The Dance

Now we can finally do the dance!

What dance do you speak of?

The summer dance of course! The grill-is-fired-up and I just-picked-up-some of-that-new-Lagunitas-seasonal-release type of dance. Sort of like funk, but better.

Don't have your summer dance down pat? Or do you feel unsure as to what I'm talking about? I'm sorry, but I can't help you. Summer is a wild time of year - done differently by everyone.

Alright,

So I've noticed in the last two weeks that we're getting an increased amount of inquiries with regards to backpacking in the Marble Mountains Wilderness and Trinity Alps Wilderness. It's definitely that time of year now, but we've got an interesting twist this season that I think everyone should be aware of!

I'd save packing through both Wilderness areas until August and September. Don't get me wrong - they're my favorite areas on almost the entire west coast, with the exception of the Sierra Nevada - but with 140% of normal snowpack this season, most of that extra falling very late, both the bugs and snow are going to be very thick for a while yet. Snow levels are still around 5,000 feet in some areas, meaning that the Forest Service trail crews still have some work to do. I don't know, has anyone else ever been to the Trinity Alps in July? The swarm of biting insects is enough to make it miserable in the evenings. With this much snow, we're not going to be able to climb high enough to escape the bugs until August!

If it were me, I'd pick the Rogue River trail or a Lost Coast trip to tide over the backpacking desire until August/September. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is also a lovely choice, though the concentration of poison oak is very high. If anyone has any specific questions about any of these locations, come in to the store and pick our brains. They all pretty much allow easy access to water to beat the heat, but with no worries about full Gore-Tex boots and gaiters on a hot day!

Anyways, that's my two cents.

I was at the coast this weekend, as well as the Illinois river, and that water feels great. We're gonna have clear, hot weather all week, and great flow all-around - it's the perfect week for boating or some time at the beach, and also the best week for kicking back with friends on these late evenings. Longest day of the year was the 21st, so don't waste any time!

Have a nice week folks.

Smith River Gorges

A couple weekends ago I awoke to 20 degree temperature and and ice/frost combo on the ground. I decided to do the most logical thing, GO BOATING!

Frankie taking his sweet time!

There was four of us going (myself, Dan, Frank, and Chris), so we took an 11.5" raft to r3 and then a creek boat kayak for the 4th. We weren't sure what to expect from the gorges because the flows were quite a bit lower (500cfs in the Middle Fork) then we would have liked. But it didn't prevent us from making a day of it.

We ran the Middle Fork first. Because the flow was so low some of the rapids were a bit tighter and steeper making them really fun. The continuos 1.5 mile run went really fast! We ran the South Fork Gorge second, and it was even lower flow so it was even tighter and steeper and faster. We had good clean lines, no swimmers, no carnage, and a lot of cold water winter boating fun.

Oregon Hole
Photo Credit: Will Volpert

The Smith River is by far one of the most gorgeous river's in our area. The combination of the clear water, the california warmth, and the redwoods is unbeatable, and if you time it right you can see some massive Salmon. The easy road-side access also makes logistics a breeze for shuttling and doing multiple runs in the same day. There is also a lot of variety in the difficulty level which can accommodate all skill and comfort levels.

Dan somewhere in the South Fork
Photo Credit: Will Volpert

There are a lot of different write ups out there about the Smith, but here are our favorites: California Creek's, and Oregon Rafting.

Expadentures at Altivation on Lamorial Day Weekend

I live by several philosophies. One of the main philosophies is that the last weekend of summer has to be epic! Okay, so that isn't actually a philosophy that I live by, but I did decide this year that I wanted to cap off summer and launch into fall with a good solid adventure filled weekend. As the weekend drew closer I was getting very nervous about the likelihood of any adventure happening because flow's were down, people were out, and weather was getting bad. But we rolled with the punches and kept the adventure weekend alive. Since funding for the weekend was tight we had to come up with idea's that were not going to break the bank, and since not everyone had a four day weekend we had to stay fairly close to home.

Day 1 - Friday
We started off the weekend with a fun and easy float down on the Klamath River. The section is known as the Tree of Heaven run. It is a solid class II run with arguably the best play wave around thrown in for good measure. While it doesn't offer much in the way of excitement, it does offer a relaxing day on the water and in the sun. You know this because it is always sunny in California. We brought a 12' raft and frame and a playboat kayak. We used the raft, but strapped the kayak down as a stern ornament for the day. We had a couple good attempts at surfing the raft in the playwave and a good lunch/dinner along the bank.



(It was later that we found out that there was an algae bloom warning for this section and it was being advised to not have contact with the water)



As we drove back north through Ashland Frank jumped out of the car and Wrenna and I continued on to the North Fork of the Rogue River near Union Creek. We crept/snuck into the Abbot Creek Camp Ground a little after midnight and quickly setup our tent and crawled inside.



Day 2 - Saturday
We awoke and maintained a leisurely morning eating oatmeal and slacklining, and then we were off to Mount Thielsen. From where we were camped Thielsen was a short 45-minute drive. Early on into the hike we could see a weather system moving towards the mountain, and a fair number of hikers heading the opposite direction we were. However, we continued to push on through, and as we reached the tree line we were embraced by the wind and rain that had been scaring everyone else away. Not to be deterred by mother-nature we dawned our rain wear and pushed on.





Once we reached an upper section of the ridge where the coverage was non-existent we sat with our faces turned into the wind and felt the rain and wind prickle our faces until we were good and cold. Being content with embracing mother-nature we headed down off the ridge. On the descent I realized that I have no grasp for time or distance when it comes to hiking. I was shocked at how long it took us to get back to the trailhead. Also, not having done much hiking all summer long, my feet and legs were very happy to be back to the car and back in my Chaco's. By the time we got back to camp we had enough time to cook some food and collect firewood. I think that campfire might be my favorite part of camping (side note: I hate the word camping and you will probably read a blog post soon about that).







Day 3 - Sunday
Seeing as breakfast is the most important meal of the day we again took our time eating more oatmeal and doing some more slacklining before heading out to Mount McLoughlin. Driving to the trail head took longer then estimated because the obvious directions weren't so obvious. Once you are on the gravel road continue straight to the parking lot. Do not take the right turn that says McLoughlin Trail.





McLoughlin is a sweet hike. The trail doesn’t stay flat for very long and becomes rather steep quickly. The forest is really beautiful, and once we got above the tree line the views became spectacular. I was really shocked at how far we hiked before we reached the tree line. From the road McLoughlin deceivingly looks bare. Unfortunately, for a second day the weather was not very cooperative. The storm from the day before deposited ice on the summit, so combining that with high winds, cold temperature, and waning sun we had to forgo the summit on day two as well.





The descent was quick and a bit painful do to the steepness and our legs being tired from the previous day’s hike. We jammed it out and headed back into Ashland for a quick presentation for isBreathing , reloaded, refueled, and picking up Frank. We were back out at camp before we new it enjoying the campfire and the evenings dessert.



Day 4 - Sunday
Unfortunately, we slept through our put-on time we had planed with Bryant and Johannah, so to make up for it we ate. We cooked up a big egg scramble cooked over the open flame and then took down camp and headed to the put in for the River Bridge section of the Rogue River.







The day was hot, but the water was, as always, super cold. So at the heat of the day we inflated the raft, rode the bike shuttle, and dawned our dry suits. River Bridge is currently sitting at the top of my favorites list for a day run. The rapids are technical drops but low consequence and the scenery is beautiful and offer solitude. This time of year the flow is pretty low which made for a bumpy and boney ride. We encountered a couple logs in the river that couldn’t be avoided and required us to line the boat around them. There were a lot of moves that had to be made in this 5-mile stretch of river and all of them were tight. Frank and Wrenna were awesome bow paddlers and got really good at bouncing off of rocks and down the river. By the time we hit the reservoir at the end of the run I had sweated close to my body weight into my (aka Franks) drytop, so I let the other two row the rest of the way and I relaxed and started re-hydrating. The drive back to Ashland was a quiet one, and not because excitement wasn’t filling our bones, but because exhaustion was more set in.







I have to say that Labor Day weekend 09 was on of the best weekends I have had all summer and was just some good old fashion adventuring! It definitely was inspiring and rejuvenating. Plus, it gave me time to plot and work angles for more adventures to come.

We want to give a special thanks to the SOU Outdoor Program for the use of the raft, and to The Ashland Outdoor Store for a long weekend.