Trip Report: The Lower Hood
A stranger walked up to our boating group at the put-in today, and asked if he could join. I was with K and D, and had no idea what they'd say. They let the stranger join. He's from Sandpoint, Idaho, on a little road trip to find water and warm weather, because it was -15 the other morning when he got up and wanted to go paddling. He is a strong boater, intelligent and witty, and a long haired hippie. I invited him to join me for boating tomorrow---which means I have to GO boating. This will be the first time since summer that I've recreated two days in a row. We're headed to June Creek.
The shuttle was gorgeous!! Depending on which direction you are going, you have a view of either Mt Hood or Mt Adams. The river is fairly continuous class II and I with a couple sections that have high enough intensity that some folks would call them class III. Those steeper drops are where there used to be a dam, but the dam has been taken out, and it hasn't flooded since then to even out the gradient. There's a side channel that's going to be "a handfull" until a flood blows it out. There were lots of eddies, little surfing waves, holes...fun. I had fun. I got my workout. And I got tantalized.
PIX here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13998549@N07/5442147116/in/set-72157625914370839/
photographer is Dick, I'm in the orange boat, stranger in black boat.