Chilliwack River

It was a dark and stormy night – er, day! Bryan G gathered his victims – er, paddlers together to whip them into shape er, organize the shuttle and to plan for the day ahead.

On board for this adventure were Bryan and his son Parsi, Monica and Margaret, and solo boats Jen W, Bob P and Leigh B. Please note: NO ONE DUMPED! The gauge at Vedder crossing showed a mighty 1.2 m height and 16 cm/s. The gauge above Slesse showed less.

We put in at Osborne Road and paddled to the takeout at Peach Road. Monica had hoped we wouldn’t have to drag out boats all the way down or line them for endless kilometers. Bryan aimed to please. Due to the low water levels, we bumped and scraped down the shallows, and relaxed with the current. The clouds crept down the hills towards us, but the river gods chased them back up again and again. The rain pelted down on us as we hauled the boats up the bank, but the rest of the trip was dry.

Yes, we walked a few times, lined one corner, found a few exciting drops.

It all worked out in the end and everyone agreed it was a fine trip indeed. I guess we did whip into shape nicely after all.
Leigh Burton