Upper Mashel
Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com
Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11773
Printed Date: 18 Apr 2024 at 2:14am
Topic: Upper Mashel
Posted By: fiddleyak
Subject: Upper Mashel
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 8:43am
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AMcEwan and I ran the Upper Mashel a couple weeks ago. At 900 cfs the run is Class IV-IV+. It's continuous but not too pushy. All of the drops were filled in but the holes were maneagable. The run was surprisingly high quality, with many fun sections and very little mank. It reminded me of Pilchuck Creek with more canyon sections.
Wood was not too bad although there were some tight eddies above some of the rapids. Much of the river is within a privately-managed timber reserve, but the hike into Busy Wild Creek was not nearly as bad as expected and you can park on public land. Takeout is at a bridge. John Whaley is the only person I've met who has done the run, in the 80s! This river is worth getting on, I'd be stoked to hear of more crews taking advantage of it. JP, this is in your backyard, you would like it. Here's a video I spliced together of my footage. It includes all of the harder drops, in order. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4Zg9JnoX8&feature=youtu.be <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zP4Zg9JnoX8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
Replies:
Posted By: dave
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 9:23am
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John Almquist used to run that run back in the day. All the roads used to be open back then. I have run the section below the upper a few times and it was always a fun little class III section, but hard to get on because you need fresh rain fall to bring it up and always wood here and there to be wary of.
------------- Nomad |
Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 10:10am
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Always wanted to do this run, cool to see someone else get on it. ------------- The line will become apparent 978-273-7723 |
Posted By: tiziak
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 3:54pm
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Sweet! ------------- If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there. Daniel Patrinellis 360.434.4616 |
Posted By: BRoss
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 6:35pm
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that looks like a great find. so, you think 800 on the mashell gauge is a minimum for the run? ------------- "That boated a lot better than it looked." "It always does until it doesn't." |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 6:54pm
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Yeah its been on the list, I just didn't prioritize it because there's so many "tried and true" quality runs around, and I'm getting tired of some of the lackluster Washington Skunks I've discovered. I don't know how many more I really need to see.
But, Jed- we need to get Mr. Shelby and assemble a "J" team power trio. The forcast spike keeps shrinking everytime it is revised this week, but I'd do it this weekend if it was in. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 6:56pm
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sh*t, its,in right now! ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: septimus prime
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 6:52am
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Yeah, I am in for this weekend. The TO is an 1 and 10 minutes from the house. It would be nice to find the south sound Pilchuck as I have a hard time getting that far north anymore for the flash flood goodies. Just have to be back for my Chris Isaak show on Sunday night in Shelton. ------------- Jon Shell Bee |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 7:00am
| Make it SAT and you can add another J to the J team. I can go anytime sat but sunday I am booked up. Plus the TO is only 1 hour and 8 minutes from my house. |
Posted By: septimus prime
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 8:06am
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Lets do it Saturday! Jp? Hawkes? Anyone?
------------- Jon Shell Bee |
Posted By: fiddleyak
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 8:30am
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The run should be tolerable down to 500-600 but personally I think it's worth waiting for 800-1000.
I brought along a handheld-topo-GPS. It turned out to be essential to finding the putin. You want to start hiking from the end of Busy Wild Road. I wrote some mileage when we were leaving, no guarantee on accuracy; (miles are total mileage from Alder Cutoff) From Alder Cutoff Rd L 7. Stay on 706 11.3 miles L 92 RD before Ashford 11.8 pavement ends 12.7 pass gate on L 14 pass gate on R 14.4 L 14.5 R (from here stay on main road don't take any spurs) 16.4 pass road on R 19 end at clearing at top of hill. Hike down opposite side of clearing down to river. Be careful not to hike off west side of ridge into Beaver Creek. At some point we met up with a road and followed that left, downriver for a bit. Then we took a right which dead-ended and we bushwacked down to BW Creek not far above the confluence with the Mashel. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 9:47am
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Just a little something to watch for. http://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=e9d0b0d0615b1f9a&hl=en&gl=US - http://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=e9d0b0d0615b1f9a&hl=en&gl=US http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.84516443029276&lon=-122.09381103515625&site=sew&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text - http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=46.84516443029276&lon=-122.09381103515625&site=sew&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text Could mean lower levels and a requirement for hot cocoa at the putin |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 9:57am
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Next just for discussion sake. And this question is for Ben or anyone that has been on these roads recently. Here is the route to the putin as Ben has described. (correct me if I am wrong ben) http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=State+Route+706&daddr=Busy+Wild+Rd%2FSf+1142+Rd&hl=en&ll=46.817683,-122.098446&spn=0.088339,0.135956&sll=46.826786,-122.113981&sspn=0.044162,0.067978&geocode=FTByyQIdgGy5-A%3BFUqNygIdZ5i4-A&t=p&mra=mift&mrsp=1&sz=14&num=10&z=13 - Google Map Route of Bens directions off the National Park Hwy And now here is another map of what would seem to be a more direct route with closer access to the Mashel. The question for ben would be did you try this route, or do you know if it would or would not work? http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Alder+Cutoff+Rd+E&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&ll=46.856552,-122.255001&spn=0.044137,0.067978&sll=46.864152,-122.252212&sspn=0.011033,0.016994&geocode=FdAUywIddJO2-A%3BFUXGygIdc3u4-A&t=h&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=16&z=14 - Google Map Route from Eatonville via Alder Cut off road |
Posted By: fiddleyak
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 10:03am
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I believe the road off Alder Cutoff you have routed is gated. Can't remember for sure though.
There very well could be an easier was to get to putin. The area did not seem to be nearly as regulated as the Puyallup/Snoqualmie zones. Basically, we weren't trying to spend all day finding the best putin so we went in the way that looked like it crossed the least private property. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 10:19am
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I think I found the gate on the Bing maps that would pose the problem. http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=46.85057710236836%7E-122.22060443050657&lvl=19&dir=0&sty=h&where1=46.842403%2C%20-122.185055&form=LMLTCC">  |
Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 11:28am
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yeah buddy ------------- The line will become apparent 978-273-7723 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 12:36pm
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Sweet. Have to monitor flows (looks a bit high at the moment), but I'm down for saturday. Gotta say though I probably shouldn't be conducting this discussion openly online. The reason being, four people is enough for this run.
After that anyone else interested needs to organize their own trip. It just gets too crowded on runs like that with too many people, and I'd rather enjoy the run with the people I make plans with rather than be crowded. But yeah: Jon, Jed, and James I am down for saturday. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: water wacko
Date Posted: 15 Mar 2012 at 6:41pm
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I'm down for a debacle. ------------- "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 |
Posted By: dave
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2012 at 2:22pm
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I have 5 people that are going to join your group...what am I going to tell them now??? ------------- Nomad |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2012 at 2:45pm
| Just let them know to meet us at the take out around 3-4 in the afternoon. Beers would be nice but they are more than welcome to bring other snacks to, I am sure JP will be hungry. |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2012 at 10:31pm
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Hey, as long as their names all start with a "J". Sorry Bret, we all know your name ain't Jackson. Jeremy can come though.
Ha! Just kiddin around. Or, as the colloquialism goes: "half joking" - I love boating with everyone (yes, even you, Dave) --just not at the same time. Its lookin like it'll be too high now, and or have too much snow to hike through. Prolly just end up on the Green. It is St. Patty's on the morrow, me lads and lasses, and what better run for a Leprechaun such as me self. Who knows... ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 6:39pm
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Originally posted by water wacko
I'm down for a debacle. This wouldn't have been the trip for that. No Debacles today on the Upper Mash. Stellar crew. Ben, thanks for the tip- worth the effort gettin in there, and worth the 3 or 4 woody portages. Andrew- thanks for writing up a river page for this run. Very sucinct. Although it may get fleshed out a teensy bit 
Though I gotta say: this run took all day. Very rewarding though. Maybe 10 to a dozen notable, defined rapids with some powerful if simple drops, a few of which could offer beat downs if a boat got off line. Now, Jed couldn't make it  .
But we did fill the slot for our fourth boat. Jon, James and I also had to loosen our criteria for another "J". But we're glad because our fourth boat contained a T and a K. So I guess they got the first Raft Decent of the Upper Mashel. Who knows? Time will tell. Maybe the last raft decent unless they go back fast. We all agreed we likely could, but that's highly contingent on additional wood. So those chompin to go explore it best get after it while the gettin is good. 
Now that's about it from me. The last thing PPeeps want is more of the world according to jP. I'm gonna hang back and let the other members of today's crew spew about the splenders we found in there. More views can better paint a picture of this surprisingly nice semi-local exploratory GEM of a run... ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: fiddleyak
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 7:44pm
| Nice work! |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 7:52pm
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Thanks, Ben! We were stoked to have the opptimistic outlook that we'd find some quality in there. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 8:51pm
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Thanks Ben & Andrew 4 Sho. Had it not been for the enticing footy I probably would not have invested (what I consider rare) time into the trip. I am glad I did. I will enjoy helping flesh out the river description. But to recap it here. The putin hike was well.... a slog much a kin to a big brother version of the upper sultan. I grabbed a nice handful of devils club which might be why it stands out in my mind. None the less worth of the effort, I would say this blows the upper sultan out of the water in terms of boating quality. I am really surprised that this has not been boated more. The drops are quality, not overly complex but encompass the characteristics one desires in more difficult whitewater. Boofs, Clean Angles, Some Holes and an plethora of fun little eddies and moves to fill the day. Highlight: Watching an R2 crew maneuver an inflated raft through some wicked tight forest down a steep ass hill. And finish it off with portages that make rafting seem simple on tight creeks. Low point: Finding Mud Balls thrown on my windshield. At first I thought Maybe Brad had found my van back in the woods and since I did not show up for the st. pattys day jog he threw mud all over my van, but as luck would have it I think some locals tossed a few mud balls my way to let us know that no trip is complete without a little effort up front and in the tail end. Over all, Very glad I got out there, I doubt that run will maintain it's relative wood free status long. |
Posted By: septimus prime
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2012 at 10:28pm
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I have a new crush and her name is Mashel. Great day. New back yard run and Chris Isaak in a shelton casino. I some how made it to Shelton from South Hill is 30 minutes and only missed two songs.
Nutty P, tell me you dont know this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAOxCqSxRD0 ------------- Jon Shell Bee |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 7:20am
| Yep I remember who he is now. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 3:44pm
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Dang look at that river page now. http://professorpaddle.com/rivers/riverdetails.asp?riverid=4576 - http://professorpaddle.com/rivers/riverdetails.asp?riverid=4576 Ben and Andrew, thanks again for sharing the beta. We all agreed that if this run had better access to the putin it would probably be a classic for our region. Regardless I can see it getting done quite frequently as long as it is not choked with wood. Oh and feel free to change the names of the drops/rapids, I am not trying to name them just getting them listed so you or someone else can get that done. Everyone knows we don't need another Triple Drop or S-Turn in this state. |
Posted By: dave
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 5:11pm
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You might want to add that there is a lower run below the railroad tressel canyon. It is a class II-III run with a nice little classIII+ gorge to finish the run and is about another 4 miles of river.
I have run the lower section many times, it is an interesting little river. ------------- Nomad |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 5:16pm
| There is a run listed in the database for that section already. But what your missing out on here is that there is a nice 2-4 miles of superb class III above that railroad trestle too. |
Posted By: TomMarley
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 6:18pm
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http://youtu.be/bkoI2FVETiE - Video from March 18, 2012
I posted the file in the gallery, but then I uploaded the full res to youtube. ------------- I do not conquer that which is my partner. |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2012 at 6:32pm
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Originally posted by James
I grabbed a nice handful of devils club So, all day today my nose has hurt. I've been massaging it asking myself "why does my nose hurt?" Then I read your comment and remembered. Right around the time you grabbed the Devils Club and yelled, my boat came down on a fat tree limb that then smacked me in the head. I jerked away from it and somehow by shifting my weight a fat stalk of the Devils Club sprang up and smacked me hard in the nose. I see why they call it a club now. Ouch! ---cool little video, Tom! ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2012 at 7:05am
| Nice video Tom. Thanks for taking the time to compile that! |
Posted By: fiddleyak
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2012 at 9:54am
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It's really cool you guys had so much fun and like the run so much.
Have at it as far as naming the rapids, that's never been one of my specialties. |