Tag: Eastern Oregon

Day 5: “Andy’s” Camp to Birch Creek Take-out (5,030 cfs)

The last day on the river is always bittersweet – sad to be leaving such a beautiful and peaceful place but looking forward (perhaps secretly) to a hot shower (particularly enticing after these colder weather trips). Since we’d camped farther downstream than planned, we got a later start than usual for the short run to the take-out at Birch Creek [RM 51].

The original plan was for all of us – clients, guides, and gear – to claw our way out of the canyon and rendezvous in Jordan Valley for a final good-bye (and ice cream). Unfortunately, the Birch Creek Grade took out the gear trailer’s hitch, stranding Andy, Mike, and Rob in the canyon (temporarily). Those of us who had to catch a shuttle back to Boise from Jordan Valley could only wait so long for them, so we missed out on the final group good-bye. 😥 But we did get ice cream. 🙂 Aside from the hitch with the trailer, this was a great trip, with excellent guides and fellow rafters. Another trip with Momentum is a real possibility for next year. We’ll see… 😀

The river itself, from the Idaho-Oregon border downstream to Owyhee Reservoir, was granted Wild and Scenic River status in 1984. Some of the watershed in Idaho is currently protected as federally designated wilderness, but attempts to secure further protection for the Owyhee Canyonlands (primarily as a national monument) have thus far proven unsuccessful. Now that we’ve had the privilege of seeing it for ourselves, we definitely believe that a way needs to be found to balance legitimate competing interests so as to protect this amazing area for continued enjoyment by current and future generations.

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Day 4: Upper Whistling Bird Camp to “Andy’s” Camp (6,820 cfs)

Some high clouds came in overnight, but brought no rain, so the day got off to an easy start. This was good, because today would be our longest and busiest one on the river. We started by passing through the towering cliffs of Iron Point Canyon, which are formed from erosion-resistant rhyolite. Then we scouted and ran Montgomery Rapid, one of the most challenging rapids in this stretch. After lunch at Jackson Hole [RM 37.5], we continued on to Rinehart Falls [RM 39.5] to replenish our freshwater supplies, then floated on past now abandoned Hole-In-The-Ground Ranch to a stop at the petroglyphs [RM 42.2]. From there, we passed Devils Tower hoping to camp at Upper Greeley. However, it and the other two Greeley camps were already occupied, so we pressed on to a camp Andy knew about near RM 47. Once there, a few of us hiked up to get a closer look at the stone monoliths standing on the slopes above camp. Then dinner, dessert (‘smores), and bed. A big day, well done! 🙂

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Day 3: Pruitt’s Castle Camp to Upper Whistling Bird Camp (6,740 cfs)

The rain ceased in the night and we awoke to a day of gloriously dry clarity. 😎 The colors and shapes that form Pruitt’s Castle, which had looked drab under yesterday’s cloudy skies, lit up exuberantly in the morning light. After the baggage rafts left, we did a short hike over to view the Chalk Basin and Lambert Dome.

After our hike and lunch back at the rafts, we broke camp and headed downstream. Thanks to the high flows, we encountered only wave trains before stopping to see Potters Cave [RM 30], an overhanging (now partially collapsed) rock shelter that has been in use for as long as 7,000 years. Then it was a short float to our camp at Upper Whistling Bird [RM 31]. Just before camp, at Whistling Bird Rapid, the river flows hard towards the right wall where a huge flake has detached from the wall. Despite the high flows, this was still a pretty exciting rapid.

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Day 2: Lower Fletcher Camp to Pruitt’s Castle Camp (4,850 cfs)

The rain ceased in the night, so today started out overcast but dry. We need the rain but life outdoors is just easier when you’re not perpetually moist. The day stayed mostly overcast, with occasional spots of almost clearing. Teaser sucker-holes. Happily, it didn’t rain again, and then only briefly, until we’d reached camp at Pruitt’s Castle [RM 24.5]. After breakfast, we floated down to Weeping Wall Springs to take on fresh, clear water (the river water is pretty silty), have lunch, and take a short hike.

At these elevated flow levels, the five named rapids between Lower Fletcher and Pruitt’s were just bouncy fun whitewater – but with wave trains big enough to produce a good soaking from time to time. 😉

We had hoped to camp at Ryegrass (hot springs!) but that site was taken, so we moved on down to a camp below Pruitt’s Castle, an impressive colonnade of spires formed from white lake sediments interspersed with black and brown bands of lava. The rain held off until dinner was almost ready, then sprinkled on us as we ate it under a trap. It was still raining slightly when we turned in for the night. But, would it be clear in the morning?

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Background

The Owyhee River and its tributaries incise dramatic and awe-inspiring canyons in the sagebrush and grass-covered plains of northeastern Nevada, southwestern Idaho, and southeastern Oregon. These expansive plains and deep canyons represent some of the most stunningly scenic terrain on offer in Oregon.

Despite their astounding beauty, the Owyhee River and its canyonlands are still not easy places to visit. They lie in an area of the state that is remote, sparsely populated, and difficult to access. Towns, services (gas, food, lodging), paved roads, campgrounds, and hiking trails are few and far between out here. But we really, really wanted to experience this area. So, after giving these logistics some thought, we decided to make our initial foray into this area via a raft trip (no surprise here) on the Lower Owyhee River, from a put-in at Rome, Oregon to a take-out at Birch Creek. A major caveat here is that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommended float levels for this segment of the river are between 800 and 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). These levels are typically reached in April and May but not necessarily every year (our planned 2018 trip here was cancelled due to low water). Another caveat is that the weather during these months can be vary quickly between sunny and snowing.

Keeping these two caveats in mind, we booked a trip for early April with Momentum River Expeditions out of Ashland, Oregon. We chose Momentum because they have an excellent reputation, were offering one of the earliest trips of the season (we weren’t going to miss the optimal float levels this year!), and we’d crossed paths with them last year on the Alsek River. Our five professional and personable guides (Andy (trip leader), Kaity, Shana, Mike, and Rob) worked really hard – initially in less than optimal weather – to give us an AWESOME experience in a truly wonderful part of Oregon. 😀 The food was an excellent mix of vegetarian and meaty choices. These factors, along with a very congenial group of fellow rafters, made this the unforgettable experience we’d hoped for.

Day 1: Rome Put-in to Lower Fletcher Camp (3,320 cfs)

After driving up the day before, we met our shuttle in Boise for the ride to the put-in at Rome, Oregon. It had rained overnight and we started out under leaden, but dry, skies. The put-in was busy with private and guided trips anxious not to miss their chance to float the lower river with optimal flows.

We got on the water before noon, just in time for it to start raining. 😦 We stopped just past Owyhee Crossing [at River Mile (RM) 4, with the put-in being 0] for lunch under a tarp (and flashbacks to our last days on the Alsek River).

After lunch we left the flat ranch lands below Rome and floated through the towering walls of Sweetwater Canyon, the grandeur of which was diminished just a little by the gloom and the rain.

It was still raining when we pulled into our first camp at Lower Fletcher [RM 9.2]. One thing that Momentum does, if you use one of their tents, is put it up for you (you take it down). While this up service was skating perilously close to “glamping,” 🙄 it was, nonetheless, a welcome relief not to have to struggle with a tent in the rain. After dinner under a tarp near a warm fire, we settled in our dry tent to fall asleep to the gentle pattering of raindrops.

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