C-Forum

Anyone on C1 B1 done any paddling in Idaho recently? I was on the Payette and Lochsa years ago and am heading back this summer but need a new guide book. And a local contact on what's new would be nice. Looking to do grade 2-4 from a week long camp. Thanks for any help.
Einar

I go there to paddle quite a bit. Payettes, five trips last year... some excellent paddling and there is a new play park in Cascade, on the north fork, above Cabarton. Five features of varying difficulty. We had a blast there. Drop me a line if you're wanting to head down and I'll give you some dates that we will have a club trip up there.

Camping at the Swinging bridge campground on the North Fork is my favorite if you have a small group. The best large group site is up the south fork at the Hotsprings Campground. You have so many options on what to run... head up a bit to Cabarton or pick pieces of the north fork proper, or head to banks for a run on the main... or turn left at Banks and hit Staircase, swirly canyon, the canyon, or grandgeane way up the south fork... There is a new guide that came out last year, its pretty good. Its called The Idaho Paddler, by Sean Glaccum. Another one to check out is Paddling The Payette, by Steve Stuebner. Check Amazon, they might be on there.

Marc Evans is on here some and lives in Pullman, just across from Moscow, ID. When I moved to TN and Gaelen moved to AK, I think the C1 population of Idaho was at least halved.

Hard to say what the best plan would be, other than playing it by ear based on water levels. If the North Fork of the Clearwater is at a good level it can have awesome play, best car camping on earth, and a couple creek runs. No hot springs is only draw back.

Beautiful country, good memories of the paddling, loved running the Staircase & Lochsa falls in a Quake but it was a little3 slow in the pools.

Does anyone have a current Idaho River Guide book that they would reccomend and could be bought off the 'Net? Ours got loaned out and we can't remember who to! We gotta do some long distance paddling planning.

Check my post, I listed two of the best guides

Oops. More coffee please, just got up.
Thanks, much appreciated.

Einar,

As Oopsiflipped (Gabe) said, I'm on the border of Washington and Idaho. If you are planning on being down this way, let me know. I'm a class III boater, so I can't help you with the harder runs. If you are interested in the Lochsa, let me know. I haven't run it yet, but it is on the list for this year. Also, as Smurf said, there are some nice runs down on the Payette. If you plan on making a trip down that way to join Smurf, please let me know. Three C-boats makes an Idaho Armada.

Gabe had it wrong, when he and Galen left I think that cut the OC/C contingent down by two-thirds. There is a small contingent of boaters in Spokane, but they don't seem lurk on CBoats. There is a much larger contingent in the Seattle and Porland areas.

As for books, I have not seen the book suggested by Smurf (The Idaho Paddler, by Sean Glaccum), but it looks good (new in 2009), so I think that I will add it to my library. Amazon appears to be out when I checked. However, NRS has it for $20. If you are a playboater, then you should also look at the Playboaters Guide to Idaho by Fernald and Blewett (also $20). As a last suggestion, if you can get a used copy of Amaral's "Idaho the Whitewater State", buy it. It is out of print, though new ones, if they can be had, go for more than $100. Although is was first printed in the mid-1990s it is still a very comprehensive book. Another, more general book is Western Whitewater by Cassady, Cross and Calhoun.

Marc

About five years ago there was a group of Idaho open boaters that seemed to go to Costa Rica regularly. Do you know who they are and what happened to them?

Holey crap
"Idaho the Whitewater state" I gave to Heather for 25 cents. Somewhere some body has got that thing; a few friendships are going to be turned over looking for it.
einar

Hey Marc

Thanks for the info. If I tag along with Einar this summer, you just might get to see a certain ol' Fink again.

How are your rescue skills?

Rick

don't rescue the fink, let it go!

you sold that book for a quarter? bummer!

Einar and Rick, let me know if you are coming down. Happy to paddle with folks that don't use two blades - not that I'm picky.

Gabe, did I notice that you were selling a EZG? What happened to the Red Fred Twin Tip?

Einar, Gabe is right, get that book back!

Marc

Einar,

I have a topo map of the Lochsa found somewhere on the web with all the main rapids marked. Give me your email address and I'll send it to you. The standard run is from Fish Creek to the footbridge just past Surprise rapid (about 12 miles, as I recall). The upper run is longer (20 miles?), although it can be split in half. It's been a long time since I did the upper but I think we put in at White Pine River Access and took out somewhere above Wilderness Gateway, which is a nice Forest Service campground between the two main runs. Both sections have 20 or so class 3-4 drops (depending on level) that are pushy with big waves but mostly pool and drop with adequate recovery time at normal flows. The upper section has longer rapids, the lower has more horizon lines. The road runs right along the river as you know, so scouting before you run it is easy (and recommended) for the lower stretch and just a bit harder on the upper stretch. However, this year, the oil companies are running some ginormous (3 story size) pieces of equipment up this tiny, windy highway in the spring (big controversy here) and word has it that they will close off all of the highway turnoffs where people normally scout. In my opinion, it is best suited to open boats well after peak flows as it is coming down and is moderate to low -- usually end of June beginning of July. We have a big snowpack this year, so it will likely get really big and may stay up longer than normal.

My friend provides this translation for the USGS guage at Lowell:

20,000 cfs = 8'
15,000 cfs = 7'
11,000 cfs = 6'
10,000 cfs = 5.5'
9,500 cfs = 4.8'
7,500 cfs = 4'
5,000 cfs = 3'
2,500 cfs = 2'

It will likely go over 10' this year. At the upper end, it gets really big (rapids run together, rafts consistently flip at Lochsa Falls, people lose paddles and boats). For open boaters, I like 2-4' -- still feels pushy to me and a good challenge but fun.

If you come through Missoula in July, maybe I could join you.-- Alan

Email on the PM. Thanks Alan