White Oak Creek

Checked out White Oak yesterday (2/1/14). Due to the icy/muddy conditions and increasingly steep banks, I was only able to hike a few hundred yards downstream from the put-in. I have much respect for anyone who has paddled or will paddle this creek. It is probably the most demanding of the palisades area runs when you consider the vertical nature of the gorge, the gradient of the stream (scarcity of eddies), the many blind turns, the high potential for wood, and the difficult takeout. I even found a small boulder sieve in one spot which, while easily avoided, is very unusual for this area. Once you put on this creek you are pretty much committed until you hit the river. I look forward to coming back in the summer, because the only feasible way to scout this run is by hiking down the streambed, and that just wasn't possible yesterday due to the ice. A final note -- there is a real trash problem in the gorge, with people dumping everything from beer cans to refrigerators. I also found a homemade deer stand that was fairly new, judging by the condition of the wood. I plan on contacting the nature conservancy soon, and sharing the photos I took of all the trash with them. With their help, I would like to organize a cleanup of the gorge sometime this year. I will post more details if this comes together.