# Ever Hiked Out of the Room of Doom?



## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

Did Westwater Canyon on the Colorado today. It was my third time. I've rowed it twice (clean) in the past, once at 2,000 CFS and once at 3,000 CFS. Today was 8,500 CFS. A friend wanted to get some more experience so I let him row my rig. He did it clean too (very nice run at Skull actually). I decided to be a little more ambitious (stupid?) and went in my new Alpaca Gnarwhal packraft. I'm not new to paddling an IK by any means. I've done the Middle Fork all in an IK, several rapids (including Hermit) in the Grand Canyon in an IK, and some class IV in Costa Rica this Spring in an IK. But I was humbled today. I swam way more than I expected (at least as many rapids as I cleaned). It turns out a packraft, even a "whitewater packraft", is NOT an IK! Lost the packraft on two swims. Lost my paddle on another (and grabbed it just in time to eddy out to scout Skull Rapid). At any rate, for those who aren't aware, at 8,500 Skull is one huge wavetrain from the top of Skull all the way to the Rock of Shock. I made it through almost all of it, finally tipping about 2 waves before the Rock of Shock, and unfortunately washing right into the Room of Doom. There was already a 16 foot catamaran tied up in there (thought about rowing that out) and a nice looking paddle circulating in there from someone earlier today (they're going back tomorrow for it). I tried 5 times to paddle out. It wasn't a power thing, more of a tippy/balance thing. Each time I thought I had it, only to hit that eddy line and flip. Any way, after 5 laps I tucked my tail between my legs and climbed out. Luckily I only had to carry my 10 lb packraft and paddle up and over the cliffs. Watched 3 other boats flip on skull while we were there, including a guide in a motor rig. The most impressive one was a private group who no kidding flipped a loaded raft back upright in 10 seconds. Super impressive.

Anyone else had to do the walk of shame out of the Room of Doom?


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## ColoRobo (Jan 22, 2021)

What's the climb out like? Sheer wall? Scrambling? Where do you go after reaching the canyon rim?!


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

Well, it can't be too bad. I did it with a raft in one hand and a paddle in the other. I'm an experienced climber, but I never felt like it was really sketchy at all getting up out of there. There are two ways to get back to the river though. The "low route" has a bit of a sketchy move on the way down (I gently dropped the packraft 6 feet onto a ledge before climbing down at one point.) There is a high route as well that I didn't do but some of my companions came over to see what I was doing. The low route gets to the river earlier. If you go too far down the river, you can't get to that one so they took a different route. 

I wouldn't want to haul a real IK over it, but I could do it, especially if someone came and helped. A raft? Forget it. Tie it up and come back.


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

ColoRobo said:


> What's the climb out like? Sheer wall? Scrambling? Where do you go after reaching the canyon rim?!


I didn't go all the way to the rim. I would call that the "high route." As far as the way I went, it was pretty obvious. There's a well trod footpath on most of it. I'm clearly not the first to do it!


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

SomeYeahoo said:


> I didn't go all the way to the rim. I would call that the "high route." As far as the way I went, it was pretty obvious. There's a well trod footpath on most of it. I'm clearly not the first to do it!


You are well above the river though at one point. Perhaps 100 feet above it (but on a huge 20 foot wide ledge you'll never fall off of.)


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## Blade&Shaft (May 23, 2009)

Associated thread…


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## Blade&Shaft (May 23, 2009)

Skull clearly dishing out the lessons


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Lots of beat downs around here lately too! I’ve only done west water once and it was low but I thought it was intimidating lol! Live and learn and have a new understanding of the world we live in. Do it again and be happy! Woot woot! I’ll be asking humbly and sincerely for safe passage each and every time I am on a river bank from here out lol!! Oh great river goddess…


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## tanderson (Mar 26, 2010)

A flipped motor rig? Please elaborate. What kind of boat was the motor rig?


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

The hike out is 3rd/4th class slab climbing. Not terrible for an individual but getting a raft out piece by piece would require rope work.


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

tanderson said:


> A flipped motor rig? Please elaborate. What kind of boat was the motor rig?


The guided folks there that day had two big red paddle rafts (16? 18?) and a raft the same size with one guide in it and a little motor on the back. That's the one that flipped. He had a hard time getting the motor started for Lake Westwater, but eventually got it going after a sat phone call.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Some perspective lol


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Some perspective lol


Definitely easier getting out than at that level as least strength wise. I think that's about 11,000 and I was at 8,500. I'd get to where he was at at about 0:55, and then tip and wash back in. Just couldn't keep that packraft upright at the eddy line.


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## Acheron (Apr 5, 2021)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Some perspective lol


Is the mistake that he hit the flipper seam/wave sideways? As soon as he comes over the wave which takes him into the flipper, should he have corrected to aim the rear of the raft into the seam?


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

To my eye, the key at that level is to get as far upstream in the circulating pattern as you can before starting your move. By hitting the eddy line as high up as possible, you've got more time to break through before coming up against the Rock. I was I there a couple of times to assist in a recovery, and it took everything I had pulling only on the downstream oar to hold my ferry line and break across.

Of course at some levels, even that would be futile, as the eddy fence is simply uncrossable.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Acheron said:


> Is the mistake that he hit the flipper seam/wave sideways? As soon as he comes over the wave which takes him into the flipper, should he have corrected to aim the rear of the raft into the seam?


Sure, in theory that may have worked. He may have been able to hit the pillow with his stern and then do a really nice, elegant spin move off the pillow, spun to his right and into the main current facing downstream, gave a loud hoot, cracked a beer, and then cleaned SITM & LC.

But theory often goes out the window in that kind of situation. The main goal was to break the eddy fence and then to get as far into the main current, and then get as far as possible beyond the line that would carry him into the pillow. Once he'd broken past the eddy fence, he was trying as hard as he could to get his bow squared up to the pillow but the current wasn't having any of it. Considering that the upside down turquoise boat was circling in the Room getting destroyed for about a week when "Harold flipped out" I'd say that just getting out of there was a win. Sure, maybe he could've gotten a little further upstream before trying to break the eddy fence, or maybe there was just no way to get to a better place to break out with all the debris (including an upside down boat) getting in the way. It may not have made any difference. I just hope there were some of his crew over in the eddy across the river to go after him and his upside down boat after he flipped or it could've been a long swim before climbing up onto the bottom of his boat.

Go to the Youtube video and read the comments for more info.


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## Acheron (Apr 5, 2021)

Andy H. said:


> The main goal...


LoL at the loud hoot  Thoery is like fighting Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. 

I totally thought..why didn't he enter higher to begin with? Thank you for the detailed response!


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

Not sure he could have avoided the rock of shock. The key is simply to hit the left side of it so you go left instead of the right side so you go right! I mean it's great if you don't flip, but at 11,000, getting out beats tying the raft up in there and coming back in a couple weeks to get it when the water drops!


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

The other thing that can happen is that it fills up with debris that keeps you from being able to really row.


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## River Finger (Jun 3, 2014)




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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

I was involved in a recovery there when the entire Room was filled with wood and other debris. 

When we flipped the upside down raft back over, there were so many branches and sticks wedged in the rig that it looked like a pincushion. And then it was a real chore trying to get an oar to bite in a moving mass of floating wood.


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## sarahkonamojo (May 20, 2004)

It is not the end of the world to flip a raft. You need a crew to help you out. Not sure if those with the camera were part of his crew, but they would have been of no help.

Good friend, on her first overnight, hiked out of the room. With a raft. And a dog. And a bunch of wasted "friends." She almost gave up the river, but she has kept up the habit. Just is more particular about the friends she keeps on the river.


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## Paul_Beckford (Jun 12, 2010)

Hiked out? Sure, just walk across the driftwood and bloated dead cows and dive over the eddy line. Seriously though, had a scary moment getting the hard shell caught up among the debris in there, can’t paddle banging blades on driftwood. I would rather battle a strong eddy line than the room packed with debris, gives me nightmares.


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## sethlor (Apr 29, 2009)

Okay, I'm hooked. Probably 20 years ago a well trained and experienced friend went right after skull and ended up in the Room of Doom. He knew better, don't we all! Unlike the video of the 12 footer struggling to get out, he was rowing a fully-loaded 16 footer with a passenger and 2 dogs. And, the water was at 15K! The shock wall was incredible, water was probably pushing 15 feet up off the river surface. After a few unsuccessful attempts to escape, we formulated a different plan. A few of us climbed in from the down river side and roped out the dogs and brought in some fresh arms. The boat ended up getting out but the trash talking to the captain will never end.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Paul_Beckford said:


> Hiked out? Sure, just walk across the driftwood and bloated dead cows and dive over the eddy line. Seriously though, had a scary moment getting the hard shell caught up among the debris in there, can’t paddle banging blades on driftwood. I would rather battle a strong eddy line than the room packed with debris, gives me nightmares.


Yeah, I used to like pulling in there at low water (below about 5K) to watch everyone else's lines in Skull until I started thinking about the possibility of nails and sharp stuff in all that lumber and crap floating around in the room. I may still do it now and then but not without some consideration.


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## mikesee (Aug 4, 2012)

SomeYeahoo said:


> Did Westwater Canyon on the Colorado today. It was my third time. I've rowed it twice (clean) in the past, once at 2,000 CFS and once at 3,000 CFS. Today was 8,500 CFS. A friend wanted to get some more experience so I let him row my rig. He did it clean too (very nice run at Skull actually). I decided to be a little more ambitious (stupid?) and went in my new Alpaca Gnarwhal packraft. I'm not new to paddling an IK by any means. I've done the Middle Fork all in an IK, several rapids (including Hermit) in the Grand Canyon in an IK, and some class IV in Costa Rica this Spring in an IK. But I was humbled today. I swam way more than I expected (at least as many rapids as I cleaned). It turns out a packraft, even a "whitewater packraft", is NOT an IK! Lost the packraft on two swims. Lost my paddle on another (and grabbed it just in time to eddy out to scout Skull Rapid). At any rate, for those who aren't aware, at 8,500 Skull is one huge wavetrain from the top of Skull all the way to the Rock of Shock. I made it through almost all of it, finally tipping about 2 waves before the Rock of Shock, and unfortunately washing right into the Room of Doom. There was already a 16 foot catamaran tied up in there (thought about rowing that out) and a nice looking paddle circulating in there from someone earlier today (they're going back tomorrow for it). I tried 5 times to paddle out. It wasn't a power thing, more of a tippy/balance thing. Each time I thought I had it, only to hit that eddy line and flip. Any way, after 5 laps I tucked my tail between my legs and climbed out. Luckily I only had to carry my 10 lb packraft and paddle up and over the cliffs. Watched 3 other boats flip on skull while we were there, including a guide in a motor rig. The most impressive one was a private group who no kidding flipped a loaded raft back upright in 10 seconds. Super impressive.
> 
> Anyone else had to do the walk of shame out of the Room of Doom?



A true craftsman never blames his tools for a shoddy job.


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## ghudish (Feb 17, 2011)

SomeYeahoo said:


> Anyone else had to do the walk of shame out of the Room of Doom?


I've run WW at least half a dozen times clean. Once though, around 10k we got stuck in the room of doom. My wife and I both got thrown from the boat on different occasions running into the Rock of Shock and we put in probably 5 or 6 failed attempts to pull our 14ft fully loaded rig out of the Room. Eventually, a guy on our trip climbed up and over with two paddles. He took the oars on our rig while my wife and I paddled and we shot right out.

If that wasn't enough for the day, our staked-down (but empty) tent got picked up by a rogue canyon whirlwind later that night at Bighorn. It was a very humbling experience. I feel your pain...


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## ghudish (Feb 17, 2011)

River Finger said:


> View attachment 78562


Got any more of these stickers? I need one!!!


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## Blade&Shaft (May 23, 2009)

ghudish said:


> Got any more of these stickers? I need one!!!


Yes. Please.


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## Ryanandshauna1 (7 mo ago)

SomeYeahoo said:


> Did Westwater Canyon on the Colorado today. It was my third time. I've rowed it twice (clean) in the past, once at 2,000 CFS and once at 3,000 CFS. Today was 8,500 CFS. A friend wanted to get some more experience so I let him row my rig. He did it clean too (very nice run at Skull actually). I decided to be a little more ambitious (stupid?) and went in my new Alpaca Gnarwhal packraft. I'm not new to paddling an IK by any means. I've done the Middle Fork all in an IK, several rapids (including Hermit) in the Grand Canyon in an IK, and some class IV in Costa Rica this Spring in an IK. But I was humbled today. I swam way more than I expected (at least as many rapids as I cleaned). It turns out a packraft, even a "whitewater packraft", is NOT an IK! Lost the packraft on two swims. Lost my paddle on another (and grabbed it just in time to eddy out to scout Skull Rapid). At any rate, for those who aren't aware, at 8,500 Skull is one huge wavetrain from the top of Skull all the way to the Rock of Shock. I made it through almost all of it, finally tipping about 2 waves before the Rock of Shock, and unfortunately washing right into the Room of Doom. There was already a 16 foot catamaran tied up in there (thought about rowing that out) and a nice looking paddle circulating in there from someone earlier today (they're going back tomorrow for it). I tried 5 times to paddle out. It wasn't a power thing, more of a tippy/balance thing. Each time I thought I had it, only to hit that eddy line and flip. Any way, after 5 laps I tucked my tail between my legs and climbed out. Luckily I only had to carry my 10 lb packraft and paddle up and over the cliffs. Watched 3 other boats flip on skull while we were there, including a guide in a motor rig. The most impressive one was a private group who no kidding flipped a loaded raft back upright in 10 seconds. Super impressive.
> 
> Anyone else had to do the walk of shame out of the Room of Doom?





SomeYeahoo said:


> Did Westwater Canyon on the Colorado today. It was my third time. I've rowed it twice (clean) in the past, once at 2,000 CFS and once at 3,000 CFS. Today was 8,500 CFS. A friend wanted to get some more experience so I let him row my rig. He did it clean too (very nice run at Skull actually). I decided to be a little more ambitious (stupid?) and went in my new Alpaca Gnarwhal packraft. I'm not new to paddling an IK by any means. I've done the Middle Fork all in an IK, several rapids (including Hermit) in the Grand Canyon in an IK, and some class IV in Costa Rica this Spring in an IK. But I was humbled today. I swam way more than I expected (at least as many rapids as I cleaned). It turns out a packraft, even a "whitewater packraft", is NOT an IK! Lost the packraft on two swims. Lost my paddle on another (and grabbed it just in time to eddy out to scout Skull Rapid). At any rate, for those who aren't aware, at 8,500 Skull is one huge wavetrain from the top of Skull all the way to the Rock of Shock. I made it through almost all of it, finally tipping about 2 waves before the Rock of Shock, and unfortunately washing right into the Room of Doom. There was already a 16 foot catamaran tied up in there (thought about rowing that out) and a nice looking paddle circulating in there from someone earlier today (they're going back tomorrow for it). I tried 5 times to paddle out. It wasn't a power thing, more of a tippy/balance thing. Each time I thought I had it, only to hit that eddy line and flip. Any way, after 5 laps I tucked my tail between my legs and climbed out. Luckily I only had to carry my 10 lb packraft and paddle up and over the cliffs. Watched 3 other boats flip on skull while we were there, including a guide in a motor rig. The most impressive one was a private group who no kidding flipped a loaded raft back upright in 10 seconds. Super impressive.
> 
> Anyone else had to do the walk of shame out of the Room of Doom?


Myself and my brother and sister-in-law got to do the hike out of the room of doom about two weeks before you where there. I was quite the experience. I've never done Westwater (even though I've had a good amount of experience on other rivers), and was trying to follow him through the rapid. Both of us entered the rapid to far to the left to be able to make the pull across the tongue to get to left of the main flow and skull hole. My brother-in-law got around the first hole at the top on the left and tried to still push to the left and ended up hitting the main hole at an angle and did a perfect barrel roll flip, dumping everyone on his raft. I had about 10 seconds to realize that I was in deep schist on this line, and quickly squared up to the first hole at the left. After that I was quickly swept to the right side of the rapid and hit skull hole square. We where stopped dead in the water and started to surf the hole. At about this point, the back flowing water from the hole hit my oars hard enough that it stood me straight up in the raft, putting me off balance. Then the hole pivoted my raft the the left and started to try to go up the wave sidewise. Being off balance, I quickly fell straight off the left side of the raft and into the rapid. I had my wife and 12 year old son on the raft with me, and from what they tell me, it was at this moment that my son looks back and realizes that I was gone, and starts yelling to my wife, " Where's dad!!" in near panic. My wife amazingly immediately jumps across the seats and gear to the oars and get some control of the boat, and from what we've been told, also managed to inadvertently high side to raft and kept it from flipping. The next thing I know I was coming up under the raft. As we went through the rest of the rapid, I came up under the raft two more times, and then just as we were hitting the rock of shock, I for just a second came up onside of the raft, and was about to grab the side of my raft. It was at that moment that the undercurrent at the rock of shock grabbed me and pulled me underwater for about 10 to 15 seconds, (which feels like forever) and then into the room of doom. Luckily, my wife had just given the raft a big pull on the oars and managed to go out to the left, saving the raft and them from the room of doom. After popping up in the room of doom, I was able to swim/float around with the current to the upstream side to the room and climb out like a half drowned rat. When I first pulled my self up, I could see my brother-in-law standing about 10 feet up the side. I looked down for just a moment to get my breath and when I looked up he had gone. It turns out he hadn't seen me, but went to find his wife, who was stuck on the front face of the upstream side. I figured he couldn't have gone far, so I got up and saw him looking over the rock ledge. When I got up to him, his wife was freaking out since she was stuck on the side of the ledge facing the main rapid. She had also seen me go in, but hadn't seen me come out and wasn't sure of what had happened to me. After assessing that we where mostly all okay, we helped her get off the ledge and joint us. It was after we got her with us, that she was able to tell us that she had lost her hat, sunglasses and flip-flops when the boat flipped. That's when we realized that we were stuck on in the room of doom and that everyone from the rest of our party was either way down stream, or in the eddy on the other side of the river. We looked around a realized that there was no easy way out of the room of doom. We first though of trying to swim through the room of doom to the down stream side, but quickly realized that wasn't a good solution. After talking about what to do for about 15 minutes, I finally decided to try hiking/climbing the steep rocky slope on the upstream side. It was at this point that I was really glad my wife had bought me some really good lace up river shoes, that were a life saver for me in this situation. However, my sister-in-law having lost her shoes made the situation much more difficult. My brother-in-law gave her his wife is own flip flops (which somehow managed to say on his feet during the flip), but meant that he had to walk the rest of the way out in his bare feet. Once on the top ridge, the hike isn't horrible, but is still fairly rock and has a lot of thorny bushes and weeds, which with my brother-in-law walking in bare feet, was really very unpleasant. It is also very hot, and with all of the black schist, it is very hot to touch. We had to hike about maybe a 1/2 mile to finally get back down to the river for our group to finally be able to pick us up. Overall, I wouldn't recommend the hike, but since it is the only way out of the room of doom, if you find you self stuck there like so many of us, get ready to start walking down stream.


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## gbheron (May 2, 2021)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Some perspective lol


Lol, well at least he got out!


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## SomeYeahoo (Jul 27, 2020)

ghudish said:


> Got any more of these stickers? I need one!!!


I just ordered one made custom!


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