Experiencing Metlako Falls – My First 90 ft. Waterfall

Coming home Friday night, I get online and Facebook tells me what to do.

Picture 2

I’d thought about running Metlako Falls for a while.  But only just thought about it.  I’d never even hiked the mile and half up to take a look at it, though I’d driven past the Eagle Creek trailhead dozens of times.  A handful of my friends ran it this spring and pronounced it amazing.

Metlako is a perfectly shaped waterfall.  A gently sloping slide launches down into a deep pool.  There is no entrance move to make, there is no exit to navigate, no cross-currents pushing sideways, nothing but a beautiful freefall to the deep pool below.  What holds me back is the same thing that inspires others to kayak it – Metlako is a huge waterfall.

Metlako Teaser Crop 1

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That time Mike almost flush drowned

In early June, several good friends and I took a boating trip to Idaho.  It was the peak of snowmelt and the rivers were raging.  After an amazing two days on the SF Salmon, we finished the shuttle and camped near the incomparable mountain town of Yellowpine.  The next day we paddled a high flowing East Fork of the SF Salmon (Check out that link for what the EFSF looks like at normal flows).  Mike took a huge, long swim, just barely making it out of the river.  I had my headcam on and caught the entire episode on video.  After he finally got to shore, I stopped kayaking for the day.  I just didn’t want to see that go down again.

Idaho Trip 2009  208

Scouting the top of Flight Simulator.  Mike points to where, an hour later, things will start to go wrong. Read More »

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Beaver Creek Falls, OR

Paddler: Erik Boomer. Nov 2007. Photo copyright Dave Hoffman.

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A Big Swell Hits the Oregon Coast

Coast Trip 114

This weekend the largest swell so far this winter hit the Oregon Coast.  Sidelined by an injury, I trekked to Cape Meares with my roommate Mike to check out the scene.

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When waterfall scouting goes wrong…

Hand

I’ve been looking at one particular waterfall for about a year now.  Part of it looks fantastic and part of it looks significantly less fantastic.  Getting there involves a remote hike and rappel into a steep, narrow gorge.  Loose rock abounds.  Last week, on my way out of the gorge, as I was ascending a rope, I knocked a rock loose.  It hit my hand and fun ensued. Read More »

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From Pool Roll to Combat Roll

Matt Flume - Upside down Matt Flume - Rolling

One the most common difficulties my students have is increasing their success rate rolling in whitewater.  Nothing is more rewarding for a beginner than getting their first combat roll.  And nothing is more frustrating than continuing to swim.  Solidifying your combat roll of gives paddlers an unbelievable level of confidence.   Here’s how to do just that. Read More »

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McKenzie River Paddlefest

Last weekend a group of paddlers from Portland and Salem headed down to the McKenzie to indulge in a little bit of fall paddling. Chris, a student of mine, has been telling me about how awesome the McKenzie for as long as I’ve known him.  He organizes a huge group camp-out every fall and I finally got around to going down there this year.

The water was low and the weather was cold.  It was beautiful – there is just something magical about cool, crisp autumn air.  We paddled the McKenzie and surfed some great waves. I ate well, shared many laughs and spent many nice hours by the campfire.  All in the audience of changing leaves, bright reds and yellows, framed by evergreens.  Is this really the off-season for kayaking?

Waiting to surf

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Best Days Kayaking 2009

Best Days Kayaking 2009 from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

Check out some of the best days I had paddling in 2009.  And really, I was quite lucky this year, getting a lot of days on a lot of quality whitewater.

With this sick weather forecast for Portland, I am going to have a couple more great days before the year is up.  Going to scout some waterfalls tomorrow!

-Dave

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California Whitewater – NF Toulumne

Cali Trip 002

In early summer I took a trip to California for some Sierra whitewater awesomeness. This is my last trip report — just a little delayed.

High water on the South Fork of the Merced ended our last opportunity for a multiday trip in the Sierras. With the Merced spiking up uncontrollably, our friends and their friends telling us it would be terrifying. Jesse and Forrest thought the same. Read More »

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Little White Salmon Headcam

El Dub Headcam from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

The Little White Salmon River is heaven on earth for whitewater kayakers.  It has it all – technical boulder garderns, fun ledge drops, an epic waterfall, the clearest and bluest water I’ve seen and complex never-ending rapids, all set in a beautiful remote gorge that tumbles down to the Columbia River.  Many kayakers Read More »

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