Sunday, August 17, 2008

Gulkana River July 17-20

The weather was varied and so was the trip. The Gulkana river trip often starts with a 3 mile paddle through Paxson Lake. Despite the light drizzle and some wind the first night spent along the lake was pleasant. The next day we encountered the first section of river. We had high water so the 2.5 mile section of class II rapids before the confluence with the Middle Fork Gulkana River was bumpy but mostly floatable. We unfortunately had an aluminum canoe that was eager to stick to rocks and ended up traveling a little slower than planned. After the confluence the Salmon fishing picked up and we even caught (and released) several rainbow trout. The portage around the waterfall (at the high water level it was only a 3 foot drop) brought us to the 7 mile section of class II-III rapids. This section is not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced, especially at high water. After running this section the river calms greatly and, despite some intermittent rain (and a little hail), was pleasant and beautiful. The lower sections are slow and the fishing dropped off the lower we got and by the time we reached Sourdough (the take out) we were happy to have taken the trip. There was a plethora of wildlife, and the fishing was fair, only one King salmon with 3 reds and 2 lake trout (and lots of Grayling). All in all a great trip but be careful of the water level. Take care if using open boats like canoes or open kayaks.

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