New Significant Hazard on Hagen Gorge

By dave | Published: March 11, 2011
The man-made log dam on Hagen Gorge has changed. It seems the bottom of the dam blew out. There is no longer a pool from which you can start the portage. The river now drains into a very large mess of strainers and there aren’t any sizable eddies directly upstream. Proceed carefully and hop out earlier than you might have done before.

The green boat is just above the last chance eddy. Its small and not fun to catch.

The portage is trickier as well but still doable.

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Falling in Love Again – Canyon Creek

By dave | Published: January 20, 2011

2011, already the greatest year ever.

A note on the gauge: Based on our rough initial assessment, it seems like the gauge is reading a little low. Add perhaps 150 cfs to the internet gauge and 1.5 inches to visual gauge on the unit.

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KROC Kayak Roll Sessions, Salem, OR

By dave | Published: November 2, 2010

Pool Sessions: 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month, 8:30-9:30 pm

Cost: $5

Address: 1865 Bill Frey Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97301

Website: http://www.salemkroc.org/

Phone Number: 503.566.5762

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Northwest Creeking Competition 2010 – Results

By dave | Published: April 12, 2010

K-1 Men Pro

  1. Tao Berman           10:00.45
  2. Darren Albright    10:12:45
  3. Ross Henry            10:17.52
  4. Todd Anderson    10:23.24
  5. Paul Kuthe            10:25.84
  6. Luke Spencer       10:42.38
  7. Dave Hoffman     10:43.84
  8. Jesse Becker         10:51.31
  9. Nate Herbeck      10:53.27
  10. Marco Colella      10:57.20 Read More »
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Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

So Dave, how was China?

By dave | Published: April 4, 2010

At the top of Peacock Mountain Pass from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

China was….very Chinese. The cities were hectic. The countryside was wonderful and the people among the most inviting I’ve every met. It was cold and windy, and, at times, surprisingly hot.  Not speaking anything other than a few basic words of Chinese, I spent a lot of my time wandering around, looking, watching, seeing.

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Posted in Stories, Videos | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Euphoria Falls & Explaining what the heck it is that I do

By dave | Published: January 19, 2010

Dave Hoffman, Hagen Gorge, WA. Photo by Andy Lictenheld.

Writing this blog, I struggle with how to tell stories about kayaking. A little bit of me wants to appeal to my hardcore kayaker friends, to show them what I’ve done, to get them stoked and maybe a little jealous. A larger part of me wants share things that all kayakers can understand and appreciate. But most of all, I want anyone to be able to read what I write and understand what kayaking means to me. I want my family, girls I like, and my non-kayaker friends to get why love kayaking so much. And yes, I do have non-kayaker friends.

Fitting these desires together into a coherent narrative is highly challenging. Often I just can’t do it. Sometimes I do.

Saturday I paddled Hagen Gorge, a fun creek just outside of Portland. I took headcam footage of one of the larger rapids, Euphoria Falls. You’ll find the video unique. It captures a particular aspect of whitewater kayaking – running drops on verbal beta. In the right situation, kayakers will drop into a rapid with just some quick words to describe the moves and no scouting to get a closer look. There’s little I find more thrilling than running a rapid blind. Coming around a corner, seeing the rocks and the water and making decisions in quarter-seconds. Decisions that determine whether you are going to have fun or get hurt.

In the eddy above Euphoria, I give lingo-heavy information to Andy, in the blue boat. He’d run Hagen about 3 years ago but didn’t have a clear memory of the rapids. We charge off, I style the rapid, as does Andy. Below, we share exaltation at our good lines, the friends who surround us, and the special places we visit.

This is what I do. I hope you like it.

A little warning: During this video, I continue my awful trend of cursing up a storm while the headcam is recording.

Euphoria Falls, Hagen Gorge from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

Follow me on Twitter @riverlifestyle

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Upper Yellowjacket Creek

By dave | Published: January 13, 2010
Upper Yellowjacket Creek

Christie Glissmeyer on Yellowjacket Creek.

Finding a rarely run section of river, about which I had heard nothing, just doesn’t happen that often. It started off quite simply. During July of 2008, a huge snowmelt year, Mike G and I headed up to paddle McCoy & Yellowjacket Creek. Driving up and down NFDR 28, in search of the access, we spied a big waterfall from the road. I also noticed on our WA Gazetteer that the road got close to, and appeared to cross, the creek further upstream. We found the put-in, which the Bennett Book describes as Class V. During the subsequent hour it took us to get down to the creek, loose soil and rock avalanched down around us as we clutched thin tree trunks. The steep terrain forced us to improvise several rappels, lowering boats to one another. Dirty, sweaty and tired we made it to the creek, where I slipped and cut my knee open.

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Costa Rica – warm everything & heaps of good times

By dave | Published: January 11, 2010
Costa Rica 2010

A golden sun lights up the river as we near Squirres and the end of the Rio Pacuare.

Wow. Costa Rica is awesome. Every day there is a day well spent. Living is slow and easy in Costa Rica. Warm rain and warmer water. Sunshine and jungle shade. Fresh fruit(guanabana anyone?), casado con pescado and gallo pinto. Ocean waves and tropical birds.

Of all the places I’ve traveled in Latin America, the traveling and the kayaking is easiest in Costa Rica. Lack of Spanish skills won’t greatly limit what you can do. Crime is low and mostly limited to property theft – a little vigilance is all thats required. If you’re looking to paddle abroad, or just escape the bitter northern winter, give CR a look. You won’t be disappointed.

These photos are just a fraction of what I shot during my 11 days in the country. More will come as I churn through, along with a story that connects them.

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Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Favorite Photos of the Year

By dave | Published: December 21, 2009

Adv WW Seminar 17

Linda & David gear up for a cold and beautiful day on the Bruno Mountain section of the North Santiam River. The weather and the scenery made this one of the most memorable days I spend on the river this year. We were paddling this day as part of the Advanced Whitewater Seminar that I love to teach.

OKCC March Patty Good

Patty charges through Spencer’s Hole during an OKCC trip to the North Santiam River, OR. The OKCC leads a number of great trips every month and I was happy to be a part of this one.

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The Eddie – Big Wave Surf Comp at Waimea Bay, HI

By dave | Published: December 14, 2009

Eddie Aikau 191

I have good timing. The world’s longest-running and most prestigious big-wave invitational, The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, known informally as the Eddie, is only held when the big swell at Waimea Bay reaches 20 feet Hawaiian – meaning at least 40 foot faces. I just happened to be in Hawaii last week when the conditions were right for the first time in five years.

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Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments