Truss run at 2ft...

So we started our last minute trip a bit late. After driving to Portland to pick up a boat, Liz and I didn’t get to Trout Lake till something like 7:45 at night (we left Puyallup at 215). We met up with Leif, Texas Dave and JP then opted for a late middle run. We finally put on around 8:45 or so and started powering down. By the time we got to Stairstep we could barely see. We didn’t run Husom as we couldn’t see the rock on RR.

So the Truss... This was my 3rd experience with the Truss and it was the most interesting. It was around 2ft on the gage at Husom and this is over a foot lower than the first time I ran it. The first couple of rapids are a bit boney and took some plastic. The fist big drop, Meatball we ran on the left and I paddled straight over the boof rock on the left side of the channel, interesting line. We had run it on the right side the other two times. The landing for Meatball feeds into Bob's Hole. Now the first time I ran Bobs, we scouted from the left and I liked the boof move on far left into the eddy. It’s a sweet line and possible at 3ft on the gage. Possible but difficult at 2.5ft on the gage. Not possible at 2ft. We did not scout and I lead. This is where hilarity ensued. I ran my normal line from middle to left and as soon as I crested the ledge I knew something interesting was going to happen. The little green tongue that I rode the other two times was now a squirt gun sized stream over a fatty flake. I learned 2 things in the resulting experience and following 5 minutes.

1.) Less than adequate speed+(lack of beta)(flat rock)(no water)= Power cycle in Bob's ledge.

2.) It is totally possible to self rescue in the eddy above the next ledge.

I paddled onto the rock and broached, slowly and unenthusiastically rotated forward and penciled the meat of Bob's with zero speed and got worked over. I could fight out of it and had to swim, but, Bob's was nice enough to put me and all my gear on RL. No rescue needed.

I guess I was off my A-game. Don’t really have an excuse. The next couple of ledges went without mention. Fun though! I walked Big Brother and was fortunate enough to watch a local Huck it over and make it look like he was just putting into a pool session or something. I don’t think the guy even got his head wet. JP was up next. He entered a little too far RR and his bow kissed the outcrop on RR and caused him to land stern first and get some quality time in the "cave of botched-lines".

Decent run on Little brother. I have to say though, for me at least, a lot of the lines are different between 3 and 2 feet. The sweet spots move as the levels move.  Double drop was scouted from RL this time. JP aced it. I went second and not really sure how I flipped in the first hole, but rolled up right on the edge of the second fall and made it. This drop really enjoys seeing me upside-down, not sure why. Leif got stuck in the same hole as last week, right below Double drop, but again fought his way out.

 I took a little different line in Upper Zigzag and instead of boofing the first Zig hole, I went left and skirted it. Worked pretty well. Again, this rapid is much easier at higher flows. Lower Zigzag was a mess. We all missed our lines somehow. JP went too far right I think at the flake and tree combo, not sure (I was dealing with my own dilemma). I washed into the lead in to the crux move backwards due to an issue with an unaccommodating eddy above (after the first ledge) on RR. I was able to pull around and paddle hard into the hole on the left, between the linebacker of a tree and the wall. Made it through fine but I saw the "light". Luckily no one saw my line, Leif was too busy doing Leif things and JP was? It was chaotic! Leif was up and showed us that you can in fact hit the rooster tail that I had informed him you "couldn’t hit if you tried". He then splatted the wall on RL for style points and scouted the bottom for wood and trout, rolling up right before the second tree that is in play below the drop. Whew.

The rest of the trip was uneventful but still a lot of fun. Good times.

Lessons Learned:

1.) If you don’t feel "game" at the put in or drive to the put in, you probably should paddle something else.

2.) Never lend your creek boat to another.

3.) Scout everything unless you are certain of the line (note 1).

4.) Bob's Hole does not have a sense of humor.

5.) Pay attention in Lower Zigzag.

6.) Locals always do it best.

*Note 1. Lessons Learned number 3 does not apply if you either have either D1 beta, or D1 himself!