Cedar

It has been a few years since I did this, but I was astonished that there is basically no description of this interesting, if short, run posted here. I remember fondly camping out on a freezing night with a strong wind at the lake above the dam, with a brilliant moon floating over the surface of the lake. It was a week when most rivers were way too high. I remember looking at some multi-syllabic rivers with sheer terror and regret that I had driven all that way, possibly for nothing. But then I heard about the Cedar. There were a few easy, entrance rapids below the dam for a half-mile or so, then I recall a large left turn with a small slide. I was kind of on edge because the description that I had received from Bones, at Whitewater Challengers, was a bit vague. But when I got to the entrance of the mini-gorge, it was obvious. The river narrowed to about 15 feet against a vertical wall on the right. The left side had an elevated shelf about 8 (?) feet wide against a vertical wall on the left. Near the bottom was an undercut on the right that looked to be about 25 feet deep, or more. This section was a portage, but I still wanted to run it, until I saw it. I portaged, with no regrets. But, with a ton of water, the portage route would be underwater, with vertical walls on both sides. Eeyowza! At the end of the portage shelf, the gorge makes a 90-degree left turn, then a 90-degree right turn, i.e. there was no visibility. Putting back in requires a seal-launch to total commitment to a blind gorge, the upper part of which was terrifying, that was essentially completely unknown except for a vague description from a guy named 'Bones.' Not greatly encouraging! I had to think about that for a good, long while. But I put in, and it was good. The gorge opened up a bit before another thrilling and runnable rapid---with a suspicious curling wave---that I scouted very intently before running it with great intensity. I vaguely recall that the river was much easier after this. There was probably a takeout around here that I missed. I went downstream past a mini-mansion, then ran a 15+-foot dam with a slight angle to avoid pitoning at the bottom, then past a few miles of easy water to where I had parked by the side of the road. The mini-gorge is pretty amazing, and makes the trip worth the trouble. But, anyway, if you're considering this because it is running and you're in the neighborhood, just accept the idea that you're going to do it, because probably nothing else will be low enough for you to run, anyway. The Cedar is pretty cool, albeit short, but still worth the trouble.--RF