The Elusive South Fork

Eveyone has a hit list. At the top of mine is the South Fork Snoqualmie River near North Bend. There's a well documented "park and huck" waterfall (Limpwrist) on I-90 a few miles east of town. I've seen video of people dropping this 30 footer, snapping a paddle on impact, and celebrating at the bottom. There's a really beginner-friendly stretch a few river miles below there, beginning at Twin Falls State Park. It's the section between these two landmarks that's been on my radar.

I've looked at it many times but never seem to be there with my kayak, a qualified paddling partner and enough water, all on the same day. Relative to the river mileage, the hike in is long and steep. It's moderate when all you're carrying is a hydration pack but, with a fifty pound creekboat it's a different story. The canyon is deep and its walls are knotted and precipitous- so, at best, you catch glimpses of the river way below. You don't know what's down there but what you can see has that look about it- like it might be a classic. And it's right there, at one of the most populated trailheads in Washington.

When I first discovered this could-be-worthy whitewater run I went hunting for information on it. I hit the websites that should mention it, the Bennett Book, and asked around the local whitewater circle. Nothing. Nothing published. Nobody knew about it. All I got was, "where do you mean?" So I started to wonder, could it be...a picturesque Class IV-V first descent right under everybody's nose?

Granted, once the lines were known, the hike-in would take longer than the paddle. So maybe it won't end up a classic. But I've actually heard people say "there are no more first descents." So I figure it's worth an exploratory run. If the hike seems unjustified, we don't have to go back. But somebody should run it to find out.

So this past weekend I went back- with a creekboat and a buddy. Snowmelt has just started here and the water level looked good. I've looked at this stretch a dozen times, but this time it seemed like everything had lined up. Like I might actually bag it.

But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. Foiled again. Like has happened to me several times now- when you're there with someone who hasn't seen it before- when you reach the steep uphill climb it seems more prudent to drop the boats and hike up to the ridgeline. When you get there, if what you can see of the river looks good, you can go back for the boats and finish the long hike to the put-in. If it's looks too hairy, you can just walk back downhill to the boats and put-in there.

Somehow, when you travel to a venue with a speculative, hardcore option and a failsafe backup plan, the backup plan always seems to win. I think it's time for me to get serious about mounting an exploratory expedition to the South Fork...