# High Water Stories



## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

Internet rafting sucks in 2020:

Tell me your high water boating story. I remember the winter of '82 in Colorado, but was a kid. My mom's Scout was covered to the hood in snow.

I lived in Gunnison in 94/95 and didn't boat (though did ski epic pow)...it was an epic year apparently, I was too interested in the ladies to give a shit. 

Story time: years don't matter, specifics, and actual CFS are now in "fireside mode"

1, 2, 3, GO!


----------



## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

I've had some highwater fun but nothing that makes a great story. I'm a big fan of hitting runs that are normally class II-III when they are at floodstage...makes it spicy but fun.

This podcast about running Cataract Canyon at 119k cfs is pretty interesting...

https://theriverradius.simplecast.com/episodes/highwater-helicopters-and-money


----------



## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I've had some highwater fun, cat at 40K, Royal Gorge at 6400, browns at 4500, but nothing that would make a great story. The cat trip did run 2 days over cause of upstream winds on Bowell Reserviour, blew 4 boats with a 15 hp motor back upstream with 3 foot waves on the lake, but no "No shit, there I was" stories about high water


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

At Desolation put in watched this go by before launching at 16,000. A little higher than normal.


----------



## sarahkonamojo (May 20, 2004)

Hmmm. The 2 epic high water stories that come to mind have a dark side.
MF 11', death on Marsh Creek. Flew into Indian Creek after river appeared to be coming down. Trees, many trees in the river. Also drybags and an abandoned destroyed kayak. It was a relief to notice the number of trees floating with us was decreasing. About an hour/day on the river. Part of our group floated down Marsh to meet us at Marble. (Kayaks) They floated out to the Main the next day.


Poudre River 5.75' Put in Steven's. 3 paddle rafts. We set the clean line at Three Way. 2 rafts behind us, yard sale. Rescued all participants. Some went to hospital. We took out below Three Way and ran Bridges, which was enough. The next day, at 6', flush drowning at Tunnel. (Not a member of our party)

High water can be some serious shit.


OK, not a dark side. Put-in at Lee's at 38,000 cfs. Hard part was finding a camp below Redwall. We had 2 layover days because we were so far ahead of schedule. Had to dig out at Nankoweep when the water disappeared. Cool to see the reformed beaches, but those disappeared quickly under normal dam operations.


----------



## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

Flood stage SF Owyhee Pipeline Crossing to Three Forks on the upper mainstem Owyhee in 2011. Epic adventure story here (scroll down for the full writeup):
https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/topic/79737-something-other-than-hood-sf-owyhee-416-232011/

some vids to go along with the photos and long version written story:
RIP Eva:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9FrxdcgGFw

The good part of the road:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfiZTT1Kd4k

High centered:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuw2ooEnq8k

Getting up a steep hill after covering with sage brush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2kp3ZWXOrY

Putting on chains with rafting straps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3blaSyCsrOY

Rolling through the mud, and the blood, and the beer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKs2M5SP750

High baby hi (actually 4 to 5 feet vertical rise overnight)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6UJYeknGAQ

Side channel around a pinnacle at the SF and EF Owyhee confluence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joc-xlI_6gM

Mice or men?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM3-TH9AWqI

Cabin Rapid Scout
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaNaUeoeqzs

Post Cabin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHbmwLb91R0

Cable Rapid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOpB-33lNNY

Truck wash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99gpBNlbBP0


----------



## noahfecks (Jun 14, 2008)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> I've had some highwater fun but nothing that makes a great story. I'm a big fan of hitting runs that are normally class II-III when they are at floodstage...makes it spicy but fun.
> 
> This podcast about running Cataract Canyon at 119k cfs is pretty interesting...
> 
> https://theriverradius.simplecast.com/episodes/highwater-helicopters-and-money



Thanks for sharing, that was an interesting version of the canyon that year. 



TK used to show us the AB video of that year right before he sent us on a launch anytime it was above 50K. The north sea is a frothing mess of 20'+ rogue waves coming from every direction. The big drops are insane, 30' motor rigs disappearing for a 10 count between the waves. $.10 camp half underwater. In my younger days I was just crazy enough that I would have rowed my boat out into the current to join them given the chance, now I wonder what ever possessed me to run what I did.


I wish I knew what ever happened to my copy of that video tape, I have never been able to find a copy on the interweb.


I have stood at the scout for big drop 2&3 and puked my guts out on more than one occasion, I cant even imagine what went through those guys minds.


----------



## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

Does running the birthing canal between the wall and house rock on the right side of Triplet Falls in a 33 ft. pontoon with 8 of your 10 passenger's falling through the floor of your raft count. The floor on my boat started to collapse down into the river above Triplet, about 2 ft to 3 ft into the water and acted like a big rudder, guiding my boat in the current that lead to river right that I could not pull out of, no matter how hard I pulled with my butt, 1 foot off of my seat using my legs, back and arms, the big heavy boat would not budge. I shot through the birthing canal with 8 screaming passenger's falling right out the bottom of the boat, two passengers behind me managed to stay on. No one got hurt and everyone ended up in the eddy on river left along with me still in the raft, my wooden floor broken and hanging in the river, what a ride. Anyway one of the passengers that managed to stay on was a pediatric nurse and around the camp fire she said the only other time she heard screaming like that was during births, when the baby was comming out of the birthing canal or vagina(canal between uterus and body opening), by the patient's. After that I started hearing the run in Triplet rapid on the right hand side call the birthing canal. This was back in 1973.


----------



## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

John Day, May 2004, 6,000 cfs average level, ran it at and above 10,000 cfs

No one at the launch except the river ranger, who said (through the noise of the driving, sideways rain and booming thunder), "Not very good fishing"

Raining hard and so cold despite wet suits and booties, we pulled over less than 2 miles from the put in, set up in the rain and had a layover day

As it often does, the sun came out, the scenery was outstanding; basalt columns, great camps, rattlesnakes, and oh....more rain. Luckily, lots of trees from which to rig tarps for a somewhat dry kitchen

A bit dicey landing at camps, with very swift water even in the eddies...I would jump off the front of our 18' cat and hold the frame, while little fish nibbled at my toes

Even more exciting was our first look at Clarno rapid, which at the time, was to be the first Class III we ran. Debated about portaging, as the hole was quite awesome but derigging, portaging and rerigging our cat was really not an option, late in the day; with much yelling and screaming (me) as we grazed the hole, we ran Clarno

Could not find a decent camp and ended up in a pasture with a bunch of cows, who were very curious about our groover set up

Did not see anyone for 6 days, entire river to ourselves, except rattlesnakes...it was great!


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Two come to mind. OK three:


1. MF Flathead in about May 2008 or 2009. It was running 20,000cfs+. Bank full and a couple feet into the alder on the banks. Ran from the kayaker put-in at Kootenai Creek to Blankenship Bridge. A 4+ hour float at mid-summer flows. Took my FIL's then-GF, my wife, and two of her friends. 
The launch involves a carry down about 1/4 mile of access road, so it was a bit of a carry with a 15.5' raft. Crossing the train tracks and everyone decided they needed to rest their hands, so they set the boat down. "Get the boat off the tracks."
"Just a sec."
"No. Get the boat off the tracks, we can rest 20' off to the side."
"Don't be a jerk."
"GET THE FUCKING BOAT OFF THE TRACKS!!!"
"ok, asshole."
So the rails started singing.
20sec after we cleared the tracks, the train whooshed around the corner.
So then we launched.
The entire river was blown out. No rapids in their normal locations, big seamy eddylines everywhere.
GF was having a panic attack. She wasn't smart enough to know that flood stage is dangerous, and the rapids were non-existent. But it was cold and the sky was gray. Definitely not friendly. I wasn't smart enough to not have taken her in the first place!
We got to Blankenship bridge in only 1.5 hours. Never again made that fast of run.


2. Alberton Gorge in 2011? Ran it for a buddy's bachelor party at about 20,000cfs. Took both my 15.5 and 13' boats. 
The entire river was blown out. No rapids in their normal locations, big seamy eddylines everywhere. BIG SEAMY EDDYLINES.
The big boat was sort of boring, but it got us through quickly. Went back to camp to drink beer and play with hatchets.
Next morning we got up and ran it again in the little boat. Got the tubes sucked everywhere. Had the boat flipped under us in a "flat" section. I was sitting there, then my butt was in the water, then the entire boat was coming over me. Crazy stuff. I highsided too late and started climbing up the boat only to have the upper tube smack me in the face. Broke my sunglasses and my nose. Fun times!

3. Lochsa in 2013 or so. Mother's day, 21,000cfs. Crazy fun. Got up there a bit late and caught up with a crew of 9 or 10 other kayakers already at the White Pine put-in. It was a big, fast freight train of white. The biggest, scariest rapids were somehow straightforward, and the moderate rapids got big and scary. I went straight up the first wave in Mile Long and as my stern cleared the crest, it fly-swattered me and flipped me backwards in the air. I was rolling up into the next couple waves. Stopped for lunch in camp, and hit the Lower. Ran too wide in Morning Glory and was doing enders in my creek boat through the holes in the middle. Next day I ran it with a guide buddy and 2 of his friends in his 14' boat. One of my most fun weekends ever on the water. Definitely not water for the uninitiated, but absolute crazy fun for people who know you're going to get wet and not maybe but probably swim.


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Not a story but some pictures of some day stretch fun on the salmon in 2017. It was about 10 or 11 feet on the corn creek ramp.

First pictures is water running over the island in the town of salmon, second pic is the salmon river road about to go under, third pic is launching out boats in the parking lot in about 8 inches of water at deadwater put in.. had to row through the trees to get to river. fourth pic is upper dutch.. fifth pic is standard wood for that day. and last pic is the carmen creek put in.. I have pictures on my phone of some action i will post.


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

First pic is pine creek rapid. Right hand side you can see my friend getting destroyed in my rmr storm. The rest of the pictures are in upper dutch... man it was fast fun and big.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

codycleve said:


> Not a story but some pictures of some day stretch fun on the salmon in 2017. It was about 10 or 11 feet on the corn creek ramp.
> 
> First pictures is water running over the island in the town of salmon,


Seems that much water is semi-common on the Salmon? It looks like the island gets flooded somewhat frequently, no? Does flood water spread out onto the grassy area behind the Stagecoach?


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

this was the highest the salmon river has ever been when we where floating. i think it tied the record from I think 1974 when the polly beamus place flooded. The island routinely floods every year but not like that year.. A group actually floated the island sadly i didn't get off of work in time to make that float.


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Here is a picture of the island float for alex sholes photography
https://www.alexsholesphotography.com/Landscape/Idaho/i-gqfSkXc/A


----------



## skywalker07 (Aug 11, 2015)

*Main Salmon at 80K*

My first time down the Main Salmon was in late May 2008. CFS was around 80k. We did a 2 day trip. We stopped at Mackay Bar at like 1pm. Pulled out at Vinegar Creek the next day before noon. 

Most rapids were washed out but there were swirling death vortex eddies and boils all over. Elephant Rock in Elkhorn was a big ass green rolling wave. Salmon Falls (RIP) was nonexistent. Whiplash was horrifying, we took a sneak route on the left which was a negotiation of a nasty eddy fence. I think I put on a 2nd PFD for Chittam. Saw significant "Board feet per second" on day 2. The wood may have been scariest part. Thankfully no carnage.

Glad to have had the experience; wouldn't do it again that high.


----------



## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

Launched Cataract Canyon from Moab at about 30K, made about 20 miles in around 2 hours and laid over at all 5 camps. Flow doubled and then some to 70K by the time we got to rapids. Flipped in the 30' open ocean style wave in BD 2 and got sucked over into the eddy on RL just above Satan's gut. The current along the shore in that eddy was hauling ass, it took three trips around to secure the upside down boat to shore. After getting some assistance to right the boat, pulling out of the wood and debris filled eddy proved just about impossible, had to pull the oar out of the lock and into the boat to get the blade to the surface and replace for the next stoke with sooooooo much wood in there. After 4-5 trips around that eddy again, there simply wasn't enough purchase to get far enough into the current and we dropped into Satan's gut about 3 hours after flipping in BD 2, about 1/4 mile upstream. Flip was violent and disorienting, I spent at least 10 seconds submerged and being whirled around in the eddy line before resurfacing and swimming 2-3 wave trains before Ranger Dave appeared in his rigid hull twin 75 hp motors to fish me out and push the boat to the side. 3 boats, 2 of them flipped (one twice) and a frame bent in the middle of the side rails so the locks were about a foot higher than when they started, 9 out of 10 people swam, all turned out ok in the end. As I re-read that, it all seems right but who knows how my memory is 30 years after the fact? 

Hindsight says I missed the line in BD 2 by less than one boat width, really bummed we didn't just float through BD 3 (and with any luck got the boat to flip back over by itself). 60 footlong/8' diameter cottonwood trees and dead animals were common sights. Saw a 30' cottonwood tree riding a wave train like a swizzle stick. Epic day and epic trip, needless to say. 

Westwater rapids at 45K are not comparable, I've seen that twice - just stay left left left at skull (20' pillow on the rock of shock?) and avoid the big eddy lines, not too difficult with everything washed out. But don't ever, Ever, EVER let anyone swim at those levels, they will eventually resurface, but who can say when.

Man I hate that eddy above Satan's Gut.


----------



## lisacanoes (Nov 6, 2012)

DoStep said:


> Man I hate that eddy above Satan's Gut.


That eddy saved me when we ran it in 2008 at 37K. I was paddling a slalom kayak (arguably NOT a great boat for enormous water) and hit the Claw in BD2. I was already pointing left, but when I was ripped out of my boat I swam hard in that direction and miraculously made it to shore above Satan's Gut. The worst feeling I ever had was having to get back into my boat above Satan's Gut and run the last drop. My sister followed me into the Claw in an RPM and swam right, performing an excellent self-rescue.

Both of the rafts, 14'ers, on our trip flipped. One of them eventually recovered, with two of its four passengers riding on the bottom, caught in the current. They managed to get the boat to shore several miles downstream. The other raft, with all of our food and dry clothes on board, and its oarswoman were gone. 

We stopped for the night on a beach several miles down from the drops after a grueling hike on loose slag. The missing oarswoman eventually found our little party of land-bound stragglers, reporting that she had also found the first raft a few miles downstream. The 6 of us had no food, water, dry clothes, sleeping gear, or boats for the night and decided to sleep on the beach. We would try to meet up with the rest of our party in the morning. 

The next day, after hiking down to meet the rest of our party and enjoying a breakfast of beer and gatoraide, we were rescued by NPS motor rigs. A commercial trip had found the missing raft floating upside-down in the flats below the last rapid. Spooked, they called in a rescue. Good thing, too. The one raft we did have had lost both oars and only had one spare. It would have been a LONG trip out.

The missing raft had lost an oar, but still had two. We tied both boats together and made the bonehead who had promised to set safety for the kayakers first (who would then set safety for the rafts) but jumped the gun, left us without safety, and ran the drops while we were still recovering from our swims row the rig out through the flats. 

Somehow, in all of this chaos, we managed to take out on our take out day with everyone and everything we started with, except for three oars and one spare coleman stove. We were extremely lucky, but I have not run Cat since.


----------



## noahfecks (Jun 14, 2008)

raymo said:


> Does running the birthing canal between the wall and house rock on the right side of Triplet Falls in a 33 ft. pontoon with 8 of your 10 passenger's falling through the floor of your raft count. The floor on my boat started to collapse down into the river above Triplet, about 2 ft to 3 ft into the water and acted like a big rudder, guiding my boat in the current that lead to river right that I could not pull out of, no matter how hard I pulled with my butt, 1 foot off of my seat using my legs, back and arms, the big heavy boat would not budge. I shot through the birthing canal with 8 screaming passenger's falling right out the bottom of the boat, two passengers behind me managed to stay on. No one got hurt and everyone ended up in the eddy on river left along with me still in the raft, my wooden floor broken and hanging in the river, what a ride. Anyway one of the passengers that managed to stay on was a pediatric nurse and around the camp fire she said the only other time she heard screaming like that was during births, when the baby was comming out of the birthing canal or vagina(canal between uterus and body opening), by the patient's. After that I started hearing the run in Triplet rapid on the right hand side call the birthing canal. This was back in 1973.



Holy crap Ray, what was the flow? I just can't picture one of those 33's squeezing through there


----------



## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

noahfecks the visual cues and the position of the raft squishing through between the towering wall and the huge bolder(house rock) as my two side tubes were smashing together was ten times more terrifying than the ride itself, really. The trip was in May so the river was high and fast, no sand bars anywhere, not even at the put in, which is typical that time of year. My wooden floor started to creat problems for me after running Upper and Lower Disaster rapid, it slowly sagged deeper and deeper into the river by about 2 feet acting like an 8 foot long rudder on that 33 ft pontoon boat and I was having trouble acquiring any angle in the river current to maneuver the boat where I needed it to be for, setup or positioning, as the floor shank deeper it became almost impossible to navigate. Once the main current took over I could not even angle the boat enough to row to a bank, I lifted one oar off the pin and place it behind me and pulled on the single oar, with all the power of my legs, back and arms, that boat just would not spin. I turned around to grab my other oar to put it back onto the pin and the nurse sitting behind me asked if this was normal, I said totally, than she asked if I wanted her to hold my can of beer so it wouldn't fall over, I said no thank you I will probably need it in a few minutes. The rest is history.


----------



## svskyus (Jan 23, 2020)

Any stories from North Fork John Day from last weeks flood? (Flood was May 21-22) We just got off, after the flood, still high water, and saw many camps had been flooded out. Must have been exciting for those on the river. Flow at Monument OR went from 3000 to 25000 in 6 hours. Happened late in the day, lower John Day must have happened at night! Anyone there during the event?
Bruce


----------



## mtn_viking (May 8, 2020)

Alberton Gorge in mid May, 1997. River was around 50,000 cfs. Got knocked out of the raft in Tumbleweed. Watched the sun disappear from sight as I was sucked down. Folks on the boat said I was down for almost 2 minutes. I didn't think I'd ever get to breath again.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

mtn_viking said:


> Alberton Gorge in mid May, 1997. River was around 50,000 cfs. Got knocked out of the raft in Tumbleweed. Watched the sun disappear from sight as I was sucked down. Folks on the boat said I was down for almost 2 minutes. I didn't think I'd ever get to breath again.


Fuck man, that river is scary. Crazy down-currents.

I did it at 13k or 16k, can't remember which and fell out the back of the raft (stern frame) in Tumbleweed. I pulled the oars right out of the oarlocks and down with me. Re-surfaced about 40 yards downstream of the boat, still holding the oars!

How far downriver did you pop up?


----------



## mtn_viking (May 8, 2020)

Hey, 4Runner. No idea how far down I floated. I just remember being shocked that I couldn't swim. I held on to my paddle for about a minute or more and then let loose when the panic started to set in. Paddle was right next to me when I finally surfaced. I had a dayglow green wet suit and my buddies in the boat said they just saw it turn into a flicker of green before they lost sight. I've never been so happy to be out of the water in my life.


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

svskyus said:


> Any stories from North Fork John Day from last weeks flood? (Flood was May 21-22) We just got off, after the flood, still high water, and saw many camps had been flooded out. Must have been exciting for those on the river. Flow at Monument OR went from 3000 to 25000 in 6 hours. Happened late in the day, lower John Day must have happened at night! Anyone there during the event?
> Bruce


Someone parked their camper near Priest Hole to reserve a spot for memorial day weekend... There where pictures of the top half of it sticking out of the water.


----------



## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

found a picture


----------



## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of running the Payettes at some pretty stout flows. At about 8k, the Lower 5 of the NF Payette took 17 minutes. I wasn't up for the whole 15 mi but some buddies were and they did it in around an hour. Hit the SF at 15k around the same time in an oar frame Spider. Flipped end over end in a big stacker in Slalom and watched my buddy in the front of the boat fly over my head. Also watched the wave flip an 18' raft with 8 paddlers the same way we flipped. We flipped it back over at banks and the water was up the ramp.


----------



## whip (Oct 23, 2003)

flipped in the ledge hole Lava...went around for almost a minute in the recirc... finally able to grab a rock, maybe 2 feet in diameter at the bottom...stood up and walked out of the recirc...did you mean high water or....stories when


----------

