Metolius and Big Lake, Oregon

27 06 2011

I returned to the Metolius River area because the weather there was forecast to be 70 degrees and sunny. I’d planned to check out some areas near Yale Lake, WA, but the weather up there was due to be poor – drizzly and 55 degrees.

Clouds breaking up at the crest of the Cascades

I don’t know if it’s because I like to spend time outside, or if it’s because I’m living in Portland, Oregon, where it is dismally cloudy each spring, but in the summer I get a salmon-like cabin fever drive to get out of town and enjoy the beautiful weather in the summer. I really feel like any free time spent in town is wasting opportunities to squeeze in as much outdoors time as possible!

So I chose to go where the weather looked great. And that meant Metolius. Metolius sits in a valley, and just to the west lie Oregon’s Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson.

Nice yard view.

There are a few homes in the valley with backyard views of these peaks. In this early summer, with so much green in the valleys and the white of the mountains, the view is eye-popping.

On my way to Metolius, the highway passed Hoodoo Ski Area, and just behind Hoodoo sits a recreation area I’d seen on my map called Big Lake. Not in any hurry, I stopped in to Big Lake. The elevation is 4,650 feet, since it’s right on the high Cascades pass.

The road to Big Lake led through 6 – 8ft tall snow drifts on either side. The road led to a campground on the lake, which had spectacular views of Mount Washington.

Much to my surprise, the campground was completely empty. My guess was that the snow had just melted enough to allow vehicles in.

It was lovely and warm. So I took my kayak out for a paddle, exploring its back marshes and coves. There were no bugs – but as there were a lot of snow melt pools nearby, in two weeks the mosquitoes will be unbearable. But on this day, it was bug-free and all mine!

I could see that Big Lake might not be a good choice in mid-summer. It’s got a lot of ATV trails nearby…I could imagine lots of RVs pulling noisy ATVs and the campground full of noisy RVs and their generators…but today, it was quiet and lovely!


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Categories : Camping, Life Outside, Paddling

Metolius River Never Disappoints!

22 06 2011

Right now, I’m working at Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe, and that means weekends working. Sooo, to get away during Oregon’s dry season, I gotta just take off midweek. Sometimes it’s alone.

At home at the walk-in sites at Allen Springs Campground

A reliable choice is the Metolius River area – and this time it turned out perfect.

Weatherwise, that is. However, my favorite spot, Allen Springs Campground, had been taken over by the RV crowd. Nevertheless, thankfully it’s got walk-in campsites away from that scene. I found peace and was invisible from the other sites.

I had a sunny, warm spot to hang out and read!

My Keen Targhee II shoes, ready for anything!Ahh, nice, warm crackling campfire!And a windy paddle on Suttle Lake to round things out!

It was so pretty and comfy.

And simple. I just read some overdue reading material, and had a nice time with the campfire and then was lulled to sleep by the sounds of the river.

 

Recommended! Get a hand-crafted sandwich at Camp Sherman Store! I had a turkey sandwich piled HIGH with 2″ of turkey! WOW! And they cooked the bacon for it right then and there!

After a perfect night under the stars, I enjoyed a morning campfire.

Took a walk along the river in my Keen Targhee II shoes!

Following that, packed up and headed to Suttle Lake, off Oregon’s Hwy 20 with its Cascade views.

The highlight was the 30 mph winds, which were a lot of fun to play in!

The burbling Metolius is a perfect place for quality time with the kiddos!


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What’s that in the Tub?

20 04 2011

I got to hold him down!

A dry suit is an important component of any cold water paddler’s portfolio. A dry suit makes a cold water day downright pleasant.

Further, when it comes to safety, a dry suit can save your life! As wonderful as they are, many paddlers balk at stepping up to a drysuit because of the cost. How much? A top Gore-Tex dry suit from Kokatat starts at $900.

Less expensive suits will still set you back several hundred dollars. But the materials won’t stand up like Gore-tex. I took my chances and bought a lightly used NRS Extreme Relief dry suit three years ago for $400.

All dry suits have latex gaskets, which need replacement from time to time. I just replaced my latex neck gasket and latex booties. But this past weekend I was teaching a rescues class, and was disappointed to find my butt wet by the end of class!

When I took the dry suit off, my chest was dry. My fleece pants were dry. But my right foot had a little moisture. Underwear was definitely wet. Where did that water come from?

Thus begins the “find the leak” project. One way to detect dry suit leaks is to plug up the head and wrist gaskets and inflate! Then dunk and check for air bubbles.

But I wasn’t quite prepared for the amusement! Almost right away I felt sinister like I was trying to drown someone in my bathtub! I was pushing that suit around like I was trying to strangle somebody! Positively evil!

So, did I find the leak? No, not really. I pushed air into the legs and submerged. No bubbles. Butt/torso – well, there was one little tiny hiss, which then went away. I never saw any bubbles. I think it came from the end of the relief zipper? I do know I can use petroleum jelly on that end…and stop any water there…I learned how to do that.

But truly I think there is a leak somewhere else, and I just didn’t find it! Grrrrrr. Maybe I need to drown my suit in a pool, which is bigger!


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Spring Paddle with PaddleNW – Bachelor Island, WA

6 04 2011

Although winter is tenaciously hanging on in this La Nina year and I love snow sports, I’ve begun a seasonal desire to turn to water sports. My 21 times skiing this season has had me ignoring my meetup group. So since I had some free time April 3rd so I scheduled a paddle with my PaddeNW Meetup in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

I was not surprised when 10 people signed up right away. My intuition about pent up paddling desire was spot on!

When I arrived at the meeting space there were many cars with happy folks and brightly colored kayaks on roofs. We waited for everyone to show up and got to know each other…

Then it was on to the water – a trip around Bachelor Island. It’s about 9.5 miles around. One side is protected sloughs, while the other is on the Columbia River.

At this time of year the Columbia is close to max flow. It was so high it covered the wing dams and almost covered the signs identifying the wildlife refuge.

The first part of our paddle was south, against the current and quite a workout. Then we lunched on the south tip of the island.

A duck hunter’s blind served us as a lunch counter. There were shotgun shells everywhere.

The trip with the Columbia current was like warp speed, and there were dozens of spring salmon fishermen anchored. Seems like the fish don’t stand a chance!

We also caught a glimpse of a freighter, which some paddlers rushed out to get a closer glimpse…

We saw a lot of really cool birds. Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Blue Herons, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Geese, Mergansers, Terns, Swallows and Red Winged Blackbirds. But my favorite of all was the Great Horned Owl. That was way cool.

We were done by 4:00 p.m. or so, and we were pleased – a good time was had by all! Looking forward to more paddles this year!

There’s me working on that nettlesome forward stroke!


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Categories : Life Outside, Paddling

Shadowing Kayak Classes with Alder Creek

26 03 2011

I’ll be helping Portland, Oregon’s premier paddling retailer and instructional center, Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe this summer!

Most of my experience in the paddling world has been on the business side – managing the marketing and branding for an emerging kayak importer/distributor Feelfree Kayak USA. In that capacity, I was creating a brand, marketing to dealers and consumers. For Alder Creek, it looks like I’ll be selling directly to consumers, guiding, and instructing. Should be fun!

Getting ready!

So recently I have been preparing to teach kayaking by “observing” their kayak instructors teach classes. I’ve shadowed two beginner sea kayak classes and one three-day Full Immersion Sea Kayak class.

Introductory kayaking classes involve classroom, pool, and real on-the-water time outdoors. In my most recent class the instructor was Teresa Flodin. She’s a British Canoe Union Four-Star (individual) paddler and BCU Two-Star Coach.

We spent a Thursday evening in the pool at the North Clackamas Aquatic Park. Students learned the basics of edging their kayaks in the safe and warm environment of a pool. We also practiced some Eskimo bow rescues and assisted rescues.

Saturday we spent some time in the classroom going over resources available for kayak navigation, trip planning around Portland, and general literature on kayaking. Then on to some more discussion on what to bring along on a trip and planning for a particular trip. Plus, we also went over on-the-water communication-meaning hand signals and paddle signals.

Edging practice!

So then it was on to the water!

Saturday we did a lot of games and rescue practice.

Rachel and Sabrina practiced edging and strokes.

The water was Coooooold! But Rachel and Sabrina managed!

Rachel and Sabrina rescued each other. I think they both did a great job and stayed calm and on task during the exercise!

Rachel empties Sabrina's boat!

Sunday was our third day of kayak instruction. As the grand finale, we all went up to Ridgefield, WA, and paddled 10 miles around Bachelor Island. So for everyone we had a good three kayak sessions together!


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River Stewardship Presentation at KEEN Footwear Tonight

9 03 2011

Today (Wednesday March 8th) at 7:00 p.m. at KEEN Footwear, 926 NW 13th, Portoand, OR – A presentation by super kayaker Sam Drevo of boating on Mount Rainier’s Carbon River! It’s a benefit for the Oregon Whitewater Association! It illustrates the first descent of rafts on this narrow, walled in creek barely wide enough to accommodate a raft!

Once in, there’s no way out on the Carbon!

There will also be a presentation of his 2010 film, “Trout on the Wind,” a film about dam removal and restoration of salmon runs!


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Categories : Green Planet, Outdoor Industry, Paddling

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