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rhoyerboat
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  Quote rhoyerboat Replybullet Topic: Toutle alternatives
    Posted: 18 Dec 2014 at 11:06am
Hi all.

I am having a more wilderness class III/IV craving - I want to spend a longer day on a scenic run. Want to do it on Saturday 12/19.

First one I could think of was the Toutle http://professorpaddle.com/rivers/riverdetails.asp?riverid=649 - but it looks like if that projected spike in the forecast page doesn't show up a day late it might not be in reasonable ranges.


Can/will anyone point me to an alternative? I would really like to do something around 10 or 12 miles long, something with an above roadside commitment - that bit about seeing Mt St Helens wasteland on the Toutle seems like a special scenic treat -- anything else like that? (It's -all- pretty scenic, but hey I'm new around here.)
Knowing is half the battle, scouting is half the fun. ɯɐǝɹʇsuʍop ǝɯ ʇuᴉoԀ puɐ ɹǝʌo ʞɐʎɐʞ ʎ
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JayB
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  Quote JayB Replybullet Posted: 18 Dec 2014 at 12:16pm
Not in the same neighborhood - but take a look at the Sol Duc. Not sure about the access this time of year, but it's certainly beautiful up in there, and you could easily extend the run into the 10-20 mile range down the main Sol Duc if you wanted to.

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/2225/
-Jay
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jalmquist
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  Quote jalmquist Replybullet Posted: 18 Dec 2014 at 1:11pm
Well, a lot of the longer, wilderness-feeling class III / IV runs will probably be in a similar water level situation as the Toutle - if the Toutle is on the low side, they will likely be on the low side as well.  But some, being more technical in nature, might be more interesting than the Toutle at lower flows. 
 
JayB mentioned the Sol Duc, which is a nice choice - mainly topping out in the class III / III+ range if you step around Salmon Cascade.  I'm guessing the road into the park is open, so you could put in up at Salmon Cascade or even further up in the park, and boat down to Klahowya campground on Hwy 101 or even further down through the Bear Creek section to the Mosh Pit.  That would be a long day.  If the road into the park is gated, just take the south shore road up to the confluence of the SF Sol Duc and go from there.   
 
Staying on the OP, you have lots of other choices that have a good wilderness feel.  Most will require some rain, but the NWRFC shows things should be on their way up by Saturday. And most of these options have fairly low-elevation drainages so unless the snow level drops they will respond to rain.  The upper Clearwater has some really nice class III & IV in a very remote valley.  And a great campground at the take-out!  Matheny is a wonderful run.  You can combine the upper / middle / lower on Matheny for a LONG day.  The SF Calawah is another great choice.  With the run being entirely in Olympic National Park and the somewhat short hike to the put-in (just under three miles), the SF Calawah is probably my favorite wilderness class III+ run.  If you're comfortable paddling solo on this type of water, toss in a bike and this makes for a fantastic full day solo adventure.  There's also the Humptulips - combine any of the three "normal" runs together for a long, wilderness-feeling run.  Or the Wynoochee - for a long day just combine the "Dam to Dam" section with the Gorge section.
                  
If you're looking for something in southern WA more adjacent to the Toutle, you could put in a lot of miles on the Kalama - IF the gates are open.  Like the above noted runs, it's not quite the same character as the Toutle - a bit smaller and steeper - but still a fun, long winter run option.  And while we're talking about the Toutle area, if it rains more than expected, the southern Green (which is a tributary of the Toutle) is a fantastic run - long, class III with a couple of good IVs, plus some amazing play.
Then there are the more popular go-to class III / IV runs that are both long and offer some wilderness character - the Tilton, Green River Gorge, etc...       

Edited by jalmquist - 18 Dec 2014 at 1:16pm
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BIGWATER
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  Quote BIGWATER Replybullet Posted: 18 Dec 2014 at 1:20pm
The Toutle is definitely cool to see. Giant bridge beams twisted up like ribbons. Huge balls of rebar tossed up on house sized rocks. In Hollywood Gorge you can still see the mud line on the canyon wall 70 feet up from river level.   Hard to say how high it will get, but it's runnable at almost any flow. I have been down it at 10k and once at 20k. At the high flows a lot washes out, but Hollywood gets crazy (easy walk around). The nice thing about the Toutle at high flows is that it won't have much wood comeing down since it all got ripped away by the eruption.
If your looking for scenic in that neighborhood try the Tilton, it's not very long but it's still a full day if you stop to enjoy it and it has a very remote feel.
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BIGWATER
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  Quote BIGWATER Replybullet Posted: 18 Dec 2014 at 1:22pm
Oh yes the southern green! To bad it's all locked up now
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imageAK
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  Quote imageAK Replybullet Posted: 19 Dec 2014 at 8:05am
The toutle is nice and fun at 3200-3400 which it what the forecast is detailing. Whole river bed is in play, With a sneak route past anything you don't wanna run. I personally think there's lots of nice scenery in spite of how much u see rvs or houses.
aint nobody got time for that!
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