Husum Falls, White Salmon River, Washington

Did the 08/09 winter logjam in the waterfall affect the Hydraulic?

This question has been fired around Constantly in the '09 season. Husum Falls is retentive and Fifos from far and wide are getting stuffed and surfed. I have been doing some research... looking at photos of the falls from this year and from previous years. I have even heard talk that the Flake (boof-rock) has moved forward as much as 3 feet (!).

For Anyone not familiar with our goofy boater-lingo. The Flake is essentially a "ski-jump" set in the top half of the falls (or anywhere really). When one paddles their kayak over the appropriate line on a falls containing said flake, The Hydraulic at the base of the waterfall (This is a very turbulent recirculating hole) can be avoided as the kayaker in a sense "jumps" over it.

So, back to business. Husum is a waterfall. lets break it down...water = Incredibly powerful and unforgiving force of nature. Fall - ouch. Lets give credit where credit is due. A waterfall is not splash mountain at Magic Kingdom. Ask any good boater how they decide to run a big drop like Big Brother, in the upper reaches of the White Salmon. They scout and then decide yes or no. Not based on weather or not they did it last week, or their buddies say go for it. They decide based on how they feel about the drop at that moment. How are you interacting with your boat, the water, what did you have for lunch, do you have a wicked rash between your toes that itches and might prove to be a minor distraction. ummm.... oh yeah, my point:
Look at the waterfall, can you hit the line you want to hit? If you don't can you work out of the hole? Hold your breath (haha)? Do you even know what a good line is? if not maybe watch some others who know run the falls and then decide? do you know what a line is? If not ask your raft guide =o).

Below I have posted a few pictures of husum falls (Lets see if the Flake has moved three feet)

Above: The Author runs the Flake at Husum July, 2009

Below: A similar angle taken of the falls quite some time ago at a similar water level ~2.5 ft on the Stick at Husum. Flake looks about the same to me. Also note that I am looking at the top of the wild spray coming off the rock in the arc (not the throw of the spray itself) as the angle is not exactly the same, the spray will look different.

Below: Steve Stuckmeyer runs a line to the left of the flake at around 3 ft. The Red Line displays the line off the flake rock at this angle. From Americanwhitewater.org

Below: Another Angle of Husum Falls Showing a clean line off the boof rock. Note the approximate area where the red X is and the line ends, Not even close to the nasty looking U-shaped Hole at the base of this one.

I cannot speak to the retentiveness of the hole. Is it possible that some rocks have moved around at the bottom? yes, it is a river. The very nature of a hole is to be retentive. It is afterall really just a wave and waves as we all know, surf...sometimes whether you like it or not. I have a friend who ran into a rock pile on the Hood and had them move around under his boat. Cool!
If you are a Kayaker, hit the line. If you are a rafter, have some faith in your guide and don't try to breathe water. Don't assume that because it has been done before that you can do it again. I also found a good youtube video of a clean line and a dirty line off the falls.

Dirty

Another Dirty

Clean

Another Clean

Whatever you do, Be safe on the river and for goodness sakes lets leave the Hydrology and bathymetry to the experts.

Vimeo works

So I set up an account with Vimeo, and I can now display my short films (and there will be more) with sound and avoid all of the frufru ninnymuggins at youtube and wmg. Here is the flick, enjoy.

Learning to paddle in the Pacific Northwest from Luke Maddux on Vimeo.

The Development

So In my workings I have changed my focus a bit. My new website construction has begun. I am playing with the idea GoGorge.net which is a travel based site providing users with the exact locations of places around the columbia gorge to play. I am including lakes, mountain biking trails, river put-ins and take-outs, hiking trails, wind sport launches, and places to stay off in the woods.
Website development was put on hold however with the arrival of a very large package at my door from Kona. A rare Kona "A" 20inch full suspension xc/trail frame. The building began on friday and was completed sunday morning, and tested sunday afternoon.




So there it is I am calling it my Kona A 69er.
It is currently rigged up as a singlespeed with some components that have been well ridden and well loved. The good stuff is below:

• Reba SL Air 80mm front fork with preload, lockout, adjustable rebound and motion control.
• Fox Float RP3 100mm rear air shock with propedal dampening
• Bontrager Select Cranks
• Raceface Isis BB
• Cane Creek Aheadset
  
• Supersweep bar
• Hellbent grips
  
• Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes
• Shimano SPD pedals
• Bontrager superstock 29inch Front wheel w/ Panaracer Rampage 29er tire
  

I am waiting on Kona to send me a dropout so that I can rig up my gears. I will be loading up SRAM X-7 derailleurs. Currently the Rear wheel, cassette, and disc are off an old beater and are just passing as I run through the testing phase of the rig. The geometry is a little weird with the big wheel up front. Low speed handling takes a hit as a result. This can make logrides a little tougher when travelling at slow speeds. Technical climbs require a different approach of hammering down hard to keep your speed up. The 29er up front eats up rocks and roots and will help out with the momentum. When you decide to head down, the backwards geometry will almost balance your weight for you over technical trail and gives more control thanks to the wider contact patch of the 29er tire.....when you decide to keep it on the dirt. Swoopy, windy singletrack is dreamy. The steeper camber of the front fork means that the steering feels tight at speed and tracks right on line and feels solid, pulling you out of the steep turns.

When I mount up a new rear wheel, a big think tire will be nice back there for maintaining traction on climbs. Thats it for now, Im headed to post canyon.

Blog Opening

So yes, There is a Blog. I am interested in sharing some wisdom from my travels and life.
So first things first, I am currently working at The KayakShed in Hood river, selling Kayaks and Kayaking Gear. It is a lot more relaxing than being a Wilderness Head Instructor. Being that I am also a passionate paddler, Its great to be able to paddle any given day after work and play with all of the great new toys.

In my new line of work, I deal with a lot of whitewater, recreation and touring kayaks and gear. Paddles, PFD's, helmets, drybags, drytops, drypants, drysuits, sprayskirts, layers and of course, boats. As an avid paddler, I have also found a lot of other toys that are fun to use on the water, namely waterproof digital cameras. Weather you are Sea Touring, hucking your local drops, or floating the lake with the family, a good waterproof camera is invaluable.