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.

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.

Cost: $5

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

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

Phone Number: 503.566.5762

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

K-1 Men Expert

1. Drew Eastman      10:27.24
2. Nick Hinds             10:32.84
3. Dan Rubado          10:33.91
4. Scott Waidelich    10:34.56
5. ? Bib #24                10:38.77
6. Josh Knap              10:48.06
7. Danny Young         10:51.95
8. Matt Kurle              10:54.27
9. Kenny Kiley             10:57.64
10. Willie Illingworth   10:59.45
11. Tom Decuir             10:59.51
12. ? Bib #26                 10:59.63
13. Dan Parnell             11:02.41
14. Chris Bensch           11:03.55
15. Michael Gordon      11:09.88
16. Shaun Rasmussen  11:12.00
17. Eric Foster-Moore  11:12.98
18. Pat Lynch                 11:15.34
19. Joel Fedar                11:17.49
20. Ryan Young             11:21.85
21. Paul Kelly                11:31.64
22. John Cramp            11:46.66
23. Bart Hemminger    11:51.90
24. Phillip Kast              11:52.37
25. Brian Schulz            12:15.51
26. John Edwards        12:45.24
27. Ty Overeem            16:02.95
28. Josh Grabel            21:28.52
29. Rob Anderson        50:?

K-1 Women Pro

1. Kim Russell                  10:38.33
2. Christie Glissmeyer    10:52.20
3. Katie Wagner              11:26.63

K-1 Long

1. Tao Berman               9:21.95
2. Darren Albright        9:29.44
3. J P                                9:40.06
4. Marco Colella            10:07.24
5. Luke Spencer            10.19.82
6. Ryan Young               10:37.24
7. Christie Glissmeyer   10:44.51

K-1 Fun

1. David Pool                      11:17.52
2. Luke Maddox                12:04.49
3. Brandon Bloomquist   12:28.16
4. Christine Broniak         12:41.06
5. Michael Braun              12:54.35
6. John Bodaly                  17:42.93

IK

1. Riley Baxter         12:12.52
2. Brad Haveman    14:29.68

R-2

1. Dan McCain/Jacob Cruser          13:17.59
2. ORT        Tim/Matt                        13:26.20
3. ORT        Bruce/Tyler                    13:29.56
4. ORT        Trey/Jeff                         14:20.24
5. ORT        Bryan/Evan                    14:42.35
6. Sledge    Mattkin/?                        14:45.49
7. Stan Rules    Brad/?                      14:46.52
8. Last Place    John/Rob                  16:19.95
9. ORT        David/Karl                     16:57.91
10. ORT        Ben/Josh                        24:44:11
11. WOW 2(#11) Kim/Lori                35:51.60
12. WOW 2(#12) Kim/Lori               36:22.63
13. WOW        Heather/?                    37:51.60

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.

The trip wouldn’t have been possible without Ben. He’s a close, good friend, a kayaking buddies and a former co-workers. He’s been living in Beijing for the last 8 months and studying Chinese for years and years. Ben had a month off for the Chinese New Year. I had enough cash to get there and barely enough to get back.

Ben’s command of the language was amazing and impressive. I met a few foreigners who couldn’t speak much Chinese. All planned to stick to the cities, following the tourist track from Beijing to SE Asia. None planned to venture far afield. With Ben’s skills we were able to experience truly unique places in Yunnan, places that are just being discovered by Chinese tourists.

During a twelve day portion of the trip, we met only one other Westerner. Towards the end of the trip Ben got us out of snow-bound town faster than a professional guide from France. We were stoked; and not just cause that was the only option for me to make my plane flight home.

Below is another quick video, taken on our exceedingly hectic trip back to Beijing. The battery cuts off at the end, the lighting is poor and the volume is low, but I think you’ll get the ideal. My advice to others who want to have an adventure in China: 1) If it isn’t in Lonely Planet, that’s probably where you want to go. 2) Never look like you are in a hurry, when the opportunity comes, strike fast. 3) If someone invites you to go to church, you really really should attend. That was one of the most special experiences of my life.

Waiting for a bus in the dark & cold from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

I’m currently writing a longer piece about the whole adventure. A lot happened and I want to tell the story. You will like it. Thanks for reading.

All photos courtesy of Benjamin Liotta

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

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.

After a great couple of hours on the Yellowjacket, we reached the take-out and I resolved to find an easier way to the creek. And, perhaps, run that waterfall. A week later Mike and I, along with a crew of paddlers from Portland and Hood River, headed north to explore.  We drove on NFDR 28 2-3 miles past the Bennet put-in.

We put-in just before the turn off to 7713

Just before the road veers across the creek (at least on the Gazetteer), a slightly over grown dirt road veers off to the left, down towards the creek. Follow that for a hundred yards and you are new, higher, better put-in. It is less than 30 seconds to the river.  Below, lies a great section of river.  Several class 3s, lead to a logjam and the subsequent portage.  After the medium-hard walk, up and over on river right, be ready for the horizon line.  This is the waterfall viewable from the road.

Dave Hoffman in the lead-in... (Photo by Christie Glissmeyer)

...and on the drop. (Photo by Christie Glissmeyer)

Pat Sherwood in the pool.

Turin Hill

Turin stoked on a good line.

Mike Gottlieb

Exiting the pool below this drop is a fun little slide.

Christie Glissmeyer

Someone was a slalom racer.

Keep an eye out as you head downstream. The next horizon line is big. I caught an eddy right at the lip and wouldn’t recommend doing that again. The waterfall is about 40 feet high. At the medium-low flow we had, a visible rock shelf extended 2/3rds of the way into the landing zone from river right. It may go further. As the lip wants you to be on the right of the drop, this one might just not be runnable. At this point you can do one of two things – hike around, which takes 10 minutes or jump into the pool below. Our group did a mix and lowered boats into the pool after some folks were below to recover them.

Jesse Becker looks downstream.

Turin could have done a better job of jumping.

Lowering boats past the (probably) unrunnable falls. (Photo By Christie Glissmeyer)

Now for a super fun set of slides!

Jesse Becker

Fairly gorgeous, hunh?

Dave Hoffman on the slides. (Photo By Christie Glissmeyer)

Turin

This was a really really fun rapid.

Around the corner from this rapid, we reached the place where Mike and I put on during our first paddle of the Yellowjacket.

To sum it all up, by using the higher put in for “Upper” Yellowjacket Creek

• You get a few more good class 4 rapids and one sweet waterfall. This makes the run a little harder.
• The adventure of a big portage.
• A tighter, more scenic gorge than the rest of Yellowjacket
• Eliminates the sketchy put-in
• Much less work for more miles of river.  It took us an hour to get down the ‘original’ portage, though I imagine it could be down much faster. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes to paddle down to our original launch spot. That includes a lot of photos, the 1st portage and the throw-and-go/hike.

I hope you have fun on Yellowjacket!

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.

Snowmageddon 2009 led to some flight delays.

Did you hear about this new sport called whitewater rafting?...

....Apparently its 100% safe. Isn't that great?!?

Cacho, Patty & Betsy at the put-in for the lower Pacuare.

Dilapadated shack on Cacho's property in the montains near Volcano Poas.

Cacho leads the group down to the river and on a burly hike.

Riding thermals upward, vultures soar above the Rio Sarapiqui.

Fisherman's shack on the Pacific Coast.

Costa Rica is filled with curious, friendly little dogs. Take-out for the Pacuare.

Betsy chills at our riverside camp on the Pacuare

We stayed here for a night. This was the kitchen. I loved it.

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.

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.

Mike Gottlieb drops one of many great waterfalls on Copper Creek, WA. Watch the video from this day.

Mike charges around the corner on the SF Yuba. We paddled this run with just the two of us, with little prior knowledge about the run. It was the biggest day of the year, with huge scary drops and complex portages. Ready the rest of the story.

Unknown paddler drops Pauley Creek Falls in Northern California. Read the story.

Another view of Pauley Creek Falls. Dan fires it up while Mike and Scotty watch.

Josh blasts through a narrow slot on the upper part of Opal Creek. This was the first day I hiked an extra mile and a half upstream from the usual point. Completely worth it.

A beautiful waterfall on Opal Creek, OR.

I love a good campfire after a hard day of kayaking. We paddled 30+ miles of the SF of the Salmon River, through the River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.  It was high and we had a bad swim at the end of the day. In the morning we paddled out to the main Salmon and back to civilization.

Surfing the heck out of Spencer’s Hole during July’s Advanced Whitewater Seminar. Paddler: David. More photos.

Andy waits for his students below the final drop of Shippard’s Falls, Wind River, WA. Taking the Advanced Whitewater Seminar down their first waterfalls was my favorite day of teaching kayaking last year. More photos from this class.

Caitlin hikes a sand dune along the Columbia River. I just can’t believe how good we’ve got it in the Pacific Northwest – The best whitewater in North America alongside fantastic multi-day sea kayaking trips. Check out some other photos from this trip.

The McKenzie’s brilliant fall colors surround Dee. More photos and the story.

Matt & Mike paddle through the run-out on the Lower Wind River.

Mike N. charges out into the biggest surf I’ve ever seen. These photos were hands down the best I took all year.

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.

Wave faces were easily 30 feet all day long, with most competitors trying to drop into the occasional 40 and 50 foot wave. Waimea was packed with at least 8,000 spectators – kids skipping school, Hawaiians skipping work, die-hard surfers in awe and dumbfounded tourists like me. A few talented surfers rode took waves all the way in, knowing the beach break would pummel them, as the crowd went wild. We held our breath as a competitor dropped into a huge face, exalted when they made it and cringed when they failed, all in one voice. The Eddie undeniably the best sports competition I’ve been too.