Slough Gundy Paddle

November 13, 2004

Glenn, Jon, and Ken

Left the house at 5:50 to rendezvous at Glenn’s house.  The thermometer on the truck said it was 17 degrees.  Why did I leave that on?  Sometimes it is best if you just don’t know.

Made Glenn’s place at 6:30.  Right on time.  Ken wondered why we didn’t get the notice that the meeting time had been changed to 7:00.  Maybe someone didn’t tell us!  Transferred boats and hit the road about 7:10.

Holy buckets, there is ice on the river.  A few feet of 3/8” think ice along the shoreline.  Makes me wonder why we put ice in the cooler!

The river was beautiful.  Crisp air and sparkling water.  The sunlight reflecting off the water was gorgeous. 

Slough Gundy is a series of four drops through some incredible rock formations.  A few ripples warmed us up between the put in and the white water.  We ran the first drop without scouting then took out river left to scout drops 2 and 3.  There is a 40 yard pool between the drops.  Just enough river to get your bearings before tackling the third run.

The main chute through the second drop starts in the center of the river and pulls to the right.  Immediately after the last standing wave, there is a large rock formation which takes the brunt of the current and redirects it sharply left.  You have to make a hard left after clearing the last roller to avoid being tossed against the cliff.

The third drop starts slightly to the left of river center and wants to pull you straight to slightly right.  A series of awkwardly placed boulders effectively blocks that passage, so you have to draw right into some standing waves and then make a sharp left before another boulder exiting the drop left of center and heading towards the left shoreline.  Miss the left turn and you end up in a pool underneath a rock formation that served a perfect vantage point to shoot video.

During the trip downriver to scout, we portaged the dry bags down to the landing area below the third drop. 

Ken went through first and exited river right to set up the camera on the rock.  Glenn followed shortly after and I watched him navigate the second drop and then start his run into the third drop.  Wasn’t long and he appeared to clear the boulder.

As I put into the river, my paddle slips out of the boat and into the water.  Must be a bad omen.  It was only a few feet away from shore, so I pushed off and scooped it up.

It is amazing how different the river looks from the vantage point of the canoe versus standing on the rock on shore.  Just where the heck is the chute anyway.  I knew there was a submerged rock to the left of a visible one, and to the right of the main chute.  I gave room next to the rock to make sure I didn’t get hung up on the submerged boulder.

I slipped into the chute, and was enjoying the standing waves.  Started my left turn a bit early and caught the last standing wave to off center.  The next thing I knew, I was submerged in ice cold water. 

I grabbed the paddle and boat and started kicking for river left.  I knew I had to cross the river in the pool to get to the side with the dry clothes.  I couldn’t feel bottom and the boat was not cooperating being full of water.  My feet finally found a foot hold, and Glenn was scrambling up the rocks from downriver to lend a hand.  I tossed my paddle towards shore and attempted to turn the boat over to get some water out.  The downstream end of the boat slipped under the water and the current yanked it, pulling me off my feet.  Had to let the boat find its own way through drop three and Glenn helped me out of the river.

Ken filmed the boat as it worked its way through drop three, then finally turned off the camera to rescue the boat.  Drop four was a couple hundred yards downstream and we certainly wouldn’t want it to go through there. 

Since I was already wet, I bypassed the dry bags and jumped back in the river to handle the boat.  No senses having Ken get wet too. 

A towel and a few layers of dry clothes didn’t seem to provide the needed warmth to help my toes, and it was still chilly after a few minutes, so Glenn started a small fire.  The additional heat helped and it also served to warm up my river shoes.  After getting the neoprene shoes back on, my feet warmed up.

By that time, Glenn and Ken had each run the third drop again.  I helped Ken haul his boat back up the pool between drops two and three so he could shoot it another time.  I was a bit apprehensive about getting back on the water, but Ken said a few words of encouragement and I knew that I would not be satisfied to go home without giving it another shot.  I stripped some of the excess layers and hauled the canoe back up the trail.

I shot the third drop, making all the required pulls and turns.  After clearing the last turn, I paddled straight across to haul back up the trail to try drop two again.  Glenn came with and put his canoe into the pool to watch me from there and then shoot the third drop with me.  Zipped through drop two this time without a hitch.  I yelled over to Glenn asking him how the heck it dumped me the first time.  It really wasn’t all that difficult.  A review of the film showed me turning early.  I guess the river didn’t beat me after all.  Stupid mistakes!

I think we all ran Slough Gundy four or five times.  It is a beautiful stretch of river and some wonderful whitewater.  Can’t wait for spring!

Report submitted by Jon

Information added 12/3/2004:  The next day, we continued our adventure on the stretch below Jim Falls Dam.  It was a lazy day and we had a bit of time to relax between the drops.   What a great weekend!

Pictures

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