Trip Report: Whitewater Kayaking the Green Truss section of the White Salmon River
When: 3/20/2020
Location: Green Truss section of the White Salmon River
Conditions: Sunny, 2.6ft, Spring flows
Duration: 3 hour
Difficulty: Class V
Usefull links: americanwhitewater.org
Full Report:
The Green Truss section of the White Salmon has some of the most challenging rapids on the entire river. This section is class V is 5 miles long. It starts at the Green Truss Bridge and you take out at BZ Corner Boat Launch. If you know the other sections the Farmlands is above and the Middle is below. The first couple miles of this section consists of class IV+/V dynamic creeky moves with many potential hazards. I highly suggest a guide who is willing to offer some sound beta for your first time down. The entire section is in a steep gorge offering endless beauty but also adds to the risk factor.
After the top section of rapids, you will arrive at the famous “Big Brother” waterfall. This is a 30-footer with 2 typical lines. The most run is the left line which takes you down the top of the shelf with a 90-degree turn right at the lip. Loose hips, athletic posture, and a good stoke halfway down will do you for this one. The right line or the “boof” line is much for committing because your landing zone is quite small. A cave on the bottom right and rocks on the left make this a harder move for sure. Be aware that little brother is only 30 yards downstream of this rapid.
After those, you’ve got Double Drop, Lava, Upper & Lower Zig Zags, and BZ falls. These can all be scouted with some effort and caution. Setting safety at BZ is not a bad idea since it can hand out a beat down depending on the flow. All in all the Green Truss is one of the most beautiful sections of river around and can be run almost all year long. For those who aren’t sure if they are ready for that check out the Orletta section (Bottom part of the truss) that has some great class IV giving a slight taste of what’s above but a grade below. Use the foot gauge at Husum and look for 2-2.75ft for a good first-time flow.
Full Report:
The Green Truss section of the White Salmon has some of the most challenging rapids on the entire river. This section is class V is 5 miles long. It starts at the Green Truss Bridge and you take out at BZ Corner Boat Launch. If you know the other sections the Farmlands is above and the Middle is below. The first couple miles of this section consists of class IV+/V dynamic creeky moves with many potential hazards. I highly suggest a guide who is willing to offer some sound beta for your first time down. The entire section is in a steep gorge offering endless beauty but also adds to the risk factor.
After the top section of rapids, you will arrive at the famous “Big Brother” waterfall. This is a 30-footer with 2 typical lines. The most run is the left line which takes you down the top of the shelf with a 90-degree turn right at the lip. Loose hips, athletic posture, and a good stoke halfway down will do you for this one. The right line or the “boof” line is much for committing because your landing zone is quite small. A cave on the bottom right and rocks on the left make this a harder move for sure. Be aware that little brother is only 30 yards downstream of this rapid.
After those, you’ve got Double Drop, Lava, Upper & Lower Zig Zags, and BZ falls. These can all be scouted with some effort and caution. Setting safety at BZ is not a bad idea since it can hand out a beat down depending on the flow. All in all the Green Truss is one of the most beautiful sections of river around and can be run almost all year long. For those who aren’t sure if they are ready for that check out the Orletta section (Bottom part of the truss) that has some great class IV giving a slight taste of what’s above but a grade below. Use the foot gauge at Husum and look for 2-2.75ft for a good first-time flow.