Whitewater Forum: Cle Elum Wood?

Cle Elum Wood?

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Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
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URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13213
Printed Date: 17 May 2025 at 3:54pm

Topic: Cle Elum Wood?

Posted By: DamonM
Subject: Cle Elum Wood?
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2013 at 6:07pm

Has anyone been down the Cle Elum recently? Is there wood?

Replies:

Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2013 at 9:26pm

i heard somebody got in there and it was good to go...i heard...this doesn't mean there isn't wood, necessarily. there has been a complete blockage at the pinch near to get-out for a number of years. very dangerous, and i would be very wary finishing up below Wapatus Hole unless i heard for sure that jam was gone.

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sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end

Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2013 at 9:28pm

also, wood can fall in this river AT ANY TIME. A report from 2 weeks ago would not convince me; I would use caution.

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sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end

Posted By: DamonM
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 7:37am

Thanks, Chip! It would be nice to get back on it...with no portages.

Posted By: James
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 7:49am

Damon are you thinking this weekend?

Posted By: wday
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 9:19am

i paddled from triple drop (~6mi above confluence) to salmon la sac campground last sat. one riverwide log in class II (mandatory carry), two stacked riverwide logs in runout of s-turn (optional carry), log tunnel at rapid below china falls (optional carry). I managed to get down with only one carry and really enjoyed the run. I hadnt been in there before so cant really comment on how current wood compares to years past. hope this helps.
will

Posted By: DamonM
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 9:55am

Thanks, Will, that helps!

Jiminy Creek-it, yeah, I was thinking of hitting it either Sat or Sun...to or from Leavenworth.

Posted By: septimus prime
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 10:17am

With the higher water this weekend, I doubt the log tunnel will be available. Make sure to catch an eddy on river right as you approach and enter the last mini gorge.

Where did my profile pic go?

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Jon Shell Bee

Posted By: chipmaney
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 10:57am

that's sort of my pet run. great training run. me and jon read-and-ran in in what, 1:10? with one wood portage.

that last jam is one for the metal beaver--a potential killer.

i would say Will's description is about an average wood year for China Gorge. Last year we scouted and it wasn't worth running.

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sitting all alone on a mountain by a river that has no end

Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2013 at 11:28am

Reading Will's description (thanks for the current report, dude), it sounded pretty much identical to when chipper, jed, and SOPwithoutCamelBoater ran it that time Oliver got pinned at that final 'log tunnel', as you're calling it.

But sounds like you've been back at least once since, chipper?

My only comment here regards that narrow canyon w/ the wood tunnel mentioned. Spacing through there is key especially with larger groups/mixed skill sets. Here's my recomendation for a succeful, safe run through that wood tunnel (I'd call it more of a wood bridge when I was there but it coulda changed):

Lead boat(s) should eddy out IMMEDIATELY on R. Right after passing through to observe the safe passage of those following. From that eddy it is quick and easy to get out and up on the log bridge to do something for someone.

Thats what Kris and I did when Oliver got pinned and it worked pretty smoothly.

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🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋

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