For the past nine months I have been hearing rumors about an un-run fifty foot waterfall just outside the Portland area. My first account of this magnificent waterfall came from veteran local paddler, Michael Parent. At the time Michael wasn't proposing that he run it nor was he implying that he wanted me to, he was merely letting us know that there was a huge falls in our backyard that we might want to check out sometime.

We finally headed up on the SF Clack after returning from a trip to Canada with Dave Grove and Charlie Munsey. On that formative trip I ran Mashiter Creek about a dozen times and dropped 60+ foot Mamquam Falls, so I felt well-prepared to run another large waterfall when I got back to the states.

I recently started paddling with Tim Gross (which I should have been doing long ago) who called me with the proposition of doing the first descent that weekend (granted that he got to run it first). I immediately volunteered Isaac's and my participation and then called "Brave Dave" who I knew would be game. We made a date and it was settled; we were going to first descent the South Fork of the Clackamas.

Our crew of nine met on Sunday the ninth of December with about five movie cameras and at least two still cameras to capture the first descent of the falls. We crossed the Clackamas and hiked up the South Fork about a quarter mile to the falls. The size of the drop is deceptive at first until there is a person standing at the top. Our estimation of around 45 feet quickly jumped to about 55 feet once we saw Chuck at the top. Meanwhile at the bottom Isaac, Ben, Dave and I were probing to make sure that the character of the pool hadn't changed too much since Tim's early summer exploration. There was a huge new log blocking the best line on the river right side of the 30 foot wide lip. After searching for more signs of wood and coming up negative I jumped into the landing spot twice to sure we could go as deep as we wanted and I never touched bottom. With safety set up, Dustin Knapp, Isaac Priestley, Bill Jankovic, Justin, and Chuck all rolling film we hiked to the put in.

Dave and Tim played an intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would be the first to make first descent. From the top looked like it was closer to sixty feet than the two previous estimates, so the tension level was high.

Isaac, Jacob, and I sat back to let them probe and prove the pool was deep before we ran it. We also wanted to see how they managed on the horseshoe shaped lip which appeared to have the tendency to boof and/or barrel roll you at the same time. Tim won the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and Dave reluctantly gave in.

After a brief paddle in the pool above the falls Tim lined himself up and dropped over the edge, starting center and driving hard towards the left side. For a second we all thought he was going to boof out and land flat, but instead his bow dropped and his stern flew out. As he fell he over-rotated, landing upside down with a boom that resonated throughout the canyon. Tim was blown out of his boat when he hit, but we saw that he was OK once he popped up in the pool below.

Although Tim's line was a bit unnerving we were all still determined to run the falls. Dave went second, this time starting left and staying left. He cleaned it, perhaps even surfacing upright. Now it was my turn and I couldn't wait. I hopped in my boat and was off. I paddled center to left as Tim had done, but with much less speed. I dropped for what seemed an eternity (a sensation matched only by dropping Mamquam) until neatly, but not necessarily softly, penciling in to the pool in a tight tuck. My paddle broke on the right side when I hit, so I had to rotate the paddle before rolling up. Delighted that I had now paddled two sixty-plus foot waterfalls without incident I went to shore to photograph Jacob. Jacob, Dave and I all had similar lines, however Jacob didn't fully tuck his paddle before landing and it broke across the right side of his face, splitting his nose and eye. After Tim's and Jacob's landings Isaac decided that he preferred to wait until higher water to make his run over the falls.

After Jacob had been taken care of Isaac, Ben, Dave and I measured the drop and this was the most astonishing part of the day. Isaac's rope bag which was supposedly 80 feet didn't reach from the top to the bottom. We later found out that he had been short-changed and given a 66 foot rope bag, which means that the falls is in the mid-60 foot range. Isaac and I will be back, as well as others I am sure when the surface tension of the pool is broken at least a little bit by more water.

Jordan Priestly drops over the SF Clackamas Falls.

Face by AT: Jacob Selander after his descent of SF Clackamas Falls.