Six Rivers Source to Sea Expedition--Van Duzen River: Goat Rock

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Kayaking Goat Rock on Vimeo

Returning to the very same spot we took off the Van Duzen two weeks before was an exciting feeling.  We were stoked to have accomplished the Bloody Run and equally stoked to be getting on the Goat Rock section at a great level on a beautiful sunny day.  Flows were right about 1200 cfs on the gauge at Bridgeville as we drove through the unadulterated redwood groves that dominate the Highway 36.  Since we were along the Highway 36, perhaps the most hitchhiker-friendly road I know of, we shared a ride knowing shuttle would be no concern.  Along the way we spoke of how the long-range weather forecast was changing and beginning to show signs of storm activity.  This was equally exciting to us as our plight to paddle all Six Rivers of the National Forest seemed in jeopardy due to a lack of sufficient snowpack and water in general.  We put on at the confluence of Little Larabee Creek, where an easy trail leads to the river.  Not before we took a look at Goat Rock Falls from high above though.  Here is the overlook view of the entrance crux and the Pinch below.  

 For kayakers, even locals (with the exception of one) Goat Rock isn’t even on the map.  Mostly paddlers come to the Duzen for the classic Grizzly creek section downstream and at high water will occasionally drive up to Goat Rock Falls to stare in awe at the amazing spectacle.  At 20,000 cfs it truly is amazing to look at and there is a perfect trail leading down to an overlooking precipice from the road.  I have paddled on the section once before but circumstantially, when we arrived at the crux we hiked out up the right bank in the dusk.  That was over 10 years ago and after recent forays into the drainage and seeing the drop at reasonable levels I was really excited to get on the run again.  Goat Rock also comes highly and unconditionally recommended by the fabled local boater Silent Ed, who paddles it solo regularly.  Here Paul scouts the crux from above at river level.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Paddling downstream the river has a great pace, much better than the flat-water paddle-out from the Bloody Run.  We passed through the zany town of Bridgeville, which has a storied history as of late.  Bridgeville became widely publicized as the first town to ever be sold on E-Bay for a cost of $700,000 in 2002, only to be resold again in 2006 for $1.25 to a self-made 25-year-old millionaire.  The sale included 3 cows, 8 houses and a post office, sounds like a good deal to me.  But the story doesn’t end there; three months after purchasing Bridgeville the new owner tragically committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest.  I told the boys about this as we floated past town and directly underneath the highway bridge we came across the first rapid.  The Bridgeville Boof left a good taste in our mouth and we all wish shots were taken (no pun intended).

Downstream from town the Duzen lets up briefly with an extended warm-up before getting down to business Van Duzen style…a blind horizon line with large boulders blocking the view.  We scrambled briefly as I scratched for an eddy at the lip, then peeled out through a narrow slot drop into a boiling hydraulic and around the backside of a monstrous boulder.  I was all good below the drop but unable to communicate that to the crew above and had to wait for a minute before they all came charging through.  We continued downstream through more excellent class III-IV boogie before reaching the Headwall of Goat Rock proper.  

Photo: Paul Gamache

Looking downstream at the runout of the crux and the entrance to the pinch

Photo: Paul Gamache

The entrance drop into Goat Rock is the most critical move and has the biggest hydraulics due to the steep constriction along the massive river left wall.  With our healthy level the hydraulic at the bottom proved to be a stopper, but not a tractor beaming SOB.  This was good because there is only a very short break before the next drop.  In fact, the entire Goat Rock section is really only a ½ mile long rapid with 4 critical moves, and it can be easily broken up by catching large eddies.  Because of this Goat Rock is not recommended above levels of 1,500 cfs at Bridgeville.  This is also not a great run for beginning creekers at the higher end of the runnable flow range.  I would recommend starting between 800-1,000 cfs to familiarize yourself with all the moves and the hazards before pushing the level up.  Portaging the main drop is difficult and only small eddies exist above 1,000 cfs.  Goat Rock is a solid class V considering the many inconspicuous consequences.  

The second crux just downstream is the Pinch, where the river is funneled through a backed up ledge hole that feeds into a slot.  The drop is straightforward but I’d hate to be getting surfed in that hole so keep your nose up!  Looking upstream from Goldenbeard at the pinch.

Photo: Paul Gamache

 
The outflow from the pinch pushes towards river left where a hideous sieved out rock pile lurks.  The Goldenbeard Boof is on the right and where you want to be, really.  Looking downstream across the lip of the boof at the hideous rock pile in the background.

Photo: Paul Gamache

The third major move is Goldenbeard, a money boof drop where the line is hard right, almost against the bank.  As with all drops on the Van Duzen you should inspect them carefully and regularly depending on the flow levels…many unknown hazards exist and the turbid brown water can hide rocks mere inches beneath the surface.  Boof the crap out of this one!  Looking back upstream at Goat Rock and the Goldenbeard boof.

Photo: Paul Gamache

Birds eye view of Goldenbeard from the overlook.

The Runout from Goldenbeard

Photo: Paul Gamache

Goldenbeard feeds directly into a class III run out before the final drop of the section, The Deathtrap boof.  An appealing and straightforward boof line exists down the right channel, however a sneaky and extremely dangerous crack in the rock is just to the right of the line.  Inspect it carefully, but enjoy another high quality boof the Van Duzen has to offer.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

If you go too far right for the boof a dangerous siphon could potentially do bad things.  Boof 4 safety like Wes Shrek is doing below in the only kayaking picture we have from the day.  

Photo: Paul Gamache

It was a beautiful day and we ran this boof a couple of times for good measure.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Will, Paul and Me downstream of the Siphon, fired up on the quality boofs we'd paddled.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Downstream the river mellows into a class III paddle out most of the way to Golden Gate Bridge, the take-out.   Be courteous of the friendly locals here as it is their neighborhood.  As mentioned, we hitchhiked our shuttle because Highway 36 is where its at!  Friendly locals, good weather, amazing scenery and great boofs less than an hour from home…how come this was my 1^st time?

Van Duzen River--The Bloody Run Day Two

Check it out, Explore Six Rivers Source to Sea
If you haven't read it here is the Day one description
 Here is Paul's Helmet Cam Footage of the Bloody Run

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

We slowly woke up on the second day to a cold heavy frost.  After staying in our sleeping bags to retain warmth the sunlight peeked up over the hillside and its strong rays coaxed us from our cozy confines to  get ourselves fed.  Knowing it would be another full day on the water we optimistically hoped that at some point the river character would change and open up into more runnable rapids.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

The river level had dropped only slightly overnight and after we packed our boats and pumped drinking water we were ready to go by nine o clock. 

Downstream from camp we were treated to an easy section of water with beautiful Van Duzen scenery before more congested boulder gardens reappeared and it was back to the portaging routine.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

The river seemed to be changing for the better, as we found good lines through more rapids than the previous day.  Our runnable rapid to portage ratio began to balance out closer to 50:50 and we enjoyed some of the best rapids of the run.

This still meant dealing with many large boulder gardens that made for exhaustive portaging, not to mention we were all shagged out from the previous day’s efforts.  Get back up to the hillside...yeehaaaawww!

Now go through that poison oak bush...you know you like it!

Photo: Paul Gamache

Finally we reached an extended calm period of water and began to get our hopes up that we had passed the meat of the run. 

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

We now refer to this as the Glimmer of Hope, because shortly downstream the river slid into yet another boulder gauntlet.  Checking our GPS we realized how many more miles lay ahead and started to push harder in hopes of keeping our trip to a 2-day.  

Photo: Paul Gamache

The canyon began to open up with beautiful scenery characterized by enormous chunks of rock.  At this point we also were starting to Bonk. 

Photo: Paul Gamache

Hmmmm...big seal launch into murky brown water of unknown depth or climb around on some giant boulders with a heavy loaded kayak for the hundredth time?

Photo: Paul Gamache

Fortunately for me and Wes, the murky brown water was deep and unobstructed.

Just downstream another fun rapid pinched before pushing into an undercut that couldn't be seen from above.  Wes probes it out.

After a couple more miles of better rapids, the gradient was gradually dropping and we started covering miles without making a portage.  There were some interesting rapids thrown into the mix too.

Wes attempting to spot his line through another boulder jumble

Photo: Paul Gamache

Finally, we passed the namesake drainage, Bloody Run.  This creek comes in from river left and marked the end of the high gradient sections.  It also appears to have remarkably high water quality considering the brown nature of many other smaller side-streams.

Photo: Paul Gamache

One more tricky portage remained downstream before the Van Duzen flattens out for the remaining miles to Bridgeville.

Photo: Paul Gamache


  We passed one massive landslide in here that looked like the entire hillside was basically flowing into the river and it turned out being the final portage of our trip!  We relaxed and paddled the flatwater through beautiful scenery the rest of the way.

Photo: Paul Gamache

Eventually we arrived at the confluence with Little Larabee Creek and Highway 36.  After some celebratory high-fives, Wes made his way up to the road where the very first vehicle driving by picked him up. 

The Bloody Run is an adventure that I hope to repeat someday.  I feel like our mission opened up a run that may become a “cult classic” along with the Grand Canyon of the Mad River, just over the hills.  Several times we found ourselves portaging on the wrong side or around sections we could have committed to had we known there were lines.  With slightly higher water levels many possible routes would open up although many of our portaging options would be limited too since they were at river-level.  I know the write-up description makes it sound like all we did was portage, however looking back at Paul’s helmet cam footage we were also able to run many quality rapids as well.  Best of all, by starting out our Six Rivers Source to Sea Mission with a banging first descent, we gathered the momentum and confidence we needed to keep the ball rolling!

Major points from the trip:

If we had more time we could’ve run more rapids

The Little Van Duzen is a better put-in than Highway 36 to avoid a massive portage near Dinsmore and include another great section of river.

Information about the previous trip got twisted by each successive storyteller, to the point where it was virtually useless.

Exhausting nature of portaging/scouting- The never-ending onslaught of mind-bending boulder gardens takes a toll on your mental awareness and ability to maintain focus.  

Miles were extremely hard for us to cover.  Every time it seemed that we were going into a more runnable stretch of river we found a difficult portage or scout instead.  At one point we were making 1/2 mile an hour.

Difficult decision-making: to portage over this boulder or around that one, to portage up to a grassy hillside or stay at river level.  The river disappears into a boulder garden where 4 of the 5 slots are sieved-out and it becomes difficult communicating lines back to the crew through this complex of rapids.

Importance of bringing overnight gear: although it made our portages much more difficult and extra effort, the gear became worth its weight in gold once it became clear that we wouldn’t be making it out in a single-day. 


Importance of having a map, or GPS to locate yourself and realize how much farther you have to go.

Importance of picking a good campsite, one with flat spots and wood to burn, at the right time of day before it gets too dark to set-up camp.

Sometimes you just have to put your head down and start charging through the poison oak, otherwise it would be impossible to accomplish this river.  However I am happy to report that three weeks later I have no signs of the P.O.!  


The importance of a good crew cannot be stressed enough, we all proceeded safely and patiently which contributed to our safe return.


Going on adventures, even those which require lots of portaging, are still always worthwhile for the sense of accomplishment and change of perception they can provide.

Van Duzen River--The Bloody Run Day One

Van Duzen River—The Bloody Run

Paul's Helmet Cam Video

http://www.exploresixrivers.com/

First descents have a range of shapes and forms.  There are the hidden gems, the ones that never flow, streams on private property, some first descents are simply too remote and require creativity or miles of hiking to access.  Some first descents with access are simply avoided because of the known difficulty they present.  Then there are the first descents that have been attempted, unsuccessfully.  These streams fall into a different mindset among the paddling community, tried but not completed.  The river has already been tainted by the scraped off plastic of paddlers before you while lingering stories of pins, swims and hike-outs in the dark reinforce the brooding nature of the run.  The latter two describe the Bloody Run.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

 The Van Duzen River is one of the Six Rivers flowing across the Six Rivers National Forest of Northern California.  The Duzen’s legacy began early when explorers through the area found the going extremely difficult.  The river was named after a member of the Josiah Gregg party of 1850.  The namesake drainage, Bloody Run, flows into the Duzen near mile 15.  As with most other “Bloody” placenames, Bloody Run is tarnished with the legacy of Native American slaughter in the area.  With easy access to put-in and take-out, however, it is a wonder that the Bloody Run hasn’t been paddled.  It has, however, been attempted.  A previous mission involving the formative Ben Stookesberry and Adam “Chowdy” resulted in the aforementioned pins and hike out in the dark.

Kayakers in the area have known the Van Duzen to have unfavorably dynamic geology that produces many landslides.  A short drive upstream from the classic class III Grizzly Creek section reveals Goat Rock Falls, a notoriously rugged rapid decorated with house rocks, strange hydraulics, wood and sieves galore.  This rapid is a sight to behold at higher flows up to 20,000 cfs, when it becomes a hideous and awe-inspiring cataract of watery explosions.    My imagination painted a picture of the Bloody Run as 15 miles of Goat Rock, and I never felt a need to put myself through enduring the many hardships of portaging and scouting that this might entail.  Enter Paul Gamache and the Six Rivers Source to Sea Mission.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

With a need to paddle all Six Rivers now in play, we set our sights at the Bloody Run as the first mission to be done.  Partially it was a lack of water in the area, since 2012 has been among the driest California seasons in memory.  Fortunately the optimal level we wanted for the bloody run was relatively low, 1,000 cfs, at which the Duzen flows commonly.  The rain finally came and brought the rivers up allowing Paul and I to decide on a mission to keep us away from our Valentines; Grand Canyon of the Mad, or the Bloody Run.  In hopes we’d be able to accomplish the mission in one day we elected for the Bloody Run, knowing the Mad would be a mandatory two-day.  Our need for a third member of the party led to a call and soon Arcata up and comer Wes Shrecongost was onboard.  With the crew arranged, we planned for a long one day, but decided to pack for an overnighter, just in case.  After a pre-dawn start we headed up Highway 36 to a beautiful Valentines Day sunrise.  Climbing up the twisty road the scenery shifted to snowy hillsides as the previous storm had obviously been a cold one.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Finally arriving to our put-in at Dinsmore, 2,600 feet elevation, we gathered our gear quickly and put-on the river with a reasonable 9:00 departure.  “I think I’m going to leave my stove”, said Wes, in an effort to pack light.  “I’ll carry it” I quickly replied.  With a nervous anticipation we carried our boats down to the river and put on.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Less than a half-mile into the run, we arrived at our first portage “Here we go”.  This one wasn’t too bad, but shortly downstream we arrived at another massive boulder pile, portage #2.  This one was longer and we began to get a feel for the difficulty of portaging in a landscape totally absent of flat, even ground and stable footing.  Portaging through a backwater, Paul realized his relief zipper was undone when cold water spilled into his drysuit.  He cursed himself for the mistake but carried on unabashedly.

I had a little beta from my friend Chowdy soloed these first couple of miles in 2004 and told me about a major falls.  Before long we reached it.  The river dropped through a hideous gorge with major rock fall before continuing downstream.    

Photo: Paul Gamache

We decided the best portage route was the left side and began our longest carry of the entire trip.  After climbing to a mossy precipice, we spotted some Madrone trees along the edge of the canyon that appeared to be on the best route.  I quickly realized that avoiding Poison Oak to get there wouldn’t be an option.  We humbly put our heads down and started charging through the vile plants.  After returning to river level, we paddled a sweet drop before arriving at another portage.  This would be the theme of our trip: run a rapid, then portage the next.

Photo: Paul Gamache

Downstream a bridge crossed the river as it let up momentarily allowing us to soak in the scenery, the surrounding hills were laced with snow and sun was peeking out.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

We quickly entered another gorge where a sweet entrance boof brought us to a mandatory portage over a rock within a gorge-clogged-by-the-rock. 

Photo: Paul Gamache

Tricky Teamwork Portaging

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Paddling away from here we arrived at the confluence with the South Fork, or Little Van Duzen, depending on which map you check.  This adds some much-needed flow and immediately the river takes on a larger and more open character, it is still stuffed with enormous boulders, however.  After a hopeful half-mile of nice paddling we arrived at another gradient section.  

Photo: Paul Gamache

This one was a maze, the river dropped away into a boggling boulder garden so tight you could hardly see the water flowing between the rocks.  We elected to portage the high line; around the cliff on the right and up to a grassy hillside that looked like easier going than the river level rocky route.  This unfortunately was not a good decision, as we found ourselves looking far down the hillside at a couple of sweet rapids that we were now portaging.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

And now we had to find a way back down to the river.  Being that it was after noon, we took a quick break in the sun and chewed on some energy bars.  Paul checked the GPS and informed us of our status, “It appears we’ve gone 5 miles”.  Knowing we were hoping to cover at least 15 miles, it began to set in that we were probably on a 2-day descent at this point and I elected to save my burrito for later.

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

After lowering our boats down a landslide we reached the river and immediately had to portage again.  I found a sneaky route between a crack in two boulders and put-on, heading down to scout the next drop.  Paul and Wes however were unable to find a way to the river here and nowhere to be seen.  After scouting the rapid and looking around for the boys I started to feel a little lonely and wound up running a couple of more drops downstream to where I assumed they were.  Eddying out above another portage rapid I was relieved to see my crew finishing their long portage down the right.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

We were able to charge downstream through some fun rapids and I got out to take a look where the river gorged up again.  Climbing up to the edge of the gorge I looked straight down into another sieved-out mess, this one with even bigger boulders!  

Photo: Paul Gamache

Signaling it was a portage to the boys, we began working our way downstream through massive boulders on the right.  

Photo: Wes Shrecongost

Eventually we reached an overhanging area where we seal-launched into the outflow of a sieve exiting via. a sweet boof through a sticky hole.  

 Here is Wes in the Armpit Drop

Paul charges through the armpit

 The river then flowed placidly to the next pile of rocks requiring a portage downstream.

Photo: Paul Gamache

We reached a terrific section of river and covered an easy mile before giant boulders reappeared forcing us out of our boats again.  It felt like the river was teasing us, trying to make us think we’d make it out in a day when we really had no chance.

Photo: Paul Gamache

Yes, the river flows beneath that boulder too.

Photo: Paul Gamache

It eventually became accident hour as the grueling portages and mental challenges were adding up causing the crew to begin making mistakes.  Sloppy lines, mini-pins and slipping while portaging combined with the falling darkness urging us to start looking for a camp spot.  After inspecting one substandard site, we paddled one final rapid before reaching a road on the right bank.

Photo: Paul Gamache

There was an enormous flat with some oak trees and we quickly began gathering driftwood to build a fire for warmth, our number one priority.  A chilling fog had rolled up the canyon and it began raining lightly, “the weather was supposed to be sunny”, but the Humboldt Fog had done it again.

Photo: Paul Gamache

 High fives all around as we were safely together, Paul sent out the “All Good” message on the SPOT device and we checked our location on the GPS…9 miles of progress, not bad, we’d made it well over halfway and looked forward to a mellower second day on the water with less gradient.  Our fire began to roll as we started drying off our fleece layers, cooking up some food and rehashing our days adventure.  The stars came out and a biting wind caused drops of water to fall from the trees, but the fire raged on and we turned in for the night.