This was my second trip down the Upper Wind and it reminded me of how I felt my first time down: I've gotta see this river more! On Saturday night I talked Tiffany (who had gone rafting once before) and my girlfriend Dana into riding in the front of my boat. George White said he would come along and row a boat as well, so that was our group.
While running shuttle, we ran into another group at the take-out. Zach of River Hardware, Will, and Michael B agreed to do a second run with us which was great.
The Upper Wind starts off pretty mellow until Initiation, which is pretty much a class IV- rapid that just lasts a really long time. It culminates at Rams Horn, a class IV drop with a big hole at the bottom. For the next few bends there are numerous class III and IV moves and a rapid called "Balls to the Wall" which, on this day, was a center line with little consequence other than getting stuck.
At Climax we took a center line and got somewhat spanked. We made it through the center drop but got pushed left and into a reversal that had a 90-degree angle downstream. It sucked our tube and we were caught high-siding our way through. Fortunately, no one swam and the boat was left upright.
Part of the advantage to taking this particular boat (1993 Avon Adventurer, aka "best boat ever made") and frame (Clavey break-down frame) was that I had to sit on a cooler. This cooler, of course, was filled with PBR and sandwich making necessities. The sun broke free, we found a great beach, and indulged. A beautiful river, great people, and good food and beer... nothing beats that. I again found myself wondering why it had been so long since my last Wind River run; and wondering when the next one would be.
Here are some photos, all courtesy of Zach Collier, owner of River Hardware:
 Below Balls to the Wall |
 Entering Balls to the Wall |
 Below Climax |
 Entering Rams Horn |
 Entering Rams Horn |
