Sierra Loving...Royal Gorge Style

After working as a freelance photo-kayaker in Coloma during 2006, I've only managed a couple of trips down to the veritable promised land of kayaking.  It was truly awesome then, that I was able to return this year to some of my favorite runs and to reunite with some of my favorite friends too!  It started off in the usual way, my phone rings and it's Scott Ligare on the line telling me "Royal Gorge is coming in".  This I already knew, as I had been keeping an eye on the gauge as well.  With a quick "Yes", I was in and driving south the next day.  One stop at Eureka Natural Foods then a quick stop in Sac to see my sister and then up to Coloma where the posse awaited.

The next morning we were off to put-in.  Taylor's boat was already waiting for him down at Heath Springs Gorge due to circumstances he encountered during an earlier trip, so the first few miles were paddled with Zawacki and Ligare in a flash.

Zawacki makes Mr. Boof-face!

Ligare- he's got double vision!

We arrived at Heath Springs Gorge stoked to fire off some big drops

The Heath Springs Gorge is renowned for dealing out lots of amazing lines and notoriously dangerous with a 40 footer into a 50 footer with a hungry cave at the bottom.  This year has already seen two back injuries at Upper Heath and an assisted removal from the cave at Lower Heath.  One of the back injuries occurred on our trip, as a member of the group behind us had a bad line off Upper Heath, boofing and landing on his side.  After searching for our best options it was decided that we would build a stretcher and carry our friend up to the flat spot on the gorge rim overlooking the falls.  Fortunately with the two crews we had enough manpower and ingenuity as we leashed two logs and two paddles with a throwbag to build a makeshift stretcher.  Immobilization was a primary concern and the carry was brutal, while we were conducting the carry, another paddler Tom was sent back to put-in to call in a helicopter evacuation.  Once we arrived at our campsite, we relaxed and did the camp thing.

Eventually Tom returned, and later  as we were cooking dinner around the fire we heard the sounds of a chopper heading up the canyon.  In a very extraterrestrial-aura we gathered our shit quickly so it wouldn't disappear in the updraft of the chopper.  The fire was quickly blown out, and paddlers were running around with their gear left and right.  I can't imagine how Nate felt during all of this, laying motionless and looking straight up at the lights coming from his ride out.

Down dropped an alien in a spacesuit with a flashlight swirling all about.  Then we gathered round as the EMT assessed the situation, and assisted with transferring our friend to the stretcher.

 Apparently the helicopter had seen some other kayakers en route at the base of a waterfall, and landed only to be informed by the paddlers that they "were fine".  This delay, however, meant that they were running out of gas and the chopper left for re-fueling leaving us alone for a few minutes.  They quickly returned, and with the cable lifted the two men, one on a stretcher, up to the chopper.  As the heli-bird flew away, it left us with a quiet sense of accomplishment mixed with compassion and hope for our friends best possible recovery.  But we were still in the Royal Gorge within the Desolation Wilderness and had two days and over 30 miles to go, so I went to bed dreaming of UFO's, flying saucers and little people running around in space suits....or was that real?

 Taylor had encountered another crazy situation two days earlier.  The shortened version of his story goes something like this "someone lands flat on Upper Heath, a Swiss Father and his two sons paddle upper and lower heath then with a giant 'whoop' are gone, a different kayaker goes into the cave at lower Heath requiring his friends to assemble a z-drag and hoist him out, he falls back into the cave after failing to properly attach himself to the rope, the crew assembles the z-drag a second time and someone kicks a boulder loose,  the boulder falls 20 feet and lands on Taylor's head and neck, they get their friend out of the cave when he properly attaches to the rope, Taylor and the paddler who landed flat hike back to put-in together in pain."

Looking down the lip of Lower Heath into the Yawning Cave

So at this point, Taylor was needing to get out of his limbo stay at Heath Springs.  We portaged first thing in the morning, allowing him to move on with his life and into the best section of the Royal Gorge.

The Beautiful exit from the Heath Springs Section

Life was good as we paddled through the desolated granite wonderland.  After the initial tone of suffering, a bright and cheery mood was restored as we dropped through the endless rapids and major portages that make up the royal gorge.

The boys admiring Scott's Drop

Zawacki prepares to plug Split Falls

Taylor Cavin tapping in

Scott's Drop and Wabena?  No thanks...they sure are pretty to look at though! 

Zawacki cooks his bacon on a stick over the campfire like a real man

We camped at the mouth of Wabena Creek, giving me an excellent chance for a side-hike where I spotted a monster Bear coming down from the hills.  Here we are chilling.

The paddle out contained more heads-up rapids before we arrived at Generation Gap.  In one such rapid Taylor missed an easy line in class II and got sucked through an enormous sieve, "reserving a beer" for take-out.  After recovering his gear we took a lunch break and then continued on down to the Generation Gap put-in.  Only 30 miles to go!  After the notoriously long Generation and Giant Gap paddle-out, we were graciously welcomed by a cooler full of cold coors light!  Thanks Alex, for making Taylor's Reservation possible!

The Generation Put-In Falls

The Unforeseen

Everyone...Must Run...Dillon Creek!

Want to paddle a sick northcoast creek run?  If you're willing to commit to a sweet must-run gorged out rapid, Dillon Creek is the goods.  Here is a short video of Russell Kramer styling the Must Run

With an abundance of beautiful scenery, sweet drops and proximity to other excellent paddling its a wonder this creek doesn't get run more often.  The view from take-out.

If you're wondering why it doesn't get run more often, I am happily writing this to dispel of mythology and fear factory.  Because if Stookesberry calls anything a "nightmare", then certainly 99% of the rest of us wouldn't want anything to do with it, right?  I mean, some of the stuff I see him running qualifies for my nightmarish status.  He then continues with verbage like "frightening", "terror" and even "deathtrap" (we would have none of this on our trip, nor in this description).  Here is a link to Ben's scary writeup.
It was confusing because I always thought to myself, there's no way the Knapp Brothers would've run Dillon Creek 3 times (twice down the NF) if the "must run" was really that bad.  Not only that, but they regard it as one of their favorite creeks around here.  Eventually someone mortal would have to check it out...

On the brink of my 30th Birthday, I was ready to test my mortality...since Dillon Creek sounded like the place to do that I partnered up with a rugged posse of roughnecks who were also willing to put it out there: Jared (Southen Oregon ruffian) and the up and coming Arcata Huckster - Russel Kramer.  We were planning on Bridge Creek (again), but decided for something new instead. Me and Jared had always wanted to paddle it, and besides when would Dillon Creek ever flow again in July?  The drive to put-in is pretty straightforward, and due to unlocked gates we were able to drive within 100 yards of Copper Creek.  After parking a shuttle rig at the highway 96 bridge, head south, and take your first right, which proceeds to go uphill. Stay on the main road, continuing uphill until you pass this shack.

The next road takes off to the right where the main road makes a big left-hand bend, go right.  Down this road we reached a confusing fork with two unmarked roads that both have gates, go right again.

We put on to a bumpy flow of maybe 50 cfs?  After the first bouncy mile you arrive at the confluence of Medicine Creek on your left, adding some much needed flow.  The creek remains bouncy until arriving at some fun bedrock drops indicating you are getting close to the confluence with Dillon.

The sun came up, and the true beauty of where we were started to come out.  In places, the fires of 08 burned all the way down to the creek.

One more portage brought us to the "20 footer" on Copper Creek.  This slide into a crack forces you to put your right paddle to the sky.  Dillon Creek is visible on the left side of this shot.

Copper Creek drops right into a beautiful gorge section of Dillon Creek, where you quickly arrive at the second "20 footer" of the day.

A couple of more sweet drops follow, then the creek backs off to class III-IV for several miles until the confluence with the North Fork of Dillon Creek.  This will either double the flow with much needed water, or double the scariness factor if there is already abundant water.

The gradient gradually builds again, eventually reaching the "Kiwi-Garden"-- an extremely steep boulder garden laced with new wood from a fire that burned in 2008.  We made a short portage around wood at the top and ran down a shallow boof on the right side...I know for a fact its shallow cuz I pitoned...luckily no pictures were taken.  Downstream the walls begin to rise as Dillon Creek drops into the 'fabled inner gorge'.

The confluence with Cedar Creek is your signal that you've reached the crux of the run.  I don't think streams get any more beautiful.

This was a sweet drop with a chute leading to a slide that kicked off a small slab at the bottom.

Next is a drop I'm gonna call "The Ladder", as it has a weird bedrock chute on the left that requires you to punch a hole and then climb over a rock ridge to escape the backwash.

One more drop remains before you have arrive at the lip of Must Run.

At our flows there was an excellent eddy on the left to get out and scout the drop.  We had to climb a little to see the bottom, but at even higher water the scout would still be available.  The drop itself is a series of 4 ledges as you round a bedrock bend.  The line actually sets you up to be left for the final drop, which is where you want to be.  A sneaky boof awaits--don't be afraid to stick it!

Here is Russel on the entrance boof

Then he makes the move left

Finally Jared making the corner and approach to the final boof...which he plugged!

Looking back upstream at the final boof.

Downstream, fun rapids continue for a couple miles before the gradient flattens out in the final approach to the Klamath.  We took lunch here, as we had made amazingly fast progress up to this point.  Unable to complain about the weather, we decided it would be just to hang out for awhile.

  Downstream we saw a momma bear with two cubs, sealing the deal that this was no ordinary paddling trip.  In our final approach to the Klamath, we encountered a family of Native Karuks with 10 children enjoying their swimming hole.  When they saw us, they were stunned, and then erupted with cheers and a round of applause!  100% sure they had never seen paddlers coming through their backyard I gladly executed a perfect eskimo roll per request...adding the exclamation mark to Dillon Creek!

 I'll be the first to admit that our low water level made this a mellower trip than we were expecting; it was  pretty scrappy at the top, and I'll definitely return with more flow next time.  Legitimately, it is a long run that should be taken seriously.  I definitely agree with Stookesberry's advice to be careful with this creek.  At our level I would rate Must Run as a solid class V; although I'm sure with more flow it becomes V+.  I also wouldn't expect to drive all the way to put-in during a normal season.  Moral of the story: If you can paddle class V, you need to check this amazing creek out for yourself.

North Fork Eel River, Day Three...and then some!

We had hoped to make it to the confluence with the Main Eel, but our late departure from camp on day two left us a couple of miles and one big gradient section short of the confluence.  We had already scouted out the "Breakfast Rapid", the night before and with one more river level scout of the top, we decided she was good to go.  We then routed the run-out section and were stoked to have gotten our day off to such a great start.

Warner Sticks the Breakfast Boof

Immediately thereafter, the river's character changed to a wide gravelly class II run. 

We made quick time down to the Main Eel...where we were surprised to see a group of rafters, the first people since Kettenpom Store that we had run into.

Warner Stoked to be at the Confluence

Beautiful Confluence, looking up the North Eel on the right, and Down the Main Eel on the left.

I'll be honest, I haven't ever paddled the Dos Rios to Alderpoint section before, always afraid of endless flatwater and boredom...well immediately upon my arrival, halfway through the run, I was taken by surprise at the abundance of great playspots and fun big-water feel of the river. (we did have ~7,000 cfs at this point).  I now unconditionally recommend this section and can't wait to return and run it in its entirety!

Eel River Country

Did I mention the playspots?  I was wishing I had my playboat as I took this photo!

Oar-Frames on the Eel

Island Mountain Rapid comes before the actual Island Mountain tunnel, although its pretty obvious that you are approaching a larger drop..It had an entrance rapid that the rafters elected to scout, while we simply bombed through and continued to blaze down the river like we do.

Warner sets the Eel River Ablaze, Island Mountain Rapid

The scenery was beautiful, it was crazy to see the faulty railway which some people are still trying to keep going (pipe-dream), and some all around backcountry goodness...the best description of the railway I have heard yet is "looks like a roller-coaster in places"...here I am, in front of the Island Mountain Tunnel, having the time of my life!

Downstream of Island Mountain, where the river makes a monstrous horseshoe, one more big rapid awaits!  

Kekawaka Falls was more fun than Island Mountain at this higher level, although an active slide on river left gave it the feel of an entirely new rapid..one thing to keep in mind when you're padding in the Eel river area is that the geology is incredibly active, and things like rapids rearranging is entirely commonplace.

More Beautiful scenery ahead

This is a really fun river, and all of the train remnants are a constant reminder that once our "Babylon System a Fall" this will be what's left...abandoned railways and ghost towns!

We did take-out in Alderpoint, where there is a spot on the river left side just upstream of the bridge where you can drive most of the way to the river (all the way with 4WD).  I must admit, after hearing rumors of the "town's" reputation, it quickly lived up to them.  There where "whip-it" canisters (NO2) and Crown royal bottles on the bridge, and this is no place I'd want to leave my car.  The first people we encountered were true Appalachian-style hillbillies, roaring by us in their mufflerless truck and hollering incomprehensible gibberish.  Its worth the extra 5 miles to Fort Seward, to say the least, or hire a shuttle driver like we did...thanks Rosada!

The 3 day trip was awesome, we timed it perfectly with the break in the weather and both the North Eel and Main Eel are river's with spectacular and unique scenery that I will undoubtedly return to.  Don't let them get by you as long as I did!
Happy Paddling!