Trip Report: Kayaking at Lower Wind River
When? 7/8/2016
Location: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Conditions: Weather: hot and sunny
Water level: low
Duration: 5 miles
Difficulty: Class IV
Kid Friendly? No
Pet Friendly? No
Useful Links: American White Water
The Full Report:
The Lower Wind is a great summer run to head to when everything else is too low. The run consists of a few miles of really low water boogie followed by a short section of waterfalls followed by some more boogie to reach the takeout.
To get the most out of this run it’s a good idea to bring a playboat. The boogie leading up to the waterfalls will be pretty boring in a full volume creek boat. Taking the playboat allows you to enjoy the many splat, stern squirt, and blast spots along the run. It will also make the waterfalls a little more exciting once you get there.
Last Friday I was finishing a summer chemistry class in the morning and teaching a roll class in the evening which meant I had the whole middle of the day to go kayaking. I texted Patrick Higgins in the morning to see if he was down to join in the kayaking. It turned out he was already headed to the river and was keen to a second lap right around the time I would be getting there for my first lap.
We set shuttle and headed to the put-in. After putting on we quickly discovered a perfect cartwheel hole halfway through the boogie. Needless to say, we stopped there for a substantial surf session. After continuing downstream a ways we got to the first big rapid of the day called the Flume. After a quick scout, Patrick was the only one that decided to fire it up in the playboat.
Shortly after we found another excellent playspot. There was a hole that turned out to be great for mystery moves as well as blasting. The river right pocket of the hole cupped the bottom of our kayaks perfectly and let us blast until our abs started to cramp. At that point we headed downstream to the waterfall section.
Last Friday I was finishing a summer chemistry class in the morning and teaching a roll class in the evening which meant I had the whole middle of the day to go kayaking. I texted Patrick Higgins in the morning to see if he was down to join in the kayaking. It turned out he was already headed to the river and was keen to a second lap right around the time I would be getting there for my first lap.
We set shuttle and headed to the put-in. After putting on we quickly discovered a perfect cartwheel hole halfway through the boogie. Needless to say, we stopped there for a substantial surf session. After continuing downstream a ways we got to the first big rapid of the day called the Flume. After a quick scout, Patrick was the only one that decided to fire it up in the playboat.
Shortly after we found another excellent playspot. There was a hole that turned out to be great for mystery moves as well as blasting. The river right pocket of the hole cupped the bottom of our kayaks perfectly and let us blast until our abs started to cramp. At that point we headed downstream to the waterfall section.