Here's a LINK to my trip on the Muddy Fork. A sweet trip I'll be back for, come fall. Enjoy.

- Brett

Thanks, man. It's a good one.

I know I'm gonna sound like a pompous jerk for wording it like this... but.

Lower = great fun run.  btw GREAT trip report guys!!!!  I was almost there with you and I feel like a puss... but I got no sleep... blah blah... I would have been there with you if you needed another paddler to get er' done...  Glad some folks got in there!!!!

So for the but...
DO NOT DO THE UPPER, unless you do what we did.  Scout every drop, this will probably take a week of pure work and ropes (mind you we even had a helicopter scout).   There are EVIL drops in there.  I will never go back for any reason.  I will eventually edit my videos of all the drops. I do wish I had my HD GoPro, but I was only on the waiting list when we ran it.

If somebody would like to help me edit the videos, I'll post them sooner

Too many things goin on right now, but seriously...that section is class 6 at most levels.

Dammit... James can I edit these into one coherent post???

Further, the hole is right around the corner ABOVE the 30 footer... with no banks really... at low water if you're in control you can get out and scout... at high water it's scary...  (we ran the whole river but on different weekends on different trips at different levels over 2 months...)

I also need to add that we set up a zip line past a class 6+... it may be unportageable at river level.  There was a fresh dead baby deer in the middle of it when we ran it...  If you don't have gills... don't run it.  Bambi was proof...  Once you are in this canyon... you will not leave without being VERY prepared.

Here is the pinch, there is NO way out from where I'm standing.  I had a plan for my father to come down with a walkie talkie if I didn't return home at this spot.... he had GPS coordinates.  We didn't have the benefit of a large support group to help us...  We both ran this later the same day.  I have video of both runs...  Varying results


Here is the zip line rapid from below  (class 6+)... The spot to stop above this is a tiny moving eddy.



Here is the only way down if you find yourself in here with no zipline...  Don't miss the eddy or fall into the river on the "portage" there is a death spot below this...



Sorry we haven't done video yet... we're not gonna get paid a penny, we're not pros and not quick at editing video... I'd like to make a really good one rather than putting our raw bad stuff up on youtube like I normally do.

I don't know why we did it in the first place!  We read the Bennett description and thought we were in for a portage fest....  What we faced was the deepest most difficult canyon I've ever seen.  There are many drops... you can't portage most of them... It feels like Robe canyon... but there is no way out if you swim.  We set out for a day mission and wound up with a 2 month life changing expedition full of mistakes and triumphs...  Don't run any river unless you can see every drop AT THE SAME LEVEL you run them at...  Some runs will make this very difficult.

I really don't want anybody to die that thinks they can just go to the putin and do this run.  This is not a "run."  The Bennett book putin is a suicide mission at best... for a one day trip.

Anyone interested still call me 206-931-6486... I'll give you all the beta I have over a few beers... It will take a while

Trav,

Cool awesome beta, but remember the run can be a punisher and still be one of the those "wish ya didn't" documented runs. Why? So other folks know you have been there and that is what to expect. If you remove it altogether someday someone else will go, hey lets go get that and might well get in over their head, unless they have that helicopter!!!! - Bennett did alot of those and basically says wanna get screwed go check it out. But at least you know not to expect a quality weekend of boating... lol

Are there any drops in the lower part? The canyon looked amazing but I only saw a few smaller rapids on Brett's video.

You have a point James...  I guess I mostly feel guilty for not editing that video to show exactly what's in there...

Then people can decide for themselves...

Depends on how you count canyons... but it puts you at a large flat gravelly section before what will be a portage at the entrance to the canyon with the scary stuff in it...

People have run the top Canyon that goes below the Stevens Canyon bridge...

Then it canyons up, and nobody will run that section alive... very big drops that slam into walls.

Then it opens up and you're at the Bennett putin.

Then it opens up and you're at the zone where we put in for the lower canyon.

Thanks, man.

I'd be happy to do some editing for you. Send me a message and we can work out transferring the footage. That's some crazy water up where you were!

YouTube video
YouTube channel