Robe

Robe Canyon on the South Fork of the Stillaguamish is Seattle's Little White Salmon. Although it's completely different. The water is grey and the canyon walls are dark. The whitewater is big and powerful. All rivers in the Northwest change frequently and Robe is no exception. About 7 or 8 years ago the canyon went through some major changes, for the better. It has since become "the" run near Seattle, and the site of a yearly downriver race.


Will, Jason, and I drove north after running the Little White and met up with Andrew McEwan for an amazing sunny afternoon on Robe. It was a little on the high side (6.1) which made for one of the best days on Robe I've had in quite some time. The sun was out and the pictures would have been magnificent, unfortunately Andrew had to get to work and we were a bit rushed.


I did manage to shoot these of the last rapid, a long rapid with exploding waves that is among the best in Washington. 

 Andrew McEwan Leading the Pack into Conversation

 Will Rawstron and Jason Stingl. Conversation.

Granite Falls is just downstream of the takeout. Although this monster has been run it's usually just a place to hang out after paddling. The sun was out and I had my camera...

Who Says the Sun Doesn't Shine In Washington?

We paddled Robe again the next day but due to some unfortunate circumstances had a late start and once again, limited time. These are the few I managed to shoot.

 Will and Jason at the Put In

 Scouting Hole in the Wall

 Hole in the Wall, (the hole in the wall is on the left side of the photo)

 Jason Stingl. Hole in the Wall.

 Scouting FacePlant

 Moss

Here is a nice sequence of Will running FacePlant...

 Jason at the End of the Portage Around Landslide

 Will Just Above Garbage and the Robe Gnome.

 The Robe Gnome Sees All

Paddle Out

Little White Salmon

Colorado is hot and dry and the wildfires are raging. For the past month I've been escaping to the Pacific Northwest, where the ski areas are still open and the rivers are full. Spring is my favorite season and there is no better place to be during the spring than the Pacific Northwest. The rivers rise and fall with rain showers and the volcanos turn into ski mountaineering havens. The river corridors, bleak and dark during the winter, turn vibrant shades of green, creating a fantasy like world of clear mountain water, ferns, and moss. 


It is a world where you can complete a ski descent of this....

And the next day be doing this .....

Andrew McEwan. North Fork of the Snoqualmie.

More on that later. For now, here are some shots from the river that was built for class V kayaking, the Little White Salmon. The Little White Salmon flows into the Columbia River just an hours drive from Portland, Oregon. It's sapphire blue water and near continuous varied whitewater arguably makes it the best after-work run in the world. 

 Getting Busy

Jason Stingl. Bill's Rapid.

 The Finale of Getting Busy, Boulder Sluice. Will Rawstron.

 Illustrious Northwest Legend coming out of Semi Retirement, the One and Only Paul Tays Heffernan

 Paul

 Will

 Will Rawstron. S-Turn.

Rolf Kelly. S-Turn.

Wishbone is a 20 footer that is the entrance into the Gorge, the crux of the Little White. Here are some shots of Will and Jason resurfacing.

Will

 Jason

Towards the end of the run is the largest rapid on the river, Spirit Falls. This 30 foot waterfall is no lay up, and a tricky move around a deadly hole is mandatory after running the falls. The morning of our second day on the LWS, Rolf Kelly stepped up to the plate.

 The Finish Line. White Salmon Habitant Marty in Master Blaster.

Will Rawstron. Buried.

Towards the end of the week, after a productive trip north, the Colorado boys headed home and I stayed, waiting for my sister to have her baby. My old friend and photography inspiration Jed Weingarten showed up and his appearance brought some of the Northwests most colorful characters to the LWS. 

The Northwest has long been a catchment for outrageous characters and gifted paddlers. It doesn't get much more classic than this.

 Paul Heffernan

Scott Collins

 Colby Mackley

Jamie Klein

 Colby Mackley. S-Turn.

 Paul Heffernan. Stove Pipe.

 One Handed Stovepipe. Colby

Paddling with such a unique group of old paddling friends felt like quite the occasion. I was inspired.

Yours Truly