Big Eddy Again

Friday it was nice and sunny and the river was at a moderate level so it was hard to avoid paddling again.

We were able to sneak Big Eddy at this stage, passing to the right of the big rocks on the right, and then moving back right of center. What looked like a like reversal on the scout was a significant hump of water seen from the river. I went just to the right of it and got right on line. I think this hump is formed by the rock that you want to cut left above when the water is lower. This day the WASW1 gauge read 6.57 feet.
The little wave below the Mt. Norway Bridge was good for front surfing, but not very retentive. I couldn't manage a 360. There weren't any other good play features. The day before, with the level at 7.57', the wave at MP 6 was great!
All three of us caught the eddy on the right before ferrying across and running left past the entrance to Cougar Creek Rapid. It was a bit of a challenge to make the ferry.

Back to the Washougal

Well, I've paddled the Washougal 6 times since I got back from Bhutan, mostly just down from MP 7. It's easier doing a bike shuttle back to there. After the crowd in Bhutan, it was nice to paddle solo a few times.
The last couple runs have been down through Big Eddy. It's low but still a challenge. I thought I'd be catching some eddies in there, but I just cruised through both times. The eddy on the right, across from the Twin Rocks, is not as solid as it used to be. Rocks below have shifted and it simply doesn't hold as much water. A critical move is right out from the eddy, having to make a sharp left at a little reversal. Interestingly, both of the boats that caught the eddy on our second trip ended up going too far left and flipping. Fortunately, both boaters rolled up.
Now that the water is so low, it is interesting to see how many rocks have been moved since last season. They're not big changes, but they've changed some of the optimal lines. It's nice to have a different river to run! What do they say, "You can never run the same river twice." So true.
The Kelly's Hole stretch is still busy, as is Cougar Creek, but at these low levels, there's a lot of floating. Anyway, it never ceases to amaze me how scenic the Washougal actually is.