Wind River Clean up

A group of paddlers and cat boaters got together this Saturday for a little spring cleaning on the Wind River in Washington. The Wind is a stunning watershed but the put-in and takeout were getting pretty trashed and there was tangled fishing line all along the run. It felt good to get rid of all the clutter for the spring kayaking season to begin.

The Cataraft Crew

Lori Duffens getting rid of a pile of shotgun shells

Drew Eastman, Todd Collins, Nick Jacob and Liz Arnold

Inspecting the takeout

Let's hope the put-in stays this clean!

Enjoying the scenery

John Meier hauling an old tire out of the Wind R.

A great excuse for a paddle

Enjoying some apres-boating snacks at a very clean takeout :)

Thanks to Drew Eastman for organizing the cleanup

and grilling hotdogs for all the hungry volunteers!

Also, big thanks to everyone who came out to help and to the

National Outdoor Leadership School for their support.

Spring Fever

Celestial Falls is a multi-tiered drop on the White River in Oregon. It had been just over a year since I'd been there and I was itching to go back. Kate had never been there and was looking for a fun adventure as usual. She was also pretty fired up to run her first 50-footer. With sunny skies and temps in the 50s, we decided it would be a beautiful day to huck. It didn't take much to convince Drew, Trevor, Lance, Max and Seth to join us on our escapade. The excitement level was high as we all seal launched into the pool above the lower falls and disappear over the horizon line. Despite some minor chaos involving one swim, one broken paddle and a blown skirt, the day was very high on the fun meter.

Hiking in to huck

Scouting the lip

Kate

Christie

Drew

Trevor

*Big thanks to Lance Reif, Max Blackburn and Zach Harvey for the video & photos