While still in the midst of our 3-day Stein trip, Jeff Robinson, Ryan Bradley, Jenni Pelc & I had already started planning our next BC fly-in mission. The core group was formed & plans solidified when old friend Colby Mackley joined in shortly thereafter. Within a week, we had enough peeps (seven) to fill the Otter, the normal way to access Clendinning Lake .. A week later, with the addition of TRL'er Bryan Smiff & his lovely wifey Lise-Anne, momentum was shifting toward taking an an A-Star instead. Considering the huge time savings acheived by being able to fly a heli from the takeout (as opposed to a plane outta Whistler), when the price difference between the two options came in as "neglegible", the call was an easy one to make ..
We had 14 people at this point, & at the very last second added this goon, meaning that, apart from the obvious comedy that comes with Schertl's inclusion, we now had three FULL 5-loads on the chopper, & that total cost would be minimized. That made FIFTEEN PEOPLE in one group on one creek! .... And not a single hiccup; it worked out flawlessly, which is all about the team we went in there with.
So my favorite river trip of 07 has to be the Clendinning. It may come as somewhat of a surprise that a "backyard" 2-day class IV run would take top honors over an all-expenses-paid exploratory mission in South America. Peru will definitely go down as an all-time favorite & even a life-changing experience .. but our 2 days floating through Clendinning Provincial Park's wide open vistas, hanging glaciers, towering waterfalls, old growth stands of cedar & fir, and incredible granite walls, all with an awesome crew is pretty much THE perfect mini-vacation river trip .. and is probably my highest recomendation for a quality float trip in lower BC.
Also, I'm pretty proud to say that we run with a damn solid crew of female boaters out here. I love the fact that we had couples on this trip & that the ladies totally kept up with the fellas entire time. Don't let the "class IV" thing mislead either -- with the Elaho hovering at above 100 cms, there is plenty of challenging whitewater to keep an expert boater on his or her toes (it's BC class IV, after all). But this trip is all about the overall experience; the camping, the views, & the company you keep.
Shane sez:
Floating out the final clicks of the Clendinning, Todd asks me in a rather questioning tone, "How come you never talked more about this run???" After a long pause, pondering the question myself, I answered, "Well, how do you even adequately describe it? I do remember telling you that you MUST do it."
And he's right. This is a tough run to put into words, & one that you simply MUST DO .. so with that in mind, will start with some old low-flow FOOTAGE we posted forever ago .. and then here's about a bajillion nice photos from our trip. If these images don't get you totally stoked to pack up your boat for a proper river trip, well then ........ you may just be a playboater.
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Jeff Robinson Photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
Jeff Robinson Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
Jeff Robinson Photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Jeff Bellis Photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
TG photo
TG photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Steve Rogers Photo
Jeff Robinson Photo
TG photo
TG photo
--- HUGE THANKS to Darren at Black Tusk for working out the somewhat complicated logistics & pricing with us! Helis are obviously a decadent mode of transportation, but it doesn't get much cooler than flying over god's country in slo-mo, & then landing so deep in the backcountry that it takes a couple days before you see signs of civilization! ---
--- HUGE THANKS to Steve Rogers of Bread And Butter Media for the use of his incredible photos. ---
11 comments:
Yeah! That looks really incredible. Some great rapids and some of the most awesome scenery I've seen. Thanks for sharing all those photos. It keeps the stoke going on my side of the world.
Cheers from South Africa,
Adrian :-)
ah yes, BC....How I miss it.
Todd, or anyone else on the trip ...
did you notice that you snapped that one pic from the air that ended up being our day one lunch spot, and it has the rapid downstream that even schertl looked good boofing in! kinda cool.
oh, and Adrian, thanks for tuning in from South Africa
Ya, I'd concurr this was by far the best weekend on the water of the summer. Notwithstanding the fact that it was my first self-support and it all went great. Bryan was a star husband with all his help eyh?! I had heard about this run for what... ten years almost! I know, what took me so long? Such is life as a female boater. Sure was great to have Becky and Jenni there and such an awesome group alltogether. And how nice is it to have the guys tell us they loved the female company on the creek? Y'all rock! wuv, LA
Wow, amazing scenery. I need to put this one on the list.
adrian - cheers mate! (that's south african, right?)
austin - sorry been out of touch. too busy hangin' at the cafe drinkin' double-tall decaf sugarfree soy hazelnut lattes .. you know how it goes. let's catch up soon.
shane - didn't notice .. good catch!
LA - see y'all in a week or two. we gots some unfinished biz to take care of in your neighborhood. happy anniversary .. mmmuaaah!
dave - yes, you do.
Toad,
Did you seriously just list that "coffee" you drink on a public forum? That's possibly the gayest coffee type drink order I've ever heard of. I feel bad for lumping gay-ness in there it's so bad. There's not even any coffee in it! Sounds like something you sip on, whilst on the way up for a single, non-fat, FITW-Lite lap. Seatyle people are so silly.
FYI - that kind of behavior isn't good for one's boof-stroke. Thick/black coffee, Rainiersch, whiskey/tequila, plus a splash o' Kronik 'n' Herbs...that's what gets you those poster-boy boof shots. Thor's Hammer (my boof stroke), is possibly my most prized possesion.
What's this unfurnished business up in The B & C? You best give me details, or I'll email Strokesberry, and have him come poach it. You guys have more secrets than a 12 year old girls slumber party.
I guess that's it...for now.
better watch your words there b-ham newbie, or Todd might post a picture of your prized possession ...
Todd's already in a heap of trouble over posting my mug illegally & w/o permission on his PNP blog. A night I have no recollection of. I'd explain in more detail, but it's mostly legal stuff that you (Shane) wouldn't understand.
We could always take this off-line? I'm back on email, and bored at work already.
At least it's raining. It'd be kewl if I pulled off Clearwater on a moving weekend. You boys should come up and help me "move".
hey jerk --
re the "coffee", on the way over to Port Townsend symposium the other weekend, we got in line behind a lady who ordered that very drink. it was a bit of a mind-bender at that godawful early hour in the a.m.
more importantly .. your girlfriend just closed on a house & you have nothing better to do than heckle some bloggers .. instead of getting a job, earning your keep, or at least helping her out with some domestic support? classic schertlvision ..
shut up & leave us alone.
love,
S.W.
ps, call when clearwater comes in!
whoa, how hot is Becky Bristow these days? damn, son! Always had a thing for girls from the Can Rockies, eh. Timeless.
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