The Green Truss of the White Salmon

This run kicks ass! It was my second run down the truss ever last Sunday. My first time a little over a month ago I ran everything except Lower Zig Zag (portaged due to wood) and BZ falls which I had heard was could be super brutal. This time however I was with a group of people who make the run often and they ran Lower Zig Zag around the wood and BZ. Being the follower that I tend to be I ran both and had my first no portage run down the Truss. Did not even get my ass kicked. Some pics to follow but here is the video of a couple drops. I don't have everyone's name as our group had something stupid like 13 people and I had only met about 6 of them before Sunday. I do have to say that for 13 people the trip went really smooth with only 1 swim.

So here are some photos that Eric took on his camera.

Me:
Eric, on his first time running Big Bro
More to come when I get some time

Lower Wind River

Got out on the Lower wind this last weekend. Sorry no pictures on this trip. We had planned to run the Upper Wind, but after arriving at the takeout for the upper we realized there was not enough water. This worked out ok, I got the chance to try out my new Mystic on something a little easier, and boy did I LOVE it! Good lines through everything and we were able to run the last three drops at Sheppard Falls. All in all good day on the river.

Orange Torpedo's First Known Waterfall attempts

So this last weekend we went back to the East Fork of the Lewis River in WA. This time the goal was to really find out what a Torp is capable of. As far as my run down in my kayak (someone needed to be able to set safety) I was totally off my game. I came through everything fine, but realized again, that the second decent for me is almost always worse. I am not sure if it is less adrenaline because I have seen the run already or what. Something about my second time down a run always leads me to be horrible in my boat.
So anyway, if people have tried waterfalls of this height in a torp I am sorry for claiming that we are going first. Please let me know and we can correct our statement. I know people have done this kind of stuff, and larger, in other IK's but I think for our particular craft this is pushing the limits. So yeah, here is the video.



See More
Rafting on the Rogue River
Rafting on the Salmon River
Rafting on the Umpqua River
Rafting on the Klamath River

Oh the weekend

So, the weekend is at my doorstep. Freedom from my windowless office, the escape from the humdrum of downtown P-town. It is not that I have a bad job, I don't, its just I like to be outside not sitting on my ass.
So have a fun weekend, make the most of it; even if that is sitting around with someone you love and doing nothing, however if it is running waterfalls than that is good too.

Brothers K

So I am reading this book, The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I finished The River Why while I was on the Grand Canyon. Amazing book, highly recommended! Anyway so I am reading this one now and there was a passage that I really liked.
This is a passage from a boy in a family of 6 kids. He lives in a house with a mother is devoutly conservative Christian, and as a teenager he is questioning what he sees in the church. In this part he is questioning the way he see people pray. Here he is explaining to his brothers how he thinks people should pray,
"Hello there, God. I know Thy Will is being done today, as usual, and I think that's terrific as usual. Of course to me Your will looks like a crazy mess that's getting the rich richer and the poor poorer and the innocent killed and babies stomped and starved and the whole world is danger of being blown up any minute by atom bombs and all. But You know all about me thinking that, since You made me. So, uh, sorry. And please, go right ahead and do Your Will no matter what I think, even if it kills us. Talk to You tomorrow, Lord! Love, Everett."
Take it as you will, I just thought it was something to think about

East Fork Lewis River

Fun Run, 850 cfs. Two clean drops. Nice day on the water

River Search

Getting Started. The name of this site has to do with its contents. Here you will probably find a mix of subjects. The intention is to have a place where I can document recent river trips (or whatever type of trip seems worthy) of mine, or friends. Someplace that can hopefully be a resource for others in the future.

The other part of this site will be a following of the story of my life. I think the name "River Search" also fits this area of the site. I am a Christian in belief. I attended a Christian university, I have been active in leadership roles within churches, my basic principles and the guide of my life, is and has been this belief structure. However, in the recent past I have lived through a challenge in what I believe. I have not lost faith in Christianity and Gods intentions of what it is suppose to be; instead I have run into a crisis of what Christianity has become. I look at the history of the Church and what it has done and I am challenged to see God in much of it. I look at the Church today in America; needless to say I see less and less of what I think the Bible teaches there. I am surely not saying that I have answers and I am not trying to make myself sound all superior, because that is the last thing I am. I am simply saying that I am in the middle of a half-assed search where I am fighting (the desire to give up searching) to find how God wants Christians to interact in American society, with the Bible, and with the rest of the World.

So as to how that fits with the title. In the past I have talked with people who view life as a float down a river. A river is always moving, even when it looks stagnant it is flowing; like life it is always moving forward even when you feel still. Sometimes its and eddy heading back upstream, sometimes its a rapid, a waterfall, a big ass kicking hole, or a meandering float through a beautiful gorge. All of these descriptions feel like they describe a time I have lived through. At all times there is an over powering principle that guides all of the chaos that happens in a river, gravity. I believe that life is somehow like that. Our life goes through these things, and somewhere, somehow a guiding principle, figure, person, ect. is there controlling the overall action of our direction. Take it or leave it, but this is how I see it today.
I hope that the seriousness of this post does not prevent people from returning. I promise that the majority of what you find here will be much more light hearted.