Canyon Creek Race

By Dan Rubado

Hey there JK,
I just wanted to let you all know that I’ve been out paddling the rivers of the NW. Last weekend we had a surprisingly big and successful event on Canyon Creek, WA. It was a rare NW spring day under beautiful blue skies with warm temperatures. The water level was ideal, with plenty of cushion on top of most the rocks. Pretty much every creek boater in the region turned out for the event, which ran super smoothly. The organizers expanded the course this year to include several good size ledges and a long boulder garden in addition to the waterfall and drops that are normally in play. We had about a half mile of whitewater to paddle through from start to finish.
I ended up in 10th place out of about 40 competitors. I probably could have paddled a bit harder had I not been sick and coughing up phlegm balls all the way down. But no excuses. I’m headed to the Little White Salmon Race in the Columbia Gorge tomorrow to test my creeking skills again.
Here are a couple shots of me paddling my butt off approaching the lip of the 15 footer.

Dan Rubado