Volume 8 Number 7 • July 2007 The Monthly Newsletter of WASHINGTON RECREATIONAL RIVER RUNNERS Little Big Boats Drops ALSO THIS ISSUE: Skagit Poker Run Wilderness First Aid Condit Dam Update And much more! Scott (Fish) drops over “Limp Wrist” falls on the SF Snoqualmie The Monthly Newsletter of WASHINGTON RECREATIONAL RIVER RUNNERS News and Announcements DON’T FORGET TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP! WRRR membership renewal notices & forms went out in April’s newsletter. A big thanks to all of you who have already sent your dues in! If you haven’t already, please send yours in soon. You can use the membership application form on page 11 if you don’t have the one sent out in April. Membership in WRRR is renewed annually each April. If your membership was unpaid as of May 31st, your membership has expired! Please renew now, and don’t miss out on any of the fun. In fact, this is a great time to tell your friends about WRRR, and get them to join up! Membership in WRRR doesn’t cost very much—starting at only $20 a year for full membership privileges! And you get alot of great benefits with your membership: Membership meetings with great programs, Monthly Newsletter, Club Functions, Trip & Event Schedule, Website & YahooGroup, Scholarship Program, River Access & Conservation, Networking & New Friends, and much more. ARTICLE CONTEST WINNER The votes are finally in, and we have a winner in the 2006 “Joe’s Cheap Trick” article contest. The winner is...drum roll please... Shelly Becker for her “California Week” article about running California class 5 rivers in March snowstorms, which was featured in the March issue of The Waterlog. The story continues! After being notified of winning, Shelly (a benefactor member) has graciously donated her prize back to the club, AND promises to send in part 2 to her story! Thank you, Shelly (a.k.a. Gnarlene)! A little bird tells me that Shelly–living up to her nickname big time–and friends also just made a full descent on Tumwater Canyon (including Exit!) Hopefully we’ll have the full scoop on that for you real soon! WRRR WEAR SAFETY AND EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP We have plenty of T-shirts in stock that are printed on the front One of the finest perks of WRRR membership is the scholarship and back. One side is printed with our "Pray for Rain" logo, and program! WRRR features a scholarship program for club members the other side is printed without 20th Anniversary Retro logo! who are interested in subsidized safety training. WRRR will pay These are available while they last for only $15. 1/3 of the cost of tuition for courses including but not limited to Swiftwater Rescue and River Oriented First Aid. The scholarship BUT WAIT! You can now special order sweatshirts, hooded is done on a reimbursement, so you need to take a course then sweatshirts, and a hoodie with a zip front and 3/4 length sleeves. submit proof of completion and payment. Scholarship funds You can even pick your favorite color. Please call Nancy Douty are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis. to order. Sweatshirts are $20, hooded sweatshirts are $30, Be sure to inquire first to make sure funds are available, and hoodies are $20, and aprons are $15. that the course you intend to take is qualified. For further information contact WRRR Safety & Education chairman, Brian Vogt. AMERICAN WHITEWATER BENEFITS WRRR is now an affiliate member of American Whitewater. This WRRR EVENTS COMING SOON! formalizes a history of cooperation on access and conservation Be sure to mark your calendar! Summer is going by fast, but issues, and strengthens our ability to act on these issues in the there is still lots of fun to be had! In August, we’ll have the Skagit future. Membership in WRRR now brings even more benefits Poker Run. Details on page 3. In September it’s time to head due to our affiliation with AW, including: WRRR members can to the Tieton. The Tieton Rally, another WRRR annual event, become AW members for $25. A $10 savings! WRRR members with great camping and boating will be held September 8-10. Enjoy VIP benefits for "Joint Members" at AW events, even if not Details to be posted in the next Waterlog. Plus, you can always AW members. WRRR can participate in exclusive AW Affiliate come out for a second weekend on the Tieton. The weekend Club promotions. following the Rally, we’ll be out there again and meeting up Check out http://www.americanwhitewater.org/ for more info. with our friends from the NWRA and OWA. 2 The Monthly Newsletter of WASHINGTON RECREATIONAL RIVER RUNNERS Carey Berger Memorial Poker Run SKAGIT RIVER SATURDAY AUGUST 19, 2006 A poker game played with skill, you draw cards at river stations while you float the Skagit River at Newhalem. Not to be missed, the WRRR Poker run is one of the club’s most popular events. The Skagit River is one of the few rivers still running late in the summer, the run is rated easy class 2-3 at most levels. Other activities include camping and a potluck dinner in the North Cascades National Park. Bring the family. There are usually groups running the river on Friday and Sunday also. Contact any board member for more information or check out the YahooGroup (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wrrr) Trip Leaders: Contact Bill Yager, David Elliott or any other board member for more information. Volunteers needed: Anyone interested in helping with this event by running a river station please contact any board member. Poker Run Details: Poker Run registration is from 9:30 AM to noon on Saturday at the boat launch in Goodell Creek Campground. The station dealers launch about 10-10:30, don’t launch before them or you will miss your next cards. Last boats launch by noon. Cost is $5 per poker hand, you may buy/play as many hands as you want until we run out of cards. To play this game of skill you get your first card at the put-in and your next 4 cards are drawn at river “dealers” that you must eddy out for. If you miss the station you have to play a card short. Boaters with class 2-3 ability should have no problem. We will compare poker hands after dinner about 7 PM at the group camp, you will want to be there when we start because top prizes go first to the highest hand present. Pick the cash prize or river gear then subsequent highest hands choose prizes. There is a prize for the lowest hand also. Camping: Free camping for members from Friday noon to Sunday noon at the Lower Goodell Group Camp. We have both upper and lower loops. There are individual sites in the lower loop and a big open space for lots of rigs in the upper loop. The camp is on the north side of Hwy 20 along the west side of Goodell Creek. To find the camp look for an unmarked dirt road under the power lines on the north side (left as you head east) of Hwy 20 just after you pass the main campground, about 1 mile west of Newhalem. The dirt road is just west of the bridge where the highway crosses Goodell Creek. Camping for non-members is $10. The park service requests we secure food/coolers inside vehicles when camp is unattended due to wild animals. All food must be stored in sealed containers until use, violators subject to fine. Overflow camping: This year we have reserved the Upper Goodell Group Camp for Friday noon to Sunday noon in case the Lower Goodell site fills up like it has in past years. Or people may find more privacy at the Upper Goodell site. The Upper camp is located on the other side of the creek from the Lower site, access road from the highway just east of Goodell Creek. WRRR group activities will still be held at the Lower site around the large fire pit. Food: Potluck dinner on Saturday at the group camp about 6:30 PM. Bring your favorite side dish, main dish or dessert. WRRR will provide plates, forks, etc. WRRR will be providing Dutch oven BBQ chicken! 3 The Monthly Newsletter of WASHINGTON RECREATIONAL RIVER RUNNERS Park ‘N Huck By Brian Vogt It's been a great spring run-off here in Washington, and we hadn't been able to get out for much of it at all. That all changed on a hot summer day in late June with a day of random action. On the way home from the Cle Elum drainage, we pulled off near Lake Kachess to scout Box Canyon Creek’s highlight drop, Off-Ramp. Off-Ramp is an impressive falls. It’s at least 30 feet high, rocky, and has a technical entrance. We expected the creek to be too low, but found enough water for a little park ‘n huck. Fish took one look at Off-Ramp and went racing for the boat. Above: Scott scouts the entrance to Off-Ramp Left: Scott ponders his fate while briefly stalling on a shallow shelf above Limp Wrist Falls 4 The Monthly Newsletter of WASHINGTON RECREATIONAL RIVER RUNNERS Scott runs Off-Ramp, ending a pirouette His first lap was one of the most amazing things I've seen an IK do. Coming off the second of the two tiers of sliding bedrock, the boat started to roll.