Century Paddle 2010

August 30-September 4th

Start Location: Jon Storm Park Oregon City OR 97045

Date/Time: Aug 30th 2010 6am-8:30am start.

Finish Location: Astoria- Jon Day Park / Pier 39

Finish Date/Time: Sept 4th, 2010 1-3:30pm finish.

Total mileage- 115 miles- 6 days 5 nights

Paddling Crafts: (Human Powered Watercraft) Kayaks, Canoes, Dragon Boats, Outriggers, Stand Up Paddleboards, Inflatables (that can be paddled 14-25 miles/day).  Some solar/wind powered assists

The Century Paddle is a 110-mile flat water sea kayak / paddle trip from Willamette Falls to the Pacific Ocean over six days and five nights (Aug. 30-Sept 4th 2010). Participants will paddle down river for about five hours a day making camp each of the five nights on the beaches of the magnificent Columbia River.

Century Paddlers will enjoy a fully supported trip complete with catered meals feasting on local foods and river stewards will haul all paddler’s personal/camping gear down stream.

We start below Willamette Falls in Oregon City, and paddle through downtown Portland. We continue past the shipyards, to Sauvie Island and up the Multnomah Channel to the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. From here we follow the Columbia River through the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge and finish our trip in Astoria. The 2010 Century Paddlers will bring awareness and raise funds to help keep our river’s clean and to support adaptive recreation programs for disabled veterans.  We Love Clean Rivers will be coordinating shore based river cleanups with river steward volunteers along the way on the Willamette as well as the Columbia River as a way to leave the river a little cleaner than we found it.

This trip requires a moderate level of paddle sports preparation. Each participant must be familiar with basic kayak skills and self rescue techniques. We recommend paddlers should try to have a minimum of 100 hours of paddling by the start of CP10.  Paddlers need to be able to sit in a kayak for 2-3 hours at a time to complete this trip.  More detailed training techniques and preparation are available by reading Sam Drevo’s tips and techniques for CP10.  Classes and work up trips are offered by Northwest River Guides LLC and other schools all summer long.

Century Paddle was created to benefit Team River Runner PDX (using paddlesports as a means of healing and therapy for wounded veterans) & We Love Clean Rivers (promoting river stewardship by turning restoration into recreation). See teamriverrunnerpdx.org & welovecleanrivers.org for more info

Registration includes: 3 meals / day for 5 days and 2 meals on day 6- starting with breakfast on day 1, and finishing with lunch on day 6.  Gear shuttle (50lbs pp/day), on-water support / safety paddlers / sag boats/ rescue services, camping fees, nightly entertainment and social/educational activities, logistics, and training resources.

Registration also includes River Steward Kit essentials: CP10 water bottle, thermal mug/bowl, fork/spoon/knife, mesh bag, small dry bag, sun screen, Clif Bar snacks

Price: $950

Registration Available On-Line at: http://www.active.com/more-sports/portland-or/century-paddle-2010 or Call 503.772.1122 or email samdrevo@gmail.com, or don.smith.usa@gmail.com for more info. Registration is also available directly through Northwest River Guides LLC. 503.772.1122

Jennie Goldberg, Director
League of Northwest Whitewater Racers
3048 62nd Avenue SW
Seattle, WA  98116
206-933-1178
www.nwwhitewater.org

This is a message for anyone in the Paddling community looking to paddle the Sandy River this summer. ….

June 2010 Update

Portion of Sandy River closed at Dodge Park

A portion of the Sandy River located under the Lusted Rd. Bridge at RM 18 near Dodge Park will temporarily be closed to boaters and anglers for 24-hours a day during three separate weeks in July and August. The river closure is necessary while the water pipeline bridge next to the Lusted Road auto span is dismantled as part of the Sandy River Crossing (SRX) Tunnel Conduit Relocation Project.

The July river closure will occur on July 19 and run through July 23.

The river under the bridge will be unsafe for boats to float under because temporary supports will be placed under the bridge as the old conduits are removed and the span is dismantled. Boating from Dodge Park downriver is not affected by the river closures, and the public may continue using the boat launch area downstream from the bridge.

An SRX virtual open house featuring a four-minute video has been posted on YouTube. The link for the video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSsMP0hGybI

Kiewit Pacific Co., the contractor for the project, is coordinating the closure with the Oregon State Marine Board and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Call (503) 663-0261 for the exact dates of the river closure. The dates will also be posted on this webpage as soon as they are known.

Stay informed

To sign up for frequent e-mail updates and construction alerts, send me an email by clicking on my name below.

You also may call me at the numbers listed below.

Terry Black

Work: (503) 823-1168

Cell: (503) 823-8978

Just a reminder, some traffic controls will be necessary near Dodge Park during the first half of the year.

I couldn’t believe the syncronisity when a NY Times reporter called looking for kayaking spots off the beaten path.  I spoke with her about We Love Clean Rivers- the lower Clackamas and how much cleaner it has gotten over the last few years.  I spoke with her about the Hemlock Dam Removal and how a new section has emerged from the base of what was a reseviour for over 70 years- See a feature article in the July Issue of Outside Magazine about this.  But what she was most interested in was the story of the Century Paddle’s emergence.  She was fascinated as I am about the great expanse and the tremendous ecosystem of the lower Columbia River.

It is fitting that she asked for some kayak shots on the Columbia, and they picked a picture of my rafting mentor – Val Shaull kayaking with Mt. Hood in the background.

Check out the short blurb in the travel section of the NY Times.  It is an honor to have an image published in such a prestigious newspaper.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/travel/16kayak-roundup.html?emc=eta1

To check out our end of summer event – go to www.centurypaddle.org

Sign up now to attend the 2010 WW symposium at NOC in North Carolina.

http://reservations.noc.com/express/reservation/results.jsf?locationId=Any+Location&typeId=47&activityNameId=Any+Name&startDate=10%2F08%2F2010&endDate=10%2F10%2F2010&guestCount=1

Early bird special through June 15th.

Hope to see you there!

-Sam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 28th, 2010

Local Film Provides First Hand Look at Unique Dam Removal and Restoration Project in the Wind River watershed in the Columbia River Gorge.

What:      Portland Premiere of Trout on the Wind and 3 other short films:         Ascending the Giants, (John Waller, Portland), An MBA Meets a                 Fisherman, and SalmonsKin. (Available for Advance Review)

When:        May 13th, 2010, Doors 6:30 PM
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd

Cost:        Tickets are $7 and proceeds benefit the Crag Law Center                     and Gifford Pinchot Task Force

Contact:     Ralph Bloemers, (503) 525-2727 or Megan Hooker at 525-2724

On Thursday, May 13th Crag and Gifford Pinchot Task Force will host the Wild Rivers Movie Night at the Hollywood Theater.  The evening will feature the Portland Premiere of Trout on the Wind, a locally produced documentary about the removal of the Hemlock Dam from Trout Creek in Washington.  Trout Creek is a tributary of the Wind River in the Columbia River Gorge, and in the summer of 2009 salmon and steelhead made their way up the creek without the aid of a fish ladder for the first time in decades. The Forest Service worked with local organizations, contractors and citizens to joined forces to remove Hemlock dam and restore over 20 miles of prime habitat for Columbia River Steelhead.  This film provides a first hand look at how this successful restoration project was accomplished from start to finish.
Three additional selections from the Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be shown, including John Waller’s Ascending the Giants, the Good Life Parable: An MBA Meets a Fisherman and a short called SalmonsKin by Thomas Dunklin.
All proceeds from the showing will benefit the Crag Law Center and Gifford Pinchot Task Force.  Crag is a public interest environmental law center that supports community efforts to protect and sustain the natural legacy of the Pacific Northwest.  Gifford Pinchot Task Force supports the biological diversity and communities of the Northwest through conservation and restoration of forests, rivers, fish, and wildlife.  The two organizations have worked together for many years on projects in Washington, played a role in the removal of Hemlock dam and restoration of Trout Creek.
The films will be shown at the Hollywood Theater in Portland (4122 NE Sandy Blvd). Doors open at 6:30 pm, films start at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $7 and are available at the door or in advance via the Hollywood Theatre website.  For more information, visit www.crag.org/support-us/crag-events and http://www.gptaskforce.org/get-involved/upcoming-events

Here are some comments / feedback from Vance Cordell after our 4/17-18/2010 Oregon Whitewater Association Swiftwater Rescue Workshop powered by Northwest River Guides LLC.

General comments about the class. I thought the class was extremely good.  I think everyone who is a serious non-motorized boated should take this course.  Particularly, I think anyone that is going to fill the function of a “trip leader” for any of the rafting clubs should be required to take the course.  I think anyone taking the course should first take a course in basic knot tying or on their own practice knot tying until they are proficient prior to the beginning of the course.  For people like me who didn’t know knots, the course is too compressed to become proficient in knot tying before having to apply knots in making anchors and setting up mechanical advantage systems.

Safety during the class. The instructor was extremely safety conscience and several times pointed out very quickly safety infractions that the students were making.

Comments specific to your instructor.  I think Sam Devro is very qualified to teach this course.  He has both the knowledge and temperament.  I think he did extremely well.

For another well written review see the latest issue of the OWA newsletter here….

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=1283834394069274&mt=application%2Fpdf&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D7234df14e6%26view%3Datt%26th%3D1283834394069274%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g8gqfxyd0%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQRCLTCdaaj3KYp8KnmlRmrSKjmsg

May 1, 2  Bull Run River

This is to announce or remind you of the clinic/camp/get-together we are having at the Bull Run slalom site (near Sandy, Oregon) this coming weekend. We’ll be practicing, videoing, getting some coaching and celebrating on Sat and Sunday beginning around 11 am, Sat.  There are currently about 18 gates and we intend to expand this by adding a few more going down the drop at the end of the permanent course.

The river is class III and its important to have a reliable roll, as there are sharp rocks.  But the course will have lots of beginner moves and all are welcome, especially those paddling plastic boats (creek boats, playboats, old longer boats, whatever you paddle – come on out).  We will try our best to tailor coaching to those of all abilities.

Be sure to check the gauge, because there is a real possibility that we will have to cancel this, snow pack is low this year.   See: http://www.wkcc.org/levels/?P=Oregon.html If the Bull Run at Bull Run is at 500 cfs or above, the clinic will be on. If its lower than 500 cfs its cancelled and we won’t be there. The river goes up and down quickly so check before you come.  At levels above 1700 cfs eddies tend to disappear and it gets pushy, but we don’t expect this.

Your contact person is David Johnson johnsoda7@hotmail.com (note that the original OKCC message had this email address wrong). 503 977 3998

Trying something risky takes courage, but if you’re convinced that it’s right for you, the risk can pay off with adventure. This week, I’ll take you on an adventurous Grant’s Getaway into dangerous waters on a river that’s just off Portland’s doorstep.

When folks ask me about rafting or kayaking options close to home, I never hesitate to recommend a look at the Upper Clackamas River. It’s but sixty minutes from Portland, so it’s an easy day trip and scores of campsites can be found in this part of the Mt Hood National Forest near Estacada.

Recently, I joined a hearty group of water-lovers who gathered along the river to celebrate their passion for adventure on one of the most exciting stretches of whitewater rivers in Oregon.

Read more about this week’s adventure here.

<object width=”400″ height=”225″><param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /><param name=”movie” value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10989504&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=d4d3bc&amp;fullscreen=1″ /><embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10989504&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=d4d3bc&amp;fullscreen=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”400″ height=”225″></embed></object><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/10989504″>Grant’s Getaways – Whitewater Rafting</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user1348465″>Travel Oregon</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>