Kokatat Ambassadors Erik Boomer and Lane Jacobs stay toasty warm in their Meridian dry suits while paddling the Little White Salmon River this winter.
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- Lane launching into the icy waters on Boulder Sluice rapid
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- Lane boofing after ducking the ice curtain at Island Drop
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- Lane rolling over to avoid an ice wall
“Ice is nice. As long as it is not in the pipes of your house. Running water is something a lot of people in the world don’t have, including us. But we have a possibly even better form of running water: the Little White, on ice.
The highs have been in the mid twenties and lows around four or five. With lots of frozen waterfalls around we decided to check out the pristine waters of the Little White. We found a few tributaries with frozen waterfalls and lots of frozen springs. Did I mention the ice?
Although none of the waterfalls in the Little White were frozen, all the rocks were capped with thick ice and trees decorated with icicles. It turned out to be a pretty spectacular ice showing throughout the run.
Frozen gloves and dry suits is not a great way to start but once we got moving we stayed toasty warm in our dry suits. Being dry as a bone makes for a great way to see such a rugged place. The ice covered rocks on the bank were probably the most dangerous part of the run.
The flows were low but the enjoyment was high. Who knew you could have so much fun in a canyon at 23 degrees? For that we have to thank Kokatat.”
