Fike Run, PA

Fike Run

Fike Run
Photo of Vic Hutchinson by Julie Keller (www.juliekeller.com)

River Description

This is a popular steep and narrow creek run when everything's been inundated by rain.

Gordon Dalton points out:
It should be noted that there is one very dangerous ("unrunnable") drop on Fikes. (Ben Badger points out that this rapid is probably best known as "Hubbard's Cupboard", but Kevin Williams calls it "Chump's Choice." It probably has other names.) The approach looks good but the final part ends in a chute with a skewering log in it. You can scrape down a high-water passage to the FAR left, around a rocky island and WAY away from the log or just carry it. (2001)

Kevin Williams 2003-06-09 shared:
“Chump’s Choice” (“unrunnable”) or whatever it’s called, can be anticipated right after the first pool-flat water section. Look for a large flat boulder on RL in the flow and a triangle shaped boulder farther downstream. It looks like it would be easy to stumble into so be careful! The problem is a large clamshell rock blocking all but 5” of flow on the RR and all but 10” on RL- if you go down there at lower flows you will get pinned. I don’t know what “skewering log” the above guide is talking about, the rock will get you first, although there currently is wood below it if you happened to make it that far… Possibly passable at higher flow but you’d better look! I’ve scraped down the left passage even at low water but it takes a toll on plastic- there is an insidiously silly slot over there that catches people broached up-stream frequently, leaving them flailing until someone wades over and extricates them…

Dang fun run with one easy but really steep section (boof pool, boof pool for 200 meters). One of the prettiest runs I’ve seen.