Professor Paddle: Silver Crk NF Sky

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   So this run has been on the list for a long time.  Since I moved to WA in 04 I've heard of the goodness to be found up there.  Then in 06 the fall floods reclaimed the roadbed on the NF and ever since access has been pretty limited.  

With an empty house (B&J gone to Cali),  I took Tuesday to hike a bike around the washouts and ride up the road to Salmon and Silver crks.  Spent the better part of the day poking around sussing out what's where and what's not.  On the hike out I told myself that it will be worth the wait, and that 2013 isn't that far off, since that was the last date I've heard tossed out for the road fix.  

The next morning (Wed) I woke with vague plans to mow the lawn and work on the 'honey to do list.'  Problem was my heart just ached to return back up into the lonely reaches of the NF.  And so with a window of opportunity closing up, I launched off for the long drive up the NF from home (all of 5miles :)   The hike around the washouts to 30 minutes, followed by another 40 minute slog up the road.  I reached the proper put-in for Silver creek around 1:30.  Took slightly over 2hrs for the hike in.  

The level was low  but that was fine as I had never done the run and was alone.  The first falls was a little heady as the seal launch lands in moving current.  The sensation of landing in the bowled out gorge was pretty amazing.  Total committment.  Ran the L side of falls w/o incident.  Continued down to the classic triple drop sequence - Huey, Dewey and Luey.  No wood and good to go....   

The first wood portage is visible from the landslide rapid.  Further down I elected to walk around a steepish drop that had a bit of mank followed immediately by another walk around a small falls that looked to land on rock, but probably would've been fine.  Below this the run flattens out with one last wood portage.  

I reached the confluence around 4:00, just in time for the safety break.   At this point I resigned myself to a flat float down to Trout, having forgotten all about El Nino and Minefield followed by a couple more fun bouldery big water rapids (relatively speaking), making the extra hiking on the road totally worth it.  

All in all the run is a Sky gem.  The best drops are at the top, basically the section from the seal launch to the landslide.  There is some more action above the 'standard' put in, but committment factor goes up as there can be few ways to exit the canyon.

As far as levels are concerned... I did the run on Wed of this last week when the Sky bumped up to 6k on snowmelt.  Wouldn't do it any lower, but the Bennet guide does suggest levels around 3-4k (which would be way low).  Rob said he'd gone in there at 10k on snowmelt yrs back, but that would make it pretty high.  So I'd look for at least 6k as a bottom end depending on how much is coming out of the NF.  

Just as a final note... I dedicated this run in the Spirit and Life of my cousin who was recently killed serving with the Army Rangers in Afganastan while on patrol.  He died doing what he was passionate about, serving in a way few have too, with honor and true grit.  Rest in peace Nathan Cox.  