water wacko's Submission - Entered on 2/7/2011 11:05:00 AM
Notes: 

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Foss Class IV+ 2Miles Avg Gradient 150 fpm Max Gradient 210 fpm Play Rating (1-10): 0		County King Zip Code 0 Put In Longitude -121.2921295 Put In Latitude 47.6559525 Take Out Longitude -121.3115463 Take Out Latitude 47.7118988

River Alerts	GMaps
Not used in Beta Mode	Putin | Take Out | Shuttle | General Area

Features on this run Feature Name Feature Class Ken and Barbie IV-IV+ Simple Green IV-IV+ Add a Feature | Re-Order Features

Other Issues As of 2/05/2011 this run is free of all blocking wood. We put in about a half mile upstream of the standard put in and took out at highway 2 bridge. A swim could be long and painful. Boats will travel a long way also. A solid roll is a must.

Fun Facts Did you know that the rapid called Ken & Barbie was named after a couple that frequents this site? Just kidding! Road scouting this one isn't really possible. To scout before you put on you have to bushwack through thick forest. Best to be ready for a nonstop class IV-IV+ adventure and just put on, or otherwise go run the Rapid River instead. The Rapid is ussually a half step down in intensity, assuming both runs are fairly clean. Generally if your lead boat knows the lines, you can bomb this one and just follow helmets as they bob down ahead of you.

   Run Description [Season: Rain or snow, it's a go.]

A word about flows: Under 9,000 cfs on the Sky, expect lower levels and perhaps some bumping and scraping. Typicly this run is best between 10,000-12,000 cfs. From 12k up it'll be big water and pumping.

It's continuous right off the bat. Usually the wood seems to be more of an issue higher up. You will quickly approach "Ken and Barbie" and will notice a steepening gradient, followed by a collection of larger boulders scattered throughout. Eddy out here on either side (usually the right)and collect your group. At medium flows and higher, some people in your group may need to take a breather by now, and the next 1/4 mile is the crux of the run.

Scouting on the Foss is not tough, a solid class IV boater can catch eddies along the way. Some people get out here above "Ken and Barbie" to get a peak at it. It has multiple approaches, but basically you want to avoid the sievy pile of rock in the lower right portion of this top 30 yards of the sequence. There's also a cool S-Turn you can follow around to the left. It all goes, paddle hard!! It's tight in here, focusing all of the water through this crux drop. Immediately below this drop on river left is probably the best place to set safety here. There are also eddies along the right.

Below Ken and Barbie there are two or three more distinct drops in the form of broken ledges. Staying right of center generally provides the best lines while also giving you access to some technical eddy clusters and sneak routes depending on water levels. Somewhere in here is a route you can take towards the right through a series of these eddies that leads you over a ledge against the right bank. It's sort of a "Pressure Release Valve" because you can utilize the slack water to slow down. This route is good for anyone who wants to tone down this crux section. Boof this 4' high ledge on the right and land in the eddy. Careful though, because the ledge can be sticky enough to chunder ya.

From here on out the action continues over a few more broken ledges, but gradually tapers off. You'll see one particularly manky looking cluster of boulders in the center at some point. Through here follow the current as it hooks around to the right behind a boulder. Hug that boulder tight because there's a nasty fan rock there that could flip you. Further left could be a bad place to pin.

As the boulders get smaller, the gradient lessens, and you start to pass over more gravel bars and braided channels, especially at lower water. There are log jams that collect throughout this run, against the outside of turns and trees simply eroding from the bank and falling in.

Before long you come to an old iron bridge that most people use as an early takeout. Approximately 50 yards above it there's a sticky pourover called Simple Green on the left. It is trashy, so watch out or you may find yourself missing rolls and reaching franticly for a T-rescue!

You can continue down further to the bridge where the road crosses the Foss. There's more class III whitewater and some fun small boulders to boof, but the floods have scoured the rock a little and so it's a bit mankier overall than the run down to the bridge. That said, it is a fun section and if you only have one day and want to make the most of it, go ALL the way down and take out at the highway 2 bridge. You'll find some treats in there. Most folks take out at the railroad trestle bridge and run laps.