Upper Wind at 5.7 Feet

Hey everyone! I had soo much fun today. Got out for the first time since I moved to Portland. The much needed rain finally arrived and we jumped on the Upper Wind about an hour from our houseboat. The only sad part was that my camera died after the first real rapid, Initiation, and then the helmet cam died after the second! POO! We knew the batteries weren't fully charged but we think the cold really wiped em' out. They should have lasted longer. Oh well. We will try again next time we are on it.

Here are the shots I got with my little camera. I didn't want to risk getting my Nikon wet in the pouring rain....

RAWR! My car is fixed and good as new (in case you missed it, my car took out a sign this winter which dented the back left pretty badly...nothing some quality mechanics and Line-X can't fix!)

The Put-In....such a nice spot...no crazy seal-launch...no deadly ducks or sharp rocks...just a sweet, flat spot. :) Gauge reading: 5.7 feet when we put on but we estimate somewhat of an increase due to the heavy rain that poured down on us the entire time.


The only shot I actual got before my camera died :( Looking upstream at one of drops...can't remember which one...


The run is rated class IV+ by the Oregon Kayaking website and that seemed pretty accurate. A swim would definitely suck. The drops were quality and even though the flow was med-high, it still seemed like we could have had more water.

The first drop, Initiation, was a fun sweeping turn with some great boofs....followed by Ram's Horn. Quality drop. I definitely wish I had the footage to show you of Ram's. Swoosh and you're through! Anyways, sorry I don't have more photos...guess you'll just have to check it out yourself!

Later gator,
Christina