It’s been at least three years, if I remember correctly, that Nate and I last ran Celestrial Falls. So, with sunny skies in the forecast, nerves itching to go run a big drop and a “free” day, we made our plans.

For those not familiar with Celestrial Falls, it is a 45 ish foot waterfall into a big pool. Even if you never have the desire to ‘huck’ this drop, I encourage you to go and see this spectacular sight. I think this waterfall is one of the most scenic around! First of all, it is found in the middle of the desert, it has a 90 foot waterfall above it and the most beautiful canyon as the falls drops off. .

Ryan, Nate and I headed out early Saturday morning to try to catch the light as it entered the White River Canyon. On our drive out, we all had our fingers crossed that the Ranger would be gone for the season – as this waterfall is not very legal to run. Once we arrived, we were all relieved – park closed, no Ranger!!! However, we still had to make the run quick, as the locals sometimes call the authorities . . .

We geared up and hiked our boats right away to the put-in, as we all knew we’d run it. With only the three of us, the most challenging part was filming and shooting photos. Here’s how it panned out: 1 kayaker in the water, 2 videographers/photographers, 3 video cameras and one still camera. So, a total of 4 cameras . . . how does that work?

So, here’s what we did: 1 person seal launched in and sat above the falls until they were given the “go” signal; Ryan filmed with his camera far downstream of the falls; Nate/Heather had one video camera on a tripod, one video camera in one hand and the still camera carefully stabilizing itself in the other hand at the lip. Nate is actually really good at this, however, I’m just going to say that I need a little more practice to master the two cameras at one time, thing!

We all had great lines down the falls – I plugged it and Nate and Ryan 60 degree entrance. We all came out with a few aches and pains. I smacked my thumb on my boat, Nate smacked his thumb on a rock going through the rapid below the falls and Ryan landed a little too flat on his last lap and injured his back a bit. But, we’ll take it . . . this was such a great day!

So, if you’re tempted to run Celetrial Falls, here’s a few things to keep in mind:
· It’s illegal – watch for rangers, authorities, and locals
· It’s a super huge drop – be comfortable running big waterfalls before you go huck yourself over this one . . . ! You can get hurt!
· Have Fun!

Check out the footage in Sheer Madness Production’s new film . . . coming 2010!

~Heather~