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

Sam Drevo running slalom gates and imparting wisdom on the Bull Run in Oregon

Check out this video the Mt. Hood Territory just produced about kayaking with Sam Drevo:)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCMUZVL_x8

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

with Grant Mcomie!!!  Rafting the Clackamas

Daniel Fox was one of our pioneer paddler / guides  for the Century Paddle last summer, and was an aid supporter of the Clackamas River Cleanup.  He is a great guy who is ambitious and a great shot with the camera.  He is setting out to embark on a 6 month journey to South America, and needs your help.  Please check out his website and support the cause.  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewildimageproject/2010-argentina-expedition

Meet Arturo Oropeza- our masterful Costa Rican partner who wows, and dazzles all of our students.  I was met at the airport by his big smile, and new this years trips were going to be better than ever.  A late night red eye from Portland flew through Newark, and on to San Jose.  Did a bunch of Roll practice in the pool with Ciado, and we all headed to the canopy tour tomorrow.  Then off to several of Costa Rica’s best rivers!  Next week we will be working with a bunch of kids (age 9-14) so it is time to go scout all the sections before they arrive.  If you are reading this from North America- sorry- it is 85 degrees right now, and NICE!

If you are interested in Costa Rica 2010, drop me a line at sam@eNRGkayaking.com.

The time is NOW to expand your whitewater realm beyond the Pacific NW. The time is NOW to ditch that dry suit! Spend a week with guides from Portland’s world class kayak school in and around Quepos Costa Rica! We’ve hand picked Quepos because its location delivers a variety of peak outdoor experiences, close to surf, rainforest, mountains & rivers that offer every level of activity from class V drops to serene paddles through mangroves. Tour dates are December 5-12 and 12-19 2009!

Led by ACA-certified guides and instructors, Northwest River Guides adventure tours combine exciting on-land activities with the best whitewater experience possible. Not to sound cliche but you WILL come home with memories to last a lifetime!

Unlike other outfitters, our adventour is designed to spend the least amount of time in transit and the most time on Costa Rican rivers and surf! With world class national parks, warm water and lush jungles, sweet ocean waves and fantastic class whitewater, this is an adventure you can’t miss!

Our multi-sport extravaganza combines whitewater experiences on the Upper and Lower Naranjo, the Savegre, as well as sea kayaking and hiking, surfing, forest canopy and cultural immersion. We’ll pay a visit to Manuel Antonio National Park.

Details: Novice and intermediate whitewater kayakers with a solid roll and rafters of any level. We will tackle some There will be higher level kayaking offered on the Upper Naranjo. No experience necessary for rafters. Light hiking.

Come and enjoy the holiday season in style! Call 503-772-1122 for specifics! Equipment provided.

Waldo Lake! That name makes the heart of Oregon kayak campers leap! It’s Oregon’s largest natural lake outside Crater Lake and Waldo’s water is “dramatically ultra-oliographic,” meaning it’s unbelievably pure. They say it’s possible to see something on the bottom 140-feet down!

Not only that, Waldo’s 10-mph motorboat speed limit and lack of game fish mean the noise of motorboats aint gonna be a factor. This lake is a take-me-back-to-yesterday human powered recreation paradise. The indigo blue water is something to behold.

We arrived Friday afternoon and it was sunny and, well, a little smoky. Wildfires in southern Oregon sent some brownish haze our way. But the paddle was nice and we found a beautiful spot on a peninsula on the west side of the lake, about a 10-minute paddle from Rhododendron Island. We were all a bit freaked about whether our craft could manage to store all our gear!

Here’s a nice shot of the peninsula. We felt fortunate to be on such a pretty spot. Friday night there were stars a plenty!

Saturday morning we awoke to sun. Lucky us! The forecast called for RAIN early in the day. We made pancakes with blackberries/raspberries plus bacon! Quite the luxury. But by 1:00 the misty/light rain came. That was NOT going to stop us from paddling. So we headed down to Klovdahl Dam and saw some interesting perspectives along the way. The Gods seemed to blow clouds/mist over the crest of the mountains, which would create an aura of mystery on the lake. Some intrepid Hobie Cat sailors were out there undaunted!

Then we headed down to Klovdahl Dam. This dam doesn’t mean the lake is man-made. Rather this guy Klovdahl was trying to use water from the lake to irrigate farms in the Willamette Valley sometime in the late 1800’s. His effort failed, thank God.

Okay. Saturday night was beat. We had fun and erected tarps and a shelter, but it misted much longer than the forecast! We did, however, have a nice Mexican meal before a blazing fire. Sometime during the night the clouds parted and VOILA! Sunday was BLUE BIRD perfect!

Sunday morning was a fun cooking experience! Lots of extra stuff from dinner/breakfast Satuday (cut up potatoes and sausage) plus oats, yogurt, nuts, etc. All good!

And then the plan was to let the gear dry out while we paddled. We took off for the north end of the lake. We found a pebble beach with fun boulders to climb on and use as a picnic spot! Then the wind kicked up and we headed back to camp, broke camp and that was pretty much it. Here’s Andrea after the wind calmed down. Right behind her is South Sister!