With all the rain we had this last week, it was just a question of deciding which rivers to do. I know, tough life! Roaring River is one of my favorite local runs. The 45-minute shuttle, 1.5 mile hike to the put-in really makes me feel isolated once I’m on the river. The scenery is just amazing. Roaring River is probably the biggest non-wilderness area in the Clackamas drainage that has never been logged. This means the forest along the river has some really big trees. Combine this with non-stop rapids and some cool geology and you get an idea why I like it so much.
After boating elsewhere most of the week, I was very surprised and excited to find Roaring River still had enough water for boating on Sat. Jason and I quickly diverted from a planned run on Opal Creek and headed out to Roaring River. This was the first run of the year so we were more cautious on the river making sure there wasn’t any new wood in bad places. We also wanted to get some pics of the run. I don’t have many pictures of Roaring because once I’m on the river, I’m having so much fun running rapids that it is hard to stop and get the camera out.
After scouting camera angles at the first big rapid, we found out that it has a new log in an awkward spot. Just around a blind corner towards the end of the rapid there is a log in the middle of the river that forces boaters to move strong left. Of course, I got surfed in the hole right above the log and had a brief moment of panic but was able to correct and finish the drop. Jason dialed it with no worries.
Jason styling the first big rapid of the day
After this, it was off to the races. With a good water level, most of the run was pretty padded and Jason and I started biting off a 1/2 mile at a time without stopping. Great stuff! We took a few more pictures through the boulder gardens and then got down to the last stretch before the take-out. This stretch starts with a cool slide rapid and then has 3-4 more fun ledge drops. I got turned around backwards in the slide and since Jason was taking pictures, I hiked back up to try and do it right the second time. The second time was a little better but still not as good as I’d like.
Jason just above the last section of rapids
We finished the run in about 2.5 hours which isn’t bad considering the stops for pictures. Of course, this doesn’t count the shuttle! There was a dusting snow on the road and the trees which made the shuttle well worth the effor. We finally finished up a little after dark. Great day on the river!
