June Creek Season Opener
On October 22, 2022 Denny Egner coordinated a trip on the June Creek Section of the upper Clackamas. This run has been out of play since the Labor Day fire of 2020, which closed the Clackamas Highway at or near the Forest Service Guard Station (which I have been calling a ranger station). So even though we were pushing against our low water limit (for all of us except maybe Denny), we were ready to get back to one of our favorite creek runs.
Other club participants were Craig Lester, Maggie Anthony, Bob Pool, Eric Lee, Ben Hoppus, and me. It was a first time run for Eric, Craig, and Ben. The level on the 3 Lynx gauge was a bit above 850 cfs. The weather was surprisingly sunny, the opposite of Portland which was cloudy all day. Even more welcome was the discovery that none of the run was burned in the Riverside Fire. The fierce easterly wind that fanned that fire drove it mostly west of Riverside campground.
Ben navigates the technical waters.
We put on around noon, and it quickly became clear how low the water really was. I joked later that, similar to seeing - when your eyes are closed - the dashed center line of a highway after driving all day, after taking out I saw rocks and more rocks every time I closed my eyes. Really, navigating that water required diligent and constant focus and hundreds of correction strokes.
After about a mile, Craig decided to abort due to a faulty breakdown paddle. He climbed up to the road, walked back to get my truck, and became our shuttle driver and trip photographer. Soon after, we encountered our first river-wide log, which at this water level was not difficult to limbo-under for kayakers on river right. Ben and I (in canoes) had to get out and drag our boats under. At higher water it'll be a portage for everyone.
The rapids build in intensity during the first 2-3 miles, and we were all warmed up by the time we reached Corner Pocket. Talk about manky! I was glad when we all managed to keep our boats straight down the last, steepest part of that rapid. Soon after came Hat Grabber, where we all got wet but kept our hats. The hot springs were a welcome stop and we all got warmed up during our lunch. We like going to the pool on river left, after you duck under the line across the river.
Boaters mingle with locals at Austin Hotsprings
In another half mile or so after the springs we came to one of the trickiest rapids on the run: Monolith. You have to negotiate the lead-in rapid before you get to the crux, which is a little harder for canoes due to a few pesky holes. Monolith is the start of a quality class 3-4 section, ending in the grand finale uniquely called Boulder Rapid. With only a half mile left to the run, unfortunately another river-wide log required us to drag/carry our boats up to the road and back down to put back in below it. A last log only a couple of hundred yards above the take out bridge can be ducked under on the left.
With the recent heavy rain and high flows, the wood on this run may well be gone or re-arranged, and possibly more added. We were glad to have checked out this run at low water - at higher flows, catching eddies to portage around wood will be harder. Luckily, it's a roadside run that you can largely road-scout on the way to the put-in.
Many thanks to Denny, who knows this section like the back of his hand and expertly prepared the newbies for the hardest rapids. We're happy to have this run back as an option, and want to return when there is more water.
