Professor Paddle: Boulder Drop - New Feature vanlinelogistics.com Seattle Washington (WA) Warehousing & Order Fulfillment vanlinelogistics.com Seattle Washington (WA) Warehousing & Order Fulfillment vanlinelogistics.com Seattle Washington (WA) Commercial Relocation vanlinelogistics.com Warehousing & Order Fulfillment
Professor Paddle Professor Paddle
  RegisterRegister  LoginLogin
Home Calendar Forum FSBO Gallery PPages Reviews Rivers Links
  Active TopicsActive Topics  Display List of Forum MembersMemberlist  Search The ForumSearch
Whitewater Forum
 Professor Paddle : General : Whitewater Forum
Message Icon Topic: Boulder Drop - New Feature Post Reply Post New Topic
Author Message
Nick
Super Looper
Super Looper
Avatar

Joined: 05 Nov 2013
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 182
  Quote Nick Replybullet Topic: Boulder Drop - New Feature
    Posted: 03 Dec 2015 at 10:28am
Skykomish River: Boulder Drop-
   Seems to be a new feature between big and little house. Hugging riv right of little house ( last house rock on river left ) is the cleanest boof or sizable hole depending on flows. Sick/Clean boof around 2200 and heard it's a keeper hole around 3000.
   Personally I have only been in there recently around 2200 and was good to go. Just heard of a few buddies swimming out of it this a.m. around 3000. (Thanks for the beta Klien)
    Just wanting to give a heads up before the weekend. May want to treat eat it like Lunch Hole as far as flows and hug riv left of big house to follow the green tongue and take a gander your first lap. Happy Paddling ! 😜🚣🍻
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
joshcrossman
McNasty
McNasty
Avatar

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 441
  Quote joshcrossman Replybullet Posted: 03 Dec 2015 at 12:35pm
yeah, think i hit that at around 2700 and was a little sticky for sure.
i like it when it rains
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
huckin harms
Master Poster
Master Poster
Avatar

Joined: 03 Nov 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1477
  Quote huckin harms Replybullet Posted: 03 Dec 2015 at 2:26pm
The new and improved version of Boulder Drop. Another change I noticed, albeit slightly more subtle, the Needle is different, I think something shifted or tilted. The boil behind Paul's gives up more of a mystery move at higher flows. Also noticed changes to the rock along the Mercy line. And it's probably just me, but it seems like the flow has channelized more in some places by the remade boulder bars, making those parts feel like 'higher' flows than prior to flood(ie. Lunch Hole). Other spots are wider and flatter (ie. NF Sky).
BTW, on another note, spoke to a County road person, and word is that Upper Nf will likely be inaccessible until repairs to road can be made sometime next Spring/Summer. Significant slide debris near Troublesome. The plan to fix road washout at Trout is still a 'go', starting Fall 2016. Hopefully that happens!
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
megspk
Big Boofer
Big Boofer
Avatar

Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 580
  Quote megspk Replybullet Posted: 03 Dec 2015 at 3:00pm
I've got a good photo of BD, but I'm not sure how to post them on here!
“A strong person and a waterfall always channel their own path.” -Unknown

IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
megspk
Big Boofer
Big Boofer
Avatar

Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 580
  Quote megspk Replybullet Posted: 03 Dec 2015 at 10:13pm
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=795019190007&l=a21091aceb
“A strong person and a waterfall always channel their own path.” -Unknown

IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
turtlepower
Rock Bumper
Rock Bumper
Avatar

Joined: 18 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 38
  Quote turtlepower Replybullet Posted: 04 Dec 2015 at 6:45am
Yup, had my first swim in quite awhile in that little bugger, not really sure if it's keeper at 3k, it definitely trashed me but I also didn't take any sort of boof stoke. Thought I was just on a wave until I crested over and realized I was dropping in. I felt a bit better about my skills when I popped up for air and noticed my buddy swimming out of it too ha! I'll head back out at similar flows and try again with a breath of air and a boof and see what happens.
You've been Chunderstruck!
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
mikefromTX
Paddler
Paddler
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 61
  Quote mikefromTX Replybullet Posted: 04 Dec 2015 at 11:09am
Yup....Matt and I pulled the ol dual surf to swim move. Team freestyle at its best. Seriously though, it's no big deal to go around by taking the seam just to RL of big house. If you had no idea what was coming like Matt and I, you can be in for a beatdown. For the record, the hole will hold 2 boats simultaneously lol. I'm sure it's boofable, or you can fight out of it, but when you think it's a wave and plug it, your going for a ride around d 3k.
Mike Smith
425-422-5923
"Inspirational Quote" -Smart Guy
IP IP Logged Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 04 Dec 2015 at 8:55pm
I went and checked it out last time I was up there after yall put on. I think it was supposed to be reading in the 6,000 range but looked more seven-ish at the Picketts and at the House rocks, and the trunk of current that flows between the two House Rocks looked distinctly different. The Little House Latteral didn't have as beefy of a foam pile like it used to.

by "Boulder Bars" I am assuming you mean the Picket Fencd, huh Harms?

My interpretation of what I saw echoes what you are saying and to further describe it I think what we are talking about here is fresh Gravel Deposits filling in the bubble pool. Think about it: three sizable spikes that close together with a big one at the end...

That Picket Fence is a gravel catcher and the Bubble Pool (yeah kids these are Proper Names) is filled in more. Same w/ the area right above the House Rocks, or, more specificlyy the areas just above the House Rocks but off to the sides- those eddies on either side could have more deposition, which could effect the main trunk through there and the shape of whats on the surface.

As far as your observations, Nick, it could be the The Dog House has shifted. That's the big polished granite rock that sits deep below the surface between the House Rocks.its submerged till E.L.F. flows. It splits the channel around 1000cfs I wanna say.

Well that settles it. I know where I'm boatin tomorrow!
Some Gnomes got lost in the woods and popped out in the Sky drainage!

Ha!!
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 04 Dec 2015 at 8:57pm
Originally posted by turtlepower

Yup, had my first swim in quite awhile...ha! I'll head back out at similar flows and try again with a breath of air and a boof and see what happens.


Now that's the spirit!!
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 6:27pm
Harms, it definitely is not just you- several of the rapids from the confluence to BDrop look noticably different. I put on at Cable Drop and didnt notice much different but others I was with noticed changes.The first rapid below the confluence his a much more defined v-shape to the channel cut through the gravel bar. Not as wide and spread out.

Then that rapid where you can Butter Your Biscuit it way different, but I only checked out the far R. Right side up against the clay wall left behind from Glacial Lake Skykomish. That sweet boof over there is not as much of a pour over kicker. More of a dull ledge boof now. The rock looks to either have fresh gravel piling up in front of it, or filling in the eddy behind it or possibly both. But the aspect of the rock hasnt changed. The crown looks the same. Its just buried. Then just below there is a SWEET SURF WAVE where the current rejoins the left channel and continues toward Anderson Hole...

Anderson Hole: The sweet Right-To-Left Boof-To-S-Turn move is rowdier (therefore still fun, more challenging). Again the eddy in the middle seemes filled in w/ sediment or gravel.

I took the Raft Entrance at Bdrop, got a sweet boof @ Paul's (a favorite of mine lately) and they seemed more or less the same, the entrance maybe felt beefed up for 3,000cfs or whatev.

The surface currents between the Picket Fence and the House Rocks were shaggy with less glassy greenwater spaces,and the eddies in there are less pooled up considering its only 3k cfs- more signs of fresh deposition.

I stayed left of the hole everyone is talkin about. I'm not sure if that's caused by Dog House Rock or not.I gave it a peak as I went by. Didnt look like a "keeper". Might be "retentive" (holds a boat w/ a paddler in it but usually flushes a swimmer and empty boat) but I doubt its a "keeper" (described to me as a kid to mean it will not let you or your boat go once you are both swimming in the hole). Anyway there might be another rock in there causing it besides the Dog House. Dog House Rock is only out of the water in late August/Sept.

Regardless, these changes will effect the highwater Commercial Rafting game @ Bdrop. You want a real adventure, guide a few busloads of Tech Industry Sheeple through there. It will make kayaking Bdrop from 7-12k seem pretty damn easy. But rafting Bdrop just got way more interesting. Needle and Ned's look different too.

Lunch Hole proper looked like a steep, deep round pit. Could be my imagination but it looks beefed up and mean. It still looks like an honest "Keeper" at today's flow. Split Rock Wave had a nice tuft of a foam pile and a dished out, glassy smooth trough. Wished I had a playboat. I should stash one there in the woods and swap it out when I get there.

So to better understand these changes I have contacted someone I know who works for the dept. Of Fish and Wildlife, believe it or not. He said that there are three or four clans of Robe Gnomes who are believed to be native to the Sky Valley. Apparently, they have launched some sort of re-introduction of Robe Gnomes to the Sky Valley. According to Tom O'Keefe, AW wasn't informed and that's bullsh*t! It's controversial among some of the Robe Gnomes who believe this is just the latest attempt to displace gnomes from areas rich in platinum and other precious metal deposits. Small mining claims have always plagued the gnomes ever since the U.S. broke treaty rights signed in 1905 by Barlow himself. Why do you think the Gnomes destroyed the Monte Cristo Railroad? Sorry I guess this is getting off topic.

🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
turtlepower
Rock Bumper
Rock Bumper
Avatar

Joined: 18 Jul 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 38
  Quote turtlepower Replybullet Posted: 05 Dec 2015 at 11:10pm
I don't know about Lunch hole, I think she might have gotten soft. I watched Dave get his rockarolla face on and drop in but she couldn't handle the metal he brought to the club & she spit him right out.

Edited by turtlepower - 05 Dec 2015 at 11:26pm
You've been Chunderstruck!
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
kevinh
McNasty
McNasty


Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 304
  Quote kevinh Replybullet Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 12:04am
I was out there today and I swear every rapid is different! Real quick, what is "Paul's?" I can't be the only one guessing...
Anyways did anyone run neds today? It looks like a rock shifted in the landing, and there was water spraying up on the RR of the landing. Still looked like you could drive out far on the rock, but I didn't try.
IP IP Logged Send Private Message
water wacko
Master Poster
Master Poster
Avatar
Team Jackson

Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2137
  Quote water wacko Replybullet Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 4:09am
Paul's Needle is a boof that is between the Needleand the Mercy Chute.
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
mikefromTX
Paddler
Paddler
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jun 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 61
  Quote mikefromTX Replybullet Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 5:49am
Ive run Ned's post flood aND didn't notice any change. Doesn't mean there isn't a minute change I didn't catch, though.
Mike Smith
425-422-5923
"Inspirational Quote" -Smart Guy
IP IP Logged Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 06 Dec 2015 at 10:16am
Originally posted by kevinh

I was out there today and I swear every rapid is different! Real quick, what is "Paul's?" I can't be the only one guessing...
Anyways did anyone run neds today? It looks like a rock shifted in the landing, and there was water spraying up on the RR of the landing. Still looked like you could drive out far on the rock, but I didn't try.


Nice. Yeah your description of the landing @ Ned's matches what I observed from the eddy behind Paul's Needle.

Dude, Paul's Needle is the bext slot over to the R. Right of The Needle like brett said. It is not a stout boof below 5k but it is a classic steep creek boof like you'd find on FITWah- nice Left-to-Right drive off of a cute 'lil flake. Nice 4' old fashioned Pancake Boof.

Around 6,000 though it starts to fatten up. The foam pile in the landing starts to become more of a standing hole. The whole zome is made up of a cluster of odd rocks, so at varying flows Paul's changes itself up a lot more than the other Needles do, which scale up and remain the same shape. Paul's can trip you up if you catch it at the wrong flow with the wrong plan of attack.

Thats one of the reasons I like it. Another important reason its way cool: it is a great sequence to tack onto if you enter Bdrop Far Far R. Left at the very top. Thread around that terrace, aiming toward the Bubble Pool and the R. Right bank...when you run the rock garden it spits you out into the Bubble Pool and aims you right at Paul's. Its pretty much like running an entirely different rapid if you do this. Try it- as my Raft Guide Brotha Lars would say,

"It's Fun"
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 1:27pm
Breaking News. This Just in...

Unless we get yet another monster flood, it looks like we'll be sharing Bdrop with a new resident of the Dead Ent variety. Yup it seems as though a huge tree managed to park itself on one of the largest Center Left boulders at the top. Its in the grain of the current though, so unless it collects more wood I doubt it will shut down any kayaker lines. Hard to say exactly where and how it is hung up because I was fortunate to be able to spy it from about 1000-1500' up in the uh...sky (more on that
Later).

Stay tuned Im going to go up n look at it and flesh out details further. Possibly gonna shut down airplane turn for rafts, so maybe for kayaks too but I doubt it.

I suppose it could shake n shimmy loose as the river drops- most likely what will happen
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 1:47pm
Ok probably a bit alarmist- lookin at the crappy photo i got, it looks like that tree will likely be way out of play at normal flows. It might choke up the Sunset Slot though (ask Harms if you don't know where that is). We'll see damn Mama Sky is a Powerful and Mighty Godess! We gotta honor her by showing up next tuesday mornin in Everett.
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 6:12pm
Well its fun to be alarmist. But FEAR NOT!!

THE NEW WOOD IS NOT IN PLAY

or most likely not for most boaters in most circumstances. In the upper left corner of Bdrop is a section most boaters never venture into. I refer to it as the Boulder Terrace, because a band of furniture sized boulders backs up that pool on the left. Its raised about three to five feet above The Bubble Pool.

Two large andesite boulders sit just off the r. Left bank and between them lies the much neglected "Sunset Slot". Ask Harms about it- he likes that line (so do I- I say its been good from 4,000-8,000, at least thats the range Ive explored it)

Anyhow the rootball is perched way up onto the left boulder. Looks like the downstream end may intrude into the Airplane Turn Eddy. I bet if it encroaches on the eddy it will still remain serviceable. As far as the main current Airplane Turn I doubt it will be effected. The raft line should be fine.
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
jP
Rio Banditos
Rio Banditos
Avatar
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !

Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
  Quote jP Replybullet Posted: 09 Dec 2015 at 6:16pm
That left side looked good to go at 49,000cfs today. It has cleaned up substantially! Wood used to be stuffed all up through what us Sky guides at Alpine called "the Enchanted Forest". Not much forest left there- floods stripped it pretty clean.

Too early to start settling into the "New Bdrop" I guess, haha
🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
franzhorner
PP Junkie
PP Junkie
Avatar
outdoors music woodwork

Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 751
  Quote franzhorner Replybullet Posted: 10 Dec 2015 at 9:28am
I've known the left side of the entrance to be called the 'Lemming Chute'.
MORE RAIN PLEASE
IP IP Logged Send Private Message Send Private Message
Post Reply Post New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum