"The Best Place on Earth"

After a record snowfall winter in British Columbia, it probably comes as no suprise that things have been juicy up North. While levels have settled over the past couple weeks due to colder temps, the melt is far from over. Between the local classics, some bushwacks in the BC backcountry, and some incredible sea kayak missions TRL has been well represented in BC so far this season.

For years the BC liscense plates have carried the slogan "Beautiful British Columbia". This year I started to see these new plates floating around and right away I noticed the slogan had changed to "The Best Place on Earth".

The old plate...


The new plate...


So here are a few reasons why BC is "The Best Place on Earth"... really just some solid updates on what is happening up North

1. Callaghan Creek

This run has to be one of the best runs to have in your backyard. Over the past couple weeks the levels have been a perfect medium-high flow. We have been busting out laps on this beauty in the evening. So much fun when you get this run dialed and just catch a few eddies here and there. Access is easy, it has a variety of styles of whitewater from IV+ boulder gardens to a perfect 25 foot waterfall, the sun comes directly into the canyon most of the day, every rapid goes...to me it is the perfect run.

Matt about ready to launch off the first ledge just after the put-in.

photo by Maximilian Kniewasser

Steve Rogers dropping the first waterfall. Way better this year without the log!

photo by Amy Christian

Graz launching the 25 foot waterfall

photo by Maximilian Kniewasser

Keep in mind that LEDCOR owns the water license on this river. According to Jan at the BC CREEK PROTECTION SOCIETY there is some kind of a moratorium on development of this particular project until after the 2010 winter games. The Nordic Center for the Olympics is going in up the valley as we speak. I have noticed some monitoring equipiment just below the take-out which most likely has to do with a flow study on the creek.

2. Ashlu Access

Two weeks ago when water was really high due to a week of warm weather, a few of us went up the Ashlu in hopes of hitting the Upper Ashlu. It is well above Tatlow and a big drive, but well worth the mission. The Ashlu was probably the highest I have seen it off of snowmelt.

Standing at the 50/50 bridge...think the Box Canyon might be a little high.

photo by Bryan Smith

We drove up past the mine run. Just crazy to see the excavation that they have done for the dam site. You used to drive up this side of the road and not even be able to see the river! Now it looks like a gravel pit with a river going through it, some old tires laying around...very scenic


photo by Bryan Smith

Now for some some disappointing news. There has been a huge avalance just above the put-in for the play run. It covers the road with debris for about 200 yards and is litered with huge trees and rock. Beyond a burely BC 4X4 mission.

Not just snow...lots of debris.

photo by Bryan Smith

Although or intial thought was that snow would melt and we might be able to get past...the pile of debris is extremely deep and full of big objects.

photo by Bryan Smith

I have already got a few emails this season asking about Tatlow and this certainly throws a bit of a curve ball in. I would expect Tatlow to be in from mid July until early August. This avalalanch is about 2km from the turnoff for Tatlow. So this year it looks like it is going to be a hiking mission. Probably about 5-6km total.

As much as I really wanted to be able to easily get up into that zone right now, I'm also stoked to know that the bears have that whole upper valley to themselves right now.

3. BC sea kayaking is just a vast and exploratory as the river paddling scene.

As some of you may know I have been working on a sea kayaking film PACIFIC HORIZONS. This Spring we did an incredible exploratory trip into the Discovery Islands area, a week long trip in the Bunsby Islands off the North end of Vancouver Island, and a bunch of other stuff. Here are a few pictures, but you should crusie over to the PACIFIC HORIZONS site and check out some of the stories and TRAILER.

Crystal clear water in the Discovery Islands

photo by Steve Rogers

Surfing the long boat on an epic wave!

photo by Steve Rogers

We had amazing weather and took ferry after ferry to get to some new destinations.

photo by Steve Rogers

The latest addition to the water tribe.

photo by Steve Rogers

49 Megawatts...

To everyone who was at the show in Seattle last night...I'm soooooooo sorry. I can't tell you how dissappointed I was to hear that the DVD's of my new documentary film "49 Megawatts" and "BC Summer 2006", which I overnighted on Tuesday, had not arrived at Shane's by late Friday afternoon. Apperently the overnight envelope cleared customs on Wednesday but was then sent to California by accident and then back to Blaine to be re-processed. The plan was to show 49 Megawatts in Seattle last night and then launch it on TRL sometime this week. I feel terrible. I trust that everyone had fun checkin' out Todd's slides, drinking beer, watching some vintage TRL video, and talking about how lame it was that my films were not showing. In an effort to recover from last night's blunder, I'm going to release the new film on TRL today followed by a bit of Ashlu beta that should fire you up and hopefully get you out paddling this gem before they divert it into a tunnel. So here it is...

49 MEGAWATTS

Lots of people have voiced their concern for the rivers of BC while TRL has been covering the Ashlu. People have felt helpless, and I think many people have been turned off by heading up to the Ashlu because of all the negative construction stuff we have published. I have a few things to offer...

1. BC Creek Protection Society is doing a tremendous job of taking this issue to action at the moment. It is important that we concentrate our energy together and get the issue into broader public coalitions. I believe that the BC Creek Protection Society is making big steps in the right direction. Check out their site and give the society some support if you feel compelled to help the cause.

2. Over the past couple of months some of the bigger environmental groups and various paddlespsorts organizations have recognized the value in supporting efforts to try and bring the stakeholders back into the process of decision making regarding the rivers of BC. The momentum is growing and hopefully we are getting somewhere now. Everyone's efforts have made this happen...keep on pushing to make our voices heard!

3. Check out the article that Christian Knight wrote on the Ashlu in PADDLER MAGAZINE. I thought this was a very well researched piece that shows how many people are involved in the issue and the history of the Ashlu.

4. There could not be a better time to get out and paddle the Ashlu. Lots to be done up that valley right now and to date the river remains the same. This could be the last season of free flowing water. Here is some basic beta all in one spot to help you put the Ashlu on the hit list this summer.

LOWER MILE

2km
Class 5
ideal flows are between 30-50 on the Elaho Gauge
the current paddling season is late fall, winter, and early spring
take-out is the twin bridges, put-in is the first place the river comes back to the road after the twin bridges.

The Lower Mile is perhaps the least paddled section of the river, because it is so steep and hard to see into. However this section of the river is incredible when you have the right flow. It's a steep pile of boulders with some significant ledge drops and a couple of smaller waterfalls. The coolest asspect of this run is that you can see the take-out when you run the first drop, but it takes a couple hours to negotiate all the stuff in between!

Here is Jonny Utah about one third of the way into the run... looking down to the take out.

photo by Todd Gillman

One of the many sweet series of ledge drops on the Lower Mile

photo by Todd Gillman

BOX CANYON

4km
Class 5
Ideal flows are between 60-90 on the Elaho Gauge
The best time to hit this section is April-May and then from August-October
the put-in is the bridge at 25 mile. If you hike down the trail on river left there is a good put-in below the 50/50 falls and the ledge drop immediately after. Or if you feel like hucking...put in below the bridge.
the take-out is on river right where a small creek comes into the Ashlu. The creek is pretty easy to spot on the way up. Just after the described put-in for the Lower Mile, the road comes up a steep incline. At the top of that incline, a creek and slide path are visible on the left of the road. Hike down that rumble to scope the take-out.
This run has several drops that are extremely hard to scout and impossible to portage. It is highly recommeded that you run this section of river with someone who knows it. It is not extremely hard, but it is a very deep gorge with no outs.

The Box Canyon (or Commitment Canyon) section of the Ashlu is probably the most scenic stretch of whitewater in the Sea to Sky corridor. It has been claimed as many as one of the best sections of whitewater in the world! TRL showcased the Box Canyon in BC SUMMER 06 The run starts with some of the most challenging whitewater. First Corner Rapid, then a manky drop you run left, Enagagement, and Triple drop are all unscoutable and unportageable from water level. Once you get through Triple Drop you can scout and portage most everything else. These first 4 rapids can be scouted from canyon level on river left, but beware that they are much bigger and very blind at river level!

Dropping into the Corner rapid at the very top of the Box

photo Todd Gillman

Todd Gillman in Kernage which is the first rapid below Triple Drop

photo by Evan Ross

The Box Canyon is made of two seperate canyons. As you paddle out of the first canyon the river turns to gravelly class II. You can hike out from here on river right if things are not going well. Scout the first rapid of the second canyon well as it has a nasty sieve on river right. The lower canyon is generally a bit easier than the first, but still has plenty of punch.

OK...so that is what I have manged to get up for now. I'm out the door for 10 days of tidal race paddling for the sea kayak film I'm working on called Pacific Horizons It has been keeping me super busy at the moment. When I return I will post up details on the rest of the
Ashlu's run: Mini-Mine, Mine, Tatlow, "Play Run", and Upper Ashlu.