Monday, December 31, 2012

Scout'n the Olympics

For the drive out to La Push i grabbed a map. As we made our way around Discovery Bay i started to zero in on river drainages.   Maps, rivers, and geology, these are problems i have. They are becoming more and more acute with the Ford out of commission, and a unknown group of boaters to find. Anyway here are the hits, first off the Dungeness River.

you can see a link to more info here.

Next up in the map o' boating the Grey Wolf. Sounds really rowdy and fun, perhaps a summer rain event will let me into this canyon. It lives right next door to the Dungeness.


As above so below see info here. Other searches turn up little on the run, sweet.

So far these haven't been looking good for Florence. As boats go she be a little bigger than your average canoe let alone kayak. Without the I.R.H. finished let alone started the harder little stuff is off limits until i can find someone to boat with. This includes most of the newly freed Elwha River. So without further ado here are some of what we did find.

If your new to the area (I am) the first stop west from the Elwha River is the odd little town of Forks.  I new nothing about Forks but there are two distinct vibes. One is of logging, no mater your environmental views we depend on it, your not sitting in a plastic house. (sorry bubble boy)
 The second vibe is annoying,
Horny stupid teenagers need to realize that because a  little logging town is overcast and full of pale looking folks in work cloths does not mean that over sexed goth-awful vampires are running a muck, seriously.
(Dear Forks, I would like to apologize on behalf of the human race for Twilight, i hope you can capitalize on this tragedy.)

Ah, back to boating.


On a map Forks looks like a hub of great rivers, First is the Soleduck River. AWA Has several sections mentioned in their database although it's spelled Sol Duc there. As you drive west from Lake Crescent to Forks You pass over it several times. Looking up and down the river corridor it looks fantastic! Clear water and beautiful river banks bordering on temperate rain forest. I may be proven wrong after floating some of these lower sections but it sure looks great.
                                                 
The Sitkum River is next, looks like good kayaking and if a way can be found to get a small drifter in possibly drift able. I didn't get any pictures before the confluence with the Calawah but it looks good to go.

The Calawah comes next. There is,  "in map land ," a clearly marked boat ramp at the confluence of the Calawah and Sitkum Rivers. Damned if we could find it. Further down stream just outside of Forks is a lower boat ramp.


Up Next in the wild wild world of rivers around forks is the Bogachiel river. The Calawah flows in just west of forks near the Steelhead ponds. There were a basket full of fisherman here as well as at least a dozen drift boat trailers. I don't know why they were absent at some of the other put-ins but it was packed there. No pictures but there was a King Fisher that looking like he was doing better than most of the fisherman. There is defiantly drift possibility, although if not fishing going during the off season, a must.

As you head west out of Forks towards the town of La Push and Rialto Beach following the Bogachiel you come across the confluence with the Soleduck River. Here to was evidence of floaters on both the Bogachiel and the Soleduck. Finally from here the whole drainage hits the Pacific. It looks like you could take out in La Push but a run in with the Tribal Police caused an about face (never made it to the ramp), i would take out on the Rialto Beach side.

Where does this leave me?? Looking forward to Boating this odd drainage and exploring these.


Happy New Year.

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