Here is a really great trip report by Adam from our run on the Russell Fork on Saturday.
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My heart quickened as even the smallest squeak reminded me a train could be coming. Fumbling in the dark I droped my water bottle then trying to catch it like dominoes goes my boat and then finally my precious snickers bar witch was half shoved in my mouth the last couple bites of energy wasted. I pull it together knowing time is of the essence portaging through a long and dark train tunnel. As I emerge into the daylight fellow paddlers were gathered awing over the deep gorge cutting through the mountain the misty breeze filling my head. Thinking back to the rapids just run, but often skipped by most boaters of my experience level I feel as though I’ve chipped off another bit of what it will take to prepare to run the mighty mile long section of class five water. The Vantage point of the tracks makes the tiny boats below appear to move effortlessly through the narrow boulder laden pass. Flowing like ducks in a stream they make their way down one by one. Appreciating the flatness of the tracks in such a remote and undulating landscape we make our way down river stopping every few steps to peak through the nearly bare trees and catch glimpses of the notorious features below. Stopping at a railroad tower we looked for the trail down to El Horendo. A fire was being built and people were gathering to watch the well known Lord of the fork race. We stopped and ate siting on the huge boulders lining the banks as we watched boat after boat drop over then disappear and reappear emerging from the frothy depths. The expressions on the boaters faces were contagious as smiles broke out one by one. After time passed we realized we weren’t gonna get any warmer siting around. Onward and up the steep vertical we climbed to the tracks. Then boats dragged and shouldered we looked for the trail down to put on past climax. Feeling like goats on a cliff we scrambled down. Putting in and looking up stream at the endless cascade of drops in climax was a feeling of walking out of a store with out paying for the merchandise. With more rapids to run and appreciating the ease of travel a boat provides we shoved off. After having put on at the Flannagan damn and running the pound and upper Russelfork passing garden hole like it was a dirty gas station running the warm up rapids before towers practicing our rope skills, hiking the tracks for a mile, hiking down to el horendo and then up and down again to the river below climax it was time for cigarette. I don’t smoke but the rapid was fun. We surfed rat hole ran the meat grinder and floated right into camp the end.
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