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It’s still there. You need to have a permit from Weyerhaeuser to go beyond it. I’ve heard the river is spectacular up there, but for this run you can park just downstream of the gate to put in.

I have no idea. Supposedly there’s a companion “girlfriend” somewhere in one of the towns along the highway. I didn’t see her though.

It’s a new boat. Gnarvana. I demoed one at Clack Fest. Kinda odd looking and a dumb name, but I liked it way more than I thought I would.

Yep. The Agness gauge downstream of the takeout was reading was between 1,770 and 1,810 all day. waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/14372300/#parameterCode=00060&showMedian=false&startDT=2019-11-09&endDT=2019-11-09

Lower Columbia Canoe Club. It’s a paddling club based in Portland, Oregon.

Exhilarating viewing...🇿🇦🫶🏻🛶

It was a chilly day standing around at the put in. Had to get in the boat and start paddling to get toasty! Must have missed you guys. Didn’t see any other groups on the water, but there was a small group of rafts/kayaks that launched before us.

@@chrispaine2265 we were at the put in around noon... Was a fun day despite the rain dumping on us.

@@PatrickFortunatoJr It’s a rare day that rain alone makes for a bad day on the river. Sounds like we just missed you. Our group launched around 11:30AM or so.

Some of that wood broke off. Most was pushed into the river. But to be honest, I didn’t get a good look at the aftermath. I’d bet there is some wood there between the rock and the bank. If it floated downstream we didn’t see it. I’ve tried to zoom in on still images and I can’t make out anything.

@@chrispaine2265 thanks. Good to know about incase it's still there.

It’s a Lynx and it’s a great boat. So is the Outfitter, if that’s what you have. The Outfitter has bigger tubes and is more stable. I’m honestly not comfortable recommending a river to someone that I don’t know who is a beginner. I don’t know if they have the knowledge to wear proper immersion gear, know to boat with knowledgeable people rather than going solo, nor do I know their safety skills, etc. What I generally recommend for beginners that aren’t in the whitewater community is to join a paddling club and advertise yourself as a new paddler looking to learn. Reading water is deceptively challenging for a lot of people in the beginning, even easier “flat” water that has unusual currents. The Oregon Kayak and Canoe Club and Lower Columbia Canoe Club are both friendly to inflatable kayakers and have some trips geared to the more novice end of the spectrum. Those are both PDX based clubs. There is also also the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club, which I think is maybe Eugene based, but I am not familiar with them and not a member. The great news is, at your location, you are surrounded by many excellent whitewater runs, including some easier ones that you can skill build on with the right group.

@@chrispaine2265 Excellent. Thank you for the information. I will find a group to join.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you! Cheers!

I was the packrafter on this run and it was indeed fun! I’m not sure how well the Wilson gauge shows the kilchis flow. We were told by more experienced paddlers with us that you have to get on the kilchis while it’s still raining.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, it was my first time on the Kilchis. Like Pat said, it was a nice flow for us. There’s not a gauge on the Kilchis, but there is one on the nearby Wilson River, though they obviously don’t correlate directly. If you are asking about floating this stretch at 600 cfs on the Wilson gauge I wouldn’t recommend it. Here’s video from a friends trip with approximately half the water on the Wilson gauge than we had on this trip, and it looks quite a bit different: th-cam.com/video/KArCfOMxTr0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=U3Er_LYoIbsPgCQT

@@chrispaine2265 That video tells the tale without being there. If water is much lower, the sporting factor I am looking for is not there. Thanks for the reference. Pass until rainy season or a fortuitous deluge... lol!

@@pathickey2553 One of our small group is a packrafter too. Will have to approach when it rains again. Thanks Pat for the intel!

I don’t think it has near the comparative reputation. However, it is well known by boaters as a place you don’t want to find yourself out of your boat, even with a pfd.

Cougar Creek is above MP5 & Island is below MP5.

@@chrispaine2265 Thanks! Do you know how long it takes to do MP5 to Hathaway?

@@problemsolver6332 Honestly, I'm not sure. I've only been on this river a few times and always put on at MP7 or further up above Big Eddy Rapid. This video is a bit misleading because it's pretty high water and the water was really moving along. It was a short day even from MP7 at this flow.

​@@chrispaine2265 Definitely some high water! I just Did MP5 to Hathaway for the 1st time today, and it was only at 6.1ft Looked much different! It was a little too mellow for my liking. Cougar looks nice though, ill have to put in at MP7 next time for sure!

Was that 2,000 on the Jed Smith gauge or estimated flow on the NF? I don’t really know how levels translate on the pipe gauge. I’ve only been there this one time. I’m in a hardshell usually these days, but despite all the scraping and “wet hiking” before Diamond Creek I wouldn’t hesitate to go again at that flow in an IK.

Lol. I try.

My hands were fine, but one of my ears felt like it was frozen by the end of the day.

You bet! Great day on the river for sure.

Absolutely. We made the right decision not to let the big W on the Clack keep us away.

@@chrispaine2265 Big W?

Wind. It’s become a bit of an inside joke to not speak of it by name on the river because of a horribly windy day on the Clackamas a few years ago. It was blustery all day but became unbearable after Bob’s Hole where it took 90-120 minutes to get to and portage the next class 2 rapid, because we couldn’t get our rafts out into the current. The wind flipped our little 10ft raft three times while lining it down the bank on flat water. In the middle of our portage at the rapid a group of hardshell kayakers also portaged because they were similarly having issues getting into the current. On this snowy day we met at Moore Creek in the morning and the W was blowing like crazy and there was debris everywhere on the drive up, which reminded us of that day. We decided to keep driving and once we got to a higher elevation the W just disappeared.

Hahaha ....The big "W"@@chrispaine2265

I’m not sure where China Bar rapids are. You’ll need to clue me in.

5:28

@@chrispaine2265 5:28

@@skull465Got it. I’ve done trips in the 1200-2000 range. There’s rapids there, but I don’t think they are as pronounced as this. This higher level washes out a lot of rapids, but some places are more exciting for sure.

Yep, that one seems to fill in and get easier the higher the flow. Spencer’s was surprisingly mellow too. But like you said, some of the lesser known rapids had a little more oomph to em.

It really is! I’m a little bit desensitized to it now since I’ve been through a few times and there’s been lots of rebuilding. The first couple of trips it was really difficult to look at.

It’s definitely distracting getting pulled in multiple directions all at once.

Such a boneheaded move messing up the entry like that. I’ve been through that rapid so many times. It’s an adventure every time.

Gotta keep practicing or I’ll forget!

The Wilson isn’t really known for having good park and play spots. There is a rapid right at the bridge to Keenig Campground that might be an option but it’s usually a wave train. Not sure how surfable it would be.

@@chrispaine2265 i was actually playing at that spot the other day! Those kind of spots are what I'm looking for. I paddle an inflatable packraft, run the rapid, and walk back up to keep practicing running that same rapid. Do you know any other spots like that? On any river.

There’s plenty of room for a 16’ raft if that’s your concern. This is a great run to introduce people to overnight trips. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

@@chrispaine2265 thats awesome it has the room for a 16' boat ... It will be a nice warm up trip for our grand ronde trip.

They definitely feel like a luxury compared to a paddle raft! But paddle rafting is more exciting.

Hey Pat, I don’t remember anyone swimming four times, but the group was massive. I only knew one person at the beginning of the trip and probably only really met 1/3 of the group in any significant way. I looked you up on FB just now and recognize you though. Are you transitioning from an IK? I am, and someone pointed out another boater to me that day who was transitioning/trying out hardshell boats, and I was reasonably sure they were pointing to you. Edit: I feel you on the swims. I had my own swim that day. I always feel bad holding up the group but I had to remind myself we are all going through the learning process. I don’t mind at all when others swim but I’m pretty self conscious about it myself.

@@chrispaine2265 yep that was me, I've been trying to hard shell since April or so. That was my worst day in a while, I had a much better run last time- only 1 swim, on carnivore, which surprised me at low water. I've had time to go on the okcc outings but haven't made time to learn to roll, hopefully I can get one soon. See you out there sometime

Whiskey Dick was only one I’m aware of being closed. There could be others though.

Glad you enjoyed it

It was a great day for sure. Thanks for all the support and showing me a new-to-me river section.

Thanks! I was a lot more confident this time around. Maybe a little too much so. The river put me in my place in the end.

Thank you!

Thanks Martin. It wasn’t at all what I expected. Some stuff was easier and more fun while other, more basic things where quite a bit more challenging than I’m used to.

Thanks Dan. I actually felt this was a pretty sloppy run overall, but did well where it counted the most.

3,675 cfs

Thanks. The boat is an Aire Lynx. That’s a bobcat you are seeing at the end of the video.

You’re welcome. The boat is an Aire Lynx.

It's a western boaters thing. Just wait until they get a traumatic head injury and ruin everybody's trip...

Thanks David!

Glad you liked it! It was fun floating with slow all the way to the bank.

It’s an Aire Lynx. I’m not qualified to say if they are inherently safer or not compared to a hardshell. It depends on the paddler, their skill, and the difficulty of the run. Inflatables do have their limitations though. There are pros/cons to each. Inflatables are relatively easier to learn but you can progress much further in a hardshell once you get past the learning curve.

@@chrispaine2265 I run hard-shell myself. I have a dagger code, Jackson zen3, but wife is not as comfortable in them. thinking of inflatable. thanks for the share.

I think an inflatable is a perfectly fine option for a beginner or someone who may not otherwise feel comfortable in a hardshell. I’ve done a couple runs now in a Zen 3 and may buy one this weekend. How to you like the Code?