Mashel

The season for this run is during the winter after heavy rains, and it's a great creek run to check out when other runs are blow out.The Mashel starts out with a bang on a neat little III/IV gorge. The biggest danger is wood which can lodge in any of the narrow slots in this sequence of rapids. Before committing to the put-in above the gorge, it makes sense to walk along the railroad tracks and scout from the railroad bridge to determine if it's clean of wood.

After leaving the gorge, the river opens up into mixed agricultural and residential areas. Most of the rapids from this point until the next gorge are class II with maybe some class III. It wouldn't be much fun at low water (a lot of bump and grind), but with good water you move through and can even find some small surf waves. After passing under the Center Street bridge in Eatonville the river slams into some old bridge pilings. It makes for a neat little rapid, but requires some caution (there have been reports of log jams here).

Next you will pass under the Highway 161 bridge and pass a few homes. The next formidable set of rapids is the highlight of the run where the river momentarily leaves the human-dominated landscape and carves through a narrow gorge with some great class IV ledges. From the top it is a committing series of drops but it all tapers off just out of sight. At good flows these drops are a lot of fun although they are over all too soon.

The river changes in character once again as it crosses under the Highway 7 bridge. Those without access to the key (needed for access to the lower takeout at the Nisqually confluence) will need to take out here, but those who continue will be rewarded with some really neat conglomerate walls and an old forest not often found in the Puget Sound lowlands. There is no significant whitewater in this reach but you will need to be on your toes for wood hazards.

Those who have another half day to kill and want a mellow class II explorato

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