John Day River
Oregon's high-desert John Day River lives up to its wild and scenic status.
At 5,400 cfs, the John Day was fast, and the crew paddled 35 miles in one day.
Clarno Rapids is the first topic that comes up when talking about running the John Day River. We asked our shuttle driver Donna, a folksy grandmother who lives in the town of Fossil, about Clarno. She laughed. "Why, you could build a bridge out of all the canoes that is sunk at Clarno Rapids," she said. With that timely information, we readied ourselves to run north-central Oregon's John Day, an outstanding canoe trip-for those with solid moving-water skills.
I paddled tandem in my We-no-nah Cascade with Howie, a former college rower. Also along were Robbie and Gordon in an Old Town Appalachian and Mike in a Bell Wildfire solo. The flow level was a healthy 5,400 cfs when we started, which would add a degree of difficulty to the scenic paddling through desert canyon country. Odd rock formations and barren mounds of green and red soil speak to a time when the land was occupied by saber-tooth cats, crocodiles, and rhinoceroses. We saw mule deer, river otters, bald eagles, golden eagles, and many hawks. Less visible were the rock wrens and canyon wrens, but their flute-like notes were heard often.
The river is divided into two sections. The upper 47 miles starts at Service Creek and ends at Clarno. From Clarno to Cottonwood is another 69 miles. We had planned to put in at Clarno, but after talking to Lana, a young woman who had just inadvertently run the rapid with her male companion, we decided to add the upper section, for a total of 116 miles in five days. We wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it.
The upper 47 miles has scattered ranches but also long sections of wild country and exciting rapids. Below Clarno, the river feels more isolated and is characterized by vertical columns of basalt that form a 1,200-foot-deep canyon. Gradient on the upper section is 8 feet per mile and on the lower section is 11 feet per mile.
Howie and I had some excitement at Wreck Rapids on the first day. We knew that the rapids were coming but because of the fast flow didn't have enough warning to land and scout. We were on river right, and desperately trying to get over to river left, but didn't get there in time and instead bashed a path through a patch of willow bushes growing on a flooded gravel bar. I saw a boulder too late, and much to my dismay we went over it. Fortunately, there was enough water that we cleared the boulder, but then came a whole series of three- to four-foot standing waves.
