Paddling in a flood

(In May 2011, melting snow combined with drenching rain brought Oregon's John Day river to the fourth highest flood levels recorded. At its highest, the river was five feet higher than usual and flowing three times as fast.)

I recently got away from it all with a five-day rafting trip on the John Day River. The trip turned out to be a little more of an adventure than we bargained for, but a great time was had by all.

Four people, plus Mo the wonder dog, floated 118 miles from Service Creek to Cottonwood. In mid-May, the water was high (in fact, too high), so we were able to cover a lot of miles in about six hours each day.

Our trip started in some beautiful ranch land, where I found my nerdy self snapping photos of irrigation pumps and thinking about my work on water conservation. This spring, the river has plenty of water to share with farms along the banks. But agriculture uses 80% of Oregon’s water withdrawals—and in a dry summer, water in the river can be dangerously low. These farms likely pay nothing for their water, so a primary incentive to conserve water is to save on the energy costs of running irrigation pumps.

As we moved downriver, we entered remote, rugged basalt canyons where no other humans were around for miles. Just us, the bald eagles, red-winged blackbirds, antelope and big-horned sheep. Unfortunately, no bass were biting as the water was cold and muddy.

We reached the biggest rapid of the trip, Clarno Rapid, on day two. It was a Class IV at the 10,000 cfs flows we experienced. The powerful waves and big holes looked intimidating as we pulled over to scout the run. After a brief encounter with a rattlesnake, we hopped into the boats, my sister held on tight to Mo, and we all made it through the exhilarating rapid with no trouble at all. I hear that it’s actually much harder at low flows when you have to dodge rocks.

For much of the trip, we got some much-needed sunburn weather. A thunderstorm rolled in one afternoon after we had set up our tents, so we spent the evening drinking our favorite Nicaraguan rum under our trusty canopy, and rigging up a MacGyver-style rainwater catcher to replenish our drinking water supply. The river was too dirty to drink.

It rained all night long, causing the river to rise even higher. And it kept on rising. Good thing our boats were tied up well overnight. By the last day, the river was like frothy chocolate milk, carrying logs and rushing over sagebrush. We cautiously loaded up the boats, and the last few miles to our takeout point were uneventful and gorgeous.

The folks from the Service Creek Stage Stop who rented us the rafts were awfully anxious to see us, waiting for us on the bridge as we passed under and pulled into the flooded parking lot. It turns out the river was now running at 30,000 cfs, which is well above flood stage. Our put in at Service Creek had been closed to boaters that day, but we were already on the river. The major flood that we got caught in is now contributing to the Columbia River’s high levels, reminding me that Eastern and Western Oregon are inextricably linked.

If you’re thinking of paddling the John Day, be sure to get a permit in advance for overnight boating between May 20 and July 10. The BLM’s John Day River Recreation Guide, with detailed maps showing every bend of the river, rapid and campsite, was an invaluable resource to us. For more info, visit the BLM’s John Day River website.