New Trinity Wave on the Wenatchee?
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Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12137
Printed Date: 17 Sep 2025 at 12:07pm
Topic: New Trinity Wave on the Wenatchee?
Posted By: riverfanatik
Subject: New Trinity Wave on the Wenatchee?
Date Posted: 03 Jun 2012 at 10:13pm
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I know all the kayakers have been mourning the loss of Trinity Wave at Drunkard's Drop due to the new boulder, but I was guiding (noncommercial) on the Wenatchee today at 12,900 cfs and there was a new feature in drunkard's to the right of the standard line at the bottom. It was a BIG, beautiful wave with easy eddy service that looks perfect for park and play surfing. Does this feature I have a name yet and has anyone tried surfing it?
I know it's not where Trinity used to be, nor where Neo used to be, and I also heard a rumor it wasn't even there yesterday (at the same cfs). |
Replies:
Posted By: pottert
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 1:45am
| Jumped in that baby today and it is way bigger than it looks once you roll over the drop in wave. Super powerful wave though with a real steep face. Didn't check out the eddy service as it was an on the fly surf but judging by its position I could see that being pretty accessible. |
Posted By: huckin harms
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 7:02am
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surfed it on Saturday @12,800. The surfers left shoulder is pretty darn dynamic as it collapses on surges. As said above, steep face and very fast. I'd say it was always there but only came 'in' when river got above 16k or so, but it seems different now. My guess is all the water being rerouted do to the new rock feature makes this wave more available. its a rowdy surf and dropped me on my head second go at it.
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Posted By: TomMarley
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 7:09am
Yea, that bottom right wave in Drunkard's is notorious for flipping rafts that try to skirt the rapid too far right at higher flows (I agree with Harms that it seems to come out at slightly lower flows now). They think they're getting away from all the big stuff, then WHAM!  "Where'd the hell did THAT come from!?"
Sometimes we call it "granny flipper," but I'm sure there's a more official name. That rock is definitely pushing more water to the right. It'll be interesting to see how that corner changes over the next few years. |
Posted By: Mr.Grinch
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 7:21am
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Surfed it on Saturday afternoon, on the fly. I agree there probably is eddy service, but you don't want to get flushed too far down stream, and you'll have to work for it a little bit. Super fun surf, though, lots of speed. ------------- nnln. |
Posted By: Dale
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 8:15am
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When we passed through mid afternoon Saturday, it was big and chaotic, building and crashing. Mr Grinch had a great ride on it, riding the buildup and crash several times, until traffic intervened.
On Sunday, it was probably a bit after one when we passed through and it was big, smooth and stable looking. |
Posted By: riverfanatik
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 8:43am
| Funny, I was a boat of guests that had flipped earlier in Boulder Bend, so they were a bit shaken up. I tried to skirt most of drunkard's to the right, and I saw that coming and it was BIG. Luckily, my boat was full of big strong guys who were able to punch through (fun!!!), but it could have gone bad with a different crew. |
Posted By: H2Ohta
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 9:20am
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That's "Last Chance" Wave y'all ------------- H2Ohta |
Posted By: FLUID
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 10:04am
| Good call Ohta !! that has been there for years around those flows....... |
Posted By: NateW
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 3:15pm
| Somewhat off topic but I didn't want to start a thread. What was the cause of the big bump this weekend? Was it the rain up at Stevens? The temps didn't seem to change all that much up there. |
Posted By: H2Ohta
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 5:03pm
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Rain from Lk Wenatchee to Stevens. It's likely going to bump up again after the next couple days... ------------- H2Ohta |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2012 at 9:35pm
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Originally posted by TomMarley
It'll be interesting to see how that corner changes over the next few years. No doubt. Sandstone is so shapeable as it is. Combine that trait w/ some crumbly rubble that fell from high up and its hard to forsee how that rapid will get scuplted in just a few seasons. I imagine there could be stress fractures in "Drunkard's Rock" from its tumble, and little chunks could get broken off or worn away in a short time period. This could change the rapid in subtle or obvious ways. Not only the direction that the current gets diverted toward the right, but the shapes of the current as well as the uh-- time signature, to borrow from music theory. And "Last Chance" wave will probably end up being the gauge for these changes. That small rubble to the left of the rock will likely shift during flow spikes above 14k. Interesting for sure. Its going to be a very dynamic rapid for some time to come. I've only been through there once this season and I really look forward to it in the days ahead. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |