Paddling the Former Condit Dam Site with Christie G. Eastman

Looking back on 2012, one of my favorite paddling moments was my first trip down the White Salmon Narrows, WA, after the removal of Condit Dam. I met up with Susan Hollingsworth and a mass flotilla of rafts and kayaks for the big celebration. We put in at Husum falls and floated all the way down the Lower White Salmon into the narrows section. As we approached Northwestern Park where the lake used to be, everything seemed strangely foreign. Docks were sitting high above the river’s edge, there were new rapids and surf waves, and the river gradually descended into a gorge and disappeared around the corner.

As the river narrowed, we all grouped up and floated down through the walls together. There were waterfalls pouring in from above, huge salmon swimming upstream beneath us, and everyones’ cheers were echoing throughout the gorge. It was crazy to think that such an amazing place had been buried underwater for over 100 years. Read the rest of this entry →