Correction: we hauled the raft up in about 8 hours and rafted out in 4.5

Yes we rafted the Gates and took out at the top of the lake. A ranger met us at the top of the takeout trail and told us we had just passed through a closed area, for which we could receive a federal citation. He let us go with a written warning and a full explanation of the closure. They don't want people down in the old reservoir for any reason because the river is still cutting down through the sediment (looks like NW Lake but bigger) and they don't want to risk people heading downstream toward the dam where they would likely need rescued. There are no eddies in the old lake section.

Awesome, sounds like a sweet run. There were some guys out at Olympic Raft and Kayak who headed up to the headwaters for about a week to film the river, but they weren't able to run the Grand Canyon or Rika because only one was a real boater and some plans fell through.

I do believe that i the case, Adam. I talked to Jeremy who was on the trip and he confirmed that nasty little detail. That area's gonna be shut down for three years so the new plantings can grow. Maybe as the area becomes more stable they'll let us back in early??

Pics?

Easy, Slick- that's just the stuff coming out of my public relations department. Don't blow my cover.

Actually, for some reason I do feel compelled to comply, and I guess its because they facillitated and achieved the dam removals. So if they require 3 years or so of cooperation from us boaters I figure its the least we could do. How greedy do we need to be in a state litterally jam packed full of every type of whitewater a boater could want year round?

Yellowstone on the other hand: I say keep that sh*t Illegal, KEEP OUT all the law abiding people WHO WILL need to be rescued, and leave some good forbidden fruit for those who really want it.