Northwest Livin'

Wintery Mix

2012-01-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

The "wintery mix" that hit the Northwest this week left Hood River encased in ice.

The whole town is eerily quiet except for the snapping of tree branches that are crashing down left and right, taking the power lines with them.

Schools have been shut down all week and our street has turned into the local sledding hill.

With more freezing rain in the forecast this weekend,

I'm thinking this is the perfect weather for studying.

Femme 45 Disasters

2011-12-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, here it is! The Femme 45 carnage collection featuring the best crashes of our kayaking misadventures. Don't try this at home . . .

More Film Fest Fun

2011-11-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Another girly entry from the PDXKayaker Film Festival. No...we don't have any fun. ;)

"Girls of the Gorge" - PNW style! from Heather Herbeck on Vimeo.

Thanks Heather for the awesome video!

F45 Carnage Teaser

2011-11-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! The PDX Kayaker Film Festival is this Thursday, Nov. 17th!

Femme 45 entered a carnage segment this year!!! We've accumulated footage of all our biggest crashes into one entertaining bloopers reel, Femme 45 Disasters. Here's a quick sneak peak of the action:

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of my favorite Halloween tradition, a costume run down the White Salmon's Green Truss!

I look forward to this every year. Paddlers go all out with their amazing costumes and it's so much fun to see a colorful line of kayaks, wigs and capes charging down the river.

Big thanks to the Herbeck's for organizing and to Drew Eastman for the video!

Nature Connections

2011-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Drew Eastman and I recently had the opportunity to work with photographer Tim McGuire and his project to create images of people in their connection with nature. I was intrigued by his idea after reading this excerpt from his blog because I can completely relate:

"While I very much appreciate the variety, convenience, and creative energy of the city, nature has always been my “church”, so to speak. The moments in my life when I’ve felt the most “in the moment”, spiritual, and/or alive, have always happened while exploring the natural world. These moments are at the core of who I am: such moments motivate and inspire me as a person and a visual artist . . .

Those moments are why I get outside into the natural world. That is what inspires me and makes me feel alive and connected. I imagine it is the same for many others."

I have always had a deep love and respect for the outdoors, and as a kayaker I've found my strongest connect with the environment through water. There is something about the element that is motivating, thrilling, inspiring and calming all at once. I am definitely happiest and feeling most alive when I am on the river. It is a connection powerful enough to influence how I have chosen to live my life, so that I can always be surrounded by water.

This relationship is vivid in Tim's images of Drew and I, taken on the SF Snoqualmie River, WA. For more photos of HUMAN NATURE connections, check out Tim's blog:

http://timmcguireimages.wordpress.com/

Lava Canyon

2011-10-08T22:13:00.001-07:00

Here's a bunch of photos from my fall hike up Lava Canyon. I started at the Lower Smith Creek Trailhead near Mt. Saint Helens. This beautiful trail runs along the rim of a cool gorge where the Muddy River drops over a lot of steep lava chute waterfalls. It's about 6 miles round trip. Man, I love where I live!!!

Gauley Fest 2011

2011-09-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Most likely if you are a boater you have heard of Gauley Fest, boasting the title of the largest river festival in the world. Known for it's big water, big carnage, and big parties, Gauley Fest also serves as American Whitewater's largest fundraiser with all the proceeds from the festival going toward their efforts in river conservation and access. My curiosity finally got the best of me and on a whim I decided to book a flight and check it out.

Driving into the park packed full of cars with boats, tents, booths, and people, I knew I wasn't in Oregon anymore. What I didn't know (until the next day) was that I would need to fear for my life on the river. This fear did not come from difficult whitewater or dangerous rapids, but from the number of people on the water! Coming from the land of steep, isolated creeks, I felt like I had somehow ended up in an alternate reality where my goal was no longer to have clean lines, but to do anything I could to dodge rafts. I knew I was really out of my element when a raft pulled out directly behind me in Pillow Rock rapid and I kindly pleaded for him not to run me over, only to get the response, "Well then stay out of my way."

The Crowd at Pillow Rock Rapid

Escaping the Raft

Pillow Rock

Luckily I survived the weekend without getting run over by any rafts, although I cannot say the same for some of the folks I paddled with. I also got to spend some time on the river and at the festival with some great folks talking about adventures and planning trips to paddle each others home runs. Good times were had by all!!

Iron Ring

Seth Chapelle

Special thanks to Bobby Miller for bringing me a boat and Scott Martin for the awesome photos! To check out more photos from the weekend, check out scottmartinphoto.blogspot.com.

Another BC Birthday

2011-09-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Every year when September rolls around, I start to think about heading up to British Columbia for a birthday paddling trip. I'm usually greeted with nonstop freezing cold rain, snow, and super high water so I've learned to come prepared to camp and paddle in all kinds of conditions.

Here's a few other things I've learned about BC: If the locals say the water is a little low, it's most likely going to be a great level. If they say it's a good healthy flow, it's going to be flooded. If they say it's Class IV, it's probably solid Class V, and if they say it's Class V, you'd better bring your A-game 'cause it's going to be full-on! I guess it's all relative . . .

This year, Drew Eastman and I were pleasantly surprised to find sunny, 95 degree weather and low water, and I'm relieved to report that I finally got to experience a BC leisure tour. For a minute I thought I'd died and gone to California. We paddled a handful of new runs in the Fraser Valley and looped up and around to the Whistler/Squamish classics. Everywhere we went the scenery was incredible and the whitewater was phenomenal. There was a great variety of big water rivers, low volume creeks, pool-drop waterfalls and continuous boulder gardens.

B-day celebration on the Nahatlatch

Nahatlatch Canyon

The Thompson

WCKA on the Fraser Ferry, en route to the Stein

The Stein

The trailhead

Hiking 4 km to the put-in

The Lower Stein, my favorite run of the trip

The Fraser

Lillooet Lake

Thirsty Drew

Christie G.

Roger's Creek Waterfalls; We decided not to drop into this gorge with

just the two of us, but I definitely put it near the top of my wish list!

We soaked in the hot springs at the takeout instead :)

The Birkenhead

The Soo

Nairn Falls

Whistler Village

Thanks BC! I ♥ you!!!

On our way home we made a stop at Baker

Lake, WA to scout out some falls

Bear Creek mank

The 60-footer might be worth coming back for

Surf Wyoming

2011-08-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of funny looks when I tell people I learned how to surf in Wyoming. It just so happens that there is a magic level on the Snake River that a standing wave forms at the entrance of Lunch Counter rapid, and it's perfect for surfing. Just beware that you don't get tangled up in the rafting traffic headed down Alpine Canyon.

I got a call from my brother that the wave was in late this year due to a huge snowpack in the Tetons. As luck would have it, I was about to roadtrip towards Salt Lake City for the Outdoor retailer show so I threw my surfboard in the truck and took a detour through Jackson, Wyoming. It was like spending a couple of days at the beach! What do you get when a bunch of paddlers trade in their kayaks for surfboards? Some great entertainment:

Wilderness Love

2011-07-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

On a roll with wilderness multi-day trips this summer, I decided to jump back on the horse with fly in trips. A little hesitant since the Clendenning, I picked a run I was confident would not turn into an epic adventure....the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Montana.

It begins with an awesome flight over the Flathead Valley and through the Great Bear Wilderness.

Tiny Planes

Gorgeous Views

Since we had to take three planes and I was in the first one, we had some time to kill at Schafer Meadow. Lucky for us there is an awesome old ranger station there with friendly folks who invited us in for a cup of coffee. (Awesome since it was frosty and in the 30s outside)

Schafer Meadows Ranger Station

Excited? Yes!

Just a short hike later we were at the put in, a small and clear mountain creek. This run is everything it is said to be...beautiful, crystal clear water, amazing scenery, and mellow but fun rapids. The trees seem to go on forever and the river is lined with hidden waterfalls trickling in.

Can I Stay Forever Please?

Enjoying the Scenery

Fun Rapids

The camping and hiking were top notch also, making me wish I could stay longer than a couple of days. Unfortunately we did not spot any wildlife, with the exception of a couple of deer hanging around our camp, despite finding moose tracks and antlers.

Hike to Scott Lake

Watch Out for the Bears!

Camp Night One

We also had a birthday boy on our trip, which of course meant ridiculous costumes, wilderness dance parties, and lots of silliness.

Ty in his "Birthday Suit"

Birthday No-Bake Cheesecake

Skip Checking out the Moose Bog

Yay for Ty's Birthday!!

The last day featured the Spruce Park Series, the most difficult rapids and a sweet mini gorge. We were all bummed out when it ended and we knew we were almost back to civilization.

Ty Coming Out of the Gorge

Loving the Clear Water!

Rachel in the Spruce Park Series

What an awesome trip!! This run certainly ranks high on my list. I can't wait to go back!

Thanks to a great crew for making it all happen!

Little White....Weddings? Yes, Please!

2011-07-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Drew popped the big question July 10 at the lip of Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon. Christie's response? "Yes please." Here is a little video Drew put together for the occasion...ending with a shot taken right after the proposal. :)

Congratulations Christie and Drew!!

Selway Self-support

2011-07-08T13:38:00.001-07:00

The Selway River flows 47 incredible miles through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness from the launch site at Paradise to the takeout above Selway Falls. I have been trying to get a permit for this section of river for a few years now, but only one group can launch per day during the height of the season when weather and flows are good, and chances of winning the lottery are slim. Thanks to this high water summer, many groups were canceling and I was able to pick up a permit for a three day kayak self-support trip over July 4th weekend.

Gonzo, Dick, Drew, Christie, Emily & Jake

I made a few last minute phone calls to rally a crew. Drew Eastman and I drove out from Oregon and my brother, Jake Glissmeyer, came up from Utah. We met up with Missoula boaters, Emily McGinty, Dick Lewan and Gonzo, late night at Rusher's birthday bonfire on the Lochsa. That is a dangerous way to start any kind of adventure, but luckily the sun was out and the excitement meter was high early the next morning. The six of us headed to Darby, Montana where we picked up our shuttle driver and headed up over Nez Perce Pass into the heart of Idaho country.

By mid-afternoon we reached the put-in, crammed three days worth of gear and food into our kayaks, and headed downstream. The first 10 miles were giant rolling wave trains and I began to feel very small out there.

The river level was fluctuating between 16,000 and 18,000 cfs on the Lowell gauge all weekend making the run very continuous and the bigger rapids pretty spicy. Fortunately, Emily is Selway savvy and was able to show us all the smooth big water lines and primo campsites.

After a couple hours of big wave paddling, we rolled up on one of the plentiful white, sandy beaches and set up camp for the night in a grove of giant cedar trees. Considering the small amount of gear we can carry, this only took about 5 min. and we were all set just in time for happy hour on the river. I really enjoyed the simplicity of a self-support trip (except when we ran out of beverages on night #2).

The best part about multi-day kayaking is you get to paddle first thing in the morning.

I loved waking up here . . .

Day #2 was full of excitement. We spent the morning surfing our way down the river. There is nothing like carving up a big green, glassy Idaho wave. After lunch we made it to the top of Moose Juice, a 3-mile stretch of seven continuous class IV-V rapids!

The first rapid, Ladle, is the most dangerous. If anyone had experienced trouble there, they might have swam the entire stretch. The water was moving really fast and rescuing swimmers and retrieving gear would have been challenging. We were all wide-eyed and white knuckled, but had great lines and made it safely to our next campsite.

Tango beach and swimming hole is a welcoming sight on a hot day. With afternoon shade and morning sun, this was easily one of my most favorite campsites ever.

The next morning was the 4th of July! I can't think of a better way to celebrate. The day started off first thing with more big water wave riding and then we hit Wolf Creek rapid for one last big hooray. This sporty stretch of whitewater was so big that it felt like a giant roller coaster ride and my stomach would drop every time I crested a wave and went screaming down the other side.

Carnage free, we were off the river by noon on day #3, and happy to be greeted by cold beers at the takeout. What a dream trip.

Shortly below the takeout is this monster of a drop, Selway Falls. I'm pretty positive that there was no chance of running this rapid at high water without a severe beat down, but it was sure entertaining to pick out some hypothetical lines through the chaos. Then we said our goodbyes and headed off to our good old hometown firework celebrations.

Happy Birthday America, and thanks for being so freaking awesome!

If In Need of Inspiration....

2011-06-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Following an exhausting month of paddling and fundraising for the Eddyflower Total Vertical Challenge (Girls of the Gorge finished with 81,209 feet and $3,170) I was in need of some inspiration. Lucky for me it ended just in time for my favorite week of the year....First Descents camp!!

I was fortunate enough to return as Camp Photographer for another Hood River camp this year. It is amazing to see what the campers can accomplish in only a week!! Fears are crushed, skills are learned, and amazing friendships are created.

The most fascinating thing for me, though, is how often the campers say they are inspired by the camp staff and instructors, when they are the real inspiration. Their stories, what they have accomplished, and their ongoing courage and determination stays with me long past camp. It is a good reminder to not sweat the small stuff.

I love being able to share the river and all it's healing qualities with others, even if it is just for a week. They can take the flow of the river back to their lives, and I can take their smiles.

Thanks to all the campers and staff for another amazing week!! <3 Pixel

Just One of the Perks of a High Water Year...Sheep Creek!!

2011-06-14T21:42:00.001-07:00

I started getting excited emails from my friend Chris Dawkins a couple months ago talking about a little creek that is difficult to catch, but that he was determined to get on again with the high water year. With the big snow pack and crazy weather this spring has brought us, this little creek that flows for something like 2 days a year decided to stick around long enough for us to have an amazing adventure.

I jumped at the opportunity to join the trip, feeling that this may be my only chance to paddle this little creek in Idaho, Sheep Creek.

Driving through eastern Oregon

Still Driving...

We put in on what looked like a drainage ditch at a local ranch. The run begins with gentle winding through willows. Already we are off to a unique start. The willows, unfortunately, have begun to take over the creek bed of about the first third of the run. It adds a whole new level of difficulty when you have to battle willows while running rapids!

Getting Packed

Put In

Winding through the Willows

Chris Making the Move in the Willows

Unsure about camping downstream with the canyon walls closing in a bit, we set up right around mile 11 or 12 the first night. We had a great camp and kept ourselves entertained with a hilarious game of telephone charades.

Getting into the Canyon

Camp Night One

Laura Acting out a Trolley Car

Ahhhhhh

We continued downstream in the morning through mostly class III fun and a longer IV-ish rapid to a known sieve, Redwall rapid. We all took one look, threw our boats over our shoulders, and walked. There was some chatter about the possibility of running it if it were a day trip rather than a self support in a tiny canyon, but we were all happy playing it safe.

Gushy

Scouting Redwall Rapid

The View Upstream

And Downstream...Tiny Little Canyon

The canyon was amazing! I couldn't believe how narrow and deep it was. I think we all had sore necks from looking up and around the whole time.

Willie Can't Stop Smiling

The excitement picks up a bit with some fun class IV rapids at the end of the run until the confluence with the Bruneau River.

The Bruneau River felt huge at 2700 cfs after coming off Sheep Creek at around 1,000 cfs. We were all excited to get a nice combination of low volume creeking and big water fun!

We set up our second camp about 6 miles above Five Mile Rapids on the Bruneau, excited for the three and a half mile stretch of continuous class IV fun we would get to paddle in the morning.

Bruneau Canyon

Before we could get there, however, we were attacked from the sky! An eagle and a couple of kestrels were having it out over a snake when they sent a couple of large rocks over the edge of the canyon. Both landed very close to Nick. Yikes! Already scared, we all looked around trying to figure out what was going on, only to see a snake falling through the sky heading straight for Laura!! She sped off, leaving it to fall in the water. Moments later it resurfaced and found it's way to shore. Who needs whitewater for excitement?!?

Exiting Bruneau Canyon

Five Mile Rapids were big and fun, leaving huge smiles on all of our faces. What an awesome trip!! Now I, like Chris, will be watching levels like a hawk anxiously awaiting my next trip down Sheep Creek.

Farewell Sheep Creek and Bruneau!!

Back to the Gorge

Thanks to Chris Dawkins, Laura Sol, Michael Williams, Willie Illingworth, Nick Jacob, and Tom Butler for a great trip!!

Cultus/Upper Trout Lake Creek

2011-06-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I joined Drew Eastman, Chuck Taylor and Shawn Lonin on a great adventure into Upper Trout Lake Creek, WA. This creek is the largest tributary of the White Salmon River and this particular section is above Trout Lake. After reading a description of the run on Oregon Kayaking, it sounded like the canyon is remote and a lot of work to access, but worth the trouble.

We opted to access Upper Trout Lake Creek via Cultus Creek and run down 6 miles to the bridge at the Trout Lake Creek Campground. The road was still snowed in about a mile before the put-in (where FR 88 crosses Cultus Creek) so we hiked our boats in.

Made it to the put-in

Chuck and Shawn running the culvert at the put-in

Cultus is a low volume creek that drops about 320 fpm. The first half mile is pretty manky. The gauge on the White Salmon River at Husum was around 4.5 ft. that day and the water seemed low at the put-in, but the river gorges up after 40 ft. Cultus Falls and it turned out to be a great flow.

Cultus Falls might be worth considering with more water,

but there was a log jam right downstream.

Below the falls there it is a mile of continuous slides and ledge drops to the confluence of Trout Lake Creek.

Entrance rapid to the gorge

Scouting the gorge

There were some great rapids, but it was slow going with a considerable amount of mandatory portages due to wood. We were relieved to reach the confluence with Trout Lake Creek.

Upper Trout Lake Creek is continuous class IV-V boulder gardens. The description on Oregon Kayaking compares it to the Upper Wind River and they were right on. There is just one big boulder garden after another. Unfortunately, a few of the rapids had river wide logs so we had to do some more portaging.

Overall, there was some great whitewater in there, but it was definitely a lot of work getting around the logs in between. I don't think I'll be going back there any time soon, but it was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Girls of the Gorge

2011-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

This month I've joined team Girls of the Gorge to compete in a 32-day kayaking event called the Eddy Flower Vertical Challenge. My team members are four very motivated women from the Columbia River Gorge: Heather Herbeck, Monica Gokey, Susan Hollingsworth and Kate Wagner.

From May 15th to June 15th we are competing with teams across the nation to determine who can paddle the most vertical feet of whitewater, while raising money and awareness for cancer survivors. All donations benefit First Descents, a incredible non-profit organization that provides outdoor therapy adventures for young adults who have battled cancer.

This is my 4th year competing in the Eddy Flower Vertical Challenge. I look forward this event every year because it is great motivation to go out and push myself while doing what I love and supporting a great cause. Kayaking has definitely brought a lot of happiness and satisfaction to my life and it feels really good to help other people find that outlet.

The young adult cancer population, (ages 18-39) is the most underserved population within the cancer world and the programs that First Descents provides free of charge play a key role in a cancer survivors emotional, psychological and physical healing. It costs First Descents approximately $1,000 per camper for a one week session and donations will go directly toward providing these much needed programs to a very deserving group of people.

Team Girls of the Gorge is only $100 away from our goal of sending one camper to First Descents! Please help us reach that goal by donating online at:

http://www.eddyflower.com/

MakeDonation.aspx#/home

Tanner Creek Gorge

2011-05-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

I stumbled on a hiking forum that showed some impressive waterfalls on Tanner Creek so Drew and I decided to hike in and investigate the gorge above Wahclella Falls. We hiked Forest Road 777 up the ridge on the east side of the canyon and then bushwacked about 1,000 vertical feet down a fairly steep, wooded slope to the creek.

Topo map of the gorge from portlandhikers.org

Hiking in on Forest Road 777

Rock slide a about 1.5 miles up the road

After we passed the creek that flows into Tanner at Wahclella falls,

we left 777 and hiked down the next ridge for about 45 min. until

we reached Tanner Creek

Our first view of the creek was a long series of cascading

slides that ended in this 15-20 ft drop, Caesura Falls.

Looking downstream from Caesura, the lead-in to the next drop . . .

40 ft. Sundance Falls!

Perfect 40 footer

The river really started to gorge up here.

It would be really hard work to hike out with a kayak.

Just below Sundance there was a series of stacked falls that dropped

into a slot canyon just above 65 ft. Wahclella Falls.

Looking downstream from Sundance Falls to the lip of Swaawa Falls.

60 ft. Swaawa Falls. Best lunch spot ever!

Almost perfect . . .

Except for a log in the landing, and a 100 ft deep

walled-in vertical gorge below it (with a bunch of wood).

From the lip of Swaawa looking downstream

Looking back upstream at Swaawa.

The gorge makes a 45 degree turn to the right and

then the outlet comes into view downstream.

The last stretch starts with two log choked slot drops.

Right above Wahclella Falls is a 20 ft log choked slide

and a 40 ft. drop that pushes into an undercut on river left.

I'm guessing this is the slot where Seth Swallen belayed Erik Boomer

to run Wahclella. Wow!

Looking down at a hole at the lip of Wahclella Falls. Burly.

A photo from last spring of Boomer getting lowered into the slot above Wahclella.

It was a bitch of a hike out straight up from Wahclella Falls. It kind of discouraged me from wanting to hike a boat in to explore the upper slides, but it's one of the best hikes I've done in the gorge!

Waterfall Hunting

2011-05-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

It starts raining in the Pacific Northwest around late November and may not stop for 6 months. This kind of weather may sound less than ideal for most outdoor enthusiasts, but as a kayaker, it is my favorite time of year to go waterfall hunting. All the rivers and creeks fill up with water, creating a giant playground. There are falls hidden all throughout the woods. Most of them I hear about from other kayakers or fishermen. Sometimes I just start hiking up a steep river bank and see what I can find.

Even after living in the Mount Hood area for four years, I still discovered a handful of new drops this winter. Many of them I decided not to run because of their size, but here are few of the findings:

The hike into Butte Creek

Drew Eastman, in search of the falls

Bringing in the New Year on Upper Butte Creek Falls (22 ft.)

January 1, 2011

Just downstream is Lower Butte Creeks Falls (78 ft.)

(First successful descent by Chris Korbulic)

Just a short drive away is Abiqua Falls (94 ft.)

(First successful descent by Jesse Coombs)

Susan Hollingsworth on Little Klickitat Falls, WA

NW Creeking Comp Highlights

2011-04-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

Boaters were out in true form for the Northwest Creeking Competition on April 16th. After record spring rainfall, the East Fork of the Lewis River was raging at almost 3,400 cfs. Despite rainy weather and high water, the campground was overflowing with river folk all weekend. The kayak race consisted of a grueling 3.4 mile sprint that ended at Sunset Falls. Rafters raced a traditional course from Sunset Falls down through Horseshoe falls. All were rewarded with hot burgers and cold beer at the takeout.

Congrats to the 2011 champions. They definitely

worked extra hard to earn their titles this year!

Spring Brings New Things...And Types of Adventures

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

This Spring Break I decided to mix it up a bit, trade in my kayak for a canoe, and do some exploring and hiking in Canyonlands National Park.

My Boat for the Week

Canyonlands National Park

More Canyonlands

Enjoying the View

The Mighty Green River

We arrived in Moab after a monster day of driving and an awesome breakfast at my Aunt Judy's in Salt Lake City. (Thanks Jude!) To stretch our legs from the drive we went for a quick hike, then it was off to organize everyone and everything for the next 7 days on the Stillwater Canyon section of the Green River.

One of the Many Side Canyons

Awesome Rocks!!

The trip began with a class five shuttle, putting in at Spring Canyon.

The Road that Drops off the Face of the Earth

It's Gotta Be a Good Trip With This Start!

A Beautiful Sunset

Day two brought some excitement with crazy wind and big waves, making it feel a little like whitewater boating. It was so strong, in fact, that we ended up taking a four hour break on an island until it was a little more reasonable.

Starting the Hike to Turk's Head

The Hike up Water Canyon to Chimney Rock

View from the Top of Water Canyon

The river was great with beautiful wilderness scenery, red walls, Anasazi ruins and art, and even an outlaw cabin! The best part, though, were the side hikes....amazing!

Sunset at Turk's Head

Peace

Outlaw Cabin

Anasazi Art

Cliff Dwelling at Jasper Canyon

Heart Shaped Cactus!

A Little More Boat Than I am Used To...

It's official....I have SPRING FEVER!! Bring on the boating road trips!!

4th Annual Wind River Race, March 19-20

2011-03-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Upper Wind River Race is always a great way to kick off the whitewater racing season in the Northwest. This event is hosted by the Oregon Rafting Team and the race begins at the bridge in the town of Stabler, Washington. A mass start always adds some excitement for the kayakers, rafters and catarafters who sprint head-to-head down ~3.5 miles of continuous class III-IV rapids. This year the water was over two feet higher than last year, resulting in some big holes and great carnage. Big thanks to the rescue team for keeping everyone safe out there.

The weekend kicked off with a much needed river clean-up on Friday afternoon. A group of us met at the take-out to pick up all the trash that had been collecting over the winter. Saturday's events included a long boat race, R2 race and a BBQ provided by Next Adventure. The short boats, R6s, and catarafts raced on Sunday.

I paddled the 11'9" Dagger Green Boat in the long boat race. At first I was a little worried that such a big boat might be a handful in such big water, but I was really impressed with the way it handled. It was surprisingly responsive and blasted right through every hole with no problem. This came in handy when things got chaotic at Ram's Horn rapid. We all bombed into the crux of the rapid together, Drew charged through first without even getting his head wet, one of the guys got surfed and swam in an entrance hole, and the rest of us all flipped at the bottom. There was another swim and Susan and I joined the rescue team in picking up the pieces of the yard sale. It was quite the show for the spectators. Luckily, I managed to avoid any carnage for the rest of the run and paddle into a 3rd place finish. Susan Hollingsworth took 2nd place and Drew Eastman took 1st. Greg Mallory won the short boat class as usual, followed by Kim Russell and Ryan Young in a tie for second place.

Wind River Clean-up on Friday

The clean-up crew

Thanks to Zach Collier of Northwest Rafting for

hauling all of this trash from the Wind River.

Clean-up organizer, Drew Eastman

Susan Hollingsworth & the Oregon Rafting Team

gearing up for the race on Saturday afternoon

Orion Meredith & Matt Hogge, powered by PBR

Team Bend

The starting line

Susan, ready to rally in the Dagger Green Boat

Drew Eastman charging through Ram's Horn rapid

Long boaters: Drew, Susan and Christie

Tim, ORT #1 R2 er

Trey Knollman and Adam Mack

Drew Eastman, #1 Men's Long Boat

Susan Hollingsworth, #1 Women's Long Boat

Big thanks to Wind Race Organizer, Tyler McPherson,

for putting on such a great event!!!

For more photos, check out the

Upper Wind Whitewater Festival blog.

Times:

Long Kayak

1: Drew Eastman 22:51

2: Susan Hollingsworth 24:51

3: Christie Glissmeyer 25:02

4: Nate Bell DNF

5: Ryan Young DNF

Short Kayak (Mens)

1: Greg Mallory 22:40

2: Ryan Young 23:41

Short Kayak (Womens)

1: Kim Russell 23:41

R2 (Mens)

1: ORT - Tim Brink/ Bruce Reed 25:09

2: Ben and Willy Dinsdale 26:01

3: Zach Collier/ Aaron Howard 26:54

4: ORT - Trey Knollman/ Adam Mack 27:01

5: Tim Thornton/ Trevor Jostad 27:32

6: Bigfoot - Matt Hogge/ Orion Meredith 28:05

7: ORT - Jamie Crone/ Karl Linzmeyer 28:52

8: Stunt Man Duo - Dan McCain/ John Watkins 29:10

9: David Kinker/ Aaron Chatman DNF

R6 (Mens)

1: ORT - Red 22:37

2: Northwest Rafting Company 35:35

3: ORT - Grey 36:06

Staycationing in the Gorge

2011-03-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

I love everything about kayaking; the exercise, recreation, adventure, challenge and exploration. Each river is so different and each experience is so unique. My paddling ventures have taken me to some amazing worldwide destinations and my wish list just keeps getting longer. Even so, I always love coming home to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Here is a short film of some of my favorite runs in the Columbia River Gorge, the land of waterfalls:

Christie Glissmeyer Athlete Profile--OTV from EP Films on Vimeo.

by Trip and Andy of EP Films

Las Olas

2010-12-29T17:41:00.001-08:00

Panama ~ Week II

The surf forcast was looking really good for the second week of our trip so Drew and I went back to Playa Barqueta to take advantage of the beach break at Las Olas resort.

A typical day at Las Olas would start early. It's impossible to sleep in when you can see perfect waves from bed! The water was really glassy first thing in the morning so it was easier to paddle out.

In between sets, we could look a little ways out and see dolphins jumping around, and some really big fish splashing all around us. Drew even saw a couple sting rays cruise by.

After surfing it was siesta time.

. . . and then an afternoon swim in the pool :)

Practicing Spanish at the swim up bar

Evenings were my favorite time to go for a run on the beach.

The sunsets were incredible . . .

Then happy hour, dinner, sleep, wake up and do it all over again.

My only complaint is that the week was over WAY to fast!

When I retire, you'll know where to find me . . .

somewhere on a beach in Panama :)

Panama

2010-12-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

Week I

Panama is a place that Drew and I were really curious about since neither of us had been there before, but we'd heard really good things about it. We wanted to go on a surf trip somewhere with sunshine and warm water, but we only had a couple weeks so we didn't want to go too far. Turns out, Panama is a pretty awesome surf destination and we had the breaks all to ourselves. We originally wanted to see the Caribbean side as well, but we were having so much fun on the Pacific side we decided to save that for another time. We spent the first week making our way up the coast to Punta Burica near the border of Costa Rica.

Flying into Panama City

Traveling in Panama was really easy going and affordable and the people were super friendly, even when we were stumbling through our Spanish. The food was really good, especially at the rotisseries. We ate a lot of fresh fruit, seafood, rotisserie chicken, fried plantains and rice. When we camped out we cooked foil dinners smothered in Lizano sauce.

We flew into Panama City and rented a pickup truck so that we could get out to some of the breaks where buses don't go. We also brought a tent and camping gear to have the flexibility of camping on the beach. The first night we drove about an hour out of the city to camp at Punta Chame, a well-known kite beach.

Punta Chame

The next day we drove 6 hours to Playa Barqueta and stayed at a place right on the beach. There is also really good camping here.

Las Olas

The waves were pretty big, and after two days of getting pummelled we decided to go check out the town of Boquete a couple hours away near the mountains.

Boquete is a really cool little tourist town with rafting, kayaking, hiking, ziplines, and some fun bars. We stayed at the Boquete Outdoor Adventures Hostel on the river. The next morning we decided to go for a "nice little" hike around Volcan Baru on the Los Quetzales trail.

It was a pretty sweet hike through the jungle with some creek crossings, unfortunately our Spanish failed us and what we thought was going to be a 5 hour loop trail took us on a whole new adventure to the other side of the volcano with no roads leading back to Boquete. I'm still not really sure where we ended up but we had a choice between a 5 hour hike back the way we came or a 3 hour bus ride around the mountain. We got some beverages and hopped on a series of buses and taxis. After getting lost a couple of times we finally made it back to our truck, in the dark, and immediately got stuck in a giant mud bog. We dug ourselves into a pretty good trench until, luckily, a rad bus driver came by and pulled us out. The next morning we decided it was time to head back to the beach.

This time we headed out to Punta Burica, on the border of Costa Rica. This place is only accessible by 4-wheel drive and it is pretty remote so we stocked up on food and water to camp for a couple days. The only way to get out there is to wait for low tide and drive right up the beach. It is easily one of my favorite places I've ever been and no one else was around. The trees are full of monkeys and there are miles and miles of surf breaks, beaches and palm trees. To top it all off, the waves were the perfect size for beginners and there was a full moon so we surfed until our arms were about to fall off.

The Elusive Little Klickitat

2010-12-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting to get on the Little Klickitat for years. After spending a couple days watching the gauges rise and everything turn to red HIGH, I knew my time had come. This gem of a run only comes in about once a year and is tricky to catch.

Having faith that it would rise a little more over night, Nick Jacob and I made a plan and put together a solid crew. Despite doubt from a few, we got up early and headed out. We checked the level at the take out, deciding that not only was it not low, it was higher than anyone in the crew had seen it. Yippee!!

The run started out small, weaving through brush and farmlands. This didn't last long, however, as we were soon dropping into a beautiful gorge with steep, fun rapids.

Kate, Classic Little Klickitat

Photo: Andy McMurray

John McConville in One of the Many Boulder Gardens

Photo: Andy McMurray

Nick Jacob Cruising Toward a Sweet Line

Photo: Andy McMurray

Heather Herbeck Killing It

Photo: Andy McMurray

Nate Herbeck With a Monster Boof

Photo: Andy McMurray

Nate also put together this sweet little video. The first half is the Little Klickitat, followed by Hagen Gorge (another of my favorite runs).

Strewn with boulder gardens, ledges, and a waterfall, this river has a little of everything! The paddle out even had a nice boogie to it. I can't wait to catch it again....in five more years! :)

Mission: Novelty Creeking

2010-12-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

I spoke too soon on the change of seasons! It has warmed up here in the Northwest and we have been getting hammered with rain! Yippee!!

With everything on the rise and/or high, the challenge is finding something that will be reasonable. I've been itching for an adventure lately and with all this rain I figured it was a great time for a new run. After talking with BZ local, Dave Hammond, a plan was put in place to check out Major Creek.

Checking Out the Wood Situation

Major Creek is a tiny creek with several gorges and thick vegetation on the Washington side of the gorge. Unsure when we arrived if there was too much water for the narrow gorges, we hiked up from the take out a ways to make sure we could clear the trees. It looked clear and the group decided to give it a go.

Joe Stumpfel Coming Through the Entrance Rapid

We had a good flow and did a lot of brush dodging as the current was fast and eddies few. The rapids were steeper than I had expected with such a tiny creek, but so much fun! There were a few logs, but nothing that was too difficult to manage, requiring only one portage. And, it finishes with a roller coaster ride through a tunnel of fun!!

Scouting One of the Gorges

It turned out to be a pretty sweet little run, super close to home! Mission: Novelty Creeking was definitely a success!!

A Quick Turn of Seasons

2010-12-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

With a few days of rain under our belt, and a desire for an adventure outside of the gorge, we decided to head south. The classic Oregon run, Opal Creek, seemed like the perfect option as it was starting to get cold and the road would soon be snowed in.

Taking in the Scenery

Photo: Adam Mills Elliott

It was chilly at the put in with a dusting of snow on the ground for our short hike in. In no time we reached the beautiful, clear water. The rapids on this run are really fun, but the draw to it for many comes from the amazing scenery.

Getting Started

Photo: Adam Mills Elliott

Soaking It All In Below Big Fluffy

Photo: Adam Mills Elliott

Shortly after we put on it began snowing...and didn't let up until we took off. By the time we ran shuttle the road had a couple inches of snow on it. It had changed from Fall to Winter while we on the water and it left us feeling fortunate that we may have caught one of the last Opal runs of the season.

Our Snowy Finish

Photo: Adam Mills Elliott

Let's get out our creeking booties, Winter is here!!

2010 PDX Kayaker Film Fest

2010-11-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

This year's PDX Kayaker Film Fest proved once again to be a great success! With a ton of great entries and folks from all over coming out for the event, a good time was had by all! We decided to branch out a bit this year and enter several different pieces.

First up: Ladies of the Little White

Next: Girls, Granite, and Giggles

And the winning entry, produced by Skip Armstrong: Seasons: Fall

Kayaking the White Salmon River, Autumn - Kate Wagner from The Banks Mag on Vimeo.

Thanks Next Adventure for another great event! You guys ROCK!!

CaliBurnFest

2010-10-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

Each year to get everyone in the spirit of fall and creaking season, Paul Gamache puts together CaliBurnFest and outdid himself once again this last weekend.

Justin Patt working on taking the lead

To start off the event, there was a big air surf competition at Camel Rock. We stopped by early and caught some waves, but left before the competition in search of some better surfing. Moving on to Mad River Beach proved to be a good idea as the waves were slow, smooth and friendly.

Ryan Scott preparing for some tough work

Luke Spencer catching a ride

Nick Jacob enjoying the friendly waves

Saturday was the downriver race on the Burnt Ranch Gorge section of the Trinity. There was a lot of smiling and giggling to be had while hitting fun boofs and weaving through boulders with 50 friends. There was even some entertainment with interesting lines at Number 2 and Number 3.

Corey Ryan airing out the entrance of Number 3

Kate going for the boof

Photo: Cheyenne Rogers

Luke Spencer lining up for the bottom of Number 3

Cheyenne all smiles at the bottom of Number 3

Taking first in the men's long boat was Dan Benton and Justin Patt in short boat. Miss Kim Russell who was hanging tough in the front of the pack came in first in short boat , and Christie Glissmeyer in long boat.

Kim Russell charging out front

Christie looking good through Number 3

The race, of course, was followed up with a great party and raffle. Thanks Paul for organizing such a fun event!!

We decided to go for something different on Sunday before heading home and cruised over to check out the Pit River (which is scheduled to release all of October but isn't). This was an adventure in itself, getting lost, hassled by a land owner, having to be-bop our way down some very manky boulder gardens (that look like they would be great with some flow) and find our way through mazes of shrubbery. Toward the end of the run, however, there was a little excitement with a marginal waterfall.

Scotty Baker smoothing things out with the neighbors

Nick Jacob probing the falls

Thanks California for another fun weekend!! See y'all next year!

Feather Fest 2010

2010-09-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Low water and cooler temperatures mean that it is that time of year again....dam release time! Gauley Fest is a highlight on the east coast, and Feather Fest on the west one. This year was the 20th annual Feather River Festival and the turn out was GREAT!

Chris Arnold digging in on Tobin

Photo: Nate Pfeifer

There were several new events this year including a river clean up and film festival as well as the standard downriver and slalom races and of course the party. Over 500 people showed up to enjoy the Rock Creek and Tobin releases. The best part about it is that there is something for everybody, with stretches of river ranging from II-V.

More fun on Tobin

Photo: Nate Pfeifer

Taylor Robertson was the man of the weekend, winning the Tobin race, the SUP slalom, being the entertainment of the evening (the Taylor Robertson Blues Band) and also coming in first in the first ever mass start Tobin race! Yeah Taylor!

Taylor taking the lead

Photo: Callie Daniel

Taylor Robertson Blues Band

Photo: James McLeod

Also to be mentioned, Chris Korbulic took first in the short boat division, Diane Gaydos in the ladies short boat, and none other than Miss Katie Scott in the ladies long boat.

I also decided to branch out a bit and try my hand at slalom (in my Solo). It was much harder than I expected, and was shocked when times were revealed and I came in first. Haha!

Giving the Slalom Race a Try

Photo: Melissa DeCarlo

Big thanks to American Whitewater, Chico Paddleheads, Macy Burnham, Eric Petlock, and Roland for organizing such a great event!!

Eric and Macy announcing the winners

Photo: James McLeod

In true California paddle festival form, costumes were out in full force!

Photo: James McLeod

Can't wait until next year!

Enchantments

2010-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last year on a kayaking trip in Washington, my boyfriend Drew and I discovered an intriguing trailhead leading to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I put it on my wish list for another day. With summer coming to an end and my birthday around the corner, I decided it might be a good opportunity to do some research. I stumbled upon some stunning photos of the Enchanted Lakes Basin. I learned that camping is very restricted in this area because of the fragile ecosystem and concern for the mountain goat population. Without a permit from the annual lottery in February, the only option is to show up at the ranger station the morning you want to start hiking and get lucky enough to draw some slots from a cancellation or the 5 person/day lottery.

Drew said he would do whatever I wanted for my big day, so bright and early the morning of Sept. 10th we were standing outside of the Leavenworth Ranger Station with our name in the lottery. The ranger said, "Okay, who is feeling lucky today?" I said, " I am! I am!" and ran up to draw a name out of the pot. I had a little spaz attack when it read: Christie - party of 2!

Wahoo, three nights in the Enchanted Lakes Basin! Awesomness. We were ecstatic as we drove up Icicle Creek and 8-mile road to the Stuart Lake Trailhead. We had our gear packed in no time and headed up the trail to Colchuck Lake. We had 4 days to hike the 18 mile loop up to 7,800 ft. through the Enchantments and back down through the Snow Lakes zone. From here on, I'll let the pictures tell the story because it was so incredible I could barely put my camera down . . .

Drew gearing up at the trailhead

Welcome to paradise

Scouting some slides

Mountaineer Creek

Colchuck Lake

Lunch break, looking up at Aasgard Pass

2,000 ft. up the pass, Drew starts to wonder what he got himself into

The big climb

Whew, made it . . .

Just before dark

Drew hauled some surprise Strongbows up the pass for my birthday!

Home sweet home

The tentominium

No-bake birthday cake

Whoa, hello. Good morning!

Day #2

Camping on the pass was a little frosty

The bathroom

Upper Enchanted Lakes Basin

Gone fishin'

Heaven meets earth

Tranquil Lake

Just another day in paradise

Isolation Lake

We were stoked to run into this guy

Crystal Lake

Inspiration Lake

Lake Perfection

Prusik Peak

Lots of trout in this lake!

Drew cleaning a cutthroat for dinner

Camp #2

Day #3

Leprechaun Lake

Temple & Vivian Lakes

Another mountain goat!

Lower Enchanted Lakes Basin

Dropping down into the Snow Lakes zone

Dinner!

Snow Creek

Scouting more slides :)

Nearing icicle on day 4 we realize we never set shuttle. Taxi service?

A really nice lady we met a mile from the trailhead lends us her

brand new Armada to get back up to my truck. Priceless!

The Loop

All in all, this was one of my best trips EVER!

Christie's Top 10 Backpacking Trips:

1. Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal

2. Enchanted Lakes Basin, WA

3. Teton Crest Trail, WY

4. Wind River Range, WY

5. Druid Arch, Canyonlands, UT

6. Juan de Fuca Trail, Vancouver Island

7. Copeland Track, NZ

8. Routeburn Track, NZ

9. West Rim Trail, Zion National Park, UT

10. Abel Tasman, NZ

A Week with the Most Amazing Kayakers in the World

2010-07-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

Being from Hood River, we are lucky enough to kayak with some of the most talented folks around pretty regularly. This particular week, however, we got to boat with the most amazing kayakers in the world. They aren't the most amazing because they are running huge drops or throwing big tricks however. They are amazing because they are brave, persistent, and inspirational....oh, and they have all battled or are battling cancer.

Gearing up for the Klickitat!

The three of us all got to share at least part of the week with this great group of folks, taking photos, safety boating, and helping with instruction as volunteers for the Washington First Descents camp.

Getting used to Class III in a raft

First Descents is such a fantastic program, offering a week of kayaking and fun activities to young adults recovering from cancer. If you are unfamiliar with First Descents, please check them out! There are many ways to be involved!

Practicing new skills

It's difficult to explain what it is like to be a part of a camp, the connections that are made, and the family that is formed. Experiencing it is really the only way to know and it was a privilege to be able to.

Group Hug!!

The courage, perseverance, and determination of these folks is hard to compete with. Thanks First Descents for letting us be a part of your awesomeness!! We heart you!!

Already looking forward to next year!! Pixel, Beanie, and Tush

aka: Kate, Christie, and Melissa :)