Kayaking Sucks.

Dec 11, 2004 - Massive landslide on the Sultan river! 

Long story short - the side of the canyon caved in, minutes after we passed.  A second group was upstream and we were separated by a 20-30 vertical foot natural dam.  No injuries.  One bad-ass video clip.  Enjoy.

    Video:


We are kayaking
A tree falls in the river
We run to safety

-haiku written by a 10th grade English student of a local kayaker

 

For details, check Chris Joosse's write-up in Canoe & Kayak magazine online, or on his personal website.
 

Marsh creek rapid (previously the largest rapid on the run) is now completely under water.  There is a new horrible sieve rapid that formed over the landslide, and can be portaged over the slide on river right.  I would recommend not attempting that for several months to let it settle.  When we retrieved our boats on Sunday, there was still a car-sized rock hanging over the edge ready to go at any minute.

Lessons learned:

  1. If rocks are falling from the sky, get away as quickly as possible.  Do NOT hide under a "safe" overhang.
  2. Add a waterproof flashlight to the rescue kit.
  3. If the river stops, do not walk across it to get a better camera angle.  It will soon turn back on and separate you from your boat.
  4. GPS, though often used in place of thinking, can be helpful in an emergency nighttime hike.
  5. Always carry lots of rope - not just for rescuing swimmers.  I carry 2 and they both were used in the boat extraction.

 

Notice the downward spike in the gage on Dec 11.  This was after the landslide occurred, while the new lake was filling.

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All footage and content is exclusive property of Andrew Oberhardt (kayakingsucks.com). 
Copyright 2004 Andrew Oberhardt