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  Washington Kayak Club
Fun and safe kayaking through trips, education, skill development, and conservation

River Discussion

What would be a good first class 3 to try?
Matt H.
I am only just beginning to get down class II+ without swims.  However I was wondering what might be a good first class 3 to aim for?   Another question, which whitewater classification do you start seeing waterfalls on?  
Derek Rippe
Oops, sent you a private message instead of replying here (why that option is the default makes no sense).

To summarize: Lower Green River Gorge is a popular, local class III river.

I haven't seen any true waterfalls in class III, but there are definitely some in the class IV range.
Shanna
I agree with Derek, the lower green is pool/drop so some drops may seem pretty easy while others can be more challenging. It also has a couple different put-in's.. the top one giving you 3 solid class III's and the lower one missing those first 3 drops, which would most likely be a good place to start for a first descent.

Can't wait to have you down in our neck of the woods (south end) :)
Matt H.
Oh man that sounds good.  My goal is to paddle class 3 comfortably this year, but I also can't wait to do that very first waterfall.  Anybody have some good pics/vids of this particular run?  
Derek Rippe
I have a few helmet cam videos of the lower gorge. It's one of my favorite runs in the area.

http://derek.rip.pe/?s=Lower+gorge
Matt H.
Wow Derek - thanks for the link.  I read that entire blog and watched all the vids.  Really nicely done.  

I love the first video - the sunny sky, the green water, the mossy round boulders, and the steep banks, and of course some nice looking features.  This looks really good.  Somehow for class 3, it looks really friendly.  
 
I have a class II+ run very close to my house - the Lower Sultan river.  As doing ferries and eddy turns on that become second nature, I'll probably have to nail down a time to try this run.  
James Laitila
At what water flow (low) does this become a bad spot to try?
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