The Hydrophiles Spring 2004 field trip
April 4, 2004
Toutle River, Washington

The first weekend of spring term a group of 12 Hydrophiles braved the rapids on the Toutle River in western Washington. The Toutle River flows off of Mt. St. Helens and in 1980 large debris floods raced down the river destroying bridges and anything else in their path. Today, 24 years later, you can still see the wreckage, but it just adds to the scenic beauty of the river.

Group Portrait

Rafters (l to r): Tyler Radniecki, Josh Wyrick, Greg Stewart, Brian Blankenspoor, Shannon Claeson, Dave Rupp, Anne Jefferson, Rose Wallick, Ken Crouse, Todd Jarvis (in back), and Tim. (Not pictured: Kim Jensen)

Getting ready at the put-in The group got all geared up in wetsuits, life jackets, helmets, and warm clothes. The day started out a bit gray, but by the end of the day it got hot (Dave and Greg swam), and the next day a few us were sun burnt.

The entrance to Hollwood Gorge

After warming up on some class 3 rapids and seeing some bridge wreckage and a cool floating mud mat, we stopped for lunch just before the highlight of the day: Hollywood Gorge. As we were eating we could hear the roar of the water, and we all ventured down the bank to see what lay ahead.

Also at our lunch stop, we could see mud lines on trees at least 60 feet above our heads (see picture at right). The base of the tree in the picture is more than 20 feet above water level. To add to our awe of our natural surroundings, a bald eagle flew by and landed on the tree in the picture. We also saw several more eagles that day.

 Snag with eagle and mud-line

Tim's raft in the gorge
The first raft ventures into Hollwood Gorge.

All clear!
Tim knows the hard part is over, but does the rest of the raft?

Greg's raft takes the plunge
Greg's raft is up for the challenge.

 some teamwork!
below Hollywood

Having survived Hollywood, we regroup and head out for a couple more miles of paddling. I think everyone had a great day.

Thanks to Tim and Rose and Greg and Shannon for providing the rafts and expert guidance. Thanks also to Greg for the idea for the trip, and to Greg and Shannon for taking the action photos.