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Tommy Hilleke(28), John Grace (30), Toby MacDermott (22) and Daniel DeLaVergne (28) completed the first "single day descent" of the Stikine River, known as the "Everest" of rivers for kayaking. See field notes below and an article from Taylor Robertson of his attempt on the Stikine several years ago...it's extreme expedition kayaking at it's best!
Ran shuttle on the 12th.
Rained all night, river already high.
Put on the 13th, 10 people, 6 veterans.
Water got high, was epic, 2 swims at the famous Wasson's Hole
Made it fully intact to camp 1 at Site Zed.
In the AM water was up almost a foot.
3 team members bailed.
7 waited one day- the 14th
The next day they walked out too.
The 16th- 1.25 days later and 15 miles of beautiful canyon wilderness
hiking later we returned to the put in via Willie Williams Ranch (the man
who cut the ingenious trail we used to traverse back upstream of the
canyon (but the trail is supposed to be a secret kind of).
The 17th - water drops back to put in level, or a little lower. Crew hires
"Pacific Western" helicopters to fly to Site Zed and retrieve their boats.
The 18th 4 members rode in on that chopper and paddled out over the next
two days at higher water, several epics ensued, including having to paddle
over a 20 inch lodge pole pine jamed perpendicular to the flow at the
Tanzilla Slot, a pint in the river where the canyon is less than 9 feet
across.
(Meanwhile) on the 19th Eric Boomer and Tristian put in on the river.
These are triple crown boys, and they had already Run the Alsek and
Susitna.
Attempt #2
September 21st 2005- 4 paddlers put on at the Stewart Cassiar highway at
640 am PCT. They exited the Grand Canyon of the Stikine @ 2 pm and took
off at the confluence on the Taltan river at 430 pm PCT. John Grace swam
at the crucial crux at the normal start to day 2. He messed up at the
ferry below site zed and was unable to roll for over 200 yrds, swimming
in to a last chance eddy where his boat miraculously (and I mean that with
all sincerity) floated into. Grace managed to self-rescue and be back on
the river in about 30 minutes. The crux was the “Hole that Ate Chicago” rapid.No good line and a swim meant swimming V drive the biggest run rapid on the river and right at the end.
The Triple Crown repeaters had arrived completing their historic second,
just 30 minutes prior.
Tristian and Eric told stories of proud mad bombing rapids and a made a
push to finish the canyon in two days.
Taylor Robertson's article on his Stikine Experience click here.
Sidenote
We met the moose hunters Taylor refers to in his article. They said they had told the boys "we need your cards cause we are gonna have to call your next of kin if you go in the canyon at this flow. We know Rob (Lesser) and he wouldn't go nowhere near the canyon at this level.'' - which he pointed out would be about up to our shoulders where we were standing: still 40' from the river's edge.
My hats of to you boys, that is one burr....ly river. Imagine the pucker factor was pretty good all day long....YEEDOGGIES . congratulations!! We all made it to the take out the day you guys put on.Were thinking about you all for sure. Glad to hear that all are safe . I thought that was a tree in the tanzilla slot, and how about that "hole that ate Chicago"....
damn lifes good to us
peace love & powdies
j.schutz
Posted by: jason | October 17, 2005 at 09:02 PM