Paddlin’ Ed

Well, with the current water situation (aka – no rain/lack of water) after posting to serveral folks mid week to a consider NRG run being both one of the few place with water and being the closest to home (with gas now getting over the $3/gal.), we all agreed to meet up Sat. evening at Chestnut Creek Campground near the gorge.

Drew who had run it the previous week for the 1st time was pretty much chomping at the bit to get some more NRG action and his better half Anna who missed the previous trip and been hearing about it from Drew was ready to go too.  In addition Ronnie G. called me Sat. afternoon and was ready to get on NRG.So the four of us, Drew and Anna F., Ronnie G. and Paddlin-ed after an evening at the campground and a campfire,  got up and did breakfast at Cathederal Cafe and got down to the take-out to set shuttel.  There where a lot of folks at the campground and in town but the majority where climbers, so the take-out was pretty empty, with only a few boater vehicals.  We dress out and loaded up on Drew truck and head up and over to the put-in.

It was sunny with clouds at times, and fairly warm day into the mid 70’s.  Level on line that moring was registering 2.7′ (actually up from the previous day).  We had figured on probably having 1 1/2-2′ by Sun. but evidently the dam upstream was letting go some water.  We unload put on the last gear and headed to the ramp and shoved off.

At railroad we pretty much ran the normal line to find the chute out toward the center after ferrying from the right bank at the upper ledge and then on down the left side to below the bridge.  At lower we ran right of center,  as rafts where in and out over on the left.  We took our time a couple of rapids down at the big play wave rapid over on river left.  Took some really nice pictures of surfing there,  wave where pretty nice and powerful, and more than the upper wave could be surfed.  Out in the middle of the wave train about 4-5 wave down a wave hole would form up every minute or two for spells long enough to grab and hold a paddler for a nasty ride if you flip at the top and washed over that way.  If you washed out and flipped, unless you where over close the the left eddy line most times you had to do some serious hang time before rolling, as there was lots of agressive agitation going out in the middle.

We all took a good number of turns,  Drew wash-out at one point and got way right and did a hang and roll-fest down 2/3 of the way to the next rapid.  I found at least once I was in the middle washing down and got agitated pretty good in that nasty intermitant wave hole down a couple of waves, and began wondering at one point if I was going to wash on out, but did.  I got some pictures and Anna climbed out onto the rock and took pictures of the rest of us.  After leaving the play wave we began to get some wind and which while temps where good made the day a bit chilly working through waves and water.

We worked out way down playing here and there to Whale Rock – Upper Keeny, which had plenty of wave action but not the slap you around wave it had the week before when it was 3.7′, so you could get into the eddy reasonably well.  From there we headed down to Middle Kenny,  I lead off doing the right line (and found I need to be further right – landmarks are still a little hidden at 2.7′).  Found myself a little to far left and got pushed toward the center where the multiple reactionary wave holes that form at this level are nasty,  road out the 1st major one ok, the next spun me sideways and over slightly backwards into the final one for a rolling thashing and aggitation before spitting me out in the whirlpools along the right eddy line, where rolling doesn’t go well, it was not one of my better runs at that point.  Ronnie followed after me hand paddling and got a better line with two good rolls in it.   Drew and Anna both did the far left line,  Drew coming down spent a little time conversing with the hole at the bottom incudling a little rolling and bracing practice,  then Anna headed down stroking hard and did a absolutely magnificent skip over the same hole Drew had just finished spending quality time with.  Anna had the line of the day.

From there it was on to Lower Kenny,  which while I have run it about this level a couple of time before but somehow it seemed a bit different today,  there where at least two surging holes that would go and come and throw spray up high at irregular intervals down each side of the line.  Well halfway down I came over the 1st big wave and dropped right into one of these surges just as it opened up,  just wasn’t sizing up to be my best day through the Kenney’s.  Ronnie followed down then Drew and Anna all learning from the previous line and coming down further right sooner off the tongue than I had.

From there we played and worked holes and eddylines/whirlpools down to the neck down at the bend above Double Z.  The bend above at the neckdown was rocking pretty good, I lead a line from right of center up through the bottom of the boiling eddy behind the rock ledge at center top, into an upstream ferry across and down to the right to hit the tongue down the center going back left.  At the bottom of the tongue the drop over the rock ledge thinned out where you shoot over the bottom lip into the wave piles below which where surging all over the place,  I found myself paddling hard and running forward, sideways and backward through the troughs, peaks and diagonals, really super squirrely waves.

Down below at the pool above Double Z, while the raft traffic light,  we caught the main surge of the morning raft groups and waited to let most past.  Wade W. pulled up in his oar rig and said hello to me.  Ronnie lead down to the top right eddy at Double Z,  I followed with Anna and Drew right behind.  From there I lead off into the ferry out to catch the main tongue at the neck down below, running center then then right down.  My line went well headed down the left but toward the bottom while well off Bread Loaf rock I was having trouble spotting the big rock in the center as the water wasn’t piling up over it, at the last minute I found water was just rolling over top of the rock and I was coming up on the left side of it and had to slide off the end, which put me into the diagonal below and I got to do my hang and roll then eddy out at the bottom just below on the left.  Drew was close behind me and duplicated my experiance,  slide, hang, and roll.

Ronnie ran a fairly clean line, don’t remember if he rolled at any point.  Anna came down skipping the holes nicely but did disappear in a few, but alway poped up,  her high point was she went to the right of the bottom rock where Drew had gotten his slap the water flip off the ledge sideways into the hole below the week before.  Anne pulled off another awsome skip over that same hole and finished out nicely.

From there we had worked the rapids to down to just above Greyhound Bus Stopper and pulled out for a break on the right (same spot as the week before).  Sunned a bit had a bit and drink, took a few pictures,  looked over the hole below.  Wade W. came along and chatted with us a bite, and took our picture as he went over Greyhound.   We all did our GHBS runs and moved on down the rapids to the drop by Millers Folly. 

Down near Miller Folly, I entered well toward center knowing that at around 2 1/2′ when you dropped over on the tongue going to the left toward Brain Buster Wave below, the diagonal action on the upper tongue want to zip you to the right toward toward the end of Miller Folly.  Paddling hard to push on down the tongue is in order and I worked just to the left end of Brain Buster wave, spun off the top and ferried over to a semi eddy below on the left.  The rest of the group ran good lines down.  I  ran down the top of Meatgrinder below on the left and worked back right before the rocky craggy ledge on the left and eddyed out below the ledge on the left.  All of us had good lines down Meatgrinder.

As we headed down the final pools and worked the eddy lines and whirlpools for fun we stoped above Fayette Station and I took pictures of the others framed under the bridges.  A quick look at the gauge, it was 3.5′ when we got there, and on to Fayette Station rapid.  I lead off sliding through the backwashing eddy of the top rock to the right a bit to hit the main line and not get hammered in the holes on either side,  road the waves down and pulled left at the break toward the bottom, allowing me to just glance off the end of the last vexious wave that played with me the week before.  Ronnie followed by Drew headed down and ran nice lines slightly right of mine.  I got set up to take pictures and caught the end of Drew’s run.  Anne waited and head down running pretty much center which put her to the right at the bottom into the meat of the last waves,  this was her week for the waves to play with her, after some serious bracing and a couple of rolls, she hung, rolled and paddle off the end.

 Good run, a bit chilly with the wind on the bottom half, but all together a good time.  We where all pretty whipped from playing hard and ready to get dry and head home.