Whitewater kayaking on Thomas Creek

I have been a little lax at keeping up with my blog lately.  It's probably because I am taking some down time in the off season after the Ironman, the holidays were just upon us and work has been hectic lately.  I hope to start blogging on a more routine basis now that we are into a new year - 2010!

As fall turns to winter in Oregon, the rain starts to become a daily facet of life.  To most it's just considered another season in the Pacific Northwest.  To kayakers it takes on an entirely different meaning.  To us it means paddling season!  Over the last couple of weeks, I have had a chance to reacquaint myself with my whitewater kayak after nearly a year long hiatus from paddling.  My spirit flows as freely as the river on which I paddle when I am in my kayak and I absolutely love being on the river.  Today was no exception as I paddled  lower Thomas Creek near Scio, Oregon.

This little stretch is considered to be a class II+ section with ample opportunties for wave surfing and hole playing.  Various features along the river always keep me smiling on this run.  Today was no different.  Ideal flows for surfing are around 1600cfs and that was about the level the water was running when we put on the river.  Just below the put in we encountered a river wide log jam and were forced to portage on the right.  This strainer was fairly innocuous as we had ample warning that it was there and various options to skirt around it without any consequences.  It did however serve as a reminder of how much wood is in this stretch of river.  We remained vigilant for wood the rest of the run.

This run is by no means difficult for me, to the contrary. I often elect to paddle this stretch simply to relax and enjoy the various play features of the river.  Today my intentions were to play on every feature I could find.  Just below this strainer was the first play hole in which we all could surf.  We all eddied out on river right and then one by one proceeded to take our turn at playing in the hole. It was so much fun that when I did flip, I nearly forgot to roll up.  Sloppy could best describe my first roll of the day.

After hanging out at this hole for about 20 minutes we paddled on down river.  The weather was warm by winter standards and we worked up a sweat playing in our little plastic boats.  As we moved from one feature to the next our smiles grew wider! 

Experiencing the river with those that share you passion for whitewater is always an aspect of kayaking that I cherish.  I have met some fantastic people through paddling and enjoy their company on the water.  Today was a day I shared the river with good friends once again. 

After playing on various waves, holes, ledges and pourovers, we made our way to the old Jordan Dam which we portaged today.  As we scouted the dam we suggested to one another various lines that we could take to run the dam, but knowing what lurks below (major rocks) we opted to walk the road around the dam instead.

From the dam to the take out is only about 2 miles, but that last section contains one of the best play features on the entire run.  There is a great play wave center to river right with eddie service.  We all spent about 30 minutes there playing on the wave till our hearts content.  The wave was fairly easy to catch and had great pillow above.  I think the wave wore us out we played so much.

As is typically the case with paddling our day ended much too abruptly as our run came to end just under the Hannah Bridge.  Another great paddling experience for the memory banks.  Good times friends, good times.