The word is out...Hagen....

25+ paddlers put on Hagen Gorge today. Here are a few shots. Most of these photos came from the N.F. of the Washougal. It was one of those days where if you 'know' the run, you just stay in your boat. There are limited eddys above most of the drops on Hagen and with this many paddlers coming down stream it was best to stay out of the way as much as possible.



The log jam above the gorge.







Keel Brightman on Teakettle Falls, N.F.



The crew waiting on the outcome of another run through Teakettle.




Here's a sequence of Keel running the Double Falls on the N.F.












James Bagley Jr. running the bottom drop on Double Falls, N.F.




Jon Fowlkes on the Double Falls, N.F.





Rob on the Double Falls, N.F.


This gorge was first run by Jason Rackley, James Bagley Jr., Mike Long, Pete Giordano, and Jon Fowlkes on one of their epic weekends were they explored the tributaries in the Washougal drainage. They called it their 4 in 3 weekend, running 4 unknown tributaries in just 3 days. With Hagen being the best bang for your buck and being that close to Portland it was certain to become a favorite for the local paddlers. Everyone left Hagen this day with big smiles on their face! I have to give major respect to these guys and every other kayaker who gets out and finds the logistics for runs like this. I remember my first run on the C.F. of the Cowlitz River and trying to imagine Bill Bowey figuring out the logistics on that one. It's paddlers like this that keep the rest of us inspired to get out there and explore to see what we can find and believe me it's not as easy as you would think!