Ever since I had first seen Mosier Creek Falls I knew I wanted to run it. It looked like the left side was runnable and would be a huge slide. While the right side just landed on rock about thirty feet down before plunging into a pool that went into a cave. Mosier creek was engrained in my mind for two years, but every time I went back to check it out, it was way too low, and I'd always leave disappointed.
Last year Eric Boomer, Austin, and I were meeting Luke Spencer and some Portland locals to run a couple drops on a small creek. While we were heading up there we ran into a huge snow storm and couldn't get over the Mount Hood pass. So on our way back we were talking about what we could go do, and Austin brought up Mosier Creek, I just looked at him and said it would be way too low, with this much snow up here everything will be frozen. But all we had was time on our hand so we decided to check it out.
We reached the top of the falls and to my disbelief it had water in it! But I can't say it exactly looked good. The three of us studied it for quite some time, both the right and left side. We threw a boat over the right side and it made the line look quite runnable, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to run it. We both studied the left for quite some time and Boomer decided to fire it up. So we walked back to the car to change and get the cameras, but I was slightly bummed, I had wanted to get the first descent on this drop for so long. Boomer looked at me, "If you want the first D you can go before me", but at this time I still wasn't sure I wanted to run it. "You go ahead, your ready, I'm not". So we got set up in our camera positions and Boomer got prepared to run the drop. With a few locals by our sides we were ready to go, Boomer gave us the thumbs up and we turned our cameras on.
He ran the first sliding 10 foot drop into the pool above the slide, eddied out on the river right side and got ready to run the big one. He ferried across just below the hole from the top drop and made it far enough river left to avoid the log in the center. Once he got past the log he got on line and nailed the drop, popping out the bottom upright and stoked. He went right where we had discussed and he made it look good.
We met him back at the car and discussed how it was, and after much contemplation I decided to run it. This was it, I knew I could nail the line, but I was still nervous because it was such a big drop. I looked at the drop several more times and got in my boat. The cameras were ready and so was I. I pushed myself in and ran the first drop, boofing and avoiding the sticky hole. I eddied out where Boomer had and looked at where I was, there was only one place to go and that was down. I start ferrying across below the big hole making sure not to get sucked into it, but I didn't quite make it far enough river left to get past the log covering most of the left side. So I went back into the eddy and tried two more times, ending up in the eddy I started. Finally on the fourth time I made it past the log, with a huge feeling of relief I was now entering the top of the drop. Everything I had been looking at was clear as day in my boat, the toung of water I wanted to follow and the rooster tail we needed to be left of. I made it past everything I needed to and it went white out from there. The next thing I remembered was a huge impact at the bottom and breaking my back band. I tried two rolls but couldn't quite get them so I pulled and swam. As I resurfaced I saw my boat cleared the cave and I was heading right into it. I grabbed onto the wall as it was pulling me in, at this point all I wanted was to be able to rest for a few seconds and catch my breath. But the longer I held onto the wall the colder I got and the farther under water I was being pulled. I let go of the wall and got recirculated in the cave eddy a couple times before I just gave up and decided to float right into the base of the falls. I was not looking forward to this because I was out of breath already and freezing cold, but I knew I had to do it. As I was floating to the base of the falls it kick me out of the eddy and blew me out of the cave. I knew it was only class I-II below this but I needed to get out of the water, I was way too cold and I couldn't breathe. I was so weak I couldn't even swim, it seemed the harder I tried the farther down stream I was getting pushed.
I was loosing it, at one point I started trying to stand up (which I know better than that). While I was trying to stand up I did the classic thing and got my foot wedged between some rock and I went from standing up to face down in the water. At this point everything was going really slow, I knew my foot was stuck, but I was no longer gasping for air and I was no longer cold. While I was under I thought to myself very, very slowly, "My foot is stuck, I should get it out". I twisted it a little bit and freed it from the rock, and started my drift down stream again. I finally got myself to shore on some shallow rocks and some logs. I tried my hardest to get myself out of the water but only succeeded to get half out and after a couple minutes I got the rest out. I just laid there on the logs; I could hear the people in the canyon above me but I didn't have enough strength to respond to them, until I heard the work "Ambulance!" I try to sit up saying no to the ambulance.
I could hear them trying to make a plan on what to do and in the mean time I was slowly gaining more strength, but every time I sat up my head would have an enormous pain and I'd start throwing up. I tried just laying there but I was to cold, I knew I had to do something, but every time I did, I'd start throwing up until I finally hit the dry heaves. This went on for about ten minutes, before Boomer got down to me. When he reached me he could tell I was in rough shape, I couldn't form sentences and I could barely even speak words. At this point though I had stopped dry heaving and could sit up with just a huge pain in my head. There was no way I was getting out of this canyon and I knew it, Boomer was talking to me and told me they were lowering down a boat. They got the Paddle and boat down to us and Boomer helped me pop on my spray skirt. All I needed to do was get about a quarter mile down stream in class II. Boomer was going to float next to me while going down but the water was way to cold and he somehow climbed back out. I was now on my own, I felt like a beginner again, this was class two but it was also the hardest time I had staying upright since I could remember. Every little eddy line or corner was a whole new challenge. I finally reached the take out with about five people there to help me out, I grabbed my handle on my spray skirt and pulled, only thing was, is that I couldn't pop my skirt. I didn't have enough strength to pop my own skirt, I couldn't believe it and went through a huge relief knowing that I didn't tip.
Everyone helped carry me out to the road and into Chris Emmericks van with warm air and towels. I changed as fast as I could. It took me about two hours before I could stop shaking because of the cold, and along with that I was sick to my stomach for two weeks. I never officially went to the doctor to get check out but my friends (some doctors) I had talked to said that it could be an ulcer from being under so much pressure all at once. I got back to full recovery and am boating even harder things than I had ever done before.
I had learned a couple of things from this day: The main thing is, we never held safety. This was just plain stupid, we were short on people and it was very hard to access the point to hold safety. Never again will I run a drop of this caliber without safety. Luckily this was a live and learn experience.
I love kayaking and I never want to give it up, there's something about it that pushes me. I always wondered what I would do if I had a terrible experience like this kayaking, would I give it up? Would I just step back a little? Or would I stay where I'm and possibly even progress? I am progressing; I refused to be scared out of the sport I love. After all when I was young I used to be afraid of the water and as I speak I'm terrified of heights, yet my favorite thing is running waterfalls. Why is it I can run a 50-60 foot falls but I can't jump off a thirty-foot cliff? I love this sport, as I'm sure most of you do, all I can say is be safe and always stick with it.
~Nate~