Monday, August 11, 2008
The Box
Last week Joe, Alex and myself left Denver to drive 9 hours up to the Clark’s Fork Box just outside of Yellowstone National Park. We met up with Barry and Orion from Bozeman for this two day, 24 mile mission through this 1200' walled granite gorge. We rolled into camp at 3am, it would have been much later had the Monatana boys not left some nudy pics as markers to guide us in. This was a nice welcome and made pitching a tent this late at night a bit easier.
We started off with the short Honeymoon section, this provided us with a much needed warm up for what was to come. The first portage came right after the Honeymoon take out, the Green Monster, and thus began our 4 mile flat water paddle to the Anklebreaker portage. The flatwater was simply amazing, nobody was in a rush to get downstream, we were all just taking in the scenery and watching the canyon walls rise the further we ventured. The put in below our first portage:
Our first day lasted about 11 hours, including our hike up to the canyon rim where camp was set up. You really don’t grasp how remote and committing this run is until you enter the box section with your first of I think six portages. To me the scariest part of this wilderness adventure was hiking these portages. Most of what we were walking on was loose sharp rock on a steep pitch. It was very easy to loose your footing and take a long tumble down these sheer and elevated mank piles, potentially loosing your gear or worse yet breaking a limb. I had one close call where I lost my footing and dropped my boat and paddle over a 20 foot ledge, barely keeping myself from junking over. Luckily they landed in a pool of rocks down below where I could recover them. A look back at the ankle breaker portage:
Our first rapid was Double Suck, Barry showing us the boof line off the ledge:
Next up we had Deep 6, named for how long it tends to keep you under before ejecting you. Alex and Joe having clean lines down the left:
Things started to really drop at this point, bringing us to Balls to the Wall. This is a sieved out steep rapid with a manadatory run out. Orion finishing off the upper section:
Our last big rapid for day 1 was Snolieguster, this has a tricky lead in to a river wide hole, followed by a perfect 8 foot boof. Here is the hole:
Followed by the boof:
We decided to try a different route up to the rim, something a little more direct to where we were camping. A look back at ball buster portage and the start of our hike out:
Little did we know that we would be free climbing a 30 foot 5.8 section with loose rock and moss, for sure the most sketch part of the day. This is what we climbed in the dusk:
Once past that obstacle, we had to navigate through a mosquito and grizzley infested marsh to find camp. A fitting end to an epic day for most of us. Two unlucky fellas still had to run a 3 hour shuttle (which actually took them 5 because they were so blazed.)
Day 2 started off with something underworld, I think it was called Chauncey's Underworld. Here is Barry blasting through the meat:
Dillworth, one of the most continuous rapids of our 24 mile adventure was up next, then the picturesque Calendar Falls:
After Calender Falls we took a lunch break on one of the many black sandy beaches along the way. The very next rapid we found this mangled kayak, apparently from the group that was in the weekend before us at really high water. It looked as if a hand grenade had gone off in the stern of the boat:
The next rapid was Deliberation Corner, the most ominous and technical drop of the run. The river seems to really constrict here providing ample gradient, with the walls feeling like they were closing in over you. We all decided to shoulder the boats and walk down to the must run boof over a sticky hole. Joe nailing the 10 footer:
Right around the corner was the Gates of Mordor, Alex dropping in:
The run out leads into Dave's Chasm, the canyon narrows to about 20 feet in width:
The last major drop of the Box is the must run Leap of Faith, this right below the Sunlight Strainer portage, or as I like to call it the F'ing Joe portage. Here is a shot of Orion dropping out:
Looking back up at Leap, breathing a lot easier knowing that we only have the class IV run out to go:
The shuttle ride back provided a picture perfect end to our journey:
Excited to be out of the shuttle vehicle:
The crew:
I am already missing those blistering portages I did in my dry suit, it really encompassed what expedition kayaking is all about. You put an exceeding amount of effort getting into the canyon , then your rewarded with some of the best V whitewater in the States with the colossal feeling of accomplishment on your paddle out.
Huge thanks to Barry for taking us 4 newbies down, we were very fortunate to have such a great guide. Thanks also to Cutch and Evan for the great description in the Whitewater of the Southern Rockies.
We started off with the short Honeymoon section, this provided us with a much needed warm up for what was to come. The first portage came right after the Honeymoon take out, the Green Monster, and thus began our 4 mile flat water paddle to the Anklebreaker portage. The flatwater was simply amazing, nobody was in a rush to get downstream, we were all just taking in the scenery and watching the canyon walls rise the further we ventured. The put in below our first portage:
Our first day lasted about 11 hours, including our hike up to the canyon rim where camp was set up. You really don’t grasp how remote and committing this run is until you enter the box section with your first of I think six portages. To me the scariest part of this wilderness adventure was hiking these portages. Most of what we were walking on was loose sharp rock on a steep pitch. It was very easy to loose your footing and take a long tumble down these sheer and elevated mank piles, potentially loosing your gear or worse yet breaking a limb. I had one close call where I lost my footing and dropped my boat and paddle over a 20 foot ledge, barely keeping myself from junking over. Luckily they landed in a pool of rocks down below where I could recover them. A look back at the ankle breaker portage:
Our first rapid was Double Suck, Barry showing us the boof line off the ledge:
Next up we had Deep 6, named for how long it tends to keep you under before ejecting you. Alex and Joe having clean lines down the left:
Things started to really drop at this point, bringing us to Balls to the Wall. This is a sieved out steep rapid with a manadatory run out. Orion finishing off the upper section:
Our last big rapid for day 1 was Snolieguster, this has a tricky lead in to a river wide hole, followed by a perfect 8 foot boof. Here is the hole:
Followed by the boof:
We decided to try a different route up to the rim, something a little more direct to where we were camping. A look back at ball buster portage and the start of our hike out:
Little did we know that we would be free climbing a 30 foot 5.8 section with loose rock and moss, for sure the most sketch part of the day. This is what we climbed in the dusk:
Once past that obstacle, we had to navigate through a mosquito and grizzley infested marsh to find camp. A fitting end to an epic day for most of us. Two unlucky fellas still had to run a 3 hour shuttle (which actually took them 5 because they were so blazed.)
Day 2 started off with something underworld, I think it was called Chauncey's Underworld. Here is Barry blasting through the meat:
Dillworth, one of the most continuous rapids of our 24 mile adventure was up next, then the picturesque Calendar Falls:
After Calender Falls we took a lunch break on one of the many black sandy beaches along the way. The very next rapid we found this mangled kayak, apparently from the group that was in the weekend before us at really high water. It looked as if a hand grenade had gone off in the stern of the boat:
The next rapid was Deliberation Corner, the most ominous and technical drop of the run. The river seems to really constrict here providing ample gradient, with the walls feeling like they were closing in over you. We all decided to shoulder the boats and walk down to the must run boof over a sticky hole. Joe nailing the 10 footer:
Right around the corner was the Gates of Mordor, Alex dropping in:
The run out leads into Dave's Chasm, the canyon narrows to about 20 feet in width:
The last major drop of the Box is the must run Leap of Faith, this right below the Sunlight Strainer portage, or as I like to call it the F'ing Joe portage. Here is a shot of Orion dropping out:
Looking back up at Leap, breathing a lot easier knowing that we only have the class IV run out to go:
The shuttle ride back provided a picture perfect end to our journey:
Excited to be out of the shuttle vehicle:
The crew:
I am already missing those blistering portages I did in my dry suit, it really encompassed what expedition kayaking is all about. You put an exceeding amount of effort getting into the canyon , then your rewarded with some of the best V whitewater in the States with the colossal feeling of accomplishment on your paddle out.
Huge thanks to Barry for taking us 4 newbies down, we were very fortunate to have such a great guide. Thanks also to Cutch and Evan for the great description in the Whitewater of the Southern Rockies.
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