Wake me up when September ends...

For many, September marks the end of a great summer of boating. For others, the eyes turn to fish and snow. For a few folks who can't get enough rafting, the coastal river gauges start seeing a bunch more hits and traffic. Rain - and lots of it - is the catalyst for some of the best rafting in the West.

Rivers that are too low elevation-wise for snow or just have too small of a drainage for snow-runoff have a special aura to them. Predictability is pretty much non-existent for many rivers and creeks. The obvious is nearly always true: When it rains rivers will rise and when it is dry these same rivers will fall. The window of opportunity is wide for some and narrow for many more. The sense of calculation adds to the adventure and the feeling of success when all that you have planned comes true.

There are a lot of great websites that can help you find these special rivers and creeks.

Punching through on a big water trip (11,000 CFS at the mouth) at
Oregon Hole Rapid on the Smith's Oregon Hole Gorge (courtesy of OregonRafting.org):

PNWwhitewater.org is a website designed specifically for boaters in the Pacific Northwest. It features a forum page, photo gallery, and member profiles. Lots of great information can be obtained from this site via the forum (member input) and the river gauges displayed on the home page.

Yahoo has a section designed for groups of people with the same interest. The best Yahoo group for boating that I've found is RiverTraders. Lots of stuff comes up for sale and it's an easy place to find a buyer for your river jang as well. Other whitewater groups include PNW, Idaho Whitewater, and PDX Kayaker. These three groups are region-specific to help stay on topic, but rarely do. If you don't like getting a lot of mail, just sign up for the "daily digest."

Another excellent use of Yahoo Groups is organizing your own private trips. If you have people all over the place and need a central location to post messages / files, Yahoo Groups is a good way of doing it. Just start a new group, set it to "private," and then invite the trip participants. When the trip is over you can delete the group or use it for corresponding with each other.

When it comes to specific rivers, the best websites for each one are the following:
* Smith River (CA) - Kevsmom.com and OregonRafting.org
* Tuolumne and Cherry Creek (CA) - CaliRiver.com and C-W-R.com
* Rogue (OR) - OregonRafting.org
* Illinois (OR) - OregonRafting.org
* Wind (WA) - PNWwhitewater.org and CaliRiver.com
* Washougal (WA) - molallakayaker.blogspot.com
* Clackamas (OR) - molallakayaker.blogspot.com
* Scott (CA) - OregonRafting.org
* Box Canyon of the Sacramento - OregonRafting.org

The best site for flows in the Pacific Northwest is Pat Welch's.
Oh, DreamFlows.com kicks butt as well!

Happy Boating!

Here we go again?

Middle Fork of the Salmon at the MF Lodge during the "Log Jam of 2006":
Middle Fork of the Salmon at the MF Lodge on July 22nd, 2008:

Clavey River Equipment: New Website

Clavey River Equipment has a new look online. Their new website, which is up and running as a tester at www.clavey.us has the same great stuff as the old one, but has easier navigation and spectacular photos. Check out this photo of RiverGuides.ning.com user Jeff Kellogg (also owner of Clavey) at Prelude rapid on the Illinois river in Southern Oregon.

For those who want the best gear on the market but are short on cash, Clavey has a special section just for sale items. Aside from the sale page, perhaps the greatest new feature is the ability to create a personal Clavey account online. Just fill out one page of information and you are one click away from the Clavey newsletters, your purchase history, and lots more.

Camp Closures on the Middle Fork of the Salmon

Article from the Idaho Mountain Express
"Fires Close Camps on the Middle Fork"

by Jody Zarkos

Fires that burned into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River corridor last year impacted several river camps, according to Kent Fuellenbach, public information officer with the Salmon-Challis National Forest.

Fuellenbach said fires damaged a total of 16 camps on the Middle Fork in 2007, leaving behind burned trees, holes, loosened rocks and soil that could pose a significant danger to campers, especially if the weather turns nasty.

"If we have a high intensity weather event, it could cause some problems in those areas," Fuellenbach said. "Forest Service crews will we going through the camps to mitigate the problems."

In an effort to keep the public safe within the limits of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, five camps not considered "reasonably safe" will not be assigned to floaters on the Middle Fork. The closures could make for a long first day on the river, as the majority of the impacted camps are located in the first 25 miles of launch sites at Boundary Creek and the Indian Creek Guard Station, according to Fuellenbach.

Four of the larger camps that will be closed are Lake Creek (mile 14.9), Johns Camp (mile 15.2), Greyhound (mile 15.9), Dome Hole (mile 15.9). Horsetail Camp at mile 52.7 is also closed for the 2008 season.

"People might have to go a long first day, or a short first and long second," Fuellenbach said. "We’re going to have to do some juggling this summer. Two small parties might have to share a big camp."

The Monument Fire burned the first four camps. In assessing the number of hazards that may have to be mitigated, Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor Bill Wood has decided to let those four camps in the upper section be shaped by natural forces and reassessed for next season.

Weyerhaeuser Access: Molalla Area

Posted by: Ryan jumpdawg2@yahoo.com

Wed May 21, 2008 8:31 am (PDT)

I just got off the phone with QSI, the organization that is running the permit system for Weyerhaeuser. Some of you may not be familiar with the North Fork Molalla, but it's a great class IV creek. I have boated it several times this year and have been trying to secure access ever since.

Photo by Dan Thurber, North Fork of the Molalla:

As it stands right now, ALL access, including walk-in must have a permit ($270) and check in with the gate attendant prior to entering Weyerhaeuser property. This is in effect year round. (Not just May 24 to Nov. 30.) However, I have put in my comments to open access for the boating community outside the current drive-in access window. They will review this request along with at least one other off season request from a hunting group at a later date. Access will most likely not change until next season (If we're lucky, we might be able to get on the North Fork Molalla by next spring.) I'll post more information as I get it. Hopefully we can once again enjoy this river.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments.

Ryan Morgan

River People Heaven

In River People Heaven you hang out next to rivers, drink Sierra Nevada, and have your burritos delivered courtesy of Freebirds Delivery. Here are some recent shots from River People Heaven:

Danielle, chillin' in River People Heaven and waiting for her burrito:


Ryan, doing the same:

Introducing LiquidMilitiaProductions.com

To all those who live great adventures,

The time has come to introduce the world to a new style of women in adventure. Welcome to Liquid Militia Productions. Our mission: To continuously produce adventures that inspire others to get out and do.

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Regards,

www.LiquidMilitiaProductions.com

Jen Karcsinski, Holley Gardel, Sarah Dentoni, La Baker, Susan Mol, Andi Moore, Jaime Goode, Keitha Kostyk