Professor Paddle: Grays TR

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   Here's a report I wrote up on Sat night for the WRRR board.  Thanks to my kayaking friends for letting me tag along...

I ran the Grays today with 3 kayakers: JP, Brian and Jed. it was friggin

huge! The Naselle gauge was about 1300 while the grays gauge was somewhere

between 2000 and 2500. This is a Class V level. A few years back I got spanked

in the first drop at a level a little bit lower and had to hike out. Last year

I got to run it when the Naselle was at 800. After making it past the first

drop that had me for breakfast years ago I felt pretty good. That first ledge

has either changed or the level Aaron, Morgan, Hunter and i ran it at was in a

different dimension. I was able to take a center left line that was relatively

easy class 5. AFter the first drop the ledges keep coming and once again a

great pace was set with the kayakers. Class V boating with kayakers can be kind

of tricky in big water class 5 but we seemed to have it down pretty good. These

ledges were all at least 4+ and a bit tricky. The beauty of that first canyon

is just amazing. We scouted and ran a few drops and it calmed down a little as

we anticipated Superbowl. When we got there our jaws dropped. It is heinous at

that level!!! 2 terminal holes followed the "ramping" first drop. To the right

at the last ledge is a rock and the rest of the river was nasty terminal

ugliness. JP's first words were, "I'm thinking portage!" We ferried across and

portaged relatively easily over the log pile and down the other side of the huge

rock. I got so much help from the kayakers all day and for that I'm very

thankful. Leaving the eddy I warned about Picnic coming up really quick. The

class "3" lead-in was like a freight train and before I realized it there were 3

kayakers in front of me in dire straits. Each one was about out of control in 3

different spots leading into the crux drop to the right of a big rock. Coming

into the beginning of the rapid I was in awe of the huge holes in front of me. 

I dropped a couple with good angles and the 3rd spun me sideways. Jed was in

some kind of a wierd eddy off to the left while JP was downstream about a boat

length and getting worked. I dropped into his hole sideways. it was about a 6

foot pourover. JP and I took a little ride and I popped out heading straight

for the crux rock. With only one oar I was able to spin my boat at the last

second and line up for the crux drop backwards. From last week's adventure I

have a sound understanding of what vertical means in a cat boat. This time I

put my feet on the bars under my seat and hugged the foot bar. At the bottom my

ass was launched over the seat and i lost the toe bar. My next grab was for

the seat. My seat is trashed and the black border is almost completely off. It

works like a handle. I used the same handle to stay with my boat when I got

spanked on the Grays before. As I grabbed the handle the inside of my knees

caught the bar under the seat and I was able to hang on and get my oars back in.

I was worried about the kayakers but they all came through OK although a little

shaken up. We all agreed those were some of the most stoudt and burly ledges

and holes we had ever run in our lives. We eddied out above Broken Paddle and

decided to portage the first drop. What a beautiful place!!!!! The bottom was

a breeze and we relaxed a little knowing the big water was in our favor now for

the class 2 run out. One squirrelly little rapid caught a kayaker off guard and

he had a little swim. He jumped on the back and we got to his boat where it was

corralled. The rest of the river was a delight as the weather was finally

clearing. We had downpour rain and hail earlier so to have the treat of some

sun was a perfect ending to the trip.

>

> I left Seattle at 6:30AM and got home at 8:30PM.

>

> This is a superb run. It is hard to catch. I would say about 900-1000 on the

Naselle would be my sweet spot for it. Its hard to say with the Grays gauge. I

think maybe around 1500-1700 would be good but I'm not sure how the correlation

would work. The level we were at today would be on the highest side of good

planning a portage of Superbowl. i would like to see what others think of that

rapid at this level. I DID see a line but it was totally committing and tight. 

800 and below on the Naselle will bring this run down a notch but its still a

place where class V boaters will have a much better time than a class IV boater.

I'm not sure its the best place to step up your game as you are really in there

and some of the ledges are pretty hairy. Portaging however isn't too bad for

anything except maybe Picnic.

>

> I'm up for some carpooling Grays action all winter long.