This lower section was a ton of fun when we did it twice at 1500 in 2006. The book seems to imply that there is much more wood that we saw. The river moves so fast, with so few eddies, that it is extra important to watch for sweepers and strainers, but we didn't see very many. Several of the rafting companies go a fair ways down the lower stretch, and Wildwater River Tours goes the whole way to Tim's Pond river access area. All of the commercial guides on this river are very friendly and helpful in my experience, so you could ask one of them about new obstacles.<br /> <br /> You can also put in at Waffle Wall to extend the trip, but skip the weir and some of the longer hairy Class III channels. <br /> Waffle Wall is the first dirt turnoff on the right going downriver from Rimrock Retreat, at about Mile Marker 173.5. If you get to the &quot;town&quot; (cluster of buildings) at Marker 172.9, then head East, that is the easiest way to find it.<br /> <br /> You can take out at Tim's Pond, mile marker 184.5 (+/-). This point is a little over one half mile upstream from the confluence with the Naches. The most signficant rapid is called Surprise because it sneaks up on you. After miles of continuous Class II, with intermittent bigger rapids, we dud not realize we were in the middle of it until we started running out of ways to easily dodge the holes. <br /> It's a very pretty stretch, with some time for checking out the unusually tall columnar basalt, and to look for rock climbers and mountain goats.<br /> <br /> A couple more notes: The water is warm. You will need a river access pass to park at Tim's Pond. The take-out at Tim's Pond is a little hidden, it is at the down stream end of the pond, and you can see where rafts have been dragging up the banks. If you run from lake clear to Tim's Pond, as we did, it is 17 miles. It is fast miles, but you have to pay attention the whole way.

This stretch doesn't see nearly as many boaters as the upper stretch, but if you're coming from the Seattle area, it's worth extending the upper run with the lower. Or, if you're like me and you prefer not having to wait in line to run rapids, this run can be a nice alternative to the crowded upper section. <br /> <br /> The best rapid on this section comes at the end of the recently-burned section, about 3 miles from the confluence with the Naches. The rapid is a long (1/2-mile?) continuous boulder garden that at over 2000cfs is full of big holes and waves. In a kayak, this section is a blast.