Photo copyright Dave Hoffman
One nice thing about living in the Columbia River Gorge is the vast array of rivers that lie within an hour's distance of driving. Friday, with the day off work, and rivers high after the week's storm, I headed out to enjoy one of the gem's of the Columbia Gorge: Hagen Gorge.
Hagen Gorge is a class IV/V creek located above the NF Washougal in Washington state. Getting to the put-in requires following a local through the maze of back roads, and "hiking" half a mile or so through a snow-filled clearcut. The hike-in gives you a chance to enjoy the view and take in the beauty of the area.
Hiking in (Photo by Kim Russell)
The put-in (Photo by Kim Russell)
Upon reaching the river, the flow tends to look very minimal, however after the initial mile or so of boat bumping, and boulder pinning there's some pay off... after the portage.
The only mandatory portage on the run:
Photo Copyright Dave Hoffman
Photo copyright Dave Hoffman
In the gorge, there are four main rapids: Haagen-daaz falls, Euphoria Falls, Teakettle Falls, and Crack in the Earth.
Haagendaaz Falls (Photo by: Kim Russell)
Next up is TeaKettle Falls
After Teakettle, the river pours over a fifteen foot falls and through a turbulent slot just wide enough to fit a boat. Beyond this rapid, there's about half a mile of boogie water until the takeout. If you are in the area, I highly recommend Hagen Gorge. It's about as much fun kayaking as you can have in a mile and a half :)
Quick video from the day:
Hagen Creek Gorge from Ryan C on Vimeo.
Dave Hoffman is a talented photographer with and eye for unique camera angles. To see and shop photo from Dave Hoffman, follow this link: http://davehoffman.photoshelter.com/
Kim Russell
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