2024 President's Day Rogue Trip

Submitted by Jason Urasky

 

The 2024 OWA President's Day Rogue trip was February 17-20th. 

This year was a rainy one, with around 1.5 inches accumulating across the region during our trip.   With all that rain came higher water than most of us had seen on the Rogue.   The Agnes gauge was at 14.7K at launch, dropping to 10K by the takeout. 

Rainie

Two people took the chance to run the main falls at high water.  We had safety set and plenty of boats downstream. Neither run went exactly as planned.  The middle chute was not much of an option.  For the rest of us, the fish ladder was fast, wide, easy run.  The hardest part was not running over the top of a little willow at the bottom. 

Wildcat 

The island above Wildcat was still recognizable. We all went left to be safe without knowing exactly what it looked like.  At the back of the island there was… nothing. The rock was completely underwater, and not much sign on the surface that it was even there

 

Blackbar

Day 2 was a little dryer.  Some of the class IIs were pushier or had big holes that don't exist at low water. We ended up at Mule Creek for lunch and a safety talk pretty quickly. 

 

Mule Creek

Mule Creek Canyon had slightly bigger hydraulics, but was twice as wide. Coffee Pot was just 2 eddies with enough room to pass a boat. 

 

Blossom Bar

Blossom Bar was an entirely new rapid at high water and almost everyone decided to scout. 

That rumored high water right run did exist, with a large pillow over a rock to stay off of, but plenty of space.  There was also a clean left run "down the tongue" over what is usually the picket fence. 

 Volkswagen Rock was just peaking out from under the water as a pillowy rock / hole. 

We enjoyed a nice night of rain under the tarps again at Tacoma, and had a fairly fast paddle out in the morning.