With two trips already to oregon this spring, we have nocked off a fair share. Including what we are now starting to call triple crowns. (any given 3 70+ foot waterfalls)
Trip one started out as i rallied to oregon to meet up with the beaver lodge boys and Rodrigo Tuschner, who is on his first ever trip to the USA. With rough crowd of beat up beaver boys we stuck to the more common run and made laps of the little white and white salmon.
Later in the week Rodrigo and i decided to run off for a morning and head down to money drop outside of Stevenson, WA. With a fairly low flow we decided to say the hell with it and launch again. Rorigo went first a went a hair over the bars. But came away unscathed. I followed next and had a sweet smooth line. With our quick mission to avoid being seen we rallied out and called it a week.
After returning home and realizing it was still in full winter with sideways snow coming down, Tyler gave me a call and we we're off on round two oregon huckfest. Loading up with our buddy Ried Morth (www.morthphotography.com) a sweet skate and snow photographer looking to get into shooting waterfalls.
First stop was Eagle creek just down the road from Hood River. Here we found ourselves in on the the more terrifying things we have ever done, flying down waterfalls in the middle of the night, experimenting with flash photography. Strapping a few glow sticks to our paddles for illumination we began our midnight carcass hucking of punchbowl falls. An interesting sensation when its hard to tell wether one is upright or not falling into a black oblivian. just as the flashes pop and blind you into freefall.
The next morning we awoke for a quicker and easier mission of flying off metlako falls. This was tyler's 4 time and my 2nd time over the falls. I went first and exploded my paddle, dam brand new. Followed by tyler who decided to throw his paddle. A suggested way to run Metlako and most any drop over 70 feet to avoid destroying gear.
The next morning we awoke early and made the drive around to the otherside of mount hood and off to the salmon river gorge. With high levels we went up the trail with one intention, Final Falls. The 75 foot tall falls that has a fairly nasty entrance and a tricky ledge that it hit about 5 feet below the lip. After making the hike to the top we dropped into frustration falls and began our descent of the river. Where we boofed off the 20 footer and began our scout of the massive drop. Not liking the entrance i decided to jump and run safety for tyler below. Alway a large jump sometime i prefer the freefall in a kayak. Then i watched tyler come off the lip and soar over the bars into the pool but manages to roll up. Then our four mile paddle out to the car and back over to the beaver lodge again.
With two monsters behind us we arose again early and headed down the road once again to the Mackenzie River. Home of Sahalie and Koosah Falls. With a fair mount more water than we had last year, tyler sacked up to sahalie and i was looking to go for a new waterfall on koosah. Tyler lunched sahalie landing at about 45, all good came away sweet and we moved down river to sahalie. Where i ended up psyching myself out and just before going for the drop watched as my boat fell in the river and floated over the falls. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Back to hood river it was and with the arrival of a group of kiwis i was yet again convinced to put the boat on my shoulder and march up eagle creek. As it was off punch bowl down to the lip of metlako and flying through the air again. This time i went last as sam, bradley, and ryan all wanted to get the drop over with. Sam took a large hit punching himself in the head and coming away concust.
One more lap down the little white and it was time to head home. Back to Montana and hoping to see warmer weather and the beginning of the snow melt.
