Yesterday I finished a special trip down Oregon’s Wenaha River. This beautiful stream is a tributary to Grande Ronde River that flows through the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.
This river is only paddled a handful of times each year since it’s only accessible by trail. Everything for the trip must be carried in by foot.
Day 1
We began at the Elk Flat Trailhead and packed our gear 5 miles down to the South Fork of the Wenaha River. When we arrived there was just enough water in the river to drag and paddle our boats downstream so we took our packs off our backs, pumped up our boats, and began our journey.
After some paddling, bushwhacking, and a few log portages we reached the North Fork of the Wenaha River which added some much needed water.
Below the confluence the paddling became easier and we continued until we reached large logjam. We decided to camp just upstream so we could tackle the complicated portage in the morning.
Day 2
After portaging the log jam we headed downstream on what seemed more like a river. When it was channelized the rapids were fun, but when the river divided we found ourselves dragging our boats through shallow riffles.
This night we found a beautiful camp overlooking a basalt cliff and the river.
Day 3
We were in a great rhythm on the water and made good time down to the Confluence with Crooked Creek. At Crooked Creek Jeremy and Dave from Freshwaters Illustrated brought out some snorkeling masks and an underwater camera to look at fish and underwater insects. This was the first time I saw a stonefly in it’s underwater habitat!
Day 4
Our last day we paddled the final 7 miles to the Grande Ronde River and the town of Troy.
Ultralight Kayaking Equipment
This trip was a great opportunity to test out some new lightweight equipment that will make our more difficult expeditions down the Chetco River a bit easier. I’m most excited about the AIRE BAKraft, a 10 foot kayak that weights just 10 pounds. Once again, this innovative kayak handled a heavy load well while performing great on the water.
I’m also really excited about the Hyperlite 4400 Porter pack. This pack weighs just 2.35 pounds and was comfortable while carrying a 70 lb load down to the river. I was able to use the external daisy chains to tie the boat and my PFD to the outside. Once on the river this pack doubled as my dry bag with the help of Hyperlite’s ultralight stuff sacks. This pack is almost waterproof and I’ve found that the combination of this pack and the stuff sacks are perfect for keeping my gear dry on this kind of trip.
The AIRE BAKraft and Hyperlite pack work really well together. The boat is easy to carry tied onto the outside of the pack. The Hyperlite pack fits well in the BAKraft and serves and a sturdy backrest while paddling.
This trip was also an opportunity to test out some titanium pots from Snow Peak. Their super lightweight titanium pot did great while cooking over a fire and saved the weight of bringing a stove and fuel.
My Ultralight Kayaking Checklist
I always pack slightly different since every trip is different based on the geography, weather, length of the hike, and difficulty of the river. Below is the general checklist that I use.
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Boating Gear Boat Paddle Throw bag Helmet River Shoes |
Safety/First Aid/Repair Medium First Aid Kit Tear Aid Boat Specific Repair 2 Caribiners, Pulley, and 30’ webbing River Knife/Whistle Map Emergency Communication Device |
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Clothes Beanie Rain Jacket Puffy Jacket Heavy Fleece Shirt Light Fleece Shirt Fleece Pants Hiking Shorts River Shorts Hiking Shoes Wool Socks Underwear Sun Hat |
Camping/Backpacking Gear Tent/Shelter Backpack/Dry Bags Sleeping Bag Headlamp Stove/Lighter Cooking Pot Food Toothbrush/Toothpase Toilet Paper/Shovel/Wag Bags Hand Soap/Dish Soap/Sponge Water Purification Water Bottles Camera |
Do you have any suggestions about particular equipment you’d bring? If so, please comment below!
