[White-water] possible Last Descent down the Metolius River....

[Megi Morishita]

Four of us went and scouted the Metolius River as we had heard there might be dangerous wood, but
we feel we can safely get around all the wood, and the club trip is a go!!!!  It will be the last
weekend of October.  We will make it a joint WKCC (Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club) and LCCC
(Lower Columbia Canoe Club) trip.  Saturday, October 27th will be the Metolius River, and Sunday,
October 28th will probably be the Maupin section of the Deschutes.  Great hiking, mountain biking,
rock climbing, and other adventures can also be found near Bend for those who don't want to paddle
both days or who want to bring non-paddling friends along.

It will be a class III+ trip.  The whitewater is straight-forward class III, but the water is
COLD, and it is a fairly long 12-mile run in the wilderness.

The eagles are gathering here for the winter, and we had 24 eagle sitings yesterday!!!!  Some
sitings may have been the same eagle, but it was hard to tell since a couple of them seemed to be
following us downriver.  One swooped down with its claws just inches above the water and was just
a few feet from my boat.  It was spectacular.  We could see five eagles sitting in the tree from
our lunch spot.  We also saw two (or four -- depending on who you ask) osprey though they should
be heading out for the winter.  The maples were just beginning to turn a spectacular splash of red
along the river.  The fall colors should be superb for our club trip at the end of the month. 
Because the Forest Service may be putting wood into the run, this MAY be the last time you have a
chance to see this gorgeous river.  Come out and enjoy the Metolius this year!!

Since it's the weekend before Halloween, maybe we can dress up in costumes or do something else to
celebrate.  Note, also, that aside from the amazing scenery and eagle sitings, this is also a
fantastic playboating run (assuming that you've got pogies and a skull cap to keep warm!!)  Pat
Welch said that the slowest he has done this run was with Team Prijon when they took NINE hours to
run it because they played on every single wave (and there were LOTS of play waves!!)  The fastest
Pat has done this run was in less than two hours when they paddled hard the whole way.  For our
club trip, expect 5-6 hours on the river.  We will divide up into smaller groups if necessary. 
The wood at the bottom of the main rapid is easily portaged and has good eddies upstream of it. 
We were able to paddle over or avoid all other wood fairly easily.  

A wetsuit or drysuit is highly recommended, as are gloves or pogies.  A good roll is also highly
recommended.  Let me know if you have any questions.  More information regarding meeting
time/place will follow.  Numbers may be limited by the number of advanced paddlers available to
help lead groups down, so RSVP if you'd like to go.  Hope to see lots of you there!!!

-megi

Megi Morishita
2879 Riverwalk Loop
Eugene, OR 97401
(520)975-5244
meggy_morishita at yahoo.com


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