Ringing in “2026” on the Sandy River

Submitted by Scott Harvey

When Val Shaull and myself last spoke on the phone, we were not expecting too
many boaters to show up for the New Year’s Day float on the Sandy River. Given
the Oregon Ducks game in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s, the cold and drizzly
weather forecasted for Thursday and reports of high water destruction along the
Sandy River. Well, as Val would say… “Boy Howdy”, we had a much larger crowd
in attendance at Dodge Park than expected!
There was a mixed group of boaters present on Thursday morning from OWA,
WKCC, LCCC and the PNW Whitewater Facebook website. Along with a variety of
boats that included rafts, cat-boats, kayaks, inflatable kayaks, canoes and stand-
up-paddleboards. With temperatures in the low to mid 30’s and light showers
throughout the day, having a skull cap, neoprene gloves and a good drysuit with
warm thermals underneath was not exactly considered, over dressing this cold
New Year’s morning.

With the river flowing slightly over 2,000 cfs on the Bull Run gauge, boaters slowly
started descending the river in groups. I held back as sweep boater when Tara
Haug, Mary Turner and Ben Plummer ran behind on time trying to fix a leaking
tear under one of the their rafts tubes. After a long wait and no success with the
repairs, they packed up and headed to the nearest watering hole, probably in
Sandy. Future considerations would be a Go-Fund-Me account for Tara Haug so
they don’t have to depend on a “Ronald Reagan era”, old hypalon boat for future
paddle raft trips.

Part of the enjoyment of heading out on New Year’s Day is crossing paths with old
river rat acquaintances that I haven’t spoken to for awhile and catching up on day
to day life along with ol’ river stories. There were also some new faces on the
river who appeared to be on board for this traditional January 1 st run! The Sandy
River can range between a class 2 at low flows to a class 3+ river during extreme
high flows. At today’s flow of just over 2,000 cfs, I would rate this section of the
Lower Sandy River Canyon a class 2+.

The distance from Dodge Park to the Oxbow Regional Park boat ramp is roughly seven to eight miles in length.  A good majority of the group stopped at the right side sandy beach, located just below Indian John Island. A propane ammo can fire was pulled out, that gave
plenty of heat for boaters to huddle around and enjoy snacks with refreshments.

Good time on the river was had by all because of the splashy whitewater nature
of the river, good company and the comradery of experiencing a new year on the
river. While floating the lower section of the canyon, I noticed several fishermen
and hikers who just happened to find their way into the Lower Sandy River
Canyon by scrambling down one of the right side trails to enjoy the peacefulness
and serenity of the river canyon this time of year.

At the takeout, everyone organized quickly to retrieve vehicles and get boats
loaded up. After securing boats and exchanging our river apparel for some warm,
hot drinks were served down at Shelter “A” that included snacks and a tasty
black-eyed-bean soup that Bob Mosier brought for boaters to enjoy. A good time
was had by all who came out and special thanks to Val Shaull for organizing this
event!