Hood

On Oct 25, 2010, the rain had finally allowed us enough water to run the Lower Hood without Powerdale (Copper) Dam to impede our enjoyment.
Three of us, Temira Wagonfeld, Scott Elsworth, and myself put on at Tucker Bridge with the level around 3.85 (it went up to 3.95 during the paddle). This was Temira’s first time down the Hood, and Scott and I had run it many times before, but we were excited not to have a dam to portage this time.
As we approached the “lake” above the dam, we noted that there was a fun III- rapid where the top of the lake had been (we called it “Lake Rapid”). This rapid was partially accessible in the past during high water when the gates on the dam would be opened.
We were amazed at how much progress had been made. With the exception of the water intake building, the entire dam structure itself and fish passage had been removed and replaced with boulders and re-seeded soil.
The horizon line where the dam was looked daunting, but as we approached this new class III rapid (we christened it “Dam Rapid”) we could see that it was a relatively steep gradient with no sharp ledges or big holes and we proceeded down. Read and run was easy enough with plenty of line options; we just avoided the rocks that still stuck out of the water and bounced down the rest.
All told, this may be the most difficult rapid on this section of river, but not by a lot. It felt long and busy, but there did not appear to be any unforeseen problems with it. We did not see any *new* concrete or rebar anywhere (downstream has always had concrete/rebar). The power company did a great job keeping man-made objects out of the channel and keeping the rapid consistent with the rest of the river.