Location: Powerhouse Run at Snowqualmie Falls
CFS: About 2030.
Who was there? Me, Wendy (the only two kayakers) and Jason (main photographer)
The story:

Ah...another photograph session at the Falls. Brad and Craig went out skiing this time, so it was just me and Wendy with Garza to take pics.

We started out the day trying to avoid these massive dump trucks that were carrying loads of dirt from who-knows-where to the parking lot right next to my car.

Whatever.

Once we got down to put in, I had Wendy do a couple rolls in the current to build up her confidence. Then I had her try to practice her ferrying and surfing skills, knowing that it would likely cause her to flip, since I wanted her to get in some combat roll practice before we tried doing the Class II+ rapid upstream. She managed to get a couple successful combat rolls out of that practice, which was all I was pretty much hoping for. Then it was time to point out the line for the rapid and to go through it.

Well, first thing to point out is that the rapid is much bonier at 2030 cfs then it is at 3400 cfs (which was what it was at during our last photo session). Well, I had some issues getting out of the put-in for the upstream rapid due to too many surface level rocks getting me stuck....

Run 1
Eventually I started my first run backwards out of the put-in (it was the best angle I could find at the time) and then I corrected myself once I got into more water. I successfully went through the first narrow chute, but I caught an edge and instead of bracing I decided to just take the flip and committed to it, hoping to get myself completely upside down (as opposed to sideways) so that I could quickly roll back up.

Well, that didn't exactly work as I had hoped. I knew that there was an upcoming rock garden, so I just braced myself underwater until it passed. Garza later told me that at this point, the crowd on the bridge let out a collective "Ohhhhhhhh..." Well, once I bumped through that set of rocks, I figured I was flushed out intot he eddy, so I went to do my roll. I got 3/4 of the way up and got some air (at which the bridge crowd then went "Ahhhhhh," but a small rock interrupted that roll and back under I went.

And then came the pourover rock. It's about 8ft wide and about 1ft of it was viewable above water. Well, about 1 second after my failed roll, I got to see a whole lot more of that rock as my head smashed right into it (you can try to see the result of that smack on my helmet in the last picture). Well, I knew what my head hit there, and I knew there was nothing left at that point, so I quickly rolled up (with ease this time) and got yet another pleasing "Ahhhhh" from the bridge crowd.

Well, Wendy's first attempt wasn't much more successful than mine. I didn't have good perspective to see what got her, but the net result was that I got to use my new Tow Kit (also seen in the last picture) to get her boat as well as her since a wet exit happened after her failed roll attempt.

Run 2
Not one to let failure get to me (I'm pretty stubborn), I decided to take exactly the same line once again. Went down through the narrow chute and was briefly stuck in its hole. After that I went left to avoid the big rock. It was at this point that I tried to get enough momentum to boof of the pourover (hoping to get some air) but the current was having none of that. It forced me to choose a side, so to the left I went, and then I rode the wave train out.

Run 3
Well, now I needed to good boulder garden action shots. Last time Craig rode a crazy path down river right of the rapid. It was a sketchy run at best, but he got some great action shots that don't let you know that part. Well, I wanted to get some myself this time, but his path was completely gone and this was an entirely different rapid with 1400 cfs less water than last time...So, I picked the sketchiest looking line that I could identify so that I could pass by a bunch of boulders....Well, I managed to run the line pretty much perfectly until the end, where I had to make a last minute turn because the final chute that I wanted to run through (river right of the meatball boulder) was just too narrow for me too successfully hit. Well, this is right about where I got the air that you see in that other picture below. I definitely would recommend that run again. Hell, I almost did it again, but it looked like Wendy was about ready to go.

The river run
Nothing too eventful here. I mean, hell, it's the Powerhouse run we're talking about. I stupidly flipped in the other boulder rapid downriver before the wave train, but I quickly rolled up, shaking my head in complete disappointment (I was side surfing the waves and I stupidly leaned the wrong way on one wave crest).

We got back and Garza snapped up some final pics as we approached the takeout. Then it was pretty much the ride home where I ended up having to provide some tech support to a guy at work and planned our dinner plans with Craig and Brad who were also on their way back (pizza if you were curious).

And thus ends yet another mighty successful day on the river.

Videos:

No video this time :(. Too bad...my first run would have been quite entertaining.

Photos:

Coming out of a hole. No, that's not really proper paddling position....I'll just call that my ultra-high brace.   Adjusting my line so that I I can make the chute.   Turned a little too much there, so, now I need to adjust a wee bit...   Getting some speed so that I can get some ...   ...AIR...oh my. while not the most flattering of expressions I could have on my face...at least I'm uprigh during this...   Smiling for the crowd...   No...I haven't put on a lot of weight...I'm just wearing a lot of clothes there....I'm attempting to show the big scratch in my helpmet that I got on my first run which was upside down for half the time. That nifty yellow belt that I'm wearing there is a tow-kit that I got to use about 6 times this weekend!