike, Greg, Dennis, Ted, Will, Leon, Ken, Kendall, Bill, Terry, Susan, Dee, Otis, Kevin, and myself.
Eight of us took advantage of a wonderful October day to go paddle the Clackamas and see the fall colors. We put in at Sunrise and took out above Bob’s Hole. Paddlers were Bill Jordens, John Maroney, Carol Schmidt, Bets Stover, Denny Egner, Ted Housen, Audrey Bergsma and me. In the video, you’ll see Ted flip in his kayak. Unfortunately, what you won’t see is his first combat roll. The cameraman, who was also the safety guy, turned off the camera and got ready to throw a rope, but Ted smoothly resurfaced and paddled on. Sweet.
Seven members of the LCCC and three lapsed members paddled the Nahanni River in Canada’s Northwest Territories from the Moose Ponds to Lindberg Landing in July 2011. This is 350 miles of paddling, including nearly 30 miles of nearly continuous class II and III whitewater. This video is a 6.5-minute long condensed version of the trip. A 40-minute video can be found at: http://www.vimeo.com/27833640. Paddlers included Dennis Deck, Witt Anderson, Brent and Tyrae Mahan, Dave and Laurie Robinson, Bob and Karen Williams, Audrey Bergsma, and myself.
