And here it was, a beautiful boat to ride in. I just hoped it was as tough as it was gorgeous.
The first twenty miles of the run to the confluence of the Snake and Salmon rivers was mostly uneventful, lots of chit-chat and joking as the boats jostled for position in the group. Brett rode standing on the back with his head and camera extended over the top of the boat for the whole trip – talk about freaking nuts, it was cold out there – but he was rewarded with some incredible film for his efforts.
Soon, though, the ride got interesting. At one point we came in tight to the bank at a rocky point in the river. I was nervous because I had never ridden with Rick before and did not know his skill. Did he even see the rocks marking just under the surface?
We were headed straight for them, and I barley stopped myself from saying anything, trusting he knew the ropes, and thankfully he did. Rick pulled that monster of a boat through the narrow passage between the marking rocks, and from then on I felt much more confident in his ability. Damian said I looked ready to jump ship, and I admit I was nervous, but I felt pretty relaxed for the rest of the trip. That is until we got to Granite.
Once past the confluence with the Salmon River and into the narrows the river becomes much more interesting. I have been on this 26 mile stretch, between the Salmon River and Pittsburg landing a few times. Though I have yet to drive my own boat here.
Only a few miles upstream from the confluence is some class III water called Imnaha Rapids. This is one place that really gets my attention – a longer rapid with a good wave train and several routes to learn. This would be perfect for a smaller boat like mine to have some fun. I bet the 18-footer with us today enjoyed it.
There are not many places to get a boat onto the river in Hells Canyon. One is from Hellars Bar at river mile 168.4, as we did that day, which is 79 miles one way to Hells Canyon Dam, and 47 miles to Pittsburg Landing. Bring enough gas when coming up this way. It is a long trip by boat. You also need to remember to stop at the Cache Creek HCNRA-permit station (approximately 11 1/2 miles up river from Heller Bar) before continuing up river.
Many jet boaters from the Boise area and the southern part of Idaho access the river at Hells Canyon dam at river mile 247, but this strategy allows only the most experienced drivers to go more then about six miles downstream before reaching Wild Sheep Rapids, a large and difficult class IV to class V rapid that is a test for even the most expert driver.
Then there is Pittsburg Landing at river mile 215. This access is located in the middle of Hells Canyon and is the dividing line between what is considered the scenic section (going down stream) and the wild section (up stream) of the Canyon. The up stream section from here is highly regulated during the summer months and there are some days that are non-motorized. The scenic stretch is controlled by self issued permits with no limits on the number of motorized boats, as of Spring 2008.
Pittsburg Landing is accessed by the Deer Creek Road, off of Highway 95 just south of the town of Whitebird. The road to Pittsburg is approximately 17 miles. This is a maintained single lane gravel road with turnouts, that crosses the divide at an elevation of over 4300 feet between the Salmon and Snake Rivers. It is steep, with grades up to 16%, so be sure your brakes and transmission are in good condition before beginning the drive. Use low gears and lock out your surge brakes going down hill.
I hate this hill! Having had my truck, camper and boat towed out twice in the same week. I am indebted to a certain group of jet boaters from the Ontario area for all the help rendered me that week.
Another access point for boaters is at Doug Bar between river mile 196 and 197 on the Oregon side of the river. I have not been there, but have heard the road to this ramp is very long and requires good clearance.
Back to the day at hand, we had already left one of the smaller boats behind on a bank before we reached Pittsburg Landing and left another one on the bank just upstream of PL before continuing. Once above Pine Bar, 12 1/2 miles upstream from Pittsburg, the river is known for huge white water that has taken its share of boats. Typically only the more experienced pilots with the right boats venture up stream from here.
We came to the first of these big rapids, Rush Creek, which is a class III rapid at lower flows and builds up to a class IV at higher flows. On that day the flow was about 10,000 cfs, which probably put it into the class III-plus category. I eyed this rapid warily, something I can’t help but do as I wonder how someone like myself might get a smaller, less powered boat up. It would be a real challenge that I am in no rush to take on. But in Rick’s old Oakes it did not seem like much more then a bump in the road.
Soon after Rush creek rapids came Watersprout, a Class IV rapid, but one that gets easier at higher river flows. This day did not seem so easy, as it was furious with huge rollers, and I do mean HUGE. I could see a smaller boat like mine being swallowed in a heartbeat here. But once again, in Rick’s 26-footer it was a smooth run, though a bit more than the casual bump that Rush Creek had been. While we had a good run through Watersprout, the Black Duckworth that was with us was stopped cold on its first attempt. Yikes! But he was not giving up and made a second attempt that was successful.
Then we came to Lower and Upper Bernard. Lower Bernard is also a Class IV rapid that washes out with higher water. This one requires some finesse, even in a large boat. The last time I had ridden through Lower Bernard, about 5 months earlier, things did not go smoothly so I was a little apprehensive about it today. But again Rick was up to the task and we cleared the rapid without a hitch. Upper Bernard did not seem like much, just another bump in the road, but it’s never a rapid to take lightly. I had heard stories of broken windows in upper Bernard, and was glad for its calm demeanor as we moved on.
Next up was the infamous Granite Creek Rapids, notorious for spitting out boats, large or small, new or old. This rapid has collected a heavy toll from many river runners. I had only ridden through it on one other occasion, also in a large boat with twin engines, and it was intense.
This was a low-flow day, considered a relatively easy run. But looking at it, I would have said anything but.
One of the boats with us was a 24-foot HCM named “Calling all the Shots”, being driven by Eric Schurm. I have seen this boat in a lot of videos and pictures – it is well known for extreme boating, and there are some incredible films of it running Granite in higher water (check out whitewaterextreme.com). They went first and made it look oh so easy. But I am no fool (REALLY!!) and know better than to take anything like this lightly. How something looks from a distance can be very deceiving on the river.
Rick seemed a little unsure. While we sat there looking up at the rapid, I asked if he had ever driven it before. The answer was no.
“Really?” I asked back.
Then I asked if he had ridden through it before. And again the answer was no. Crap! He asked if I wanted off. I had to think about this one.
How do I keep ending up in boats with a pilot wanting to do something they have never done before? Then I thought about how cold that water was, recalling the Payette almost a year ago. Not a good thought. And then I thought about the boat we were in, a 1977 Oakes 26-footer built like a tank with twins. That was the comforting thought I was looking for and decided what the hell. “Its up to you. I’ll go if you want to run it.” I told Rick.
So we did. We came into the rapid just right of center, following a slick spot bellow the huge pour-over, then angled towards the Idaho side. Oh crap, IT’s HUGE! White pumps don’t fail us now. It took all those twins had to push us up and over, but she made it. Relief! My hands were shaking. The film I got of us going through sucked. More filming was out of the question for a while, till my nerves settled back down.
Behind us came the Black Duckworth. His line was a little off as he hit one large wave and then slammed into another. By the time he hit the third roller to much of his momentum had been lost. The river took control, spinning the boat away and pushing it into the Idaho bank. The driver made a great recovery getting the boat off the bank and out of the rapid safely. No second attempt for him this time. Being rejected once in Granite is enough for anyone with an ounce of sanity.
After that came the vintage 24’ Hudson boat. Moving faster then any of the others into the rapid (running a 454 with a Berkeley pump), he caught some serious air. He had a lot of needed momentum and brought the whole boat out of the water. It was something to see as he made it up and over. |
