Tilton Sat/Sun
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=11643
Printed Date: 17 Sep 2025 at 2:25am
Topic: Tilton Sat/Sun
Posted By: BIGWATER
Subject: Tilton Sat/Sun
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 8:51pm
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welp flows will be good so im gona go get my Tilt-on again this weekend, hopen it drops to 1200 for some playhole action !!
Chris at three 6 zero 867 one nine two one
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Replies:
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 10:35pm
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Hmm. Gotta say I may go back again. My buddy mike ran it with me, Cindy, and Travisimo last fall. Mike may want to go back.
Hell, I may even ~gasp!~ bring a playboat. Sure loved the double barrel Arrogant Bastard capability, tho! But then again, the down river chili on the go turned out to not be such a good idea. Goin through one of the steepest drops on the run. Anyway, sunday would be the day if I was gonna go full Tilt. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: Mr.Grinch
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 11:06pm
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I think I might be possibly able to maybe go Saturday. Still figuring out what's going on. If the play will be good on Saturday, I may do that, and hit Sky Sunday.......
Decisions, decisions. Maybe I'll just contemplate it all so much I get neurotic and end up trying to go hang gliding off the roof with some bedsheets and downed tree limbs, while wearing a bathmat and shopping bags (plastic, light and low drag). At least I've already got a helmet. |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2012 at 11:27pm
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Yo Chris- If I venture down that way again, it'll likely be the Tilton on sunday. But, maybe you can drop some beta about the Toutle? Only paddled that once. PP has 3000 as an upper end recommended flow. Is that right? Doesn't seem right. My river log entry from 11/8/2009 states that the flow was 2360cfs. I remember it to be a medium flow.
While it seemed like fairly powerful class III and III+, if I recall there were still boney spots where the flow spread out wide. But my memory is fuzzy. Seems like that run would be good much higher since it isn't very steep. "Tempest in a Teapot": are those large boulders on R. Right undercut? Looked ugly over there when I was there. I just wonder what you know about it. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 8:59am
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first , Grinch the play is always good on the Tilton, difrent stuff at difrent levels...last weekend at around 2000 we had many great waves to surf (waterfall wave seemed to be a crowd pleaser) .... this weekend i think we will be in a good range for the playhole
second, jP the Toutle is another south WA clasic with some nice play spots , very difrent then the Tilton tho ... its a much larger river with 3 distinct sections....the rapids at the start are big boulder gardens (tempest in a teapot being one of them, i dont think its to undercut there but there is a large hole right next to the one house sized boulder that can give a good beatdown at some flows)... then the flats, braided class 2 (2 or 3 miles, can seem much longer on a cold wet day and some of the chanels get shallow) ... then Hollywood Gorge, wich is a canyon with some nice rapids and play, the big horizon line is Hollywood (the one class 4ish drop), its easy to scout and walk on the right ... there is a nice set of waves on river left just above the takeout that can be some good soul surfing at some flows, seems to change year to year
it is possible to do just Hollywood Gorge and cut out all the flats for a shorter run, but then ya miss the rapids at the start , i do this sometimes for a solo run since its a nice short bike shuttle
as far as flows i have run it from 800 to 15,000+ (at 800 we just did Hollwood)... but i would say a good range is more like 1500 to 4000....its still good to go at the high flows but the play washes out ...but one time at around 10,000 we found a epic wave in Hollwood
this run is unlike any in WA since it took the brunt of the Mnt Saint Hellens eruption, a huge mud flow went down it and torn out every bridge and totaly changed the river, you can still see bridge beams twisted around rocks like tin foil , and if you look for it you will see the mud line on the canyon walls and trees about 70 feet above water level in the canyon from mud flow ... also the water is a creamy grey color from all the volcanic ash still in the river system, that water seems to have more push and some say its hard to read because you cant see rocks or how deep it is (the one time i did it at 800 the water was actulay kinda clear)
another thing is that this run will hold water for a long long time, there is a sediment dam upstream from the run that seems to buffer the flow out , watch the flow on this run,most of the time it will still have water long after the Tilton or other WA rivers have droped to low
i havent been on it yet this season so i dont know about wood, but generaly this run is wood free since alot of it got striped clean from the mud flow, i have seen wood in the first boulder garden sections from time to time tho
this is also a great raft run since its so wide open and usealy has lots of water, i love haven a raft to get into for the flats and chill and drink a beer
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Posted By: BRoss
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 10:24am
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Nice description of the Toutle. Maybe could add it to the river page? ------------- "That boated a lot better than it looked." "It always does until it doesn't." |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 11:04am
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Yeah, Chris- if you wanna splice some of that into the Toutle Page, that's cool- otherwise one of these eves I'll cut n paste some of it in myself. Thanks for fleshing out some details especially flow ranges. If I went I'd be leading someone down probably, so for that reason I like doin a little homework. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: cfarmer
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 2:22pm
| Sunday tilton would be sweet! |
Posted By: GHannam
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 2:35pm
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Oh man, I can only go on Saturday... I'm sailing on Sunday!
Anyone planning on going tomorrow? If so I'd consider going with a carpool!
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Posted By: jella
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 3:00pm
On Sunday what time will you be going?
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Posted By: Dirty
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 4:20pm
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Saturday would be better for me, plus it might be getting a bit low on sunday. I'm in Seattle and would be interested in carpooling down there. Aaron |
Posted By: GHannam
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 4:30pm
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Mr. Grinch, and Dirty-- you up for a run tomorrow? I'm in Seattle and definitely want to carpool. Mr. Grinch, we could meet you at a P&R further South? BIGWATER & jP-- you up for a run?? Come on!! Dirty, have you done this run before? I ran it first time last weekend and I'd like to have at least one person present who is familiar with the run and the lines; I may need reminders of the rapids... |
Posted By: Mr.Grinch
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 5:30pm
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I'm pretty damn interested. My bathmat isn't fitting right, anyway.
Only problem with me is my dog, this trip is long enough and it is too nice outside to make him sit inside all day. If that's cool, I'm cool. |
Posted By: Dirty
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 5:34pm
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GHannam - I've done the run once before, but it has been a while. I would also prefer to have someone along who has done the run a bit more than I have. What are you thinking for a time/place to meet in the morning? |
Posted By: nelsonwoods
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 5:48pm
| i have to work tomorrow, 9 am to 9 am, but would like to try and get out on sunday if anyone wants to do it again then? |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 5:51pm
looks like we got a crew for sat and sun , John is gona meet us at the take out on sat. and probably sun also... looks like great flows and sunshine 
so if there is room i would love to jump in a car at olympia, if not i can drive down solo
or maby someone can meet me in Oly and we can take my van down
just trying to save gas money
Chris at three 6 zero 867 one nine two one
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Posted By: nelsonwoods
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 5:53pm
| i will be on jblm until 9 am. i have no problem carpooling down from there. |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 6:05pm
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oh forgot to say ...im happy to show people lines and playspots on the Tilton (bout all im good for) ill be running it sat and sun ... flows should still be above 900 on Sun , wich is a great low play level carpool would be nice
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Posted By: cfarmer
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 7:03pm
| Count me IN for Sunday!!! Carpool--John and Chris? |
Posted By: nelsonwoods
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 7:23pm
| what time are we meeting? |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 7:32pm
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this is getting confusing .. i should have started two threads one for sat , one for sun Cindy ill call you on sat night or sun morning, maby i can meet ya at higeway 12 ..... John will be meeting us at the takeout since he lives 20 mins away nelson, you boating sat or sun ? hard to tell from the posts best to just call me Chris at three 6 zero 867 one nine two one (this is a land line, no text messages) |
Posted By: Dirty
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 7:42pm
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For folks that want to go Saturday, I'll be at the 65th st park and ride @8:30am. I can only fit one additional boat + person in my small truck, but I'm happy to drive or throw my stuff in with someone else. If that time/place doesn't work let me know. Chris - Does that sound good time wise to you? Where would you like to meet in Oly? Aaron 360-430-4887. |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 7:42pm
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just throwing it out there , i can fit up to 6 people and boats in my van (including me, or 5 people and a dog) and dive down to meet John .... then we throw Johns boat on and head to the put in , and have his car at the take out to run shuttle |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2012 at 8:34pm
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Originally posted by BIGWATER
this is getting confusing .. i should have started two threads one for sat , one for sun 
HA! HA! Carefull what you ask for, Bigwah! No one to boat with, huh? Yeah PPeeps B truckin down I-5 to hook up the quality goods now, huh? And they should. Forget Roman Numerals. Tilton is one of Washington's primo runs. Period. Saturday: If my friend who I lead down last week shows up in that blue Burn, you better look out for that paddler, OK?! Or have some other boater provide some good beta and lines. Me? I plan to stay up north and bask in the sun in nothing but my ROBE. SUNDAY, however, I may be down for some Tilton. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: Dirty
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2012 at 12:12am
| I think I communicated with the folks planning on going to the Tilton tomorrow, but in case anyone else read my earlier post, I won't be at the 65th st park and ride in the morning. Will be meeting @ the 15th ave whole foods. |
Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2012 at 9:47pm
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Thanks again everyone for another great day on the Tilton !! cant wait to do it again on sunday great to meet Chris and Aaron hope you guys come down for more Tilton runsGwendolyn, you are a river godess
Travis have fun in portland .... John ill see you tomorro
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Posted By: GHannam
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2012 at 8:19am
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*HAHA* It was another awesome day!! Thanks Chris, Aaron, Chris, John, and Travis for making it another great day Glad I've run it at such different flows-- good to experience what it's like, and what flows I feel are appropriate for me to bring a playboat or my creeker, for future runs! Have fun today!! |
Posted By: nelsonwoods
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2012 at 10:17am
| Im here at the fred meter in tumwater. Hopefully I see you guys here or someone gets on here from their phone and tells me if there is a different plan. |
Posted By: cfarmer
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2012 at 8:51pm
John and Chris--Thank you for another great day! The Tilton was awesome today! Blue skies, sunshine, great play, and plenty of fun whitewater. Let's pray for some rain this week to keep the water levels up 
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