Good morning everyone!
The best news today is for mountain bikers: Lewis River is open. There are three trees down on the trail, but that’s it. Falls Creek is partially rideable, but the upper part is snow-covered. So, break out your thighs and buns of steel and ride up Falls Creek as far as you can.
Windsurfers and kiters get good news too, as west winds will blow today. We started off with the Portland to The Dalles gradient at .09 and the eastern Gorge gradient at .07. Strongest wind will be Mosier eastward, with 17-21 this morning and 24-27 by mid-afternoon as high pressure moves in at the coast. In the Corridor, under the clouds, we’ll see gusty 14-18.
Get it today, because tomorrow looks light, with west winds in the 10-15 range at best. Strongest wind will be tomorrow morning, fading towards afternoon as high pressure builds across the Northwest.
Boaters, the Hood’s at 4.2 feet, the Little White’s at 3.0 feet, and the White Salmon’s at approximately 4.1 feet. If you’re interested in the Wind River, it’s around 5.1 feet according to Wet Planet, and they are running a trip today.
Finally, there’s a ton going on this weekend. Today there’s a trail work party at Beacon Rock, a beach cleanup at Doug’s, and tonight is 2nd Wind’s season opener party at the Horse and Hound in Hood River. Tomorrow is a swap meet at Windance, a race on the Twin Tunnels to benefit the Mosier School, the Columbia Gorge Off Road Association’s trail work party, and the Big Winds Beach Bash.
For more details on any of those events, check out the events calendar on the home page. And whatever you do today, have an awesome day!
Temira
2 replies on “Saturday 5/22 forecast”
THANKS to all the hard working volunteers at the Doug’s cleanup today! The site is ready for the upcoming windy season…
Temira, Here is some info on the gauge. It is usually just word of mouth or trying to cross reference the white salmon at husum which is not too reliable. thanks again for all your forecasts!!!!!!!!!!!
Little White Guage info::::
GAUGE INFO: The Little White almost always has water, which is a minor miracle considering this run is so small and steep. This creek is fed by a large underground aquifer that tends to smooth out dramatic fluctuations in flow. In other words, the LWS takes awhile to get going, but once it is running it drops very slowly, like around an inch a week in the spring and summer during snowmelt (it is often very stable in the winter as well, once it gets going). The creek has a very long season, running from November through late July in most years, or year-round if you don’t mind low water. There is no online gauge for the Little White, but someone on the PDX Listserve usually knows the flow, or John at the Kayak Shed in Hood River. Also, you can check the internet gauge White Salmon at Husum, which often (roughly) approximates the flow in the Little White, especially in the spring and summer during runoff.
A few inches makes a lot of difference on the Little White. In years past we used a stick gauge referred to in the Bennett Guide at the hatchery just upstream of the put-in, but this gauge was removed by hatchery personnel around 2001 (if memory serves). After the removal there was some uncertainty about flows on this run, especially for newcomers who had no way to ‘guesstimate’ flows at the put-in based on prior experience.
Luckily for the paddling community, before the old gauge was removed local paddler Ron Reynier placed his own gauge downstream by the put-in bridge and carefully correlated flows. In the Summer of 2002 Ron placed a new stick gauge under the put-in bridge (on the river-left side). I have found that Ron’s gauge corresponds pretty closely to the old gauge.
This eliminates any guesswork associated with flows on this run for future paddlers. Thanks Ron!
FOOT-GAUGE FLOW TABLE FOR THE LITTLE WHITE SALMON
NOTE: IN MY OPINION, THIS IS THE BEST CREEK IN THE WORLD, BUT IT IS ALSO A VERY SERIOUS RUN; TWO PADDLERS HAVE DROWNED AND BEEN RESUSCITATED ON THIS CREEK THAT I KNOW OF. THIS RUN IS CLASS FIVE, WITH EVERYTHING THAT RATING ENTAILS.
THESE FLOWS ARE ACCORDING TO THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AVERAGE CREEK-BOATER ( SUCH AS MYSELF ). I HAVE RUN THIS SECTION OVER FIFTY TIMES AT A VARIETY OF FLOWS, BUT THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION. BE CAREFUL AND HAVE FUN!
Flow ( in feet ) What this means in english Comments
1.5 – 2.5 Insanely low ( 1.5 ) to low ( 2.5 ) Only run below two feet during drought years when extremely bored and desperate. Kayak optional, mountain bike recommended (backloops off Spirit!)
2.5 – 3.0 Low ( 2.5 ) to medium-low ( 3.0 ) 3.0 is the best first-time flow for mortals, feels similar to 3.0 feet on the Husom Gauge for the White Salmon runs (Green Truss, Farmlands, MWS..)
3.0 – 3.5 Medium-low ( 3.0 ) to medium-high ( 3.5 ) This is the most popular flow range on the LWS. It is often at this flow in the winter, and usually in May-July when we have a normal to above-average snowpack. Gets pushy at the high end of this range.
3.5 – 4.0 Medium-high ( 3.5 ) to high ( 4.0 ) Previous Little White runs at lower water highly recommended unless you are a professional kayaker or equivalent.
4.0 – 4.5 High to Very High Running the LWS significantly above 4.0 feet is V+, though it is being run higher and higher these days. Many previous runs down the creek and/or an experienced guide is required at these flows unless you are a professional kayaker or equivalent.
According to those who run the LWS this high, every inch over four feet adds a disproportionate amount of difficulty to the run.
4.5 – 5.2 Very High to Insanely High I really don’t have any clue what happens to the Little White at these flows. It boggles the mind.
The highest known run down the Little White was a solo run between 5.0 and 5.2 on the foot gauge by Hood River high water hero Erik Boomer. Erik did the run solo and portaged S-Turn and Spirit. Erik returned shortly after his record-high run and did the creek several times at 4.8 feet with local Pro paddlers Tao Berman and Todd Anderson before it dropped out. According to those who run the LWS this high, every inch over four feet adds a disproportionate amount of difficulty to the run.